Anti-tumor activities and apoptosis-regulated mechanisms of bufalin on the orthotopic transplantation tumor model of human hepatocellular carcinoma in nude mice

Abstract

Bufalin has significant anti-tumor activities in the orthotopic transplantation tumor model of human hepatocellular carcinoma in nude mice with no marked toxicity and was able to induce apoptosis of transplanted tumor cells. This apoptosis may be mediated mainly via up-regulating the expression of apoptosis-regulated gene bax, which may be involved in its anti-tumor mechanism of bufalin.