• Journal of Life Science
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• v.21 no.11
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• pp.1573-1578
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• 2011

Milk thistle (silybum marianum) is a famous dietary supplement widely used in the United States and Europe. Silbinin is a major biologically active compound of milk thistle and has strong antioxidant and radical scavenger activities. Anticancer activities, as well as chemopreventive effects on various cancer cell lines, including prostate, lung, colon, skin, and bladder, have also been reported in silbinin. In the present study, we investigated the anticancer effects of silibinin and apoptosis through cell cycle arrest on prostate cancer cell PC-3. We performed cell viability by MTT assay and western blotting to confirm cell cycle check point proteins such as cyclin A/D1/E and cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 2/4/6. To quantify silibinin-induced apoptotic cell death of PC-3, Annexin V and PI double staining was performed by flow cytometry, by which its cell distribution was determined. As a result, silibinin inhibited the cell growth of PC-3 cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner, and its treatment resulted in cell cycle arrest at the G1 phase. Also the level of cell cycle check point proteins (cyclin, CDK) was decreased by silibinin in a dose-dependent manner. Taken together, we suggest that apoptosis of prostate cancer cell line PC-3 induced by silibinin is associated with cell cycle arrest through decrease of cell cycle check point proteins, caspase-3 activation and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) cleavage.

• 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.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.181-185
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• 2001

The naturally occurring chemical indole-3-carbinol (13C), found in vegetables of the Brassica genus, is a promising anticancer agent that was shown previ- ously to induce a Gl cell cycle arrest of human breast cancer cell lines, independent of estrogen receptor signaling. The anticancer activity of 13C and the possible mechanisms of its action were explored in a human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line, HepG2. Treatment of HepG2 cells with 13C suppressed the growth of the cells. The growth sup- pression caused by 13C ($IC_{50}$/: 444$\mu$M) was found to be partially due to its ability to stop the cell cycle in HepG2 cells. Western blot analysis for the Gl phase artiest demonstrated that the expression-levels of cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk4, Cdk6) and cyclic D were reduced strongly after treatment of Hep72 cells with 13C (4007M) for 24- 72 hrs. Furthermore, I3C selectively abolished the expression of Cdk6 in a dose- and time-dependent manner, and accordingly, inhibited the phosphorylation of retinoblastoma. Interestingly, after the HepG2 cells reached their max- imal growth arrest, the level of the p21, a well-known Cdk inhibitor, increased significantly. Therefore, it could be considered that the Gl arrest of HepG2 cells treated with 13C was due to the indirect inhibition of Cdk4/6 activities by p21 Western blot analysis for G2/M phase arrest of demonstrated the levels of Cdc2 and cyclin Bl werer reduced dramatically after the treatment of HepG2 cells with 13C ($40\mu$M) for 24-72 hrs. flow cytometry of propidium iodide-stained HepG2 cells revealed that 13C induces a Gl (53%,72hr incubation) and G2 (25%,24hr incubation) cell cycle arrest. Thus, our observations have uncovered a previously undefined antiproliferative pathway for r3C that implicates Cdk4/6 and Cdc2 as a target for cell cycle control in human HepG2 cells. However, the 13C-medi- ated cell cycle arrest and repression of Cdk4/6 production did not affect the apoptotic induction of HepG2 cell.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2015

Objectives : This study was performed to investigate the anti-cancer effects of Rhus verniciflua Stokes (RVS) extracted with sterile distilled water on cholangiocarcinoma cell lines. Materials and Methods : Two cholangiocarcinoma cell lines, SNU-1079 and SNU-1196, were used in this study. Cells were treated with different concentrations of RVS for 24, 48, and 72 hours. Cell count, viability, apoptosis, and mRNA expression of Bax, Bcl-2, Mcl-1, survivin, caspase-3, and cyclin D1 and P21 were determined with an automatic cell counter (ADAM-MC), MTT assay, apoptosis assay (Annexin-V/PI staining), and RT-PCR. Results : All cells treated with RVS showed decreased cell counts in a dose-dependent manner. RVS inhibited proliferation of SNU-1196 in a dose-dependent manner, but SNU-1079 proliferation was inhibited in the long-time culture group in a dose-dependent manner. The proportion of early and late-stage apoptotic cells was increased by RVS in a dose-dependent manner in SNU-1196. In contrast, it was increased significantly in SNU-1079 treated with high-dose RVS. After treatment with RVS, the mRNA expression of Bcl-2 was decreased while Bax was increased in SNU-1079. Cyclin D1 mRNA levels were decreased in SNU-1196 in a dose-dependent manner. P21 expression was increased in all cells after the treatment with RVS. Conclusions : RVS appears to have potential as a therapeutic agent for cholangiocarcinoma.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.11
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• pp.1559-1567
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• 2021

The root bark of Morus alba L. has cytotoxic activity against several types of cancer cells. However, little is known about its chemopreventive mechanisms and bioactive metabolites. In this study, we showed that M. alba L. root bark extracts (MRBE) suppressed β-catenin response transcription (CRT), which is aberrantly activated in various cancers, by promoting the degradation of β-catenin. In addition, MRBE repressed the expression of the β-catenin/T-cell factor (TCF)-dependent genes, c-myc and cyclin D1, thus inhibiting the proliferation of RPMI-8226 multiple myeloma (MM) cells. MRBE induced apoptosis in MM cells, as evidenced by the increase in the population of annexin VFITC-positive cells and caspase-3/7 activity. We identified ursolic acid in MRBE through LC/mass spectrum (MS) and observed that it also decreased intracellular β-catenin, c-myc, and cyclin D1 levels. Furthermore, it suppressed the proliferation of RPMI-8226 cells by stimulating cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. These findings suggest that MRBE and its active ingredient, ursolic acid, exert antiproliferative activity by promoting the degradation of β-catenin and may have significant chemopreventive potential against MM.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.398-409
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• 2023

LncRNAs play crucial roles in the progression of colon adenocarcinoma (COAD), but the role of LINC01232 in COAD has not received much attention. The present study was designed to explore the related mechanisms of LINC01232 in the progression of COAD. LINC01232, miR-181a-5p, p53, c-myc, Bcl-2, cyclin D1, p16, Bax, VEGF, E-cadherin, vimentin, N-cadherin and SDAD1 expressions were determined by western blot and qRT-PCR. CCK-8, tubule formation, and Transwell assays were employed to detect proliferation, angiogenesis, and migration/invasion of COAD cells, respectively. The relationship between LINC01232 and miR-181a-5p was predicted by LncBase Predicted v.2, and then verified through dual luciferase reporter gene assay. According to the results, LINC01232 was highly expressed in COAD cells and enhanced proliferation, angiogenesis, migration, and invasion of COAD cells. Downregulated LINC01232 promoted expression of p53 and p16, and inhibited c-myc, Bcl-2 and cyclin D1 expressions in COAD cells, while upregulation of LINC01232 generated the opposite effects. LINC01232 was negatively correlated with miR-181a-5p while downregulated miR181a-5p could reverse the effects of siLINC01232 on cell proliferation, angiogenesis, migration, and invasion. Similarly, miR-181a-5p mimic could also offset the effect of LINC01232 overexpression. SiLINC01232 increased the expressions of Bax and E-cadherin, and decreased the expressions of VEGF, vimentin, N-cadherin and SDAD1, which were partially attenuated by miR-181a-5p inhibitor. Collectively, LINC01232 enhances the proliferation, migration, invasion, and angiogenesis of COAD cells by decreasing miR-181a-5p expression.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.1563-1567
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• 2005

Mori Cortex Radicis is distributed in Northwestern China, northern Asia, northern Europe, North America, and Korea. This extracts drops sugar in bloods and inhibits cyclic AMP phophodiesterase. In this study, we investigated whether Mori Cortex Radicis would cause apoptotic death of A549 lung cancer cells. To examine the apoptotic effect of Mori Cortex Radicis, cytotoxicity assay, DNA fragmentation analysis, caspase-3 activity assay, and Western blotting for caspase-3, caspase-9 and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) and cytochrome c were performed. Treatment of cells with Mori Cortex Radicis was shown to induce cell death in a dose-dependent manner. DNA fragmentation was made in response to Mori Cortex Radicis. The active fragments of caspase-3, caspase-9 and PARP were almost completely induced and cytochrome c was released following exposure to Mori Cortex Radicis. To elucidate the apoptotic mechanisms, RT-PCR and Western blot analyses for the expression of Bcl-2, Bu and Cox-2 were carried out. Treatment with Mori Cortex Radicis was expressed the reduction of Bcl-2 and Cox-2 and the induction of Bax. Especially p21 and p53 were increased prior to untreated control, while cyclin E and cyclin D1 decreased in the cytosol. These results suggest that the effect Mori Cortex Radicis is associated with the cell cycle arrest and pro-apoptotic cell death in A549 lung cancer cells.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.543-545
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• 2007

4-Hydroxy-3-(3'-methyl-2'-butenyl)-benzoic acid (HMBA) was previously isolated from Curvularia sp. KF119 as a cell-cycle inhibitor. However, the present study used a novel and practical synthetic method to prepare a large quantity of HMBA. The synthetic HMBA was found to inhibit the cell-cycle progression of HeLa cells with a comparable potency to the natural fungal metabolite. The inhibition of the cell-cycle progression by the synthetic HMBA involved both the activation of $p21^{WAF1}$ and the inhibition of cyclin D1 expression in the cells. Consequently, this new synthetic procedure provides an easy and convenient way to produce or manipulate the original fungal metabolite.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.9 s.89
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• pp.1191-1196
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• 2007

Eugenol (4-allyl-2-methoxyphenol) is a main component of essential oils obtained from various spices. Recent reports have shown that eugenol induces growth inhibition and apoptosis of malignant tumor cells. In this study, the stimulatory effect of eugenol on cell differentiation was investigated in HL-60 promyelocytic leukemia cells. When HL-60 cells were treated in combination with 150 ${\mu}M$ of eugenol and 3 nM of $1{\alpha},25-dihydroxyvitamin$ $D_{3}$, cell growth was slower than that of cells treated with eugenol or $1{\alpha},25-dihydroxyvitamin$ $D_{3}$ alone. Eugenol enhanced low dose of $1{\alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin }$ $D_{3}-induced$ a $G_{0}/G_{1}$ phase arrest in cell cycle. Consistent with this, combined treatment of eugenol and $1{\alpha},25-dihydroxyvitamin$ $D_{3}$ cooperatively increased p27 level and decreased cyclin A, cdk 2 and cdk 4 levels, which are cell cycle regulators related to $G_{0}/G_{1}$ arrest. According to flow cytometric analysis, the expression of CD14 (monocytic differentiation marker) was more increased in the cells co-treated with eugenol and $1{\alpha},25-dihydroxyvitamin$ $D_{3}$. These results indicate that eugenol potentiates cell differentiation mediated by $1{\alpha},25-dihydroxyvitamin$ $D_{3}$ of suboptimal concentration. The differentiation-inducing property of eugenol maybe contributes to chemopreventive activity of cancer.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.135-149
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• 2002

To date, research on the regulation of melanogenesis has focused on factors which affect tyrosinase, the rate-limiting enzyme in the melanogenic pathway, by searching for chemicals which competitively inhibit tyrosinase function. Many types of tyrosinase inhibitors have been developed, but no satisfactory results have been made clinically until now, To find a new whitening agent, which effectively inhibits melanogenesis, we synthesized several compounds and selected compounds by cell-based assay system. Finally, 3, 4, 5-trimethoxy cinnamaie thymol ester(TCTE, Melasolv) was selected and the effects of TCTE on melanogenesis were investigated. Treatment of mouse-derived melanocyte melan-a cells with TCTE results in a marked down-regulation of tyrosinase activity. 80% decrease of tyrosinase activity occurs with 30uM TCTE treatment for 72 hours without affecting cell growth. The inhibition of tyrosinase activity is dose-dependent and melanin content was also decreased to 40%. From the in vitro tyrosinase assay using cell extract, TCTE does not act as a direct inhibitor of the enzyme. Treatment of melan-a cultures with TCTE blocks the increase in tyrosinase activity by either forskolin, 3-isobutyl-1-methtyl-xanthine. TCTE decreased the expression of tyrosinase, TRP-1 without effects on TRP-2 protein expression through the down regulation of tyrosinase and TRP-1 mRNA. From the results of cAMP immunoassays, intracellular levels of the cyclin nucleotide are unaffected in cells treated with TCTE. The inhibitory effects of melanin synthesis were also shown in reconstitute human epidermis model by topical application. These findings suggest that TCTE can be used for studying the regulation of melanogenesis and depigmenting agent.