• Current Research on Agriculture and Life Sciences
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• v.28
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• pp.63-68
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• 2010

The epigenetic therapy of cancers is emerging as an effective and valuable approach to both chemotherapy and the chemoprevention of cancer. The utilization of epigenetic targets that include histone methyltransferase (HMTase), Histone deacetylatase, and DNA methyltransferase, are emerging as key therapeutic targets. SET containing proteins such as the HMTase Setd1b has been found significantly amplified in cancerous cells. In order to shed some light on the histone methyl transferase family, we cloned the Setd1b gene from Mus musculus and build a collection of vectors for recombinant protein expression in E.coli that will pave the way for further structural biology studies. We prospect the role of the Setd1b pathway in cancer therapy and detail its unique value for designing novel anti-cancer epigenetic-drugs.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.77-84
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• 2003

Cancer, which is expressed in various forms, is one of the leading causes of human death, Soamsan (SAS) is composed of ten medicinal herb, the prescription was made according to the principles of Oriental traditional medicine based on the concept of synergic effects and interaction of among the components. SAS has been used for the cancer therapy, but the mechanism of it's effect is not well known. In the present study, the cytotoxic effect of the SAS water extract on cancer cell lines was investigated by the method of MTT in A549 cell lines and the anti-angiogenic effect was shown in the assay of chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) and in the cornea of rat administerd orally with SAS water extraction. The viability of A549 cell lines was not affected by the whole extract of SAS but the n-Hexan fraction of SAS water extract showed strong cytotoxicity which was not seemed to be done by the apoptotic mechanism. SAS water extract showed inhibition effects of angiogenesis induced in the cornea of rat and CAM assay. As the above results, it is suggested that SAS can be a candidate for new prescription for cancer therapy.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.3855-3859
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• 2013

Purpose: Liver cancer, one of the most common cancers in China, is reported to feature relatively high morbidity and mortality. Curcumin (Cum) is considered as a drug possessing anti-angiogenic, anti-inflammation and anti-oxidation effect. Previous research has demonstrated antitumor effects in a series of cancers. Materials and Methods: In this study the in vitro cytotoxicity of Cum was measured by MTT assay and pro-apoptotic effects were assessed by DAPI staining and measurement of caspase-3 activity. In vivo anti-hepatoma efficacy of Cum was assessed with HepG2 xenografts. Results: It is found that Cum dose-dependently inhibited cell growth in HepG2 cells with activation of apoptosis. Moreover, Cum delayed the growth of liver cancer in a dose-dependent manner in nude mice. Conclusions: Cum might be a promising phytomedicine in cancer therapy and further efforts are needed to explore this therapeutic strategy.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.159-169
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• 2019

Breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) in breast cancer cells have self-renewal ability and differentiation potential. They are also resistant to drugs after chemotherapy. To overcome this resistance, we designed negatively charged 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoglycerol (DMPG)-based liposomes for drug delivery. These liposomes have enhanced the therapeutic effects of a range of antitumor therapies by increasing the cellular uptake and improving drug delivery to targets sites. In this study, we investigated whether DMPG-POPC liposomes, including the neutral lipid 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholin (POPC), can specifically bind to MCF-7 breast cancer cells and increase cellular uptake compared with that by CHOL-POPC liposomes. We also estimated the cytotoxicity of DMPG-POPC liposomes encapsulated with both metformin (Met) and sodium salicylate (Sod) against breast cancer cells and BCSCs compared with that of the free drugs. Our results demonstrated that these dual drug-encapsulated liposomes significantly enhanced the cytotoxic and anti-colony formation abilities compared with individual drug-encapsulated liposomes or free drugs in BCSCs. Overall, our results suggest that DMPG-POPC liposomes containing two drugs (Met + Sod) show promise for synergistic anti-cancer therapy of breast cancer by increasing drug delivery efficiency into breast cancer cells and BCSCs.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.2127-2130
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• 2013

Cancer, despite all the efforts, still causes one in five deaths worldwide. Surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy provide inadequate protection and instead affect normal cells along with cancer cells. The search for cancer cures from natural products (plants and animals) has been practice for over a decade and the use of purified chemical to treat cancer still continues. Several studies have been undertaken during last three decades to find the anti-cancerous property of various plant extract and toxins secreted by animals and micro-organism. These lead to the discovery of several promising molecule having anticancer activity, some of which are in clinical trial and may emerged to be a potential future drug in cancer therapy. In this study we have used penicillin to evaluate its anti-cancer activity. It shown significant effects at cellular and molecular levels against growth of HeLa and K562 cell lines.

• Experimental and Molecular Medicine
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• v.50 no.12
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• pp.10.1-10.11
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• 2018

Cancer growth and progression are associated with immune suppression. Cancer cells have the ability to activate different immune checkpoint pathways that harbor immunosuppressive functions. Monoclonal antibodies that target immune checkpoints provided an immense breakthrough in cancer therapeutics. Among the immune checkpoint inhibitors, PD-1/PD-L1 and CTLA-4 inhibitors showed promising therapeutic outcomes, and some have been approved for certain cancer treatments, while others are under clinical trials. Recent reports have shown that patients with various malignancies benefit from immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment. However, mainstream initiation of immune checkpoint therapy to treat cancers is obstructed by the low response rate and immune-related adverse events in some cancer patients. This has given rise to the need for developing sets of biomarkers that predict the response to immune checkpoint blockade and immune-related adverse events. In this review, we discuss different predictive biomarkers for anti-PD-1/PD-L1 and anti-CTLA-4 inhibitors, including immune cells, PD-L1 overexpression, neoantigens, and genetic and epigenetic signatures. Potential approaches for further developing highly reliable predictive biomarkers should facilitate patient selection for and decision-making related to immune checkpoint inhibitor-based therapies.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.559-569
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• 2021

As one of the major types of lung cancer, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for the majority of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Treatments for NSCLC includes surgery, chemotherapy, and targeted therapy. Among the targeted therapies, resistance to inhibitors of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is common and remains a problem to be solved. MET (hepatocyte growth factor receptor) amplification is one of the major causes of EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) resistance. Therefore, there exists a need to find new and more efficacious therapies. Deoxypodophyllotoxin (DPT) extracted from Anthriscus sylvestris roots exhibits various pharmacological activities including anti-inflammation and anti-cancer effects. In this study we sought to determine the anti-cancer effects of DPT on HCC827GR cells, which are resistant to gefitinib (EGFR-TKI) due to regulation of EGFR and MET and their related signaling pathways. To identify the direct binding of DPT to EGFR and MET, we performed pull-down, ATP-binding, and kinase assays. DPT exhibited competitive binding with ATP against the network kinases EGFR and MET and reduced their activities. Also, DPT suppressed the expression of p-EGFR and p-MET as well as their downstreat proteins p-ErbB3, p-AKT, and p-ERK. The treatment of HCC827GR cells with DPT induced high ROS generation that led to endoplasmic-reticulum stress. Accordingly, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and apoptosis by multi-caspase activation were observed. In conclusion, these results demonstrate the apoptotic effects of DPT on HCC827GR cells and signify the potential of DPT to serve as an adjuvant anti-cancer drug by simultaneously inhibiting EGFR and MET.

• BMB Reports
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• v.57 no.3
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• pp.155-160
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• 2024

Lung cancer carries one of the highest mortality rates among all cancers. It is often diagnosed at more advanced stages with limited treatment options compared to other malignancies. This study focuses on calnexin as a potential biomarker for diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer. Calnexin, a molecular chaperone integral to N-linked glycoprotein synthesis, has shown some associations with cancer. However, targeted therapeutic or diagnostic methods using calnexin have been proposed. Through 1D-LCMSMS, we identified calnexin as a biomarker for lung cancer and substantiated its expression in human lung cancer cell membranes using Western blotting, flow cytometry, and immunocytochemistry. Anti-calnexin antibodies exhibited complement-dependent cytotoxicity to lung cancer cell lines, resulting in a notable reduction in tumor growth in a subcutaneous xenograft model. Additionally, we verified the feasibility of labeling tumors through in vivo imaging using antibodies against calnexin. Furthermore, exosomal detection of calnexin suggested the potential utility of liquid biopsy for diagnostic purposes. In conclusion, this study establishes calnexin as a promising target for antibody-based lung cancer diagnosis and therapy, unlocking novel avenues for early detection and treatment.

• Laboraroty Animal Research
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.160-165
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• 2018

Breast cancer remains the second leading cause of cancer death among woman, worldwide, despite advances in identifying novel targeted therapies and the development of treating strategies. Classification of clinical subtypes (ER+, PR+, HER2+, and TNBC (Triple-negative)) increases the complexity of breast cancers, which thus necessitates further investigation. Mouse models used in breast cancer research provide an essential approach to examine the mechanisms and genetic pathway in cancer progression and metastasis and to develop and evaluate clinical therapeutics. In this review, we summarize tumor transplantation models and genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs) of breast cancer and their applications in the field of human breast cancer research and anti-cancer drug development. These models may help to improve the knowledge of underlying mechanisms and genetic pathways, as well as creating approaches for modeling clinical tumor subtypes, and developing innovative cancer therapy.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.9
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• pp.4815-4822
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• 2012

Invasion and metastasis are the major causes of cancer-related death. Pharmacological or therapeutic interventions such as chemoprevention of the progression stages of neoplastic development could result in substantial reduction in the incidence of cancer mortality. (-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a promising chemopreventive agent, has attracted extensive interest for cancer therapy utilizing its antioxidant, anti-proliferative and inhibitory effects on angiogenesis and tumor cell invasion. In this study, we assessed the influence of EGCG on the proliferative potential of HeLa cells by cell viability assay and authenticated the results by nuclear morphological examination, DNA laddering assay and cell cycle analysis. Further we analyzed the anti-invasive properties of EGCG by wound migration assay and gene expression of MMP-9 and TIMP-1 in HeLa cells. Our results indicated that EGCG induced growth inhibition of HeLa cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. It was observed that cell death mediated by EGCG was through apoptosis. Interestingly, EGCG effectively inhibited invasion and migration of HeLa cells and modulated the expression of related genes (MMP-9 and TIMP-1). These results indicate that EGCG may effectively suppress promotion and progression stages of cervical cancer development.