Effects of propofol on the proliferation and migration of liver cancer cells

Li,Chan; Fu,Qingxia; Cai,Jin; Mei,Hongxia; Shangguan,Wangning

doi:10.3892/etm.2021.10165

Effects of propofol on the proliferation and migration of liver cancer cells

Authors:
- Chan Li
- Qingxia Fu
- Jin Cai
- Hongxia Mei
- Wangning Shangguan
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Affiliations: Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325027, P.R. China, Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology of Zhejiang Province, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325027, P.R. China
Published online on: May 9, 2021 https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2021.10165
Article Number: 733
Copyright: © Li et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

Liver cancer is a malignant cancer with worldwide prevalence. It has been reported that cancer cells are usually exposed to a hypoxic microenvironment, which is associated with a poor prognosis in patients with cancer. Propofol is an intravenous anesthetic that is widely used in cancer surgery. The present study aimed to determine the effects of propofol stimulation on the viability, proliferation and migration of liver cancer cells under normoxia and cobalt chloride (CoCl₂)‑induced hypoxia. Under normoxia, HepG2 and HCCLM3 cells were randomly divided into six groups as follows: i) Control group; ii) 10 µM propofol group; iii) 25 µM propofol group; iv) 50 µM propofol group; v) 100 µM propofol group; and vi) DMSO group. Cell viability and proliferation were analyzed using Cell Counting Kit‑8 (CCK‑8) and 5‑ethynyl‑2'‑deoxyuridine (EdU) assays, respectively, following 24 or 48 h of propofol treatment. In addition, wound healing and Transwell migration assays were used to determine the changes in cell migration. Under CoCl₂‑induced hypoxia, the protein levels of hypoxia inducible factor‑1α (HIF‑1α) of HepG2 cells were analyzed using western blotting. Subsequently, CCK‑8 and wound healing assays were used to determine the effect of propofol on cell viability and migration. The results of the present study revealed that propofol stimulation had no significant effect on the viability, proliferation and migration of HepG2 and HCCLM3 cells under normoxia. The protein levels of HIF‑1α were significantly upregulated following the treatment with 200 µM CoCl₂ for 12 h. However, no significant differences were found in the viability and migration of HepG2 cells following the stimulation with propofol in the presence of CoCl₂. In conclusion, the findings of the present study revealed that propofol exerted no effect on the viability, proliferation and migration of HepG2 and HCCLM3 cells under normoxic and hypoxic conditions.

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