• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제30권3호
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• pp.265-273
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• 2022

Resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs is a significant problem in the treatment of colorectal cancer, resulting in low response rates and decreased survival. Recent studies have shown that shikonin, a naphthoquinone derivative, promotes apoptosis in colon cancer cells and cisplatin-resistant ovarian cells, raising the possibility that this compound may be effective in drug-resistant colorectal cancer. The aim of this study was to characterize the molecular mechanisms underpinning shikonin-induced apoptosis, with a focus on endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, in a 5-fluorouracil-resistant colorectal cancer cell line, SNU-C5/5-FUR. Our results showed that shikonin significantly increased the proportion of sub-G₁ cells and DNA fragmentation and that shikonin-induced apoptosis is mediated by mitochondrial Ca²⁺ accumulation. Shikonin treatment also increased the expression of ER-related proteins, such as glucose regulatory protein 78 (GRP78), phospho-protein kinase RNA-like ER kinase (PERK), phospho-eukaryotic initiation factor 2 (eIF2α), phospho-phosphoinositol-requiring protein-1 (IRE1), spliced X-box-binding protein-1 (XBP-1), cleaved caspase-12, and C/EBP-homologous protein (CHOP). In addition, siRNA-mediated knockdown of CHOP attenuated shikonin-induced apoptosis, as did the ER stress inhibitor TUDCA. These data suggest that ER stress is a key factor mediating the cytotoxic effect of shikonin in SNU-C5/5-FUR cells. Our findings provide an evidence for a mechanism in which ER stress leads to apoptosis in shikonin-treated SNU-C5/5-FUR cells. Our study provides evidence to support further investigations on shikonin as a therapeutic option for 5-fluorouracil-resistant colorectal cancer.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• 제27권11호
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• pp.1147-1153
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• 2004

Bladder cancer is a common cancer with high risk of recurrence and mortality. Intravesicle chemotherapy after trans-urethral resection is required to prevent tumor recurrence and progression. It has been known that antioxidants enhance the antitumor effect of bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG), the most effective intravesical bladder cancer treatment. Capsaicin, the major pungent ingredient in genus Capsicum, has recently been tried as an intravesical drug for overactive bladder and it has also been shown to induce apoptotic cell death in many cancer cells. In this study, we investigated the apoptosis-inducing effect and alterations in the cellular redox state of capsaicin in MBT-2 murine bladder tumor cells. Capsaicin induced apoptotic MBT-2 cell death in a time- and dose-dependent manner. The capsaicin-induced apoptosis was blocked by the pretreatment with Z-VAD-fmk, a broad-range caspase inhibitor, or Ac-DEVD-CHO, a caspase-3 inhibitor. In addition to the caspase-3 activation, capsaicin also induced cytochrome c release and decrease in Bcl-2 protein expression with no changes in the level of Bax. Furthermore, capsaicin at the concentration of inducing apoptosis also markedly reduced the level of reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxidation, implying that capsaicin may enhance the antitumor effect of BCG in bladder cancer treatment. These results further suggest that capsaicin may be a valuable intravesical chemotherapeutic agent for bladder cancers.

• 한국자원식물학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국자원식물학회 2020년도 춘계학술대회
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• pp.77-77
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• 2020

Purple loosestrife-Lythrum anceps (Koehne) Makino is a herbaceous perennial plant belonging to the Lythraceae family. It has been used for centuries in Korea and other Asian traditional medicine. It has been showed pharmacological effects, including anti-oxidant and anti-microbial effects. However, the mechanisms underlying its anti-cancer mechanisms are not yet understood. In this study, we investigated the mechanism of apoptosis signaling pathways by ethanol extract of Lythrum anceps (Koehne) Makino (ELM) in human leukemia U937 cells. Treatment with ELM significantly inhibited cell growth in a dose-dependent manner by inducing apoptosis, as evidenced by the formation of apoptotic bodies (ApoBDs), DNA fragmentation and increased populations of sub-G1 ratio. Induction of apoptosis by ELM was connected with up-regulation of death receptor (DR) 4 and DR5, pro-apoptotic Bax protein expression and down-regulation of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein, and inhibitor of apoptosis protein (IAP) family proteins (XIAP, cIAP-1, survivin), depending on dosage. This induction was associated with Bid truncation, mitochondrial dysfunction, proteolytic activation of caspases (-3, -8 and -9) and cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase protein. Therefore, our data indicate that ELM suppresses U937 cell growth by activating the intrinsic and extrinsic apoptosis pathways, and thus may have applications as a potential source for an anti-leukemic chemotherapeutic agent.

• 대한한방부인과학회지
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• 제19권2호
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• pp.92-106
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• 2006

Purpose : To address the ability of Olibanum to induce cell death, we investigated the effect of olibanum on cell apoptosis. Twenty-four hours later, apoptosis occurred following olibanum exposure in a dose-dependent manner. Methods : We culture HeLa cell which is human metrocarcinoma cell in D-MEM included 10% fetal bovine serum(Hyclone Laboratories) below $37^{\circ}C$, 5% CO2. Then we observed apoptosis of log phage cell which is changed cultivation liquid 24 Hours periodically. Results : The treatment of BAPTA-AM regulated olibanum-induced apoptosis in HeLa human cervical carcinoma cells. The 24 hr-earlier -thapsigargin-pretreated cell showed the resistance against olibanum-induced apoptosis and the Ru360-mitochondrial uniporter-inhibited olibanum-induced apoptosis, too. It means that olibanum leads to the accumulation of calcium and the resultant apoptosis in HeLa cells. Immunoblotting data also shows that the expression of GRP78, ER stress marker protein, was induced by the olibanum. Bcl-2, anti-apototic protein, was decreased and that the expression of Bax, pro-apoptotic protein, was increased by the addition of olibanum. Interestingly, the olibanum increased the activity of caspase-8 as well as calpain cysteine pretense in HeLa cervical carcinoma cells. Calpain inhibitor-calpastatin as well as caspase-8C/A expression abrogated olibanum-induced apoptosis in the carcinoma cells. The inhibition of caspase-8 regulated olibanum-induced calpain activation but the inhibition of calpain did not have any effect on the caspase-8 activation in HeLa human cervical carcinoma cells. Conclusion : We conclude that olibanum induces the accumulation of calcium and the resultant apoptosis in which caspase-8 and calpain are involved.

• 생명과학회지
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• 제29권3호
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• pp.318-324
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• 2019

두경부암은 전세계에서 발병률이 여섯 번째로 높은 암으로 그동안 수술적 치료를 선호하였으나 광범위한 절제에 따른 기능적 장애로 인해 항암치료에 대한 관심이 높아지고 있다. 두경부암에서 cisplatin이 가장 많이 사용되는 항암제이나 cisplatin 내성이 문제가 되고 있다. 따라서 부작용은 줄이고, 약제내성 기전에 대해 이해하여 암세포의 사멸은 증대시키는 새로운 항암제의 개발이 필요하다. Survivin은 inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs) family 중 하나로 두경부암에서 과발현되어 있다. YM155는 survivin을 억제하는 분자로 본 연구를 통해 YM155의 처리 후 두경부 암세포의 세포자멸사가 유도되며, 뇌암 세포와 신장암 세포에서도 세포자멸사가 유도됨을 확인할 수 있었다. 반면에 정상세포인 mesangial cells에는 YM155가 세포자멸사에 영향을 주지 않았다. YM155는 caspase의 활성화를 통해 세포자멸사를 촉진하며, anti-apoptotic protein인 c-FLIP, Mcl-1, survivin의 발현을 저해하는 것으로 확인되었다. YM155는 두경부 뿐만 아니라 다른 장기의 악성종양 치료법의 개발에 활용 될 수 있을 것으로 생각된다.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제24권2호
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• pp.224-231
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• 2007

$H_2O_2$, as an example of oxidative stress, induces cardiac myocyte apoptosis. Bcl-2 family proteins are key regulators of the apoptotic response while their functions can be regulated by post-translational modifications including phosphorylation, dimerization or proteolytic cleavage. In this study, we examined the role of various protein kinases in regulating total BAD protein levels in adult rat cardiac myocytes undergoing apoptosis. Stimulation with 0.1 mM $H_2O_2$, which induces apoptosis, resulted in a marked down-regulation of BAD protein, which is attributed to cleavage by caspases since it can be restored in the presence of a general caspase inhibitor. Inhibition of PKC, p38-MAPK, ERK1/2 and PI-3-K did not influence the reduced BAD protein levels observed after stimulation with $H_2O_2$. On the contrary, inhibition of PKA or specifically $PKC{\delta}$ resulted in up-regulation of BAD. Decreased caspase 3 activity was observed in $H_2O_2$ treated cells after inhibition of PKA or $PKC{\delta}$ whereas inhibition of PKA also resulted in improved cell survival. Furthermore, addition of okadaic acid to inhibit selected phosphatases resulted in enhanced BAD cleavage. These data suggest that, during oxidative stress-induced cardiac myocyte apoptosis, there is a caspase-dependent down-regulation of BAD protein, which seems to be regulated by coordinated action of PKA, $PKC{\delta}$ and phosphatases.

• 생명과학회지
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• 제18권3호
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• pp.336-343
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• 2008

본 연구에서는 인체전립선 상피세포인 267B1 세포에서 HDAC 저해제인 TSA에 의한 증식억제가 apoptosis 유도에 의한 것임을 제시하였다. 이러한 TSA에 의한 267B1 세포의 apoptosis에는 c-IAP-1 및 c-IAP-2와 같은 IAP family의 발현감소가 동반되었으나 Bax 및 Bcl-2와 같은 Bcl-2 family의 발현에는 큰 변화가 없었다. 그리고 TSA에 의한 267Bl 세포의 apoptosis는 caspase의 활성에 의한 표적 단백질들의 분해와 연관성이 있었다. 또한 TSA에 의한 apoptosis 유도에서 $NF-{\kappa}B$의 활성이 증가된다는 것을 세포질에서 $NF-{\kappa}B$의 핵 내로의 이동에 따른 전사활성의 증가 현상에 의한 것임을 다양한 방법으로 제시하였다. 본 연구의 결과는 TSA와 같은 HDAC 저해제에 의한 apoptosis 유도에는 $NF-{\kappa}B$의 활성 증가가 동반될 수 있음을 보여주는 결과로서 HDAC 저해제의 항암활성에 대한 $NF-{\kappa}B$의 새로운 역할 가능성을 제시하여 주는 것으로서 이에 관한 추가적인 연구의 필요성을 제시하였다.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제16권6호
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• pp.2453-2458
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• 2015

Background: X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) associated factor 1 (XAF1) exhibits aberrantly low or absent expression in various human malignancies, closely associated with anti-apoptosis and overgrowth of cancer cells. However, limited attention has been directed towards the contribution of XAF1 to invasion, apoptosis, and cisplatin (DDP)-resistance of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) cells. This study aimed to evaluate the potential effects of XAF1 on invasion, cell cycle, apoptosis, and cisplatin-resistance by overexpressing XAF1 in SKOV-3 and SKOV-3/DDP cells. Methods and Results: The pEGFP-C1-XAF1 plasmid was transfected into SKOV-3 and SKOV-3/DDP cells, and the expression of XAF1 at both mRNA and protein levels was analyzed by reverse transcription-PCR and Western blotting. Overexpression of XAF1 suppressed XIAP expression in both SKOV-3 and SKOV-3/DDP cells. Transwell invasion assays demonstrated that XAF1 exerted a strong anti-invasive effect in XAF1-overexpressing cells. Moreover, flow cytometry analysis revealed that XAF1 overexpression arrested the cell cycle at G0/G1 phase, and cell apoptosis analysis showed that overexpression of XAF1 enhanced apoptosis of SKOV-3 and SKOV-3/DDP cells apparently by activating caspase-9 and caspase-3. Furthermore, MTT assay confirmed a dose-dependent inhibitory effect of cisplatin in the tested tumor cells, and overexpression of XAF1 increased the sensitivity of SKOV-3 and SKOV-3/DDP cells to cisplatin-mediated antiproliferative effects. Conclusions: In summary, our data indicated that overexpression of XAF1 could suppress XIAP expression, inhibit invasion, arrest cell cycle, promote apoptosis, and confer cisplatin-sensitivity in SKOV-3 and SKOV-3/DDP cells. Therefore, XAF1 may be further assessed as a potential target for the treatment of both cisplatin-resistant and non-resistant EOCs.

• 한국발생생물학회지:발생과생식
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• 제27권2호
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• pp.77-89
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• 2023

Metformin is the most widely used anti-diabetic drug that helps maintain normal blood glucose levels primarily by suppressing hepatic gluconeogenesis in type II diabetic patients. We previously found that metformin induces apoptotic death in H4IIE rat hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Despite its anti-diabetic roles, the effect of metformin on hepatic de novo lipogenesis (DNL) remains unclear. We investigated the effect of metformin on hepatic DNL and apoptotic cell death in H4IIE cells. Metformin treatment stimulated glucose consumption, lactate production, intracellular fat accumulation, and the expressions of lipogenic proteins. It also stimulated apoptosis but reduced autophagic responses. These metformin-induced changes were clearly reversed by compound C, an inhibitor of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). Interestingly, metformin massively increased the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which was completely blocked by compound C. Metformin also stimulated the phosphorylation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38MAPK). Finally, inhibition of p38MAPK mimicked the effects of compound C, and suppressed the metformin-induced fat accumulation and apoptosis. Taken together, metformin stimulates dysregulated glucose metabolism, intracellular fat accumulation, and apoptosis. Our findings suggest that metformin induces excessive glucose-induced DNL, oxidative stress by ROS generation, activation of AMPK and p38MAPK, suppression of autophagy, and ultimately apoptosis.

• 생명과학회지
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• 제12권4호
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• pp.452-459
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• 2002

호중의 세포사멸은 자연적으로 일어나지만 여러 자극에 의한 신호에 의하여 증가하거나 지연된다. 본 연구에서는 세포 내 단백질 분비과정을 억제한다고 알려진 BFA가 호중구의 자연 세포사멸 및 세포사멸 지연에 어떠한 기작으로 작용하는가를 연구하였다. 호중구의 세포사멸은 사람 말초 혈액으로부터 분리하여 세포 배양 20시간 후 형태 변화, annexin V and propidium iodide의 염색, 및 DNA 전기영동 등으로 조사하였다. BFA는 농도 의존형으로 호중구의 세포사멸을 증가시킨다. CM-CSF나 LPS에 의한 세포사멸의 지연도 BFA에 의하여 억제되었다. 그러나 BFA의 영향은 db-cAMP, dexamethasone, 및 IL-8을 처리한 세포에서는 큰 영향을 받지 않았다. PKC-5의 억제제인 rottlerin에 의한 세포사멸의 지연은 BFA에 의하여 감소하였다. 그러나 BFA에 의한 세포사멸의 유도는 caspase-3 억제제인 zDEVD-fmk에 의하여는 영향을 받지 않았다. 한편, 세포사멸 억제에 관여하는 Mcl-1 단백질의 발현은 BFA의 처리에 의하여 감소하였다. 이들 결과들은 세포 내 단백질 분비 과정의 억제가 호중구의 세포사멸에 관여하며 이들의 작용은 Mcl-1 발현의 조절에 의한다는 것을 제시하고 있다.