• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
• /
• v.35 no.5
• /
• pp.177-184
• /
• 2021

The root bark of Morus alba L. (MA) used in traditional oriental medicine for the treatment of pulmonary diseases exerts various pharmacological activities including anticancer effects. In the current study, we investigated the effects of MA on the migration and invasion of colorectal carcinoma cells. Results from a transwell assay showed that the methylene chloride extract of MA (MEMA) suppressed the migration and invasion of HCT116 human colorectal carcinoma cells in a concentration-dependent manner. MEMA reduced both mRNA and protein levels of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9, but did not suppress the expression of MMP-2 in HCT116 cells. As a molecular mechanism, MEMA inhibited the phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), including ERK, JNK and p38, in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, MEMA dephosphorylated both Src and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) in HCT116 cells. Taken together, we demonstrate that MEMA suppressed the migration and invasion capacity of HCT116 human colorectal cancer cells by downregulation of MMP-9 and inactivation of both MAPKs and Src/STAT3 signaling pathway.

• Biomedical Science Letters
• /
• v.19 no.2
• /
• pp.98-104
• /
• 2013

Radiation is one of the major therapy for the removal of cancer cells. The results of the radiation therapy depend on the radio-resistance of cancer cells. For the effective treatment in these radio-resistant cancers, the use of chemicals that act on cancer cells is known to enhance the cytotoxic effects of radiation therapy. In this study, I investigated the effect of potassium cyanate (KCN) on the irradiated-colorectal cancer cell line, HCT 116 cells. KCN induces the carbamylation of proteins and can change the biological activity of various human cells. To understand the effect of KCN on the radiosensitivity of HCT 116 cells, I examined alteration of the cell cycle, generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), cell viability, apoptosis and intracellular signaling proteins in the irradiated cells with/without KCN treatment. Combination treatment caused significant increase in sub $G_0/G_1$ and ROS generation in HCT 116 cells. KCN inhibited the proliferation and cell viability in irradiated HCT 116 cells. KCN-induced apoptosis of irradiated cells was processed via the activation of caspase 3 and caspase 9. Apoptosis-associated signal proteins, including Bax and Bcl-2 were regulated by irradiation with KCN treatment. Taken together, these results may indicate that KCN enhances the radiosensitivity of radio-resistant cell and then has a synergistic effect on radiation therapy in colorectal cancer.

• Animal cells and systems
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.9-17
• /
• 2011

Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related death in Western countries. Chemotherapeutic agents with different mechanisms of action have shown an increase in cure rates. In the present study, we investigated the effect of a combination of low concentration of paclitaxel (taxol, 5 nM) and topoisomerase 1 inhibitor camptothecin (CPT) on HCT116 colon cancer cells. Although the viability of cells treated with taxol alone was similar to that of control cells, sequential treatment with taxol and CPT exhibited high cytotoxicity. However, the opposite sequence of treatment did not exert cytotoxic effects on HCT116 cells. This enhanced cytotoxicity of the sequential combination therapy was the result of mitotic arrest, which increased the level of $p21^{Cip1/WAF1}$ through the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. Knockdown by $p21^{Cip1/WAF1}$ siRNA or treatment with a p38 inhibitor reduced the viability of cells sequentially exposed to taxol and CPT. Taken together, a low taxol concentration in combination with CPT induced mitotic arrest in HCT116 cells, leading to synergistic cell death through enhanced expression of $p21^{Cip1/WAF1}$ and p38 MAPK pathway. Therefore, taxol could playa role as a sensitizer of CPT in colon cancer cells.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.15 no.11
• /
• pp.4651-4657
• /
• 2014

The development of chemopreventive approaches using a concoction of phytochemicals is potentially viable for combating many types of cancer including colon carcinogenesis. This study evaluated the anti-proliferative effects of ginger and Gelam honey and its efficacy in enhancing the anti-cancer effects of 5-FU (5-fluorouracil) against a colorectal cancer cell line, HCT 116. Cell viability was measured via MTS (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulphenyl)-2H-tetrazolium) assay showing ginger inhibiting the growth of HCT 116 cells more potently ($IC_{50}$ of 3mg/mL) in comparison to Gelam honey ($IC_{50}$ of 75mg/mL). Combined treatment of the two compounds (3mg/mL ginger+75mg/mL Gelam honey) synergistically lowered the $IC_{50}$ of Gelam honey to 22mg/mL. Combination with 35 mg/mL Gelam honey markedly enhanced 5-FU inhibiting effects on the growth of HCT 116 cells. Subsequent analysis on the induction of cellular apoptosis suggested that individual treatment of ginger and Gelam honey produced higher apoptosis than 5-FU alone. In addition, treatment with the combination of two natural compounds increased the apoptotic rate of HCT 116 cells dose-dependently while treatment of either ginger or Gelam honey combined with 5-FU only showed modest changes. Combination index analysis showed the combination effect of both natural compounds to be synergistic in their inhibitory action against HCT 116 colon cancer cells (CI 0.96 < 1). In conclusion, combined treatment of Gelam honey and ginger extract could potentially enhance the chemotherapeutic effect of 5-FU against colorectal cancer.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.15 no.2
• /
• pp.617-622
• /
• 2014

Voacanga globosa (Blanco), a plant endemic to the Philippines, is traditionally used especially by indigenous people of Bataan in the treatment of ulcers, wounds and tumorous growths. This study aimed to provide scientific evidence to therapeutic properties by determining cytotoxic and pro-apoptotic activity of HPLC fractions from leaves on HCT116 human colon carcinoma and A549 human lung carcinoma cell lines. Ethanolic extraction was performed on V globosa leaves followed by hexane and ethyl acetate partitioning. Silica gel column chromatography and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) produced MP1, MP2 and MP3 fractions. Cytotoxic activity of the fractions was determined through MTT assay against the cancer cell lines HCT116 and A549 and the non-cancer AA8 Chinese hamster ovarian cell line. Pro-apoptotic activities of the most active fractions were further assessed through DAPI staining, TUNEL assay and JC-1 mitochondrial membrane potential assay with HCT116 cells. While the MPI fraction exerted no significant activity against all cell lines tested, MP2 and MP3 fractions demonstrated high toxicity against HCT116 and A549 cells. The MP3 fraction induced formation of apoptotic bodies, condensed DNA and other morphological changes consistent with apoptosis of HCT116 cells and TUNEL assay showed significant increase in DNA fragmentation over time. In these cells, the MP3 fraction also induced mitochondrial membrane destabilization, which is generally associated with the beginning of apoptosis. Phytochemical analysis demonstrated the presence only of saponins and terpenoids in the MP3 fraction. The results indicate that the MP3 fraction exerts cytotoxic activity on HCT116 cells via induction of apoptosis triggered by loss of mitochondrial membrane potential crucial for cell survival.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.21 no.1
• /
• pp.89-95
• /
• 2011

p53 is tumor suppressor gene that regulates apoptosis such as caspase-dependent and p21-mediated signaling pathways. PI3K/Akt is known to be over-activated in cancer cells. Akt activates many survival-related signals such as mTOR and COX-2. Inactivation of Akt would result in non-inhibition of p53 as well as induced apoptosis. In this study, we showed that curcumin and EGCG activate p53 via inhibition of the Akt signaling pathway. Treatments using curcumin and EGCG in different concentrations for 24 hr and 48 hr inhibited proliferation of HCT116 colon cancer cells and increased apoptotic cell death. Also, our data showed that curcumin and EGCG increased the p53 expression and decreased the p-Akt. Treatment of LY294002 (Akt inhibitor) resulted in decreased cell proliferation of cancer cells, while LY294002 treated with curcumin or EGCG showed a greater decrease of cell proliferation. In addition, inhibition of Akt induced p53 activation in HCT116 colon cancer cells. These results suggest that curcumin and EGCG induce apoptosis by inhibiting Akt and increase p53 in HCT116 colon cancer cells.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.40 no.5
• /
• pp.649-659
• /
• 2011

To examine the anti-cancer effects of Lepidium virginicum L., the anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects of a water extract of L. virginicum leaves (WELVL) and of L. virginicum roots (WELVR) were investigated in HCT116 human colon carcinoma cells. The treatment of HCT116 cells with WELVL and WELVR resulted in the inhibition of growth and morphological changes in a concentration-dependent manner by inducing apoptosis. The growth inhibition and apoptosis induction by WELVR was stronger than that of WELVL thus, we determined that WELVR was the more optimal extract for this study. The increased apoptotic events in HCT116 cells caused by WELVR were associated with an up-regulation of Fas ligand, Bax, and Bad expression, a down-regulation of Bcl-2, Bcl-$_XL$, and Bid expression, and a decrease in the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP, ${\Delta}{\psi}m$). WELVR treatment induced the proteolytic activation of caspase-3, -8, and -9, and the degradation of caspase-3 substrate proteins, such as poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), ${\beta}$-catenin, and phospholipase C-${\gamma}1$ (PLC-${\gamma}1$). In addition, apoptotic cell death induced by WELVR was correlated with a down-regulation of inhibitors of the apoptosis protein (IAP) family, such as the X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP), cIAP-1, and cIAP-2. These findings suggest that the WELVR-induced inhibition of cell proliferation is associated with the induction of apoptotic cell death. WELVR may be a potential chemotherapeutic agent for the control of HCT116 human colon carcinoma cells.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.28 no.5
• /
• pp.615-620
• /
• 2018

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), one of catechins of green tea, has been known to possess anti-oxidation, anti-inflammation, and anti-cancer effects. The present study analyzed global gene expression changes in EGCG-treated HCT116 cells and p53-null HCT116 cells by oligo DNA microarray analysis. Among the differentially expressed genes in EGCG-treated HCT116 cells, four were selected that are known as tumor suppressor genes (activating transcription factor 3 [ATF3], cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor 1A [CDKN1A], DNA damage-inducible transcript 3 [DDIT3] and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug activated gene [NAG-1]) and their expression was compared to the expression of genes in p53-null HCT116 cells. We found that the expression of these genes was not dependent on their p53 status except for NAG-1, which was only up-regulated in HCT116. The results of RT-PCR and Western blot analysis showed that ATF3 up-regulation by EGCG was not affected by the presence of p53, whereas NAG-1 expression was not induced in p53-null HCT116 cells. We also detected ATF3 and NAG-1 expression changes through genistein and resveratrol treatment. Interestingly, genistein could not up-regulate ATF3 regardless of p53 status, but genistein could induce NAG-1 only in HCT116 cells. Resveratrol could significantly induce NAG-1 as well as ATF3 independent of p53 presence. These results indicate that EGCG, genistein and resveratrol may have different anti-cancer effects. Overall, the results of this study may help to increase our understandings of molecular mechanisms on anti-cancer activities mediated by EGCG, genistein and resveratrol in human colorectal cancer cells.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
• /
• v.43 no.5
• /
• pp.641-647
• /
• 2011

Polyphenols in green tea are biologically active and may interact with commonly-consumed over-the-counter (OTC) drugs in the body. In this study, modulation of cytotoxicity of polyphenon 60 (PPE, tea polyphenol mixture) with co-treatment of several OTC drugs, including ibuprofen (Ibu), acetaminophen (AAP), and aspirin was investigated in intestinal cells. PPE showed more potent cytotoxic effects on colon cancer HCT 116 cells than on normal intestinal INT 407 cells. Ibu had the strongest cytotoxic effects on both cell types. Cytotoxicity of PPE on HCT 116 and INT 407 cells was not markedly altered by co-treated OTC drugs. Cytotoxicity of the OTC drugs was not affected by PPE. When HCT 116 cells were incubated with AAP before or after PPE treatment, cytotoxicity was slightly enhanced more than their additive effect. The present study may provide basic information of possible toxicity due to interaction of the polyphenols and the OTC drugs.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.24 no.8
• /
• pp.903-909
• /
• 2014

Plants are an invaluable source of potential new anti-cancer drugs. Sasa quelpaertensis Nakai (Korean name, Jeju-Joritdae) is one of these plants with medical value, which is a bamboo grass widely distributed in Mt. Halla on Jeju Island, Korea. Here, we investigated the apoptotic effects of S. quelpaertensis leaf extracts in six human cancer cell lines (A549, MCF-7, HepG-2, Hela, HCT116 and A375). MTT assay signified the antiproliferative nature of S. quelpaertensis extracts against all tested cancer cells: S. quelpaertensis displayed slight cytotoxicity against A549, MCF-7 and HepG-2 cells, whereas it was exclusively cytotoxic to Hela, HCT116 and A375 cells. Apoptotic cells were evaluated using PI staining of DNA fragmentation by flow cytometry (sub-G1 peak). PI staining indicated increasing accumulation of Hela, HCT116 and A375 cells at sub-G1 phase. Further events like generation of nitric oxide ($NO^{\bullet}$) were accompanied in the S. quelpaertensis Nakai-induced apoptosis. Augmented $NO^{\bullet}$ generation resulted in the DNA fragmentation of Hela, HCT116 and A375 cells by treatment with S. quelpaertensis leaf extracts. These results suggest that S. quelpaertensis may be a potential natural resource for treating cancer cell. To identify the exact mechanisms of molecular mechanism of S. quelpaertensis induced apoptosis awaits further investigation.