Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common cause of cancer‑related mortality and morbidity worldwide. While iodine‑125 (125I) particle brachytherapy has been extensively used in the clinical treatment of various types of cancer, the precise mechanism underlying its effectiveness in treating HCC remains unclear. In the present study, MHCC‑97H cells were treated with 125I, after which, cell viability and proliferation were assessed using Cell Counting Kit‑8, 5‑ethynyl‑2'‑deoxyuridine and colony formation assays, cell invasion and migration were evaluated using wound healing and Transwell assays, and cell apoptosis was determined using flow cytometry. Omics data were analyzed using Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes, Gene Ontology and STRING analyses to observe the key genes that exhibited significant changes at the transcriptional and protein levels in MHCC‑97H cells treated with 125I particles. Finally, the expression levels of key genes (GPNMB, C4BPA, CTH, H1‑0 and MT2A) were verified through reverse transcription quantitative PCR. Following treatment with 125I, the proliferation, invasion and migration of MHCC‑97H cells were inhibited, and apoptosis was enhanced. The results of omics data analysis indicated that the biological behavior of MHCC‑97H cells treated with 125I was related to the expression levels of CTH and MT2A genes. These findings indicated that intervention with 125I radiation particles may induce changes in gene expression, potentially influencing alterations in biological characteristics. In conclusion, these insights may shed light on the underlying mechanisms of 125I radiation particle therapy in HCC and offer novel targets for HCC treatment.