• Anatomy and Cell Biology
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.274-283
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• 2018

Hyper-O-GlcNAcylation is a general feature of cancer which contributes to various cancer phenotypes, including cell proliferation and cell growth. Quercetin, a naturally occurring dietary flavonoid, has been reported to reduce the proliferation and growth of cancer. Several reports of the anticancer effect of quercetin have been published, but there is no study regarding its effect on O-GlcNAcylation. The aim of this study was to investigate the anticancer effect of quercetin on HeLa cells and compare this with its effect on HaCaT cells. Cell viability and cell death were determined by MTT and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick-end labelling assays. O-GlcNAcylation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) was examined by succinylated wheat germ agglutinin pulldown and immunoprecipitation. Immunofluorescence staining was used to detect the immunoreactivitiy of O-linked N-acetylglucosamine transferase (OGT) and sterol regulatory element binding protein 1 (SREBP-1). Quercetin decreased cell proliferation and induced cell death, but its effect on HaCaT cells was lower than that on HeLa cells. O-GlcNAcylation level was higher in HeLa cells than in HaCaT cells. Quercetin decreased the expression of global O-GlcNAcylation and increased AMPK activation by reducing the O-GlcNAcylation of AMPK. AMPK activation due to reduced O-GlcNAcylation of AMPK was confirmed by treatment with 6-diazo-5-oxo-L-norleucine. Our results also demonstrated that quercetin regulated SREBP-1 and its transcriptional targets. Furthermore, immunofluorescence staining showed that quercetin treatment decreased the immunoreactivities of OGT and SREBP-1 in HeLa cells. Our findings demonstrate that quercetin exhibited its anticancer effect by decreasing the O-GlcNAcylation of AMPK. Further studies are needed to explore how quercetin regulates O-GlcNAcylation in cancer.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.394-398
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• 2000

A methanol extract of the root of Peucedanum japonicum, used as a medicinal herb, showed an inhibitory effect on mammalian topoisomerase I activity. The methanol extract was suspended in ethyl acetate, and a topoisomerase I inhibitor in the organic soluble fraction was then isolated by silica gel and thin layer chromatography. The topoisomerase I inhibitory compound was indentified as falcarindiol based on the analysis of EI-MS, $^1$H and \ulcornerC NMR spectroscopy. This inhibitory showed cytotoxicity against human leukemia Jurkat T and HL60 cells with an IC\ulcorner value of 7 $\mu\textrm{g}$/ml. These results suggest the possibility of falcarindiol as a new anticancer agent which can be expected to have a synergistic effect on other anticancer drugs. In addition, the present data show that falcarindiol has antifungal, yet not antibacterial, activity.

• BMB Reports
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• v.51 no.11
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• pp.596-601
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• 2018

Colon cancer is one of the most lethal and common malignancies worldwide. STK899704, a novel synthetic agent, has been reported to exhibit anticancer effects towards numerous cancer cells. However, the effect of STK899704 on the biological properties of colon cancer, including cancer cell migration and cancer stem cells (CSCs), remains unknown. Here, we examined the inhibitory effect of STK899704 on cell migration and CSC stemness. In the wound healing assay, STK899704 significantly inhibited the motility of colon cancer cells. Furthermore, STK899704 downregulated the mRNA expression levels of the cell migration mediator focal adhesion kinase (FAK). STK899704 also suppressed mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase and extracellular signal-regulated kinase, which are downstream signaling molecules of FAK. Additionally, STK899704 inhibited stemness gene expression and sphere formation in colon cancer stem cells. These results suggest that STK899704 can be used to treat human colon cancer.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.269-272
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• 2002

Ethanol and butanol fractionation of E. senticosus showed strong anti-oxidant activity, and methanol and water extracts also had high anti-oxidant activity. The anti-oxidant activities in ethanol and butanol fractionation were higher than or similar to those of ${\alpha}-tocopherol$. The cytotoxic effect of root extract of E. senticosus was evaluated on seven different human cancer cell lines, The extracts of leaf and stem of E. senticosus also had strong antioxidant activity, but the antioxidant activity in root extract was higher than those in leaf and stem extracts. Methanol, hexane, and aqueous fraction layer had much higher inhibitory activities on lipid peroxidation in rat liver microsomes compared with ${\alpha}-tocopherol$. The effect of root extract of E. senticosus was evaluated on six human cancer cell lines. The values of 50% growth inhibition $(GI_{50})$ for the extracts were mostly below $30{\mu}g/ml$, and the extracts are considered as active inhibitory compounds on cancer cells.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.11
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• pp.6925-6928
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• 2013

Background: Despite numerous useful anticancer properties of curcumin, its utility is limited due to its hydrophobic structure. In this study, we investigated the comparative antiproliferative effect of PAMAM encapsulating curcumin with naked curcumin on the T47D breast cancer cell line. Materials and Methods: Cytotoxic effects of PAMAM dendrimers encapsulating curcumin and curcumin alone were investigated by MTT assay. After treating cells with different concentrations of both curcumin alone and curcumin encapsulated for 24h, telomerase activity was determined by TRAP assay. Results: While PAMAM dendrimers encapsulating curcumin had no cytotoxicity on cancer cells, they decreased the $IC_{50}$ for proliferation and also increased the inhibitory effect on telomerase activity. Conclusions: Considering the non-toxicity in addition to effectiveness for enhancing curcumin anticancer properties, dendrimers could be considered good therapeutic vehicles for this hydrophobic agent.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.33-37
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• 1999

The antimutagenic effects of buchu kimchi and Chinese cabbage kimchi and theri cytotoxic effects against human cancer cell line were investigated in the Salmonella typhimurium system and MTT assay, respectively. Leek and Chinese cabbage were aslo evaluated in the same system. Buchu kimchi was fermented at 15 $^{\circ}C$ for 4 days . Buchu kimchi samples showed somewhat higher antimutagenic effects against aflatoxin B1(AFB1) than CHinese cabbage kimchi in Salmonella typhimurium TA100 strain. There was no difference onthe antimutagenic activity according to the length of fermentation . Leek exerted stronger antimutagenicity against AFB1 than Chinese cabbage in the Ames assay. In MTT assay, 6-day fermented buchu kimchin revealed the highest cytotoxicity against AGS human gastric adenocarcinoma cells in which 62% and 82% of the inhibition were observed wiht the addition of 100ug, 400ug/well, respectively. Buchu kimchi samples caused 60~70% inhibition on the proliferation of HT-29 at 400ug/well. Leek exhibited higher antiproliferative effect against both AGS cells and HT-29 cells than Chinese cabbage in MTT assay. From these results, it is considered that buchu kimchi has stronger antimutagenic and in vitro anticancer effects than Chinese cabbage kimchi and the high inhibition rate of buchu kimchi probably results from leek, the major ingredient of buchu kimchi .

• Journal of Dairy Science and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.58-71
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• 1999

This study was designed to investigate the health promotion effect of fermented milk and historical story of Korean dairy products from the ancient period to present. Although the origin of fermented milk is Europe, the recede of fermented milk was founded in far-east and middle east areas at BC 4C. After the spread of fermented milk to Korea and Japan. The consumption of fermented milk in Korea was dramatically increased to 14.2 kg per person in 1997. Health promotion effect of fermented milk can be devided to 5 major effected improvements of intestinal microflora, anticancer, cholesterol assimilation anti-pathogenic activity. Fermented milk reduced the level of ${\beta}$-glucornidase and nitroreductase to 50% and it provides anticancer activity by cell wall an polysaccharides. Fermented milk has cholesterol assimilation activity ca. 54${\sim}$40% (B. longum, Str. thermophillus). Anti-pathogenic activity of fermented milk was significant. It appeared that Sal. ser. typhimurium was more susceptible than 5. coli 0157 at low pH fermented milk. Viable cells of E. coli 0157 were not dramatically decreased in most of fermented milks tested, but in general, Sal. ser. typhimurium was drastically decreased in most of the fermented milks.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.7 no.5
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• pp.255-259
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• 2003

Dendritic cells (DCs) play a critical role in various immune responses involving $CD4^+$ T cells and have been used to generate anti-tumor immunity. Chemotherapy induces severe side effects including immunosuppression in patients with cancer. Although immunosuppression has been studied, the effects of anticancer drugs on DCs are not fully determined. In this study, we demonstrated that CD40 activation strongly protected DCs from 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) or mitomycin C-induced apoptosis. DCspecific surface markers, including CD11c and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II, were used for identifying DCs. CD 40 activation with anti-CD40 mAb significantly enhanced the viability of DCs treated with 5-FU or mitomycin C, assayed by MTT (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide). Fluorescence staining and analysis clearly confirmed the enhancing effect of anti-CD40 mAb on the viability of DCs, suggesting that CD40 activation may transduce critical signals for the viability of DCs. Annexin V staining assay showed that CD40 significantly protected DCs from 5-FU or mitomycin C-induced apoptosis. Taken together, this study shows that CD40 activation with anti-CD40 mAb has strong anti-apoptosis effect on DCs, suggesting that CD40 activation may overcome the immunosuppression, especially downregulation of number and function of DCs in chemotherapy-treated cancer patients.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.138-146
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• 2022

Background: Red Ginseng has been used for many years to treat diseases. Ginsenoside Rg3 has documented therapeutic effects, including anticancer and anti-inflammatory activities. However, the anticancer effect of Rg3-enriched red ginseng extract (Rg3-RGE) and its underlying mechanisms have not been fully explored. We investigated whether Rg3-RGE plays an anti-tumor role in lung cancer cells. Methods: To examine the effect of Rg3-RGE on lung cancer cells, we performed cell viability assays, flow cytometry, western blotting analysis, and immunofluorescence to monitor specific markers. Results: Rg3-RGE significantly inhibited cell proliferation and induced mitochondria-dependent apoptosis. Furthermore, Rg3-RGE also increased expression of mitophagy-related proteins such as PINK1 and Parkin. In addition, treatment with Rg3-RGE and mitophagy inhibitors stimulated cell death by inducing mitochondria dysfunction. Conclusions: Rg3-RGE could be used as a therapeutic agent against lung cancer.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.387-394
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• 2022

Verotoxin-1 (VT-1) or Shiga-like toxin 1 (Stx-1) is produced by enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) and is an AB5 holotoxin with a strong inhibitor of protein synthesis. VT-1 is a type 2 ribosome-inactivating protein (RIP) that has been shown to have cytotoxic and anticancer potential by inducing necrosis, apoptosis, and cell cycle arrest, making it a promising antitumor candidate. Here, we tested the cytotoxicity of VT-1 on CaCo2 and NCM425 cell lines and the results showed that VT-1 was more potent on CaCo2. Morphological changes were also evaluated on the cellular level and the results showed that VT-1 caused a decrease in viable cell count, altered cell membrane permeability, and an increase in total nuclear intensity. On the other hand, VT-1 displayed a lesser impact on mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and cytochrome c release. On the expression of caspases 3 and 9, VT-1 exhibited an insignificant effect on both which alongside the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and cytochrome c results, might indicate that CaCo2 suffered from the necrosis process as a mechanism of cell death after exposure to VT-1.