• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.396-402
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• 2011

Introduction: Epidermal growth factor is a single-chain polypeptide consisting of 53 amino acids with potent mitogenic activity that stimulates the proliferation of a range of normal and neoplastic cells through an interaction with its specific receptor (epidermal growth factor receptor, EGFR). This interaction plays a key role in tumor progression including the induction of tumor cell proliferation. An increased EGFR copy number have been associated with a favorable response to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors therapy. In contrast, K-ras mutations tend to predict a poor response to such therapy. The aim of this study was to determine the correlation between the clinicopathological factors and the up-regulation of EGFR expression and Kras mutations in oral squamous cell carcinoma. Materials and Methods: This study examined the immunohistochemical staining of EGFR, K-ras mutation detection with peptide nucleic acid (PNA)-based real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) clamping in 20 specimens from 20 patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma. Results: 1. In the immunohistochemical study of poorly differentiated and invasive oral squamous cell carcinoma, a high level of EGFR staining was observed. The correlation between immunohistochemical EGFR expression and histological differentiation, as well as the tumor size of the specimens was significant (Pearson correlation analysis, significance [r] >0.5, P<0.05). 2. In PNA-based real-time PCR clamping analysis, a K-ras mutation was not detected in all specimens. Conclusion: These findings suggest that the up-regulation of the EGFR may play a role in the progression and invasion of oral squamous cell carcinoma that is, independent of a K-ras mutation.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.273-278
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• 2007

Stem cells have been the subject of increasing scientific interest because of their utility in numerous biomedical applications. Stem cells are capable of renewing themselves; that is, they can be continuously cultured in an undifferentiated state, giving rise to more specialized cells of the human body. Therefore, stem cells are an important new tools for developing unique, in vitro model systems to test drugs and chemicals and a potential to predict or anticipate toxicity in humans. In the present study, in vitro cultured F3 immortalized human neural stem cell line and in vivo adult Sprague Dawley rats was used to evaluate the cytotoxicity of anticancer drug paclitaxel. In vitro apoptotic activity of paclitaxel was evaluated in F3 cell line by a MTT assay and DAPI test. The cell death was induced with the treatment of 20 nM paclitaxel and chromatin degradation was detected by DAPI staining, which was analyzed by fluorescent microscope. In vivo studies, we also observed nestin immunoreactivity on subventricular zone, which is stem cell rich region in the adult brain of the SD rat. Immunofluorescent staining result shows that pixel intensities of nestin were decreased in a dose dependent manner. These results suggest that paclitaxel is able to induce cytotoxic activity both in F3 neural stem cell line and neural stem cell in SD rat brain.

• BMB Reports
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.722-729
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• 2006

Recently, we have reported that 3-hydrogenkwadaphnin (3-HK), a diterpene ester isolated from Dendrostellera lessertii (Thymealeaceae), is very effective against leukemia cell lines without any detectable effects on normal cells (Moosavi et al., 2005b). In this study, we report that 3-HK induces $G_1$ cell-cycle arrest, differentiation and apoptosis in APL NB4 cell line. Indeed, the drug between 24 to 96 h induced 7-65% growth inhibition of NB4 cells. Cell viability was also decreased by 2-55% between 24 to 96 h treatments with the drug, respectively. These effects of the drug were also dose-dependent. According to flow cytomtry results, 3-HK (15 nM) induced a significant G1-arrest up to 24 h which was consequently followed with appearance of sub-$G_1$ peak at 72 to 96 h. Hoechst 33258 staining and DNA fragmentation assays confirmed the occurrence of apoptosis among the treated cells. On the other hand, NBT reducing assay, Wright-Giemsa staining, phagocytic activity and expression of cell surface markers (CD11b and CD14) confirmed that the inhibition of proliferation is associated with differentiation especially toward macrophage-like morphology. Interestingly, 3-HK at 5 and 10 nM enhanced the effects of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) in NB4 cells. Based on these results, 3-HK might become an ideal candidate for treatment of APL patients pending full exploration of its biological functions.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.158-176
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• 2014

Purpose : The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of ARTEMISIAE CAPILLARIS HERBA and COPTIDIS RHIZOMA Extracts on cell death in pancreatic cancer cells. Method : Human-derived pancreatic cancer cell line, MIA PaCa-2 cells were treated by Prescription A with various concentrations and the cytotoxicity was determined by MTT assay. To investigate the effects of Prescription A on pancreatic cancer cells, the staining of Annexin V/PI, cell cycle arrest, nuclear chromatin condensation and the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were examined. The effect of Prescription A's effective components, ARTEMISIAE CAPILLARIS HERBA and COPTIDIS RHIZOMA Extracts on cell death were also observed. Results : The viability of MIA PaCa-2 cells treated with Prescription A were decreased in a dose dependent manner. Prescription A induced cell death in MIA PaCa-2 cells as shown by result of Annexin V/PI double staining, chromatin condensation and cell cycle arrest. In addition, production of ROS was increased by Prescription A treatment, suggesting that ROS induced by Prescription A mediated cell death. Furthermore, Prescription A's effective components, ARTEMISIAE CAPILLARIS HERBA and COPTIDIS RHIZOMA Extracts were also induced apoptosis of MIA PaCa-2 cells through ROS production. Conclusion : These results suggest that Prescription A's effective components, ARTEMISIAE CAPILLARIS HERBA and COPTIDIS RHIZOMA Extracts induced death of MIA PaCa-2 through ROS production.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.26 no.7
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• pp.764-771
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• 2016

Extracts from Artemisia annua Linné (AAE) have been known to possess various functions, including anti-bacterial, anti-virus, and anti-oxidant effects. However, the mechanism of those effects of AAE is not well-known. The aim of this study was to analyze the inhibitory effects of AAE on cell proliferation of the human hepatoma cell line (Hep3B) and to examine its effects on apoptosis. Activation by phosphorylation of Akt is cell proliferation through the phosphorylation of TSC2, mTOR, and GSK-3β. We suggested that AAE may exert cancer cell apoptosis through Akt/mTOR/GSK-3β signal pathways and mitochondria-mediated apoptotic proteins. For this, we examined the effects of extracts of AAE on cell proliferation according to treatment concentration. Treatment with AAE not only reduced cell viability, but also resulted in the induced release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). These results were determined with a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and a lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assay. Furthermore, we determined the effects of apoptosis through Hoechst 33342 staining, annexinⅤ-propidium iodide (PI) staining, 5,5′, 6,6′-tetrachloro-1,1′,3,3′-tetraethyl-imidacarbocyanine iodide (JC-1) staining, and Western blotting. Our study showed that the treatment of liver cancer cells with AAE resulted in the inhibition of Akt, TSC2, GSK-3β-phosphorylated, Bcl-2, and pro-caspase 3 and the activation of Bim, Bax, Bak, and cleaved PARP expressions. These results indicate that AAE induced apoptosis by means of a mitochondrial event through the regulate of Akt/mTOR/GSK-3β signaling pathways.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2010

Background and Purpose: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-C and VEGF receptor (VEGFR)-3 are involved in tumor lymphangiogenesis. Oral mucosal squamous cell carcinoma (OMSCC) preferentially metastasizes to cervical lymph nodes, so we investigated the expression and distribution of VEGFR-3 signaling proteins in OMSCC. Materials and Methods: Tissue samples of 18 OMSCC, 10 oral mucosal leukoplakia, and 3 normal oral mucosa were evaluated for expression of VEGF-C, VEGF-D, and VEGFR-3 by immunohistochemical staining. The presence of lymphatic vessels was determined using D2-40 staining, by which we also measured lymphatic vessel density (LVD). Results: 72% (13/18) and 56% (10/18) of tissue samples showed VEGF-C and VEGF-D immunopositivity in tumor cells and tumor-associated endothelial cells. VEGFR-3 was also expressed in most of OMSCC, which was up-regulated when compared with normal mucosa or with leukoplakia. Furthermore, LVD was higher in OMSCC than in leukoplakia. Conclusion: Taken together, our results suggest that autocrine activation of lymphatic endothelial cell via VEGFR-3 by VEGF-C and/or VEGF-D could be involved in progression of OMSCC. Therefore, VEGF-C/VEGFR-3 signaling pathway can be a molecular target for anti-metastatic therapy in OMSCC.

• The Korean Journal of Cytopathology
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.36-41
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• 2003

Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma is a rare vascular tumor of borderline malignancy which is characterized by the presence of "epithelioid" or "histiocytoid" endothelial cells. Superficial and deep tumors have been recognized in the extremities, head, neck, chest, and mediastinum of adult patients. It may also occur as a primary tumor of liver, bone, and other visceral organs. Few effusion cytologic findings of epithelioid hemangioendothelioma have been reported. We report a case of composite epithelioid hemangioendothelioma with focal epithelioid angiosarcomatous areas of the iliac bone and adjacent soft tissue in a 38-year-old female, which, during its metastatic course, was presented as a pleural effusion. The effusion was cellular with epithelioid cells presenting both singly and in clusters. The tumor cells were round to ovoid shewing cytoplasmic vacuolization, variability in cell size, and prominent nucleoli. The effusion smears and cell block sections revealed strong positive staining for CD31 and vimentin, weak positive for CD34 and Factor VIII-related antigen, and negative for cytokeratin, CEA, and calretinin. The cytologic findings in this case were similar to that of metastatic adenocarcinoma or malignant mesothelioma. Therefore, immunocytochemical staining in smear and cell block is a helpful tool to differentiate malignant 'epithelioid' cells in effusion.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.91-95
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• 2008

Embryonic stem cells have a pluripotency and a potential to differentiate to all type of cells. In our previous study, we have shown that embryonic stem cells (ESCs) lines can be generated from murine parthenogenetic embryos. This parthenogenetic ESCs line can be a useful stem cell source for tissue repair and regeneration. The defect in full-term development of parthenogenetic ESCs line enables researchers to avoid the ethical concerns related with ESCs research. In this study, we presented the results demonstrating that parthenogenetic ESCs can be induced into osteogenic cells by supplementing culture media with ascorbic acid and $\beta$-glycerophosphate. These cells showed morphologies of osteogenic cells and it was proven by Von Kossa staining and Alizarin Red staining. Expression of marker genes for osteogenic cells (osteopontin, osteonectin, alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin, bone-sialoprotein, collagen type1, and Cbfa1) also confirmed osteogenic potential of these cells. These results demonstrate that osteogenic cells can be generated from parthenogenetic ESCs in vitro.

• BMB Reports
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• v.40 no.6
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• pp.944-951
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• 2007

3-Hydrogenkwadaphnin (3-HK) is a daphnane-type diterpene ester isolated from Dendrostellera lessertii (Thymelaeaceae) with high differentiation and apoptotic potency in leukemic cells without any measurable adverse effects on normal cells (Moosavi et al., 2005b). In this study, we report that 3-HK (12 nM) has the ability to cease proliferation, induce differentiation and apoptosis in chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) K562 cell line. The treated cells lost erythroid properties and differentiated along the megakaryocytic lineage based on the morphological features apparent after Wright-Giemsa staining, DNA content analysis and the expression of cell surface marker glycoprotein IIb as analyzed by flow cytometry. Moreover, using Hoechst 33258 and Annexin V double staining indicated the occurrence of apoptosis among the treated cells. On the other hand, restoration of the depleted GTP pool size by exogenous addition of guanosine ($50{\mu}M$) reduced the effect of the drug regarding the extent of differentiation while no further enhancement of 3-HK effect was obtained by addition of exogenous hypoxanthine ($100{\mu}M$). These interesting results necessitate further investigation regarding the mechanism of action of this unique anti-leukemic agent.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.216-224
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• 2011

Capsosiphon fulvescens is well-known green sea algae that, in recent years, has been proposed as a potential anticancer drug. In this study, we found that C. fulvescens glycoprotein (Cf-GP) had pro-apoptotic effects on human gastric carcinoma cells. By SDS-PAGE, we confirmed that C. fulvescens extract contained a glycoprotein. Using H33342 staining, we found that the Cf-GP caused cell death in a does-dependent manner, while an MTS assay showed decreased cellular viability due to induction of apoptosis. To determine the effect of Cf-GP on apoptosis-related cellular events, cells were treated with Cf-GP and the expression of several apoptosis-related protein was determined by Western blotting. Our results indicate that Cf-GP activated both a caspase cascade and PARP, which is a substrate of caspase-3, caspase-8 and the Bcl-2 family proteins. In addition, we assessed caspase-3, and -8 activation and annexin V staining. Our results revealed a cell cycle arrest, itself leading to an increased percentage of sub-G1 cells. Our findings indicate that Cf-GP may be a source of bio-functional material with therapeutic effects on human gastrointestinal cancer.