• 대한한의학회지
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• 제23권1호
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• pp.24-36
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• 2002

Objectives: The chemotherapeutic potential of Gagamgilgyung-tang for the treatment of human lung cancer, the antitumorigenic effects of Gagamgilgyung-tang on the proliferation and apoptosis of human lung cancer cell line A427 were investigated using molecular biological approaches, Methods: To determine Gagamgilgyung-tang concentrations which do not evoke cytotoxic damage to the cell line, cell viability was examined by MTT assay. To prove Gagamgilgyung-tang's antitumorigenic potential to human lung cancer, [3H]thymidine incorporation assay, trypan blue exclusion and Cpp32 protease activity assays and quantitative RT-PCR analysis were examined. Results: While A427 cells treated with $0.1-2.0{\mu\textrm{g}}/ml$ of Gagamgilgyung-tang showed no recognizable effect, marked reductions of cell viability were detected at concentrations over $5.0{\;}\mu\textrm{g}/ml$. DNA replication of A427 cells was inhibited by Gagamgilgyung-tang in a dose-dependent manner and Gagamgilgyung-tang induced the G1 cell cycle arrest through inhibition of DNA replication. Gagamgilgyung-tang triggered apoptotic cell death of A427 and enhanced the apoptotic sensitivity of the cells that were injured by a DNA damage-inducing chemotherapeutic drug etoposide. Gagamgilgyung-tang induces expression of growth-inhibiting genes such as p53 and p21/Wafl whereas it inhibited expression of growth-promoting genes such as c-Myc and Cyclin D1. Expression of a representative apoptosis-inducing gene Bax was also found to be induced by Gagamgilgyung-tang while apoptosis-suppressing Bcl-2 expression was not changed. Conclusions: Gagamgilgyung-tang could suppress the abnormal growth of tumor cells by suppressing the survival of genetically altered cells via induction of apoptosis. This study suggests that Gagamgilgyung-tang might have an antitumorigenic potential to human lung cancer cells, which might be associated with its growth-inhibiting and apoptosis-inducing properties.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• 제37권1호
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• pp.31-37
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• 2004

Curcumin, a natural compound extracted from rhizomes of Curcuma longa, has been shown to possess potent anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor activity. The mechanism by which curcumin initiates apoptosis remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the effects of curcumin on caspase-3 activity and protein expression of procaspase-3, Bcl-2, Bax, total Akt and phosphorylated Akt in SW480 human colon cancer cell. We cultured SW480 cells in the presence of various concentrations (0, 10, 20 or 30 uM) of curcumin. Curcumin inhibited colon cancer cell growth in a dose-dependent manner (p < 0.05). Caspase-3 activity was significantly increased dose-dependently in cells treated with curcumin (p < 0.05), concisely procaspase-3 expression was significantly decreased. Bcl-2 levels were decreased dose-dependently in cells treated with curcumin (p < 0.05), but Ben remained unchanged. In addition, phosphorylated Akt levels and total Akt levels were markedly lower in cells treated with 20 uM of curcumin treatment (p < 0.05), In conclusion, we have shown that curcumin inhibits cell growth and induces apoptosis in SW480 human colon cancer cell lines via Akt signal pathway.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제16권9호
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• pp.3805-3810
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• 2015

Arsenic trioxide (ATO) has been found to exert anti-cancer activity in various human malignancies. However, the molecular mechanisms by which ATO inhibits tumorigenesis are not fully elucidated. In the current study, we explored the molecular basis of ATO-mediated tumor growth inhibition in pancreatic cancer cells. We used multiple approaches such as MTT assay, wound healing assay, Transwell invasion assay, annexin V-FITC, cell cycle analysis, RT-PCR and Western blotting to achieve our goal. We found that ATO treatment effectively caused cell growth inhibition, suppressed clonogenic potential and induced G2-M cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells. Moreover, we observed a significant down-regulation of Skp2 after treatment with ATO. Furthermore, we revealed that ATO regulated Skp2 downstream genes such as FOXO1 and p53. These findings demonstrate that inhibition of Skp2 could be a novel strategy for the treatment of pancreatic cancer by ATO.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• 제30권6호
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• pp.474-481
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• 2004

Squamous cell carcinoma is the most prevalent oral cancer, which is characterized by its low survival rate, high malignancy, mortality with facial defects, and poor prognosis. Exact cause and pathogenesis of the squamous cell carcinoma is still unknown. Various routes including smoking, radiation, and viral infections predispose its genesis, and recent studies revealed that genetic defects which fail to prevent cancer proliferation play a role. Generally, a cancer develops from the decreased rate of apoptosis which is an active and voluntary cell death, and from the altered cell cycles. Anticancer effect can be obtained by recovering the apoptotic process, and by suppressing the cell cycles. Among the apoptosis related factors, bcl-2, caspase-9, and VDAC (voltage-dependent anion channel)are produced in mitochondria of the cell. Cyclosporin-A is known to induce apoptosis through its activation with VDAC. This study was to reveal the anticancer effect of Cyclosporin A to the oral squamous cell carcinoma. The inverted microscope was used to find alterations in the tissue, and sensitivity test to the anticancer cells was performed with MTT (Tetrazolium-based colorimetric) assay. Following cell line culture of primary and metastastic oral squamous cell carcinoma, electrophoresis was performed with extracted total RNA. Finally, semi-quantitative study was carried out through RT-PCR (Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction). The results of this study are as follows: 1. The inverted microscopic observation revealed a poorly defined cytoplasm at $2000ng{\sim}3000ng/ml$, indistinct nucleus, and apoptosis. 2. The Growth of cancer cells was decreased at 1000ng/ml of cyclosporin-A. No cancer cell growth was observed at over 2000ng/ml concentration of cyclosporin-A, and at one week, growth of cancer cells was ceased. 3. The MTT assays were decreased as cyclosporin-A concentration was increased. This means that the activation of succinyl dehydrogenase in mitochondria was decreased following administration of cyclosporin A. 4. A result of RT-PCR showed that amount of mRNA of VDAC-2 was decreased half times at a cyclosporine-A concentration of 2000ng/ml. In bcl-2, amount of mRNA was significantly decreased 1/5 times at 2000ng/ml. caspase-9, however, showed slight increase compared to the control group. From the results obtained in this study, administration of cyclosporin-A to the cell lines of oral squamous cell carcinoma induced alterations in morphology and growth of the cells as its concentration increased. Since apoptosis related factors such as VDAS-2, bcl-2, and caspase-9 also showed distinct alterations on their mRNAs, further research on cyclosporin A as an anti-cancer agent will be feasible.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• 제20권5호
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• pp.410-413
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• 1997

In the course of screening synthetic compounds to inhibit tumor cell growth, pyrrolo[1,2-.alpha.] benzimidazole (PBI), an intermediate of azamitosene, was found to inhibit a proliferation of gastric cancer cell lines. Despite a potential cytotoxic activity against solid tumor cells as opposed to that against rapidly-doubled leukemic cells, there has been no report on the inhibition of gastric cancer cell line by PBI and its' derivatives. The present experiment was designed to determine if PBI derivatives can effectively inhibit the cellular proliferation of gastric cancer cells by using in vitro as well as in vivo chemosensitivity system (MTT assay, clonogenic assay and human tumor xenografted assay). Of the tested PBI derivatives, PBI (18) and PBI (20), displayed the effective growth inhibition of cultured gastric cancer cells or even in the xenografted nude mouse model.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• 제31권1호
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• pp.121-130
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• 2014

Objectives : I investigated whether bee venom inhibit cell growth through enhancement of death receptor expressions in the human lung cancer cells, NCI-H460. Methods : Bee venom(1-5 ${\mu}g/ml$) inhibited the growth of NCI-H460 lung cancer cells by the induction of apoptotic cell death in a dose dependent manner. Results : Consistent with apoptotic cell death, expression of TNF-R1, TNF-R2, FAS, death receptors(DR) 3, 4, 5 and 6 was increased in the cells. Expression of DR downstream pro-apoptotic proteins including Caspase-8, -3, -9 was upregulated and Bax was concomitantly overwhelmed the expression of Bcl-2. NF-kB were inhibited by treatment with bee venom in NCI-H460 cells through TNF response change led by TNF-R1 and TNF-R2. Conclusions : These results suggest that bee venom should exert anti-tumor effect through induction of apoptotic cell death in NCI-H460 human lung cancer cells via enhancement of death receptor expression, and that bee venom could be a promising agent for preventing and treating lung cancer.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제14권8호
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• pp.4599-4602
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• 2013

We intended to study the mechanism of the inhibitory action of curcumin on human non-small cell lung cancer A549 cell. The cell growth was determined by CCK-8 assay, and the results indicated that curcumin inhibited the cell proliferation in a concentration dependent manner. And to further confirm the relative anti-cancer mechanism of curcumin, RT-PCR was carried out to analysis the expression of relative apoptotic proteins Bax, Bcl-2. We found that curcumin could up-regulate the expression of Bax but down-regulate the expression of Bcl-2 in A549 cells. In addition, curcumin affect the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway. These results suggested that curcumin inhibited cancer cell growth through the regulation of Bcl-2/Bax and affect the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• 제28권3호
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• pp.147-154
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• 2010

목 적: 대장암 세포에서 epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) 저해제인 nimotuzumab에 의한 방사선 민감도 증진 효과를 살펴보고자 한다. 대상 및 방법: 총 4종류의 인간 유래 대장암 세포주인 HCT-8, LoVo, WiDr, HCT-116를 nimotuzumab과 방사선을 병합 처리한 후 세포증식, 생존율, 세포주기 진행에 미치는 영향을 MTT, clonogenic survival assay, flow cytometry와 western blot을 통해 분석하였다. 결 과: 대장암 세포주에서 nimotuzumab에 의해 EGFR 인산화가 억제됨을 확인하였고 이러한 조건에서 nimotuzumab이 HCT-116을 제외한 나머지 3종류의 대장암 세포주의 방사선 민감도를 증진시킴을 확인하였다. 반면에, nimotuzumab은 방사선 조사와 무관하게 대장암 세포의 증식이나 세포 주기에는 아무런 영향을 미치지 않았다. 결 론: Nimotuzumab은 EGFR에 의한 세포 생존 신호 전달을 억제함으로써 대장암 세포의 방사선에 대한 민감도를 증가시켰다. 본 연구는 대장암의 방사선 치료에 EGFR 특이적 저해제인 nimotuzumab의 임상 적용 근거를 제공하였다.

• BMB Reports
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• 제57권4호
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• pp.167-175
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• 2024

Cancer progression is driven by genetic mutations, environmental factors, and intricate interactions within the tumor microenvironment (TME). The TME comprises of diverse cell types, such as cancer cells, immune cells, stromal cells, and neuronal cells. These cells mutually influence each other through various factors, including cytokines, vascular perfusion, and matrix stiffness. In the initial or developmental stage of cancer, neurotrophic factors such as nerve growth factor, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor are associated with poor prognosis of various cancers by communicating with cancer cells, immune cells, and peripheral nerves within the TME. Over the past decade, research has been conducted to prevent cancer growth by controlling the activation of neurotrophic factors within tumors, exhibiting a novel attemt in cancer treatment with promising results. More recently, research focusing on controlling cancer growth through regulation of the autonomic nervous system, including the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, has gained significant attention. Sympathetic signaling predominantly promotes tumor progression, while the role of parasympathetic signaling varies among different cancer types. Neurotransmitters released from these signalings can directly or indirectly affect tumor cells or immune cells within the TME. Additionally, sensory nerve significantly promotes cancer progression. In the advanced stage of cancer, cancer-associated cachexia occurs, characterized by tissue wasting and reduced quality of life. This process involves the pathways via brainstem growth and differentiation factor 15-glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor receptor alpha-like signaling and hypothalamic proopiomelanocortin neurons. Our review highlights the critical role of neurotrophic factors as well as central nervous system on the progression of cancer, offering promising avenues for targeted therapeutic strategies.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제16권11호
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• pp.4571-4576
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• 2015

Background: To investigate the inhibitory effect and the underlying mechanism of triptolide on cultured human endometrial carcinoma HEC-1B cells and corresponding xenograft. Materials and Methods: For in vitro studies, the inhibition effect of proliferation on HEC-1B cell by triptolide was determined by MTT assay; cell cycle and apoptosis of the triptolide-treated and untreated cells were detected by flow cytometry. For in vivo studies, a xenograft tumor model of human endometrial carcinoma was established using HEC-1B cells, then the tumor-bearing mice were treated with high, medium, and low-dose ($8{\mu}g$, $4{\mu}g$ and $2{\mu}g/day$) triptolide or cisplatin at $40{\mu}g/day$ or normal saline as control. The mice were treated for 10-15 days, during which body weight of the mice and volume of the xenograft were weighted. Then expression of Bcl-2 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was analyzed by SABC immunohistochemistry. Results: Cell growth was significantly inhibited by triptolide as observed by an inverted phase contrast microscope; the results of MTT assay indicated that triptolide inhibits HEC-1B cell proliferation in a dose and time-dependent manner; flow cytometry showed that low concentration (5 ng/ml) of triptolide induces cell cycle arrest of HEC-1B cells mainly at S phase, while higher concentration (40 or 80 ng/ml) induced cell cycle arrest of HEC-1B cells mainly at G2/M phase, and apoptosis of the cells was also induced. High-dose triptolide showed a similar tumor-inhibitory effect as cisplatin (-50%); high-dose triptolide significantly inhibited Bcl-2 and VEGF expression in the xenograft model compared to normal saline control (P<0.05). Conclusions: triptolide inhibits HEC-1B cell growth both in vitro and in mouse xenograft model. Cell cycle of the tumor cells was arrested at S and G2/M phase, and the mechanism may involve induction of tumor cell apoptosis and inhibition of tumor angiogenesis.