• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.88-93
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• 2004

Background: Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) inhibit the immune response of lymphocytes to specific antigens and dendritic cells (DC) are professional antigenpresenting cells whose function is to present antigen to naive T-lymphocytes with high efficiency and play a central role in the regulation of immune response. We studied the effects of MSC on DC to evaluate the relationship between MSC and DC in transplantation immunology. Methods: MSC were expanded from the bone marrow and DC were cultured from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNC) of 6 myelogenous leukemia after achieving complete response. Responder cells isolated from PBMNC and lysates of autologous leukemic cells are used as tumor antigen. The effect of MSC on the DC was analyzed by immunophenotype properties of DC and by proliferative capacity and the amount of cytokine production with activated PBMNC against the allogeneic lymphocytes. Also, cytotoxicity tests against leukemic cells studied to evaluate the immunologic effect of MSC on the DC. Results: MSC inhibit the CD83 and HLA-class II molecules of antigen-loaded DC. The proliferative capacity and the amount of INF-$\gamma$ production of lymphocytes to allogeneic lymphocytes were decreased in DC co-cultured with MSC. Also the cytotoxic activity of lymphocytes against leukemic cells was decreased in DC co-cultured with MSC. Conclusion: MSC inhibit the activation and immune response of DC induced by allogeneic or tumor antigen.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.275-283
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• 2002

Fungal metabolite, gliotoxin is an epipolythiodioxopiperazin (ETP) class and has various roles including immunomodulatory and apoptotic effects. This study was designed to evaluate the mechanism by which gliotoxin exerts the apoptosis on human promyelocytic leukemic HL-60 cells. Herein, we demonstrated that the gliotoxin decreased the cell viability in a time-dependent manner Gliotoxin-induced cell death was confirmed us apoptosis characterized by chromatin condensation and ladder-pattern fragmentation of genomic DNA. Gliotoxin increased the catalytic activities of caspase-3 and caspase-9. Activation of caspase-3 was further confirmed by degradation of procaspase-3 and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) by gliotoxin in HL-60 cells. Furthermore, gliotoxin induced the changes of mitochondrial transmembrane potential (MTP). Antioxidants, including GSH and NAC, markedly inhibited apoptosis with conistent suppression of enzymatic activity of caspase-3, caspase-9, and MTP loss in gliotoxin-treated cells. Taken together, we suggest that gliotoxin function as an oxidant and ploys proapoptotic roles in HL-60 cells via activation of intrinsic caspase cascades as well as mitochondrial dysfunction.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.2637-2641
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• 2013

6,8-Dihydroxy-7-methoxy-1-methyl-azafluorenone (DMMA), a purified compound from Polyalthia cerasoides roots, is cytotoxic to various cancer cell lines. The aims of this study were to demonstrate the type of cancer cell death and the mechanism(s) involved. DMMA inhibited cell growth and induced apoptotic death in human leukemic cells (HL-60, U937, MOLT-4), human breast cancer MDA-MB231 cells and human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells in a dose dependent manner, with $IC_{50}$ values ranging between 20-55 ${\mu}M$. DMMA also decreased cell viability of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. The morphology of cancer cells induced by the compound after staining with propidium iodide and examined under a fluorescence microscope was condensed nuclei and apoptotic bodies. Mitochondrial transmembrane potential (MTP) was decreased after 24h exposure in all five types of cancer cells. DMMA-induced caspase-3, -8, and -9 activity was strongly induced in human leukemic HL-60 and MOLT-4 cells, while in U937-, MDA-MB231- and HepG2-treated cells there was partial induction of caspase. In conclusion, DMMA-induced activation of caspase-8 and -9 resulted in execution of apoptotic cell death in human leukemic HL-60 and MOLT-4 cell lines via extrinsic and intrinsic pathways.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.1 no.4
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• pp.457-466
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• 1997

The effects of DFMO or/and putrescine on the dexamethasone-induced apoptosis of CEM cells were studied to investigate the role of polyamines in anti-leukemic glucocorticoid action. Dexamethasone- induced apoptosis was preceded by significant decreases of cellular polyamine contents and putrescine uptake activity. But DFMO produced decreases of putrescine and spermidine contents and marked increase of putrescine uptake activity, but did not induce apoptosis. However, dexamethasone and DFMO, respectively, induced $G_1-arrest$ in cell cycle and hypophosphorylation of pRb, resulting in the increase of $G_1$ to S ratio and decrease of CEM cell count. DFMO enhanced the dexamethasone-induced apoptosis and $G_1-arrest$. On the other hand, putrescine little affected the apoptotic and $G_1-arresting$ activities of dexamethasone, but almost suppress the effects of DFMO and also the DFMO-dependent enhancement of dexamethasone effects. These results suggested that the dexamethasone-induced apoptosis to be associated with pRb hypophosphorylation and $G_1-arrest$ in CEM cells might be ascribed to the concomitant decreases of cellular polyamine contents and putrescine uptake activity.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.1 no.6
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• pp.817-824
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• 1997

Extracellular ATP elicits various biological responses and plays a significant role in physiological regulation. Recently, ATP-induced growth inhibitions were reported in some tumor cell lines, but these effects and mechanisms are not well hewn. This study was conducted to investigate ATP-induced growth inhibition in mouse $leukemic(P388D_1)$ cells. ATP inhibited cell growth in a dose-dependent manner as analyzed by MTS assay$(IC_{50}: 33.1\;{\mu}M)$. Nucleotides other than ATP, such as ADP$(37.5;{\mu}M)$ and AMP$(33.2;{\mu}M)$ had the same effects as ATP but adenosine$(57.8;{\mu}M)$ showed less effect than ATP. ATP attenuated the cells in $G_0/G_l\;and\;G_2/M$ phases but increased those in S phase in flow cytometric analysis. Hypodiploid cells$(A_0)$, the presumptive findings of apoptosis, were found among the ATP-treated cells. ATP induced DNA fragmentation into $180{\mu}200\;bps $as measured by electrophoresis. some apoptotic cells were stained by TUNEL method. ATP increased the intracellular free $Ca^{++}$concentration$([Ca^{++}]_i)$ and the increment of $([Ca^{++}]_i)$ was caused by influx from the extracellular space. These results suggest that extracellular ATP induces growth inhibition through apoptosis.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.79-86
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• 2001

Recent clinical studies have shown that a high proportion of patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) achieve complete remission after treatment with all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA). However, most patients who receive continuous treatment with ATRA relapse and develop ATRA-resistant leukemia. Dendritic cells (DCs) are important antigen-presenting cells in the development of antileukemic T-cell responses. In this study, we investigated the strategies to overcome ATRA resistance of APL cells by inducing the differentiation of DCs from human leukemic cell lines for the developtment of adoptive immunotherapy. CD83 was used as a mature DC marker in this study and the expression of CD83 mRNA was determined by RT-PCR method. The promyelocytic leukemic cell line HL-60, B lymphoblast cell lines RPMI 7666 and NC-37 could be induced to dendritic cells in vitro. Treatment of HL-60 with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) resulted in the expression of myeloid-related DC phenotypes, while treatment of RPMI 7666 with fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 ligand (Flt3-ligand, FL) and treatment of NC-37 with PMA and FL led to the expression of lymphoid-related DC phenotypes. In conclusion, myeloid-related DC phenotypes and lymphoid-related DC phenotypes could be generated from HL-60, NC-37 and RPMI 7666 cell lines, respectively. These DC phenotypes can potentially be used to generate antileukemic T cells in vitro for adoptive immunotherapy.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.465-469
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• 2015

Background: Orostachys japonicus A. Berger (A. Berger) is commonly used as a folk remedy for cancer therapy. However, the mechanisms of its anti-cancer activity are poorly investigated in human cancer cells. In this study, we investigated whether flavonoids extracted from Orostachys japonicus A. Berger (FEOJ) might have anticancer effects in human leukemia cells, focusing on cell death mechanisms. Materials and Methods: U937 human leukemic cancer cells were used. Results: FEOJ induced apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner in human U937 cancer cells. Flow cytometry revealed significant accumulation of cells with sub-G1 DNA content at the concentrations of $200{\mu}g/mL$ and $400{\mu}g/mL$. FEOJ-induced apoptosis was caspase-dependent through loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP, ${\Delta}{\Psi}m$) in human U937 cancer cells, which might be associated with suppression of Bcl-2 and XIAP proteins. FEOJ induced the p38 MAPK signaling pathway, playing at least in part an important role in FEOJ-induced apoptosis. Conclusions: This study suggested that FEOJ may induce caspase-dependent apoptosis in human leukemic cells by regulating MMP (${\Delta}{\Psi}m$) through suppressing Bcl-2 and X-IAP. In addition, the results indicated that upstream p38 MAPK signaling regulates the apoptotic effect of FEOJ. This study provides evidence that FEOJ might have anti-cancer potential for human leukemic cells.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.475-481
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• 2014

Background: Pereskia sacharosa is a genus of cacti widely used in folk medicine for cancer-related treatment. Anti-proliferative effects have been studied in recent years against colon, breast, cervical and lung cancer cell lines, with promising results. We here extended study of anti-proliferative effects to a blood malignancy, leukemia. Materials and Methods: Two leukemic cell lines, MV4-11 (acute myeloid leukemia) and K562 (chronic myeloid leukemia), were studied. $IC_{50}$ concentrations were determined and apoptosis and cell cycle regulation were studied by flow cytometric analysis. The expression of apoptosis and cell-cycle related regulatory proteins was assessed by Western blotting. Results: P sacharosa inhibited growth of MV4-11 and K562 cells in a dose-dependent manner. The mode of cell death was via induction of intrinsic apoptotic pathways and cell cycle arrest. There was profound up-regulation of cytochrome c, caspases, p21 and p53 expression and repression of Akt and Bcl-2 expression in treated cells. Conclusions: These results suggest that P sacharosa induces leukemic cell death via apoptosis induction and changes in cell cycle checkpoint, thus deserves further study for anti-leukemic potential.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.8
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• pp.1214-1221
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• 2020

Esculetin 6-O-β-D-arabinofuranosyl-(1 → 6)-β-D-glucopyranoside (EAG) is a coumarin glycoside isolated from the stem bark of Fraxinus rhynchophylla. This study scrutinized the anti-proliferative activity of EAG on blood cancer-derived Jurkat leukemic cells. Cell viability assays in leukemic cancer cells determined that EAG possesses potent anti-proliferative effects. Moreover, treatment with EAG increased the proportion of apoptotic cells, resulted in cell cycle arrest being induced at the subG0/G1 phase, and reduced the proportion of cells present in the S phase. In addition, mitochondrial membrane potential was reduced by EAG in Jurkat cells. Additionally, EAG triggered apoptosis that was mediated by the downregulation of BCL-XL, p-IκBα, and p-p65 expressions in addition to the upregulation of cleaved Caspase 3 and BAX expressions. These findings revealed that the toxic effect of EAG was mediated by intracellular signal transduction pathways that involved a mechanism in which reactive oxygen species (ROS) were upregulated. Thus, this study concludes that EAG could potentially serve as a therapeutic agent for leukemia.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.132-137
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• 2014

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: In this study, the apoptogenic activity and mechanisms of cell death induced by hexane extract of aged black garlic (HEABG) were investigated in human leukemic U937 cells. MATERIALS/METHODS: Cytotoxicity was evaluated by MTT (3-(4, 5-dimethyl-thiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyl tetrazoliumbromide) assay. Apoptosis was detected using 4,6-diamidino-2-phenyllindile (DAPI) staining, agarose gel electrophoresis and flow cytometry. The protein levels were determined by Western blot analysis. Caspase activity was measured using a colorimetric assay. RESULTS: Exposure to HEABG was found to result in a concentration- and time-dependent growth inhibition by induction of apoptosis, which was associated with an up-regulation of death receptor 4 and Fas legend, and an increase in the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 protein expression. Apoptosis-inducing concentrations of HEABG induced the activation of caspase-9, an initiator caspase of the mitochodrial mediated intrinsic pathway, and caspase-3, accompanied by proteolytic degradation of poly(ADP-ribose)-polymerase. HEABG also induced apoptosis via a death receptor mediated extrinsic pathway by caspase-8 activation, resulting in the truncation of Bid, and suggesting the existence of cross-talk between the extrinsic and intrinsic pathways. However, pre-treatment of U937 cells with the caspase-3 inhibitor, z-DEVD-fmk, significantly blocked the HEABG-induced apoptosis of these cells, and increased the survival rate of HEABG-treated cells, confirming that HEABG-induced apoptosis is mediated through activation of caspase cascade. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the overall results, we suggest that HEABG reduces leukemic cell growth by inducing caspase-dependent apoptosis through both intrinsic and extrinsic pathways, implying its potential therapeutic value in the treatment of leukemia.