Fig. 8

Over-expression of miR-92a reverses butyrate-induced effects on colon cancer cell proliferation and apoptosis. HCT116 human colon cancer cells were transfected with miR-92a mimetics or control miRNA (miR-C) using Lipofectamine 2000 and then treated with 2 mM butyrate for 24 h prior to harvest. Cells without butyrate treatment (UNTD) or treated with Lipofectamine 2000 (Lipo) were analyzed as controls. a Protein levels of total caspase-3, cleaved caspase-3 and β-actin were analyzed by immunoblotting. The image shown is representative of three individual experiments. b Normalized densitometric values of cleaved caspase-3 protein levels. c Relative cell count after miR-92a transfection and butyrate treatment. Cells were trypsinized and counted using a hemocytometer. Values shown are relative to the UNTD sample. d Percentage of positive cells in TUNEL staining. e The images of TUNEL staining shown are representative of three individual experiments. Positive cells stain brown. Results shown are means ± SEM. *P < 0.05, n = 3