Abstract: Objective To investigate the effects of 3-Bromopyruvic acid（3-BrPA） on the growth of gastric cancer in vivo and to explore how it exerts these effects． Methods Human gastric carcinoma SGC-7901 cells were subcutaneously implanted in nude mice，which were randomly divided into six groups（each n=10） that received subcutaneous injections of 1.85，2.23，or 2.67 mg/kg 3-BrPA；5-FU； or PBS（two groups）.After 28 days of treatment，the expression of apoptosis-associated proteins p53，bcl-2，bax and active caspase-3 was examined by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting.Hexokinase activity was assessed using a commercial kit. Results Hexokinase activity gradually declined with increasing 3-BrPA dose. Mice in the 3-BrPA groups showed lower expression of p53 and bcl-2 and higher expression of bax and active caspase-3 than did mice in the PBS groups（P<0.05）． Conclusion 3-BrPA can induce apoptosis of human gastric cancer cells，and it appears to do so by altering expression of apoptosis-associated proteins and inhibiting hexokinase activity.

Key words:  Gastric neoplasms, 3-Bromopyruvic acid, Nude mice, HK, p53, bcl-2, bax, Mechamism