Objective: The purpose of our study was to investigate mechanism of action of Kang’ai Fuzheng Prescription (KFP) in the human hepatoma cells SMMC-7721. Method: The anti-proliferative potential of KFP was assessed using MTT assay. Cell apoptosis and the apoptosis-related protein activation of PI3K /AKT pathway in human hepatoma cells SMMC-7721 were evaluated by Western blot after treatment with KFP. Result: KFP suppressed the proliferation of human Hepatoma Cells SMMC-7721 in a time and dose-dependent manner. Western blot showed that the activation of caspase-9

upregulation of phosphstase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten(PTEN) and downregulation of p-AKT in KFP-treated human Hepatoma Cells SMMC-7721 were observed. Conclusion: Our results showed that KFP may suppress constitutively activated targets of phosphatidylinosito-I-3-kinases (PI3K) and AKT

whereafter activate caspase-9 in the human Hepatoma Cells SMMC-7721 through increasing the activation of PTEN

which suggested that PI3K/AKT pathway plays an important roles in KFP-induced apoptosis of human Hepatoma Cells SMMC-7721.