• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제15권18호
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• pp.7687-7692
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• 2014

Aim: To observe the effects of a novel all-trans retinoid acid (ATRA) derivative, N-(3-trifluoromethyl-phenyl)-retinamide (ATPR), on lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells and to explore the potential mechanism of ATPR inhibiting of A549 cell migration. Materials and Methods: The cytotoxicity of ATRA and ATPR on A549 cells was assessed using MTT assay. Wound healing assays were used to analyze the influences of ATRA, ATPR, ML-7 (a highly selective inhibitor of myosin light chain kinase (MLCK)), PMA (an activator of MAPKs) and PD98059 (a selective inhibitor of ERK1/2) on the migration of A549 cells. Expression of MLCK and phosphorylation of myosin light chain (MLC) were assessed by Western blotting. Results: ATRA and ATPR inhibited the proliferation of A549 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner, and the effect of ATPR was much more remarkable compared with ATRA. Relative migration rate and migration distance of A549 cells both decreased significantly after treatment with ATPR or ML-7. The effect on cell migration of PD98059 combining ATPR treatment was more notable than that of ATPR alone. Moreover, compared with control groups, the expression levels of MLCK and phosphorylated MLC in A549 cells were both clearly reduced in ATRA and ATPR groups. Conclusions: ATPR could suppress the migration and invasion of A549 cells, and the mechanism might be concerned with down-regulating the expression of MLCK in the ERK-MAPK signaling pathway, pointing to therapeutic prospects in lung cancer.

• 생약학회지
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• 제30권1호
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• pp.59-64
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• 1999

Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) technique was applied to extract cytotoxic substances from five medicinal plants including Angelica gigas, Angelica acutiloba, Aralia cordata, Spirodela polyrhiza, Bupleurum falcatum, and Acanthopanax sessiliflorus. The cytotoxicities against P388, A549, and HL-60 cell lines were determined for the supercritical carbon dioxide extracts of five plant materials employed and were compared with those of the conventional organic solvent extracts such as n-hexane, $CHCl_{3}$, and MeOH to evaluate the SFE as an alternative method to conventional organic solvent extraction. In most cases, the SFE extracts of plant materials showed enhanced cytotoxicities when compared with those of other organic solvent extracts. In addition, the optimum temperature and pressure of SFE for extraction of the cytotoxic substances were largely affected by both the plant species and the cell lines tested. These results suggested that SFE could be an alternative to the conventional organic solvent method for the selective extraction of cytotoxic compounds from plants.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제61권4호
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• pp.449-454
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• 2023

Free-living amoebae (FLA) rarely cause human infections but can invoke fatal infections in the central nervous system (CNS). No consensus treatment has been established for FLA infections of the CNS, emphasizing the urgent need to discover or develop safe and effective drugs. Flavonoids, natural compounds from plants and plant-derived products, are known to have antiprotozoan activities against several pathogenic protozoa parasites. The anti-FLA activity of flavonoids has also been proposed, while their antiamoebic activity for FLA needs to be emperically determined. We herein evaluated the antiamoebic activities of 18 flavonoids against Naegleria fowleri and Acanthamoeba species which included A. castellanii and A. polyphaga. These flavonoids showed different profiles of antiamoebic activity against N. fowleri and Acanthamoeba species. Demethoxycurcumin, kaempferol, resveratrol, and silybin (A+B) showed in vitro antiamoebic activity against both N. fowleri and Acanthamoeba species. Apigenin, costunolide, (-)-epicatechin, (-)-epigallocatechin, rosmarinic acid, and (-)-trans-caryophyllene showed selective antiamoebic activity for Acanthamoeba species. Luteolin was more effective for N. fowleri. However, afzelin, berberine, (±)-catechin, chelerythrine, genistein, (+)-pinostrobin, and quercetin did not exhibit antiamoebic activity against the amoeba species. They neither showed selective antiamoebic activity with significant cytotoxicity to C6 glial cells. Our results provide a basis for the anti-FLA activity of flavonoids, which can be applied to develope alternative or supplemental therapeutic agents for FLA infections of the CNS.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• 제6권4호
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• pp.183-188
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• 2000

In order to discover novel potent antitumor agents, methanolic extracts of approximately 180 herbal medicines were prepared and primarily evaluated for cytotoxic activity in cultured human lung (A549) and colon (Col 2) cancer cells. As a result, 17 natural product extracts were found to be active in the criteria of $IC_{50}$<$20\;{\mu}g/ml$. Especially, the extracts of Aristolochia debilis, Cynanchum ascyrifolium, Cynanchum paniculatum, Daphne genkwa, Euphorbia lathyris, Ipomoea hederacea, Magnolia officinalis, Melia azedarach var. japonica, Solanum nigrum, Thuja orientalis, and Trichosanthes kirilowii showed a strong cytotoxic potential. The flower extract of Daphne genkwa was more selective cytotoxic activity against lung cancer cells $(IC_{50};\;0.2\;{\mu}g/ml)$ compared to colon cancer cells $(IC_{50}>20\;{\mu}g/ml)$. In addition, based on the cytotoxic potential of the root extract of Cynanchum paniculatum, the further fractionation of methylene chloride partition with silica gel column chromatography was performed. Several subfractions were considered to be active, and thus indicating that further studies for the identification of active principles from these fractions might be warranted.

• 한국환경보건학회지
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• 제26권3호
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• pp.11-17
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• 2000

There are among the most relevant toxic emissions from incinerators such as polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Induction of cytochrome P4501A1 catalyzed 7-ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase(EROD) activity in mammalian cell culture(EROD bioassay) is thought to be a selective and sensitive parameter used for the quantification of dioxin-like components. In this study, the toxic emissions from several school waste incinerators were evaluated by determination of CYPIA catalytic activity and cytotoxicity using cell culture microbioassay. The incinerator residue and soil samples were collected from the schools located in Kyunggi province from April to June 1999. The samples were extracted in a Soxhlet apparatus using toluene for 20 hours. In order to clean-up, concentrated crude extracts were applied to basic alumina column. The EROD activities of extracts in the H4IIE cells were from 1.91$\pm$0.32 ng-TEQ/g to 24.54$\pm$3.48 ng-TEQ/g of biochemical-TEQ value. In soil samples, CYP1A catalytic activity was 0.09~0.64 ng-TEQ/g. EROD bioassay, seems to be a useful short-term bioassay when information about the biological response of complex environmental samples is needed. Although further study is needed, these results indicate that the potent toxic emissions are produced from school waste semi-incinerators.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• 제10권6호
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• pp.296-301
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• 2004

Previously, a flavonoid fraction, which consisted mainly of protocatechuic acid, fustin, fisetin, sulfuretin, and butein, here named RCMF $({\underline{R}}VS\;{\underline{c}}hloroform-{\underline{m}}ethanol\;{\underline{f}}raction)$, was prepared from a crude acetone extract of Rhus verniciflua Stokes (RVS) which is traditionally used as a food additive and as an herbal medicine. In this study, we evaluated the effects of RCMF on the antioxidant defense system using embryonic normal hepatic cell line (BNL CL.2) and its SV40-mediated transformed cell line (BNL SV A.8). This study demonstrates that RCMF selectively stimulated the antioxidant defense system of normal cells, as BNL CL.2 cells proved to be more sensitive to RCMF-mediated increases of superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione, and glutathione reductase than BNL SV A.8 cells. In particular, RCMF caused a significant increase in the malonaldehyde content of BNL SV A.8 cells, which is believed to be closely associated with cytotoxicity of RCMF and RCMF-mediated growth inhibition. Collectively, our findings suggest that the flavonoid fraction, RCMF, selectively stimulates the antioxidant defense system in normal rather than hepatic tumor cells.

• 동의생리병리학회지
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• 제17권5호
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• pp.1305-1308
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• 2003

To evaluate the neurotoxicity of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cultured cultured spinal dorsal root(DRG) neurons derived from neonatal mouse, Cytotoxicity was measured by MTS assay after cultured cells were grown for 3 hours in the media containing 1～60 μM hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). In addition the neuroprotective effect of Salviae Miltiorrhzae Radix (SMR) was measured in these cultrures. Cell viability was positively decreased in a dose- and time-dependent manner after exposure of cultured mouse DRG neurons to 30 tt M H202 for 3 hours. In the neuroprotective effect of SMR on H₂O₂-mediated toxicity, SMR prevented the H₂O₂-induced neurotoxicity in these cultures. From these results. it suggests that H₂0₂ is toxic in cultured mouse spinal motor neurons and selective herb extract such as Uncariae Ramulus Cum Uncis is effective in prevetion of the neurotoxicity induced by H₂O₂.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• 제6권2호
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• pp.84-86
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• 2008

The Tetrahymena group I intron has been shown to employ a trans-splicing reaction and has been modified to specifically target and replace human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) RNA with a suicide gene transcript, resulting in the induction of selective cytotoxicity in cancer cells that express the target RNA, in animal models as well as in cell cultures. In this study, we evaluated the target RNA specificity of trans-splicing phenomena by the group I intron in mice that were intraperitoneally inoculated with hTERT-expressing human cancer cells to validate the anti-cancer therapeutic applicability of the group I intron. To this end, an adenoviral vector that encoded for the hTERT-targeting group I intron was constructed and systemically injected into the animal. 5'-end RACE-PCR and sequencing analyses of the trans-spliced cDNA clones revealed that all of the analyzed products in the tumor tissue of the virus-infected mice resulted from reactions that were generated only with the targeted hTERT RNA. This study implies the in vivo target specificity of the trans-splicing group I intron and hence suggests that RNA replacement via a trans-splicing reaction by the group I intron is a potent anti-cancer genetic approach.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• 제32권3호
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• pp.318-326
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• 1999

Apoptotic cell death, characterized by DNA fragmentation and morphological changes, has previously been shown to occur in vascular endothelial cells cultured with hydrogen peroxide. The present study examined the induction of apoptosis by hydrogen peroxide and whether pyruvate, a key glycolytic intermediate and $\alpha$-keto-monocarboxylate, can inhibit the apoptotic effects in bovine pulmonary artery endothelial cells(BPAECs). Culture with 500uM hydrogen peroxide resulted in 30% cell death and induced morphological changes and DNA fragmentation. Cell injury was inhibited by the treatment with pyruvate. Pyruvate(0.1-5.0mM), and cell viability increased in a dose-dependent manner. In the presence of pyruvate(10~20mM), the viability was improved to over 95%. In contrast, treatment with lactate, a reduced form of phyuvate, did not protect against cell death oxidative stress-induced loss of viability and apoptosis was examined with $\alpha$-cyano-3-hydroxycinnarmate(COHC) as a selective mitochondrial monocarboxylate transport blocker. Incubation with COHC(500uM) did not significantly affect cell viability in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. The cytoprotection by pyruvate(3mM)against hydrogen peroxide stress was abolished by COHC. This indicates that the cytoprotection by pyruvate against oxidative stress in endothelial cells is mediated, at least in part, by mitochondrial pyruvate uptake and hence endothelial enerygetics. However, cytosolic mechanisms related, at least in part, by mitochondrial pyruvate uptake and hence endothelial energetics. However, cytosolic mechanisms related to the glutathione system may also contribute. The results suggest that pyruvate has therapeutic potential in the treatment of oxidative stress-induced cytotoxicity associated with increased apoptosis.

• Macromolecular Research
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• 제15권7호
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• pp.646-655
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• 2007

To achieve targeted drug delivery for chemotherapy, a ligand-mediated nanoparticulate drug carrier was designed, which could identity a specific receptor on the surfaces of tumor cells. Biodegradable poly(ethylene oxide)/poly$({\varepsilon}-caprolactone)$ (PEG/PCL) amphiphilic block copolymers coupled to biotin ligands were synthesized with a variety of PEG/PCL compositions. Block copolymeric nanoparticles harboring the anticancer drug paclitaxel were prepared via micelle formation in aqueous solution. The size of the biotin-conjugated PEG/PCL nanoparticles was determined by light scattering measurements to be 88-118 nm, depending on the molecular weight of the block copolymer, and remained less than 120 nm even after paclitaxel loading. From an in vitro release study, biotin-conjugated PEG/PCL nanoparticles containing paclitaxel evidenced sustained release profiles of the drug with no initial burst effect. The biotin-conjugated PEG/PCL block copolymer itself evidenced no significant adverse effects on cell viability at $0.005-1.0{\mu}g/mL$ of nanoparticle suspension regardless of cell type (normal human fibroblasts and HeLa cells). However, biotin-conjugated PEG/PCL harboring paclitaxel evidenced a much higher cytotoxicity for cancer cells than was observed in the PEG/PCL nanoparticles without the biotin group. These results showed that the biotin-conjugated nanoparticles could improve the selective delivery of paclitaxel into cancer cells via interactions with over-expressed biotin receptors on the surfaces of cancer cells.