Aim: This study aims to investigate the involvement of insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II) in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) proliferation and metastasis.
Materials and methods: The effects of IGF-II on cell proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis, cell migration, and invasion in HCC Huh7 cells were investigated in the study.
Results: IGF-II promoted cell proliferation and colony formation, suppressed cell apoptosis in Huh7 cells by promoting cell cycle progression, induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) phenotypes, and enhanced the metastatic potential of HCC in vitro.
Conclusion: Our results revealed that IGF-II promotes cell proliferation and EMT in HCC cells.
Keywords: Cell proliferation; epithelial–mesenchymal transition; hepatocellular carcinoma; insulin-like growth factor II; metastasis.