Figure 1.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells with a higher matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) expression level exhibited greater viability and migration ability. (A, B) Expression levels of MMP-2 were determined by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) or Western blot analysis in human HCC cell lines and a normal LO2 hepatic cell line. (C, D) Cell motility was measured by wound healing and Transwell migration assays. (E) Dose-dependent effects of sorafenib on the viability of HepG2 and SK-HEP-1 cells. Data are expressed as a percentage of control cells and represent the mean ± standard deviation (SD) of three separate experiments, each performed in triplicate. The IC50 value was calculated by nonlinear regression analysis. Scale bars: 100 μm. **p < 0.01.