Scabraside D, derived from the sea cucumber Holothuria scabra is a sulfated triterpene glycoside which
possess in various biological activities. We assessed the activity of scabraside D and their effects on cell viability
and apoptosis on human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cell lines by MTT assay and staining with Hoechst
33342. The 25 to 100 μg/mL dose of scabraside D significantly decreased the viability of HepG2 cells, in a
dose-dependent manner. The treatment with scabraside D at dose 50 and 100 μg/mL significantly also induces
morphological changes of apoptotic cell, including cell shrinkage, nuclear chromatin condensation and
nuclear fragmentation. Quantitative real-time PCR shows that scabraside D up-regulated Bax and Caspase-3
while down-regulated Bcl-2 expressions in the HepG2 cells in dose-dependent manner. In conclusion, scabraside
D can inhibit cell viability and induce apoptosis in HepG2 cells. This study show that scabraside D may be used
as a new therapeutic agent for human hepatocellular carcinoma