Abstract: Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the inhibitory effects of palmitic acid(PA)on proliferation,migration,invasion and apoptosis of human cervical carcinoma Hela cells and its mechanism.Methods Hela cells cultured in vitro were divided into the control group(without PA)and PA treatment group(25,50,100μg/mL of PA).CCK-8 assay was used to detect the ability of proliferation in Hela cells in each group.The abilities of migration and invasion were detected in Hela cells by the Transwell assay.After treatment with different concentrations of PA,RT-qPCR was used to detect the expression of apoptosis-related genes including bcl-2,bax and cleaved-caspase-3.Flow cytometry were used to detect apoptosis of Hela cells double-labeled with annexin V/propidium iodide.Results Compared with the control group,the inhibitory proliferative rates of Hela cells treated with PA increased gradually(P＜0.05).After PA treatment,the abilities of migration and invasion in Hala cells significantly decreased(P＜0.05).At the same time,after treatment with PA,the expression of bcl-2 gene was decreased gradually,and the expression of bax and cleaved-caspase-3 genes were gradually increased.The apoptosis rates of Hela cells treated with PA increased in a dose-dependent manner(P＜0.05).Conclusion PA can inhibit proliferation,reduce migration and invasion,and induce apoptosis of Hela cells,which may be related to the regulation of bcl-2 family in HeLa cells.

Key words: Palmitateacid, Cervical cancer, Hela cells, Apoptosis, Migration, Invasion