Figure 2

SN38-induced caspase-dependent apoptosis was enhanced by dasatinib in HCC cells.(A, B) Annexin V–PI staining assays were applied to detect apoptosis. After treatment with dasatinib and/or SN38 for 48 h, BEL-7402 and HepG-2 were harvested and stained with Annexin V and PI. Apoptosis rates were analysed by flow cytometry. Quality control results are accessible in Supplementary Figure S1. (C) Morphology of apoptosis is shown in HepG-2 cells treated with dasatinib, SN38 or combination for 48 h. DAPI staining and fluorescence microscope were used to detect nuclear condensation and cellular fragmentation (magnification × 200). (D) Western blotting proved the increased apoptosis in the combination treatment group. Proteins were extracted from cells of different groups, and specific antibodies were applied to detect cleaved PARP, cleaved caspase-3 and β-Actin.