• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제17권3호
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• pp.282-287
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• 2009

Ochnaflavone is a natural biflavonoid and mainly found in the caulis of Lonicera japonica (Caprifoliaceae). Biological activities such as anti-inflammatory and anti-atherogenic effects have been previously reported. The anticancer activity of ochnaflavone, however, has been poorly elucidated yet. In the present study, we investigated the effect of ochnaflavone on the growth inhibitory activity in cultured human colon cancer cell line HCT-15. Ochnaflavone inhibited the proliferation of the cancer cells with an $IC_{50}$ value of $4.1{\mu}M$. Flow cytometric analysis showed that ochnaflavone arrested cell cycle progression in the G2/M phase, and induced the increase of sub-G1 peak in a concentration-dependent manner. Induction of cell cycle arrest was correlated with the modulation of the expression of cell cycle regulating proteins including cdc2 (Tyr15), cyclin A, cyclin B1 and cyclin E. The increase of sub-G1 peak by the higher concentrations of ochnaflavone (over $20{\mu}M$) was closely related to the induction of apoptosis, which was evidenced by the induction of DNA fragmentation, activation of caspase-3, -8 and -9, and cleavage of poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase. These findings suggest that the cell cycle arrest and induction of apoptosis might be one possible mechanism of actions for the anti-proliferative activity of ochnaflavone in human colon cancer cells.

• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
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• 제4권1호
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• pp.78-84
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• 2008

EGFR has been intensively investigated as a target to block the signal transduction pathway which stimulates cancer growth and metastasis. Studies about structure-activity relationship for tricyclic azepine derivatives were performed with topomer-CoMFA. The derived topomer-CoMFA model with steric and electrostatic field parameters based on fragment units gave reasonable statistics ($q^2$=0.561, $r^2$=0.679). The model explains why a halogen atom at the meta position of aniline is important to increases inhibitory activity. This comes from an electrostatically negative groups are favored near this region. The model also shows that there are sterically favored regions around methoxy group extended from oxazepine derivatives. The findings about steric and electrostatic effects can be utilized for designing new inhibitors.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• 제46권1호
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• pp.50-54
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• 2003

호장근에서 분리한 emodin은 VEGF로 유도된 혈관신생의 한 단계인 혈관내피세포의 이동을 강하게 억제하였다. 또한 emodin은 혈관내피세포 이동을 억제시킨 $0.1\;{\mu}g/ml$ 농도에서 시험관내 혈관신생을 억제하였으며, 그 효과는 농도의존적인 양상을 보였다. 생체내 혈관신생 모델인 CAM assay에서도 emodin은 혈관신생을 억제하였다. 이러한 결과는 emodin이 현재까지 보고된 여러 가지 생리활성 이외에 혈관신생 억제활성을 가지고 있다는 사실을 보여주는 것이다. 따라서 emodin을 함유하고 있는 호장근은 혈관신생 관련 질환에 대한 천연물 유래 치료제의 개발을 위한 중요한 식물자원으로 활용될 수 있을 것이다.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제17권2호
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• pp.703-712
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• 2016

Monoclonal antibodies with specific antigens have been widely used as targeted therapy for cancer. Hep88 mAb is a monoclonal antibody which shows specific binding with anti-cancer effects against the HepG2 cell line. However, its mechanisms of action are still not completely understood. We examined cell cycling and apoptosis by flow cytometry and mRNA expression of factors involved in apoptosis and paraptosis in Hep88 mAb-treated HepG2 cells by real-time PCR. The cell-cycle analysis demonstrated that growth-inhibitory activity was associated with G2/M cell cycle arrest. Hep88 mAb induced a significant increase in apoptotic cell populations in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The mRNA expression results also suggested that the process triggered by Hep88 mAb involved up-regulation of tumor suppressor p53, pro-apoptotic Bax, Cathepsin B, Caspase-3 and Caspase-9, with a decrease of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 - thus confirming paraptosis and apoptosis programmed cell death. These findings represent new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the anti-cancer properties of Hep88 mAb in liver cancer cells.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제15권12호
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• pp.5071-5076
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• 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.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제12권6호
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• pp.936-942
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• 2002

When used in combination with organic acids, Pediococcus acidilactici K10 or its bacteriocin was effective in inhibiting Escherichia coli O157:H7 in vitro and in situ. P. acidilactici K10, a strain of bacteriocin-producing lactic acid bacteria (LAB), was previously isolated from kimchi in our laboratory, and the molecular weight of its bacteriocin was estimated to be around 4,500 Da by SDS-PAGE. Initially, P. acidilactici K10 and its bacteriocin could not inhibit E. coli O157:H7, when used alone. However, when they were used together with organic acids such as acetic, lactic, and succinic acids, they greatly inhibited E. coli O157:H7 in vitro. Based on these in vitro results, a real sample test with ground beef was conducted at $4^{\circ}C$ with acetic acid (0.25%) or lactic acid (0.35%) alone, and then in combination with P. acidilactici K10 (10^5 CFU/g of sample). Combined treatment of P. acidilactici K10 with lactic acid showed the most inhibitory effect: a 2.8-$log_{10}$-unit reduction of E. coli O157:H7 in ground beef during storage at $4^{\circ}C$. This result suggests that the combination of bacteriocin-producing P. acidilactici K10 and organic acids has great potential as a food biopreservative by inhibiting the growth of E. coli O157:H7.

• 대한약침학회지
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• 제19권1호
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• pp.70-73
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• 2016

Objectives: This study was performed to determine the lethal and the inhibitory effects of ethanol extracts of Achillea millefolium (A. millefolium) and Hypericum perforatum (H. perforatum) on Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) RH strain tachyzoites in vitro. Methods: The tachyzoites were treated with concentrations of 10, 50, and 100 mg/mL of A. millefolium and H. perforatum extracts within 10, 30, and 45 minutes in the wells. The mortality rates of tachyzoites treated with extracts were determined by using alkaline methylene blue staining. Also, the tachyzoites in cell cultures were treated with concentrations of 50, 100, and 200 mg/mL of these extracts. The cell viability, inhibition concentration ($IC_{50}$), and selectivity were determined from MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assays. Results: In the cell-free in vitro study, all of tachyzoites were killed at concentrations of 100 mg/mL of both extracts while at concentration 10 mg/mL, the mortality was 4.53% - 5.31%. In the cell culture study, the values of the effective concentration ($EC_{50}$) were 215 and $153{\mu}g/mL$ and the selectivities were 0.73 and 0.69 for the A. millefolium and the H. perforatum extracts, respectively. Conclusion: We conclude that neither extracts has any significant effect on the tachyzoites of T. gondii in cell cultures.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• 제28권6호
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• pp.685-690
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• 2005

We recently reported that the ginseng saponin metabolite, compound K (20-O-$\beta$-D-glucopyra-nosyl-20(S)-protopanaxadiol, IH901), inhibits the growth of U937 cells through caspase-dependent apoptosis pathway. In this study, we further characterized the effects of compound K on U937 cells and found that, in addition to apoptosis, compound K induced the arrest of the G1 phase. The compound K treated U937 cells showed increased p21 expression; an inhibitory protein of cyclincdk complex. The up-regulation of p21 was followed by the inactivation of cyclin D and the cdk4 protein, which act at the early $G_1$ phase, and cyclin E, which acts at the late $G_1$ phase. Furthermore, compound K induced the activation of JNK and the transcription factor AP-1, which is a downstream target of JNK. These findings suggest that the up-regulation of p21 and activation of JNK in the compound K treated cells contribute to the arrest of the $G_1$ phase.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제14권1호
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• pp.173-177
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• 2013

Backgrounds: Tanshinone IIA (TIIA), a phenanthrenequinone derivative extracted from Salvia miltiorrhiza BUNGE, has been reported to be a natural anti-cancer agent in a variety of tumor cells. However, the effect of TIIA on gastric cancer cells remains unknown. In the present study, we investigated the influence of TIIA on the malignant phenotype of SGC7901 gastric cancer cells. Methods: Cells cultured in vitro were treated with TIIA (0, 1, 5, $10{\mu}g/ml$) and after incubation for different periods, cell proliferation was measured by MTT method and cell apoptosis and cell cycling were assessed by flow cytometry (FCM). The sensitivity of SGC7901 gastric cancer cells to anticancer chemotherapy was investigated with the MTT method, while cell migration and invasion were examined by wound-healing and transwell assays, respectively. Results: TIIA (1, 5, $10{\mu}g/ml$) exerted powerful inhibitory effects on cell proliferation (P < 0.05, and P < 0.01), and this effect was time- and dose-dependent. FCM results showed that TIIA induced apoptosis of SGC7901 cells, reduced the number of cells in S phase and increased those in G0/G1 phase. TIIA also significantly increased the sensitivity of SGC7901 gastric cancer cells to ADR and Fu. Moreover, wound-healing and transwell assays showed that TIIA markedly decreased migratory and invasive abilities of SGC7901 cells. Conclusions: TIIA can reverse the malignant phenotype of SGC7901 gastric cancer cells, indicating that it may be a promising therapeutic agent.

• 한국환경보건학회지
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• 제31권1호
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• pp.79-85
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• 2005

This study was undertaken to investigate the changes of index microorganisms and lactic acid bacteria of traditional Korean fermented vegetables (kimchi) during the ripening and fermentation period. A type of kimchi, baechoo-kimchi, was prepared and stored at $10^{\circ}C$ for 8 days. The numbers of the total aerobic bacteria, psychrotrophilic bacteria, coliform bacteria, and Escherichia coli in the kimchi and also in raw materials of the kimchi (Chinese cabbage, green onion, ginger, garlic, and red pepper) were counted using appropriate media. The highest number of aerobic bacteria was detected from ginger, then red pepper, then garlic, then Chinese cabbage, and lowest number from green onion. The highest number of psychrotrophilic bacteria was detected from red pepper, then Chinese cabbage, then garlic, then ginger, and the lowest number from green onion. Coliforms and E. coli were not detected from all of the raw materials of kimchi. Total aerobic bacteria and lactic acid bacteria of the kimchi showed gradually increasing during ripening and fermentation. The number of psychrotrophilic bacteria showed a similar level in the kimchi. Coliform bacteria were detected at the 3rd, 4th, and 5th day of the kimchi fermentation period, although they were not detected from the raw materials of the kimchi. However, the bacteria were not detected in the kimchi after 6 days. E. coli was not detected in all kimchi samples. The pH value of the kimchi gradually decreased, and acidity increased over fermentation period. This study indicates that there was contamination of coliform bacteria during the process of kimchi preparation, and lactic acid bacteria proliferated in the kimchi during fermentation inhibited the growth of coliforms. More research is needed to evaluate the inhibitory effects of each raw materials of kimchi.