Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine (동의생리병리학회지)

The Physiological Society of Korean Medicine and The Society of Pathology in Korean Medicine (대한동의생리학회·한의병리학회)
권호 표지

Anti-proliferative Effects by Aqueous Extract of Cordyceps Militaris in Human Leukemic U937 Cells

동충하초 추출물에 의한 U937 인체 백혈병 세포의 성장억제 효과

  • Park, Dong-Il (Department of Internal Medicine, College of Oriental Medicine, Dongeui University) ;
  • Seo, Sang-Ho (Department of Internal Medicine, College of Oriental Medicine, Dongeui University) ;
  • Choi, Yung-Hyun (Department f Biochmistry, College of Oriental Medicine, Dongeui University.Biomedical Research Center of Oriental Medicine) ;
  • Hong, Sang-Hoon (Department of Internal Medicine, College of Oriental Medicine, Dongeui University)
  • 박동일 (동의대학교 한의과대학 내과학교실) ;
  • 서상호 (동의대학교 한의과대학 내과학교실) ;
  • 최영현 (동의대학교 생화학교실 및 한방바이오연구센터) ;
  • 홍상훈 (동의대학교 한의과대학 내과학교실)
  • Published : 2005.04.25
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Abstract

Cordyceps militaris is a medicinal fungus, which has been used for patient suffering from cancer in Oriental medicine. It was reported previously that C. militaris extracts are capable of inhibiting tumor growth, however, the anti-poliferative effects of human cancer cells have not been poorly understood. In this study, to elucidate the growth inhibitory mechanisms of human cancer cells by treatment of aqueous extract of C. militaris (AECM) we investigated the anti-proliferative effects of AECM in human leukemia U937 cell line. AECM treatment inhibited the growth of U937 cells and induced the apoptotic cell death in a concentration-dependent manner, which was associated with morphological changes. We observed the up-regulation of cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk) inhibitor p21(WAF1/CIP1) by p53-independent manner and activation of caspase-3 in AECM-treated U937 cells, however, the activity of caspase-9 was remained unchanged. Additionally, AECM treatment caused a dose-dependent inhibition of the expression of telomere regulatory gene products such as human telomere reverse transcriptase (hTERT) and telomerase-associated protein-1 (TEP-1). Taken together, these findings suggest that AECM-induced inhibition of human leukemic cell proliferation is associated with the induction of apoptotic cell death via modulation of several major growth regulatory gene products, and C. militaris may have therapeutic potential in human lung cancer.

Keywords

References

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