Abstract: Objective To investigate the effect of Biejiajian Pills on the expressions of the signal molecules and target genes of
Wnt signal pathway in HepG2 cells and explore the mechanisms by which Biejiajian pills suppress the invasiveness of
hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods HepG2 cells were cultured for 48 h in the presence of serum collected from rats fed with
Biejiajian Pills. The expressions of β-catenin, GSK-3β and P-GSK-3β in the cultured cells were assessed by Western blotting and
the expressions of CD44v6 and VEGF were detected using immunohistochemistry. Results HepG2 cells cultured with the
serum of rats fed with Biejiajian Pills showed lowered expressions of β-catenin protein both in the cytoplasm and the nuclei
with also inhibition of phosphorylation of GSK-3β and reduced expression of CD44v6 and VEGF. Conclusion Biejiajian Pills
can significantly reduce the expression of β-catenin by decreasing the phosphorylation of GSK-3β and blocking the Wnt/
β-catenin signaling pathway to cause down-regulation of the target genes CD44v6 and VEGF, which may be one of the
molecular mechanisms by which Biejiajian Pills suppress the proliferation and invasiveness of hepatocellular carcinoma.