• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.2309-2312
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• 2014

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is the most common histologic subtype of esophageal cancer and is characterized by a poor prognosis. Determining gene changes in ESCCs should improve understanding of putative risk factors and provide potential targets for therapy. We sequenced about 55 million pair-end reads from a pair of adjacent normal and ESCC samples to identify the gene expression level and gene fusion. Sanger sequencing was used to verify the result. About 17 thousand genes were expressed in the tissues, of which approximately 2400 demonstrated significant differences between tumor and adjacent non tumor tissue. GO and KEGG pathway analysis revealed that many of these genes were associated with cellular adherence and movement, simulation responses and immune responses. Notably we identified and validated one fusion gene, HLA-E and HLA-B, located 1 MB apart. We also identified thousands of remarkably expressed transcripts. In conclusion, a novel fusion gene HLA-E and HLA-B was identified in ESCC via whole transcriptome sequencing, which would be a biomarker for ESCC diagnosis and target for therapy, shedding new light for better understanding of ESCC tumorigenesis.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.14
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• pp.5909-5916
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• 2014

Human papillomavirus infection (HPV) and HPV related immune perturbation play important roles in the development of cervical cancer. Since mature dendritic cells (DCs) are potent antigen-presenting cells (APC), they could be primed by HPV antigens against cervical cancers. In this study we were able to generate, maintain and characterize, both phenotypically and functionally, patient specific dendritic cells in vitro. A randomized Phase I trial with three arms - saline control (arm I), unprimed mature DC (arm II) and autologous tumor lysate primed mature DC (arm III) and fourteen patients was conducted. According to WHO criteria, grade 0 or grade one toxicity was observed in three patients. One patient who received tumor lysate primed dendritic cells and later cis-platin chemotherapy showed a complete clinical response of her large metastatic disease and remained disease free for more than 72 months. Our findings indicate that DC vaccines hold promise as adjuvant sfor cervical cancer treatment and further studies to improve their efficacy need to be conducted.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.199-204
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• 2009

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) induced by Snail transcription factor and Snail-transfected in vivo tumors with histopathological features. Materials and methods: We induced in vivo xenografted tumorigenesis in the oral vestibules of nude mice by a Snail transfected HaCaT cell line and investigated morphological and immunohistochemical features in Snail expressive tumors. Results: We identified tumor masses in 14 out of 15 nude mice in the HaCaT-Snail cell inoculation group, but no tumors were present in any of the HaCaT cell inoculation group. Induced tumors showed features of poorly differentiated carcinoma with invasion to neighboring muscles and bones. The HaCaT-Snail tumors showed decreased expressions of E-cadherin and cytokeratin, but showed increased expressions of vimentin and N-cadherin. Discussion: The Snail transfected xenograft can improve productivity of malignant tumors, show various histopathological features including invasive growth, and aid in the investigation of tumor progression and the interaction with surrounding tissues.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.15 no.7
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• pp.646-655
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• 2007

To achieve targeted drug delivery for chemotherapy, a ligand-mediated nanoparticulate drug carrier was designed, which could identity a specific receptor on the surfaces of tumor cells. Biodegradable poly(ethylene oxide)/poly$({\varepsilon}-caprolactone)$ (PEG/PCL) amphiphilic block copolymers coupled to biotin ligands were synthesized with a variety of PEG/PCL compositions. Block copolymeric nanoparticles harboring the anticancer drug paclitaxel were prepared via micelle formation in aqueous solution. The size of the biotin-conjugated PEG/PCL nanoparticles was determined by light scattering measurements to be 88-118 nm, depending on the molecular weight of the block copolymer, and remained less than 120 nm even after paclitaxel loading. From an in vitro release study, biotin-conjugated PEG/PCL nanoparticles containing paclitaxel evidenced sustained release profiles of the drug with no initial burst effect. The biotin-conjugated PEG/PCL block copolymer itself evidenced no significant adverse effects on cell viability at $0.005-1.0{\mu}g/mL$ of nanoparticle suspension regardless of cell type (normal human fibroblasts and HeLa cells). However, biotin-conjugated PEG/PCL harboring paclitaxel evidenced a much higher cytotoxicity for cancer cells than was observed in the PEG/PCL nanoparticles without the biotin group. These results showed that the biotin-conjugated nanoparticles could improve the selective delivery of paclitaxel into cancer cells via interactions with over-expressed biotin receptors on the surfaces of cancer cells.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.49-55
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• 2011

Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL) is one of the promising anti-cancer agent because of its ability to selectively induce apoptosis in tumor cell lines but not in normal cells. However, TRAIL resistance has been reported in some cancer cells including hepatocarcinoma cells. Therefore, studies of agents that sensitize TRAIL-resistant cancer cells could be a effective therapeutic approach in cancer management. In our study, we examined the effect of combination of TRAIL with apigenin in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells. As a result, the combined use of TRAIL and apigenin significantly enhanced the cytotoxicity in PLC-PRF5 cells. Flow cytometry analysis after annexin V-FITC/PI dual staining showed that this increase of cell cytotoxicity was related to enhanced apoptosis in combined treatment of TRAIL with apigenin. Furthermore, synergistic induction of apoptosis was also confirmed by observation of morphological changes and annexin V-FITC/PI fluorescence. Our findings suggests that apigenin has the potential to improve the efficiency of TRAIL-based therapies in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Further study is needed to reveal the molecular mechanisms of this combined therapy.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.265-275
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• 2018

Cancer is a complex multifaceted illness that affects different patients in discrete ways. For a number of cancers the use of chemotherapy has become standard practice. Chemotherapy is a use of cytostatic drugs to cure cancer. Cytostatic agents not only affect cancer cells but also affect the growth of normal cells; leading to side effects. Because of this, radiotherapy gained importance in treating cancer. Slaughtering of cancerous cells by radiotherapy depends on the radiosensitivity of the tumor cells. Efforts to improve the therapeutic ratio have resulted in the development of compounds that increase the radiosensitivity of tumor cells or protect the normal cells from the effects of radiation. Amifostine is the only chemical radioprotector approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but due to its side effect and toxicity, use of this compound was also failed. Hence the use of herbal radioprotectors bearing pharmacological properties is concentrated due to their low toxicity and efficacy. Notably, in silico methods can expedite drug discovery process, to lessen the compounds with unfavorable pharmacological properties at an early stage of drug development. Hence a detailed perspective of these properties, in accordance with their prediction and measurement, are pivotal for a successful identification of radioprotectors by drug discovery process.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.1062-1073
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• 2021

Objectives: This study examined the case of a patient with recurrent salivary duct carcinoma and hepatic metastasis. Methods: The patient was treated with Casodex/Nolvadex from January 25^th 2021 onward with doses of bicalutamide (150 mg/day) and tamoxifen (10 mg/day) every four weeks. Simultaneously, the patient was treated with Korean medicine. The tumor size was measured using computed tomography (CT). Adverse events were evaluated according to the National Cancer Institute's Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (NCI-CTCAE), version 5.0. Results: Following the four-month treatment, the extent of the proximal portion of hepatic metastasis decreased, and discomfort and physical activity gradually improved. Conclusions: The results suggest that combined chemotherapy and Korean medicine may help to reduce tumor size and improve quality of life.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.343-351
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• 2019

Many in vitro developmental toxicity assays have been proposed over several decades. Since the late 1980s, we have made intermittent attempts to introduce in vitro assays as screening tests for developmental toxicity of inhouse candidate products. Two cell-based assays which were developed two decades apart were intensively studied. One was an assay of inhibitory effects on mouse ascites tumor cell attachment to a concanavalin A-coated plastic sheet surface (MOT assay), which we studied in the early days of assay development. The other was an assay of inhibitory effects on the differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cell to beating heart cells (EST assay), which we assessed more recently. We evaluated the suitability of the assays for screening in-house candidates. The concordance rates with in vivo developmental toxicity were at the 60% level. The EST assay classified chemicals that inhibited cell proliferation as embryo-toxic. Both assays had a significant false positive rate. The assays were generally considered unsuitable for screening the developmental toxicity of our candidate compounds. Recent test systems adopt advanced technologies. Despite such evolution of materials and methods, the concordance rates of the EST and MOT systems were similar. This may suggest that the fundamental predictivity of in vitro developmental toxicity assays has remained basically unchanged for decades. To improve their predictivity, in vitro developmental toxicity assays should be strictly based on elucidated pathogenetic mechanisms of developmental toxicity.

• Korean Journal of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
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• v.61 no.12
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• pp.637-643
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• 2018

Radioimmunotherapy (RIT) is a therapy that takes advantage of the "cross-fire" effect of emitted radiation by radionuclides conjugated to tumor-directed monoclonal antibodies (mAb) (including those fragments) or peptides. While RIT has been successfully employed for the treatment of lymphoma, mostly with radiolabeled antibodies against CD20 [$^{90}yttrium$ ($^{90}Y$)-ibritumomab tiuxetan; $Zevalin^{(R)}$ and $^{131}iodine$ ($^{131}I)-tositumomab$; $Bexxar^{(R)}$], its use in solid tumors is more challenging, so far. Immuno-PET, a tool for tracking and quantification of mAbs with PET in vivo, is an exciting novel option to improve diagnostic imaging and guide mAb-based therapy. RIT in solid tumors including head and neck cancer may be an alternative treatment with advances in various biological, chemical, and treatment procedures, and it may help to reduce unnecessary exposure and enhance the therapeutic efficacy. Also, immuno-PET based on RIT might play an important role in cancer staging, in patients or targets selection of targeted therapeutics and in monitoring the response of targeted therapeutics as precision medicine. In this review, fundamentals of RIT/immune-PET and current knowledge of the preclinical/clinical trials in RIT for solid tumor including head and neck cancer are reviewed.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.176-186
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• 2023

The oxidative balance of a cell is maintained by the Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (KEAP1)/nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) pathway. This cytoprotective pathway detoxifies reactive oxygen species and xenobiotics. The role of the KEAP1/NRF2 pathway as pro-tumorigenic or anti-tumorigenic throughout stages of carcinogenesis (including initiation, promotion, progression, and metastasis) is complex. This mini review focuses on key studies describing how the KEAP1/NRF2 pathway affects cancer at different phases. The data compiled suggest that the roles of KEAP1/NRF2 in cancer are highly dependent on context; specifically, the model used (carcinogen-induced vs genetic), the tumor type, and the stage of cancer. Moreover, emerging data suggests that KEAP1/NRF2 is also important for regulating the tumor microenvironment and how its effects are amplified either by epigenetics or in response to co-occurring mutations. Further elucidation of the complexity of this pathway is needed in order to develop novel pharmacological tools and drugs to improve patient outcomes.