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Background & Objective: Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) promoter-driven target gene could be specifically expressed in AFP-positive hepatoma. Escherichia coli purine nucleoside phosphorylase/6-methylpurine-2-deoxyriboside (PNP/MeP-dR) suicide gene system has powerful killing effects on tumor cells. This study was to investigate the specific killing effect of PNP/MeP-dR suicide gene system driven by an AFP promoter, AF0.3, on AFP-positive hepatoma cells., Methods: Inserting PNP gene into pAF0.3, a eukaryotic expression vector containing PNP gene, pAF0.3/PNP, was constructed. Then it was transfected into AFP-positive HepG2 and AFP-negative SMMC7721 hepatoma cell lines, respectively. Two cell lines HepG2/AF0.3-PNP and SMMC7721/AF0.3-PNP, stably transfected with PNP gene, were obtained with G418 selection. The expression of PNP gene was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The proliferation of HepG2/AF0.3-PNP and SMMC7721/AF0.3-PNP cells was determined with trypan blue exclusion. The sensitivity of the cells to MeP-dR and the bystander effects were assessed with MTT assay and flow cytometry (FCM). The enzymatic activities of PNP gene products were determined with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)., Results: Whether hypoxia or normoxia, HepG2/AF0.3-PNP cells were sensitive to MeP-dR, whereas SMMC7721/AF0.3-PNP cells were not. Under both conditions, obvious cytotoxic effects on HepG2 cells were observed when the proportion of HepG2/AF0.3-PNP cells in the mixture reached 25%. But there were no similar effects on SMMC7721 cells under the same conditions. HPLC assay showed that the product of PNP gene driven by AF0.3 promoter could convert a spot of MeP-dR into 6-MP in HepG2 cells, but not in SMMC7721 cells., Conclusion: PNP/MeP-dR system, driven by AF0.3 promoter, has powerful killing effect on AFP-positive hepatoma HepG2 cells.

Aim: To investigate the prediction value of radiosensitivity of hepatocarcinoma cells for apoptosis and micronucleus assay., Methods: Clonogenic assay, flow cytometry, and CB micronuclei assay were used to survey the cell survival rate, radiation-induced apoptosis and micronucleus frequency of hepatocarcinoma cell lines SMMC-7721, HL-7702, and HepG2 after being irradiated by X-ray at the dosage ranging 0-8 Gy., Results: After irradiation, there was a dose-effect relationship between micronucleus frequency and radiation dosage among the three cell lines (P<0.05). A positive relationship was observed between apoptosis and radiation dosage among the three cell lines. The HepG2 cells had a significant correlation (P<0.05) but apoptosis incidence had a negative relationship with micronucleus frequency. There was a positive relationship between apoptosis and radiation dosage and the correlation between SMMC-7721 and HL-7702 cell lines had a significant difference (P<0.01). After irradiation, a negative relationship between cell survival rate and radiation dosages was found among the three cell lines (P<0.01). There was a positive relationship between cell survival rate and micronucleus frequency (P<0.01). No correlation was observed between apoptosis and cell survival rate., Conclusion: The radiosensitivity of hepatocarcinoma cells can be reflected by apoptosis and micronuclei. Detection of apoptosis and micronuclei could enhance the accuracy for predicting radiosensitivity.

Aim: To study the antitumor effect of combined gene therapy of endostatin and interleukin 12 (IL-12) with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) on mouse transplanted hepatoma., Methods: Mouse endostatin eukaryotic plasmid (pSecES) with a mouse Igkappa signal sequence inside and mouse IL-12 eukaryotic plasmid (pmIL-12) were transfected into BHK-21 cells respectively. Endostatin and IL-12 were assayed by ELISA from the supernant and used to culture endothelial cells and spleen lymphocytes individually. Proliferation of the latter was evaluated by MTT. H22 cells were inoculated into the leg muscle of mouse, which was injected intratumorally with pSecES/PVP, pmIL-12/PVP or pSecES+pmIL-12/PVP repeatedly. Tumor weight, serum endostatin and serum IL-12 were assayed. Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes, tumor microvessel density and apoptosis of tumor cells were also displayed by HE staining, CD31 staining and TUNEL., Results: Endostatin and IL-12 were secreted after transfection, which could inhibit the proliferation of endothelial cells or promote the proliferation of spleen lymphocytes. Tumor growth was highly inhibited by 91.8% after injection of pSecES+pmIL-12/PVP accompanied by higher serum endostatin and IL-12, more infiltrating lymphocytes, fewer tumor vessels and more apoptosis cells compared with injection of pSecES/PVP, pmIL-12/PVP or vector/PVP., Conclusion: Mouse endostatin gene and IL-12 gene can be expressed after intratumoral injection with PVP. Angiogenesis of hepatoma can be inhibited synergisticly, lymphocytes can be activated to infiltrate, and tumor cells are induced to apoptosis. Hepatoma can be highly inhibited or eradiated.