FIGURE 8.

Selenium sulfide regulates the mitochondrial apoptosis family of proteins and triggers the downstream Caspase cascade. (A) Protein expression of Bax, Bak, Bad, Bcl‐2, and Mcl‐1 in SK‐Hep‐1 and SMMC‐7721 cells treated with SeS₂ for 48 h. (B) Protein expression of AIF and Cyto C in SK‐Hep‐1 and SMMC‐7721 cells treated with SeS₂ for 48 h. (C) Cell lysates of Ctrl and SeS₂‐treated (20 μM) SK‐Hep‐1 and SMMC‐7721 cells were divided into mitochondrial and cytoplasmic fractions. Cyto C levels were measured via western blotting. GAPDH and VDAC served as controls. (D) Protein expression of APAF‐1, Cleaved‐Caspase9, Caspase9, Cleaved‐Caspase3, and Caspase3 in SK‐Hep‐1 and SMMC‐7721 cells treated with SeS₂ (20 μM) for 48 h. (E) Protein expression of Cleaved‐PARP and PARP1 in SK‐Hep‐1 and SMMC‐7721 cells treated with SeS₂ (20 μM) for 48 h. (F) Representative images and quantification of the immunohistochemical analysis of AIF and Cleaved‐PARP expression in SMMC‐7721 xenograft samples. The scale bar represents 50 μm. Data are expressed as the means ± SEM (n = 3). **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001 compared with the control group