Anticancer Activity of Asparagus cochinchinensis Extract and Fractions in HepG2 Cells

Asparagus cochinchinensis Merrill (Liliaceae) has been traditionally used for the treatment of cancer in Korea and China, but its anticancer activity and underlying mechanism remain to be defined. Anticancer activities were investigated on fractions obtained from A. cochinchinensis 70% ethanol extract (ACE-EtOH) in human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells. Ethylacetate fraction from A. cochinchinensis extract (ACE-EA), more effective than other fractions, induced apoptosis of HepG2 (IC(50)=72.33 +/- 0.34 mu g/mL), as revealed by apoptotic feature observation, increased capase-3 activity and Poly ADP ribose polymerase cleavage, and decreased expression of X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein in a dose-dependent manner. Protein levels of autophagy-related molecules, microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 alpha and beclin 1, appeared to be induced by ACE-EA, suggesting ACE-EA exhibits anti-cancer activity with induction via both apoptosis and autophagy signaling pathways in HepG2 cells.