• Journal of Life Science
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• v.21 no.7
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• pp.953-960
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• 2011

Necrosis is characterized by the cell membrane rupture and release of the cellular contents, including high-mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1), into the extracellular microenvironment. HMGB1 acts as a transcriptional regulator in nuclei, but exerts a pro-inflammatory and tumor-promoting cytokine activity when released into the extracellular space. Its overexpression is associated with tumor progression and chemoresistance. Thus, HMGB1 acts as a clinically important molecule in tumor biology. In this study, we examined whether HMGB1 affects cell death induced by anti-cancer drugs. Here we show that HMGB1 prevented cisplatin (alkylating agent)-induced apoptosis and switched the cell fate to necrosis in MCF-7, MDA-MB231, and MDA-MB361 cells. Similar apoptosis-to-necrosis switch effects of HMGB1 were observed in cells treated with 4-HC, another alkylating agent. In contrast, HMGB1 did not exert any significant effects on docetaxel (DOC)-induced apoptosis in MCF-7 cells. We also show that cisplatin-induced apoptosis was switched to necrosis in MCF-7 multicellular tumor spheroids (MTS) that were cultured for 8 days and had necrotic cores, but DOC-induced apoptosis was prevented without the apoptosis-to-necrosis switch. Finally, the levels of RAGE, a receptor of HMGB1, were increased with extended culture of MTS. These findings demonstrate that HMGB1 switches alkylating agent-induced apoptosis to necrosis, suggesting that the strategy to prevent necrosis occurring as an undesirable action of alkylating agent-based chemotherapy should be delineated to improve the efficacy of chemotherapy for cancer.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.97-106
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• 2003

This study was performed to determine the cytotoxic effect of methanol extract from medicinal plants. 1. The cell viability was determined by MTT method. Their cytotoxic activities against three cancer cell lines such as A549, MDA-MB-231 and SNU-C4 cell line were tested. 2. Among them, The methanol extract of Saururus Ohinensis Bail showed the strongest cytotoxic effect against SNU-C4 cells. These results suggest that the methanol extract of Saururus Ohinensis Bail possessed a potential antitumorous agent. 3. The free radical scavenging activity using DPPH method was the strongest of Saururus Chinensis Bail extract.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.5-9
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• 2011

An alkaloid, 3-methylcanthin-5, 6-dione, was isolated from the stem of Picrasma quassioides (D. Don) Benn. and characterized by comprehensive analyses of its 1D and 2D NMR spectra. It was also evaluated for its cytotoxic activity in vitro against three human cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231, HT-29 and NCI-N87), using MTT assays. We found that 3-methylcanthin-5, 6-dione exhibited significant anti-inflammatory activity via inhibiting NO production induced in LPS-stimulated murine macrophage RAW264.7 cells. The antioxidant activity of 3-methylcanthin-5, 6-dione was measured by DPPH free radical scavenging assays, hydroxyl radical scavenging assays and reducing power assays. Our results showed that 3-methylcanthin-5, 6-dione has significant biological activities.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2003.04a
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• pp.179.2-179.2
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• 2003

The cytotoxic activity of 13(E)-Labd-13-ene-8$\alpha$, 15-diol(1), isolated from the ethanol extract of Brachyglottis monroi was evaluated against tumor cell lines such as P388, SNU-C4 MDA-MB231, B 16 melanoma and A549 in vitro. By mean of spectral analysis particularly by the aid of various two dimensional NMR experiments, 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR signals of (1) was completely assigned, and thus the structure of (1) was established unambiguously. (omitted)

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.1097-1104
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• 2012

Background/Aim: Pristimerin isolated from Celastrus and Maytenus spp can inhibit proteasome activity. However, whether pristimerin can modulate cancer metastasis is unknown. Methods: The impacts of pristimerin on the purified and intracellular chymotrypsin proteasomal activity, the levels of regulator of G protein signaling 4 (RGS 4) expression and breast cancer cell lamellipodia formation, and the migration and invasion were determined by enzymatic, Western blot, immunofluorescent, and transwell assays, respectively. Results: We found that pristimerin inhibited human chymotrypsin proteasomal activity in MDA-MB-231 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Pristimerin also inhibited breast cancer cell lamellipodia formation, migration, and invasion in vitro by up-regulating RGS4 expression. Thus, knockdown of RGS4 attenuated pristimerin-mediated inhibition of breast cancer cell migration and invasion. Furthermore, pristimerin inhibited growth and invasion of implanted breast tumors in mice. Conclusion: Pristmerin inhibits proteasomal activity and increases the levels of RGS4, inhibiting the migration and invasion of breast cancer cells.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.265-273
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• 2017

Objective: Orthosiphon pallidus (O. pallidus), which belongs to the Lamiaceae family, is a popular garden plant that is widely used for the treatment of various diseases, such as urinary lithiasis, fever, hepatitis, cancer and jaundice. The objective of the present work was to investigate the antioxidant free-radical scavenging and the anticancer activities of O. pallidus against human breast-cancer cell lines. Methods: The antioxidant activity of Orthosiphon pallidus aqueous extract (OPAE) was investigated using different models, such as the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and the 2, 2'-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) models, as were the $Fe^+$ chelation, the hydroxyl radical and superoxide radical scavenging, and total reducing power activities. The anticancer activities of the extract were determined by using the 3-(4, 5- dimethylthiazolyl-2)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and the sulforhodamine (SRB) assays on the MCF-7 and the MDA-MB-231 cancer cell lines. Results: The aqueous Orthosiphon pallidus extract showed potent activity in in-vitro models. It significantly inhibited the scavenging of hydroxyl and superoxide radicals, but induced a remarkable $Fe^+$ chelation activity. For both cell lines, the percent cytotoxicity was found to increase steadily with increasing OPAE concentration up to $240{\mu}g/mL$. Conclusion: These results suggest that Orthosiphon pallidus has excellent antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anticancer activities against human breast-cancer cell lines.

• Oncology Letters
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.1621-1630
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• 2019

One million females are diagnosed worldwide every year with breast cancer, and the mortality rate of these patients remains high. Several treatments, including surgery, are available for breast cancer. β-Lapachone (β-Lap), a natural quinone compound, has been developed for cancer treatment due to its strong cytotoxic effect through its action on NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1)-dependent activity. However, the mechanism in regards to how β-Lap induces cytotoxicity in breast cancer cells is still elusive. In the present study, we showed that β-Lap induced apoptotic cell death via activation of protein kinase A (PKA) in NQO1-overexpressing MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells. This PKA-dependent cell death was observed solely in NQO1-overexpressing 231 cells via the high production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Cell survival of antioxidant [N-acetylcysteine (NAC)]-treated NQO1-overexpressing 231 cells was significantly recovered, and NQO1-negative 231 cells did not respond to β-Lap. Antiapoptotic proteins such as Bcl2 and Bcl-xL were decreased, while proapoptotic proteins, including cytochrome c, activation of caspase-3, and cleavage of PARP were increased after β-Lap treatment of NQO1-overexpressing 231 cells. Furthermore, PKA activators, forskolin or dibutyryl-cAMP, an analog of cAMP, aggravated the β-Lap-induced apoptotic cell death by decreasing antiapoptotic proteins and further activating proapoptotic proteins in NQO1-positive 231 cells. Treatment with a PKA inhibiter, H89, significantly increased cell viability even in NQO1-overexpressing cells treated with β-Lap. These data showed that β-Lap activated PKA via ROS accumulation, subsequently leading to apoptotic cell death in NQO1-positive breast cancer cells.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.87-94
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• 2008

In view of obtaining potential anticancer compounds, we studied the inhibitory activity and the cytotoxic effects of a candidate compound in cancer cells. The cytotoxic effects of cannabidiol (CBD) in vitro were evaluated in NIH3T3 fibroblasts, B16 melanoma cells, A549 lung cancer cells, MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells, Lenca kidney cells and SNU-C4 colon cancer cells. The cells were cultured in various concentrations of CBD for 48 h and 25 ${\mu}$M of CBD for 6-36 h. The cells were observed to exhibit inhibitory effects of the cell viability in their growth, and then cytotoxicity was estimated. The inhibitory activity of CBD was increased in all cancer cells and showed especially strong increment in breast cancer cells. The cytotoxicity of CBD increased in a dose- and time-dependent manner with growth inhibition in all cancer cell lines. Also, to assess the membrane toxicity induced by CBD, we investigated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release. After treatment with various concentrations of CBD, LDH release rate of cancer cells was accelerated. On the other hand, in the induction of cell death, caspase-3, -8 and -9 activations were detected in cancer cells after treatment with various concentrations of CBD, and CBD effectively induced activity of caspase-3, -8 and -9 in A549 lung cancer cells, MDAMB-231 breast cancer cells and Renca kidney cells. Therefore these results suggest that CBD has a possibility of anticancer agents and anticancer effects against cancer cells by modulation of apoptotic pathway in the range of 5-80 ${\mu}$M concentration.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.1288-1292
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• 2003

This study was carried out to evaluate cytotoxic effects of Houttuynia cordata T/sub HUNB/ extracts on A549 (lung cancer), MDA-MB231 (breast cancer), SNU-C4 (colon cancer) and B16 (mouse melanoma) cell lines. We have determined by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazoliumbromide (MTT) assay. The 150 ㎍/㎖ concentration of methanol extract (63.81 %) of Houttuynia cordata T/sub HUNB/ was shown significantly antitoxic activity on A549 cell lines. The order of cytotoxicity fractions of methanol from Houttuynia cordata T/sub HUNB/ extracts against cancer cell lines in vitro is as follows : hexane fraction layer > chloroform fraction layer > ethyl acetate fraction layer > buthanol fraction layer > water fraction layer. These results suggest that the hexane fraction of methanol extract from Houttuynia cordata T/sub HUNB/ extract may be a valuable choice for the development of antitumor agents.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.79-86
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• 2003

This study was carried out to evaluate cytotoxic effects of Houttuynia cordata $T_{HUNB}$ extracts on A549(lung cancer), B16(mouse melanoma), MDA-MB231(breast cancer) and SNU-C4(colon cancer) cell lines. We have determined by 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-Yl)-2, 5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazoliumbromide(MTT) assay. The $150{\mu}g/ml$ concentration of chloroform extract of Houttuynia cordata $T_{HUNB}$ was shown significantly antitoxic activity on MDA-MB231$(65.96{\pm}5.68%)$ and SNU-C4$(55.94{\pm}7.39%)$ cell lines.