• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2015

Over several decades, a hierarchical cancer stem cell (CSC) model has been established in development of solid cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC). In terms of this concept, HCCs originate from liver CSCs. Clinically HCCs show a wide range of manifestations from slow growth to very aggressive metastasis. One of the reasons may be that liver CSCs originate from different cells. This review describes the basic concept of CSCs and the cellular origin of liver CSCs.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.23-28
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• 2005

PAH 위해성 평가의 생체지표 개발을 위하여, benzo[a]pyrene을 인체 간암 세포주인 HepG2세포에 처리하여 암 억제 단백질인 p53 및 관련 단백질의 발현 양상에 대하여 연구하였다. HepG2 세포의 생존력은 benzo[a]pyrene을 노출시킨 군에서 농도가 증가할수록 감소하였다. p53과 인산화 p53의 발현 양상은 benzo[a]pyrene 농도 의존적으로 증가하는 경향을 보였으며, 반면에 아세틸화 p53은 benzo[a]pyrene의 농도가 증가할수록 감소하는 경향을 나타내었다. 세포 주기 조절에 관련된 p21 단백질은 화학 물질 처리에 의해서 p53과 마찬가지로 증가하였으나, CdK4와 Rb 단백질의 발현에는 변화가 없었다. 상관분석 결과 Benzo[a]pyrene 노출, 세포 생존력, p53, 인산화 p53, p21이 서로 높은 상관성을 보였다. 본 연구의 결과는 p53 단백질의 축적이 benzo[a]pyrene 독성에 있어 매우 중요한 현상이며, 이는 선택적인 지표와 함께 p53 이 benzo[a]pyrene과 같은 PAH 계열의 물질의 위해성 평가를 위한 민감한 생체 지표로써 개발될 수 있음을 시사한다.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.60-65
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• 2015

Mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus) have been used as traditional remedies as well as food sources. This study particularly used an extract of Pleurotus ostreatus among many other mushrooms for research to figure out the antioxidant activity and an effect of cytotoxin. The result of antioxidative effect was significantly increased at the high concentration. The otal contents of polyphenol and flavonoid were $30.2{\pm}0.7$ and $20.4{\pm}0.6$ respectively. Both reducing power and DPPH radical scavenging activities are highest at 5.0 mg/mL of concentration. According to the research about cytotoxin of normal cell, an extract of Pleurotus ostreatus showed no existence of toxicity based on 80.5% of viability. Meanwhile, Pleurotus ostreatus is not strongly effective on the growth of cancer cell, indicating anti-cancer effect has a quite high range of viability up to $70.0{\pm}5.3%$ in 5 mg/mL of concentration.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.181-185
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• 2001

The naturally occurring chemical indole-3-carbinol (13C), found in vegetables of the Brassica genus, is a promising anticancer agent that was shown previ- ously to induce a Gl cell cycle arrest of human breast cancer cell lines, independent of estrogen receptor signaling. The anticancer activity of 13C and the possible mechanisms of its action were explored in a human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line, HepG2. Treatment of HepG2 cells with 13C suppressed the growth of the cells. The growth sup- pression caused by 13C ($IC_{50}$/: 444$\mu$M) was found to be partially due to its ability to stop the cell cycle in HepG2 cells. Western blot analysis for the Gl phase artiest demonstrated that the expression-levels of cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk4, Cdk6) and cyclic D were reduced strongly after treatment of Hep72 cells with 13C (4007M) for 24- 72 hrs. Furthermore, I3C selectively abolished the expression of Cdk6 in a dose- and time-dependent manner, and accordingly, inhibited the phosphorylation of retinoblastoma. Interestingly, after the HepG2 cells reached their max- imal growth arrest, the level of the p21, a well-known Cdk inhibitor, increased significantly. Therefore, it could be considered that the Gl arrest of HepG2 cells treated with 13C was due to the indirect inhibition of Cdk4/6 activities by p21 Western blot analysis for G2/M phase arrest of demonstrated the levels of Cdc2 and cyclin Bl werer reduced dramatically after the treatment of HepG2 cells with 13C ($40\mu$M) for 24-72 hrs. flow cytometry of propidium iodide-stained HepG2 cells revealed that 13C induces a Gl (53%,72hr incubation) and G2 (25%,24hr incubation) cell cycle arrest. Thus, our observations have uncovered a previously undefined antiproliferative pathway for r3C that implicates Cdk4/6 and Cdc2 as a target for cell cycle control in human HepG2 cells. However, the 13C-medi- ated cell cycle arrest and repression of Cdk4/6 production did not affect the apoptotic induction of HepG2 cell.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.10
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• pp.1447-1451
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• 2007

Through the screening of marine natural compounds that inhibit cancer cell proliferation, we previously reported that pectenotoxin-2 (PTX-2) isolated from marine sponges exhibits selective cytotoxicity against several cell lines in p53-deficient tumor cells compared to those with functional p53. However, the molecular mechanisms of its anti-proliferative action on malignant cell growth are not completely known. To further explore the mechanisms of its anti-cancer activity and to test whether the status of p53 in liver cancer cells correlates with their chemo-sensitivities to PTX-2, we used two well-known hepatocarcinoma cell lines, p53-deficient Hep3B and p53-wild type HepG2. We have demonstrated that PTX-2 markedly inhibits Hep3B cell growth and induces apoptosis whereas HepG2 cells are much more resistant to PTX-2 suggesting that PTX-2 seems to act by p53-independent cytotoxic mechanism. The apoptosis induced by PTX-2 in Hep3B cells was associated with the modulation of DNA fragmentation factor (DFF) family proteins, up-regulation of pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 family members such as Bax and Bcl-xS and activation of caspases (caspase-3, -8 and -9). Blockade of the caspase-3 activity by caspase-3 inhibitor, z-DEVD-fmk, prevented the PTX-2-induced growth inhibition in Hep3B cells. Moreover, treatment with PTX-2 also induced phosphorylation of AKT and extracellular-signal regulating kinase (ERK), but not c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MARK). Specific inhibitors of PI3K inhibitor (LY294002) and ERK1/2 inhibitor (PD98059) significantly blocks PTX-2-induced-anti-proliferative effects, whereas a JNK inhibitor (SP600125) and a p38 MAPK inhibitor (SB203580) have no significant effects demonstrating that the pro-apoptotic effect of PTX-2 mediated through activation of AKT and ERK signal pathway in Hep3B cells.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.983-988
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• 2005

Effects of Citrus sunki peel and its fermented product extracts on physiological and functional activities of cellular systems were investigated. Ethanol extract of Citrus sunki peel showed potent ROS-scavenging activity using 2',7'-Dichlorofluorescin diacetate as a fluorescent ROS probe in HepG2 cells. Fermented product of C. sunki peel extract markedly suppressed nitric oxide production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated RAW264.7 murine macrophage cells. Treatment with fermented product of C. sunki peel extract decreased intracellular protein levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase II stimulated by LPS. High doses of fermented product lend to apoptotic cell death in CHO-IR cells.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.201-206
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• 2002

This study was designed to research the anti-tumor effect of omija (methanol extract(I), malic acid & ethanol extract(II), and water extract (III)) on human liver cancer cell line SNU-398. MTT assay was used in vitro. The longer th\ulcorner exposure time and the higher the concentration of Omija extract, the stronger the anti-tumor effect. When the concentration of (II) was 1,600 $\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$ and the exposure time reached 96 hours, The strongest propagation inhibition effect occurred with the viability rate as low as 5.06%. $IC_{50}$/ value was 363 $\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$. Under the condition of 1,600$\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$ and 96 hours, (I) lowered the rate to 7.75%. $IC_{50}$/ value was 489 $\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$. When it was 1,600$\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$ and 72 hours, (III) the rate decreased to 15.97%. $IC_{50}$/ value was 703 $\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$. In all three cases, the viability of the cancer cell decreased significantly when the exposure time ranged between 24 and 48 hours.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.138-148
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• 2006

Objectives: This study was designed to investigate the effects of Injinchunggan-tang(Yinchenqinggan-tang) on expression of angiogenic factors in HepG2 cells. Materials and Methods : The mRNA expression levels and protein secretion levels of angiogenic factors were measured using quantitative RT-PCR, Western blot and ELISA assay respectively in Injinchunggan-tang-treated and untreated HepG2 cells. Results : Injinchunggan-tang(Yinchenqinggan-tang) reduced mRNA expression levels and protein secretion levels of angiogenic factors, especially VEGF, bFGF and $TGF{\beta}1$ in HepG2 cells. Conclusion: Results indicate that Injinchunggan-tang (Yinchenqinggan-tang) inhibits expression of angiogenic factors in HepG2 cells. Further, results suggest that Injinchunggan-tang (Yinchenqinggan-tang) inhibits angiogenic effects in HCC.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.33-40
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• 2004

Objective : This study investigated the apoptotic effect and its mechanism of Radix Aconiti (RA) extract and aconitine, which is a major constituent of RA, in HepG2 human hepatoma cells. Methods : We used MTT and DNA fragmentation assay to investigate cell viability and apoptotic effect on RA extract-treated HepG2 cells. In addition, to clarify the mechanism of RA extract-induced apoptosis, we applied caspase-3 enzyme activity assay and Western blotting method on poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) protein expression. Results : Treatment with RA extract resulted in the decrease of cell viability, and this effect was caused from apoptosis as confirmed by discontinuous fragmentation of DNA in HepG2 cells, but aconitine did not. Also, RA extract-treated HepG2 cells induced the activation of caspase-3 enzyme activity in time- and dose-dependent manners, which was accompanied by the cleavage of 116 kD PARP to 85 kD product. Conclusions : These results suggest that the apoptotic effects of RA extract on HepG2 cells could not be explained by aconitine. Additionally, RA extract induced apoptosis in hepatoma cells through caspase-3 activation and subsequent PARP cleavage.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.549-554
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• 2002

Taraxacunf mongofieum Hand-Mass aqua-acupuncture solution (TMAS) was prepared and investigated og, the effect on initiation of carcinogenesis. The following effe.Is as a blocking agent were measured. .(a) Indu.ction of quinone reductase, (b) Induction of glutathione S-transferase activity (c) Increase of reduced glutathione. TMAS was potent inducer of quinone reductase in Hepa Iclc7 murine hepatoma cells. Clutathione S-transferase activity was increased with TMAS. In addition glutathione levels were increased about 1.6-fold with TMAS in cultured murine hepatoma Hepa Iclc7 cells.