AIM: To observe the effects of exogenous zinc on the biological behavior of hepatocellular carcinoma( HCC) cell line BEL-7404. METHODS: BEL-7404 cells were cultured with zinc sulfate at various concentrations.The intracellular concentration of zinc,cell viability,cell cycle,cell apoptosis and migration and invasion abilities were measured by TSQ fluorescent probe,MTT assay,DNA ploid analysis,acridine orange/ethidium bromide fluorescence staining and Transwell assay,respectively. The mRNA and protein express...