• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.1459-1466
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• 2006

The water extract of Hwansodan has been traditionally used for treatment of ischemic brain damage in oriental medicine. However, little is known about the mechanism by which the water extract of Hwansodan rescues cells from neurodegenerative disease. PC12 pheochromocytoma cells have been used extensively as a model for studying the cellular and molecular mechanisms of neuronal cell damages. Under deprivation of growth factor and ischemic injury, PC12 cells spontaneously undergoes apoptotic cell death. Serum and glucose deprivation markedly decreased the viability of PC12 cells, which was characterized with apparent apoptotic features such as membrane blebbing as well as fragmentation of genomic DNA and nuclei. However, the aqueous extract of Hwansodan significantly reduced serum and glucose deprivation-induced cell death and apoptotic characteristics through reduction of intracellular peroxide generation. Pretreatment of Hwansodan also ingibited the activation of caspase-3, in turn, degradation of ICAD/DFF45 was completely abolished in serum and glucose deprivated cells. Furthermore, pretreatment of Hwansodan obviously increased heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) expression in PC12 cells. Taken together, the data suggest that the protective effects of Hwansodan against serum and glucose deprivation induced oxidative injuries may be achieved through the scavenging of reactive oxygene species accompanying with HO-1 induction.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.1516-1523
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• 2006

The water extract of Danchunhwan(DCH) has been traditionally used for treatment of dementia damage in oriental medicine. However, little is known about the mechanism by which the water extract of DCH rescues cells from neurodegenerative disease such as Alzheimer's disease. This study was designed to investigate the protective mechanisms of DCH on ${\beta}$-amyloid or $H_2O_2$-induced cytotoxicity in SH-SY5Y neuronblastoma cells. ${\beta}$-amyloid and $H_2O_2$ markedly decreased the viability of SH-SY5Y cells, which was characterized with apparent apoptotic features such as membrane blebbing as well as fragmentation of genomic DNA and nuclei. However, the water extract of DCH significantly reduced both ${\beta}$-amyloid or $H_2O_2$-induced cell death and apoptotic characteristics through reduction of intracellular peroxide generation. Also, the water extract of DCH prevented prevented the mitochondrial dysfunction including the disruption of mitochondria membrane permeability transition (MPT) and the perturbation in Bcl-2 family protein expressions in $H_2O_2$-treated SH-SY5Y cells.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.1664-1671
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• 2006

Cisplatin is a anti-neoplastic agent which is commonly used for the treatment of solid tumor. Cisplatin activates multiple signal transduction pathways involved in the stress-induced apoptosis in a variety of cell types. Cytotoxicity of cisplatin was detected in rat mesangial cells and the value of $IC_{50}$ is about 20 ${\mu}M$. The treatment of cisplatin to rat mesangial cells showed the apoptotic bodies and DNA fragmentation. The activation of caspase-3, -8, and -9 and proteolytic cleavage of PARP were observed in the rat mesangial cells treated time-dependently with cisplatin. The activation of ERK, p38 and JNK was also observed in the apoptosis induced by cisplatin in rat mesangial cells. The ethanol extract of Bojungbangam-tang (EBJT), a new hergal prescription composed of nine crude drugs, inhibited cisplatin-induced apoptosis in rat mesangial cells. EBJT reduced sub-G1 peak (apoptotic peak) in cisplatin-treated rat mesangial cells. The cisplatin-induced ERK and JNK activation in rat mesangial cells were blocked by EBJT, but EBJT had no effect on p38 activation. Taken together, these results con suggest that EBJT prevents cisplatin-induced apoptotic cell death in rat mesangial cells through inhibition of ERK and JNK activation.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.187-192
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• 2006

Herbal medicines have been utilized to treat a variety of diseases, including cancer. Several species of the family rubiaceae have been reported to have antitumor activity. In this study, we report the cytotoxicity and antitumor activity exhibited dy the methanol extracts prepared from Rubia radix (RRME), Uncaria gambir (UGME) and Oldenlandia diffusa (ODME) (family: Rubiaceae) against human promyleloid leukemia cell line, HL-60. The cytotoxicity of RRME (2~20 ${\mu}g/ml$), UGME (20~200 ${\mu}g/ml$) and ODME (20~200 ${\mu}g/ml$) were assessed dy the MTT reduction assay. IC50 values for RRME, UGME and ODME were 11.0, 99.5 and 106.1 ${\mu}g/ml$, respectively. When the HL-60 cells were treated with RRME (10 ${\mu}g/ml$), UGME (120 ${\mu}g/ml$) and ODME (140 ${\mu}g/ml$) for 24 h, several apoptotic characteristics such as DNA fragmentation and morphologic changes were observed. Furthermore, flow cytometric analysis was peformed to determine the percent of apoptotic cells. The poupulation of sub-G1 hypodiploid cells was increased 37.49% in RRME treatment, 12.49% in UGME treatment and 7.21% in ODME treatment compared with untreated control cells (2.64%). To further confirm apoptotic cell death, we assayed caspase-3, -8 and -9 activities in RRME, UGME and ODME-treated cells. After treatment of RRME, UGME and ODME for 12 h, caspase-3, -8 and -9 activities significantly increased.compared to untreated control cells. These results show that RRME, UGME and ODME induced apoptotic cell death in HL-60 cells and may have a possibility of potential antitumor activities.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.20-24
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• 2006

This study was designed to investigate the protective effect of Sanyakbojungbangam-tang Ethanol Extracts (SB Et-OH) on the cisplatin-induced apoptosis of human endothelial cell line ECV304 cells. After cells were treated with cisplatin, MTT assay was performed for cell viability test. To explore the mechanism of cytotoxicity, we used the several measures of apoptosis to determine whether this processes was involved in cisplatin-induced cell damage in ECV304 cells. Also, cells were treated with SB Et-OH and then, followed by the addition of cisplatin. Cisplatin decreased the viability of ECV304 cells in a dose-dependent manner and increased the caspase-3 enzyme activity ECV304 cells treated cisplatin were revealed as apoptosis characterized by nuclear staining. SB Et-OH protected ECV304 cells from cisplatin-induced nuclear fragmentation and chromatin condensation. Also, SB Et-OH inhibited the activation of caspase-3 pretense and the cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) in cisplatin-treated ECV304 cells. According to above results, SB Et-OH may protect ECV304 cells from the apoptosis induced by cisplatin.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.946-950
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• 2006

Takrisodokyeum (TRSDY) has been known to exert anti-tumoral activity in Korea. However, its molecular mechanism of action is not understood. In this study, we found that TRSDY induced apoptosis in androgen-independent prostate cancer PC-3 cells as evidenced by DNA fragmentation. Our data demonstrated that TRSDY-induced apoptotic cell death was accompanied by decreases of PAKT and $NF-{\kappa}$ activation, which is resulted from inhibition of $I{\kappa}B-{\alpha}$ degradation. But TRSDY-induced apoptotic effect of PC-3 cells was independent of Par-4 expression. Taken together, these results suggest that TRSDY inhibits AKT phosphorylation and $NF-{\kappa}B$ activation, and eventually leads to apoptotic cell death in androgen independent prostate cancer PC-3 cells.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.861-865
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• 2006

Takrisodokyeum (TRSDY) has been known to exert anti-tumoral activity in Korea. However, its molecular mechanism of action is not understood. In this study, we found that TRSDY induced apoptosis in androgen-independent prostate cancer DU145 cells as evidenced by DNA fragmentation and chromatine condensation in hoechst 33342 dye staining. Our data demonstrated that TRSDY-induced apoptotic cell death was accompanied by increases of PTEN and Par-4 in a time-dependent manner Taken together, these results suggest that TRSDY induce PTEN and Par-4 expression, and eventually lead to apoptotic cell death in androgen independent prostate cancer DU145 cells.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.1584-1592
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• 2006

Houttuynia cordata Thunb, well known as 'E-Sung-Cho' in Korea, is traditional medicinal plant generally used in Oriental medicine therapy. We previously reported that the water extract of H. cordata inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis in human breast carcinoma cells. In the present study, we investigated the biochemical mechanisms of anti-proliferative effects by the methanol extract of H. cordata (MEHC) in human lung carcinoma A549 cells. It was found that MEHC could inhibit the cell growth in a dose-dependent manner, which was associated with morphological change and apoptotic cell death as determined by formation of apoptotic bodies, DNA fragmentation and increased populations of apoptotic-sub G1 phase cells. Apoptosis of A549 cells by MEHC was also connected with a down-regulation of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 and inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs) expression. MEHC treatment induced the proteolytic activation of caspase-3, caspase-8 and caspase-9, and a concomitant inhibition of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), ${\beta}$-catenin and phospholipase (PLC)-${\gamma}$1 protein expression. Taken together, these findings provide important new insights into the possible molecular mechanisms of the anti-cancer activity of H. cordata.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.150-156
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• 2016

Extract of Broussometia kazinoki Rhizodermatis has been traditionally used for geopoong, diuresis, hwalhyeol. In the present study, the apoptotic effect of methanol extract of Broussometia kazinoki (MBK) were investigated. Cell viability of A549 cells was measured by MTT assay. Apoptosis-related protein and MAPK protein levels were measured by Western blot. Chromatin condensation of A549 cells was stained with DAPI. MBK inhibited cell proliferation of A549 cell. Based on DAPI staining, MBK-treated cells manifested nuclear shrinkage, condensation and fragmentation. Treatment of A549 cells with MBK resulted in activation of the caspase-3, -8, -9 and cleavage of poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP). In the upstream, MBK increased the expressions Bax and Bak, decreased the expression of Bcl-2, and augmented the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. MBK-induced apoptosis was accompanied by sustained phosphorylation of JNK, p38 MAPK and apoptosis signal-regulating kinase (ASK)-1. These results suggest that MBK induced apoptosis in A549 cells through Bcl-2 family protein-mediated mitochondria/caspase-3 dependent pathway. In addition, MBK increased the activation of ASK-1, which are critical upsteam signals for JNK/p38 MAPK activation in A549 cancer cells.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.214-223
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• 2003

Methamphetamine (METH) and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) have become popular recreational drugs of abuse in many countries. Although the neurotoxic damage caused by METH and MDMA is characterized by degeneration of the dopaminergic and serotonergic systems in brain, the molecular and cellular mechanisms remain to be clarified. Therefore, the purposes of this study were to confirm the capability of METH and MDMA to induce apoptosis and to clarify the action of its molecular mechanism by using serotonergic JAR cells and dopaminergic SK-N-SH cells. METH and MDMA were dose-dependently cytotoxic to human serotonergic JAR cells and dopaminergic SK-N-SH cells. The morphological change of apoptosis was found in Giemsa staining and TUNEL and further verified in DNA fragmentation analysis. Immunoblotting analysis revealed proteolytic cleavage of caspase-3 and -9 and change of bcl-2 and bax proteins. These results suggest that METH and MDMA may induce caspase-dependent apoptosis via the mitochondrial cell death pathway and METH and MDMA-induced neurotoxicity may happen to broadly and independently of both dopaminergic and serotonergic systems.