Investigating the effect of rubiadin cytotoxicity and expression of BAX and BCL2 genes on HepG2 liver cancer cell line

Background: Rubiadin is a type of anthraquinone compound that can be found in Rubiaceae plants, such as Ronas. Nonetheless, only limited research has been done to explore the potential anticancer properties of rubiadin on liver cancer cells. Thus, the objective of the present study is to examine how rubiadin affects the viability of liver cancer cells as well as normal cells. Methods: HepG2 and AGO cell lines were assigned into controls (not exposed to rubiadin) and groups with exposure to rubiadin with 12.5, 6.25, 3.125, 1.56, 0.78, and 0.39 μg/mL concentrations. 3-(4,5)-dimethylthiahiazo (-z-y1)-3,5-di-phenytetrazoliumromide and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction were used to measure cell viability, and one-way analysis of variance was used for data analysis. Results: The viability of liver cancer cells was significantly reduced when exposed to 12.5, 6.25, 3.125, and 1.56 μg/mL concentrations ( P < 0.01). An IC 50 of 44.73 μg/mL was reported. Furthermore, the BAX gene’s relative expression ( P < 0.05) was significantly increased and the BCL2 gene expression ( P < 0.05) was significantly reduced. The average ratio of BAX gene expression to BCL2 increased significantly ( P < 0.01). Conclusion: This research showed that rubiadin decreases cell viability by increasing the ratio of BAX gene expression to BCL2. In addition rubiadin has no cytotoxic effect on normal cells.