Dichloromethane Extract of Helicteres hirsuta Inhibits Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cell Proliferation and Migration Via Downregulating EMT Marker Expressions

Helicteres hirsuta Lour. was widely used as a traditional medicine in several countries for the treatment of liver diseases. This study aimed to investigate the anticancer activity of H. hirsuta extract against a human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cell line. H. hirsuta was identified by using DNA barcoding. GC -MS analysis showed the extract of H. hirsuta containing 20 major different phyto-components. Dichlorometh-ane extract of H. hirsuta decreased the viability of human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells. In addition, it also induced DNA damage. Moreover, dichloromethane extract of H. hirsuta inhibited the invasion and migration of HepG2 cells in a dose-dependent manner at non-toxic concentrations. Finally, dichloromethane extract of H. hirsuta suppressed the expression level of epithelial-mesenchymal transition markers including N cadherin, snail and Twist.