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The Efficacy of Apigenin in the Treatment of High-Grade Hepatocellular Carcinoma: An Invitro Experiment
Basri SatilmisInonu University, Liver Transplantation Institute, Hepatology Research Laboratory, Malatya, TürkiyeObjectives: Apigenin, a flavonoid with reported antineoplastic and anti-inflammatory properties, is being investigated for its potential in treating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study evaluated apigenin's effects on proliferation, invasion, and viability of the SNU-449 HCC cell line.
Methods: To evaluate apigenin's antiproliferative and antimetastatic effects in HCC, we performed MTT assays at 24, 48, and 72 hours, using six apigenin concentrations (2.5–100 µM). Following the determination of the minimum effective concentration at 48 hours, SRB, colony formation, and wound healing assays were performed at that dose. All results are expressed as median (inter-quartile range).
Results: The MTT assay identified 5 µM apigenin at 72 hours as the minimum effective dose. Absorbance at 5 µM apigenin and in the untreated control was 0.581 (IQR: 0.26) and 0.67 (IQR: 0.049), respectively (p>0.05). The SRB assay showed no significant difference between the apigenin-treated and control groups (0.54 [IQR: 0.07] vs. 0.381 [IQR: 0.365]; p>0.05). The colony formation assay revealed a modest reduction in survival fraction in the apigenin-treated group (74% relative to control). Wound areas at the end of the wound healing assay were 528,366 (IQR: 691,200) µm² in the apigenin-treated group and 528,861 (IQR: 523,150) µm² in the control group (p>0.05). Wound closure rates were similar between the apigenin-treated and control groups (59.5 [IQR: 36.9]% vs. 59.75 [IQR: 15.4]%; p>0.05).
Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that apigenin's direct antiproliferative and antimetastatic effects on HCC cells may be limited. Further research focusing on the modulation of the tumor microenvironment and the induction of antitumor immune responses could provide valuable insights.
Manuscript Language: English