Purified white polysaccharide (PPW) is a homogenous polysaccharide isolated from pumpkin, with an average molecular weight of 34 kDa. In this study, we aimed at examining the anti-proliferative activity of PPW against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) HepG2 cells and the underlying mechanisms. We found that PPW-induced inhibition of cell proliferation in HepG2 cells was associated with the induction of apoptosis. Exposure of HepG2 cells to PPW (100, 200, and 400 μg/mL) resulted in a loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm) and the release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria to the cytosol. Also, Western blot analysis revealed dose-dependent increase of pro-apoptotic Bax protein and decrease of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein in PPW-treated cells. Besides, caspase-9 and caspase-3 activities were also enhanced in HepG2 cells followed by PPW treatment. Additionally, the cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) was observed in PPW-treated HepG2 cells, which altogether account for apoptotic cell death. These results suggested that PPW-induced apoptosis involved a caspase-3-mediated mitochondrial pathway and may have potential as a cancer chemopreventive and therapeutic agent for the prevention and treatment of HCC.
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