The Euphorbia lunulata Bge extract inhibits proliferation of human hepatoma HepG2 cells and induces apoptosis.

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of Euphorbia lunulata Bge extract on the proliferation of human hepatoma HepG2 cell line. METHODS Different dilutions of Euphorbia lunulata Bge extract were used to treat human hepatoma HepG2 cells. Hoechst 33258 and PI-staining fluorescence microscopy were utilized to observe the nuclear morphological changes of apoptotic cells. Flow cytometry was used to detect the rates of apoptosis and apoptotic peaks. Western blotting was performed to analyze the subcellular distribution of cytochrome C. RESULTS The Euphorbia lunulata Bge extract was found to inhibit the proliferation of human hepatoma HepG2 cells via a time and concentration-dependent manner. CONCLUSION Altogether, the results suggest that the Euphorbia lunulata Bge extract is effective in inhibiting the proliferation of human hepatoma HepG2 cells and inducing cell apoptosis. The mechanism may be related to the mitochondrial pathways or cellular apoptosis pathways.