Abstract:

Objective To investigate the impact of valproic acid (VPA) on growth and expression of angiogenesis and metastasisrelated factors in human ovarian carcinoma A2780 cells. Methods Human ovarian carcinoma A2780 cells cultured in vitro were treated with different concentrations of VPA, and the cell growth, cell apoptosis and expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and martix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) protein were determined with MTT assay, flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry respectively. Results After treatment with VPA, the morphology of A2780 cells significantly changed, the cell growth was suppressed in a concentration- and time-dependent manner, and the expression of VEGF and MMP-9 protein decreased. Conclusion VPA may inhibit the growth, induce the apoptosis, and down-regulate the expression of VEGF and MMP-9 protein in human ovarian cancer A2780 cells, which indicates that VPA may contribute to the inhibition of tumor angiogenesis and metastasis.

Key words: ovarian neoplasms, valproic acid, vascular endothelial growth factor, martix metalloproteinase, cell apoptosis