OBJECTIVETo study the effects of Chaiqiyigan Granula (CG) and Taxol on the growth of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) xenografts and expression of Bax, p53 and VEGF in nude mice.

METHODSWhole-body fluorescence imaging was used to visualize the growth of HCC in nude mice bearing hepG2/EGFP cell xenograft. Immunohistochemistry was used to determine the content of Bax, p53 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the tumor tissues.

RESULTSCompared with normal saline, Taxol alone and in combination with CG significantly inhibited the growth of HCC xenografts in the nude mice. The combined treatment with CG and Taxol produced a stronger inhibitory effect on the tumor growth than Taxol alone in the third and fourth weeks. The volume and weight of the xenografts were decreased in the combined treatment group compared with those in saline treatment group. CG combined with Taxol increased the expression of Bax and reduced the expression of p53 and VEGF in the tumor xenografts.

CONCLUSIONCG can enhance the inhibitory effects of Taxol on the growth of HCC xenografts, and this effect is related to the up-regulation of Bax and down-regulation of p53 and VEGF expression in the tumor.

Animals ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; metabolism ; pathology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Mice ; Mice, Nude ; Optical Imaging ; Paclitaxel ; pharmacology ; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 ; metabolism ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; metabolism ; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein ; metabolism