• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• 제31권2호
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• pp.82-88
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• 2014

Background: Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide and in Korea, and small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is the most deadly tumor type in the different lung cancer histology. Chemotherapy is the main strategy of the treatment for SCLC, and etoposide and platinum regimen has been the only standard chemotherapy for about 30 years. To test feasibility of weekly divided dose irinotecan and carboplatin for Korean patients is the aim of this study. Methods: Patients with histologically or cytologically confirmed extensive stage SCLC were included. Patients with limited stage (LD), who could not tolerate concurrent chemoradiotherapy were also included. All the patients received irinotecan $60mg/m^2$, carboplatin 2 area under the curve at day 1, 8, and 15 every 4 weeks. Study regimen was discontinued when the disease progressed or intolerable side effects occurred. No more than 6 cycles of chemotherapy were given. Results: Total 47 patients were enrolled, among them 9 patients were LD. Overall response rate was 74.5% (complete response, 14.9%; partial response, 59.6%). Side effects greater than grade 3 were neutropenia (25.5%), fatigue (12.8%), thrombocytopenia (8.5%), sepsis (4.3%), and pancytopenia (2.1%). There was no treatment related death. Conclusion: Weekly divided irinotecan and carboplatin regimen is effective, and safe as a first line therapy for both stage of SCLC. Large scaled, controlled study is feasible.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제14권6호
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• pp.3751-3755
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• 2013

Backgroud and Aims: MicroRNA-206 has proven to be down-regulated in many human malignancies in correlation with tumour progression. Our study aimed to characterize miR-206 contributions to initiation and malignant progression of human osteosarcoma. Methods: MiR-206 expression was detected in human osteosarcoma cell 1ine MG63, human normal osteoblastic cell line hFOB 1.19, and paired osteosarcoma and normal adjacent tissues from 65 patients using quantitative RT-PCR. Relationships of miR-206 levels to clinicopathological characteristics were also investigated. Moreover, miR-206 mimics and negative control siRNA were transfected into MG63 cells to observe effects on cell viability, apoptosis, invasion and migration. Results: We found that miR-206 was down-regulated in the osteosarcoma cell line MG63 and primary tumor samples, and decreased miR-206 expression was significantly associated with advanced clinical stage, T classification, metastasis and poor histological differentiation. Additionally, transfection of miR-206 mimics could reduce MG-63 cell viability, promote cell apoptosis, and inhibit cell invasion and migration. Conclusions: These findings indicate that miR-206 may have a key role in osteosarcoma pathogenesis and development. It could serve as a useful biomarker for prediction of osteosarcoma progression, and provide a potential target for gene therapy.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제15권1호
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• pp.427-432
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• 2014

Isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) is of great importance in cell metabolism and energy conversion. IDH mutation in glioma cells is reported to be associated with an increased overall survival. However, effects biological behavior of therapy of gliomas are unclear. Here, we investigated the influence of wild-type and mutated IDH genes on glioma cell biological behavior and response to chemotherapy. Relevant mechanisms were further explored. We designed our study on the background of the IDHR132H mutation. Stable cell lines were constructed by transfection. The CCK-8 method was used to assess cell proliferation, flow cytometry for the cell cycle and cell apoptosis, and the transwell method for cell invasion. Nude mouse models were employed to determine tumorigenesis and sensitivity to chemotherapy. Western blotting was used to detect relevant protein expression levels. We found that overexpression of wild IDH1 gene did not cause changes in the cell cycle, apoptosis and invasion ability. However, it resulted in chemotherapy resistance to a high dose of temozolomide (TMZ) in vivo and in vitro. The IDH1 mutation caused cell cycle arrest in G1 stage and a reduction of proliferation and invasion ability, while raising sensitivity to chemotherapy. This may provide an explanation for the better prognosis of IDH1 mutated glioma patients and the relative worse prognosis of their wild-type IDH1 counterparts. We also expect IDH1 mutations may be optimized as new targets to improve the prognosis of glioma patients.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제16권18호
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• pp.8271-8279
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• 2016

Background: Hepato-carcinogenesis is multifaceted in its molecular aspects. Among the interplaying agents are altered gap junctions, the proteasome/autophagy system, and mitochondria. The present experimental study was designed to outline the roles of these players and to investigate the tumor suppressive effects of curcumin with or without mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Materials and Methods: Adult female albino rats were divided into normal controls and animals with HCC induced by diethyl-nitrosamine (DENA) and $CCl_4$. Additional groups treated after HCC induction were: Cur/HCC which received curcumin; MSCs/HCC which received MSCs; and Cur+MSCs/HCC which received both curcumin and MSCs. For all groups there were histopathological examination and assessment of gene expression of connexin43 (Cx43), ubiquitin ligase-E3 (UCP-3), the autophagy marker LC3 and coenzyme-Q10 (Mito.Q10) mRNA by real time, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, along with measurement of LC3II/LC3I ratio for estimation of autophagosome formation in the rat liver tissue. In addition, the serum levels of ALT, AST and alpha fetoprotein (AFP), together with the proinflammatory cytokines $TNF{\alpha}$ and IL-6, were determined in all groups. Results: Histopathological examination of liver tissue from animals which received DENA-$CCl_4$ only revealed the presence of anaplastic carcinoma cells and macro-regenerative nodules. Administration of curcumin, MSCs; each alone or combined into rats after induction of HCC improved the histopathological picture. This was accompanied by significant reduction in ${\alpha}$-fetoprotein together with proinflammatory cytokines and significant decrease of various liver enzymes, in addition to upregulation of Cx43, UCP-3, LC3 and Mito.Q10 mRNA. Conclusions: Improvement of Cx43 expression, nonapoptotic cell death and mitochondrial function can repress tumor growth in HCC. Administration of curcumin and/or MSCs have tumor suppressive effects as they can target these mechanisms. However, further research is still needed to verify their effectiveness.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제13권3호
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• pp.931-935
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• 2012

Cdc25 phosphatases are important regulators of the cell cycle. Their abnormal expression detected in a number of tumors implies that their dysregulation is involved in malignant transformation. However, the role of Cdc25B in renal cell carcinomas remains unknown. To shed light on influence on renal cell carcinogenesis and subsequent progression, Cdc25B expression was examined by real-time RT-PCR and western blotting in renal cell carcinoma and normal tissues. 65 kDa Cdc25B expression was higher in carcinomas than in the adjacent normal tissues (P<0.05), positive correlations being noted with clinical stage and histopathologic grade (P<0.05). To additionally investigate the role of Cdc25B alteration in the development of renal cell carcinoma, Cdc25B siRNA was used to knockdown the expression of Cdc25B. Down-regulation resulted in slower growth, more G2/M cells, weaker capacity for migration and invasion, and induction of apoptosis in 769-P transfectants. Reduction of 14-3-3 protein expression appeared related to Cdc25B knockdown. These findings suggest an important role of Cdc25B in renal cell carcinoma development and provide a rationale for investigation of Cdc2B-based gene therapy.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제14권2호
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• pp.747-752
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• 2013

Oncostatin M (OSM) is a multifunctional cellular regulator acting on a wide variety of cells, which has potential roles in the regulation of gene activation, cell survival, proliferation and differentiation. Previous studies have shown that OSM can induce morphological and/or functional differentiation and maturation of many tumor cells. However, the action of OSM on the induction of differentiation of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has not been reported. Here, we investigated the effects of different concentrations of OSM on human HCC cell line SMMC-7721 growth, proliferation, cell cycling, apoptosis and differentiation in vitro. Cell growth was determined via MTT assay, proliferation by cell cycle analysis, apoptosis by flow cytometry, morphology by transmission electronic microscopy, and cell function by detection of biochemical markers. Our results demonstrated that OSM strongly inhibited the growth of SMMC-7721 cells in a dose-dependent manner, associated with decreased clonogenicity. Cell cycle analysis revealed a decreased proportion of cells in S phase, with arrest at G0/G1. The apotosis rate was increased after OSM treatment compared to the control. These changes were associated with striking changes in cellular morphology, toward a more mature hepatic phenotype, accompanied by significant reduction of the expression of AFP and specific activity of ${\gamma}$-GT, with remarkable increase in secretion of albumin and ALP activity. Taken together, our findings indicate that OSM could induce the differentiation and reduce cell viability of SMMC-7721 cells, suggesting that differentiation therapy with OSM offers the opportunity for therapeutic intervention in HCC.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• 제19권2호
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• pp.78-91
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• 2002

Objective : This study was designed to investigate the anti-cancer effects of bee venom on melanoma in C57BL mice. Materials and Methods : For the induction of melanoma, C57BL mice were treated by DMBA(7, 12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene). Each group of C57BL mouse was treated with DMBA $50{\mu}g$, $75{\mu}g$, $100{\mu}g$ respectively once a week for 15 weeks. Tumor generation in each group of 10 mice was observed. Cumulative curves were showed in the density and frequency of skin tumor generation. To know the effects of pre-treatment of bee venom on tumor generation by DMBA treatment(frequency of tumor generation), Each group of C57BL mouse was pretreated and treated with bee venom $5{\mu}{\ell}$, $25{\mu}{\ell}$, $50{\mu}{\ell}$ respectively once a week for 3 weeks, whereafter each mouse was treated with DMBA $100{\mu}g$ once a week for 15 weeks. Results and Conclusion (1) There was chemotherapeutic effect, but not chemopreventive effect. (2) Cpp32 activity was increased by $50{\mu}{\ell}$ bee venom treatment. (3) Bee venom treatment inhibited expression of cell-cycle regulating, growth-promoting genes such as c-Jun, c-Fos, and Cyclin Dl, and increased tumor suppressors p53 and p21/Wafl. (4) Bee venom treatment activated expression of a representative apoptosis-inducing gene Bax.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• 제18권2호
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• pp.109-120
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• 2014

The epothilones are a class of microtubule inhibitors that exhibit a strong antitumor activity. UTD2 is a novel epothilone analog generated by genetic manipulation of the polyketide biosynthetic gene cluster. This study investigated the effects of UTD2 on the actin cytoskeleton and its critical regulators, and the signaling pathways which are essential for cell motility, growth and survival in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Results showed that UTD2 inhibited the cellular functions of actin cytoskeleton, such as wound-closure, migration and invasion, as well as adhesion. Our study further demonstrated that UTD2 suppressed Rac1 GTPase activation and reduced the activity of PAK1, which is a downstream effector of Rac1, while the activity of Cdc42 was not affected. Additionally, the phosphorylation of p38 and ERK were significantly inhibited, but the phosphorylation of JNK remained the same after UTD2 treatment. Moreover, UTD2 inhibited the activity and mRNA expression of MMP-2, which plays a key role in cell motility. UTD2 also reduced the phosphorylation of Akt, which is an important signaling kinase regulating the cell survival through Rac1. Furthermore, UTD2 interrupted the synergy between Rac1 and Raf in focus formation assays. Taken together, these results indicated that UTD2 exerted multiple effects on the actin cytoskeleton and signaling pathways associated with Rac1. This study provided novel insights into the molecular mechanism of the antineoplastic and antimetastatic activities of epothilones. Our findings also suggest that the signaling pathways regulated by Rac1 may be evaluated as biomarkers for the response to therapy in clinical trials of epothilones.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• 제11권1호
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• pp.7-12
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• 2006

Telomerase activation is detected in most cancerous cells; hence, telomerase is a highly selective target for cancer therapy, which plays an important role in the apoptotic process. We have previously reported that the ginseng saponin metabolite, Compound K (20-O-D-glucopyranosyl-20(S)-protopanaxadiol, IH901), inhibits cell proliferation by inducing apoptosis and cell cycle arrest at the $G_1$ phase. The present study investigated the regulation of telomerase activity in Compound K treated U937 cells. Compound K treatment caused a reduction in telomerase activity and down-regulated the human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) gene, resulting in the decreased expressions of its protein, and of the c-Myc and Spl proteins (transcription factors of hTERT). These results indicate that the anticancer activity of Compound K could be mediated by inhibition of the telomerase activity.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제16권9호
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• pp.1369-1376
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• 2006

Self-organized nanogels were prepared from pullulan/biotin conjugates (PU/Bio) for the development of an effective anticancer drug delivery system. The degree of biotin substitution was 11, 19, and 24 biotin groups per 100 anhydroglucose units of pullulan. The physicochemical properties of the nanogels (PU/Bio1, 2 and 3) in aqueous media were characterized by dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, and fluorescence spectroscopy. The mean diameter of all the samples was less than 300 nm with a unimodal size distribution. The critical aggregation concentrations (CACs) of the nanoparticles in distilled water were $2.8{\times}10^{-2},\;1.6{\times}10^{-2}$, and $0.7{\times}10^{-2}mg/ml$ for the PU/Bio1, 2, and 3, respectively. The aggregation behavior of the nanogels indicated that biotin can perform as a hydrophobic moiety. To observe the specific interaction with a hepatic carcinoma cell line (HepG2), the conjugates were labeled with rhodamine B isothiocyanate (RITC) and their intensities measured using a fluorescence microplate reader. The HepG2 cells treated with the fluorescence-labeled PU/Bio nanoparticles were strongly luminated compared with the control (pullulan). Confocal laser microscopy also confirmed internalization of the PU/Bio nanogels into the cancer cells. Such results demonstrated that the biotin in the conjugate acted as both a hydrophobic moiety for self-assembly and a tumor-targeting moiety for specific interaction with tumor cells. Consequently, PU/Bio nanogels would appear to be a useful drug carrier for the treatment of liver cancer.