• Proceedings of the Ginseng society Conference
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• 1978.09a
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• pp.43-49
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• 1978

This study was devised to observe the cytotoxic activity of extracts of Panax ginseng root against some cancer cells and to purify the crude extract. Three kinds of cancer cells(leukemic cells L5178Y, HeLa cells and Sarcoma 180 cells) and mouse embryo cells (as normal cells) were used for this study. The ginseng roots were extracted with petroleum ether in soxhlet apparatus, and the crude extracts were purified by the silicic acid column chromatography and thin-layer chromatography methods. The results obtained are summarized as follows; 1. Eight to ten mg of the petroleum ether extract (crude extract) were obtained from 1 g of Panax ginseng root, and its activities per mg were about 1,000 units. 2. Doubling time of the L5178Y cells was increased to two fold by 24 hours incubation in culture medium containing about one ${\mu}g$ of extract per ml, and eight and ten folds higher concentration of ginseng extract were required for the Sarcoma 180 cells and HeLa cells, respectively, than for the leukemic cells(L5178Y) to inhibit the cellular growth to the same degree. 3. When the L5178Y cells were exposed to medium containing various concentration of the extract for 24 hours before initiation of the soft agar cloning procedure, about $99\%$ of the L5178Y cells were killed at concentration of 8 units per ml. 4. The growth rate of mouse embryo cell (as normal cell) was not affected by the culture with media containing various amounts (1.45 to 30.0 ${\mu}g/ml$) of the extract. 5. The crude extract could be purified about four times by silicic acid column chromatography using several solvent systems, and one spot of active compound could be obtained on the thin-layer chromatogram. 6. In the Swiss mice inoculated with Sarcoma 180 cells, a survival time of the experimental group (injection group of active compound) was extended more. 1.5 to 2.0 times than the control group's(no injection group).

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.52-60
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• 1993

Panax ginseng has been extensively used in the traditional oriental medicine as a restorative, tonic and Prophylactic agent. Recently, several reports regarding to anticancer effects of Panax ginseng has accumulated. These studies emphasized the fact that the anticancer activities might be due to a glycoside group called ginsenoside or pan.u saponin which has a water soluble characteristic. However, the authors and collaborates demonstrated that a highly lipid soluble component in extract of Panax ginseng roots contains a considerable cytotoxic activities against marine leukemic cells (L1210, P388) and human censer cells (HRT-18, HT-29, HCT48). This study was devised to observe the cytotoxic activities of Petroleum-ether extract of Panax giuseng roots (crude GBD and its Partially Purified fraction from silicic acid column chromatography (7 : 3 GX) against sarcoma-180 (5-180) and Walker carcinosar- coma 256 (Walker 256) in vivo, and murine leukemic Lymphocytes (L1210) and human rectal cancer cells (HRT-18) and human colon cancer cells (HT-29 and HCT48) in vitro. Each cell-line was cultured in medium containing serial concentration of the crude GX or 7 : 3 GX in vitro. A highly lipid soluble compound in the extract of Panax ginseng root was cytocidal to murine leukemic cells and human colon and rectal cancer cells in vitro. In the meantime, ginseng saponin derivatives did not have cytotoxic effects at its corresponding concentration. The growth rates of the cancer cells in medium containing ginseng extracts were inhibited gradually to a significant degree roughly in proportion to the increase of the extract concentration. The cytotoxic activity of 7 : 3 GX was about 3 times more potent than that of crude GX, one unit of cytotoxic activity against L1210 cells being equivalent to 2.54 Ug and 058 Ug for the crude GX and 7 : 3 GX, respectively. The Ri value of the active compound on silica- gel thin layer chromatography with petroleum-ether/ethyl ether/acetic acid mixture (90 : 10 : 1, v/v/v) as a developing so lvent was 053. While, the Panaxydol and Panaxynol as active compounds were purified from Petroleum-ether extract of Panax ginseng root by Drs. Ahn and Kim, and author found out that the one unit of cytotoxic activity of the Panaxydol and Panaxynol against L1210 cells being equivalent to 056 Ug and 0.3918 respectively. The survival times of mice inoculated with S-180 cells were extended about 1.5 to 2 times by the 7 : 3 GX treatment compared with their control group. The significantly decreased hemoglobin values of rats after inoculation with Walker 256 were recovered to normal range by oral administration of the crude Gt The synthetic levels of protein, DNA and RNA in human colon and rectal cancer cells were significantly diminished by treatment with the crude GX, which can explain a part of the origin of its anticancer activity.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.633-639
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• 2005

The composition of Hwoangbaec-tang has been traditionally used in Korea to treat cancer. Hwoangbaec-tang I is the water extracts prepared from Angelica dahurica, Fritillariae verticillata, Ailanthus altissima, Viscum coloratun, Scutellaria Radix, Ginseng Radix, Astragalus membranaceus, and Glycyrrhizae Radix. Hwoangbaec-tang II also is the water extracts prepared from Ginseng Radix, Astragalus membranaceus, and Glycyrrhizae Radix. The anti-leukemic effects of human promyelocytic leukaemia (HL-60 cells) by Hwoangbaec-tang I or II was accessed by propidium iodide staining flow cytometric analysis, and apoptosis-inducing activity was further confirmed by a nuclear morphological change, a ladder pattern of DNA fragmentation, and an activation of caspase-3 and 9. Hwoangbaec-tang I was found to induce the apoptosis of HL-60 cells via caspase-3 and 9 pathway. In the other side, Hwoangbaec-tang II was found to inhibit the growth of HL-60 cells by inducing these cells to differentiate toward granulocytes. These results indicate that the different anti-leukemic effects of Hwoangbaec-tang in HL-60 cells can be induce the apoptosis or differnetiation of HL-60 cells in Hwoangbaec-tang composition dependent manner.

• Proceedings of the Ginseng society Conference
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• 1987.06a
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• pp.29-37
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• 1987

This study was devised to observe the cytotoxlc activities of petroleum-ether extract of Panax ginseng root(crude Gx) and its partially purified fraction from silicon acid column chromatography(7:3 CX) against sarcoma-180(5-180) and Walker carcinosarcoma 256(Walker 256) in vivo, and murine leukemic lymphocytes(L1210) and human rectal cancer cell(HRT-18) and human colon cancer cells(HT-29 and HCT-48) in vitro . Each cell-line was cultured in medium containing serial concentrations of the crude Gx or 7:3 Gx in vitro. A highly lipid soluble compound in the extract of Panax ginseng root was cytocidal to murine leukemic cells and human colon and rectal cancer cells in vitro In the meantime, ginseng saponin derivatives did not cytotoxic effects at its corresponding concentration. The growth rates of the cancer cells in medium containing ginseng extracts were inhibited gradually to a significant degree roughly in proportion to the increase of the extract concentration. The cytotoxic activity of 7:3 Gx was about 3 times more potent than that of crude Gx, one unit of cytotoxic activity against L121f cells being equivalent to 2.54$\mu\textrm{g}$ and 0.88 $\mu\textrm{g}$ for the crude Gx and 7:3 Gx, respectively. The Rf value of the active compound on silica -gel thin layer chromatography with petroleum-ether/ethyl ether/acetic acid mixture (90:10:1, v/v/v) as a developing solvent was 0.23. The survival times of mice inoculated with S-180 cells were extended about 1.5 to 2 times by the 7:3 Gx treatment compared with their control group. The significantly decreased hemoglobin values of rats after inoculation with Walker 256 were recovered to normal range by oral administration of the crude Gx. The synthetic levels of protein, DNA and RNA in human colon and rectal cancer cells were significantly diminished by treatment with the crude Gx, which can explain a part of the origin of its anticancer activity.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.643-647
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• 2003

The Methylene Chloride(MC) fraction of Trichosanthis kirilowii Maxim has been investigated anti-tumor activities in vitro. The MC fraction of Trichosanthis kirilowii Maxim significantly inhibited the proliferation of human leukemic U937 cell with an IC50 of approximately 10μg/ml in a dose-dependent manner. We found that the MC fraction upregulated of caspase9 and caspase-3 activity and cleaved PARP expression but it didn't affect bax and bcl-2. which were demonstrated by western blot analysis. Taken together, these results exerted that the MC fraction suppessed human leukemic U937 cell proliferation by inducing apoptosis, suggesting the MC fraction of Trichosanthis kirilowii Maxim is possible to show anti-cancer activity in vivo.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.589-597
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• 2006

Genistein, a natural isoflavonoid phytoestrogen, is a strong inhibitor of protein tyrosine kinase and DNA topoisomerase activities. There are several studies documenting molecular alterations leading to cell cycle arrest and induction of apoptosis by genistein as a chemopreventive agent in a variety of cancer cell lines; however, its mechanism of action and its molecular targets on human bladder carcinoma and leukemic cells remain unclear. In the present study, we have addressed the mechanism of action by which genistein suppressed the proliferation of T24 bladder carcinoma and U937 leukemic cells. Genistein significantly inhibited the cell growth and induced morphological changes, and induced the G2/M arrest of the cell cycle in both T24 and U937 cells with a relatively stronger cytotoxicity in U937. The G2/M arrest in T24 cells was associated with the inhibition of cyclin A, cyclin B1 and Cdc25C protein expression without alteration of tumor suppressor p53 and cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk) inhibitor p21(WAF1/CIP1). However, the inhibitory effects of genistein on the cell growth of U937 cells were connected with a marked inhibition of cyclin B1 and an induction of Cdk inhibitor p21 proteins by p53-independent manner. These data suggest that genistein may exert a strong anticancer effect and additional studies will be needed to evaluate the different mechanisms between T24 and U937 cells.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.553-561
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• 2022

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a slowly progressing hematopoietic cell disorder. Sphingosine kinase 1 (SPHK1) plays established roles in tumor initiation, progression, and chemotherapy resistance in a wide range of cancers, including leukemia. However, small-molecule inhibitors targeting SPHK1 in CML still need to be developed. This study revealed the role of SPHK1 in CML and investigated the potential anti-leukemic activity of hirsuteine (HST), an indole alkaloid obtained from the oriental plant Uncaria rhynchophylla, in CML cells. These results suggest that SPHK1 is highly expressed in CML cells and that overexpression of SPHK1 represents poor clinical outcomes in CML patients. HST exposure led to G2/M phase arrest, cellular apoptosis, and downregulation of Cyclin B1 and CDC2 and cleavage of Caspase 3 and PARP in CML cells. HST shifted sphingolipid rheostat from sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) towards the ceramide coupled with a marked inhibition of SPHK1. Mechanistically, HST significantly blocked SPHK1/S1P/S1PR1 and BCR-ABL/PI3K/Akt pathways. In addition, HST can be docked with residues of SPHK1 and shifts the SPHK1 melting curve, indicating the potential protein-ligand interactions between SPHK1 and HST in both CML cells. SPHK1 overexpression impaired apoptosis and proliferation of CML cells induced by HST alone. These results suggest that HST, which may serve as a novel and specific SPHK1 inhibitor, exerts anti-leukemic activity by inhibiting the SPHK1/S1P/S1PR1 and BCR-ABL/PI3K/Akt pathways in CML cells, thus conferring HST as a promising anti-leukemic drug for CML therapy in the future.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.903-907
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• 2005

Many naturally occurring plant extracts are studied for their beneficial effects for health and particularly on cancer. Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, occurs in both normal and pathological conditions, including cancer Dysregulation of apoptosis allows transformed cells to continually and uninhibitedly enter the cell cycle, thus perpetuating the sequence of mutation, genomic instability and, finally, oncogenesis. To investigate the apoptosis-inducing effect of the extract of Fructus Trichosanthis (EFT) on leukemic HL-60 cells and its mechanism, HL-60 cells in vitro in culture medium were given different doses of the extract. The inhibitory rate of cells were measured by microculture tetrazolium assay, cell apoptotic rate was detected by flow cytometry, morphology of cell apoptosis was observed by DAPI fluorescence staining, and the activations of caspases and PARP were detected using Western blotting analysis. The extract could activate the caspase-3 and caspase-8, induce PARP cleavage, inhibit growth of HL-60 cells, and cause apoptosis significantly The suppression was in dose-dependent manner. Marked morphological changes of cell apoptosis including condensation of chromatin and nuclear fragmentation were observed clearly by DAPI fluorescence staining especially. These results will provide strong laboratory evidence of EFT for clinical treatment of acute leukemia.

• The Journal of Traditional Korean Medicine
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.83-89
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• 2006

Many naturally occurring plant extracts are studied for their beneficial effects for health and particularly on cancer. Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, occurs in both normal and pathological conditions, including cancer. Dysregulation of apoptosis allows transformed cells to continually and uninhibitedly enter the cell cycle, thus perpetuating the sequence of mutation, genomic instability and, finally, oncogenesis. To investigate the apoptosis-Inducing effect of the extract of Fructus Trichosanthis (EFT) on leukemic HL-60 cells and its mechanism, HL-60 cells in vitro in culture medium were given different doses of the extract. The inhibitory rate of cells were measured by microculture tetrazolium assay, cell apoptotic rate was detected by flow cytometry, morphology of cell apoptosis was observed by DAPI fluorescence staining, and the activations of caspases and PARP were detected using Western blotting analysis. The extract could activate the caspase-3 and caspase-8, induce PARP cleavage, inhibit growth of HL-60 cells, and cause apoptosis significantly. The suppression was in dose-dependent manner. Marked morphological changes of cell apoptosis including condensation of chromatin and nuclear fragmentation were observed clearly by DAPI fluorescence staining especially. These results will provide strong laboratory evidence of EFT for clinical treatment of acute leukemia.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.145-149
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• 2007

We have previously shown that 2,4,3',5'-tetramethoxystilbene (TMS), a synthetic trans-stilbene analogue acting as a potent inhibitor of human cytochrome P450 1B1, induces apoptotic cell death in human cancer cells. In the present studies, we report the mechanisms of apoptotic cell death by TMS in human promyelocytic leukemic HL-60 cells. We found that treatment of HL-60 cells with TMS suppressed the cell growth in a concentration-dependent manner with $IC_{50}$ value of about 0.8 ${\mu}M$. Immunoblot experiments revealed that DMHS-induced apoptosis was associated with cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase. The release of cytochrome c from mitochondria into the cytosol was significantly increased in response to TMS. TMS caused activation of caspase-3 in a concentration-dependent manner and TMS-mediated caspase-3 activation was partially prevented by the caspase inhibitor, zVAD-fmk. Interestingly, we found that the cytotoxic effect of anticancer drugs such as paclitaxel, docetaxel, or etoposide was enhanced in the presence of TMS. Simultaneous treatment with TCDD also significantly increased cytotoxic effects of TMS alone or TMS and anti-cancer agents. Taken together, our present results indicated that TMS leads to apoptotic cell death in HL-60 cells through activation of caspase-3 activity and release of cytochrome c into cytosol. The ability of TMS to increase cytotoxic effect of anticancer drugs may contribute to its usefulness for cancer chemotherapy.