• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.68-72
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• 2005

Pseudolaric acid B is a major compound found in the bark of Pseudolarix kaempferi Gordon. In our study, pseudolaric acid B inhibited growth of human melanoma cells, A375-S2 in a time and dose-dependent manner. A375-S2 cells treated with pseudolaric acid B showed typical characteristics of apoptosis including morphologic changes, DNA fragmentation, sub-diploid peak in flow cytometry, cleavage of poly-ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) and degradation of inhibitor of caspase-activated DNase (ICAD). P53 protein expression was upregulated while cells were arrested at the $G_2/M$ phase of the cell cycle. There was a decrease in the expression of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL proteins, whereas pro-apoptotic Bax was increased. The two classical caspase substrates, PARP and ICAD, were both decreased in a time-dependent manner, indicating the activation of downstream caspases.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.15-22
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• 2018

Pristimerin is a triterpene compound isolated from plant extracts that reportedly possesses antitumor, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities. The current study was designed to evaluate the antitumor effects of pristimerin on human colon cancer cells. Treatment of the human colon cancer cells, HCT116 and SW480, with pristimerin led to a dose-dependent decrease in cell proliferation. Flow cytometry experiments showed that pristimerin increased cell apoptotic rate and decreased the mitochondrial membrane potential in HCT116 and SW480 cells. Western blot assay showed that pristimerin induced increased cleavage of caspase-3, -7, -8, and poly ADP ribose polymerase. Treatment with pristimerin also caused a marked decrease in the expression of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL. Additionally, the levels of phosphorylated AKT and forkhead box O3a (FOXO3a) were decreased in pristimerin-treated colon cancer cells. Taken together, our study illustrated that pristimerin promoted apoptosis via the AKT/FOXO3a signaling pathway in colon cancer cells, elucidating that it might be considered as a potential agent for colon cancer therapy.

• BMB Reports
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.703-708
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• 2006

During infection, the common respiratory tract pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae encounters several environmental conditions, such as upper respiratory tract, lung tissue, and blood stream, etc. In this study, we examined the effects of blood on S. pneumoniae protein expression using a combination of highly sensitive 2-dimensional electrophoresis (DE) and MALDI-TOF MS and/or LC/ESI-MS/MS. A comparison of expression profiles between the growth in THY medium and THY supplemented with blood allowed us to identify 7 spots, which increased or decreased two times or more compared with the control group: tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase, lactate oxidase, glutamyl-aminopeptidase, L-lactate dehydrogenase, cysteine synthase, ribose-phosphate pyrophosphokinase, and orotate phosphoribosyltransferase. This global approach can provide a better understanding of S. pneumoniae adaptation to its human host and a clue for its pathogenicity.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.207-214
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• 2016

This study investigated the effects of ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) on antioxidant and antiproliferative activities in A2058 human melanoma cells. The antioxidant and antiproliferative activities of 70% ethanol extracts of Zingiber officinale Roscoe were identified based on DPPH and ABTS free radical scavenging capacities. Treatment of cells with Zingiber officinale Roscoe at concentrations of 0, 0.2, and 0.4 mg/mL for 24 hours significantly reduced cell viability as determined by Hoechst 33258 nuclear staining, apoptosis analysis, and Western blotting analysis, respectively. In our study, 70% ethanol extracts of Zingiber officinale Roscoe exhibited antioxidant activity and inhibited A2058 cell growth in a dose-dependent manner. Concomitant activation of the mitochondria-dependent apoptotic pathway of A2058 human melanoma cells by Zingiber officinale Roscoe extracts was mediated via modulation of Bax and Bcl-2 expression, which activated cleavage of caspases-3, caspases-9, and poly ADP-ribose polymerase. The findings of study indicate that Zingiber officinale Roscoe extracts induce apoptosis in A2058 human melanoma cells, and this phenomenon occurs via the death receptor-mediated and intrinsic pathways.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.342-348
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• 2001

In a course of obtaining more amount of bioactive costunolide and successive phytochemical isolation from Magnolia sieboldii (Magnoliaceae), a novel acyclic monoterpene 1 named deoxygeraniol (2,6(E)-dimethyl-2,6-octadiene) was isolated along with $\beta$-sitosterol 3-O-linoleate (2), trilinolein (3) and high amount of costunolide (4) in the pure state. The structure of compound 1 was determined on the basis of spectroscopic data. Costunolide was found to induce apoptotic cell death in a dose-dependent manner by nucleosomal DNA ladder and flow cytometric analysis. Immunoblot analysis showed that the level of the anti-apoptotic protein, Bcl-2, was decreased, whereas the cleavage of poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase was, activated furthermore, the N-acetyl-L-cysteine antioxidant effectively prevented costunolide-induced cytotoxicity. These results suggest that costunolide-induced cell death is mediated by reactive oxygen species.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.9-19
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• 1977

Xylone isomerase (D-xylose ketol-isomerase, EC 5,3,1,5) have been demonstrated in the cell-free extracts of Stroptomuces canus and Streptomuces malachiticus grown in the presence of xylose. Xylose, glucose and ribose served as substrates for the enzymes of the two strains with respective $K_m$ values of 22, 130, 290 mM (S. canus) and 7,83,637 mM(S.malachiticus), and $V_max$ values of 1,000, 0.087, $\0.0222{\mu}moles/min/mg$ protein (S. canus) and 0.312, 0.083, 0.500.$\mu$moles/min/mg protein (S. malachiticus). L-Rhammose was also isomerized by the crude enzyme solutions of the two strains. The maximal activities of the two xylose-isomerases were observed at pH 7.5 and $75^{\circ}C$. The xylose isomerase activities of the two strains were activated two-three times by $Mg^{++}\;and\;Co^{++}$ as that of control, partially activated by $Ba^{++}$ and inhibited by $Ni^{++},\;Ca^{++}\;and\;Zn^{++}\$. Particulary, the addtion of $Mn^{++}$ stimulated xylose-isomerizing activities, but inhibited glucose-isomerizing activities in both strains. However, $Cu^{++}$ inhibited xylose-isomerizing activities, while stimulated glucose-isomerizing activities of the enzymes.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.534-542
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• 2006

The effects of ethanol fractions of three different rice grain extracts, Jakwangchalbyeo, Hwasunchalbyeo, and Ilpumbyeo, on apoptotic cell death in the rat hepatoma H4IIE cell line were investigated using the MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] cell viability assay. One hundred mg/mL Jakwangchalbyeo extract significantly reduced cell viability to 69.5, 57.2, and 46.1% within 24, 48, and 72 hr, respectively. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) analyses were also performed to characterize the cell death pattern caused by treatment with the rice grain extracts. Apoptotic cell death was clearly observed with time after treatment with the Jakwangchalbyeo extract. In Western blotting analysis, degradation of the 116 kDa poly-ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) molecule was observed with concomitant formation of an 89 kDa product 24, 48, and 72 hr after treating cells with the Jakwangchalbyeo extract. This indicates that an apoptotic process caused cell death in these cells. In conclusion, red-pericarp Jakwangchalbyeo extract induced apoptotic cell death in H4IIE cells to a larger extent than the other rice extracts.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.381-388
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• 2000

Using a murine T cell hybridoma, activation-induced cell death (AICD) was studied. As an in vitro model system for the AICD, 1 cell hybridoma expressing TCR/CD3 complex was incubated onto the immobilized purified anti-CD3 antibody. The immobilized anti-CD3 antibody induced AICD effectively up to 40%. At 1-100 $\mu$M range of SNP, an exogenous source of nitric oxide (NO), the cell proliferation was not affected, but at 1 mM SNP, cell proliferation was significantly reduced. The AICD of T cell hybridoma was inhibited by exogenous NO at non-cytotoxic concentration, In the cells undergoing AICD, the expressions of caspase-3 and FasL were detected, but not iNOS. Similar result was recognized in the apoptosis induced by dexamethasone, an apoptosis-inducing agent. However, the conversion from the inactive form of caspase-3 (32 kDa) to the active form (17 kDa) was significantly reduced in the cells in AICD induced by anti-CD3 antibody, With the result of increased PARP cleavage in the cells, we propose that another PARP cleavage pathway not involving caspase-3 may function in the anti-CD3 antibody induced AICD in the T cell hybridoma.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.68-72
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• 2023

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most fatal cancers with a poor prognosis. Standard chemotherapies have proven largely ineffective because of their toxicity and the development of resistance. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop novel therapies. In this study, we investigated the antitumor activity of MS-5, a naphthalene derivative, on BxPC-3, a human pancreatic cancer cell line. We observed that MS-5 was cytotoxic to BxPC-3 cells, as well as inhibited the growth of cells in a concentration- and time- dependent manner. Flow cytometry analysis revealed that the percentage of annexin V-positive cells increased after MS-5 treatment. We also observed cleavage of caspases and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase, and downregulation of Bcl-xL protein. Flow cytometry analysis of intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial superoxide suggested that MS-5 induced the generation of mitochondrial superoxide while lowering the overall intracellular ROS levels. Thus, MS-5 may be potential candidate for pancreatic cancer treatment.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.66
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• pp.299-304
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• 2023

This study sought to evaluate the anticancer effects of Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge root extract (CPE) on murine Lewis lung carcinoma cells (LLC1) in vitro. CPE treatment (2.5, 5, 10 ㎍/mL, 24 h) of LLC cells led to a dose-dependent decrease in cell viability, while CPE treatment did not have a cytotoxic effect on non-cancer cells (NIH/3T3). CPE affects LLC by flipping the plasma membrane and making the membrane more permeable; by flow cytometry, CPE-induced annexin V and propidium iodide positivity, indicating induction of apoptosis in LLC cells. In addition, CPE enhanced the expression of apoptotic proteins caspase-3 and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP-1). CPE upregulated the proapoptotic protein BCL-2-associated X while downregulating the anti-apoptotic protein B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL-2), suggesting that CPE induces apoptosis via the mitochondrial pathway. Furthermore, CPE upregulated the phosphorylation of the mitogen activated protein kinase p38. In conclusion, the results suggest that CPE has an anticancer effect in LLC cells by inducing apoptosis via p38.