• 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.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.535-542
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• 2009

Purpose: This study was performed to know whether [$^{18}F$]Fluorothymidine (FLT) positron emission tomography (PET) can be used to monitor early response to radiotherapy in comparison with [$^{18}F$]Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET, and to establish the optimal imaging time for prediction of therapy response. Materials and Methods: Two patients with nasopharyngeal cancer underwent serial FLT PET and FDG PET before and during radiotherapy. Three on-treatment FLT and FDG PET scans were performed on 1 week, 2 weeks and 3 weeks (at each time of 10 Gy, 20 Gy and 30 Gy delivered). The peak standardized uptake values ($SUV_{peak}$) of primary tumors were measured on FLT and FDG PET. Then, percent changes of $SUV_{peak}$ after therapy were calculated. Results: In two patients, baseline values of $SUV_{peak}$ on FDT PET were higher than those on FLT PET (FLT vs FDG; 3.7 vs 5.0, and 5.7 vs 15.0). In patient 1, FLT $SUV_{peak}$ showed 78%, 78% and 84% of decrease on 1 week, 2 and 3 weeks after treatment, whereas FDG $SUV_{peak}$ showed 18%, 52% and 66% of decrease, respectively. In patient 2, FLT $SUV_{peak}$ showed 75%, 75% and 68% of decrease, whereas FDG $SUV_{peak}$ showed 51%, 49% and 58% of decrease, respectively. Both patients reached to complete remission after radiotherapy. Conclusion: After radiotherapy, the decrease of FLT tumor uptake preceded the decrease of FDG tumor uptake in patients with nasopharyngeal cancer, and 1 week after therapy may be appropriate time for the assessment of early response. FLT PET might be more useful than FDG PET for monitoring early response to radiotherapy.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.18 no.10
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• pp.1395-1399
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• 2008

We have recently reported the PRC1 promoter as a promoter candidate to control expression of transcriptionally targeted genes for breast cancer gene therapy. We tested whether the PRC1 promoter could be also applied for the lung cancer gene therapy. In the transient transfection assay with naked plasmids containing the luciferase fused to the PRC1 promoter, the promoter showed little activity in the normal lung cell line, MRC5. However, in the lung cancer A549 cells, PRC1 showed approximately 30-fold activation which was similar to the survivin promoter, the gene whose promoter has been already reportedas a candidate for the gene therapy of lung cancer. In viral systems, the PRC1 promoter showed approximately 75% and 66% of transcriptional activity compared to the CMV promoter in the adeno-associated virus (AAV) and the adenovirus (AV) systems, respectively. However, the PRC1 promoter in either AAV or AV showed approximately 20% activity compared to the CMV promoter in the normal lung cells. In addition, human lung tumor xenograft mice showed that the PRC1 promoter activity was as strong as the CMV activity in vivo. Taken together, these results suggested that PRC1 might be a potential promoter candidate for transcriptionally targeted lung cancer gene therapy.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.185-192
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• 1999

Four different parts of Hovenia dulcis $T_{HUNB}$; fruit, bark, vessel area, fruit coat were extracted with water and ethanol. The ethanol extracts of bark, fruit coat and fruit were fractionized into diethyl ether, chloroform and aqueous partitions. Ethanol extract of fruit coat increased the activity of cathepsin B up to 55 %, which can enhance the alcohol dehydration in the liver. The ethanol extracts was more effective than water extracts against the growth of Hep3B, MCF7. The ethanol extracts of bark (0.5mg/ml) inhibited 90% the growth of MCF7. Each extracts and fractions (0.5mg/ml) did not show considerable cytotoxicity on HEL299. In overall, most of the fractions had similar effects to ethanol extracts; however, diethyl ether and chloroform fractions had higher bioactivity than ethanol extracts, but aqueous fraction.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.56 no.2
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• pp.169-177
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• 2004

Background : Cyclooxygenase is the main target enzyme for the nonsteroidal anti inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) that have been shown to suppress carcinogenesis in both experimental models and epidemiological studies. COX-2 plays an important role in solid tumor growth, invasiveness and angiogenesis, through, in part, the synthesis of prostaglandins, such as prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). In this study, the prognostic significance of an increase in COX-2 expression in lung cancer samples was evaluated. Material and Methods : The expression of COX-2, by immunohistochemistry, was studied in paraffin-embedded tumor blocks obtained from 84 patients(male 67, female 17, with a mean age of 63, ranging from 34 to 84 years) who had undergone surgery at Wonkwang University Hospital, between 1997 and 2002. For the evaluation of the relationships between COX-2 expression, and the clinical stage, metastasis to lymph nodes and survival, those cases showing the respective antigen expression in >10% of the tumor cells were considered positive. Result : Of the 84 patients, 61 (73%) exhibited more than 10% COX-2 immunoreactivities in the tumor and normal cells, whereas the remaining 23 showed no increase in the expression of COX-2. There was no significant relationship between the increased expression of COX-2 and the disease stage(p=0.1002) or cell type(p=0.152). The median survival was longer for the patients with a negative, compared to positive, COX-2 expression(36 compared to 24 months, p<0.05). The two year-survival rate was also higher in the patients with a negative COX-2 expression (78%) than those with a positive expression (47%, Kaplan-Meier, Log Rank, p < 0.05). Conclusion : The median survival was longer in the patients with a negative, compared to positive, COX-2 expression was longer than those with positive COX-2, having undergone complete resection due to primary non-small cell lung cancer.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.317-323
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• 2012

This study was performed to elucidate the anticancer activities and the mechanism of chloroform fractions from cultivated Orostachys japonicus (CFCOJ) in human colon cancer cells. CFCOJ markedly decreased viable cell numbers in both a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner within SW480 cells. Cell death induced by CFCOJ increased cell populations in the sub-G1 phase, as well as the formation of apoptotic bodies, nuclear condensation, and induced DNA fragmentation. CFCOJ-induced apoptosis was associated with the activation of initiator caspase-8 and -9, as well as the effector caspase-3. CFCOJ also stimulated Bid cleavage, indicating that the apoptotic action of caspase-8-mediated Bid cleavage leads to the activation of caspase-9. CFCOJ increased the expression of the proapoptotic protein, Bax, and decreased the expression of the antiapoptotic protein, Bcl-2. These results indicate that CFCOJ exert anticancer effects on human colon cancer SW480 cells through a caspase-dependent apoptotic pathway.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.311-316
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• 2005

Fermentation properties and in vitro anticancer effect of young radish (YR) kimchi and young radish watery (YRW) kimchi were investigated during fermentation at 5℃. The fermentation of YR kimchi during 2-3 weeks led to the decrease of pH down to pH 4.3, increased acidity, and the highest Leuconostoc sp. counts. YR kimchi showed the acidity of 1.04-1.27% at the pH 4.3, when the kimchi was ripened properly. The fermentation of YRW kimchi during 9 days led to the decrease of pH down to pH 4.3 and the acidity of 0.20%. Inhibitory effects of the juices of YR, YR kimchi, and YRW kimchi on the growth of AGS human gastric adenocarcinoma cells in MTT assay were increased with the added concentration. The juice of YR kimchi had a higher inhibitory effect on the growth of AGS human gastric adenocarcinoma cells than that of YRW kimchi at same concentration. The juice of YR kimchi showed similar inhibitory effects on the growth of AGS human gastric and HT-29 human colon adenocarcinoma cells in MTT assay to baechu kimchi, which the inhibition rates are more than 50%.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.27 no.9
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• pp.1078-1085
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• 2017

Free radicals have long been considered damaging to various tissues. An excessive amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is known to have detrimental effects on the body and to be linked to numerous pathological conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and skeletal muscle atrophy. On the other hand, recent findings suggest that ROS is important for maintenance and development of cellular activity. Cells respond to increased oxidative stress by adaptive changes in the expression of a variety of proteins involved in the maintenance of cellular integrity. ROS is also essential for skeletal muscle function and metabolism. It is well known that physical exercise has many health benefits. Paradoxically, physical exercise also stimulates the production of ROS, which result in oxidative stress. Based on evidence amassed in the past decade, exercise itself may be considered an antioxidant because training increases the expression of antioxidant enzymes. In this review, we discuss the processes underlying the generation of ROS and its role in exercise-induced adaptation based on recent evidence. Furthermore, we discuss the possible role of NADPH oxidase in exercise-induced activation of insulin signaling and its effect on longevity.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.360-365
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• 2012

We investigated the anti-proliferative activity of sulforaphane and expression changes of NAG-1 and p21 genes in response to sulforaphane treatment in human colorectal HCT116 cells. The results showed that sulforaphane decreased cell viabilities in a dose-dependent manner and induced expression of NAG-1 and p21 proteins in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner. In addition, we found that NAG-1 expression by sulforaphane was not dependent on the presence of p53, whereas p21 expression was dependent on p53 presence. The results indicated that up-regulation of NAG-1 was not related with the activity of a dietary histone deacetylase inhibitor of sulforaphane. ATF3 induction was detected from 2 hr after sulforaphane treatment, indicating that ATF3 could be a transcription factor to up-regulate NAG-1 expression. The results of this study may help to increase our understanding of the molecular mechanism of anti-cancer activity mediated by sulforaphane in human colorectal cancer cells.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.8
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• pp.871-878
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• 2019

The aim of this study was to determine the anticancer activities of an 80% methanol extract and various fractions of Rhododendron brachycarpum (RB). The n-hexane fraction of RB showed the highest inhibitory activity (Inhibit concentration $50%=20.2{\pm}1.2{\mu}g/ml$) in HT-29 cells. Colony- and sphereforming abilities were significantly correlated with a decrease in the cell count and size. A TOP/FOP flash reporter assay revealed that the inhibitory activity of the n-hexane fraction of RB ($0.22{\pm}0.02$ fold change) was lower than that of the 80% methanol extract and that of other fractions. The n-hexane and ethyl acetate fractions of RB were predominantly dependent on the expression levels of intracellular ${\beta}-catenin$. Western blotting using $p-GSK3{\beta}$ with only the n-hexane fraction of RB was conducted to examine whether these secondary metabolites reduced ${\beta}-catenin$ degradation. Intracellular ${\beta}-catenin$ regulation resulted in quantitative changes in the nucleus. In summary, these results demonstrate the potential of the n-hexane fraction of RB as a natural anticancer agent.