Anti-tumor Properties of Picrasma quassioides Extracts in H-Ras^G12V Liver Cancer Are Mediated Through ROS-dependent...

Picrasma quassioides (PQ) is a traditional Asian herbal medicine with anti-tumor properties that can inhibit the viability of HepG2 liver cancer cells. H-Ras is often mutated in liver cancer, however, the effect of PQ treatment on H-Ras mutated liver cancer is unclear. This study aimed to investigate the role of PQ on ROS accumulation and mitochondrial dysfunction in H-ras mutated HepG2 (HepG2^G12V) cells.

PQ ethanol extract-induced HepG2^G12V apoptosis was analyzed by the MTT assay, fluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry and western blotting.

PQ treatment affected cell migration and colony formation in HepG2^G12V cells. Cleaved-caspase-3, cleaved-caspase-9 and BCL2 associated agonist of cell death (BAD) expression levels were increased, while the levels of B-cell lymphoma-extra large (Bcl-xL) were decreased with PQ treatment. PQ treatment led to a reduction of H-Ras expression levels in liver cancer cells, thus reducing their abnormal proliferation. Furthermore, it led to increased expression levels of Peroxiredoxin VI, which regulates the redox signal in cells.

Taken together these results provide a new functional significance for the role of PQ in treating HepG2^G12V liver cancer.