Effect of XiaoliuTang Formula on the Expression of Vascular Endothelial Cell Growth Factor in Rats with Experimental Hepatocarcinoma

Objective To investigate the effect of XiaoliuTang formula on the expression of vascular endothelial cell growth factor(VEGF)in rats with experimental hepatocarcinoma induced by diethylinitrosamine(DEN).Methods Thirty male SD rats were randomly divided into 3 groups:control group(n=10),model group(n=10)and traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)group(n=10).Except for the control group,the other groups were administered with 2 g/L DEN at a dose of 10 mg/kg(5 times/week for 16 weeks).At the same time,the rats in the TCM groups were injected intraperitoneally with XiaoliuTang formula(9 g/100 g)once per day for 16 weeks.Hematoxylin and eosin(HE)staining were used to examine the changes of liver pathology and the expression of VEGF in liver tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry.Results Under microscope,the cancer cells in the rats of model group showed polymorphic and abnormal shape.In contrast,the cancer cells in the rats of TCM group were well differentiated.Immunohistochemistry observation showed that the expression of VEGF in the TCM group was remarkably decreased compared with the model group(P0.01).Conclusion XiaoliuTang formula has inhibitory effect on the angiogenesis in rats with experimental hepatocarcinoma induced by DEN,which may be related to the down-regulation of VEGF expression.