• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.69-76
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• 2018

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common type of oral malignancy. Numerous therapies have been proposed for its cure. Research is continually being conducted to develop new forms of treatment as current therapies are associated with numerous side-effects. Luteolin, a common dietary flavonoid, has been demonstrated to possess strong anti-cancer activity against various human cancer cell lines. Nevertheless, research into luteolin-based anticancer activity against oral cancer remains scarce. Thus, the objective of this study was to assess the effect of luteolin as an anti-cancer agent. After treatment with luteolin, Ca9-22 and CAL-27 oral cancer cells showed condensed nuclei and enhanced apoptotic rate with evidence of mitochondria-mediated apoptosis. Epithelialmesenchymal transition (EMT) is closely related to tumor migration and invasion. Luteolin suppressed cancer cell invasion and migration in the current study. Elevated expression of E-cadherin, an adherens junction protein, was evident in both cell lines after luteolin treatment. Luteolin also significantly inhibited transcription factors (i.e., N-cadherin, Slug, Snail, Twist, and ZEB-1) that regulated expression of tumor suppressors such as E-cadherin based on Western blot analysis and quantitative PCR. Thus, luteolin could induce mitochondrial apoptosis and inhibit cancer cell invasion and migration by suppressing EMT-induced transcription factors.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.350-355
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• 2009

Arachidonic acid (AA) is a polyunsaturated fatty acid that is a normal constituent of membrane lipids in animal cells. In addition to its role as a precursor of prostaglandins, AA itself may play an important role in the regulation of cell function. The effect of AA on functions of granulosa cells was investigated in pre-hierarchical small yellow follicles of laying hens. Immuno-cytochemical staining showed that AA ($10^{-7}-10^{-5}$ M) increased the expression of the extracellular matrix glycoprotein laminin, gap junction connexin 43 and protein kinase C (PKC). Therefore, mediated by the PKC signal pathway, AA may regulate the intercellular communication of granulosa cells and follicular development by increasing the expression of laminin and connexin.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.408-420
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• 2020

Purpose: Isoform 2 of tight junction protein claudin-18 (CLDN18.2) is a potential target for gastric cancer treatment. A treatment targeting CLDN18.2 has shown promising results in gastric cancer. We investigated the clinical significance of CLDN18.2 and other cell-adherens junction molecules (Rho GTPase-activating protein [RhoGAP] and E-cadherin) in metastatic diffuse-type gastric cancer (mDGC). Materials and Methods: We evaluated CLDN18.2, RhoGAP, and E-cadherin expression using two-plex immunofluorescence and quantitative data analysis of H-scores of 77 consecutive mDGC patients who received first-line platinum-based chemotherapy between March 2015 and February 2017. Results: CLDN18.2 and E-cadherin expression was significantly lower in patients with peritoneal metastasis (PM) than those without PM at the time of diagnosis (P=0.010 and 0.013, respectively), whereas it was significantly higher in patients who never developed PM from diagnosis to death than in those who did (P=0.001 and 0.003, respectively). Meanwhile, CLDN18.2 and E-cadherin expression levels were significantly higher in patients with bone metastasis than in those without bone metastasis (P=0.010 and 0.001, respectively). Moreover, we identified a positive correlation between the expression of CLDN18.2 and E-cadherin (P<0.001), RhoGAP and CLDN18.2 (P=0.004), and RhoGAP and E-cadherin (P=0.001). Conversely, CLDN18.2, RhoGAP, and E-cadherin expression was not associated with chemotherapy response and survival. Conclusions: CLDN18.2 expression was reduced in patients with PM but significantly intact in those with bone metastasis. Furthermore, CLDN18.2 expression was positively correlated with other adherens junction molecules, which is clinically associated with mDGC and PM pathogenesis.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.95-104
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• 2019

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) has rapidly escalated in Asia (including Korea) due to increasing westernized diet patterns subsequent to industrialization. Factors associated with endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress are demonstrated to be one of the major causes of IBD. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of Lycium barbarum (L. barbarum) on ER stress. MATERIALS/METHODS: Mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF) cell line and polarized Caco-2 human intestinal epithelial cells were treated with crude extract of the L. chinense fruit (LF). Paracellular permeability was measured to examine the effect of tight junction (TJ) integrity. The regulatory pathways of ER stress were evaluated in MEF knockout (KO) cell lines by qPCR for interleukin (IL) 6, IL8 and XBP1 spliced form (XBP1s). Immunoglobulin binding protein (BiP), XBP1s and CCAAT/enhancer-binding homologous protein (CHOP) expressions were measured by RT-PCR. Scanning Ion Conductance Microscopy (SICM) at high resolution was applied to observe morphological changes after treatments. RESULTS: Exposure to LF extract strengthened the TJ, both in the presence and absence of inflammation. In polarized Caco-2 pretreated with LF, induction in the expression of proinflammatory marker IL8 was not significant, whereas ER stress marker XBP1s expression was significantly increased. In wild type (wt) MEF cells, IL6, CHOP and XBP1 spliced form were dose-dependently induced when exposed to $12.5-50{\mu}g/mL$ extract. However, absence of XBP1 or $IRE1{\alpha}$ in MEF cells abolished this effect. CONCLUSION: Results of this study show that LF treatment enhances the barrier function and reduces inflammation and ER stress in an $IRE1{\alpha}$-XBP1-dependent manner. These results suggest the preventive effect of LF on healthy intestine, and the possibility of reducing the degree of inflammatory symptoms in IBD patients.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.17 no.8
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• pp.265-270
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• 2019

Growing evidence suggests that mediating apoptotic cell death of ER stress plays an important role in pathological development of neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease. The ethanol extract of Rodiola sacra (ERS) investigates whether ER stress protects neuroinvasive neuro-2A cells from homocysteine (Hcy) cell death and ER stress. In neuronal cells, Hcy markedly decreased the viability of the cells and induced the death of Annexin V-positive cells as confirmed by MTT assay. The Hcy cell viability and apoptotic loss pretreated with ERS were attenuated, and Hcy showed stress in the expression of C / EBP homologous protein, 78-kDa glucose regulatory protein and the junction of X-box binding protein-1 (xbp1) mRNA. ESR decreased Hcy-induced mRNA binding, GRP78 and CHOP cells induced Hcy-induced ER stress and apoptosis, and Western blotting revealed expression of heme oxygenase-1 and HO-1 enzyme activity Inhibition is indicative of therapeutic value for neurodegenerative diseases such as decreased cell death by hemin.

• Biomaterials and Biomechanics in Bioengineering
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.81-93
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• 2014

An in vitro cell study evaluating cell adhesion to hydroxyapatite (HA) coated prosthetic Ti-6Al-4V alloy via laser treatment is presented in comparison with uncoated alloy. Based on our previous in vitro biocompatibility study, which demonstrated higher cell attachment and proliferation with MC3T3-E1 preosteoblast cells, the present investigation aims to reveal the effect of laser coating Ti alloy with HA on the adhesion strength of bone-forming cells against centrifugal forces. Remaining cells on different substrates after centrifugation were visualized using fluorescent staining. Semi-quantifications on the numbers of cells were conducted based on fluorescent images, which demonstrated higher numbers of cells retained on HA laser treated substrates post centrifugation. The results indicate potential increase in the normalized maximum force required to displace cells from HA coated surfaces versus uncoated control surface. The possible mechanisms that govern the enhancing effect were discussed, including surface roughness, chemistry, wettability, and protein adsorption. The improvement in cell adhesion through laser treatment with a biomimetic coating could be useful in reducing tissue damage at the prosthetic to bone junction and minimizing the loosening of prosthetics over time.

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.75-87
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• 2022

Reflux esophagitis (RE) is a gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) caused by repeated reflux of gastric acid into the esophagus. The present study investigated the protective effect of natural mineral water on esophageal injury induced by gastric acid reflux. The cytotoxicity of mineral water was confirmed using Cell viability, proliferation and cytotoxicity assay kit. The protective effect of mineral water on esophageal injury was investigated in RE rat model. The results showed that no cytotoxicity of mineral water was observed in RAW264.7 cells. Mineral water decreased the ratio of esophageal damage, inhibited the increase of inflammatory-protein expression levels and increased the mucosa protection and tight junction proteins expression level in RE control rat. The results suggest that mineral water may have the potential to protect esophageal damage caused by gastric acid reflux and the potential to alleviate reflux esophagitis.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.231-239
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• 2004

Cerebral microvessel endothelial cells that form blood-brain barrier (BBB) have tight junction for maintaining brain homeostasis. Occludin, one of tight junction protein, is crucial for BBB function. $H_2O_2$ induced occludin changes and effects in bovine brain BBB endothelial cells were examined in this study. The decrease of transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER) by $H_2O_2$ was due to disruption of occludin localization. Cytotoxicity test revealed that $H_2O_2$ did not cause cell death below 1 mM $H_2O_2$ within 4 hr. $H_2O_2$ caused intermittent disruption and loss of occludin at tight junctions and occludin disappeared with dose dependent manner from tight junction in confocal laser microscopy. But Western blot revealed that the total amounts of occludin increased by $H_2O_2$ administration. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that the ultrastructure of tight junction was not changed by $H_2O_2$. These data suggest that functional disruption of BBB by $H_2O_2$ was due to the localized loss of occludin in tight junction, but the expression of occludin increased in order to compensate the disrupted function in BBB.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.23-26
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• 2016

Transcription factor called activating enhancer binding protein 2C (AP2-gamma) is found in a variety of species and expressed from oocyte stage onwards, particularly restricted to the trophectoderm. Recent studies demonstrated that ablation of Tfap2c led to failure of tight junction biogenesis, particularly the knock-down embryos of Tfap2c did not form cavity from morula to blastocyst in mouse and pig. We speculated that the Tfa2pc may also be involved in desmosome biogenesis because blastocoel formation is coincident with the establishment of desmosome. To determine this, we depleted Tfap2c injecting siRNA into one-cell zygote and analysed the expression levels of genes that are required for desmosome complex such as PkP2, Pkp3, Dsc2, and Dsg2. We found only Pkp3 was up-regulated in the knockdowned morula embryos. Interestingly, upstream region of Pkp3 had putative Tfap2c binding sites. In conclusion, our results suggest that Tfap2c is not a crucial factor but somehow it might be involved in desmosome biogenesis directly or indirectly via Pkp3.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.164-171
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• 2019

Radiation therapy has many side effects, such as digestive mucosal ulcers, without regard to its efficacy. The purpose of this study is to address an alternative method to replace the limitation of radiation therapy using radiomimetic microbial ribotoxins. In the evaluation of cancer therapy, we analyzed the formation of colorectal cancer (CRC) cell spheroids, which can take into account the heterogeneous cellular constitution, tumor stem cells, and the surrounding microenvironment. Ribotoxic stress interfered with the spheroid structure composed of relatively small clusters. Spheroids under ribotoxic stress were structurally sparse and their shrinkage was very slow. In the control group, the clusters of strongly aggregated cells were resistant to physical stress, but the ribotoxic stress-exposed spheroids were easily broken up by the physical stress. Moreover, the ribosome-insulted CRC cells slowly migrated to form clusters and the cell-cell junctional points in the ribosome-insulted spheroids were rarer than those in the control CRC spheroid. Moreover, levels of the cell-to-cell junctional protein E-cadherin were suppressed by ribotoxic stress in both allograft and xenograft spheroids. In conclusion, the radiomimetic microbial ribotoxins induced structural defects in CRC cell spheroids via retardation of migration and cell-cell junction in the formation of three-dimensional structures, and provides a basis for the mechanism of pharmacological radiomimetic anticancer actions as an alternate to radiotherapy against cancer.