• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.95-99
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• 2007

In order to find novel cancer chemopreventive agents, quinone reductase (QR) inductive activity of methanol extract of herbal medicines was examined using murine hepatoma, hepa1c1c7 cells. QR has been used as an anticarcinogenic marker enzyme in cancer chemoprevention study. The methanol extract of Alpinia officinarum (Zingiberace) showed showed significantly strong quinone reductase inductive activity compared to the control group. The methanol extract of Alpinia officinarum was successively fractionated with various solvents according to polarity. Hexane, ethyl acetate, buthanol and water fractions were obtained and theirs activities were assessed. The QR inductive effect was moved to the ethyl acetate fraction and was highly increased. The CD (concentration required to double the specific activity of QR) value of ethyl acetate fraction was 8.6 ${\mu}g/mL$. Alpinia officinarum also showed strong antioxidant activity. These results suggest that Alpinia officinarum can be developed as cancer chemopreventive agent.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.145-147
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• 1994

Colloid uptake in various hepatic conditions such as focal nodular hyperplasia, regenerating nodules in the cirrhotic liver, hamartoma, hemangioma and rarely hepatoma has been documented. Extrahepatic tumors may show colloid uptake and they include splenic hemangioma, malignant fibrous histiocytoma, breast carcinoma and Kaposi's sarcoma. The mechanism of colloid uptake in those lesions is associated with phagocytic activity in or around the tumors. We report a pancreas islet cell tumor that showed colloid uptake on $^{99m}Tc$-phytate liver scan without histologic evidence of phagocytosis by tumor cells or infiltration of phagocytes in the tumor Microscopically the tumor was highly vascular and showed diffuse hemorrhage throughtout the tumor. We postulated that extravasation of the colloid into the tumor insterstitium caused nonspecific colloid uptake in this tumor. It is expected that hemorrhagic tumor may show nonspecific colloid uptake without phagocytosis in or about the lesion.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.172-178
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• 2009

Fermented ginseng (FG) is an ethanol extract of ginseng radix processed with $\beta$-galactosidase. It was hypothesized that FG may exert anti-hyperlipidemic and anti-diabetic activities through modulating AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in HepG2 human hepatoma cells. In this study, we showed that AMPK phosphorylation was stimulated by FG. These effects were abolished by pretreatment with an AMPK inhibitor, compound C. In addition, FG regulated the expression of genes associated with lipogenesis and lipolysis, thus causing suppression of hepatic triglyceride accumulation. In vivo study using db/db mice, FG reduced fasting plasma glucose, HbAlc, and insulin resistance index, when compared to diabetic control. FG also increased the phospho-AMPK and glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) expressions in liver and skeletal muscle, respectively. In liver, expressions of lipogenic gene were decreased whereas expressions of lipolytic genes were induced, when compared to diabetic control. Taken together, we may suggest that FG ameliorates hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia through activation of AMPK and could be developed as a health functional food or therapeutic agent for type 2 diabetic patients.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.51-56
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• 2002

Induction of phase II enzymes such as quinone reductase (QR) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) is considered a major mechanism of protection against initiation of carcinogenesis. The present study was performed to evaluate the chemopreventive activity of Acori Graminei Rhizoma aqua-acupuncture solution (AGRAS) and Acori Graminei Rhizoma water-extracted solution (AGRWS) by measuring the induction of phase II enzymes. AGRAS and AGRWS are potent inducers of quinone reductase activity in murine hepatoma Hepa1c1c7 cells. The levels of GSH and GST was increased sightly with AGRAS and AGRWS. These results suggest that AGRAS and AGRWS may act as blocking agents against carcinogenesis by induction of phase II enzymes.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.21-26
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• 2001

Induction of phase II enzymes such as quinone reductase (QR) or glutathione S-transferase (GST) is considered a major mechanism of protection against initiation of carcingenesis. This study was desinged to investigate the potential of Astragali Radix Aqua-acupuncture Solution (ARAS) to induce phase II enzymes and glutathione (GSH) in murine hepatoma cells grown in microtiter plate wells. ARAS was potent inducers of QR activity. ARAS was induced about 2.6-fold at concentration of $5{\times}$. In addition, GST activity was increased with ARAS. GSH levels were increased about 1.2-fold with ARAS at concentration of $0.1{\times}$. These results suggested that ARAS may act as blocking agents against carcinogenesis by induction of phase II marker enzymes.

• Proceedings of the Ginseng society Conference
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• 1998.06a
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• pp.63-70
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• 1998

Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase constitute the first coordinated unit of defense against reactive oxygen species. Here, we examined the effect of ginseng saponins on the induction of SOD and catalase gene expression. To explore this possibility, the upstream regulatory promoter region of Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SODI) and catalase genes were linked to the chloramphenicol acetyl-transferase (CATI structural gene and introduced into human hepatoma HepG2 cells. Total saponin and panaxatriol did not activate the transcription of SODI and catalase genes but panaxadiol increased the transcription of these genes about 2-3 fold. Among the Panaxadiol ginsenosides, the Rb2 subtraction appeared to is a major induce of SODI and catalase genes. Using the deletion analyses and mobility shift assays, we showed that the 5051 gene was greatly activated by ginsenoside Rba through transcription factor AP2 binding sites and its induction. We also examined the effect of the content ratio of panaxadiol extracted from various compartment of ginseng on the transcription of 5031 gene. Saponin extract that contains 2.6-fold more PD than PT from the fine root Increased the SODI induction about 3-fold. These results suggest that the panaxadiol fraction and its ginsenosides could induce the antioxidant enzymes, which are important for maintaining cell viability by lowering level of oxygen radical generated from intracellular metabolism.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.921-924
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• 2010

Blocking of IL-6 has been postulated to be an effective therapy in the pathogenesis of several inflammatory diseases. The current study was performed to examine the potential effects of alkamides isolated from P. longum and P. nigrum on IL-6 induced Stat3 activation and identify the structure-activity relationship of these alkamides in human hepatoma cells. Among 10 alkamides isolated from P. longum and P. nigrum, compounds 6, 7 and 9 were identified as strong inhibitors of IL-6 action, which inhibit IL-6 induced Stat3-dependent luciferase activities. These inhibitory activities were positively influenced by the presence of piperidine moiety.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.1027-1031
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• 2006

In oriental medicine, Geijibokryunghwan(GBH) was used to improvement various symptoms created by the thrombosis. We investigated the effects of an oriental medicinal prescriptions, Geijibokryunghwan (GBH) consisting of herbs of Cinnamomi Ramufus (Geiji; 桂枝), Poria cocos (Bokrung; 茯?), Moutan Cortex Radicis(Modanpi; 牧丹皮), Paeoniae Radix (Jakyak; 芍藥) and Persicae Semen (Doin; 桃仁) on tumor growth-inhibitory activity and cancer chempreventive activity in assays representing three maior stages of carcinogenesis. Cancer chempreventive agents include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) such as indomethacin, aspirin, piroxicam, and sulindac, all of which inhibit cyclooxygenase (COX). Effects of the GBH extracts on carrageenan-induced edema Inflammation using female (C57BL/6XC3H) Fl (B6C3Fl ) mice and tumorigenesis were examined. Finally, cyclooxygenase metabolites were determined after extracts treatment. These data suggest that GBH extracts merits investigation as a potential cancer chempreventive agent in humans.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.205-210
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• 2021

Over 30 million prescriptions of NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) are issued every year. Considering that these drugs are available without a prescription as over the counter (OTC) drugs, their use will be astronomical. With the increasing use of NSAIDs, their adverse effects are drawing attention. Especially, stomach bleeding, kidney toxicity, liver toxicity, and neurological toxicity are reported as common. Ibuprofen, one of the extensively used NSAIDs along with aspirin, can also induce liver toxicity, but few studies are addressing this point. Here we examined the liver toxicity of ibuprofen and investigated whether co-exposure to ethanol can manifest synergistic effects. We employed 2D and 3D cultured human hepatoma cells, HepG2 to examine the synergistic hepatotoxicity of ibuprofen and alcohol concerning cell viability, morphology, and histology of 3D spheroids. As a result, ibuprofen and alcohol provoked synergistic hepatotoxicity against hepatocytes, and their toxicity increased prominently in 3D culture upon extended exposure. Oxidative stress appeared to be the mechanisms underlying the synergistic toxicity of ibuprofen and alcohol as evidenced by increased production of ROS and expression of the endogenous antioxidant system. Collectively, this study has demonstrated that ibuprofen and EtOH can induce synergistic hepatotoxicity, providing a line of evidence for caution against the use of ibuprofen in combination with alcohol.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.127-137
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of Yong-dam-sa-gan-tang (YST) on apoptosis in HepG2 cells, First of all. to study the cytotoxic effect of methanol extract of YST on HepG2 cells, the cells were treated with various concentrations of YST and then cell viability was determined by XTT reduction method and trypan blue exclusion assay. YST reduced proliferation of HepG2 cells in a dose-dependent manner. To confirm the induction of apoptosis, HepG2 cells were treated with various concentrations of YST. The cleavage of poly AD P-ribose polymerase (P ARP), a substrate for caspase-3 and a typical sign of apoptosis, and the activation of caspase-3, procaspase-8 and procaspase-8 were examined by western blot analysis. YST decreased procaspase-3, procaspase-8 and procaspase-9 levels in a dose-dependent manner and induced the clevage of PARP. YST triggered the mitochondrial apoptotic signaling by increasing the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria to cytosol. Furthermore, YST also downregulated the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 and upregulated the pro-apoptotic-Bax. Therefore, this result suggest that YST induced HepG2 cell death through the mitochondrial pathway. Sustained activation of the Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK cascade in cells results in a cell cycle arrest and has been implicated in the differentiation of certain cell types, in many cases acting to promote differentiation. YST decreased the activation of Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK cascade in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggest that YST is potentially useful as a chemo-therapeutic agent in HepG2.