Research Paper Volume 11, Issue 21 pp 9719—9737

Figure 1. Tanshinone-IIA (Tan IIA) can inhibit liver cancer cell growth and progression. (A) The Chemical structure of Tan IIA. (B) Cell viability of Bel-7404 and SMMC-7721 cells treated with DMSO or dose dependent Tan IIA was determined by CCK-8 cytotoxicity test. *p<0.05, **p<0.01, ***p<0.001 vs DMSO. (C) Bright light images of Bel-7404 cells treated with DMSO or 40 μM Tan IIA (left panel). Scale bars: 50μm. Cells were then quantified using ImageJ software and the data are shown as Mean±SD from three independent tests (right panel). *p<0.05. (D) Colony formation assay was to determine cell clonogenic ability in Bel-7404 and SMMC-7721 cells with DMSO or 40 μM Tan IIA. Scale bars: 50 μm. (E) Cell invasion ability was measured by Transwell invasion assay in Bel-7404 and SMMC-7721 cell lines treated with DMSO or 40 μM Tan IIA. Scale bars: 50 μm. (F) Cell wound healing assay was performed to measure cell migration ability in Bel-7404 cells treated with DMSO or 40 μM Tan IIA. The representative images were taken in different time points. Scale bars: 200 μm. ***p<0.001 (G, H) Tan IIA induced apoptosis marker cleaved caspase substrate expression measured by immunofluorescence assay in Bel-7404 and SMMC-7721 cells. Scale bars: 100 μm.