Effect of L-4-oxalysine on alpha-fetoprotein gene expression in human BEL-7404 hepatoma cells

Influence of L-4-oxalysine (OXL) on alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) gene expression was investigated by in vitro experiments. Exposure of exponentially growing BEL-7404 human hepatoma cells to OXL 6.3-100 mg L-1 for 48 h resulted in an obvious decrease of AFP content in culture media with the inhibition percentages of about 32%-72% as measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique. But the same concentrations of OXL did not affect albumin level in culture media. In the presence of 25-100 mg L-1 of OXL, the growth of hepatoma cells was significantly suppressed. On the other hand, after treatment of hepatoma cells with OXL 25 and 50 mg L-1, respectively for 48 h, AFP content in hepatoma cells was also markedly lowered as assessed with the avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex (ABC) method. The results indicated that OXL specifically inhibited AFP gene expression in human BEL-7404 hepatoma cells, which might contribute to its anti-hepatoma activities.