• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.207-212
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• 2017

Objectives: Study of the mechanisms involved in cancer progression suggests that cyclooxygenase enzymes play an important role in the induction of inflammation, tumor formation, and metastasis of cancer cells. Thus, cyclooxygenase enzymes could be considered for cancer chemotherapy. Among these enzymes, cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) is associated with liver carcinogenesis. Various COX-2 inhibitors cause growth inhibition of human hepatocellular carcinoma cells, but many of them act in the COX-2 independent mechanism. Thus, the introduction of selective COX-2 inhibitors is necessary to achieve a clear result. The present study was aimed to determine the growth-inhibitory effects of new analogues of chalcone epoxide as selective COX-2 inhibitors on the human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cell line. Methods: Estimation of both cell growth and the amount of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production were used to study the effect of selective COX-2 inhibitors on the hepatocellular carcinoma cell. Cell growth determination has done by MTT assay in 24 h, 48 h and 72 h, and PGE2 production has estimated by using ELYSA kit in 48 h and 72 h. Results: The results showed growth inhibition of the HepG2 cell line in a concentration and time-dependent manner, as well as a reduction in the formation of PGE2 as a product of COX-2 activity. Among the compounds those analogues with methoxy and hydrogen group showed more inhibitory effect than others. Conclusion: The current in-vitro study indicates that the observed significant growth-inhibitory effect of chalcone-epoxide analogues on the HepG2 cell line may involve COX-dependent mechanisms and the PGE2 pathway parallel to the effect of celecoxib. It can be said that these analogues might be efficient compounds in chemotherapy of COX-2 dependent carcinoma specially preventing and treatment of hepatocellular carcinomas.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.59-70
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• 2008

Purpose: We evaluated the therapeutic effect of AEE788, a dual inhibitor of epidermal growth factor (EGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor tyrosine kinases on human salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) cells growing in nude mice. Experimental Design: We examined the effects of AEE788 on salivary ACC cell growth and apoptosis. To determine the in vivo effects of AEE788, nude mice with orthotopic parotid tumors were randomized to receive oral AEE788 (50 mg/kg) three times per week, injected paclitaxel ($200{\mu}g$) once per week, AEE788 plus paclitaxel, or placebo. Mechanisms of in vivo AEE788 activity were determined by immunohistochemical analysis. Results: Treatment of salivary ACC cells with AEE788 led to growth inhibition and induction of apoptosis. AEE788 inhibited tumor growth and prevented lung metastasis in nude mice. Furthermore, AEE788 potentiated growth inhibition and apoptosis of ACC tumor cells mediated by paclitaxel. Tumors of mice treated with AEE788 and AEE788 plus paclitaxel exhibited down-regulation of activated EGFR and its downstream mediators (Akt and MAPK), increased tumor and endothelial cell apoptosis, and decreased microvessel den-sity, which correlated with a decrease in the level of MMP-9, MMP-2 and bFGF expression and a decrease in the incidence of vascular metastasis. Conclusions: These data show that tumor-associated endothelial cells are important in the process of tumor-metastasis. And VEGFR can be a molecular target for therapy of metastatic lung lesion of salivary ACC.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.47-59
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• 2006

We previously found that cobrotoxin inhibited $NF-{\kappa}B$ activity by reacting with signal molecules of $NF-{\kappa}B$ which is critical contributor in cancer cell growth by induction of apoptotic cell death. We here investigated whether cobrotoxin inhibits cell growth of human prostate cancer cells through induction of apoptotic cell death, which is related with the suppression of the $NF-{\kappa}B$ activity. Cobrotoxin $(0{\sim}8\;nM)$ inhibited prostate cancer cell growth through increased apoptosis in a dose dependent manner. Cobrotoxin inhibited DNA binding activity of $NF-{\kappa}B$, an anti-apoptotic transcriptional factor. Consistent with the induction of apoptosis and inhibition of $NF-{\kappa}B$, cobrotoxin increased the expression of pro-apoptotic proteins caspase 3. Cobrotoxin, a venom of Vipera lebetina turanica, is a group of basicpeptides composed of 233 amino acids with six disulfide bonds formed by twelve cysteins. NF-kB is activated by subsequent release of inhibitory IkB and translocation of p50. Since sulfhydryl group is present in kinase domain of p50 subunit of NF-kB, cobrotoxin could modify NF-kB activity by protein-protein interaction. And Cobrotoxin down regulated Akt signals. Salicylic acid as a reducing agent of Sulf-hydryl group and LY294002 as a Akt inhibitor abrogated cobrotoxin-induced cell growth and DNA binding activity of $NF-{\kappa}B$. These findings suggest that nano to pico molar range of cobrotoxin could inhibit prostate cancer cell growth, and the effect may be related with the induction of apoptotic cell death through Akt dependent inhibition of $NF-{\kappa}B$ signal.

• BMB Reports
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.525-530
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• 2000

The nerve growth factor (NGF) induces neuronal differentiation and neurite outgrowth of PC12 cells, whereas epidermal growth factors (EGF) stimulate growth and proliferation of the cells. In spite of this difference, NGF-or EGF-treated PC12 cells share various properties in cellular-signaling pathways. These include the activation of the phosphoinositide (PI)-3 kinase, 70 kDa S6 kinase, and in the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase pathway, following the binding of these growth factors to intrinsic receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs). Therefore, many studies have been attempted to access the critical signaling events in determining the differentiation and proliferation of PC12 cells. In this study, we investigated the cytosolic phospholipase $A_2$ ($cPLA_2$) in neurite behavior in order to identify the differences of signaling pathways between the NGF-induced differentiation and the EGF-induced proliferation of PC12 cells. We have showed here that the $cPLA_2$ was translocated from cytosol to membrane only in NGF-treated cells. We also demonstrated that this translocation is associated with NGF-induced activation of phospholipase $C-{\gamma}(PLC-{\gamma})$, which elevates intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ concentration. These results reveal that the translocation of $cPLA_2$ may be a requisite event in the neuronal differentiation of PC12 cells. Various phospholipase inhibitors were used to confirm the importance of these enzymes in the differentiation of PC12 cells. Neomycin B, a PLC inhibitor, dramatically inhibited the neurite outgrowth, and two distinct $PLA_2$ inhibitors, 4-bromophenacyl bromide (BPB) and arachidonyltrifluoro-methyl ketone ($AACOCF_3$) also suppressed the neurite outgrowth of the cells, as well Taken together, these data indicated that $cPLA_2$ is involved in NGF-induced neuronal differentiation and neurite outgrowth of PC12 cells.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.203-209
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• 2016

Recently, increased attention has been directed toward medicinal extracts and their active ingredients as potential new drug candidates for androgenic alopecia. Resina Pini (RP), a resinous exudation obtained from Pinus sp. (Pinaceae), has been used as a traditional medicine for the treatment of infection, pain related to dental caries, and periodontal disease. Previously, we suggested that RP and its main constituent, abietic acid (abieta-7,13-dien-18-oic acid; AA), may play important roles against androgenic alopecia as $5{\alpha}$-reductase inhibitors. However, to date, there is no evidence that AA has hair growth-promoting effects in vivo. In this study, we found that 10 ~ 300 mg/kg RP and 3 ~ 30 mg/kg AA significantly promoted hair growth in a C3H/HeN mouse model of alopecia. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the hair growth-promoting effects of RP and AA in vivo. From these results, RP and its main constituent AA can promote hair growth in mouse by inhibiting $5{\alpha}$-reductase activity and may be effective alternative therapies for androgenic alopecia.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.3-7
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• 2005

The insulin-like growth factors (IGFs), their receptors, and their binding proteins play key roles in regulating cell proliferation and apoptosis. Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP3, OMIM #146732) is one of the proteins that bind to the IGFs. IGFBP3 is a modulator of IGF bioactivity, and direct growth inhibitor in the extravascular tissue compartment. We identified twenty-two novel single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in IGFBP3 gene in Korean cattle (Hanwoo, Bos taurus coreanae) by direct sequencing of full gene including -1,500 bp promoter region. Among the identified SNPs, five common SNPs were screened in 650 Korean cattle; one SNP in promoter (IGFBP3 G-854C), one in 5'UTR region (IGFBP3 G-100A), two in intron 1 (IGFBP3 G+421T, IGFBP3 T+1636A), and one in intron 2 (IGFBP3 C+3863A). The frequencies of each SNP were 0.357 (IGFBP3 G-854C), 0.472 (IGFBP3 G-100A), 0.418 (IGFBP3 G+421T), 0.363 (IGFBP3 T+1636A) and 0.226 (IGFBP3 C+3863A), respectively. Haplotypes and their frequencies were estimated by EM algorithm. Six haplotypes were constructed with five SNPs and linkage disequilibrium coefficients (|D'|) between SNP pairs were also calculated. The information on SNPs and haplotypes in IGFBP3 gene could be useful for genetic studies of this gene.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.132-139
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• 1996

The growth of recombinant E. coil and by-product production were investigated. D-cycloserine was added to increase the secretion of ${\alpha}$-amylase from recombinant E.coil. Even though cell growth was increased for optimal d-cycloserine concentration $0.1g/\ell$, extracellular ${\alpha}$-amylase activity remained almost the same as the case without d-cycloserine. It is important to achieve the high cell density for commercial production of methaboliles including ${\alpha}$-amylase. To achieve this goal, culture conditions should be selected carefully and optimized considering cell growth and by-products production. In cultivating retombinant E. coli, lactic acid and acetic acid turned out to be important by-product which affected cell yield and growth rate.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.330-336
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• 2001

Angiogenesis is an essential process for the growth, invasion and metastasis of cancer. However, it is uncertain that antiangiogenic effects can be a major treatment strategy of oral cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate whether thalidomide, which is known to be a potent inhibitor of angiogenesis, have inhibitory effect on the growth and antiangiogenic effects of oral squamous cell carcinoma(OSCC) xenografted in nude mice and whether antiangiogenesis of thalidomide can be included as a major treatment strategy of oral cancer. After human oral squamous cell carcinoma strain KB was subcutaneously implanted in 20 nude mice, the volume of tumor was measured every three days. When the tumor mass reached $75{\sim}100mm^3$, thalidomide(200mg/kg/d) was administered into 10 experimental nude mice and the same volume of distilled water was administered into 10 control nude mice and the tumor volume was measured every three days. The excised tumor masses on the 30th day after administration were frozen and processed for immunohistochemistry using vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF) and CD31. We evaluated microvessel density and VEGF expression. The results were as follows ; 1. Thalidomide retarded the growth of human OSCC as compared with the control group, but it was not statistically significant. 2. A statistically significant lower microvessel density was observed in the thalidomide-treated group than in the control group(p<0.01) and thalidomide significantly reduced VEGF expression (p<0.01). Thalidomide exhibited significantly antiangiogenic effect, but did not inhibit the growth of human OSCC effectively. Antiangiogenic therapy of thalidomide alone is not likely to be effective in the treatment of human OSCC, but might be regarded as adjuvant chemotherapeutic strategy.

• The Journal of Korean Society for Radiation Therapy
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.165-174
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• 2002

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has been identified as a peptide growth factor specific for vascular endothelial cells. In this study, we examined the effect of VEGF on radiation induced apoptosis and receptor/second messenger signal transduction pathway for VEGF effect in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). VEGF was found to protect HUVECs against the lethal effects of ionizing radiation by inhibiting the apoptosis induced in these cells by radiation exposure. VEGF (1-30 ng/ml) dose dependently inhibited apoptosis by irradiation. Pre-treatment with Flt-1 and Flk-l/KDR receptor blocked the VEGF-in duced antiapoptotic effect. Phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase (PI3-kinase) specific inhibitor, Wortman in and LY294002, blocked the VEGF-induced antiapoptotic effect. These data suggest that VEGF may play an important role in survival of HUVECs due to the prevention of apoptotic cell death caused by some stresses such as ionizing radiation.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.2439-2445
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• 2014

Cryptotanshinone (CPT), is a quinoid diterpene isolated from the root of the Asian medicinal plant, Salvia miotiorrhiza bunge. Numerous researchers have found that it could work as a potent antitumor agent to inhibit tumor growth in vitro, buith there has been much less emphasis on its in vivo role against breast tumors. Using a mouse tumor model of MCF7 cells, we showed that CPT strongly inhibited MCF7 cell growth in vivo with polarization of immune reactions toward Th1-type responses, stimulation of naive CD4+ T cell proliferation, and also increased IFN-${\gamma}$ and perforin production of CD4+ T cells in response to tumor-activated splenocytes. Furthermore, data revealed that the cytotoxic activity of CD4+ T cells induced by CPT was markedly abrogated by concanamycin A(CMA), a perforin inhibitor, but not IFN-${\gamma}$ Ab. On the other hand, after depletion of CD4+ T cells or blocked perforin with CMA in a tumor-bearing model, CPT could not effectively suppress tumor growth, but this phenomenon could be reversed by injecting naive CD4+ T cells. Thus, our results suggested that CPT mainly inhibited breast tumor growth through inducing cytotoxic CD4+ T cells to secrete perforin. We further found that CPT enhanced perforin production of CD4+ T cells by up-regulating JAK2 and STAT4 phosphorylation. These findings suggest a novel potential therapeutic role for CPT in tumor therapy, and demonstrate that CPT performs its antitumor functions through cytotoxic CD4+ T cells.