Table 1.

A summary of pre-clinical studies on the role of TQ in hepatocellular carcinoma cell growth

Cell lines	Animal model	Dose of TQ	Molecular targets	Reference
	Rats with Hepatocarcinogenesis-induced by diethylnitrosamine (DENA 200 mg/kg, I.P.).	50 mg/L in drinking water = 4 mg/kg daily for 7 consecutive days.	GSHPx↑, CAT↑ GST↑	[32]
	Rats with hepatocarcinogenesis induced by N-nistrodiethhylamine (NDEA, 0,01% in drinking water)	20 mg/kg body weight daily from the 3th to 5th week of treatments. (oral gavage)	Ki67↓, PCNA, Cyclin D1↓, CDK4↓ and p21WAF1/CIP1↑,	[33]
HepG2		12.5, 25 or 50 M μM for 24 h.	NF-κB↓, IL-8 ↓, ROS↑ NQO1↑ HO-1↑, Bcl-xS↑, TRAIL death receptors↑; Bcl-2↓	[34]
Hep3B, SMMC7721, HepG2, Bel7402, MHCC97-L, MHCC97-H, HHCC		20,40,60, 80 μM from 24 to 72 h.	Bcl-2↓, Notch1↓, NICD1↓, Jagged1↓, Hes1↓ cyclin D1↓, CDK2↓ p21↑, Bax↑	[31]
	Liver tumor xenografts in athymic nude mice (Hep cells)	5 mg/kg daily (subcutaneously injected); 20 mg/kg daily (subcutaneously injected) for 31 days.	NICD1↓, Bcl-2↓, Notch1↓, p21↑	[31]

Abbreviations: GSHPx glutathione peroxidase, CAT catalase, GST glutathione-s-transferase, Ki67 cell proliferating markers(Labeling index), PCNA proliferating cellular antigen, CDK4 Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 4, NF-κB nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells, ROS reactive oxygen species, NQO1 NADFH quinone oxidoreductase 1, HO-1 Heme oxygenase isoenzime-1, TRAIL tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand, Bcl-2 BCL2, Apoptosis Regulator, Notch1 neurogenic locus notch homolog protein 1, NICD1 notch intracellular domain 1, Jagged1 protein jagged-1, Hes1 Hes Family BHLH Transcription Factor, CDK2 Cycle