• BMB Reports
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.225-233
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• 2023

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a very common form of cancer worldwide and is often fatal. Although the histopathology of HCC is characterized by metabolic pathophysiology, fibrosis, and cirrhosis, the focus of treatment has been on eliminating HCC. Recently, three-dimensional (3D) multicellular hepatic spheroid (MCHS) models have provided a) new therapeutic strategies for progressive fibrotic liver diseases, such as antifibrotic and anti-inflammatory drugs, b) molecular targets, and c) treatments for metabolic dysregulation. MCHS models provide a potent anti-cancer tool because they can mimic a) tumor complexity and heterogeneity, b) the 3D context of tumor cells, and c) the gradients of physiological parameters that are characteristic of tumors in vivo. However, the information provided by an multicelluar tumor spheroid (MCTS) model must always be considered in the context of tumors in vivo. This mini-review summarizes what is known about tumor HCC heterogeneity and complexity and the advances provided by MCHS models for innovations in drug development to combat liver diseases.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.329-335
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• 2018

Loss of response to anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) agents in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a major consideration to maintain sustained response. Reversal of immunogenicity can re-establish response and increase the durability of these agents. Strategies to reverse immunogenicity include dose-intensification and/or the addition of an immunomodulator. However, there is a relative paucity of data on the efficacy of such interventions in pediatric IBD patients. Available reports have not strictly utilized homogenous mobility shift assay, which reports on anti-drug antibodies even in the presence of detectable drug, whereas prior studies have been confounded by the use of drug sensitive assays. We report four pediatric inflammatory bowel disease patients with successful reversal of immunogenicity on an anti-TNF agent using dose intensification and/or addition of an immunomodulator.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.36 no.4 s.143
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• pp.332-337
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• 2005

We here demonstrate the evidence of increased anti-tumor and immunostimulating activities of crude extracts (GAL) from Galium. aparine L. In experimental lung metastasis of colon26-M3.1 carcinoma or B16-BL6 melanoma cells, prophylactically intravenous (i.v) administration of GAL significantly inhibited lung metastasis in a dose-dependant manner. In an in vitro cytotoxicity analysis, GAL at the concentration up to $500\;{\mu}g/ml$ did not affect the growth of B16-BL6 melanoma cells. In contrast, GAL showed the enhancement of splenocyte proliferating activity in a dose-dependent manner. Peritoneal macrophages stimulated with GAL produced various cytokines such as $1L-1{\beta},\;TNF-{\alpha},\;IFN-{\gamma}$ and IL-12. These data suggest that GAL has an antitumor activity to inhibit tumor metastasis, and its antitumor effects is associated with activation of nonspecific immnune related cells.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.478-487
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• 2000

This study was carried out to find new anti-tumor agent producing microbe and to characterize the anti-tumor agent produced from the microbe. Purified compound that has a high cytotoxicity against tumor cell-lines could be obtained from the broth culture filtrates of Streptomyces sp.409 strain isolated from soil in Korea. The in vitro cytotoxicity the in vivo evaluation of acute toxicity the safety assessment of the anti-tumor compounds and the taxonomic characteristics of the anti-tumor agent were measured. The antitumor compound 1 and 2 were obtained from the broth culture filtrates of Streptomyces sp.409 strain. The cytotoxicity of the compound 1 against tumor cell-line P388D$_1$ showed almost 4.5 times higher than that of adriamycin. However in the cytotoxicity against normal cell line Vero E6, adriamycin showed adversely 4 times higher than the compound 1 ($IC_{50}$/ value: 228.7 $\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$). In comparison study with compound 1 and compound 2 in the in vitro cytotoxin productivity against tumor cell lines, $IC_{50}$/ value of the compound 1 was 0.25 $\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$ in tumor cell line P388D$_1$and 0.53 $\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$ in tumor cell-line L1210, and that of the compound 2 was 7.18 $\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$ and 35.71 $\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$, respectively; LD$_{50}$ value of the compound 1 in the in vivo acute toxicity in mice was 22.62 $\mu\textrm{g}$/kg body weight. These results suggest that compound 1 purified from Streptomyces sp. 409 has anti-tumor activity and will be developed as an anti-tumor drug.g.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.7
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• pp.1036-1046
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• 2015

Extracts from Asian medicinal herbs are known to be successful therapeutic agents against cancer. In this study, the effects of three types of herbal extracts on anti-tumor growth were examined. Among the three types of herbal extracts, H9 showed stronger anti-tumor growth effects than H5 and H11 in vivo. To find the molecular mechanism by which H9 inhibited the proliferation of breast cancer cell lines, the levels of apoptotic markers were examined. Proapoptotic markers, including cleaved PARP and cleaved caspases 3 and 9, were increased, whereas the anti-apoptotic marker Bcl-2 was decreased by H9 treatment. Next, the combined effect of H9 with the chemotherapeutic drugs doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide (AC) on tumor growth was examined using 4T1-tumor-bearing mice. The combined treatment of H9 with AC did not show additive or synergetic anti-tumor growth effects. However, when tumor-bearing mice were co-treated with H9 and the targeted anti-tumor drug trastuzumab, a delay in tumor growth was observed. The combined treatment of H9 and trastuzumab caused an increase of natural killer (NK) cells and a decrease of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC). Taken together, H9 induces the apoptotic death of tumor cells while increasing anti-tumor immune activity through the enhancement of NK activity and diminishment of MDSC.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.113-117
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• 2005

Organosulfur compounds have been shown to exert an anti-cancer activity. In an attempt to develop novel chemopreventive and anti-cancer agents for liver cancer, we synthesized allylthiopyridazine derivatives. We have previously shown that allylthiopyridazine derivatives exert inhibitory effects on proliferation, invasion and migration of SK-Hep-1 hepatocarcinoma cells in vitro. The in vivo anti-tumor effect of 3-methvl-6-allylthiopy-ridazine, named as K6, was also reported. In this study, we further investigated the preclinical anti-cancer efficacy of K6 for hepatocarcinoma using nude mice xenografted with Hep-G2 hepatocellular carcinoma cells. K6(20-100 mg/kg, orally administered everyday for 30 days) markedly decreased the tumor volume of Hep-G2 cell-transplanted nude mice as evidenced by ultrasonographic and plethysmogranhic analyses. The inhibitory effect on tumor volume was lower than that exerted by doxorubicin (2 mg/kg), intravenously injected) which was used as a positive control. This study shows that K6 efficiently suppresses xenograft tumor growth, revealing K6 as apotential anti-cancer agent for suppressing in vivo progression of liver cancer. Given that hepatocarcinoma is among the most prevalent and lethal malignancies and there is no effective treatment to date, our study may contribute to the potential drug development for liver cancer.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.18
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• pp.8119-8126
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• 2016

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide. Due to the toxic side effects of the commonly used chemotherapeutic drug cyclophosphamide (CTX), the use of herbal medicines with fewer side effects but having potential use as inducing anti-cancer outcomes in situ has become increasingly popular. The present study sought to investigate the effects of a methanolic extract of Bauhinia tomentosa against Dalton's ascites lymphoma (DAL) induced ascites as well as solid tumors in BALB/c mice. Specifically, B. tomentosa extract was administered intraperitonealy (IP) at 10 mg/kg. BW body weight starting just after tumor cell implantation and thereafter for 10 consecutive days. In the ascites tumor model hosts, administration of extract resulted in a 52% increase in the life span. In solid tumor models, co-administration of extract and CTX significantly reduced tumor volume (relative to in untreated hosts) by 73% compared to just by 52% when the extract alone was provided. Co-administration of the extract also mitigated CTX-induced toxicity, including decreases in WBC count, and in bone marrow cellularity and ${\alpha}$-esterase activity. Extract treatment also attenuated any increases in serum levels of $TNF{\alpha}$, iNOS, IL-$1{\beta}$, IL-6, GM-CSF, and VEGF seen in tumor-bearing hosts. This study confirmed that, the potent antitumor activity of B.tomentosa extract may be associated with immune modulatory effects by regulating anti-oxidants and cytokine levels.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.213-217
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• 2006

Although AIMP1 (previously known as p43) is one of three auxiliary proteins bound to a macromolecular aminoacyl tRNA complex, it is also secreted as a cytokine controlling both angiogenesis and immune responses. Here we show that systemically administered purified recombinant human AIMP1 had anti-tumor activity in mouse xenograft models. In Meth A-bearing Balb/c mice, tumor volume increased about 28 fold in the vehicle treatment group, while an increase of about 16.7 fold was observed in the AIMP1-treated group. We also evaluated the anti-tumor activity of AIMP1 in combination with a sub-clinical dose of the cytotoxic anti-tumor drug, paclitaxel. The growth of NUGC-3 human stomach cancer cells was suppressed by 84% and 94% by the combinations of 5 mg/kg paclitaxel + 25 mg/kg AIMP1 (p = 0.03), and 5 mg/kg paclitaxel + 50 mg/kg AIMP1 (p = 0.02), respectively, while 5 mg/kg paclitaxel alone suppressed growth by only 54% (p = 0.02). A similar cooperative effect of AIMP1 and paclitaxel was observed in a lung cancer xenograft model. These results suggest that AIMP1 may be useful as a novel anti-tumor agent.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2005.04a
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• pp.79-80
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• 2005

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.309-314
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• 2006

The multicellular layers(MCL) of human cancer cells is a three dimensional(3D) in vitro model for human solid tumors which has been used primarily for the assessment of avascular penetration of anti-cancer drugs. For anti-cancer drugs with penetration problem, MCL represents a good experimental model that can provide clinically relevant data. Calcein-AM is a fluorescent dye that demonstrates the cellular vitality in a graded manner in cancer cell culture system. In the present study, we evaluated the use of calcein-AM for determination of anti-proliferative activity of anti-cancer agents in MCL model of DLD-1 human colorectal cancer cells. Optical sectioning of confocal imaging was compromised with photonic attenuation and penetration barrier in the deep layers of MCL. By contrast, fluorescent measurement on the cryo-sections provided a feasible alternative. Cold pre-incubation did not enhance the calcein-AM distribution to a significant degree in MCL of DLD-1 cells. However, the simultaneous determination of drug penetration and cellular vitality appeared to be possible in drug treated MCL. In conclusion, these data suggest that calcein-AM can be used for the simultaneous determination of drug-induced anti-proliferative effect and drug penetration in MCL model.