The effects of Alisol B 23-acetate in hepatocellular carcinoma via inducing cell apoptosis and inhibiting cell migration and invasion

Alisol B 23-acetate (AB23A) is a natural triterpenoid isolated from Chinese herbal medicine and has a variety of biological functions, especially anti-cancer e ects.However, the e ects and mechanisms of AB23A in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain unclear.Cell viability, invasion and migration were measured by MTT, Transwell and wound healing assays, respectively.To detect cell cycle and apoptosis, a ow cytometry assay was used.Tumor xenogra experiment was performed to measure tumor growth.e enzymatic assay was used to determine the activity of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and -9.Furthermore, the mRNA and protein levels of Bcl-2, Bax, Caspase-3/-9, MMP-2/-9 and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) were detected by RT-PCR and Western blotting assays.AB23A suppressed cell viability in a concentration-dependent manner, blocked cell cycle, and induced apoptosis via up-regulating Bax, Caspase-3 and Caspase-9, and down-regulating Bcl-2 in HCC cells both in vitro and in vivo.In addition, AB23A inhibited cell invasion and migration through down-regulating MMP-2/-9 activities.e e ects of AB23A might be associated with the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in HCC cells.Taken together, the present data demonstrated that AB23A might play a role in suppressing the progression of HCC, revealing the value of AB23A for hepatocellular carcinoma treatment in clinic.