• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.15 no.3
• /
• pp.1403-1410
• /
• 2014

Epigenetic regulators like histone deacetylases (1 and 2), and viral onco-proteins (E6/E7) are known to be overexpressed in cervical cancer cells. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of curcumin on HDACs (1 and 2) and HPV E6/E7 in the cervical cancer cell line SiHa and a drug resistant clone $SiHa^R$ (derived from SiHa). It was further intended to investigate whether curcumin could sensitize the cells towards cisplatin induced cell killing by modulation of multi drug resistant proteins like MRP1 and Pgp1. Curcumin inhibited HDACs, HPV expression and differentially increased acetylation and up-regulation of p53 in SiHa and $SiHa^R$, leading to cell cycle arrest at G1-S phase. Up-regulation of pRb, p21, p27 and corresponding inhibition of cyclin D1 and CDK4 were observed. Cisplatin resistance in $SiHa^R$ due to over-expression of MRP1 and Pgp1 was overcome by curcumin. Curcumin also sensitized both the cervical cancer cells towards cisplatin induced cell killing. Inhibition of HDACs and HPVs led to cell cycle arrest at G1/S phase by alteration of cell cycle regulatory proteins. Suppression of MRP1 and Pgp1 by curcumin resulted in sensitization of cervical cancer cells, lowering the chemotherapeutic dose of the drug cisplatin.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.16 no.18
• /
• pp.8419-8423
• /
• 2016

Purpose: Anti-cancer activity evaluation of aqueous extract of CRUEL (herbomineral formulation) capsules on renal cell carcinoma cell lines, and exploration of mechanisms of cell death. Materials and Methods: To detect the cytotoxic dose concentration in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) cells, MTT assays were performed and morphological changes after treatment were observed by inverted microscopy. Drug effects against RCC cell lines were assessed with reference to cell cycle distribution (flow cytometry), anti-metastatic potential (wound healing assay) and autophagy(RT-PCR). Results: CRUEL showed anti-proliferative effects against RCC tumor cell lines with an IC50 value of ${\approx}4mg/mL$ in vitro., while inducing cell cycle arrest at S-phase of cell cycle and inhibiting wound healing. LC3 was found to be up-regulated after drug treatment in RT-PCR resulting in an autophagy mode of cell death. Conclusions: This study provides the experimental validation for antitumor activity of CRUEL.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.16 no.10
• /
• pp.4147-4156
• /
• 2015

Lung cancer is a serious health problem and leading cause of death worldwide due to its high incidence and mortality. More than 80% of lung cancers feature a non-small cell histology. Over few decades, systemic chemotherapy and surgery are the only treatment options in this type of tumor but due to their limited efficacy and overall poor survival of patients, there is an urge to develop newer therapeutic strategies which circumvent the problems. Enhanced knowledge of translational science and molecular biology have revealed that lung tumors carry diverse driver gene mutations and adopt different intracellular pathways leading to carcinogenesis. Hence, the development of targeted agents against molecular subgroups harboring critical mutations is an attractive approach for therapeutic treatment. Targeted therapies are clearly more preferred nowadays over systemic therapies because they target tumor specific molecules resulting with enhanced activity and reduced toxicity to normal tissues. Thus, this review encompasses comprehensive updates on targeted therapies for the driver mutations in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and the potential challenges of acquired drug resistance faced i n the field of targeted therapy along with the imminent newer treatment modalities against lung cancer.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.15 no.2
• /
• pp.797-802
• /
• 2014

We screened a small molecular library that was designed and independently synthesized in vitro and found a new drug (MY-03-01) that is active against ovarian cancer. We established that MY-03-01 effectively inhibited SKOV-3 cell survival in a dose-dependent manner, based on cell viability rates, and that it not only induced SKOV-3 apoptosis by itself, but also did so synergistically with paclitaxel. Secondly, when MY-03-01 was applied at $40{\mu}M$, its hemolytic activity was less than 10%, compared with the control, and there was almost no damage to nor mal cells at this concentration. In addition, we used DAPI staining and flow cytometry to show that MY-03-01 could significantly induce apoptosis of SKOV-3 cells. Finally, we found that MY-03-01 likely induced SKOV-3 apoptosis by activating caspase3 and caspase9 through the mitochondrial pathway.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.14 no.5
• /
• pp.3041-3044
• /
• 2013

Background: The non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) is an inhibitor of cyclooxygenase enzymes. Recent studies have shown that aspirin could be used as an anti-tumor drug. Triptolide, the major compound extracted from the Chinese herb Tripteryglum wilfordii Hook.f, has now been shown that it can inhibit tumor growth. The aim of this study was to analyze the anti-tumor efficiency of aspirin and triptolide in cervical cancer cells. Methods: Viability of cervical cancer cell lines was assessed by the MTT method at various concentrations of aspirin and triptolide. Siha and HeLa cell apoptotic analysis was performed by flow cytometry. Real time-PCR and Western Blotting were used to analyze the expression of Bcl-2/Bax, Cyclin D1 and p16. Results: Viability in the combination group was significantly decreased as compared with either drug used alone. Expression change of Bcl-2/Bax, CyclinD1 and p16 appeared to play an important role in the synergistic killing effect on cervical cancer cell apoptosis. Conclusion: Aspirin and triptolide combination treatment may have synergistic anti-tumor effects on cervical cancer cells.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
• /
• v.14 no.4
• /
• pp.524-535
• /
• 2007

Purpose: The purpose was to identify the risk of drug use by adolescents. Method: The participants were 933 male students in the first grade of a high school in D city. The data were collected from Aug. 5th to Oct. 30th, 2004. The instrument was the High Risk Group Adolescent Drug User Screening Test(HIRIGADUST) developed by the Korea Adolescent Society(1996). The data were analyzed using SPSS. Results: For substance use, 64.5% of the students answered that they had drunk, 40.3% that they had smoked, and 2.0% that they had tried drug use. For scores on HIRIGADUST regarding socio-demographic characteristics, there were significant differences depending on school type, personality, academic performance, economic status, and ability to talk with parents. For scores on HIRIGADUST regarding drug using-related characteristics, there were significant differences depending on drinking experience, frequency of drinking, amount of alcohol intake, smoking experience and number of cigarettes smoked. Of the students 27.2% students were in the high risk group. Conclusion: In schools, systematic and intensive assessment of drug use should be done, and if needed, a service system connected to clinics specializing in drug addiction should be established. Prevention education should be carried out continuously.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
• /
• 2002.10a
• /
• pp.280.2-281
• /
• 2002

This presentation reports the trends of the drug abuses(DA) and the mortalities related to drug-toxicants(MDT) in the Central area of Korea in 2001. We surveyed the DA cases and MDT. which were requested to analyze the drug-toxicants in the Central district office of National Institute of Scientific Investigation. he detected drugs on DA cases were methamphetamine. marihuana. opiates. inhalants(toluene. butane. ropane). dextromethorphane. carisoprodol. benzodiazepines, nalbuphine. fenfluamine. and iscellaneous in order of cases. Men are more liable to drug abuses than women. and the most common age group was 30s. Surveys of MDT shows that the defected toxicants are paraquat(sedative). methomy(insecticide). dicholrvos (insecticide). benxodiaxeqines(anxiolytic), and miscellaneous in order do cases. Men's intoxications by the drug-toxicants are more occured than woman's And most common intoxicated age group was 40s. These trends of the DA cases and the MDT in Central Area fo Korea. can help the forensic toxicologists and government to plan the prevention policy of the DA cases and MDT as well as its future estimation.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
• /
• v.37 no.3
• /
• pp.295-304
• /
• 2007

Purpose: This study was conducted to develop an education program for safe drug use in the rural elderly and to measure the effect of the program. Method: This study utilized a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design. The subjects of this study consisted of 40 older persons who were more than 65 years old and lived in G and C moon, Y gun, Gyeongsang-bukdo and visited the public health subcenter. Twenty were assigned to the experimental group and 20 to the control group. The education was provided for one and a half hours, once a week for 3 weeks. Data was collected before, right after, and one month after the program. Result: The first hypothesis was supported(F=79.24, p=0.000) showing that the knowledge scores of the drug use of the experimental group were significantly higher than those of the control group at post education and one month after education. The second hypothesis was supported(F=23.84, p=0.000) showing that the drug misuse and abuse prevention behavior scores in the experimental group were significantly higher than those of the control group at post education and one month after the education. Conclusion: This study suggests that the education for safe drug use is effective in promoting knowledge and behavior for safe drug use of the rural elderly.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.21 no.2
• /
• pp.89-96
• /
• 2013

Atherosclerotic vascular dysfunction is a chronic inflammatory process that spreads from the fatty streak and foam cells through lesion progression. Therefore, its early diagnosis and prevention is unfeasible. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play important roles in the pathogenesis of atherosclerotic vascular disease. Intracellular redox status is tightly regulated by oxidant and antioxidant systems. Imbalance in these systems causes oxidative or reductive stress which triggers cellular damage or aberrant signaling, and leads to dysregulation. Paradoxically, large clinical trials have shown that non-specific ROS scavenging by antioxidant vitamins is ineffective or sometimes harmful. ROS production can be locally regulated by cellular antioxidant enzymes, such as superoxide dismutases, catalase, glutathione peroxidases and peroxiredoxins. Therapeutic approach targeting these antioxidant enzymes might prove beneficial for prevention of ROS-related atherosclerotic vascular disease. Conversely, the development of specific antioxidant enzyme-mimetics could contribute to the clinical effectiveness.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.205-213
• /
• 2014

The outcomes of first-generation EGFR-TKIs (Gefitnib and Erlotinib) have shown great advantages over traditional treatment strategies in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but unfortunately we have to face the situation that most patients still fail to respond in the long term despite initially good control. Up to now, the mechanism of acquired resistance to EGFR-TKIs has not been fully clarified. Herein, we sought to compile the available clinical reports in the hope to better understanding the subsequent treatment choices, particularly on whether restoring after a drug holiday or switching to another EGFR-TKI is the better option after failure of one kind of EGFR-TKI.