• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제38권1호
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• pp.22-27
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• 2014

Background: Research has been conducted with regard to the development of methods for improving the pharmaceutical effect of ginseng by conversion of ginsenosides, which are the major active components of ginseng, via high temperature or high-pressure processing. Methods: The present study sought to investigate the anticancer effect of heat-processed American ginseng (HAG) in human gastric cancer AGS cells with a focus on assessing the role of apoptosis as an important mechanistic element in its anticancer actions. Results and Conclusion: HAG significantly reduced the cancer cell proliferation, and the contents of ginsenosides Rb1 and Re were markedly decreased, whereas the peaks of less-polar ginsenosides [20(S,R)-Rg3, Rk1, and Rg5] were newly detected. Based on the activity-guided fractionation of HAG, ginsenoside 20(S)-Rg3 played a key role in inducing apoptosis in human gastric cancer AGS cells, and it was generated mainly from ginsenoside Rb1. Ginsenoside 20(S)-Rg3 induced apoptosis through activation of caspase-3, caspase-8, and caspase-9, as well as regulation of Bcl-2 and Bax expression. Taken together, these findings suggest that heat-processing serves as an increase in the antitumor activity of American ginseng in AGS cells, and ginsenoside 20(S)-Rg3, the active component produced by heat-processing, induces the activation of caspase-3, caspase-8, and caspase-9, which contributes to the apoptotic cell death.

• 한국식품영양과학회지
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• 제43권3호
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• pp.367-373
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• 2014

본 연구에서는 MG의 RC-58T/h/SA#4 인체 전립선 암세포에 대한 증식 억제 및 apoptosis 유도효과에 대하여 확인하였다. MG는 RC-58T/h/SA#4 세포의 증식을 농도 의존적으로 억제하였다. 이러한 MG에 의한 RC-58T/h/SA#4 세포의 사멸이 apoptosis에 의해 일어나는지를 sub-G1 함량 측정 및 Hoechst 33258 염색을 이용하여 확인하였다. 그 결과 MG를 처리한 군의 sub-G1의 함량이 대조군에 비하여 증가하였으며, methyl gallate를 처리한 군에서 핵의 응축과 apoptotic body 형성을 Hoechst 33258 염색을 통하여 관찰할 수 있었다. 또한 RC-58T/h/SA#4 세포에서 MG가 유도하는 apoptosis의 기전을 확인하기 위하여 다양한 실험을 실시하였다. MG는 DNA의 분절량 증가 및 caspase 활성을 유도하였으며, 활성화된 caspase-8, -9 및 -3에 의해 PARP와 Bid 단백질의 분절을 발현시켰으며, Bcl-2 family 단백질의 발현에 영향을 미쳐 apoptosis를 유도하였음을 확인하였다. 한편 환경호르몬인 dioxin과 bisphenol A를 다양한 농도로 처리한 결과 각각 1 nM, $0.1{\mu}M$ 농도에서 가장 높은 전립선 암세포 과다증식을 유도하였으며, 이를 바탕으로 MG를 농도별로 처리한 결과 환경호르몬에 의해 유도된 인체 전립선 암세포의 증식을 농도 의존적으로 억제시켰다. 본 연구 결과 MG는 RC-58T/h/SA#4 전립선 암세포에서 apoptosis 유도를 통한 암세포 성장 억제효과를 가지고 있음을 확인하였으며, 환경호르몬에 의해 유발될 수 있는 암에 대해서도 유사한 보호효과를 가지고 있음을 증명하였다.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제17권1호
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• pp.183-187
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• 2016

Rhizomes of Boesenbergia pandurata (Roxb.) Schlecht have been reported to contain active compounds with anticancer properties. This research was carried out to examine anti-proliferative and apoptotic induction against HeLa and Vero cells-line. Dried powder of B. pandurata rhizomes was extracted by a maceration method using 90% ethanol. Cytotoxic assays to determine $IC_{50}$ and anti-proliferative effects were carried out by MTT methods. Observation of apoptosis was achieved with double staining using acridine orange and ethidium bromide. The results showed that ethanolic extract of B. pandurata was more cytotoxic against HeLa cells ($IC_{50}$ of $60{\mu}g/mL$) than Vero cells ($IC_{50}$ of $125{\mu}g/mL$). The extract had higher anti-proliferative activity as well as apoptotic induction in HeLa than Vero cells. Therefore, it was concluded that the ethanolic extract of B. pandurata had anti-proliferative as well as apoptosis induction activity dependent on the cell type.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• 제46권2호
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• pp.85-93
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• 2021

Asarum sieboldii Miq. (Aristolochiaceae) is a perennial herbaceous plant and has been used as traditional medicine for treating diseases, cold, fever, phlegm, allergies, chronic gastritis, and acute toothaches. Also, it has various biological activities, such as antiallergic, antiinflammatory, antinociceptive, and antifungal. However, the anticancer effect of A. sieboldii have been rarely reported, except anticancer effect on lung cancer cell (A549) of water extracts of A. sieboldii. This study investigated the anticancer activity of methanol extracts of A. sieboldii (MeAS) and the underlying mechanism in human FaDu hypopharyngeal squamous carcinoma cells. MeAS inhibited FaDu cells grown dose-dependently without affecting normal cells (L929), as determined by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide and live and dead assay. In addition, concentration of MeAS without cytotoxicity (0.05 and 0.1 mg/mL) inhibited migration and colony formation. Moreover, MeAS treatment significantly induced apoptosis through the proteolytic cleavage of caspase-3, -7, -9, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase, and downregulation of Bcl-2 and upregulation of Bax in FaDu cells, as determined by fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis, 4'6-diamidino-2-phenylindole stain, and western blotting. Altogether, these results suggest that MeAS exhibits strong anticancer effects by suppressing the growth of oral cancer cells and the migration and colony formation via caspase- and mitochondrial-dependent apoptotic pathways in human FaDu hypopharyngeal squamous carcinoma cells. Therefore, MeAS can serve as a natural chemotherapeutic for human oral cancer.

• 대한의생명과학회지
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• 제29권3호
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• pp.178-183
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• 2023

Natural killer (NK) cells are innate cytotoxic lymphoid cells that actively prevent neoplastic development, growth, and metastatic dissemination in a process called cancer immunosurveillance. Regulation of the cytotoxic activity of NK cells relies on integrated interactions between inhibitory receptors and numerous activating receptors that act in tandem to eliminate tumor cells efficiently. Conventional chemotherapy is designed to produce an anti-proliferative or cytotoxic effect on early tumor cell division. Therapies designed to kill cancer cells and simultaneously maintain host anti-tumor immunity are attractive strategies for controlling tumor growth. Depending on the drug and dose used, several chemotherapeutic agents cause DNA damage and cancer cell death through apoptosis, immunogenic cell death, or other forms of non-killing (i.e., mitotic catastrophe, senescence, autophagy). Among stress-induced immunostimulatory proteins, changes in the expression levels of NK cell activating and inhibitory ligands and tumor cell death receptors play an important role in the detection and elimination by innate immune effectors including NK cells. Therefore, we will address how these cytotoxic lymphocytes sense and respond to high and low concentrations of drug-induced stress to the drug cisplatin, among the various types of drugs that contribute to their anticancer activity.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제13권7호
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• pp.3275-3279
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• 2012

Recently, population-based studies of type 2 diabetes patients have provided evidence that metformin treatment is associated with a reduced cancer incidence and mortality, but its mode of action remains unclear. Here we report effects of metformin on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) Hep-G2 cells and details of molecular mechanisms of metformin activity. Our research indicates that metformin displays anticancer activity against HCC through inhibition of the mTOR translational pathway in an AMPK-independent manner, leading to G1 arrest in the cell-cycle and subsequent cell apoptosis through the mitochondrion-dependent pathway. Furthermore, we showed that metformin strongly attenuated colony formation and dramatically inhibited Hep-G2 tumor growth in vivo. In conclusion, our studies suggested that metformin might have potential as a cytotoxic drug in the prevention and treatment of HCC.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제15권15호
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• pp.6301-6306
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• 2014

Cervical cancer is one the most common malignancies among females. In recent years, its incidence rate has shown a rising trend in some countries so that development of anticancer drugs for cervical cancer is an urgent priority. In our recent anticancer drug discovery screen, 1, 2-di (quinazolin-4-yl)diselane (LG003) was found to possess wide spectrum anticancer efficacy. In the present work, the in vitro anticancer activity of LG003 was evaluated in the SiHa cervical cancer cell line. Compared with commercial anticancer drugs 10-hydroxycamptothecin, epirubicin hydrochloride, taxol and oxaliplatin, LG003 showed better anticancer activity. Furthermore, inhibition effects were time- and dose-dependent. Morphological observation exhibited LG003 treatment results in apoptosis like shrinking and blebbing, and cell membrane damage. Lactate dehydrogenase release assay revealed that LG003 exerts such effects in SiHa cells through a physiology pathway rather than cytotoxicity, which suggests that title compound LG003 can be a potential candidate agent for cervical cancer.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• 제45권1호
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• pp.1-10
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• 2012

Background: ${\alpha}$-Lipoic acid (${\alpha}$-LA) has been studied as an anticancer agent as well as a therapeutic agent for diabetes and obesity. We performed this study to evaluate the anticancer effects and mechanisms of ${\alpha}$-LA in a lung cancer cell line, A549. Materials and Methods: ${\alpha}$-LA-induced apoptosis of A549 cells was detected by fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis and a DNA fragmentation assay. Expression of apoptosis-related genes was analyzed by western blot and reverse transcription.polymerase chain reaction analyses. Results: ${\alpha}$-LA induced apoptosis and DNA fragmentation in A549 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. ${\alpha}$-LA increased caspase activity and the degradation of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase. It induced expression of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-related genes, such as glucose-regulated protein 78, C/EBP-homologous protein, and the short form of X-box binding protein-1, and decreased expression of the anti-apoptotic protein, X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) production was induced by ${\alpha}$-LA, and the antioxidant N-acetyl-L-cysteine decreased the ${\alpha}$-LA-induced increase in expression of apoptosis and ER stress-related proteins. Conclusion: ${\alpha}$-LA induced ER stress-mediated apoptosis in A549 cells via ROS. ${\alpha}$-LA may therefore be clinically useful for treating lung cancer.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제31권12호
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• pp.1615-1623
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• 2021

Picropodophyllotoxin (PPT), an epimer of podophyllotoxin, is derived from the roots of Podophyllum hexandrum and exerts various biological effects, including anti-proliferation activity. However, the effect of PPT on colorectal cancer cells and the associated cellular mechanisms have not been studied. In the present study, we explored the anticancer activity of PPT and its underlying mechanisms in HCT116 cells. The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was used to monitor cell viability. Flow cytometry was used to evaluate cell cycle distribution, the induction of apoptosis, the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS), assess the mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm), and multi-caspase activity. Western blot assays were performed to detect the expression of cell cycle regulatory proteins, apoptosis-related proteins, and p38 MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase). We found that PPT induced apoptosis, cell cycle arrest at the G1 phase, and ROS in the HCT116 cell line. In addition, PPT enhanced the phosphorylation of p38 MAPK, which regulates apoptosis and PPT-induced apoptosis. The phosphorylation of p38 MAPK was inhibited by an antioxidant agent (N-acetyl-L-cysteine, NAC) and a p38 inhibitor (SB203580). PPT induced depolarization of the mitochondrial inner membrane and caspase-dependent apoptosis, which was attenuated by exposure to Z-VAD-FMK. Overall, these data indicate that PPT induced G1 arrest and apoptosis via ROS generation and activation of the p38 MAPK signaling pathway.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제13권5호
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• pp.2095-2100
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• 2012

Sulforaphane (SFN) an isothiocyanate formed by hydrolysis of glucosinolates found in Brassica oleraceae is reported to possess anticancer and antioxidant activities. In this study, we isolated SFN from red cabbage (Brassica oleraceae var rubra) and evaluated the comparative antiproliferative activity of various fractions (standard SFN, extract and purified SFN) by MTT assay in human epithelial carcinoma HEp -2 and and Vero cells. Probable apoptotic mechanisms mediated through p53, bax and bcl-2 were also examined. The SFN fraction was collected by HPLC, enriched for its SFN content and confirmed. Expression of apoptosis-related proteins was detected by western blotting and RT PCR. Results showed that Std SFN and purified SFN concentration found to have closer $IC_{50}$ which is equal to 58.96 microgram/ml (HEp-2 cells), 61.2 microgram/ml (Vero cells) and less than the extract which is found to be 113 microgram/ml (HEp-2 cells) and 125 microgram/ml (Vero cells). Further studies on apoptotic mechanisms showed that purified SFN down-regulated the expression of bcl-2 (antiapoptotic), while up-regulating p53 and Bax (proapoptotic) proteins, as well as caspase-3. This study indicates that purified SFN possesses antiproliferative effects the same as Std SFN and its apoptotic mechanism in HEp-2 cells could be mediated through p53 induction, bax and bcl-2 signaling pathways.