Liver cancer is the sixth most prevalent type of cancer and the third most common cause of cancer‑related mortality worldwide. The treatment methods for liver cancer are very limited and no cure has yet been found for this disease. This situation has intensified the search for alternative treatment options in numerous developing countries. For example, the extract of Dioscorea dumetorum (D. dumetorum) tuber is used locally for the treatment of cancers. However, there is limited scientific evidence available to support the acclaimed therapeutic properties of D. dumetorum. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the in vitro anticancer effects of D. dumetorum on liver cancer (HepG2) cells. The cytotoxic effects of the chloroform fraction of D. dumetorum were examined using MTT assay and phase contrast microscopy. The effects of treatment with the chloroform fraction on the apoptosis of HepG2 cells were investigated using caspase assay and reverse transcription‑quantitative PCR. The chloroform fraction was cytotoxic to the cancer cell lines (IC50 28.5±0.01 µg/ml). The phase contrast microscopy of the HepG2 cells revealed morphological aberrations that suggested apoptosis. In addition, treatment with the chloroform fraction increased the expression levels of caspase‑3, ‑8 and ‑9 proteins, suggesting that HepG2 cell death may have occurred through apoptosis. Gene expression analysis revealed that treatment with the chloroform fraction increased the mRNA expression levels of p53 and Bax, whereas it decreased the mRNA expression levels of Bcl‑2 and MDM2. The findings of the present study corroborate the occurrence of apoptosis in the chloroform fraction‑treated HepG2 cancer cells. Therefore, D. dumetorum tuber extract may be potentially used for the induction of the apoptosis of liver cancer cells.

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