• Biomaterials and Biomechanics in Bioengineering
• /
• v.3 no.3
• /
• pp.129-140
• /
• 2016

This article reports the development of biodegradable photoluminescent polymer (BPLP)-based nanoparticles (NPs) incorporating either magnetic nanoparticles (BPLP-MNPs) or gadopentate dimeglumine (BPLP-Gd NPs), for cancer diagnosis and treatment. The aim of the study is to compare these nanoparticles in terms of their surface properties, fluorescence intensities, MR imaging capabilities, and in vitro characteristics to choose the most promising dual-imaging nanoprobe. Results indicate that BPLP-MNPs and BPLP-Gd NPs had a size of $195{\pm}43nm$ and $161{\pm}55nm$, respectively and showed good stability in DI water and 10% serum for 5 days. BPLP-Gd NPs showed similar fluorescence as the original BPLP materials under UV light, whereas BPLP-MNPs showed comparatively less fluorescence. VSM and MRI confirmed that the NPs retained their magnetic properties following encapsulation within BPLP. Further, in vitro studies using HPV-7 immortalized prostate epithelial cells and human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) showed > 70% cell viability up to $100{\mu}g/ml$ NP concentration. Dose-dependent uptake of both types of NPs by PC3 and LNCaP prostate cancer cells was also observed. Thus, our results indicate that BPLP-Gd NPs would be more appropriate for use as a dual-imaging probe as the contrast agent does not mask the fluorescence of the polymer. Future studies would involve in vivo imaging following administration of BPLP-Gd NPs for biomedical applications including cancer detection.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.41 no.12
• /
• pp.833-839
• /
• 2008

Angiogenesis in tumors is driven by multiple growth factors that activate receptor tyrosine kinases. An important driving force of angiogenesis in solid tumors is signaling through vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptors (VEGFRs). Angiogenesis inhibitors that target this signaling pathway are now in widespread use for the treatment of cancer. However, when used alone, inhibitors of VEGF/VEGFR signaling do not destroy all blood vessels in tumors and do not slow the growth of most human cancers. VEGF/VEGFR signaling inhibitors are, therefore, used in combination with chemotherapeutic agents or radiation therapy. Additional targets for inhibiting angiogenesis would be useful for more efficacious treatment of cancer. One promising target is the signaling pathway of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and its receptor (HGFR, also known as c-Met), which plays important roles in angiogenesis and tumor growth. Inhibitors of this signaling pathway have been shown to inhibit angiogenesis in multiple in vitro and in vivo models. The HGF/c-Met signaling pathway is now recognized as a promising target in cancer by inhibiting angiogenesis, tumor growth, invasion, and metastasis.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
• /
• v.22 no.6
• /
• pp.559-564
• /
• 1999

In order to discover new cancer chemopreventive agents from natural or synthetic products, a structurally diverse class of chemopreventive agents was evaluated using in vitro biomarker of inhibition of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA)-induced ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity in cultured mouse epidermal 308 (ME)308 cells. As a results, apigenin, benzylisothiocyanate, curcumin, diallyl disulfide, N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)retinamide (4-HPR), menadione, miconazole, nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA) and phenethyl isothiocyanate showed potent inhibitory effects in this process. A chemically diverse group of compounds was included in the evaluation, such as flavonoids, retinoids, isothiocyanates, sulfur-containing compounds and phenolic antioxidant compounds. These data are suggestive to understand the cancer chemopreventive potential mediated by these substances.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
• /
• v.6 no.5
• /
• pp.396-404
• /
• 2012

The aim of the study was to investigate the inhibitory effects of calcium against intestinal cancer in vitro and in vivo. We first investigated the effects of calcium treatment in HCT116 and HT29 human colon cancer cells. At the concentration range of 0.8-2.4 mM, calcium significantly inhibited cell growth (by 9-29%), attachment (by 12-26%), invasion (by 15-31%), and migration (by 19-61%). An immunofluorescence microscope analysis showed that the treatment with calcium (1.6 mM) for 24 h increased plasma membrane ${\beta}$-catenin but decreased nuclear ${\beta}$-catenin levels in HT29 cells. We then investigated the effect of dietary calcium on intestinal tumorigenesis in $Apc^{Min/+}$ mice. Mice received dietary treatment starting at 6 weeks of age for the consecutive 8 weeks. The basal control diet contained high-fat (20% mixed lipids by weight) and low-calcium (1.4 mg/g diet) to mimic the average Western diet, while the treatment diet contained an enriched level of calcium (5.2 mg calcium/g diet). The dietary calcium treatment decreased the total number of small intestinal tumors (by 31.4%; P < 0.05). The largest decrease was in tumors which were ${\geq}$ 2 mm in diameter, showing a 75.6% inhibition in the small intestinal tumor multiplicity (P < 0.001). Immunohistochemical analysis showed significantly reduced nuclear staining of ${\beta}$-catenin (expressed as nuclear positivity), but increased plasma membrane staining of ${\beta}$-catenin, in the adenomas from the calcium-treated groups in comparison to those from the control group (P < 0.001). These results demonstrate intestinal cancer inhibitory effects of calcium both in human colon cancer cells and $Apc^{Min/+}$ mice. The decreased ${\beta}$-catenin nuclear localization caused by the calcium treatment may contribute to the inhibitory action.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
• /
• v.20 no.3
• /
• pp.300-312
• /
• 2020

Purpose: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a new class of RNA molecules whose function is largely unknown. There is a growing evidence that circRNAs play an important regulatory role in the progression of a variety of human cancers. However, the exact roles and the mechanisms of circRNAs in gastric cancer are not clear. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the mechanism of hsa_circ_0005556. Materials and Methods: Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to detect the expression of hsa_circ_0005556, miR-4270, and matrix metalloproteinase-19 (MMP19) in gastric cancer tissues and cell lines. The expression of hsa_circ_0005556 in gastric cancer cells was silenced by lentivirus, and cell proliferation, invasion, migration, and tumorigenesis in nude mice were assessed to evaluate the function of hsa_circ_0005556 in gastric cancer. Results: The expression of hsa_circ_0005556 in gastric cancer tissues and gastric cancer cell lines was higher compared to normal controls. In vitro, the downregulation of hsa_ circ_0005556 significantly inhibited proliferation, migration, and invasion of gastric cancer cells. In vivo, the downregulation of hsa_circ_0005556 suppressed tumor growth in nude mice. Conclusions: Our study shows that the hsa_circ_0005556/miR-4270/MMP19 axis is involved in proliferation, migration, and invasion of gastric cancer cells through the competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) mechanism.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.48 no.6
• /
• pp.330-335
• /
• 2015

Apoptosis inhibitor 5 (API5) has recently been identified as a tumor metastasis-regulating gene in cervical cancer cells.However, the precise mechanism of action for API5 is poorly understood. Here, we show that API5 increases the metastatic capacity of cervical cancer cells in vitro and in vivo via up-regulation of MMP-9. Interestingly, API5-mediated metastasis was strongly dependent on the Erk signaling pathway. Conversely, knock-down of API5 via siRNA technology decreased the level of phospho-Erk, the activity of the MMPs, in vitro invasion, and in vivo pulmonary metastasis. Moreover, the Erk-mediated metastatic action was abolished by the mutation of leucine into arginine within the heptad leucine repeat region, which affects protein-protein interactions. Thus, API5 increases the metastatic capacity of tumor cells by up-regulating MMP levels via activation of the Erk signaling pathway. [BMB Reports 2015; 48(6): 330-335]

• Toxicological Research
• /
• v.33 no.4
• /
• pp.273-282
• /
• 2017

Chemoprevention entails the use of synthetic agents or naturally occurring dietary phytochemicals to prevent cancer development and progression. One promising chemopreventive agent, procyanidin, is a naturally occurring polyphenol that exhibits beneficial health effects including anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative, and antitumor activities. Currently, many preclinical reports suggest procyanidin as a promising lead compound for cancer prevention and treatment. As a potential anticancer agent, procyanidin has been shown to inhibit the proliferation of various cancer cells in "in vitro and in vivo". Procyanidin has numerous targets, many of which are components of intracellular signaling pathways, including proinflammatory mediators, regulators of cell survival and apoptosis, and angiogenic and metastatic mediators, and modulates a set of upstream kinases, transcription factors, and their regulators. Although remarkable progress characterizing the molecular mechanisms and targets underlying the anticancer properties of procyanidin has been made in the past decade, the chemopreventive targets or biomarkers of procyanidin action have not been completely elucidated. This review focuses on the apoptosis and tumor inhibitory effects of procyanidin with respect to its bioavailability.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.15 no.17
• /
• pp.7473-7478
• /
• 2014

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a fatal cancer with poor prognosis and less than 10% of CCA patients can be offered surgical cure. Conventional chemotherapy results in unfavorable outcomes. At present, plant-derived compounds are gaining interest as potential cancer therapeutics, particularly for treatment-refractory cancers. In this study, antitumor activity of tiliacorinine, the major alkaloid isolated from a tropical plant, on CCA was first demonstrated. Antiproliferative effects of tiliacorinine on human CCA cell lines were investigated using SRB assays. Acridine orange/ethidium bromide staining, flow cytometric analysis and DNA laddering assays were used for apoptotic determination. Apoptosis-related proteins were verified by Western blotting and antitumor activity of tiliacorinine in vivo was demonstrated in CCA xenografted mice. Tiliacorinine significantly inhibited proliferation of human CCA cell lines with $IC_{50}$ $4.5-7{\mu}M$ by inducing apoptosis through caspase activation, upregulation of BAX, and downregulation of $Bcl_{xL}$ and XIAP. Tiliacorinine considerably reduced tumor growth in CCA xenografted mice. These results demonstrated antitumor effects of tiliacorinine on human CCA in vitro and in vivo. Tiliacorinine may be an effective agent for CCA treatment.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
• /
• v.29 no.6
• /
• pp.365-373
• /
• 2003

Tamoxifen is an selective estrogen receptor antagonist widely used in the management of patients with breast cancer for more than 30 years. It was thought to act primarily through occupying the estrogen receptor sites in ER positive breast cancer cells and directly on cancer cell proper. These inhibitory effects, which have been shown to be independent of the ER, highlight new mechanism of therapeutic action of tamoxifen. The purposes of this study were to identify ER in oral carcinoma cell lines and to evaluate ER independent cytotoxic effect of tamoxifen. KB(SCC), HSC-3(SCC) and A253(ACC) cell line were used and capacity of cell proliferation, apoptosis, in vitro invasion and gelatin zymography were tested. ER expression of each cell line were detected by RT-PCR and immunocytochemistry. Dose dependent inhibition of cell proliferation and inhibition of gelatinolytic activity were observed in all oral carcinoma cell lines and significant difference of apoptotic index were observed in A253 and KB. Tamoxifen inhibited in vitro invasion in all experimental groups. ER expression was detected in KB and A253. These data suggest that tamoxifen may play a role in management of oral carcinoma by independent cytotoxic effect and more advanced research must processed confirming ER-dependent cytotoxicity.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
• /
• v.44 no.4
• /
• pp.340-346
• /
• 2000

Cervical cancer is one of the leading causes of female death from cancer worldwide with about 500,000 deaths per year. A strong association between certain human papilloma viruses (HPV types 16 and 18) and cervical cancer has been well known. An extract of natural products, named as Somatid, has been used to investigate whether this agent has the ability of inhibiting the oncogenes E6 and E7 of HPV type 16. This Somatid inhibited the proliferation of human cervical cancer cell lines (C-33A, SiHa, CaSki) and HaCaT keratinocytes in a dose response manner, In vitro binding assay and ELISA showed that Somatid inhibited the in vitro biding of E6 and E6AP which are essential for the binding and degradation of the tumor suppressor p53. In addition, Somatid inhibited the in vitro binding of E7 and Rb which is essential tumor suppressor for the control of cell cycle. The levels of mRNA for E6 and E7 were also decreased by Somatid. Our data suggested that Somatid inhibited the oncogenecity of E6 and E7 of HPV 16 type, thus can be used as a putative anti-HPV agent for the treatment of cervical carcinomas caused by HPV.