Blocking ER-α in liver cancer cells made them grow much slower in lab tests, with about a third less growth in some tests and half fewer colonies forming in soft agar.
Scientific Claim
ER-α knockdown in Hep3B and HCCLM3 human hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines reduced cell proliferation by 25-38% at 72 hours as measured by MTT assay and decreased colony formation by 50-60% in soft agar assays.
Evidence Quality Assessment
Claim Status
appropriately stated
Study Design Support
Design supports claim
Appropriate Language Strength
definitive
Can make definitive causal claims
Assessment Explanation
The study directly measured proliferation effects in cell cultures with quantitative metrics and statistical significance. The claim accurately reports the observed effects without overgeneralizing to humans.
Source Excerpt
“We found that treatment of both Hep3B and HCCLM3 cells with ER-α siRNA was associated with a time-dependent inhibition of cell growth, whereas no significant inhibitory effect was observed in cells treated with NS siRNA, LV, or untreated cells (Figure 2(a)). Cell proliferation was significantly inhibited at 3 days of infection (P < 0.01) and the average proliferation inhibition rates were 25~38% (Figure 2(b)). In addition, treatments with ER-α siRNA inhibit Hep3B and HCCLM3 cell colony formation in soft agar by 50~60% (Figure 2(c)).”
Evidence from Studies
Supporting Evidence (1)
The study used multiple quantitative methods (MTT assay, cell counting, soft agar colony formation) to measure proliferation effects. The specific percentage reductions (25-38% for proliferation, 50-60% for colony formation) were reported with statistical significance (P < 0.01).
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