Effects of ASX on HCC cell apoptosis. (A) LM3 and SMMC-7721 cells were treated with DMSO and ASX (100 μM, 200 μM, 300 μM) for 48 h. Apoptosis of LM3 and SMMC-71 cells was determined by flow cytometry; (B) Nuclear fragmentation of LM3 and SMMC-7721 cells was observed by fluorescence microscopy after treatment with DMSO and ASX for 48 h. Magnification 200×; (C) The protein levels of Bcl-2, Bax, Caspase-3, and Caspase-9 were determined by western blotting. The relative band intensities of Bcl-2 and Bax were calculated using the Odyssey two-color infrared laser imaging system (n = 4, *,#,+
p < 0.05 for ASX versus DMSO).