• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.14 no.4
• /
• pp.2487-2490
• /
• 2013

In Thai traditional medicine, Plumbago indica or Jetamul-Pleung-Dang in Thai is known to have health benefit especially for anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antitumor activities. However, the mechanisms of its action are still uncertain. One of which might be genotoxic effects. In the present study, we investigated the genotoxicity of an ethanolic extract of Plumbago indica root (EEPIR) by sister chromatid exchange (SCE) assay in human lymphocytes. Results have shown that all treatments with EEPIR ($12.5-100{\mu}g/ml$) could induce cell cycle delay as shown by significant increase in the number of metaphase cells in the first cell cycle but neither in the second nor the third cell cycle. Only at concentrations of 25, 50, and $100{\mu}g/ml$ were SCE levels significantly increased above that of the control (p<0.05). EEPIR at a concentration of $500{\mu}g/ml$ induced cell death as few mitotic cells were shown. Accordingly, EEPIR ($25-100{\mu}g/ml$) is genotoxic in human lymphocytes and cytotoxic at concentrations of ${\geq}500{\mu}g/ml$ in vitro. Therefore, these activities of the EEPIR could serve its potential therapeutic effects, especially as an anticancer agent. Further study of EEPIR in vivo is now needed to support this in vitro evidence.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.16 no.16
• /
• pp.6947-6951
• /
• 2015

Background: Oral carcinoma (OC) remains one of the most difficult malignancies to cure. Hesa-A is an Iranian herbal-marine compound that has shown promising anti-tumor properties against various human tumors. However, its mechanism of action remains to be addressed. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of two doses of Hesa-A on mRNA expression of erb$\backslash$b2 as a main prognosticator tumor marker for OC in an animal model. Materials and Methods: A total of 60 rats were randomly divided into 5 groups of 12 animals each. Rats in carcinoma groups received 0, 250 and 500mg/kg body weight doses of Hesa-A 3 times a day. The other two groups were considered as treated and untreated control groups. At the end of the experiment, animals were sacrificed and tongue tissues subjected to H and E staining and real time PCR. Results: Our results showed that compared to the control group, erb$\backslash$b2 was over-expressed ~ 30% in the carcinoma group. After treatment with 250mg/kg and 500mg/kg body weight of Hesa-A, erb$\backslash$b2 levels dropped by 24.1% and 3.4 % respectively compared to the control carcinoma group (p<0.01, p<0.0001). Moreover, there was a significant relation between erb$\backslash$b2 mRNA content and observed pathological changes in studied groups (p<0.05). Conclusions: These data provide insight into mechanism(s) by which Hesa-A may improve clinical outcome of oral carcinoma by affecting oncogene erb$\backslash$b2 expression and suggest Hesa-A as an effective chemotherapeutic agent in treatment of HER+tumors.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.13 no.6
• /
• pp.2533-2539
• /
• 2012

Annona muricata L (Annonaceae), commonly known as soursop has a long, rich history in herbal medicine with a lengthy recorded indigenous use. It had also been found to be a promising new anti-tumor agent in numerous in vitro studies. The present investigation concerns chemopreventive effects in a two-stage model of skin papillomagenesis. Chemopreventive effects of an ethanolic extract of A. muricata leaves (AMLE) was evaluated in 6-7 week old ICR mice given a single topical application of 7,12-dimethylbenza(${\alpha}$)anthracene (DMBA 100ug/100ul acetone) and promotion by repeated application of croton oil (1% in acetone/twice a week) for 10 weeks. Morphological tumor incidence, burden and volume were measured, with histological evaluation of skin tissue. Topical application of AMLE at 30, 100 and 300mg/kg significantly reduced DMBA/croton oil induced mice skin papillomagenesis in (i) peri-initiation protocol (AMLE from 7 days prior to 7 days after DMBA), (ii) promotion protocol (AMLE 30 minutes after croton oil), or (iii) both peri-initiation and promotion protocol (AMLE 7 days prior to 7 day after DMBA and AMLE 30 minutes after croton oil throughout the experimental period), in a dose dependent manner (p<0.05) as compared to carcinogen-treated control. Furthermore, the average latent period was significantly increased in theAMLE-treated group. Interestingly, At 100 and 300 mg/kg, AMLE completely inhibited the tumor development in all stages. Histopathological study revealed that tumor growth from the AMLE-treated groups showed only slight hyperplasia and absence of keratin pearls and rete ridges. The results, thus suggest that the A.muricata leaves extract was able to suppress tumor initiation as well as tumor promotion even at lower dosage.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.13 no.6
• /
• pp.2943-2948
• /
• 2012

Arsenic exposure is a serious health hazard worldwide. We have previously established that it may result in immune suppression by upregulating Th2 cytokines while downregulating Th1 cytokines and causing lymphocytic death. Treatment modalities for arsenic poisoning have mainly been restricted to the use of chelating agents in the past. Only recently have combination therapies using a chelating agent in conjunction with other compounds such as anti-oxidants, micronutrients and various plant products, been introduced. In the present study, we used T11TS, a novel immune potentiating glycopeptide alone and in combination with the sulfhydryl-containing chelator, mono-iso-amyl-dimarcaptosuccinic acid (MiADMSA) as a therapeutic regimen to combat arsenic toxicity in a mouse model. Results indicated that Th1 cytokines such as TNF-${\alpha}$, $IFN{\gamma}$, IL12 and the Th2 cytokines such as IL4, IL6, IL10 which were respectively downregulated and upregulated following arsenic induction were more efficiently restored to their near normal levels by T11TS alone in comparison with the combined regimen. Similar results were obtained with the apoptotic proteins studied, FasL, BAX, BCL2 and the caspases 3, 8 and 9, where again T11TS proved more potent than in combination with MiADMSA in preventing lymphocyte death. The results thus indicate that T11TS alone is more efficient in immune re-establishment after arsenic exposureas compared to combination therapy with T11TS+MiADMSA.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.15 no.12
• /
• pp.5071-5076
• /
• 2014

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is one of the aggressive cancers with a very poor prognosis. Several efforts have been made to identify and develop new agents for prevention and treatment of this deadly disease. In the present study, we examined the anticancer effect of luteolin on human CCA, KKU-M156 cells. Sulforhodamine B assays showed that luteolin had potent cytotoxicity on CCA cells with IC50 values of $10.5{\pm}5.0$ and $8.7{\pm}3.5{\mu}M$ at 24 and 48 h, respectively. Treatment with luteolin also caused a concentration-dependent decline in colony forming ability. Consistent with growth inhibitory effects, luteolin arrested cell cycle progression at the G2/M phase in a dose-dependent manner as assessed by flow cytometry analysis. Protein expression of cyclin A and Cdc25A was down-regulated after luteolin treatment, supporting the arrest of cells at the G2/M boundary. Besides evident G2/M arrest, luteolin induced apoptosis of KKU-M156 cells, demonstrated by a distinct sub-G1 apoptotic peak and fluorescent dye staining. A decrease in the level of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein was implicated in luteolin-induced apoptosis. We further investigated the effect of luteolin on JAK/STAT3, which is an important pathway involved in the development of CCA. The results showed that interleukin-6 (IL-6)-induced JAK/STAT3 activation in KKU-M156 cells was suppressed by treatment with luteolin. Treatment with a specific JAK inhibitor, AG490, and luteolin diminished IL-6-stimulated CCA cell migration as assessed by wound healing assay. These data revealed anticancer activity of luteolin against CCA so the agent might have potential for CCA prevention and therapy.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
• /
• 2003.11a
• /
• pp.82-82
• /
• 2003

The present study was undertaken to examine the cytotoxic effect of extract of Eurya emarginata against cancer cells and to develop an anti-cancer agent using components of its leaves. The crude extract of its leaves markedly inhibited the growth of leukemia cells including HL-60. When the HL-60 cells were treated with the extract, DNA fragmentation, morphologic changes and sub-Gl hypodiploid cells were observed. Therefore, the inhibitory effect of E. emarginata on the growth of the HL-60 cells appears to arise from the induction of apoptosis. Moreover, the extract markedly reduced c-Myc expression in a time-dependent manner. Eutigoside C showing the cytotoxic effect was isolated from the leaves of E. emarginata. Eutigoside C reduced the Bcl-2 protein and mRNA levels in a time-dependent manner, whereas the Bax protein and mRNA expression levels were slightly increased. When HL-60 cells were treated with eutigoside C, the release of cytochrome C from mitochondria into the cytosol was observed. Also, the expressions of the active forms of caspase 9 and 3 were increased and the activation of caspase 3 was demonstrated by the cleavage of Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, a vital substrate of effector caspase. The results indicate that the eutigoside C from E. emarginata induce apoptosis of HL-60 cells via the down-regulation of Bcl-2 expression and activation of caspases.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.13 no.12
• /
• pp.6211-6216
• /
• 2012

Objective: To investigate the effects of gambogic acid (GA) on the growth of human malignant glioma cells. Methods: U251MG and U87MG human glioma cell lines were treated with GA and growth and proliferation were investigated by MTT and colony formation assays. Cell apoptosis was analyzed by annexin V FITC/PI flow cytometry, mitochondrial membrane potential assays and DAPI nuclear staining. Monodansylcadaverine (MDC) staining and GFP-LC3 localisation were used to detect autophagy. Western blotting was used to investigate the molecular changes that occurred in the course of GA treatment. Results: GA treatment significantly suppressed cell proliferation and colony formation, induced apoptosis in U251 and U87MG glioblastoma cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner. GA treatment also lead to the accumulation of monodansylcadaverine (MDC) in autophagic vacuoles, upregulated expressions of Atg5, Beclin 1 and LC3-II, and the increase of punctate fluorescent signals in glioblastoma cells pre-transfected with GFP-tagged LC3 plasmid. After the combination treatment of autophagy inhitors and GA, GA mediated growth inhibition and apoptotic cell death was further potentiated. Conclusion: Our results suggested that autophagic responses play roles as a self-protective mechanism in GA-treated glioblastoma cells, and autophagy inhibition could be a novel adjunctive strategy for enhancing chemotherapeutic effect of GA as an anti-malignant glioma agent.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
• /
• v.48 no.2
• /
• pp.147-152
• /
• 2004

A wide variety of cancer chemotherapeutic agents have been shown to induce programmed cell death (PCD, APOPTOSIS) in various tumor cell lines in vitro. cis-Malonato [(4R,5R)-4,5-bis(aminomethyl)-2-isoprpopyl-1,3-dioxolane] platinum(II) (heptaplatin), which is a new drug approved by KFDA in 1999, in a novel platinum-based antitumor agent with clinical potential against stomach cancer and the 3rd generation of the cisplatin. This study was performed to know how heptaplatin and cisplatin and sunpla (mixture of heptaplatin and mannitol) affect on SK-MEL-28 cell line, and how they induce the apoptosis. At EM analysis, the morphology of the cell was changed by treatment of the cisplatin, heptaplatin and sunpla. Apoptotic body formed around plasma membrane, and chromatin condensation represented in nucleus. This phenomenon is one of the characteristic of the apoptosis. The DNA of SK-MEL-28 cell line truncated by cisplatin and sunpla treatment was identified on 2% agarose gel electrophoresis. TUNEL assay was performed to know whether SK-MEL-28 cell die as apoptosis or necrosis by cisplatin, heptaplatin and sunpla. At this result, fluorescence intensity increased according to increase of time and concentration. Therefore, it was identified that cislatin, heptaplatin and sunpla induced apoptosis. Fas expressed on SK-MEL-28 cell membrane by cisplatin, heptaplatin and sunpla was identified by using flow cytometer and the expression of bcl-2(anti-apoptotic gene) decreased according to increase of concentration of the cisplatin, heptaplatin and sunpla. Cisplatin, heptaplatin and sunpla induced apoptosis against SK-MEL-28 cell line, and the apoptotic mechanism was identified as Fas-mediated apoptosis and decreased bcl-2 expression.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.14 no.2
• /
• pp.1101-1106
• /
• 2013

Background: Osteosarcoma is the most common primary bone tumor in childhood and adolescence. Carboplatin, a platinum-derived agent, is used as neoadjuvant chemotherapy for pediatric osteosarcoma because of its anti-tumor activity and had low toxicity as compared to cisplatin. Objective: To determine demographic data, prognostic factors and outcome of childhood osteosarcoma treated with a carboplatin-based chemotherapeutic protocol at Chiang Mai University. Method: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 34 osteosarcoma patients aged less than 18 years and treated between 2003 and 2011. Results: Overall limb-salvage and amputation rates were 23.5% and 70.6%, respectively. With the mean follow-up time of 29.5 months (1.5-108.9), the Kaplan-Meier analysis for 3-year disease-free survival (DFS) and 3-year overall survival (OS) were $20.2{\pm}7.7%$ and $47.1{\pm}9.5%$ respectively. Patients who had initial pulmonary metastasis were at significantly greater risk for developing recurrence (p=0.02, OR=7; 1.2-40.1) and had a tendency to have lower 3-year OS compared to those without initial pulmonary metastasis ($28.1{\pm}13%$, $63.1{\pm}12.3%$, respectively, p=0.202). On univariate analysis, age at diagnosis >14 years and patients who were declined surgery were significantly associated with lower 3-year OS (p=0.008 and <0.05, respectively). However, age at diagnosis, sex, tumor size and histological subtypes were not found to significantly affect recurrence or survival. Conclusions: In our study, the survival rate was far lower than those reported from developed countries. These might indicate the ineffectiveness of carboplatin in combination with doxorubicin as frontline treatment of pediatric osteosarcoma, especially in those with initial pulmonary metastasis. Refinement in risk and treatment stratification and dose intensification for pediatric osteosarcoma constitutes a future challenge to improve outcomes, especially in metastatic patients who may need a more intensive regimen.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
• /
• v.36 no.10
• /
• pp.1013-1021
• /
• 2003

Anemia, the condition of the diminished concentration of hemoglobin per erythrocyte is common in patients with cancer and is a frequent complication of myelosuppressive chemotherapy. Cham-Dang-Gui (Angelicae Gigantis Radix) has been used in traditional Korean medicine to treat hematologic deficiencies. In this study, Cyclophosphamide (CYP), an alkylating agent that has a broad spectrum of anti-cancer activities, was intraperitoneally injected into the experimental animals to suppress the bone marrow thereafter, causing anemia. The hemopoietic effects of Cham-Dang-Gui were examined using anemic rat model. Rats were divided into five groups: CON (control group), ANS (CYP-injected + normal diet), AND (CYP-injected + normal diet + Cham-Dang-Gui), ALS (CYP-injected + low iron diet), and ALD (CYP-injected + low iron diet + Cham- Dang-Gui) groups. CYP (30 mg/kg) was intraperitoneally injected to rats for 3 days to induce anemic condition. Saline or Cham-Dang-Gui was administrated orally during the entire experimental period. CYP injection decreased body weight gain and food consumption in comparison with CON group. Oral administration of Cham-Dang-Gui extract with normal iron diet significantly prevented the lower body weight gain. The blood level of hemoglobin, iron status (serum iron, transferrin, ferritin and TIBC) and blood level of vitamin B-12 in Cham-Dang-Gui treated groups were significantly higher than those of Cham-Dang-Gui untreated groups regardless of amount of iron in the diet. Taken together, it could be concluded that the Cham-Dang-Gui extract could improve anemic condition induced by CYP injection by improving hematological value, iron status and vitamin B12 status in rats.