Fig. 2

Effects of emodin on cell proliferation, apoptosis and cell cycle of HepG2 cells. A The number of EdU-positive cell rate was detected by EdU staining after 48 h of treatment. (Scale bar, 50 μm). The percentage of cells with EdU incorporation was quantified by Image J. EdU incorporation = cells stained by red/cells stained by blue × 100%. B Colony formation assay of cells treated with various concentrations of emodin for 48 h, the number of colonies was assessed after two weeks.  C Flow cytometry analysis of the cell cycle following treatment with various concentrations of emodin for 48 h and the quantification of the cell cycle distribution was performed by ModFit software. D After emodin (60 μM) treatment of cells for 48 h, apoptosis was determined by flow cytometry with Annexin V/PI double staining. Each experiment was repeated at least three times; representative images are shown. Data were expressed as mean ± SD. * P < 0.05. ED-L: emodin (15 μM), ED-M: emodin (30 μM), ED-H: emodin (60 μM)