• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
• /
• v.19 no.3
• /
• pp.640-646
• /
• 2005

This study was performed for the investigation of anticancer effects of Siegesbeckia glabrescens(SG) on HepG2 cells, a human hepatoma cell line. In the previous study, we examined the involvement of nitric oxide (NO) on anti-proliferative and apoptotic efficacy of SG in vascular smooth muscle cells. The possible mechanism of the apoptotic effects of SG was investigated in HepG2 cells. SG showed potent cytotoxic activity in HepG2 but not chang cells, liver normal cells. SG treatment caused morphological change such as cell shrinkage, nuclei condensation and cell blebbing in HepG2 cells. SG also increased the nitrite production of HepG2 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, L-NNA treatment inhibited the anti-proliferative effect of SG. From RT-PCR, SG decreased Bcl-2 but no affected on Bax. Western blot for procaspase-3 and COX-2 showed that degradation of procaspase-3 protein level or inhibition of COX-2 protein expression by SG treatment. In addition, the apoptotic effect of SG was also demonstrated by DNA laddering. In conclusion, SG-induced HepG2 cells death can occur via apoptosis which was dose-dependent, and associated with apoptosis-related Bcl-2/Bax gene expressions, COX-2 inhibition, caspase-3 activation and NO pathway. These results suggest that SG is potentially useful as a chemotherapeutic/chemopreventive agent in hepatocellular carcinoma.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
• /
• v.37 no.5
• /
• pp.305-309
• /
• 2007

Arsenic compounds have been used to treat various diseases including cancer in oriental medicine. Arsenic trioxide ($As_2O_3,\;Trisenox^{(R)}$) has been used for the treatment of leukemia and its anti-solid tumor activity has also been reported recently. Tetra-arsenic oxide ($As_4O_6,\;TetraAs^{(R)}$) is a newly developed arsenic compound which has shown an anticancer activity in some human cancer cell lines. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the anti-gastric cancer potential of TetraAs and to search for an agent with synergistic interaction with TetraAs against human gastric cancers. We analysed anti-proliferative effect of TetraAs when given alone and in combination with other chemotherapeutic agents such as 5-FU, paclitaxel, and cisplatin in SNU-216, a human gastric cancer cell line. The $IC_{50}$ of these 4 anti-cancer drugs ranged from 5.8 nM to $7.5\;{\mu}M$ with a potency rank of order paclitaxel>TetraAs>cisplatin>5-FU. TetraAs showed 10-fold greater potency than 5-FU and cisplatin at the same effect level of $IC_{50}$. TetraAs+5-FU and TetraAs+paclitaxel showed synergistic and additive interaction, respectively. On the other hand, TetraAs with cisplatin group appeared to be strongly antagonistic. Apoptotic population was measured and compared between single and combination treatment. The apoptotic cells for the combination of TetraAs+5-FU showed significant increase compared to single TetraAs treatment. On the contrary, TetraAs+cisplatin showed less apoptotic cells compared to TetraAs or cisplatin alone treatment. Overall, our results indicate that TetraAs can be effectively combined with 5-FU or paclitaxel, but not with cisplatin for synergistic anti-cancer effect, which warrants further evaluation using in vivo models.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
• /
• 1999.10a
• /
• pp.1-45
• /
• 1999

To date many kinds of compounds have been obtained from plants kingdom as antineoplastic and anti-cancerous agents. However, there is no special type of compounds for ncancer therapy. Various types of substances are effective for various types of cancers and tumors: for instance, alkaloids, lignans, terpenes and steroids etc. Curcumol obtained from Curcuma aromatica was tested and noticed to be effective against cancer of the uterine cervix clinically Oridonin isolated from Rabdosia ssp.is now investigated for clinical trials in China. Moreover, camptothecine isolated from Camptotheca acuminata is also antineoplastic alkaloid, but is very toxic. Chemical modification has been tried to decrease its toxicity. This compound is now using as clinical agent. Harringtonin was investigated as an anticancerous drug in China. Taxol, a compound with a taxane ring isolated from the bark of Taxus brevifolia, has been demonstrated to have substantial anticancer activity in patients with solid tumors refractory standard chemotherapy. Supply of this drug has severely limited full exploration of its antineoplastic potential. Some efforts are continued in National Cancer Institute NCI) Washington for surveying various Taxus species for optimal taxol content, improvement in semi-synthesis from baccatin III, improvement in method of extraction, and development of alternative renewable resources. Further, there are many compounds which have been reported as antineoplastic agents. On the other hand, we have screened on higher plants collected in Japan, China, Korea, Southeast Asia and South America for antineoplastic activity, which has been done using Sarcoma 180 ascites in mice, P388 Iymphocytic leukemia in mice, Chinese hamster lung V-79 cells, P388 cells and nasopharynx carcinoma (KB) cells in our laboratory, as primary screening. In this meeting, I will present on antitumor and cytotoxic substances of the higher plants (Rubia cordifolia, Ailanfhus Vilmoriniana, Aster tataricus, Taxus cuspidata var. nana, Cephalotaxus harringtonia var drupacea, etc.) selected from above screening tests.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
• /
• v.34 no.3
• /
• pp.161-168
• /
• 2004

5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is an antimetabolite anticancer agent active against many types of solid tumors. Tegafur (TF), a prodrug of 5-FU, is frequently used in combination with uracil as dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) inhibitory fluoropyrimidine. We studied the stability of 5-FU and TF in biological fluids of rats and determined their bioavailability (BA) and excretion into bile, and urine. The drug concentrations were analyzed by an HPLC method. At room temperature, there was a 14-30% decrease in the concentration of 5-FU and TF in bile, urine, and plasma specimen at 10 and $100\;{\mu}g/ml$ over 240 min. No significant difference was noted among the sample types or between two different concentrations of 10 and $100{\mu}g/ml$. The decrease in drug concentration was significantly less in samples kept on ice (6-12%) for both drugs. These data indicate that biological fluid samples containing 5-FU or TF in plasma, urine, or bile should be placed on ice during the sample collection. Following these storage guidelines, samples were collected after administration 50 mg/kg of each drug via i.v. or oral route. BA was 1.5 folds greater for TF (60%) than that of 5-FU (42%). Approximately 0.52 and 3.3% of the i.v. doses of 5-FU and TF was excreted into bile, respectively. Renal clearance of 5-FU was about 16% of its total body clearance. These results suggest that instability of 5-FU and TF in biological fluids should be considered in pharmacokinetic or pharmacogenomic studies.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
• /
• v.35 no.4
• /
• pp.215-220
• /
• 2010

Angelica decursiva has been used in Korean traditional medicine as an antitussive, an analgesic, an antipyretic and a cough remedy. However, its anti-cancer properties have not yet been well defined. In our current study, we report the cytotoxic activity and the mechanism of cell death induced by ethanol extracts of Angelica decursiva (EEAD) against the human oral cancer cell line, KB. Treatment of KB cells with EEAD induced apoptotic cell death in both a dose- and time-dependent manner as determined by MTT assay and DNA fragmentation. However, no cytotoxic effects of EEAD against human normal oral keratinocytes (HNOK) were evident. By western blot analysis, we found that apoptosis in KB cells is associated with a decrease in procaspase-7 and -9. In addition, the activation of caspase-7 was detectable in living KB cells by fluorescence microscopy. These results suggest that EEAD exhibits anti-cancer activity in KB cells via apoptosis and thus has potential as an anticancer agent in future drug development strategies.

• KSBB Journal
• /
• v.10 no.4
• /
• pp.428-434
• /
• 1995

Target-sensitive(TG-S) liposomes, which have the antibodies coupled on the surface of liposome and can release their entrapped contents by the binding of antibodies with the specigic target cells, were prepared and employed to study the release of calcein and the selective delivery of an anticancer agent, doxorubicin(DOX). The monoclonal antibody, Y3, used for the preparation of the TG-S liposome was one against major histocompatibility complex class 1 of mouse(MHCI, H-2Kｂtype) and the target cells were EL-4 and RMA, which have the MHC1, H-2Kbtype on their membrane surfacem. The release of calcein from TG-S liposome occurred when the target cells were contacted with liposomes and it was proportionally increased with the rise of binding capacity of antibody coupled on the surface of liposome to the target cells. The experimental results of drug delivery were similar to the cases of calcein release. The viability of specific target cell, EL-4 with liposomal DOX was not so different from that with the free DOX, while for the non-specific target cell, Yacl(H-2Kf), the cell viability with Iiposomal DOX was much higher than that with free DOX. This shows the fact that the liposomal DOX can be efficiently delivered to the specific target cells, while it was not the case for the non-specific target cells. And the drug delivery was lnhibited when the free antibody of Y3 was added in the contact process between EL-4 and TG-S liposomes, which means the drug delivery occurred mainly by the destabilization of TG-S liposomes. From these results, we could conclude that the selective drug delivery to specific target cell using the TG-S liposome would be feasible.

• KSBB Journal
• /
• v.17 no.1
• /
• pp.88-92
• /
• 2002

The election profiles with different flow rates of motile phase were experimentally measured to investigate the effects on HETP in capillary gas chromatography. Based on the correlation coefficient ($r^2$), the first and second moments as well as HETP were determined from the elution cuties, and the parameters used in empirical equations were estimated. The empirical equations were expressed in terms of mobile phase velocity, and the theoretical Golay equation was considered. The samples were d-limonene and perillyl alcohol, potential anticancer agent mainly was contained in the peel of orange. From the experimental results, HETP of the samples were increased with mobile phase velocities. The correlation coefficient of d-limonene was in the range between 0.8265 and 0.8465, while that of perillyl alcohol was between 0.9353 and 0.9374. The total HETP was composed of $H_{g}$, $H_{l}$ and Hc, and Hg had the greatest effect on HETP, but HI showed a negligible effect. In terms of HETP, the optimum velocity of mobile phase was present.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
• /
• v.39 no.4
• /
• pp.304-313
• /
• 2015

Background: Ginsenoside Rg3 is a promising anticancer agent. It is usually produced by heat treatment of ginseng, in which ginsenoside Rb1 is the major ginsenoside. A kinetic study was conducted to optimize ginsenoside Rg3 production by the heat treatment of ginsenoside Rb1. Methods: Ginsenoside Rb1 was heated using an isothermal machine at $80^{\circ}C$ and $100^{\circ}C$ and analyzed using HPLC. The kinetic parameters were calculated from the experimental results. The activation energy was estimated and used to simulate the process. The optimized parameters of ginsenoside Rg3 production are suggested based on the simulation. Results: The rate constants were $0.013h^{-1}$ and $0.073h^{-1}$ for the degradation of ginsenosides Rb1 and Rg3 at $80^{\circ}C$, respectively. The corresponding rate constants at $100^{\circ}C$ were $0.045h^{-1}$ and $0.155h^{-1}$. The estimated activation energies of degradation of ginsenosides Rb1 and Rg3 were 69.2 kJ/mol and 40.9 kJ/mol, respectively. The rate constants at different temperatures were evaluated using the estimated activation energies, and the kinetic profiles of ginsenosides Rb1 and Rg3 at each temperature were simulated based on the proposed kinetic model of consecutive reaction. The optimum strategies for producing ginsenoside Rg3 from ginsenoside Rb1 are suggested based on the simulation. With increased temperature, a high concentration of ginsenoside Rg3 is formed rapidly. However, the concentration decreases quickly after the reaching the maximal concentration value. Conclusion: The optimum temperature for producing ginsenoside Rg3 should be the highest temperature technically feasible below $180^{\circ}C$, in consideration of the cooling time. The optimum reaction time for heat treatment is 30 min.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
• /
• v.21 no.1
• /
• pp.33-42
• /
• 2006

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to investigate the anticancer effects of Bodusan (BDS) on SNU-1 cells, a human gastric cancer cell line. Methods : To study the cytotoxic effect of BDS on SNU-1 cells, the cells were treated with various concentrations of BDS and then cell viability was determined by XTT reduction method and trypan blue exclusion assay. The typical signs of apoptosis, was examined by western blot analysis. BDS-induced MAPK activation was also examined by Western blot for phosphorylated ERK and p38. Results : BDS reduced proliferation of SNU-1 cells in a dose-dependent manner and decreased procaspase 3 level in a dose-dependent manner and induced the clevage of PARP at concentration > 500 ${\mu}g/ml$. BDS also triggered the mitochondrial apoptotic signaling by increasing the release of cytochrome C from mitochondria to cytosol and reducing the level of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2. BDS significantly decreased ERK phosphorylation and increased p38 phosphorylation in a dose-dependent manner. Futhermore, BDS treatment up-regulated p53 and p21waf expression in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusion : BDS-induced apoptosis is MAP kinase-dependent apoptoric pathway and arrested SNU-1 cells at the G0/G1 of cell cycle. These results suggest that BDS is potentially useful as a chemotherapeutic agent in human gastric cancer.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• v.33 no.6
• /
• pp.2005-2011
• /
• 2012

Nopp140 is a highly phosphorylated protein that resides in the nucleolus of mammalian cell and is involved in the biogenesis of the nucleolus. It interacts with a variety of proteins related to the synthesis and assembly of the ribosome. It also can bind to a ubiquitous protein kinase CK2 that mediates cell growth and prevents apoptosis. We found that Nopp140 is an intrinsically unfolded protein (IUP) lacking stable secondary structures over its entire sequence of 709 residues. We discovered that mitoxantrone, an anticancer agent, was able to enhance the interaction between Nopp140 and CK2 and maintain suppressed activity of CK2. Surface plasma resonance studies on different domains of Nopp140 show that the C-terminal region of Nopp140 is responsible for binding with mitoxantrone. Our results present an interesting example where a small chemical compound binds to an intrinsically unfolded protein (IUP) and enhances protein-protein interactions.