• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.418-425
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• 2022

Background: Sorafenib is effective in treating hepatoma, but most patients develop resistance to it. STAT3 signaling has been implicated in sorafenib resistance. Artesunate (ART) and 20(R)-ginsenoside Rg3 (Rg3) have anti-hepatoma effects and can inhibit STAT3 signaling in cancer cells. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of Rg3 in combination with ART (Rg3-plus-ART) in overcoming sorafenib resistance, and to examine the involvement of STAT3 signaling in these effects. Methods: Sorafenib-resistant HepG2 cells (HepG2-SR) were used to evaluate the in vitro anti-hepatoma effects of Rg3-plus-ART. A HepG2-SR hepatoma-bearing BALB/c-nu/nu mouse model was used to assess the in vivo anti-hepatoma effects of Rg3-plus-ART. CCK-8 assays and Annexin V-FITC/PI double staining were used to examine cell proliferation and apoptosis, respectively. Immunoblotting was employed to examine protein levels. ROS generation was examined by measuring DCF-DA fluorescence. Results: Rg3-plus-ART synergistically reduced viability of, and evoked apoptosis in HepG2-SR cells, and suppressed HepG2-SR tumor growth in mice. Mechanistic studies revealed that Rg3-plus-ART inhibited activation/phosphorylation of Src and STAT3 in HepG2-SR cultures and tumors. The combination also decreased the STAT3 nuclear level and induced ROS production in HepG2-SR cultures. Furthermore, overactivation of STAT3 or removal of ROS diminished the anti-proliferative effects of Rg3-plus-ART, and removal of ROS diminished Rg3-plus-ART's inhibitory effects on STAT3 activation in HepG2-SR cells. Conclusions: Rg3-plus-ART overcomes sorafenib resistance in experimental models, and inhibition of Src/STAT3 signaling and modulation of ROS/STAT3 signaling contribute to the underlying mechanisms. This study provides a pharmacological basis for developing Rg3-plus-ART into a novel modality for treating sorafenib-resistant hepatoma.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.48-56
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• 2006

Objectives : This study is aimed to elucidate anti-hepatoma activity of Coptis Chinensis Extract (CCE) and evaluate its effect on proliferation of human hepatoma Hep G2 cells. Methods : To identify CCE and control the quality, we performed fingerprinting by high-performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC). To investigate effects of CCE on anti-hepatoma activity, we measured cytotoxicity against Hep G2 cells compared with treatment of paclitaxel and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). To examine the mechanism of inhibitory effect of CCE on Hep G2 cell proliferation, cell cycle distribution was evaluated using fluorescent activated cell sorter (FACS) Result : CCE showed a significant effect that arrests Hep G2 cells at the G2/M phase of the cell cycle. CCE combined with paclitaxel inhibited synergistically cell growth of Hep G2 cells. Conclusion : CCE may present anticancer effects through inhibition of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell proliferation via G2/M arrest, and may be a useful anticancer agent for HCC.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.427-430
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• 2004

This study was to investigate the cell cycle arrest effect and its mechanism of Radix Aconiti (RA) extract in HepG2 human hepatoma cells. We used the Flow Cytometer to investigate the effects on cell cycle arrest in RA extract-treated HepG2 cells. And protein levels involved in cell cycle progression such as p53, p21, and p21 are detected by Western blotting method. RA extract induced cell cycle arrest as confirmed by increase of G0/G1 cell population, and the mechanisms were related with up-regulation of p53, p21, p27 protein expressin in HepG2 cells. These results suggest that RA may be a valuable agent for the therapeutic intervention of human hepatomas.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.231-235
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• 1989

Possibility of using microcarriers for the growth of a transformed human embryonic kidney cell line 293 was investigated. The cell grew well in a static culture such as T-flasks with medium of DME/F12 (3:1) mixture supplemented with 5% FBS, but it was most difficult to make the cells grow on microcarriers mainly due to the low attachment efficiency and poor spreading at initial stage of the culture. Consequently, 30-50% of the cells were lost upon inoculation into microcarrier suspension and significant fraction of the mirrocarrier became bald. The medium supplemented with the concentrated conditioned medium by hepatoma cell line HpG2 supported the active growth of the cells on microcarrier and the cells showed a very healthy and well spreading morphology. It was probable that some spreading and attachment factors of HpG2 conditioned medium were effective for 293 cells.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.28 no.10
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• pp.1183-1189
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• 2005

Although plant-derived phenolic acids have been reported to have anti-cancer activity, the exact mechanism is not completely understood. In this study, we investigated the role for reactive oxygen species (ROS) as a mediator of the apoptosis induced by caffeic acid (CA) and ferulic acid (FA), common phenolic acids in plants in HepG2 human hepatoma cells. CA and FA reduced cell viability, and induced apoptotic cell death in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, they evoked a dose-related elevation of intracellular ROS. Treatment with various inhibitors of NADPH oxidase (diphenylene iodonium, apocynin, neopterine) significantly blunted both the generation of ROS and the induction of apoptosis induced CA and FA. These results suggest that ROS generated through activation of NADPH oxidase may play an essential role in the apoptosis induced by CA and FA in HepG2 cells. These results further suggest that CA and FA may be valuable for the therapeutic management of human hepatomas.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.1437-1449
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• 2007

In this study, the effect of extract of Corydalis yanhusuo (ECT) used in Oriental medicine therapy was investigated on the cell growth and apoptosis of HepG2 human hepatoma cells. It was found that ECT could inhibit the cell growth effectively in a dose-dependent manner, which was associated with morphological change and apoptotic cell death such as formation of apoptotic bodies, DNA fragmentation and increased populations of apoptotic-sub G1 phase. And we observed the effects of ECT on loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), using the JC-1 probe by DNA flow cytometric analysis. Apoptosis of HepG2 cells by ECT was associated with a down-regulation of anti apoptotic Bcl-2 expression, inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs) expression and proteolytic activation of caspase-3 and caspase-9. However, ECT did not affect the pro-apoptotic Bax expression and activity of caspase-8. ECT treatment also concomitant degradation and /or inhibition of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), phospholipase C-1 ($PLC{\gamma}1$). Furthermore, ECT treatment caused a dose-dependent inhibition of iNOS and cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2). Additionally ECT have been implicated in the regulation of telomerase expression. ECT treatment induced the down-regulation of telomerase reverse transcriptase mRNA (hTERT) expression of HepG2 cells. Taken together, these findings suggest that ECT may be a potential chemotherapeutic agent for the control of HepG2 human hepatoma cells.

• BMB Reports
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.144-149
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• 2017

Ceramides are the major sphingolipid metabolites involved in cell survival and apoptosis. When HepG2 hepatoma cells were treated with celecoxib, the expression of the genes in de novo sphingolipid biosynthesis and sphingomyelinase pathway was upregulated and cellular ceramide was elevated. In addition, celecoxib induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in a time-dependent manner. SPTLC2, a subunit of serine palmitoyltransferase, was overexpressed by adenovirus. Adenoviral overexpression of SPTLC2 (AdSPTLC2) decreased cell viability of HEK293 and HepG2 cells. In addition, AdSPTLC2 induced apoptosis via the caspase-dependent apoptotic pathway and elevated cellular ceramide, sphingoid bases, and dihydroceramide. However, overexpression of SPTLC2 did not induce ER stress. Collectively, celecoxib activates de novo sphingolipid biosynthesis and the combined effects of elevated ceramide and transcriptional activation of ER stress induce apoptosis. However, activation of de novo sphingolipid biosynthesis does not activate ER stress in hepatoma cells and is distinct from the celecoxib-mediated activation of ER stress.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.7
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• pp.3293-3297
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• 2014

Background: Pine needle oil from crude extract of pine needles has anti-tumor effects, but the effective component is not known. Methods: In the present study, compounds from a steam distillation extract of pine needles were isolated and characterized. Alpha-pinene was identified as an active anti-proliferative compound on hepatoma carcinoma BEL-7402 cells using the MTT assay. Results: Further experiments showed that ${\alpha}$-pinene inhibited BEL-7402 cells by arresting cell growth in the G2/M phase of the cell cycle, downregulating Cdc25C mRNA and protein expression, and reducing cycle dependence on kinase 1(CDK1) activity. Conclusion: Taken together, these findings indicate that ${\alpha}$-pinene may be useful as a potential anti-tumor drug.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.137-144
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• 2007

Although lovastatin, a competitive inhibitor of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMGCoA) reductase, has been shown to have anti-cancer actions, the effect on human hepatoma cells was not investigated. Moreover, the exact mechanism of this action is not fully understood. In this study we investigated the mechanism by which lovastatin induces apoptosis using HepG2 human hepatoblastoma cells. Lovastatin induced apoptotic cell death in a dose-dependent manner in the cells, assessed by the flow cytometric analysis. Treatment with mevalonic acid, a precursor of cholesterol, did not significantly suppress the lovastatin-induced apoptosis. Lovastatin induced a rapid and sustained increase in intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ concentration. Treatment with EGTA, an extracellular $Ca^{2+}$ chelator did not significantly alter the lovastatin-induced intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ increase and apoptosis, whereas intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ reduction with BAPTA/AM and intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ release blockers (dantrolene and TMB-8) completely blocked these actions of lovastatin. In addition, the lovastatin-induced apoptosis was significantly reduced by a calpain inhibitor, a broad spectrum caspase inhibitor z-VAD-fmk and inhibitors specific for caspase-9 and caspase-3 (z-LEHD-fmk and z-DEVD-fmk, respectively), but not by an inhibitor specific for caspase-8 (z-IETD-fmk). Collectively, these results suggest that lovastatin induced apoptosis of HepG2 hepatoma cells through intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ release and calpain activation, leading to triggering mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. These results further suggest that lovastatin may be valuable for the therapeutic management of human hepatoma.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.972-977
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• 1995

The induction of phase II enzymes including quinone reductase [NAD(P)H dehydrogenase(quinone): NAD(P)H : (quinone acceptor) oxidoreductase, EC 1.6.99.2] is a major mechanism of whereby a large group of heterogeneous compounds prevent the toxic, mutagenic, and neoplastic effects of carcinogen. Using murine hepatoma cells(Hepalclc7 cells), quinone reductase(QR) inducers as the possible chemopreventive agents were screened from rice bran, wheat bran, soymilk residue, defatted soybean cake, defatted sesame and perilla residues. The 80% methanol extracts of defatted sesame and perilla residues induced quinone reductase significantly while the others did have little effect on the enzyme induction. Thin layer chromatography of the extracts showed that the fastest moving band(Rf=0.70) in the developing solvent of n-butanol : n-propanol : 2N ammonia(10 : 60 : 30) was responsible for the enzyme induction by the 80% methanol extracts of defatted sesame and perilla residues. Further identification of active component(s) is in progress.