Effects of blueberries on migration, invasion, proliferation, the cell cycle and apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma cells

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of blueberry consumption on the migration, invasion, proliferation, cell cycle and apoptosis in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells, in order to provide clinical treatment and prevention strategies for liver cancer using anticancer therapeutic agents. Rabbiteye blueberry was prepared as fresh juice and fed to rats at low, moderate and high dosages (25, 50 and 100%, respectively) by daily gastric gavage. Seven days later, the rats were sacrificed and the blood serum was obtained for co-culture with HEPG2 cells. The MTT assay was used for detecting cell proliferation, Transwell assay was performed for migration and invasion evaluation, and cell cycle and apoptosis were assessed by flow cytometry. After co-culturing with the blood serum of rats that were fed different dosages of blueberry juice, the inhibition rate of HEPG2 cells in the three groups was significantly lower than that in the control group at 48 and 72 h (P< 0.05). The number of migrated and transmembrane HEPG2 cells in the three groups was significantly lower than that in the control group at 48 and 72 h (P< 0.05). The number of migrated HEPG2 cells in the high dosage group was significantly lower than that in the low dosage group at 48 h, and the numbers of migrated HEPG2 cells in the high and moderate dosage groups were significantly lower than that in the low dosage group at 72 h (P< 0.05). The number of transmembrane HEPG2 cells in the high dosage group was significantly lower than that in the low dosage group at 48 h (P< 0.05). The numbers of HEPG2 cells at the G(2)/M stage in the three groups were significantly lower than that in the control group, and the number of HEPG2 cells in the high dosage group was significantly lower than that in the low dosage group, at 48 and 72 h (P< 0.05). The apoptosis rate in the three groups was significantly higher than that in the control group, and the apoptosis rate in the high dosage group was significantly higher than that in the low dosage group at 48 and 72 h (P< 0.05). Thus, blueberries may facilitate the clinical treatment of HCC, providing a novel therapeutic and prevention strategy for HCC as an anticancer therapeutic agent.