Abstract
Objective To investigate the effect of curcumin combined with 5-FU on autophagy and Yes-associated protein (YAP) expression in hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Methods HepG2 cells, HepG2 cells with stable YAP overexpression, and HepG2 cells with stable YAP knockdown were treated with 10 μmol/L of curcumin and 10 μg/mL of 5-FU alone and in combination for 24 hours. The proliferation of cells was detected by MTT assay. The expression changes of autophagy markers microtubule-associated protein LC3II and YAP were detected by Western blotting. Results When the two agents were used in combination, the inhibition rate of tumor cell proliferation was significantly higher than that of each single agent group. Compared with the control group, group with curcumin, group with 5-FU, and combination group could increase the expression level of LC3II protein and decrease that of YAP in HepG2 cells, HepG2 cells with stable YAP overexpression, and HepG2 cells with stable YAP knockdown. Conclusion The combination of curcumin and 5-FU induces autophagy and down-regulates the expression of YAP in hepatocellular carcinoma cells.
