Abstract:

 Objective To investigate the effect of ibuprofen on apoptosis and proliferation of hepatic cells via the IKKβ/IκBα/NF-κB signaling pathway. Methods Human liver cancer QGY-7703 cells in logarithmic growth phase were seeded into culture plates or bottles. The cells were randomly divided into 4 groups using random number table（n=6 each）：control group（Qc group） and 3 experimental groups given different ibuprofen concentrations （Q₁,Q₂,Q₃ groups）. The Q₁,Q₂ and Q₃ groups were exposed to ibuprofen at respective final concentrations of 250，500 and 1000 μmol/L，while the control group was exposed to normovolemic RPM-l640 nutrient solution. Cell proliferation at 24，48 and 72 h later was measured using the CCK-8 assay，and apoptosis rate was measured using flow cytometry．After 48 h incubation，levels of IKKβ and Bcl-2 mRNA and protein，as well as levels of p-IKKβ， p-IκBα and NF-κBp65 protein，were measured using real-time PCR or Western blotting. Results Proliferation rates and apoptotic rates were significantly higher in the Q₁,Q₂ and Q₃ groups than in the Qc group. These effects depended on ibuprofen dose and incubation time. Levels of IKKβ and Bcl-2 mRNA were significantly lower in Q₁,Q₂ and Q₃ groups than in the Qc group，and this effect varied with ibuprofen concentration. Similarly，protein levels of IKKβ，Bcl-2，p-IKKβ，p-IκBα and NF-κBp65 were significantly lower in the Q₁,Q₂ and Q₃ groups than in the Qc group. All these levels negatively correlated with ibuprofen concentration（P＜0.05）. Conclusions Ibuprofen can inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis in human liver cancer QGY-7703 cells，and it may exert these effects by regulating IKKβ/IκBα/NF-κB signaling.

Key words: Liver neoplasms, Ibuprofen, Liver cancer QGY-7703 cells ,  Proliferation, Apoptosis , Signaling pathway