• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.72 no.4
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• pp.343-351
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• 2012

Background: The phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling axis has emerged as a novel target for cancer therapy. Agents that inhibit this pathway are currently under development for lung cancer treatment. In the present study, we have tested whether dual inhibition of PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling can lead to enahnced antitumor effects. We have also examined the role of autophagy during this process. Methods: We analyzed the combination effect of the mTOR inhibitor, temsirolimus, and the Akt inhibitor, GSK690693, on the survival of NCI-H460 and A549 non-small cell lung cancer cells. Cell proliferation was determined by MTT assay and apoptosis induction was evaluated by flow cytometry and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling assay. Autophagy induction was also evaluated by acridine orange staining. Changes of apoptosis or autophagy-related proteins were evaluated by western blot analysis. Results: Combination treatment with temsirolimus and GSK690693 caused synergistically increased cell death in NCI-H460 and A549 cells. This was attributable to increased induction of apoptosis. Caspase 3 activation and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage accompanied these findings. Autophagy also increased and inhibition of autophagy resulted in increased cell death, suggesting its cytoprotective role during this process. Conclusion: Taken together, our results suggest that the combination of temsirolimus and GSK690693 could be a novel strategy for lung cancer therapy. Inhibition of autophagy could also be a promising method of enhancing the combination effect of these drugs.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2003.10b
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• pp.168.2-168.2
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• 2003

Akt/Ptotein Kinase B (PKB) is a serine/threonine kinase and activated by PI3K pathway. Akt/PKB regulates a variety of cellular responses including proliferations, differentiations and insulin signaling pathway. Recent evidence also indicates that the abnormal activities or expression of Akt/PKB is closely associated with cancer, diabetes and neuro-degenerative diseases. These findings mean that Akt/PKB is likely to be a new therapeutic target for the treatment of disease. (omitted)

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.8
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• pp.729-735
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• 2021

Type 2 diabetes occurs when there is an abnormality in the tissue's ability to absorb glucose. Glucose uptake and metabolism by insulin are the basic mechanisms that maintain blood sugar. Glucose uptake goes through various signaling steps initiated by the binding of insulin to receptors on the cell surface. In line with the foregoing, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of 2,7-phloroglucinol-6,6-bieckol (PHB), an active compound isolated from Ecklonia cava, on glucose uptake in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Notably, PHB increased glucose uptake in a dose-dependent manner owing to the enhanced glucose transporter type 4 (GLUT4) expression in the plasma membrane of 3T3-L1 adipocytes. These effects of PHB were attributed to the phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate-1 and protein kinase B (PKB or AKT), as well as to the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) activation in the insulin signaling pathway. PHB also stimulated 5' AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) phosphorylation and activation. The phosphorylation and activation of the PI3K/AKT and AMPK pathways by PHB were identified using wortmannin (a PI3K inhibitor) and compound C (an AMPK inhibitor). In this study, we showed that PHB can increase glucose uptake in 3T3-L1 adipocytes by promoting GLUT4 translocation to the plasma membrane via the PI3K and AMPK pathways. The results indicate that PHB may help improve insulin sensitivity.

• Proceedings of the Zoological Society Korea Conference
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• 2005.08a
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• pp.18-18
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• 2005

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.354-360
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• 2020

The hair cycle (anagen, catagen, and telogen) is regulated by the interaction between mesenchymal cells and epithelial cells in the hair follicles. The proliferation of dermal papilla cells (DPCs), mesenchymal-derived fibroblasts, has emerged as a target for the regulation of the hair cycle. Here, we show that vanillic acid, a phenolic acid from wheat bran, promotes the proliferation of DPCs via a PI3K/Akt/Wnt/β-catenin dependent mechanism. Vanillic acid promoted the proliferation of DPCs, accompanied by increased levels of cell-cycle proteins cyclin D1, CDK6, and Cdc2 p34. Vanillic acid also increased the levels of phospho(ser473)-Akt, phospho(ser780)-pRB, and phospho(thr37/46)-4EBP1 in a time-dependent manner. Wortmannin, an inhibitor of the PI3K/Akt pathway, attenuated the vanillic acid-mediated proliferation of DPCs. Vanillic acid-induced progression of the cell-cycle was also suppressed by wortmannin. Moreover, vanillic acid increased the levels of Wnt/β-catenin proteins, such as phospho(ser9)-glycogen synthase kinase-3β, phospho(ser552)-β-catenin, and phospho(ser675)-β-catenin. We found that vanillic acid increased the levels of cyclin D1 and Cox-2, which are target genes of β-catenin, and these changes were inhibited by wortmannin. To investigate whether vanillic acid affects the downregulation of β-catenin by dihydrotestosterone (DHT), implicated in the development of androgenetic alopecia, DPCs were stimulated with DHT in the presence and absence of vanillic acid for 24 h. Western blotting and confocal microscopy analyses showed that the decreased level of β-catenin after the incubation with DHT was reversed by vanillic acid. These results suggest that vanillic acid could stimulate anagen and alleviate hair loss by activating the PI3K/Akt and Wnt/β-catenin pathways in DPCs.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.291-295
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• 2007

The present study examines the effect of dominant-negative Akt on the insulin-mediated microsomal epoxide hydrolase (mEH) induction in rat hepatocytes. We also assessed the role of insulin in the expression of soluble epoxide hydrrolase (sEH). Insulin increased mEH levels and the enzyme activities, whereas sEH protein expression was unaffected by insulin. The specific PI3K inhibitors or p70 S6 kinase inhibitor ameliorated the insulin-mediated increase in mEH protein levels. Infection with adenovirus expressing dominant-negative and kinase-dead mutant of Akt1 effectively inhibited the insulin-mediated increase in mEH expression and mEH activity. These results suggest that mEH and sEH are differentially regulated by insulin and PI3K/Akt/p70S6K are active in the insulin-mediated regulation of mEH expression.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.86-92
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• 2007

Hibiscus sabdariffa L., a tropical beverage material, is used commonly as in folk medicine against hypertension, pyrexia, inflammation, liver disorders, and obesity. However, the mechanism by which Hibiscus sabdariffa L. modulates adipogenic differentiation is remained to be elusive. This report was designed to investigate the inhibitory effect of Hibiscus extract on insulin signaling pathway during adipocyte differentiation in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. 3T3-L1 preadipocytes were differentiated with isobutylmethylxanthine, dexamethasone, and insulin (MDI) and followed by the addition of Hibiscus extract. Treatment with Hibiscus resulted in a decrease of lipid droplet accumulation, which was suppressed by PI-3 kinase inhibitor wortmannin in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. Also, Hibiscus extract markedly attenuated the mRNA expression of adipogenic transcriptional factor PPAR${\gamma}$ and adipogenic hormon Leptin during adipogenesis. However, it did not affect the expression of adiponectin in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes differentiated with MDI mixture. Furthermore, Adipogenic differentiation by MDI mixture increased the phosphorylation and expression of PI3-Kinase and Akt in 3T3 preadipocytes, which was markedly suppressed by Hibiscus extract treatment. Taken together, our results suggest that Hibiscus extract suppressed the adipogenic differentiation of 3T3 preadipocytes through activation of PI3-Kinase and Akt signaling pathway.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.66
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• pp.221-226
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• 2023

Proper activation and aggregation of platelets are necessary, but excessive or abnormal aggregation can lead to cardiovascular diseases such as stroke, thrombosis, and atherosclerosis. Therefore, identifying a substance that can regulate or inhibit platelet aggregation is important for preventing and treating these diseases. Several studies have shown that certain ginsenoside compounds in Panax ginseng can inhibit platelet aggregation. Among these compounds, Rk3 (G-Rk3) from Panax ginseng needs to be further explored in order to reveal the mechanisms of action during inhibition. G-Rk3 significantly increased amounts of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and led to significant phosphorylation of cAMP-dependent kinase substrates vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor. Furthermore, the effect of G-Rk3 extended to the inhibition of PI3K/Akt phosphorylation resulting in the reduced secretion of intracellular granules. Ultimately, G-Rk3 effectively inhibited platelet aggregation. Therefore, we suggest G-Rk3's potential as a prophylactic or therapeutic agent for cardiovascular diseases caused by faulty platelet aggregation.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.7
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• pp.3103-3107
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• 2012

Osteosarcoma, the most common primary mesenchymal malignant tumor, usually has bad prognosis in man, with cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) considered to play a critical role in tumorigenesis and drug-resistance. It is known that phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) is involved in regulation of tumor cell fates, such as proliferation, cell cycling, survival and apoptosis. Whether and how PI3K and inhibitors might cooperate in human osteosarcoma CSCs is still unknown. We therefore evaluated the effects of LY294002, a PI3K inhibitor, on the cell cycle and apoptosis of osteosarcoma CSCs in vitro. LY294002 prevented phosphorylation of protein kinase B (PKB/Akt) by inhibition of PI3K phosphorylation activity, thereby inducing G0/G1 cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in osteosarcoma CSCs. Further studies also demonstrated that apoptosis induction by LY294002 is accompanied by activation of caspase-9, caspase-3 and PARP, which are involved in the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway. Therefore, our results indicate PI3K inhibitors may represent a potential strategy for managing human osteosarcoma via affecting CSCs.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.139-151
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• 2020

Purpose: Globally, there is a high incidence of gastric cancer (GC). Leucine zipper-EF-hand containing transmembrane protein 1 (LETM1) is reported to play a vital role in several human malignancies. However, there is limited understanding of the role of LETM1 in GC. This study aims to investigate the effects of LETM1 on proliferation, migration, and invasion of GC cells. Materials and Methods: The expression levels of LETM1 in the normal gastric mucosal epithelial cells (GES-1) and GC cells were analyzed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. CCK-8, wound healing, and Transwell invasion assays were performed to evaluate the effect of LETM1 knockdown or overexpression on the proliferation, migration, and invasion of the GC cells, respectively. Additionally, the effect of LETM1 knockdown or overexpression on GC cell apoptosis was determined by flow cytometry. Furthermore, the effect of LETM1 knockdown or overexpression on the expression levels of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway-related proteins was evaluated by western blotting. Results: The GC cells exhibited markedly higher mRNA and protein expression levels of LETM1 than the GES-1 cells. Additionally, the knockdown of LETM1 remarkably suppressed the GC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, and promoted the apoptosis of GC cells, which were reversed upon LETM1 overexpression. Furthermore, the western blotting analysis indicated that LETM1 facilitates GC progression via the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Conclusions: LETM1 acts as an oncogenic gene to promote GC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion via the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Therefore, LETM1 may be a potential target for GC diagnosis and treatment.