• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 1985

The effects of feeding indole, indole-3-carbinol and benzofuran (all at 5 mmole/kg body wt./day) on various hepatic microsomal and cytosolic enzyme activities involved in xenobiotic metabolism have been compared. Benzofuran was found to elevate the activities of many enzymes both in microsomes (e.g., aniline hydroxylase, 7-ethoxycoumarin O-deethylase, p-nitrophenol UDPGA-transferase and epoxide hydrolase) and in cytosol (e.g., glutathione reductase, glutathione S-transferase, NADH:quinone reductase and UDP-glucose dehydrogenase). The structures of indole and indole-3-carbinol are similar to benzofuran except for the substitution of nitrogen with oxygen atom within the furan ring. Results showed that the activities of UDPGA-transferase and NADH:quinone reductase were not elevated by these indole compounds. While the chemical structure of these two indole compounds are identical except for the presence of the carbinol (methanol) group in indole-3-carbinol, there were marked differences in the types and activities of microsomal enzymes that were enhanced. Among the microsomal enzyme activities determined, indole elevated only the NADPH:cytochrome c reductase, while indole-3-carbinol increased several mixed function oxidase and particularly the epoxide hydrolase activities. Based on the chemical structures of tested compounds and the observed results, possible explanations for the mechanisms involved in elevating epoxide hydrolase activity by benzofuran and indole-3-carbinol are discussed.

• Environmental Mutagens and Carcinogens
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.47-55
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• 1989

Quantitative analyses were made of pepsinogen 1 (Pg 1) decreased pyloric glands after treating male Wistar rats with N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) and NaCl and then with various test chemicals. Animals received MNNG in drinking water (100ng/ml) and 10% NaCl in diet for 8 weeks (group1), followed by basal diet containing 0.01% capsaicin, 0.5% allyl sulfide, 0.5% indole-3-carbinol and 0.05% germanium until 20 weeks (groups 2-5).

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.163-168
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• 1998

Inhibitory effect of indole oligomers induced from indole-3-carbinol(I3C) on the growth of breast cancer cells was studied. We gernerated the reaction mixtures (RXM) at ambient temperature by treating a stirred aqueous solution of I3C (typeically 0.25ml) at a concentration of 12 $\mu$mol/ml) with hydrochloric acid (typically 28$\mu$l of a 1 mmol/ml solution). RXM was fractionated by the column chromatography. The fractions with similar UV-pattern were further fractionated by HPLC and 3.3'-diindoylmethane (DIM) and other indole oligomers were identified. I3C, RXM, and it derived indole compounds were added to MCF-7 cells and cultured in the presence of 10-7M estradiol for 7 days. the growth-inhibitory effect of I3C and DIM on the growth of MCF-7 cell was very strong. The synthetic DIM also revealed antiproliferative effect on MCF-7 cel. The fractions containing high DIM content (77%), were most effective in inhibiting MCF-7 cell growth induced by estradiol. With these results, we suggest that I3C and DIM might have anticarcinogenic effect on the breast cancer.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.21 no.7
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• pp.923-931
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• 2011

In the present study, we investigated the effect of indole-3-carbinol (I3C), a natural compound present in vegetables, on the cell migration and invasion of OVCAR-3 ovarian cancer cells. Our results indicated that I3C inhibited the proliferation of OVCAR-3 cells, a process which was associated with inhibition of cell motility as determined by wound healing experiments and cell invasion studies. I3C treatment increased the tightness of the tight junctions (TJs), which was demonstrated by an increase in transepithelial electrical resistance and a decrease in paracellular permeability. The RT-PCR and immunoblotting results indicated that I3C repressed the levels of claudin-3 as well as claudin-4, proteins that comprise a major part of TJs and play a key role in the control and selectivity of paracellular transport. Furthermore, the activities of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 were also decreased by treatment with I3C, which was connected with the down-regulation of their mRNAs and protein expression. The results suggest that I3C may be expected to inhibit cancer cell metastasis and invasion by restoring TJs and decreasing MMP activity in ovarian cancer cell line OVCAR-3.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 1994.04a
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• pp.339-339
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• 1994

It has been reported that Indole-3-carbinol (I3C), a naturally occurring compound In cruclferous vegetables, exerts anticarcinogenic activity In several organs In rodents. The modifying effects of I3C were therefore assessed uging a rat multi-organ carcinogenesis model. A total of 100 male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided Into 3 groups. Animals of groups 1 and 2 were sequentially treated with diethylnitrosamine (DEN; 100 mg/kg b.w., i.p.), N-methylnitrosourea (NNU; 20 mg/kg b.w., 4 times for 2 weeks, i.p), and dihydroxy-di-N-propylnitrosauine (DHPN; 0.1% In d.w. for 2 weeks) for 4 weeks (DMD treatment). Animals of groups 1 and 3 were given the diet of 0.25% I3C for 20 weeks after DMD initiation and then were given basal diet for 28 weeks. All animals were sacrificed at week 24 and 52, respectively. I3C has been clearly demonstrated promoting effects on the development of glutathione S-transferase placental form (GST-P) positive hepatic foci at 24 weeks of the experiment. And I3C also exerted promoting potential In the hepatocellular adenoma (4/14; 29%) and the adenoma (7/14; 50%) of the thyroid gland at 52 weeks of the experiment. Therefore, I3C may promote hepatocarcinogenesis and thyroid tumorigenesis in the rat multi-organ carcinogenesis model.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.381-385
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• 2010

Indole-3-carbinol (I3C), one of naturally occurring main components in cauliflower vegetables, is supposed to have a chemopreventive potential in experimental animals and humans. This study was investigated to examine chemopreventive effect of I3C on colon carcinogenesis induced by azoxymethane (AOM) using C57BL/6J mice. Mice were divided into three groups (10 or 9 mice/group). All mice were subcutaneously injected with AOM (5 mg/kg body weight, four times at weekly interval). After AOM treatment, animals of group 1 were fed by AIN-76A pellets as a basal diet. Animals of groups 2 and 3 were given I3C containing diets (100 and 300 ppm in diets, respectively) for 6 weeks until sacrifice. All mice were sacrificed at week 10 and the aberrant crypt foci (ACF) of the colonic mucosa were assessed after staining with methylene blue. Total numbers of ACF/colon in group 2 ($10.1{\pm}5.1$) or group 3 ($10.6{\pm}5.3$) were decreased compared to the values of group 1 ($14.4{\pm}10.2$). Among numbers of ACF formation, 5, 7, 8 and 10 ACF in group 2 and 3 were greatly different those of group 1. Total numbers of aberrant crypts (AC)/colon of group 2 ($20.1{\pm}10.1$) or group 3 ($22.0{\pm}10.9$) were decreased compared to the value of group 1 ($33.7{\pm}24.7$). Taken together, it suggests that I3C treatment may retard mouse colon carcinogenesis even after administration of AOM.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.549-555
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• 2001

Indole-3-carbinol (I3C), one component of cruciferous vegetables (the Fammily of Cruciferae), has been shown to exert its chemopreventive effect in liver, colon and mammary tissue before or concurrent exposure of carcinogen, but there have been several evidences that consumption of I3C induced tumor promotion in some tissues. Our studies were investigated to examine the modifying effects of I3C in the 7,12-dimethylbenz[$\alpha$]anthracene (DMBA) induced rat mammary gland tumor model. Fifty-two female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups. Animals of the group 1 were given the diet containing 100ppm I3C and animals of the groups 2 and 4 were given the diet containing 300ppm I3C from 6 weeks of age. At 7 weeks of age, the animals of the groups 1, 2 and 3 were intubated with DMBA. All amimals were killed at 20 weeks after carcinogen treatment. There were significant increases of food consumption in I3C feeding groups compared with those of basal diet feeding groups. The incidences of the mammary tumors in the group 1, 2 and 3 were 75.0% (9/12), 56.3% (9/16) and 93.8% (15/16), respectively and the average number of tumors of group 1 (DMBA+I3C 100ppm: $2.08{\pm}0.61$) and 2 (DMBA+I3C 300ppm: $1.19{\pm}0.32$) were significantly lower than that of group 3 (DMBA alone: $4.63{\pm}0.72$) at the value of P<0.05 and P<0.001, respectively. In the pathological examination of appearing tumors, most of them were adenocarcinoma. Many epithelial cells of tumors showed strong estrogen receptor (ER) $\alpha$ expression but there were slight difference of ER $\alpha$ expression among the type of tumors. We suggest that pre-initiation treatment of I3C has an inhibitory effects on mammary carcinogenesis induced by DMBA.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Veterinary Pathology Conference
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• 2000.09a
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• pp.26-26
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• 2000

The consumption of cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage and broccoli have been shown to have a chemopreventive effect in human and in experimental animals. Indole-3-carbinol (I3C), one component of cruciferous vegetables, has been shown to exert its chemopreventive effect in liver, colon and mammary tissue before or concurrent exposure of carcinogen, but in some reports, there have been several evidence that consumption of I3C after carcinogen treatment induced tumor promotion in some tissues. There have been no reports about the effect of I3C after carcinogen exposure in N-Nitroso-N-methylurea (MNU)-induced mammary tumor model of rats. (omitted)

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Toxicology Conference
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• 2001.10a
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• pp.85-86
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• 2001

Indole-3-carbinol (I3C), one component of cruciferous vegetables (the Family of Cruciferae), has been shown to exert chemopreventive effects in liver, colon and mammary tissue, but there has been substantial evidence that consumption of I3C induces tumor promotion in some tissues. Our studies were investigated to examine the modifying effects of I3C in the 7, 12-dimethylbenz［a］anthracene (DMBA) induced rat mammary tumor model.(omitted)

• 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.