Carcinoma, Hepatocellular

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) specific inhibitors are anti-inflammatory agents that have also shown to be useful in anticancer therapy. The effects of chebulagic acid (CA), a benzopyran tannin from Terminalia chebula having COX-2/5-LOX dual inhibitory properties, on the sensitivity of doxorubicin (Dox) in human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line HepG2 were studied in the present investigation. CA increased the accumulation of Dox in a concentration dependant manner and also enhanced the cytotoxicity of Dox in HepG2 cells by 20 folds.

NaCT (sodium-coupled citrate transporter) is an Na(+)-coupled citrate transporter identified recently in mammals that mediates the cellular uptake of citrate. It is expressed predominantly in the liver. NaCT is structurally and functionally related to the product of the Indy (I'm not dead yet) gene in Drosophila, the dysfunction of which leads to lifespan extension. Here, we show that NaCT mediates the utilization of extracellular citrate for fat synthesis in human liver cells, and that the process is stimulated by lithium.

SIRT1 is the human orthologue of SIR2, a conserved NAD-dependent protein deacetylase that regulates longevity in yeast and in Caenorhabditis elegans. Overexpression of SIRT1 in cancer tissue, compared with normal tissue, has been demonstrated, suggesting that SIRT1 may act as a tumor promoter. The function of SIRT1 in liver cancer has not been elucidated. In the present study, SIRT1 re-expression or knockdown was induced in hepatoma cell lines and liver normal cell lines.

SIRT3, a mitochondrial sirtuin belonging to nicotinamide adenine nucleotide (NAD) dependent deacetylases, is implicated in metabolism, longevity and carcinogenesis. SIRT3 expression and its significance in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain largely unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that SIRT3 expression in HCC tissue was much lower than that in paracarcinoma tissue, at both mRNA and protein levels. The cutoff value for low SIRT3 expression in HCC was defined according to receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis.

Sirtuins (SIRT1-7) are a highly conserved family of NAD(+)-dependent enzymes that control the activity of histone and nonhistone regulatory proteins. SIRT1 is purposed to promote longevity and to suppress the initiation of some cancers. Nevertheless, SIRT1 is reported to function as a tumor suppressor as well as an oncogenic protein. Our data show that compared with normal liver or surrounding tumor tissue, SIRT1 is strongly overexpressed in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

In cadaveric liver transplantation, the Milan criteria have been accepted as the selection criteria for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients in considering organ allocation. However, the situation is different in living-donor liver transplantation (LDLT), in which the donor has a strong preference for altruism. The authors describe herein their experience with LDLT for HCC patients using their patient selection criteria. From February 1999 to March 2002, right lobe LDLT was performed in 56 patients with HCC.

PURPOSE: ART and its derivatives, clinically used antimalarial agents, have recently shown antitumor activities. However, the mechanisms underlying these activities remain unclear. This study was designed to determine their antitumor efficacy and underlying mechanisms of action in human hepatoma cells. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: The in vitro cytotoxicities of ART, DHA, artemether, and artesunate were compared in human hepatoma cells, HepG2 (p53 wild-type), Huh-7 and BEL-7404 (p53 mutant), and Hep3B (p53 null), and a normal human liver cell line, 7702.

Cytotoxic activity of artemisinin and derivatives in the presence and absence of holo-transferrin and expression of genes involved in resistance of cancer cells were investigated in human cholangiocarcinoma (CL-6) and hepatocarcinoma (Hep-G2) cell lines in vitro. After incubation with the test drugs and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) cytotoxicity was asessed by MTT assay.

AIMS AND BACKGROUND: Previous studies showed that dihydroartemisinin (DHA) possessed antitumor activity in many human tumor cells through the induction of apoptosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of DHA on apoptosis in the human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line HepG2 and the possible molecular mechanisms involved. METHODS: The inhibitory effect of DHA on HepG2 cells was measured by MTT assay. The percentage of apoptotic cells was detected by flow cytometry with double staining of fluorescein isothiocyanate-annexin V/propidium iodide.

The polycarbonate copolymer poly(trimethylene carbonate-co-5,5-dimethyl trimethylene carbonate) (P(TMC-co-DTC)) was synthesized by the polymerization of trimethylene carbonate (TMC) and 5,5-dimethyl trimethylene carbonate (DTC) using tin (II) 2-ethylhexanoate [Sn(Oct)(2)] as a catalyst. In vitro degradation tests indicated this polycarbonate copolymer degraded slowly in phosphate buffer saline solution (PBS, 0.1 mol/L, at 37°C).