JTC-801 inhibits the proliferation and metastasis of the Hep G2 hepatoblastoma cell line by regulating the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B signalling pathway

The increased worldwide mortality rate due to liver Cancer may be attributed to the aggressive nature of the disease. Signal transduction through G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) can affect a number of aspects of Cancer biology, including invasion, migration and vascular remodelling. JTC-801, a novel GPCR antagonist, has demonstrated promising Anticancer effects in adenocarcinoma and osteosarcoma cells. In the present study, the effect of JTC-801 on the proliferation and migration of hepatoblastoma Hep G2 cells was investigated. The Cell Counting Kit-8 assay revealed that JTC-801 markedly suppressed the growth of the Hep G2 cells. Additionally, JTC-801 significantly inhibited cell invasion and migration in a Transwell assay. Furthermore, the expression of anti-apoptotic protein B-cell lymphoma 2 decreased and the expression of the pro-apoptotic proteins active Caspase-3 and Apoptosis regulator Bax increased in the Hep G2 cells following JTC-801 treatment. Additionally, JTC-801 suppressed the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) signalling pathway in the Hep G2 cells. Therefore, the present study revealed that JTC-801 can induce the Apoptosis of Hep G2 cells by regulating the PI3K/Akt signalling pathway, which suggests that JTC-801 may be a potential novel drug target for clinical liver Cancer treatment.