Apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells induced by seleno-ovalbumin (Se-OVA) via mitochondrial pathway

Seleno-ovalbumin (Se-OVA) was a selenium conjugating protein synthesized by the combination of ovalbumin (OVA) and inorganic selenium. In this paper, the structure of Se-OVA was characterized, and the anticancer effect of Se-OVA on hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells was investigated. Through FT-IR, UV, endogenous fluorescence and XRD assays, it was found that the structural characterization of Se-OVA changed after seleno-modification. In addition, the cell assays showed that Se-OVA could induce apoptosis of HepG2 cells by arresting cell cycle in S phase, generating intracellular reactive oxygen species, reducing the mitochondrial transmembrane potential, and triggering the Bax- and Bcl-2-mediated mitochondria apoptosis pathway. These findings revealed that Se-OVA might serve as a novel anticancer drug for cancer adjuvant therapy.