Synergetic Effect of EP1 Receptor Antagonist and (-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), the principal catechin of green tea, modulates different molecular mechanisms underlying hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Accumulating studies showed that the activation of prostaglandin (PG) receptor EP1 promotes cell migration and invasion in different cancers, which could be inverted by blocking the EP1 receptor. This study investigated the synergetic effects of EP1-selective antagonist ONO-8711 and EGCG treatment on HCC to better understand the potential strategy to treat HCC. We found that EGCG significantly inhibited PGE(2) and EP1-selective agonist induced migration of HCC cells and increased the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 even in the presence of ONO-DI-004 or PGE(2). ONO-8711 significantly inhibited PGE(2)-induced HCC proliferation while increased the inhibitory effect of EGCG on HCC cell viability and migration ability compared with EGCG alone. These findings suggest that a combination of ONO-8711 and EGCG is a potential treatment for HCC therapy.