Abstract: Xiang Fengmei *, Wei Zhiping, Zhong Liansheng, Yang Qing, Liu Yanqun. *Department of Dermatology, Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical College, Xuzhou 221002, Jiangsu, China Corresponding author: Wei Zhiping, Email: xzwzp1961@aliyun.com 【Abstract】 Objective To investigate the in vitro effects of acitretin on the apoptosis and expressions of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 7 （IGFBP7） and vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF） in HaCaT cells. Methods Cultured HaCaT cells were treated with various concentrations （10-5, 10-6, 10-7, 10-8 mol/L） of acitretin for various durations, with those cultured in acitretin-free medium serving as the control group. Then, CCK-8 assay was performed to evaluate the proliferation of cells after 24-, 48- and 72-hour treatment, flow cytometry to detect the apoptosis of HaCaT cells, and Western blot and reverse transcription-PCR to quantify the protein and mRNA expressions of IGFBP7 and VEGF in HaCaT cells, respectively, after 48-hour treatment. Statistical analysis was carried out by one-way analysis of variance and Pearson correlation analysis. Results The proliferation of HaCaT cells was inhibited by the treatment with acitretin, and the inhibitory effect increased with the elevation of concentration and prolongation of treatment duration of acitretin. A significant decrease was observed in the proliferative activity of HaCaT cells treated with acitretin of 10-8 mol/L for 48 hours, and when the concentration of acitretin was 10-5 mol/L, the proliferation of HaCaT cells was inhibited by 39.94% ± 2.27% and 49.77% ± 1.87% at 48 and 72 hours respectively, compared with the control cells. The HaCaT cells treated with acitretin of 10-5 mol/L for 48 hours showed a significant elevation in apoptosis rate （7.617% ± 0.767% vs. 1.803% ± 0.313%, P < 0.05）, IGFBP7 protein and mRNA expressions （0.939 ± 0.040 vs. 0.436 ± 0.013, 0.872 ± 0.079 vs. 0.190 ± 0.056, both P < 0.05）, but a significant reduction in VEGF protein and mRNA expressions （0.213 ± 0.032 vs. 0.798 ± 0.036, 0.274 ± 0.041 vs. 0.933 ± 0.054, both P < 0.05） in comparison to the control cells. Conclusions Acitretin can induce the apoptosis of HaCaT cells, and up-regulate IGFBP7 but down-regulate VEGF expressions in HaCaT cells at protein and mRNA levels.

Key words: Acitretin, Apoptosis, Insulin-like growth factor binding proteins, Vascular endothelial growth factors, HaCaT cells