Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is believed to originate from cancer stem cells (CSCs). While epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) is a marker of normal hepatic stem cells (HSCs), EpCAM+ cells from HCC behave like CSCs. Since HCC mostly develops on a cirrhotic background, we sought to determine whether CSC-like EpCAM+ cells exist in patients with advanced cirrhosis. Both flow cytometry and ...

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and hexokinase 2 (HK2) are involved in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Deregulation of cellular energetics involving an increase in glycolysis is a characteristic of HCC. This study examined whether STAT3 regulates HCC glycolysis through the HK2 pathway in HCC cells. Human HCC cell lines HepG2 and Hep3B cells were transfected with pcDNA...

We have demonstrated that sodium butyrate induces differentiation in human hepatoma cells; however, recent studies have shown that this agent causes apoptosis in some types of cancer cells. In this study, we examined whether sodium butyrate causes apoptosis in the human hepatoma cell lines, HCC-M and HCC-T. The growth of human hepatoma cells was dose-dependently reduced by sodium butyrate. Flow...

It has been shown that drug resistance is extremely common in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and is one of the major problems in HCC chemotherapy. However, the detailed mechanisms remain largely unknown. We have previously shown that endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is involved in the tumorigenesis of HCC. Here, we demonstrated that the unfolded protein response (UPR) inhibits cisplatin-induce...

In the present study, we aimed to ascertain whether there is a correlation between CD206 expression in tumor associated-macrophages (TAMs) and the prognosis of primary hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) and we investigated the effect of GdCl3 on HCC. The expression of CD206 in HCC tumor tissues and peri-carcinoma tissues was measured using an array for liver tissues. The effects of GdCl3 on CD206 ...

BACKGROUND Autophagy is a dynamic physiological process that can generate energy and nutrients for cell survival during stress. Autophagy can regulate the migration and invasive ability in cancer cells. However, the connection between autophagy and metabolism is unclear. Monocarboxylate transporter 1 (MCT1) plays an important role in lactic acid transport and H+ clearance in cancer cells, and W...

Background. Antrodia cinnamomea is an edible fungus commonly used in Asia as a well-known medicinal herb capable of treating drug intoxication and liver cancer. Methods. This study evaluated the anticancer activity of its biotechnological product, mycelial fermentation broth (AC-MFB) on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by tetrazolium-based colorimetric assay in vitro and syngeneic Balb/c 1MEA.7R....

Osteopontin (OPN) is a multi-functional cytokine involved in cell survival, migration and adhesion. Increasing evidence has elucidated its role in tumorigenesis, progression and metastasis. However, the role of OPN in chemoresistance of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has not yet been clarified. In the present study, we examined the expression of OPN in human HCC samples before and after c...

STAT3 is highly activated in a wide variety of cancers and functions to promote tumor survival. We previously reported that blocking STAT3 activation inhibited human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) growth in vitro, but whether this treatment also triggered antitumor immune responses in vivo remained unknown. In this study, we found that blocking the STAT3 pathway in HCC cells dramatically inhibi...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is usually presented in inflamed fibrotic/cirrhotic liver with extensive lymphocyte infiltration. We examined the associations between the HCC early recurrence and alterations in serum levels of inflammatory cytokines. METHODS A cohort of 105 HCC patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection were included. Pre-therapy, we quantifi...