• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제13권11호
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• pp.5405-5408
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• 2012

Curcumin (CM), a biphenyl compound, possesses anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs which regulate gene expression and the molecular mechanisms of several biological processes. Liver fibrosis is a major cause of hepatic dysfunction and cancer and there are few effective therapies emphasizing the need for new approaches to control. The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of curcumin (CM) on liver fibrosis through modulating the expression level of miRNAs (199 and 200), the main miRNAs associated with liver fibrosis. Induction of liver fibrosis by carbon tetrachloride ($CCL_4$) was confirmed by histopathological examination. Mice were divided into 3 groups: group 1 were i.p injected with 10% $CCL_4$ twice weekly for 4 weeks and then once a week for the next 4 weeks followed by 4 weeks with olive oil only. Group 2 were i.p injected with 10% $CCL_4$ twice weekly for 4 weeks and then once a week for the next 4 weeks followed by curcumin (5 mg/mouse/day) once daily for the next 4 weeks. The third group was injected with olive oil. The expression level of miR-199 and miR-200 and some of their targeted genes were measured by real time PCR. miRNA (199 and 200) levels were significantly elevated in liver fibrotic tissues compared to control groups. Curcumin was significantly returned the expression levels of mir-199 and -200 with their associated target gene nearly to their normal levels. This is the first study that highlighted the effect of curcumin on liver fibrosis through regulation of miRNAs.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제16권9호
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• pp.3817-3825
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• 2015

Background: The human protein methyl-transferase DOT1L catalyzes the methylation of histone H3 on lysine 79 (H3K79) at homeobox genes and is also involved in a number of significant processes ranging from gene expression to DNA-damage response and cell cycle progression. Inhibition of DOT1L activity by shRNA or small-molecule inhibitors has been established to prevent proliferation of various MLL-rearranged leukemia cells in vitro, establishing DOT1L an attractive therapeutic target for mixed lineage leukemia (MLL). Most of the drugs currently in use for the MLL treatment are reported to have low efficacy, hence this study focused on various natural compounds which exhibit minimal toxic effects and high efficacy for the target receptor. Materials and Methods: Structures of human protein methyl-transferase DOT1L and natural compound databases were downloaded from various sources. Virtual screening, molecular docking, dynamics simulation and drug likeness studies were performed for those natural compounds to evaluate and analyze their anti-cancer activity. Results: The top five screened compounds possessing good binding affinity were identified as potential high affinity inhibitors against DOT1L's active site. The top ranking molecule amongst the screened ligands had a Glide g-score of -10.940 kcal/mol and Glide e-model score of -86.011 with 5 hydrogen bonds and 12 hydrophobic contacts. This ligand's behaviour also showed consistency during the simulation of protein-ligand complex for 20000 ps, which is indicative of its stability in the receptor pocket. Conclusions: The ligand obtained out of this screening study can be considered as a potential inhibitor for DOT1L and further can be treated as a lead for the drug designing pipeline.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제16권3호
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• pp.915-921
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• 2015

Context: In the last half century, discovering, developing and introducing of clinical agents from marine sources have seen great successes, with examples including the anti-cancer compound trabectedin. However, with increasing need for new anticancer drugs, further exploration for novel compounds from marine organism sources is strongly justified. Objective: The major aim of this study was to evaluate the antitumor and antioxidant potential of Sargassum tenerrimum J.Agardh (Sargassaceae) on Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) in Swiss albino mice. Materials and Methods: An ethanol extract of S. tenerrimum (EEST) from whole algae was used to evaluate cytotoxicity followed by in vivo assessment of toxicity, using biochemical parameters including hepatic and non-hepatic enzymes. Antioxidant properties were examined in animals bearing EAC treated with daily oral administration of 100-300 mg/kg extract suspension. Results: Antitumor effects of EEST in EAC bearing mice was observed with LD50 1815 mg/kg. Parameters like body weight, tumor volume, packed cell volume, tumor cell count, mean survival time and increase in life span in animals in the EAC bearing animals treated with EEST 300 mg/kg was comparable with control group. Significant differences were also seen with changes in total protein content, hepatic enzymes contents, MDA level, and free radical scavenging enzymes in untreated vs. EEST treated group animals. Conclusions: Evaluation of antioxidant enzymes and hepatic enzymes in the EAC animal model treated with EEST exhibited similar effects as the positive control drug 5-flurouracil. S. tenerrimum extracts contain effective antioxidants with significant antitumor activity.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제16권10호
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• pp.4169-4172
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• 2015

Background: Oral carcinoma (OC) remains as one of the most difficult malignancies to cure. Hesa-A is an Iranian herbal-marine compound that has shown promising anti-tumor properties on various human cancer cells, although the mechanisms of action remain to be addressed. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of two doses of Hesa-A on mRNA expression of p53 as a main prognosticator of OC. Materials and Methods: 60 rats were randomly divided into 5 groups of 12 animals each. Rats in carcinoma groups received 0, 250 and 500 mg/kg body weight of Hesa-A three times a day. The two other groups considered as treated and untreated healthy groups. At the end of experiment, animals were sacrificed and tongue tissues subjected to H and E staining and real time PCR. Results: Our results indicated that compared to healthy group, p53 over expressed ~ 40% in untreated carcinoma group. After treatment with 250mg/kg and 500mg/kg body weights of Hesa-A, p53 level dropped by 53.4% and 13.6 %, respectively, compared to untreated carcinoma group (p<0.05, p<0.0001). Moreover, there was a significant relation between p53 mRNA content and observed pathological changes in studied groups (p<0.05). Conclusions: These data provide insights into the mechanism(s) by which Hesa-A improves clinical outcome of oral carcinoma by modulation of p53 expression.

• 약학회지
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• 제55권1호
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• pp.39-44
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• 2011

Many reports indicate that $18{\beta}$-glycyrrhetinic acid ($18{\beta}$-GA) from Glycyrrhizae Radix has anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory activities, whereas reports regarding anticancer activity of the compound are few. In present study, we investigated antitumor effect of $18{\beta}$-GA on tumor caused by A549 cancer cell in mice. Data resulting from the cytotoxicity assay showed that $18{\beta}$-GA caused killing of A549 cells. $LD_{50}$ values of $18{\beta}$-GA were app. 180 ${\mu}M$ and 80 ${\mu}M$, corresponding to 48 hr- and 72 hr-treatments, displaying that the killing activity was more effective as the $18{\beta}$-GA treatment was prolonged. Based on these data, antitumor effect of $18{\beta}$-GA was tested in nude mice. For induction of the tumor, A549 ($3{\times}10^6$ cells/mouse) was injected subcutaneously into the lateral abdomen of nude mice (Balb/c nu/nu). To determine the antitumor effect, nude mice with tumor were given $18{\beta}$-GA (1 mg/200 ${\mu}l$/mouse) intraperitoneally every three days for four times. Tumor-sizes were measured with a caliper for a period of 24 days. Results showed that the $18{\beta}$-GA treatment reduced the tumor-sizes (P<0.05) as compared with negative control nude mice that received diluent (DPBS). The reduction degree was greater than reduction degree by doxorubicin (60 ${\mu}g$/mouse), and the pattern of reduction was almost sustained during the entire period of the observation. In conclusion, our studies demonstrate that $18{\beta}$-GA has antitumor activity to the A549 cancer cell-caused tumor.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제30권11호
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• pp.1640-1650
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• 2020

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the leading cause of common malignant neoplasm worldwide. Many studies have analyzed compositions of gut microbiota associated with various diseases such as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and colon cancer. One of the most representative bacteria involved in CRC is enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis (ETBF), a species belonging to phylum Bacteroidetes. We used ETBF colonized mice with azoxymethane (AOM)/dextran sulphate sodium (DSS) and zerumbone, a compound with anti-bacterial effect, to determine whether zerumbone could restore intestinal microbiota composition. Four experimental groups of mice were used: sham, ETBF colonized AOM/DSS group, ETBF colonized AOM/DSS group zerumbone 60 mg kg-1 (ETBF/AOM/DSS + Z (60)), and only zerumbone (60 mg kg^-1)-treated group. We performed reversible dye terminators-based analysis of 16S rRNA gene region V3-V4 for group comparison. Microbiota compositions of ETBF/AOM/DSS + Z (60) group and ETBF colonized AOM/DSS group not given zerumbone were significantly different. There were more Bacteroides in ETBF/AOM/DSS + Z (60) group than those in ETBF colonized AOM/DSS group, suggesting that B. fragilis could be a normal flora activated by zerumbone. In addition, based on linear discriminant analysis of effect size (LEfSe) analysis, microbial diversity decreased significantly in the ETBF colonized AOM/DSS group. However, after given zerumbone, the taxonomic relative abundance was increased. These findings suggest that zerumbone not only influenced the microbial diversity and richness, but also could be helpful for enhancing the balance of gut microbial composition. In this work, we demonstrate that zerumbone could restore the composition of intestinal microbiota.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제16권16호
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• pp.7179-7188
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• 2015

Cancer is a major health obstacle around the world, with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and colorectal cancer (CRC) as major causes of morbidity and mortality. Nowadays, there isgrowing interest in the therapeutic use of natural products for HCC and CRC, owing to the anticancer activity of their bioactive constituents. Boswellia serrata oleo gum resin has long been used in Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese medicine to alleviate a variety of health problems such as inflammatory and arthritic diseases. The current study aimed to identify and explore the in vitro anticancer effect of B. Serrata bioactive constituents on HepG2 and HCT 116 cell lines. Phytochemical analysis of volatile oils of B. Serrata oleo gum resin was carried out using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Oleo-gum-resin of B. Serrata was then successively extracted with petroleum ether (extract 1) and methanol (extract 2). Gas-liquid chromatography (GLC) analysis of the lipoidal matter was also performed. In addition, a methanol extract of B. Serrata oleo gum resin was phytochemically studied using column chromatography (CC) and thin layer chromatography (TLC) to obtain four fractions (I, II, III and IV). Sephadex columns were used to isolate ${\beta}$-boswellic acid and identification of the pure compound was done using UV, mass spectra, $^1H$ NMR and $^{13}C$ NMR analysis. Total extracts, fractions and volatile oils of B. Serrata oleo-gum resin were subsequently applied to HCC cells (HepG2 cell line) and CRC cells (HCT 116 cell line) to assess their cytotoxic effects. GLC analysis of the lipoidal matter resulted in identification of tricosane (75.32%) as a major compound with the presence of cholesterol, stigmasterol and ${\beta}$-sitosterol. Twenty two fatty acids were identified of which saturated fatty acids represented 25.6% and unsaturated fatty acids 74.4% of the total saponifiable fraction. GC/MS analysis of three chromatographic fractions (I,II and III) of B. Serrata oleo gum resin revealed the presence of pent-2-ene-1,4-dione, 2-methyl- levulinic acid methyl ester, 3,5- dimethyl- 1-hexane, methyl-1-methylpentadecanoate, 1,1- dimethoxy cyclohexane, 1-methoxy-4-(1-propenyl)benzene and 17a-hydroxy-17a-cyano, preg-4-en-3-one. GC/MS analysis of volatile oils of B. Serrata oleo gum resin revealed the presence of sabinene (19.11%), terpinen-4-ol (14.64%) and terpinyl acetate (13.01%) as major constituents. The anti-cancer effect of two extracts (1 and 2) and four fractions (I, II, III and IV) as well as volatile oils of B. Serrata oleo gum resin on HepG2 and HCT 116 cell lines was investigated using SRB assay. Regarding HepG2 cell line, extracts 1 and 2 elicited the most pronounced cytotoxic activity with $IC_{50}$ values equal 1.58 and $5.82{\mu}g/mL$ at 48 h, respectively which were comparable to doxorubicin with an $IC_{50}$ equal $4.68{\mu}g/mL$ at 48 h. With respect to HCT 116 cells, extracts 1 and 2 exhibited the most obvious cytotoxic effect; with $IC_{50}$ values equal 0.12 and $6.59{\mu}g/mL$ at 48 h, respectively which were comparable to 5-fluorouracil with an $IC_{50}$ equal $3.43{\mu}g/mL$ at 48 h. In conclusion, total extracts, fractions and volatile oils of B. Serrata oleo gum resin proved their usefulness as cytotoxic mediators against HepG2 and HCT 116 cell lines with different potentiality (extracts > fractions > volatile oil). In the two studied cell lines the cytotoxic acivity of each of extract 1 and 2 was comparable to doxorubicin and 5-fluorouracil, respectively. Extensive in vivo research is warranted to explore the precise molecular mechanisms of these bioactive natural products in cytotoxicity against HCC and CRC cells.

• 한국식품영양과학회지
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• 제46권1호
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• pp.1-9
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• 2017

산겨릅나무 $80^{\circ}C$ 열수 및 95% 에탄올 추출물을 제조하여 항산화 및 항염증 효과를 확인한 결과 추출물은 우수한 항산화 효과를 나타내었고 RAW 264.7 세포에서도 항염증 효과를 보였으며, 그중 95% 에탄올 추출물의 효능이 더 큰 것으로 나타났다. 따라서 효능이 더 뛰어난 산겨릅나무 에탄올 추출물을 이용하여 in vivo 실험에서 추출물의 세포 보호효과 및 항염증 효능을 재확인하였다. ICR mouse에 일주일간 100 mg/kg B.W 산겨릅나무 에탄올 추출물을 경구투여한 후 LPS를 처리하여 염증반응 및 산화적 스트레스를 유도시켜 Comet assay, serum tumor necrosis $factor(TNF)-{\alpha}$와 $interferon-{\gamma}$, 장점막세포에서의 $TNF-{\alpha}$와 interleukin-6에 대한 생성능을 측정한 결과 산겨릅나무 에탄올 추출물은 DNA 손상을 억제하였으며 사이토카인 생성을 유의적으로 억제하여 항산화와 항염증 효과를 보였다. 따라서 본 연구에서 사용한 산겨릅나무의 에탄올 추출물은 산화적 스트레스 및 염증을 억제하는 효과를 나타내는 세포보호 기능적 소재로서 가능성이 있는 것으로 생각한다.

• 생명과학회지
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• 제28권3호
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• pp.293-299
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• 2018

본 연구는 PMA (Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate)에 의해 MMP 활성이 증가된 섬유육종세포에서 MMP-2와 -9의 mRNA 발현 및 단백질 활성에 대한 만형자의 억제 효과를 zymography와 RT-PCR 방법에 의해서 측정하였다. 만형자 시료는 dichloromethane에 의해서 두 번 추출되었으며 동일한 과정을 methanol를 사용하여 반복하였다. 각각의 용매에 의해서 얻어진 추출물을 합한 후에 zymography를 이용하여 이 추출물의 MMP-2와 -9에 대한 억제효과를 측정한 결과 유의적인 억제효과를 나타내었다. 억제활성 성분을 추적하기 위하여 극성에 따른 추출물의 용매분획을 실시하여 n-hexane, 85% aq. MeOH, n-butanol, 및 water 분획층을 얻었다. 이 4가지 용매분획에 대한 MMP 억제활성을 측정하였으며 측정한 결과 85% aq. MeOH 분획층이 zymography와 RT-PCR 실험에서 MMP-2와 -9에 대해 가장 강한 억제효과를 나타내었다. 이상의 결과는 만형자 추출물이 암전이 억제제 개발을 위한 좋은 원천이 될 수 있는 가능성이 있음을 제시한다.

• 한국해양바이오학회지
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• 제1권2호
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• pp.63-70
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• 2006

본 연구에서는 U937 인체 백혈병 세포의 증식에 미치는 PTX-2의 영향을 조사한 결과, PTX-2의 처리에 따라 U937 세포는 처리 농도 및 처리 시간 의존적으로 심한 형태적 변형과 함께 증식이 억제되었다. 이러한 PTX-2 처리에 의한 U937 세포의 증식억제는 apoptosis 유발과 관련이 있었으며, 이를 DAPI staining에 의한 apoptotic body 형성, flow cytometry를 이용한 sub-G1 세포 빈도의 정량적 분석을 통하여 확인하였다. 이러한 PTX-2 처리에 의한 U937 세포의 apoptosis 유발은 Bcl-2 family에 속하는 anti-apoptotic 인자인 Bcl-$X_L$의 발현 감소 및 IAPs family에 속하는 유전자들의 선택적 발현 감소와 연관성이 있음을 알 수 있었다. 이상의 결과들은 인체 암세포에서 PTX-2의 항암작용을 이해하는데 중요한 자료가 될 것이고 나아가 PTX-2을 포함한 그와 유사한 항암제 후보물질들의 연구에 있어서 기초 자료로서 사용될 수 있을 것으로 생각된다.