• Toxicological Research
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.29-36
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• 2008

The present study investigated the anti-proliferative and chemosensitizing effects of Crinum asiaticum var. japonicum against multi-drug resistant (MDR) cancer cells. The 80% methanol extract, chloroform ($CHCl_3$) fraction and butanol (BuOH) fraction of C. asiaticum inhibited the growth of mitoxantrone (MX) resistant HL-60 (HL-60/MX2) cells. When HL-60/MX2 cells were treated with the $CHCl_3$ and BuOH fractions, DNA ladder and sub-G1 hypodiploid cells were observed. Furthermore, the fractions reduced BcI-2 mRNA levels, whereas Bax mRNA levels were increased. These results suggest that the inhibitory effect of C. asiaticum on the growth of the HL-60/MX2 cells might arise from the induction of apoptosis. Treatment of HL-60/MX2 cells with the fractions markedly decreased the mRNA levels of the multi-drug resistance protein-1 and breast cancer resistance protein. The $CHCl_3$ fraction and hexane fraction increased MX accumulation in HL-60/MX2 cells. These results imply that the $CHCl_3$ fraction of C. asiaticum plays a pivotal role as a chemosensitizer. We suggest that components of C. asiaticum might have a therapeutic potential for the treatment of MDR leukemia.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.172-178
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• 2013

Purpose: The aims of this study were as follow: 1) to de scribe the expression status of estrogen receptor-${\alpha}$ and -${\beta}$ mRNAs in five gastric carcinoma cell lines; 2) to evaluate in vitro the effects of $17{\beta}$-estradiol and estrogen receptor antagonists on the proliferation of the cell lines. Materials and Methods: Detection of estrogen receptor-${\alpha}$ and estrogen receptor-${\beta}$ mRNA in five human gastric cancer cell lines (AGS, KATO III, MKN28, MKN45 and MKN74) was made by the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction system. To evaluate the effect of $17{\beta}$-estradiol and estrogen receptor antagonists on the proliferation of gastric cancer cell line, the cell lines which expressed both es trogen receptors were chosen and treated with $17{\beta}$-estradiol and estrogen receptor antagonists (methyl-piperidino-pyrazole and pyrazolo [1,5-a] pyrimidine). Cell proliferation was assessed with the methylthiazol tetrazolium test. Results: Estrogen receptor-${\alpha}$ and estrogen receptor-${\beta}$ mRNAs were expressed in three (KATO III, MKN28 and MKN45) and all of the five gastric cancer cell lines, respectively. At higher concentrations, $17{\beta}$-estradiol inhibited cell growth of MKN28, MKN45 and KATO III cell lines. Neither estrogen receptor-${\alpha}$ nor estrogen receptor-${\beta}$ antagonist blocked the anti-proliferative effect of $17{\beta}$-estradiol. Conclusions: Our results indicate that estrogen receptor-${\beta}$ mRNAs are preferentially expressed in gastric cancers and also imply that hormone therapy rather than estrogen receptor blockers may be a useful strategy for the treatment of estrogen receptor-${\beta}$ positive gastric cancer. Its therapeutic significance in gastric cancer are, however, limited until more evidence of the roles of estrogen receptors in the gastric cancer are accumulated.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.137-142
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• 2016

We investigated the anti-proliferative effects of solar salt and purified salt (PS) on HepG2 human hepatocellular cancer cells as well as their effects on mRNA and protein expression of apoptosis- and cell cycle-related genes, including Bcl-2, Bax, p53, and p21. Each salt sample suppressed cancer cell proliferation when treated at a concentration of 0.5% or 1%. Especially solar salt from T salt field (SS-T) and solar salt from Y salt field (SS-Y) significantly suppressed proliferation of cancer cells in comparison with PS. Treatment of HepG2 cells with salt samples at a concentration of 1% suppressed expression of Bcl-2 and promoted expression of Bax, p53, and p21 at the mRNA and protein levels in comparison with the control group. Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) showed that SS-T and SS-Y had higher concentrations of Ca, Mg, S, and K than PS, and SS-T contained higher concentrations of these minerals than SS-Y. It seems that Na and mineral contents in solar salt may contribute to regulation of the genes. Taken together, salt, especially mineral rich solar salt, inhibits cancer cell growth by regulating apoptosis and cell cycle-related genes.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.38 no.12
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• pp.1679-1684
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• 2009

Opuntia humifusa, widely distributed in the southern regions of the Korean peninsula, is known to have bioactive functions and medicinal benefits for treating various diseases such as arteriosclerosis, diabetes mellitus, gastritis, and hyperglycemia. In this study total polyphenol and flavonoid contents of fruit and its anticarcinogenic effects on human breast cancer were investigated. As expected, O. humifusa showed high concentrations of total polyphenol as well as flavonoid as compared to other kinds of cactus. Effects of the water extracts of O. humifusa on the proliferation, G1 arrest and apoptosis of the MCF-7 human breast cancer cells were also examined using the MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assays, and G1 cycle arrest and apoptotic effect of O. humifusa were analyzed by flow cytometry. When MCF-7 cells were treated with different concentrations of hexane, ethyl acetate and water extracts of O. humifusa, water extracts of the fruit significantly decreased viable cell numbers in a concentration dependent manner. A G1 arrest in MCF-7 cells was induced as well. The overall results indicate that water extracts of fruit of O. humifusa would inhibit MCF-7 human breast cancer cell proliferation and induce G1 arrest.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.718-723
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• 2002

CKD-602 (7-[2-(N-isopropylamino)ethyl]-(20S)-camptothecin) is a recently-developed synthetic camptothecin analogue and currently under clinical development by Chong Kun Dang Pharm (Seoul, Korea). CKD-602 showed potent topoisomerase inhibitory activity in vitro and broad antitumor activity against various human tumor cells in vitro and in vivo in animal models. This study describes the pharmacodynamics of the immediate and delayed cytotoxicity induced by CKD-602 in a human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line, HT-29, and its intracellular drug accumulation by HPLC. The present study was designed to address whether the higher activity of CKD-602 with prolonged exposure is due to delayed exhibition of cytotoxicity and/or an accumulation of anti proliferative effect on continuous drug exposure. The drug uptake study was performed to determine whether the delayed cytotoxicity is due to a slow drug accumulation in cells. CKD-602 produced a cytotoxicity that was exhibited immediately after treatment (immediate effect) and after treatment had been terminated (delayed effect). Both the immediate and delayed effects of CKD-602 showed a time dependent decrease in 4IC_{50}$ values. Drug uptake was biphasic and the second equilibrium level was obtained as early as at 24hr, indicating that the cumulative and delayed antitumor effects of CKD-602 were not due to slow drug uptake. On the other hand, CKD-602 treatment was sufficient to induce delayed cytotoxicity after 4hr, however, longer treatment (＞24hr) enhanced its cytotoxicity due to the intracellular accumulation of the drug, which requires 24hr to reach maximum equilibrium concentration. In addition, $C^n$$\times$T=h analysis (n=0.481) indicated that increased exposure times may contribute more to the overall antitumor activity of CKD-602 than drug concentration. Additional studies to determine the details of the intracellular uptake kinetics (e.g., concentration dependency and retention studies) are needed in order to identify the optimal treatment schedules for the successful clinical development of CKD-602.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.555-562
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• 2016

In this study, we investigated the effects of Undaria pinnatifida (UP), Petalonia binghamiae (PB) and Punctaria latifolia (PL) extracts on the inhibition of proliferation and apoptosis in human gastric and breast cancer cells. AGS, MDA-MB-231 and SK-BR-3 cells were treated with 0, 50, 100, and 200 μg/ml concentrations of the extracts to determine their anti-proliferative effects, using the MTT assay. The UP, PB and PL extracts inhibited proliferation of AGS, MDA-MB-231 and SK-BR-3 cells in a dose-dependent manner, and the PL extract was found to be the most effective. DAPI staining was also performed to determine changes in the cell nucleus. Further, the AGS, MDA-MB-231 and SK-BR-3 cells were treated with 0, 50, 100, and 200 μg/ml of only the PL extract. DAPI staining showed increased chromatin condensation, which is indicative of apoptosis, in the 200 μg/ml group. The expression of the Bax, Bcl-2, and PARP proteins in AGS, MDA-MB-231 and SK-BR-3 cells treated with the PL extract was also determined by western blot analysis. The expression of Bax (a pro-apoptotic protein) and cleaved-PARP was increased, whereas the expression of Bcl-2 (an anti-apoptotic protein) was decreased compared with the control. These findings indicate that the PL extract may have potential as an alternative anticancer drug and nutraceutical.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.11
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• pp.1227-1234
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• 2019

Prunus mume, also known as maesil, is a popular fruit consumed in East Asia (Korea, Japan, and China). It contains high amounts of organic acids, minerals, and polyphenols and has been used as a medication for fever, vomiting, and detoxification. In this study, the anti-proliferative and apoptotic effects of solvent fractions from maesil were evaluated using sulforhodamine B (SRB) assays, morphological evaluations, Hoechst 33258 staining, and western blotting. Addition of the maesil methanol fraction (MMF) and the maesil butanol fraction (MBF) significantly and dose-dependently decreased the cell viability of HT-29 human colon cancer cells. Colony-forming assays confirmed that the MMF and MBF treatments decreased colony numbers when compared with untreated control cells. Treatment of HT-29 cells with MMF and MBF caused a distortion of the cell morphology to a shrunken cell mass. Treatment with MMF and MBF also dose-dependently increased nuclear condensation and the formation of apoptotic bodies in HT-29 cells. Treatment with MMF and MBF significantly and dosedependently increased the expression of Bax (a pro-apoptotic protein), caspase-3, and poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) and decreased the expression of Bcl-2 (an anti-apoptotic protein). MMF significantly and dose-dependently inhibited cell proliferation induced by bisphenol A, an environmental hormone. Therefore, MMF may have potential use as a functional food and as a possible therapeutic agent for the prevention of colon cancer.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.15 no.2 s.69
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• pp.169-175
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• 2005

Resveratrol (3,4',5-trihydroxy-trans-stilbene), a phytoalexin found in grape skins, peanuts, and red wine, has been reported to have a wide range of biological and pharmacological properties. $Amyloid-\beta$ deposition and senile plaque-associated astrocytes are common neuropathological features of Alzheimer's disease. In this study, we have explored the effects of resveratrol on $amyloid-\beta-peptide-mediated$ cytotoxicity in vitro and modulation of cell growth-regulatory gene products in astroglioma C6 cells to elucidate its possible mechanism for anti-cytotoxicity. Exposure of C6 cells to $Amyloid-\beta$ resulted in dose-dependent growth inhibition and morphological changes of C6 cells, which were recovered by pre-treatment with resveratrol. The anti-proliferative effect of $amyloid-\beta$ was associated with the induction of tumor suppressor p53 and cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk) inhibitor p21 (WAF1/CIP1) expression assessed by RT-PCR and Western blot analysis in time-dependent manner in C6 cells. In addition, the pro-apoptotic Bax expression was also up-regulated in $amyloid-\beta-treated$ C6 cells without alteration of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 and $Bcl-X_L$ expression. However, pre-treatment of resveratrol significantly inhibited $amyloid-\beta-induced$ p53, p21 and Bax levels, suggesting that the modulation of p53, p21 and Bax levels could be one of the possible pathways by which resveratrol functions as anti-cytotoxic agent. Our results demonstrate that resveratrol may enhance the protection against $amyloid-\beta-induced$ cytotoxicity by promoting the survival of glial cells.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.10
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• pp.1062-1070
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• 2019

A components of garlic (Allium sativum) have anti-proliferative effects against various types of cancer. We aimed to investigate the capacity of garlic compounds to anti-tumor on a various cancer cell lines. Fractionation of garlic extract, guided by antiproliferative activity against human gastric cancer (AGS) cells, has resulted in the isolation of N-benzyl-N-methyldecan-1-amine (NBNMA). We investigated the effect of newly isolated NBNMA from garlic cloves on the inhibition of the growth of CT-26, AGS, HepG2, HCT-116, MCF7, B16F10, and Sarcoma-180 cells for in vitro and CT-26 colon carcinoma cells in vivo. NBNMA exhibited an antiproliferative effect in CT-26 cells by apoptotic cell death. NBNMA exhibited down-regulation of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 proteins and up-regulation of apoptotic Bad protein expression in western blot analyses. In addition, NBNMA meagre activated caspase 3 and caspase 9, initiator caspases of the extrinsic and intrinsic pathways of apoptosis. NBNMA treatment at a dose of 10 mg/kg for 21 days in experimental mice implanted with tumors resulted in significant reduction of the tumor weight (43%). NBNMA exhibited both in vitro and in vivo anticancer activity. These results indicate that NBNMA has promising potential to become a novel anticancer agent from garlic cloves for the treatment of colon carcinoma cancer.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.69-78
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• 2017

Cordyceps militaris has been used in traditional Chinese medicine owing to its anticancer and immunomodulatory activities. Germanium compounds have also been shown to be associated with many pharmacological functions, such as antimicrobial, antiviral, antitumor, antimutagenic, and immunomodulating effects. In this study, we examined the biological properties of hot water extract from mycelial liquid culture of germanium-enriched C. militaris (CMGe). CMGe displayed a concentration-dependent antiproliferation activity against four human cancer cell lines. The antiproliferative activity of CMGe was 2-4-fold lower than that of hot water extract from mycelial liquid culture in C. militaris (CM). However, CM had a concentration-dependent cytotoxicity to human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Contrastingly, CMGe did not cause any cellular damage to MSCs. MSCs cultured with CMGe displayed an increased proliferative activity with no cytotoxic effect. The oral administration of CMGe inhibited increased tumor volume and weight compared with the control group. CMGe has the potential to be used as an industrial product in medicinal foods as well as in pharmaceutical products.