• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.130-134
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• 2014

An investigation was carried out to identify novel anti-cancer compounds from Korean indigenous plant extracts. Bioassay-guided fractionation and chemical investigation of the EtOAc extract from the leaves and stems of Stauntonia hexaphylla resulted in the isolation of two active compounds, hederagenin 3-O-${\alpha}$-L-arabinoside (1) and quercetin (2). The structures of these compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic methods, including UV, IR, MS, NMR techniques and compared with previous spectroscopic data. The cytotoxic effects of fractions and compounds on HCT116 human colon cancer cells were evaluated using the MTT assay. Quercetin showed a stronger anti-cancer effect when compared to hederagenin 3-O-${\alpha}$-L-arabinoside.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.37 no.12
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• pp.899-906
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• 2014

Prostaglandin $E_2$ ($PGE_2$) promotes tumor-persistent inflammation, frequently resulting in cancer. Curcumin is a diphenolic turmeric that inhibits carcinogenesis and induces apoptosis. $PGE_2$ inhibits curcumin-induced apoptosis; however, the underlying inhibitory mechanisms in colon cancer cells remain unknown. The aim of the present study is to investigate the survival role of $PGE_2$ and whether addition of exogenous $PGE_2$ affects curcumininduced cell death. HCT-15 cells were treated with curcumin and $PGE_2$, and protein expression levels were investigated via Western blot. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, lipid peroxidation, and intracellular glutathione (GSH) levels were confirmed using specific dyes. The nuclear factor-kappa B ($NF-{\kappa}B$) DNA-binding was measured by electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). $PGE_2$ inhibited curcumin-induced apoptosis by suppressing oxidative stress and degradation of PARP and lamin B. However, exposure of cells to the EP2 receptor antagonist, AH6809, and the PKA inhibitor, H89, before treatment with $PGE_2$ or curcumin abolished the protective effect of $PGE_2$ and enhanced curcumin-induced cell death. $PGE_2$ activates PKA, which is required for cAMP-mediated transcriptional activation of CREB. $PGE_2$ also activated the Ras/Raf/Erk pathway, and pretreatment with PD98059 abolished the protective effect of $PGE_2$. Furthermore, curcumin treatment greatly reduced phosphorylation of CREB, followed by a concomitant reduction of $NF-{\kappa}B$ (p50 and p65) subunit activation. $PGE_2$ markedly activated nuclear translocation of $NF-{\kappa}B$. EMSA confirmed the DNA-binding activities of $NF-{\kappa}B$ subunits. These results suggest that inhibition of curcumin-induced apoptosis by $PGE_2$ through activation of PKA, Ras, and $NF-{\kappa}B$ signaling pathways may provide a molecular basis for the reversal of curcumin-induced colon carcinoma cell death.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.1 s.81
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• pp.110-115
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• 2007

It has been previously described that transcription factor early growth response gene product 1 (EGR-1) functions as a tumor suppressor gene. This study was conducted to demonstrate that EGR-1 induction by phytochemical apigenin and its derivative isovitexin can mediate the growth suppression of the intestinal epithelial tumor cells. Apigenin and isovitexin induced EGR-1 gene expression both in the dose and time-dependent manners. Moreover the induction was relatively late around 9-12 hr after treatment of HCT-116 cells, while several anti-inflammatory agent such as NSAIDS and catechins elicit the ECR-1 gene expression at much earlier time about 1-3 hr after treatment. In terms of signal transduction, ERK1/2 was critical for apigenin-induced EGR-1 gene expression and its promoter activation. When EGR-1 gene expression was blocked with EGR-1 small interference RNA, the cytotoxicity of apigenin in the human epithelial cells was attenuated, suggesting the involvement of EGR-1 in the anti-tumoric activity of apigenin. To link the EGR-1 induction to EGR-1-regulated gene products in colon cancer, NSAID-Activated Gene 1 (NAG-1) was demonstrated to be elevated by apigenin and isovitexin at 24-48 hr after treatment. Taken together, apigenin-activated ERK1/2 mediated EGR-1 gene induction, which was associated with suppression of the cellular viability by apigenin compound.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.8
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• pp.4037-4043
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• 2012

Despite progress in elucidating mechanisms associated with colorectal cancer and improvement of treatment methods, it remains a frequent cause of death worldwide. New and more effective therapies are therefore urgently needed. Recent studies have shown that immunogenicity of whole ovarian tumor cells and subsequent T cell response were potentiated by oxidation modification with hypochlorous acid (HOCl) in vitro and ex vivo. These results prompted us to investigate the protective antitumor response with an HOCl treated CT26 colorectal cancer cell vaccine in an in vivo mouse model. Administration of HOCl modified vaccine triggered robust antitumor immunity to autologous tumor cells in mice and prolonged survival period significantly. In addition, increased necrosis and apoptosis were found in tumor tissue from the oxidation group. Interestingly, ELISPOT assays showed that specific T cell responses were not elicited in response to the immunizing cellular antigen, in contrast to raising sera antibody titer and antibody binding activity shown by ELISA assay and flow cytometry. Further evaluation of the mechanisms underlying HOCl modified vaccine mediated humoral immunity highlighted the role of antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity. These results combined with previous studies suggest that HOCl oxidation modified whole cell vaccine has wide applicability as a cancer vaccine because it can target both T cell- and B cell-specific responses. It may thus represent a promising approach for the immunotherapy of colorectal cancer.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.18
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• pp.8203-8210
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• 2016

Adenocarcinomas (AC) are the most frequently encountered carcinomas. It may be quite challenging to detect the primary origin when those carcinomas metastasize and the first finding is a metastatic tumor. This study evaluated the role of sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) positivity in tumor cells in the subclassification and detection of the original organ of adenocarcinomas. Between 1994 and 2008, 64 sections of normal tissue belonging to ten organs, and 116 cases diagnosed as adenoid cystic carcinoma and mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the salivary gland, lung adenocarcinoma, invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast, adenocarcinoma of stomach, colon, gallbladder, pancreas and prostate, endometrial adenocarcinoma and serous adenocarcinoma and mucinous adenocarcinoma of the ovary, were sent to the laboratory at the Department of Pathology at the Yuzuncu Yil University School of Medicine, where they were stained immunohistochemically, using antibodies against SHBG. The SHBG immunoreactivity in both the tumor cells and normal cells, together with the type, diffuseness and intensity of the staining were then evaluated. In the differential diagnosis of the adenocarcinomas of the organs, including the glandular structures, impressively valuable results are encountered in the tumor cells, whether the SHBG immunopositivity is evaluated alone or together with other IHC markers. Further extensive research with a larger number of cases, including instances of cholangiocarcinoma and cervix uteri AC [which we could not include in the study for technical reasons] should be performed, in order to appropriately evaluate the role of SHBG in the differential diagnosis of AC.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.663-672
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• 2016

The Cnidium monnieri (L.) Cusson is an annual plant distributed in China and Korea. The fruit of C. monnieri is used as a medicinal herb that is effective for the treatment of carbuncle and pain in female genitalia. However, the anti-cancer effects of CME have not yet been reported. In this study, we assessed the apoptotic effects and cell cycle arrest effects of ethanol extracts from C. monnieri on HCT116 colon cancer cells. The results of an MTT assay and LDH assay demonstrated a decrease in cell viability and the cytotoxic effects of CME. In addition, the number of apoptotic body and the apoptotic rate were increased in a dose-dependent manner through Hoechst 33342 staining and Annexin V-PI double staining. In addition, cell cycle arrest occurred at the G1 phase by CME. Protein kinase B (Akt) plays an important role in cancer cell survival, growth, and division. Akt down-regulates apoptosis-mediated proteins, such as mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), p53, and Glycogen Synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β). CME could regulate the expression levels of p-Akt, p-mTOR, p-GSK-3β, Bcl-2 family members, caspase-3, and PARP. Furthermore, treatment with CME, LY294002 (PI3K/Akt inhibitor), BIO (GSK-3β inhibitor), and Rapamycin (mTOR inhibitor) showed that apoptotic effects occurred through the regulation of the AKT/mTOR/GSK-3β signaling pathway. Our results demonstrated CME could induce apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in HCT116 colon cancer cells.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.362-368
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• 2012

Enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis (ETBF) is an intestinal commensal bacterium implicated as a risk factor for colon cancer. The key virulence factor is a secreted toxin called B. fragilis toxin (BFT). In this study we used an in vitro bioassay to examine the prevalence of ETBF in colonic washings from patients with colorectal polyps and normal control patients. We found that 9.3% of polyp patients and 10.9% of non-polyp patients harbored ETBF, respectively. A total of nine ETBF clinical isolates were isolated and confirmed to be positive for the BFT gene by PCR analysis and the ability to induce IL-8 secretion in the colonic epithelial cell line HT29/c1. Two of the ETBF clinical strains were characterized further in vitro and in vivo. We found that the two ETBF clinical isolates induced E-cadherin cleavage in HT29/c1 cells and promoted colonic inflammation in C57BL/6 mice. Our results indicate that the prevalence of ETBF in polyp patients were similar in non-polyp patients suggesting that ETBF carriage does not positively correlate to polyp incidence.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.11
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• pp.1533-1538
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• 2007

This study was carried out to determine the inhibitory effects of solvent extracts from Sargassum hemiphyllum on growth of cancer cell lines (AGS human gastric adenocarcinoma and HT-29 human colon cancer cells) and production of lipid peroxides. Inhibitory effects of acetone with methylene chloride extract from S. hemiphyllum on the growth of AGS and HT-29 cancer cells were increased as dose dependent patterns (p<0.05). The methanol extract was more effective on inhibition of growth of AGS. The treatments of hexane, 85% aq. methanol, butanol and water fractions significantly inhibited the growth of cancer cells (p<0.05) and the inhibitory effect was stronger in HT-29. In DCFH-DA (dichlorodihydrofluorescin diacetate) assay, acetone with methylene chloride and methanol extracts showed a stronger inhibitory effect on the production of cellular lipid peroxides (p<0.05) compared with the butanol and hexane fractions. These results indicate that the consumption of S. hemiphyllum may be recommended as a potent functional food for preventing cellular oxidation and cancer.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.1321-1325
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• 1999

The inhibitory effect of Ramaria botrytis on the mutagenicity in Salmonella assay and cytotoxicity on cancer cell were studied. Ramaria botrytis methanol extracts showed antimutagenic effects of 60~90% on B(a)P and AFB1 in S. typhimurium TA98 and TA100. These extracts showed 73~85% antimutagenicity on TA100 against MNNG. The methanol extracts with strong antimutagenic activities were further fractionated by ethylacetate and water, the ethylacetate fraction were found to be stronger antimutagen icity against MNNG than water fraction. Ramaria botrytis methanol extracts and ethylacetate fraction revealed the highest cytoxicity against HT 29 human colon adenocarcinoma cells in which cell growth was inhibited by 57~88% and 69~94% at 0.25~1.0mg/ml, respectively. These methanol extract and ethyl acetate fraction exhibited 53~79% and 66~87% inhibition against HepG2 human hepatocarcinoma cells, respectively. But water fraction showed only 10~24% inhibition. However, these extract and fractions did not show cytotoxic effect against human chang liver cells. From these results, it is considered that Ramaria botrytis has stronger antimutagenic and anticancer effects in vitro.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.74-81
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• 2024

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory intestinal disease characterized by an imbalance in immune function and the overexpression of inflammatory cytokines and mediators. Vitamin B2, also known as riboflavin (Libof), is an essential water-soluble vitamin with numerous beneficial properties, including antioxidant, anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, anti-nociceptive, and anti-cancer effects. In this study, we aimed to investigate the protective effects of Libof on dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced experimental colitis. The C57BL/6 mice were used as the in vivo model of chronic colitis to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of Libof. RAW 264.7 cells were used for the in vitro investigation of the molecular mechanisms underlying these effects. In vivo, Libof alleviated the DSS-induced disease activity index (DAI), colon length shortening, and colonic pathological damage. In vitro, Libof inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and interleukin (IL)-6 production in RAW 264.7 cells. Moreover, Libof inhibited LPS-induced nitric oxide (NO) production and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression in RAW 264.7 cells. In conclusion, these findings indicate that Libof shows potential as an agent for the treatment of UC.