Safflower Yellow Inhibits Progression of Hepatocellular Carcinoma by Modulating Immunological Tolerance via FAK Pathway.

Objective: To explore the anti-tumor effect of safflower yellow (SY) against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and the underlying potential mechanism.

Methods: An in vitro model was established by mixing Luc-Hepa1-6 cells and CD3CD8 T cells, followed by adding programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) antibody (Anti-mPD-1) with or without SY. The apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry and the level of inflammatory cytokines was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.