Abstract: Objective To explore the effect and mechanism of tetramethylpyrazine ( TMP) -containing serum on proliferation, apoptosis and mitochondrial function of liver cancercells. Methods Serum from SD rats treated with 0, 30, 60, 120 mg / kg of TMP was collected andused to treat cells. Colony formation experiment and CCK-8 were employed to test the proliferation of HepG2 cells. Flow cytometry was performed to detect HepG2 cell cycle and apoptosis, mitochondrial membrane potential changes of HepG2 cells were measured by JC-1 through flow cytometry. Western blotting was used to detect the expression levels of PCNA, P27, cleaved caspase-3 (cas-3), Bax, Bcl-2 and Cyt C in HepG2 cells. SOD and MDA levels in HepG2 cells were detected by kits, and 2, 7-dichlorodiacetate (DCFH-DA) was used to determine the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in HepG2 cells. Results Compared with that of the control group, the TMP-containing serum of 60 and 120 mg / kg TMP groups significantly reduced the proliferation of HepG2 cells, and blocked cell cycle, moreover, HepG2 cell apoptosis rate was significantly increased and theantioxidant capacity was significantly reduced. Conclusion TMP-containing serum can inhibit theproliferation of liver cancer cells and induce apoptosis of liver cancer cells through a mitochondrialdependent pathway, and stimulate the generation of ROS to reduce the antioxidant capacity of cancer cells, thereby inhibiting the development of liver cancer.

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