Effects and significance of formononetin on expression levels of HIF-1α and VEGF in mouse cervical cancer tissue

Effects and significance of formononetin on the expression levels of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in mouse cervical cancer tissue were investigated. The animal models of Balb/c nude mice with cervical cancer were established by the inoculation of HeLa cells, and randomly divided into positive control (n=10), cisplatin (n=15) and formononetin group (n=15). Mice were all sacrificed on the 31st day after administration, and their tumors were excised and weighed to calculate tumor inhibition rate. At the same time, their cancer tissues were obtained. RT-qPCR was used for detecting the mRNA expression levels of HIF-1α and VEGF, and western blotting for detecting the protein expression levels. During the medication intervention, mice in the formononetin group had no obvious adverse reactions, and were in good condition, whereas mice in the cisplatin group had poor appetite, drooping spirits and decreased activity. Mice in the cisplatin and the formononetin groups had significantly lower tumor mass and volume than those in the positive control group (P<0.05). The tumor inhibition rate of mice was 56.24% in the cisplatin group, and 50.17% in the formononetin group. Cervical cancer mice in the formononetin and the cisplatin groups had significantly lower mRNA and protein expression levels of HIF-1α and VEGF in tissues than those in the positive control group (P<0.05). Formononetin can inhibit the growth of cervical cancer and reduce the mRNA and protein expression levels of HIF-1α and VEGF in mouse cervical cancer. Formononetin has an inhibitory effect on cervical cancer tumors similar to that of cisplatin, but the former has smaller side effects, providing data for the clinical use in cervical cancer.