• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제14권11호
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• pp.6481-6486
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• 2013

Background: Our previous study demonstrated cytotoxicity of a crude extract from Patrinia heterophylla Bunge (PHEB). In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effects of isovaltrate acetoxyhydrin (IA) isolated from PHEB on the gastric cancer cell SGC-7901, in order to explore a potential treatment for gastric cancer. Methods: MTT assays were employed to determine the effects of IA on cell vitality and proliferation, with monitoring of cell morphology changes and examination of apoptosis with Annexin V-PI staining. Flow cytometry was used to assess cell cycle progression and mitochondrial membrane potential. The activity of caspase 3, 9 was evaluated by spectrophotometry, and the protein levels of Bax, Bcl2 and Cyclin B1 were analyzed with Western blotting of total proteins extracted from cultured cells. Results: The results demonstrated direct toxicity of IA towards SGC-7901 cells. Evidence of apoptosis included blebbing and chromatin condensation. Annexin V-PI assays revealed early apoptosis, involving rapid depolarization of mitochondrial membranes and activity of caspase 3, 9 signaling pathways. Western blotting showed that Bcl2 and Bax proteins was down- and up-regulated, respectively, and cyclin B1 was up-regulated. Cell cycle analysis further indicated that IA could induce G2/M phase arrest in SGC-7901 cells. Conclusions: In conclusion, we believe that IA induces apoptosis of SGC-7901 cells, therefore providing a potential therapeutic agent for treatment of gastric cancer.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• 제47권1호
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• pp.1-11
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• 2014

널리 음용되고 있는 녹차의 EGCG과 우리나라 국민의 상당수가 복용하고 있는 건강기능성 식품 성분인 글루코사민은 이전의 연구들을 통해서 지방세포의 분화를 억제하는데 효과가 있다고 보고되어왔다. 이 두 물질의 병합처리로 기대되어지는 지방세포에서의 adipogenesis 및 지방축적감소에 대한 상승효과는 검증된 바 없으며, 효과에 대한 cell cycle 차원에서의 접근은 없었다. 본 연구 결과에서 EGCG와 Glucosamine 6-phosphate는 adipogenesis 전사인자인 $PPAR{\gamma}$, $C/EBP{\alpha}$, SREBP1에 대한 직접적인 발현 억제 뿐아니라, $PPAR{\gamma}$, $C/EBP{\alpha}$, SREBP1와 매개된 FAS, ACSL1, LPL과 같은 adipogenic target 유전자의 발현 감소를 통하여 지방세포의 분화와 지방세포 내 지방축적을 감소시키는 효과를 나타냈다. 그리고 HSL과 perilipin의 발현조절을 통해 부분적인 lipolytic effet도 나타냈다. 또한 지방세포의 분화가 개시되는데 있어 중요한 DNA의 remodeling 과정인 mitotic clonal expansion (MCE) 과정 중 G0/G1 phase 단계에서 cell cycle 정지 유도와 그로인한 S phase 및 G2/M phase로 세포주기이행의 방해를 통해 지방세포가 분화되는 것은 억제하였다. 이러한 효과들은 EGCG 농도가 높아질수록, 그리고 EGCG를 단독으로 처리한경우보다 Glucosamine 6-phosphate와 병합하였을 때 효과적이었다. 따라서 EGCG 단독처리 및 glucosamine 6-phosphate와의 병합처리는 지방세포에서 adipogenesis와 adipogenic관련 유전자들의 발현 억제 및 MCE 단계의 cell cycle arrest를 통해 지방세포의 분화를 억제하고 지방축적을 감소시켜 항비만 효과를 나타냈으며, 이러한 효과는 두 성분의 병합처리에서 조금 더 효과적이었다고 할 수 있다. 비록 두 성분의 병합처리가 기대했던 만큼은 아니었으나 항비만 효과에 대한 상승효과가 있다고 볼 수 있다.

• 대한약학회:학술대회논문집
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• 대한약학회 2002년도 Proceedings of the Convention of the Pharmaceutical Society of Korea Vol.1
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• pp.158.1-158.1
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• 2002

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제30권2호
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• pp.151-161
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• 2022

This study elucidates the anti-cancer potential of gallic acid (GA) as a promising therapeutic agent that exerts its effect by regulating the PI3K/Akt pathway. To prove our research rationale, we used diverse experimental methods such as cell viability assay, colony formation assay, tumor spheroid formation assay, cell cycle analysis, TUNEL assay, Western blot analysis, xenograft mouse model and histological analysis. Treatment with GA inhibited cell proliferation in dose-dependent manner as measured by cell viability assay at 48 h. GA and cisplatin (CDDP) also inhibited colony formation and tumor spheroid formation. In addition, GA and CDDP induced apoptosis, as determined by the distribution of early and late apoptotic cells and DNA fragmentation. Western blot analysis revealed that inhibition of the PI3K/Akt pathway induced upregulation of p53 (tumor suppressor protein), which in turn regulated cell cycle related proteins such as p21, p27, Cyclin D1 and E1, and intrinsic apoptotic proteins such as Bax, Bcl-2 and cleaved caspase-3. The anti-cancer effect of GA was further confirmed in an in vivo mouse model. Intraperitoneal injection with GA for 4 weeks in an A549-derived tumor xenograft model reduced the size of tumor mass. Injection of them downregulated the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen and p-Akt, but upregulated the expression of cleaved caspase-3 in tumor tissues. Taken together, these results indicated that GA hindered lung cancer progression by inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, suggesting that GA would be a potential therapeutic agent against non-small cell lung cancer.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• 제26권12호
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• pp.1055-1060
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• 2003

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is a well-known mitogen in various cell types. However, we found that LPA inhibits melanocyte proliferation. Thus, we further investigated the possible signaling pathways involved in melanocyte growth inhibition. We first examined the regulation of the three major subfamilies of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases and of the Akt pathway by LPA. The activations of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) were observed in concert with the inhibition of melanocyte proliferation by LPA, whereas p38 MAP kinase and Akt were not influenced by LPA. However, the specific inhibition of the ERK or JNK pathways by PD98059 or D-JNKI1, respectively, did not restore the antiproliferative effect. We next examined changes in the expression of cell cycle related proteins. LPA decreased cyclin $D_1 and cyclin D_2$ levels but increased $p21^{WAF1/CIP1}$ (p21) and $p27^{KIP1}$ (p27) levels, which are known inhibitors of cyclin-dependent kinase. Flow cytometric analysis showed the inhibition of DNA synthesis by a reduction in the S phase and an increase in the $G_0/G_1$ phase of the cell cycle. Our results suggest that LPA induces cell cycle arrest by regulating the expressions of cell cycle related proteins.

• 대한한의학방제학회지
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• 제23권2호
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• pp.199-208
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• 2015

Objectives : In the present study, we investigated the effects of ethanol extract of Scutellaria baicalensis (EESB) on the progression of cell cycle in human renal cell carcinoma Caki-1 cells. Methods : The effects of EESB on cell growth and apoptosis induction were evaluated by trypan blue dye exclusion assay and flow cytometry, respectively. The mRNA and protein levels were determined by Western blot analysis and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, respectively. Results : It was found that EESB treatment on Caki-1 cells resulted in a dose-dependent inhibition of cell growth and induced apoptotic cell death as detected by Annexin V-FITC staining. The flow cytometric analysis indicated that EESB resulted in G2/M arrest in cell cycle progression which was associated with the down-regulation of cyclin A expression. Our results also revealed that treatment with EESB increased the mRNA and proteins expression of tumor suppressor p53 and cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk) inhibitor p21(WAF1/CIP1), without any noticeable changes in cyclin B1, Cdk2 and Cdc2. In addition, the incubation of cells with EESB resulted in a significant increase in the binding of p21 and Cdk2 and Cdc2. These findings suggest that EESB-induced G2/M arrest and apoptosis in Caki-1 cells is mediated through the p53-mediated upregulation of Cdk inhibitor p21. Conclusions : Taken together, these findings suggest that EESB may be a potential chemotherapeutic agent and further studies will be needed to identify the biological active compounds that confer the anti-cancer activity of S. baicalensis.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• 제22권2호
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• pp.193-201
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• 2018

Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) is a novel fibrotic mediator, which is considered to mediate fibrosis through extracellular matrix (ECM) synthesis in diabetic cardiovascular complications. Statins have significant immunomodulatory effects and reduce vascular injury. We therefore examined whether fluvastatin has anti-fibrotic effects in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and elucidated its putative transduction signals. We show that advanced glycation end products (AGEs) stimulated CTGF mRNA and protein expression in a time-dependent manner. AGE-induced CTGF expression was mediated via ERK1/2, JNK, and Egr-1 pathways, but not p38; consequently, cell proliferation and migration and ECM accumulation were regulated by CTGF signaling pathway. AGE-stimulated VSMC proliferation, migration, and ECM accumulation were blocked by fluvastatin. However, the inhibitory effect of fluvastatin was restored by administration of CTGF recombinant protein. AGE-induced VSMC proliferation was dependent on cell cycle arrest, thereby increasing G1/G0 phase. Fluvastatin repressed cell cycle regulatory genes cyclin D1 and Cdk4 and augmented cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors p27 and p21 in AGE-induced VSMCs. Taken together, fluvastatin suppressed AGE-induced VSMC proliferation, migration, and ECM accumulation by targeting CTGF signaling mechanism. These findings might be evidence for CTGF as a potential therapeutic target in diabetic vasculature complication.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제20권6호
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• pp.513-519
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• 2012

Although the immense efforts have been made for cancer prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment, cancer morbidity and mortality has not been decreased during last forty years. Especially, lung cancer is top-ranked in cancer-associated human death. Therefore, effective strategy is strongly required for the management of lung cancer. In the present study, we found that novel daphnane diterpenoids, yuanhualine (YL), yuanhuahine (YH) and yuanhuagine (YG) isolated from the flower of Daphne genkwa (Thymelaeaceae), exhibited potent anti-proliferative activities against human lung A549 cells with the $IC_{50}$ values of 7.0, 15.2 and 24.7 nM, respectively. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that the daphnane diterpenoids induced cell-cycle arrest in the G0/G1 as well as G2/M phase in A549 cells. The cell-cycle arrests were well correlated with the expression of checkpoint proteins including the up-regulation of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21 and p53 and down-regulation of cyclin A, cyclin B1, cyclin E, cyclin dependent kinase 4, cdc2, phosphorylation of Rb and cMyc expression. In the analysis of signal transduction molecules, the daphnane diterpenoids suppressed the activation of Akt, STAT3 and Src in human lung cancer cells. The daphnane diterpenoids also exerted the potent anti-proliferative activity against anticancer-drug resistant cancer cells including gemcitabine-resistant A549, gefitinib-, erlotinib-resistant H292 cells. Synergistic effects in the growth inhibition were also observed when yuanhualine was combined with gemcitabine, gefitinib or erlotinib in A549 cells. Taken together, these findings suggest that the novel daphnane diterpenoids might provide lead candidates for the development of therapeutic agents for human lung cancers.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• 제35권5호
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• pp.361-367
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• 2005

In this study, we evaluated and compared the pharmacodynamics of paclitaxel (PTX) in human A549 NSCLC cells grown as monolayers or as three-dimensional histocultures. Growth inhibitory effects were determined after incubating cells in drug free medium until 96 hr post drug exposure initiation. Cell cycle arrest and apoptosis were measured by flow cytometry. The growth inhibition induced by PTX was significantly different in monolayers and histocultures, and PTX showed significantly less cytotoxicity in histocultures where large resistant fractions were observed. Moreover, although PIX induced significant $G_{2}/M$ arrest followed by apoptosis in monolayers in a drug concentration-dependant manner, $G_{2}/M$ arrest was not elicited in histocultures. However, apoptotic cells appeared from the $G_{2}/M$ phase in histocultures. In this study, we provide first evidence that PIX in three-dimensional histocultures, does not induce $G_{2}/M$ arrest, but rather that it induces $G_{2}/M$ phase specific apoptosis. Overall, our data demonstrate different pharmacodynamics of PTX in traditional monolayer and three-dimensional histocultures.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제15권1호
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• pp.475-481
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• 2014

Background: Pereskia sacharosa is a genus of cacti widely used in folk medicine for cancer-related treatment. Anti-proliferative effects have been studied in recent years against colon, breast, cervical and lung cancer cell lines, with promising results. We here extended study of anti-proliferative effects to a blood malignancy, leukemia. Materials and Methods: Two leukemic cell lines, MV4-11 (acute myeloid leukemia) and K562 (chronic myeloid leukemia), were studied. $IC_{50}$ concentrations were determined and apoptosis and cell cycle regulation were studied by flow cytometric analysis. The expression of apoptosis and cell-cycle related regulatory proteins was assessed by Western blotting. Results: P sacharosa inhibited growth of MV4-11 and K562 cells in a dose-dependent manner. The mode of cell death was via induction of intrinsic apoptotic pathways and cell cycle arrest. There was profound up-regulation of cytochrome c, caspases, p21 and p53 expression and repression of Akt and Bcl-2 expression in treated cells. Conclusions: These results suggest that P sacharosa induces leukemic cell death via apoptosis induction and changes in cell cycle checkpoint, thus deserves further study for anti-leukemic potential.