Introduction. Cancer is a leading cause of mortality. Hepatocellular cancer is one of the malignancies associated with poor outcome and resistance to pharmacotherapy. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) contribute to resistance to therapy and hence lead to the treatment failure of tumors. Aim. This study aims to explore the expression of CSCs in response to cisplatin treatment in HepG2 hepatocellular cancer cell line. Material and methods. Cell proliferation test, CCK-8, was used to evaluate the cell proliferation following cisplatin treatment for 72 hours. The expressions of CSC markers CD44, CD90, and CD133 were assessed by flow cytometric analysis. Results. The results showed a dose-dependent decrease in cell proliferation and increased expression of CSC markers CD44 and CD90 in response to cisplatin. Conclusion. Understanding the roles of CSC markers may point to new targets and therapeutic strategies to predict and overcome cisplatin resistance.
