Silencing alpha-fetoprotein expression induces growth arrest and apoptosis in human hepatocellular cancer cell

The expression of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), a tumor-associated antigen, is silenced in normal adult hepatocyte but reactivated in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). To investigate the roles of AFP in the regulation of cell growth, we silenced AFP expression in the HCC cell line Huh7 by transfection of specific Stealth RNAi. After the transfection for 48 h, the expression of AFP gene was almost abolished, the cell proliferation was inhibited by 46.15%, and the number of cells undergoing early apoptosis was significantly increased to 63.93%. Inhibition of AFP expression also resulted in an increased in Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria and activation of caspase-3. The results suggest that AFP may positively regulate cell proliferation by enhancing the apoptosis resistance via dysfunction of the p53/Bax/cytochrome c/caspase-3 signaling pathway in AFP-producing HCC cell line. As such, the knockdown of AFP gene should be further investigated in vivo as a novel approach to HCC treatment.