• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.2307-2312
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• 2015

Curcumol is a sesquiterpene originally isolated from curcuma rhizomes, a component of herbal remedies commonly used in oriental medicine. Its beneficial pharmacological activities have attract significant interest recently. In this study, anti-cancer activity of curcumol was examined with both in vitro and in vivo models. It was found that curcumol exhibited time- and concentration-dependent anti-proliferative effects in SPC-A-1 human lung adenocarcinoma cells with cell cycle arrest in the G0/G1 phase while apoptosis-induction was also confirmed with flow cytometry and morphological analyses. Interestingly, curcumol did not display growth inhibition in MRC-5 human embryonic lung fibroblasts, suggesting the anti-proliferative effects of curcumol were specific to cancer cells. Anti-neoplastic effects of curcumol were also confirmed in tumor bearing mice. Curcumol (60 mg/ kg daily) significantly reduced tumor size without causing notable toxicity. In conclusion, curcumol appears a favorable anti-cancer candidate for further development.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.293-301
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• 2019

Combination chemotherapy is more effective than mono-chemotherapy and is widely used in clinical practice for enhanced cancer treatment. In this study, we investigated the potential synergistic effects of acetaminophen, a common component in many cold medicines, and romidepsin, a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, in the A549 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell line. The combination of acetaminophen and romidepsin also exerted significant cytotoxicity and apoptosis induced by activation of caspase-3 on tumor cells in vitro. Moreover, combination therapy significantly induced increased production of chemokines that stimulate migration of activated T-cells into tumor cells. This mechanism can lead to active T-cell mediated anti-tumor immunity in addition to the direct cytotoxic chemotherapeutic effect. Activated T-cells led to enhanced cytotoxicity in drug-treated A549 cells through interaction with tumor cells. These results suggested that the interaction between the two drugs is synergistic and significant. In conclusion, our data showed that the use of romidepsin and low concentrations acetaminophen could induce effective anti-tumor effects via enhanced tumor immune and direct cytotoxic chemotherapeutic responses. The combination of acetaminophen with romidepsin should be considered as a promising strategy for the treatment of lung cancer.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.81-108
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• 2010

Objective : Thujae Orientalis Folium (TOF) can cool the blood and stop bleeding, eliminate phlegm and relieve cough in Oriental medicine. In addition, the fresh is used alone externally. Recently, TOF is known to have anti-tumor component. And also known to have tyrosinase inhibitory effect. Method : For these reasons, this study was designed to investigate anti-cancer and whitening activities of TOF. In this experiment, effects of TOF on proliferation rates of melanoma cells and on changes in genetic profiles were investigated. The genetic profile for the effect on human derived melanoma cell, SK-MEL-2, was measured using microarray technique, and the functional analysis on these genes was conducted. Results : Total 541 genes were up-regulated and 1,079 genes down-regulated in cells treated with TOF. Genes induced by TOF were mainly concerned with anti-cancer effects and apoptosis. Genes suppresed by TOF were related in extracellular signalling pathway. The network of total protein interactions was measured using cytoscape program, and some key molecules, such as THAP1, MAX1, STAM2, SMAD6, CYCS, PEX5, PSEN1, NONO, MAP2K7 and CREB1 that can be used for elucidation of therapeutical mechanism of medicine in future were identified. Conculusion : These results suggest possibility of TOF as anti-cancer drug for human melanoma. In addition, the present author also suggest that related mechanisms are involved in inhibition of several cancer pathway, activation of apoptosis pathway and suppression of general metabolic pathway.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.158-166
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• 2010

Objective: It has been reported that Polygonati rhizoma (Pr) has anti-hyperglycemia, anti-triglycemia, anti-diabetic, and anti-tumor activity. Total extract of Pr was tested to identify anti-adipogenic activity in 3T3-L1 differentiation and molecular mechanism of Pr in 3T3-L1 differentiation. Methods: Differentiation of 3T3-L1 pre-adipocyte was induced in the presence of Pr extract and kaempferol. The level of lipid accumulation was measured by Oil Red O staining. The expression of genes associated with adipocyte differentiation was measured by RT-PCR. Results: Extract of Pr and its component kaempferol reduced lipid accumulation in 3T3-L1 during adipogenesis and also reduced mRNA levels of genes associated with adipogenesis, such as adipsin, aP2, LPL, SERBP-1c and $PPAR{\gamma}$. Conclusions: In this study, we showed that the molecular mechanism of Pr and kaempferol activity is related to regulation of $PPAR{\gamma}$ expression and activation.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 2007

We found that the main bacterial metabolite M1 is an active component of orally administered protopanxadiol-type ginsenosides, and that the anti-metastatic effect by oral administration of ginsenosides may be primarily mediated through the inhibition of tumor invasion, migration and growth of tumor cells by their metabolite M1. Pharmacokinetic study after oral administration of ginsenoside Rb1 revealed that M1 was detected in serum for 24 h by HPLC analysis but Rb1 was not detected. M1, with anti-metastatic property, inhibited the proliferation of murine and human tumor cells in a time- and concentration-dependent manner in vitro, and also induced apoptotic cell death (the ladder fragmentation of the extracted DNA). The induction of apoptosis by M1 involved the up-regulation of the cyclin-dependent kinase(CDK) inhibitor $p27^{Kip1}$ as well as the down-regulation of a proto-oncogene product c-Myc and cyclin D1 in a time-dependent manner. Thus, M1 might cause the cell-cycle arrest (G1 phase arrest) in honor cells through the up/down-regulation of these cell-growth related molecules, and consequently induce apoptosis. The nucleosomal distribution of fluorescence-labeled M1 suggests that the modification of these molecules is induced by transcriptional regulation. Tumor-induced angiogenesis (neovascularization) is one of the most important events concerning tumor growth and metastasis. Neovascularization toward and into tumor is a crucial step for the delivery of nutrition and oxygen to tumors, and also functions as the metastatic pathway to distant organs. M1 inhibited the tube-like formation of hepatic sinusoidal endothelial (HSE) cells induced by the conditioned medium of colon 26-L5 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. However, M1 at the concentrations used in this study did not affect the growth of HSE cells in vitro.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.28 no.8
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• pp.992-998
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• 2018

Cancer cells grow in an environment composed of various components that supports tumor growth. Major cell types in the tumor microenvironment are fibroblast, endothelial cells and immune cells. All of these cells communicate with cancer cells. Among infiltrating immune cells as an abundant component of solid tumors, macrophages are a major component of the tumor microenvironment and orchestrates various aspects of immunity. The complex balance between pro-tumoral and anti-tumoral effects of immune cell infiltration can create a chronic inflammatory microenvironment essential for tumor growth and progression. Macrophages express different functional programs in response to microenvironmental signals, defined as M1 and M2 polarization. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) secret many cytokines, chemokines and proteases, which also promote tumor angiogenesis, growth, metastasis and immunosuppression. TAM have multifaceted roles in the development of many tumor types. TAM also interact with cancer stem cells. This interaction leads to tumorigenesis, metastasis, and drug resistance. TAM obtain various immunosuppressive functions to maintain the tumor microenvironment. TAM are characterized by their heterogeneity and plasticity, as they can be functionally reprogrammed to polarized phenotypes by exposure to cancer-related factors, stromal factors, infections, or even drug interventions. Because TAMs produce tumor-specific chemokines by the stimulation of stromal factors, chemokines might serve as biomarkers that reflect disease activity. The evidence has shown that cancer tissues with high infiltration of TAM are associated with poor patient prognosis and resistance to therapies. Targeting of TAM in tumors is considered a promising therapeutic strategy for anti-cancer treatment.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.161-166
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• 2003

In the course of our studies for new anticancer medicinal plants, we evaluated the effects of an alcohol-water (1:1, V/V) extract of Dendrostellera lesserii (Thymelaeaceae) leaves on the growth rates of breast tumors of rats. The breast tumors were induced in a group of rats by Dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) injection. Our data showed that daily oral feeding of the crude extract to the rats, for 20 consecutive weeks, significantly repressed the growth rates of the breast tumors. In addition, the probable effect of D. lessertii crude extract or one of its purified active components on metastasis was evaluated using wehi-164 cells. Treatment of the cells with a single nontoxic dose of the purified active component for 48 hours inhibited the adhesion of the cells to the immobilized fibronectin molecules by almost 80% compared to the untreated control cells.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2003.10b
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• pp.99.1-99.1
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• 2003

Cinnamaldehyde is the main component of cinnamon bark oil and show several biological activities such as anti-tumor, anti-fungal, anti-mutagenic and anti-inflammatory effects. A couple of studies have investigated how the natural compound exerts its anti-inflammatory effect. In despite of numerous investigations, the biological mechanism of effects belong to cinnamaldehyde remain unclear. We isolated 2-hydroxycinnamaldehyde(HCA) from the bark of Cinnamomun cassia Blume and reported a various of biological activities of HCA. (omitted)

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.2081-2086
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• 2015

Gecko is a kind of traditional Chinese medicine with remarkable antineoplastic activity. However, undefined mechanisms and ambiguity regarding active ingredients limit new drug development from gecko. This study was conducted to assess anti-angiogenic properties of the aqueous extracts of fresh gecko (AG) or macromolecular components separated from AG (M-AG). An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) approach was applied to detect the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) secretion of the tumor cells treated with AG or M-AG. The effect of AG or M-AG on vascular endothelial cell proliferation and migratory ability was analyzed by tetrazolium dye colorimetric method, transwell and wound-healing assays. Chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assays were used to ensure the anti-angiogenic activity of M-AG in vivo. The results showed that AG or M-AG inhibited the VEGF secretion of tumor cells, the relative inhibition rates of AG and M-AG being 27.2% and 53.2% respectively at a concentration of $20{\mu}L/mL$. AG and M-AG inhibited the vascular endothelial (VE) cell proliferation with IC50 values of $11.5{\pm}0.5{\mu}L/mL$ and $12.9{\pm}0.4{\mu}L/mL$ respectively. The VE cell migration potential was inhibited significantly (p<0.01) by the AG (${\geq}24{\mu}L/mL$) or M-AG (${\geq}12\mu}L/mL$) treatment. In vivo, neovascularization of CAM treated with M-AG was inhibited significantly (p<0.05) at a concentration of ${\geq}0.4{\mu}L/mL$. This study provided evidence that anti-angiogenesis is one of the anti-tumor mechanisms of AG and M-AG, with the latter as a promising active component.

• BMB Reports
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.66-77
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• 2003

Tea is one of the most popular beverages consumed in the world and has been demonstrated to have anti-cancer activity in animal models. Research findings suggest that the polyphenolic compounds, (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate, found primarily in green tea, and theaflavin-3,3'-digallate, a major component of black tea, are the two most effective anti-cancer factors found in tea. Several mechanisms to explain the chemopreventive effects of tea have been presented but others and we suggest that tea components target specific cell-signaling pathways responsible for regulating cellular proliferation or apoptosis. These pathways include signal transduction pathways leading to activator protein-1 (AP-1) and/or nuclear factor kappa B(NF-${\kappa}B$ ). AP-1 and NF-${\kappa}B$ are transcription factors that are known to be extremely important in tumor promoter-induced cell transformation and tumor promotion, and both are influenced differentially by the MAP kinase pathways. The purpose of this brief review is to present recent research data from other and our laboratory focusing on the tea-induced cellular signal transduction events associated with the MAP kinase, AP-1, and NF-${\kappa}B$ pathways.