• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2018.10a
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• pp.108-108
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• 2018

In this study, we evaluated the anti-cancer effect of extracts of leaves (ST-L) and branches (ST-B) from Sageretia theezans in human colorectal cancer cells. ST-L and ST-B significantly inhibited the proliferation of human colorectal cancer cells, SW480. ST-L and ST-B decreased cyclin D1 protein level through the induction of cyclin D1 proteasomal degradation via $GSK3{\beta}$-dependent threonine-286 phosphorylation of cyclin D1. In addition, ST-L and ST-B increased HO-1 protein through p38, ROS and $GSK3{\beta}$-dependent Nrf2 activation. These findings suggest that ST-L and ST-B may have great potential for the development of anti-cancer drug to treat human colorectal cancer.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.345-353
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• 2017

Plant expression systems have been developed to produce anti-cancer vaccines. Plants have several advantages as bioreactors for the production of subunit vaccines: they are considered safe, and may be used to produce recombinant proteins at low production cost. However, several technical issues hinder large-scale production of anti-cancer vaccines in plants. The present review covers design strategies to enhance the immunogenicity and therapeutic potency of anti-cancer vaccines, methods to increase vaccine-expressing plant biomass, and challenges facing the production of anti-cancer vaccines in plants. Specifically, the issues such as low expression levels and plant-specific glycosylation are described, along with their potential solutions.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.155-160
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• 2013

Objectives : Gastric cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths, worldwide. Houttuynia cordata Thunberg (H. cordata) has been used as a medicinal plants and it has an anti-cancer activity in human colorectal cancer and leukemic cancer. However, the potential anti-cancer activity and mechanisms of H. cordata for human gastric cancer cells have not been tested so far. Thus, this study examined the biological effects of H. cordata on the human gastric cancer cell line SNU-1 and AGS. Methods : Inhibition of cell proliferation and cell cycle by H. cordata was carried out by MTT assay and Muse cell cycle analysis and the expressions of protein associated with apoptosis and cell cycle regulation were investigated with Western blot analysis. Results : In MTT assay, the proliferation of SNU-1 and AGS cells was significantly inhibited by H. cordata in a time and dose dependent manner, Inhibition of cell proliferation by H. cordata was in part associated with apoptotic cell death, as shown by changes in the expression ratio of Bax to Bcl-2 by H. cordata. Also, H. cordata regulated the expression of cell cycle regulatory proteins such as pRb, cyclin D1, cyclin E, CDK4, CDK2, p21 and p15. Conclusion : The antiproliferative effect of H. cordata on SNU-1 and AGS gastric cancer cells revealed in this study suggests that H. cordata has intriguing potential as a chemopreventive or chemotherapeutic agent.

• Plant Resources
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.46-58
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• 2000

Many plant species are used in Malaysia in folk medicine for the treatment of cancer. This paper presents some of these species with details on other ethnopharmacological uses, the known bioactivities and some chemical constituents of each of the species given. It is normal practice in traditional medicine that one species of plant is used to treat various ailments. Thus the plant species listed are all used to treat cancer but have various other ethnophrmacological uses as well, some with few other uses and rest with many other uses. Information on bioactivities of each species resulting from tests on human and experimental animals are also given. Proven bioactivities give strength to ethnopharmacological claims on the efficacies of plant resources in the treatment of cancer and various other ailments but will but will not necessarily lead to the production of new pharmaceutical drugs. Many of the known chemical constituents of each species are given. This shows the richness and variety of chemicals containes in each of the species listed. The chemicals listed may or may not prove to be important in the pharmaceutical sciences but is an indication of what each species contatin in thrms of plant chemicals. It is a well known fact that many of the pharmaceutical prescriptions in present day use are of plant origin and semi-synthetic or fully synthetic chemicals produced using knowledge gained from studies of phytochemicals. Thus the paper presented will give useful information and also shows the richness of plant species that have high potentials for the development of anti-cancer resources from plants in Malaysia.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.1-214
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• 1989

There shoul be high possibility of preventive and immune eficacy aqainst cancer when the anti-cancer plants are properly utilized in human dietary life as it is evident that considerable part of wild plantd or both medicinal use and ood are growing naturally in the mountainous area in korea, some of which have ben proved to be anti-cancer plants. this study, at this initial stage, has been done to acquire the fundamentals of 235 kinds of ante-cancer plants growing naturally in korea. from the results o thisresearch, the anti-cancer plants have been sorted out by amily and its number. and also the status of regional distribution of those plants and the kinds of anti-cancer plants used for both medicine and food were studied and experimented to see the medical efficacy against anti-tumor. this experiments were conduced in accodance with the total packed cell volume method and cyto toxicity method.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.679-685
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• 2017

Stachys affinis tubers are known for its high content of stachyose and eaten as an edible vegetable. In this work, we assessed on the anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferation activity of a various type of extracts derived from S. affinis tubers. The n-hexane and dichloromethane fractions were showed the high cytotoxicity on the cell lines including RAW264.7 macrophages, HEK293 human kidney cell, A549 human lung cancer cell, KB human oral cancer cell, and a PC-3 human prostate cancer cell. N-butanol and water fractions were not exhibited cytotoxicity on the tested cancer cells, limited in anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activities. Nevertheless, the ethyl acetate fraction showed little harm to RAW264.7 cells but inhibited the production of nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) significantly. In addition, it arrests the cell growth in A549, KB, and PC-3 cell while little cytotoxicity on HEK293 cells. Consequently, these results supported that the ethyl acetate fraction of S. affinis tubers could be a potential anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer ingredient.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.57-62
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• 2006

Objectives : This study was carried out to investigate the inhibitive effects of cotton plant sectional extracts in cancer cell lines, Calu-6(human, Caucasian, lung, adenocarcinoma) and MCF-7(human, Caucasian, breast, adenocarcinoma). The incidence of cancer has been increasing even in korea due to the change of dietary life and westernization and becoming conspicuous as the disease threatening health. But cancer treatment have not been fully effective against the high incidence or low survival rate of most cancer. Methods : Calu-6 and MCF-7 cells were cultured and seeded in cell culture plates, respectively. And sectional extracts of cotton plant were treated to MCF-7 cells. Results and Conclusion : Sectional extracts of cotton plant showed no anti-proliferative effect on MCF-7 cells, but root and stem extracts showed strong anti-proliferative effects on Calu-6 cells. Fruit, leaf and flower extracts also showed anti-proliferative effects on Calu-6 cells but not so much like root and stem extracts. But seed extract showed no anti-proliferative effect on Calu-6 cells.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.312-316
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• 2009

In the present study, the anti-cancer activity of 80% ethanol extracts from 120 kinds of medicinal herbs and native plants were investigated. Among them, the barks of Melia azedarach L. var. japonica Makino showed the highest cytotoxicity in HCT-15 human colon cancer cell. With this result, we carried out hollow fiber (HF) assay and anti-metastasis study to confirm the anti-cancer effects of M. azedarach var. japonica. In MTT assay, M. azedarach var. japonica.inhibited the proliferation of HCT-15 cells in dose-dependent manner. HF assay was carried out using A549 human adenocarcinoma cell, HCT-15 and SK-Hep1 human liver cancer cell via intraperitoneal (IP) and subcutaneous (SC) site. As a results, SK-Hep1 implanted in IP site showed the highest cytotoxicity. The result from metastatic model using B16/BL6 mouse corresponded to that of HF assay. These results suggest that the ethanol extract from M. azedarach var. japonica. might have a potent anti-cancer activity and advanced study is needed for the development of novel natural anti-cancer drug.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.640-646
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• 2017

In this study, we elucidated anti-cancer activity and potential molecular mechanism of 70% ethanol extracts from Taxilli Ramulus (Taxillus chinensis (DC.) Danser) (TR-E70) against human colorectal cancer cells. Anti-cell proliferative effect of TR-E70 was evaluated by MTT assay. The effect of TR-E70 on the expression of cyclin D1 in the protein and mRNA level was evaluated by Western blot and RT-PCR, respectively. TR-E70 suppressed the proliferation of human colorectal cancer cell lines, HCT116 and SW480. Although TR-E70 decreased cyclin D1 expression in protein and mRNA level, decreased level of cyclin D1 protein by TR-E70 more dramatically occurred than that of cyclin D1 mRNA. Cyclin D1 downregulation by TR-E70 was attenuated in presence of MG132. In addition, TR-E70 phosphorylated threonine-286 (T286) of cyclin D1. TR-E70-mediated cyclin D1 degradation was blocked in presence of LiCl as an inhibitor $GSK3{\beta}$ but not PD98059 as an ERK1/2 inhibitor and SB203580 as a p38 inhibitor. Our results suggest that TR-E70 may downregulate cyclin D1 as one of the potential anti-cancer targets through $GSK3{\beta}$-dependent cyclin D1 degradation. From these findings, TR-E70 has potential to be a candidate for the development of chemoprevention or therapeutic agents for human colorectal cancer.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.158-172
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• 2017

Nigella sativa (N. sativa, family Ranunculaceae) is a medicinal plant that has been widely used for centuries throughout the world as a natural remedy. A wide range of chemical compounds found in N. sativa expresses its vast therapeutic effects. Thymoquinone (TQ) is the main component (up to 50%) in the essential oil of N. sativa. Also, pinene (up to 15%), p-cymene (40%), thymohydroquinone (THQ), thymol (THY), and dithymoquinone (DTQ) are other pharmacologically active compounds of its oil. Other terpenoid compounds, such as carvacrol, carvone, 4-terpineol, limonenes, and citronellol, are also found in small quantities in its oil. The main pharmacological characteristics of this plant are immune system stimulatory, anti-inflammatory, hypotensive, hepatoprotective, antioxidant, anti-cancer, hypoglycemic, anti-tussive, milk production, uricosuric, choleretic, anti-fertility, and spasmolytic properties. In this regard, we have searched the scientific databases PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar with keywords of N. sativa, anti-cancer, apoptotic effect, antitumor, antioxidant, and malignancy over the period from 2000 to 2017. The effectiveness of N. sativa against cancer in the blood system, kidneys, lungs, prostate, liver, and breast and on many malignant cell lines has been shown in many studies, but the molecular mechanisms behind that anti-cancer role are still not clearly understood. From among the many effects of N. sativa, including its anti-proliferative effect, cell cycle arrest, apoptosis induction, ROS generation, anti-metastasis/anti-angiogenesis effects, Akt pathway control, modulation of multiple molecular targets, including p53, p73, STAT-3, PTEN, and $PPAR-{\gamma}$, and activation of caspases, the main suggestive anti-cancer mechanisms of N. sativa are its free radical scavenger activity and the preservation of various anti-oxidant enzyme activities, such as glutathione peroxidase, catalase, and glutathione-S-transferase. In this review, we highlight the molecular mechanisms of apoptosis and the anti-cancer effects of N. sativa, with a focus on its molecular targets in apoptosis pathways.