SONG Chuanfang,AI Jiang,WEN Chao,et al.The mechanism of epigallocatechin gallate enhancing the sensitivity of hepatocellular carcinoma cells to lenvatinib[J].ZHONGGUO YAOFANG,2025,36(18):2256-2261.
SONG Chuanfang,AI Jiang,WEN Chao,et al.The mechanism of epigallocatechin gallate enhancing the sensitivity of hepatocellular carcinoma cells to lenvatinib[J].ZHONGGUO YAOFANG,2025,36(18):2256-2261. DOI: 10.6039/j.issn.1001-0408.2025.18.07.
The mechanism of epigallocatechin gallate enhancing the sensitivity of hepatocellular carcinoma cells to lenvatinib
To investigate the potential mechanism of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) enhancing the sensitivity of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells to lenvatinib based on the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) signaling pathway.
METHODS
2
Five human HCC cell lines (HepG2, Huh-7, SMMC-7721, SNU-368 and SNU-739) were used to evaluate the effects of lenvatinib alone and in combination with EGCG on survival rates, clone number, proliferation rate, invasion number and the expressions of mRNAs and proteins related to the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. The PI3K activator insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) was introduced to investigate the effect of activating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway on the sensitization effect of EGCG.
RESULTS
2
Compared with the control group, lenvatinib (10 μmol/L) and different concentrations of EGCG+lenvatinib (1, 5 and 10 μg/mL EGCG+10 μmol/L lenvatinib) significantly reduced the survival rates and clone numbers of all five HCC cell lines in a dose-dependent manner (
P
<0.05). Lenvatinib (10 μmol/L) and EGCG+lenvatinib (10 μg/mL EGCG+10 μmol/L lenvatinib) also markedly inhibited the proliferation rate and invasion numbers of these cells, and decreased the mRNA expressions of PI3K, Akt, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), P70S6K and 4EBP, and the phosphorylation levels of PI3K and Akt, as well as the protein expressions of mTOR and B cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) in HepG2 cells or all five HCC cells; conversely, the mRNA and protein expressions of phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted on chromosome 10(PTEN), and the protein expressions of caspase-3 and cleaved caspase-3 were significantly upregulated, with more pronounced effects observed in the EGCG+lenvatinib group than in the lenvatinib group (
P
<0.05). Compared with the lenvatinib group and the EGCG+lenvatinib group, the clone number, proliferation rate and invasion nu
mber of HepG2 cells in the EGCG+lenvatinib+IGF-1 group (10 μg/mL EGCG+10 μmol/L lenvatinib+50 ng/mL IGF-1) were significantly increased (
P
<0.05).
CONCLUSIONS
2
EGCG can enhance the sensitivity of HCC cells to lenvatinib, and its underlying mechanism may be related to the inhibition of the activation of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway activation.
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