Effects and mechanisms of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γon growth and apoptosis in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells

Abstract

Objective To investigate the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) in human liver cancer tissue and cells, and to explore the effects and mechanisms of PPARγ on growth and apoptosis in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Methods The expression of PPARγ in 20 cases of liver cancer, tumor adjacent tissue, normal liver, one liver cell line and two liver cancer cell lines were detected by immunohistochemistry or Western blotting. Two incubated malignant cell lines were exposed to PPARγ agonist 15dPGJ2 or antagonist T0070907, cell viability was determined by methyl thiazol tetrazolium (MTT) assay and cell cycle distribution and apoptosis were examined by flow cytometry (FCM). Consequently, the activity of caspase-3 following treatments of 15dPGJ2 or T0070907 was observed by the commercial Caspase-3 Activity Kit. Results The expression of PPARγin liver cancer was higher than that in adjacent and normal liver tissue ( P ＜ 0. 05) and PPART was predominantly expressed in the cytoplasm. Further,the expression of PPARγwas higher in hepatoma cell line than that in normal liver cell line (P＜ 0.05 ). PPARγ agonist 15dPG-J2 inhibited the proliferation while the antagonist T0070907 induced the growth of hepatoma cells (P ＜ 0. 05). G0/G1 phase of HepG2 and SMMC772 cells was blocked by 15dPG-J2, and the ratio were raised from (42.5 ±0.9)% and (49.0 ±3.8)% to (61.0 ±2. 0)% and (67.5 ±2. 2)% ,respectively. Meantime,S phase ratio were decreased from (30. 5 ± 0. 3 ) % and (43.0 ± 2. 5 ) % to ( 6. 6 ± 1. 1 ) % and ( 25. 1 ± 2. 0 ) %. Further, 15 dPG-J2 facilitated significant apoptosis in those cell lines and the increased apoptosis ratio were 24. 4% and 22. 4% respectively.Accordingly,the activity of Caspase-3 induced by 15dPGJ2 were 21-and 23-fold higher than those in control groups (P ＜ 0. 05 ). The Caspase inhibitor Z-VAD-fmk expectedly reversed the apoptosis induced by 15dPGJ2 in HepG2 and SMMC772 cells. Conclusion The expression of PPARγ increases in human hepatoma predominantly in cytoplasm with its inactivated form. 15dPG-J2 ,an agonist of PPART inhibits growth and induces apoptotic in hepatoma cells through activation of PPARγ pathway and the consequent Caspase3 signal. Key words: PPARγ; Hepatoma; Caspase-3; Apoptosis; Cell cycle