Xanthohumol, a prenylated chalcone derived from hops, inhibits proliferation, migration and interleukin-8 expression of hepatocellular carcinoma cells

Xanthohumol, the major prenylated chalcone found in hops, is well known to exert anti-cancer effects, but information regarding the impact on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells and potential adverse effects on non-tumorous hepatocytes is limited. Here, we show that xanthohumol at a concn. of 25 micro M induced apoptosis in two HCC cell lines (HepG2 and Huh7). Furthermore, xanthohumol repressed proliferation and migration, as well as TNF induced NF-kB activity and interleukin-8 expression in both cell lines at even lower concns. In contrast, xanthohumol concns. up to 100 micro M did not affect viability of primary human hepatocytes in vitro. In summary, our data showed that xanthohumol can ameliorate different pro-tumorigenic mechanisms known to promote HCC progression, indicating its potential as promising therapeutic agent that selectively affects cancer cells