摘要Objective To discuss the antitumor mechanism preliminarily by observing effects of Celastrus orbiculatus extracts (COE) on vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) mRNA and protein expression in hepatoma (Hepal-6) cells of mice.Methods Hepa1-6 cells were treated with COE at different nontoxic concentration (0, 10, 20, 40, 80, and 160 μg/mL) for 16 h. The mRNA and protein expressions of VEGF were detected by reverse transcription-PCR and Western Blotting,respectively. Results COE significantly inhibited VEGF expression at both mRNA and protein levels in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusion COE can inhibit VEGF expression in Hepa1-6 cells, therefore suggest that VEGF could be chosen as an therapeutic target for COE in the context of cancer chemoprevention and anticancer therapy.