Huanglian decoction suppresses the growth of hepatocellular carcinoma cells by reducing CCNB1 expression

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most prevalent cancers in human populations worldwide. Huanglian decoction is one of the most important Chinese medicine formulas, with the potential to treat cancer. AIM: To investigate the role and mechanism of Huanglian decoction on HCC cells. METHODS: To identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs), we downloaded gene expression profile data from The Cancer Genome Atlas Liver Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Gene Expression Omnibus (GSE45436) databases. We obtained phytochemicals of the four herbs of Huanglian decoction from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform. We also established a regulatory network of DEGs and drug target genes and subsequently analyzed key genes using bioinformatics approaches. Furthermore, we conducted in vitro experiments to explore the effect of Huanglian decoction and to verify the predictions. In particular, the CCNB1 gene was knocked down to verify the primary target of this decoction. Through the identification of the expression levels of key proteins, we determined the primary mechanism of Huanglian decoction in HCC. RESULTS: Based on the results of the network pharmacological analysis, we revealed 5 bioactive compounds in Huanglian decoction that act on HCC. In addition, a protein-protein interaction network analysis of the target genes of these five compounds as well as expression and prognosis analyses were performed in tumors. CCNB1 was confirmed to be the primary gene that may be highly expressed in tumors and was significantly associated with a worse prognosis. We also noted that CCNB1 may serve as an independent prognostic indicator in HCC. Moreover, in vitro experiments demonstrated that Huanglian decoction significantly inhibited the growth, migration, and invasiveness of HCC cells and induced cell apoptosis and G2/M phase arrest. Further analysis showed that the decoction may inhibit the growth of HCC cells by downregulating the CCNB1 expression level. After Huanglian decoction treatment, the expression levels of Bax, caspase 3, caspase 9, p21 and p53 in HCC cells were increased, while the expression of CDK1 and CCNB1 was significantly decreased. The p53 signaling pathway was also found to play an important role in this process. CONCLUSION: Huanglian decoction has a significant inhibitory effect on HCC cells. CCNB1 is a potential therapeutic target in HCC. Further analysis showed that Huanglian decoction can inhibit HCC cell growth by downregulating the expression of CCNB1 to activate the p53 signaling pathway.