IntroductionHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a lethal cancer. Phytomedicine may have benefits and advantages including the potential therapeutic efficacy, safety and cost effectiveness. Decursin, extracted from Angelica gigasNakai, is used in South Korea and China for treating diseases including cancer. The aim of this study is to evaluate the apoptotic effect of Decursin on the HCC cell line (HepG2). MethodsThe apoptotic effect of Decursin was evaluated through dose and time dependent manner using HepG2 cell line. The cell viability was analyzed by MTT assay using Decursin (10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 μM, for 24h). For the optimal concentration, the following doses were studied: 10, 20 and 50 μM to 24h for dose fixation using western blot technique (p-AMPK, t-AMPK, p-ACC, t-ACC). 20 μM dose was appropriate to evaluate the protein expression in 24h. The time dependent effect of 20 μM Decursin was evaluated at 4h, 8h, 12h and 24h using western blot technique (p-AMPK, t-AMPK, p-ACC, t-ACC). ResultsCompared with control cells, this time dependent study showed effective upregulation of the activated AMPK pathway at 24h. The apoptotic effect of Decursin was construed using propidium iodide staining for cell cycle analysis. The apoptotic and antiproliferative effect of Decursin were elucidated by protein expression of pro-caspase 3, Bcl-2, and Bax at the concentration of 20 μM dose for 6h, 12h, and 24h. ConclusionOur results confirm that Decursin-induced apoptosis is mediated through inhibition of anti-apoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and activation of caspase cascade by regulating the expression of AMPK, ACC, and Bax. Decursin might be a potential therapeutic candidate for the treatment of HCC.