Inhibitory effects of Zuo-Jin-Wan and its alkaloidal ingredients on activator protein 1, nuclear factor-κB, and cellular transformation in HepG2 cells.

Zuo-Jin-Wan (ZJW) has been used to treat hepatocellular carcinoma in Asia. This study was to determine whether ZJW and its components blocked activator protein 1 (AP-1) and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) activities as well as tumor promotion in hepatoblastoma HepG2 cells. ZJW and its components, Coptis chinensis and Evodia rutaecarpa, inhibited AP-1 and NF-κB activities, and suppressed anchorage-independent growth of HepG2 cells. The major alkaloidal ingredients, berberine and evodiamine, inhibited AP-1 activities and/or NF-κB activation, and further suppressed hepatocellular transformation. In conclusion, ZJW and its constituents, berberine and evodiamine, suppressed tumor promotion primarily through AP-1 and/or NF-κB pathways in HepG2 cells.