Abstract:  Objective To study the potential of celastrol to inhibit growth of transplanted tumors in nude mice. Methods Nude mice（n=20） subcutaneously injected with HepG2 cells were randomly divided into 4 groups and treated by abdominal injection with 0，1.0，2.0 and 4.0 mg/kg once daily five times per week. Tumor size was measured every five days. Results Tumor volume inhibition was 12.21% for 1.0 mg/kg，65.60% for 2.0 mg/kg and 89.52% for 4.0 mg/kg，and tumor volume was significantly smaller in animals treated with 2.0 or 4.0 mg/kg than in control animals. Severe liver and kidney toxicity were observed in animals treated with 4.0 mg/kg. Conclusion Celastrol shows good anticancer activity in this mouse model of liver cancer. Studies are needed to optimize dosing and drug structure to reduce toxicity.

Key words: Liver neoplasm, Celastrol, Liver cancer model, Inhibition, Toxicity