Xiaoai Jiedu Recipe suppresses hepatocellular carcinogenesis through the miR‐200b-3p /Notch1 axis

PURPOSE: Xiaoai Jiedu recipe (XJR), a formula long used by Chinese National Medical Professor Zhou Zhongying, has potent antitumor properties, but the molecular mechanism is still unclear. The aim of the study was to investigate the antitumor mechanism of XJR on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by focusing on miRNA. METHODS: Three concentrations of XJR (low, middle, and high) were used to treat tumor xenograft mice models. Microarray technology was used to identify the differential expressed genes after XJR treatment, and bioinformatic tools and luciferase reporter assay to predict the potential pathways. HepG2 cells were transfected with inhibitor of miR-200b-3p to detect the effect of miR-200b-3p and Notch1 on tumor growth. RESULTS: XJR effectively exerted anti-HCC effect both in vitro and in vivo. MiRNA chip analysis results showed that the expression of 75 miRNAs was upregulated and 158 miRNAs was downregulated in blood from XJR-treated mice. Further validation by using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay showed that the expression of five miRNAs (miR-453, miR-200b-3p, miR-135a-1-3p, miR-1960, miR-378a-5p, and miR-466f) was consistent with the results of miRNA chip analysis. Among them, miR-200b-3p was selected as candidate for further research. Results of the MTT, migration, and wound healing assays showed that down-expression of miR-200b-3p abrogated the effect of XJR on cell growth and metastasis. Luciferase reporter assay confirmed that Notch1 was the direct target of miR-200b-3p. XJR significantly decreased Notch1 expression in HepG2 cells, whereas miR-200B-3p inhibitor abrogated the XJR-induced decrease in Notch1 expression. CONCLUSION: This study indicated that XJR could effectively inhibit HCC and might exert its antitumor effect through the miR‐200b-3p/Notch1 axis. These findings provided new avenues for the use of XJR for prevention and treatment of HCC.