Antitumor activity of tatariside F isolated from roots of Fagopyrum tataricum (L.) Gaertn against H22 hepatocellular carcinoma via up-regulation of p53.

Background: Fagopyrum tataricum (L.) Gaertn is a famous drinking food and herbal medicine in China, and have been commonly used for treating various diseases.

Purpose: This study was designed to investigate the antitumor effect of tatariside F (TF) isolated from the roots of F. tataricum against H22 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in vitro and in vivo and explore the possible mechanisms.

Methods: In our present study, the anti-proliferative effect of TF against H22 cells was evaluated by MTT method. Furthermore, a mice xenograft model was established to investigate the antitumor effect of TF on HCC in vivo, and the possible mechanisms were determined by western blot and fluorescence polarization binding assay. In addition, the protective effect of TF on liver was also investigated by examining the histopathological changes and determining the liver biochemical parameters.

Results: Our results demonstrated that TF possessed notable antitumor effect against HCC both in vivo and in vitro, and the possible mechanism might be related to up-regulation of the protein expressions of Bax and p53, and down-regulation of Bcl-2. What's more, TF also exhibited protective effects against CTX (cyclophosphamide)-induced liver damages when co-administrated with CTX.

Conclusion: Our study suggested that TF possess notable antitumor effects against HCC and might play a favorable role in drug combination therapy against tumors with protective effect on liver.