• BMB Reports
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.526-532
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• 2005

A lectin with in-vitro anticancer activity against established human cancer cell lines has been purified by affinity chromatography on asialofetuin-linked amino activated silica beads from the tubers of Arisaema tortuosum, popularly known as Himalayan Cobra lily, a monocot plant from the family Araceae. The bound Arisaema tortuosum lectin (ATL) was eluted with glycine-HCl buffer, pH 2.5. ATL was effectively inhibited by asialofetuin, a complex desialylated serum glycoprotein as well as by N-acetyl-D-lactosamine, a disaccharide. It gave a single band corresponding to a subunit molecular weight of 13.5 kDa in SDS-PAGE, pH 8.8 both under reducing and non reducing conditions. When subjected to gel-filtration on Biogel P-200, it was found to have a molecular weight of 54 kDa, suggesting a homotetramer structure, in which individual polypeptides are not bound to each other with disulfide bonds. ATL is a glycoprotein with 0.9% carbohydrate content, stable up to $55^{\circ}C$ and at pH 2 to 10. The lectin had no requirement for divalent metal ions i.e. $Ca^{2+}$ and $Mn^{2+}$ for its activity. However, as reported for other monocot lectins, ATL gave multiple bands in isoelectric focusing and Native PAGE, pH 8.3. The lectin was found to inhibit in vitro proliferation of human cancer cell lines HT29, SiHa and OVCAR-5.

• Oncology Letters
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.1837-1850
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• 2019

Kenalog is a synthetic glucocorticoid drug used to treat various cancers including ocular and choroidal melanoma. However, the drug achieves rarely sustainable results for patients. To overcome this difficulty, the structure of Kenalog was altered by ionizing radiation (IR) to develop a more effective anticancer agent for treatment of various skin cancers. The anticancer effect of modified Kenalog (Kenalog-IR) was assessed in melanoma cancer cells in vitro. The assessment of mitochondrial functions by MTT assay revealed significant inhibition of melanoma cancer cell viability by Kenalog-IR compared to Kenalog. Moreover, Kenalog-IR-induced apoptotic cell death was associated with the intrinsic mitochondrial pathway by triggering the release of intrinsic apoptosis molecules through activation of caspase-related molecules in concentration and time-dependent manners. Furthermore, it was observed that Kenalog-IR-induced apoptosis was associated with the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) with increased G2/M cell cycle arrest. Collectively, Kenalog-IR may be a potential suppressor of skin-related cancer in particular melanoma cancer.

• Journal of Digestive Cancer Research
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.82-88
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• 2013

Cancer is the first leading cause of death in Korea and the second leading cause of death in the USA. There is extensive research into prevention of cancer and the support of oncology patients with diet or dietary supplements. In vitro and in vivo animal studies have indicated that antioxidants, including beta-carotene, alpha-tocopherol, and ascorbic acid, can yield anti-cancer effects in addition to providing protection against oxidative damage. Although many observational studies have shown that consuming fruits and vegetables can reduce the risk of some cancers, the results of several large-scale human intervention trials testing the benefits of a single or combined higher-dose of individual micronutrients have been inconsistent. Cancer can cause profound metabolic and physiological changes which may affect patients' nutrient requirements. Although the optimal route of nutrient delivery is through diet, cancer patients often suffer symptoms that disrupt their food intake, including anorexia, premature satiety, altered taste and smell, and changes in bowel mobility. In particular, micronutrient deficits can slow postoperative healing, contribute to depression symptoms, and decrease immune competence. Cancer patients are generally motivated to take dietary supplements to improve responses to treatment and quality of life. The Physician's Health Study II (PHS II) randomized controlled trial reported recently that daily multivitamin supplementation significantly, albeit modestly, reduced the risk of total cancer. Although evidence of multivitamin use benefits is limited in cancer patients, taking dietary supplements with constituents in the range of the recommended daily allowance according to the Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) recommendation is generally considered to be safe.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.9
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• pp.3621-3627
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• 2015

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of most common causes of cancer-related death worldwide. Recent studies have suggested that microbial and environmental factors including diet and lifestyle can impact on colon cancer development. Vitamin D deficiency and dysfunction of vitamin D receptor (VDR) also correlate with colon cancer. Moreover, leptin, a 16-kDa polypeptide, participates in the regulation of food intake and is associated with other environmental factors affecting colon cancer through the leptin receptor. Altered levels of serum leptin and patterns of expression of its receptor (LPR) may be observed in human colon tumours. Furthermore, the collected data from in vitro and in vivo studies have indicated that consuming probiotic non-pathogenic lactic acid bacteria have beneficial effects on colon cancer. Probiotics, inflammation and vitamin D/VDR have been correlated with leptin and its receptor and are also with colon cancer. Thus, in this paper, we review recent progress on the roles of probiotic, vitamin D/VDR and leptin/LPR in inflammation and colon cancer.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.2379-2381
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• 2014

It is becoming progressively more understandable that phytochemicals derived from edible plants have shown potential in modelling their interactions with their target proteins. Rapidly accumulating in-vitro and in- vivo evidence indicates that anthocyanins have anticancer activity in rodent models of cancer. More intriguingly, evaluation of bilberry anthocyanins as chemopreventive agents in twenty-five colorectal cancer patients has opened new window of opportunity in translating the findings from laboratory to clinic. Confluence of information suggests that anthocyanins treated cancer cells reveal up-regulation of tumor suppressor genes. There is a successive increase in the research-work in nutrigenomics and evidence has started to shed light on intracellular-signaling cascades as common molecular targets for anthocyanins. In this review we bring to l imelight how anthocyanins induced apoptosis in cancer cells via activation of extrinsic and intrinsic pathways.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.863-868
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• 2015

Background: Artemisia species are important medicinal plants throughout the world. The present in vitro study, using a sesquiterpene lactone-bearing fraction prepared from Artemisia khorassanica (SLAK), sought to investigate anti-cancer properties of this plant and elucidate potential underlying mechanisms for the effects. Materials and Methods: Anti-cancer potential was evaluated by toxicity against human melanoma and fibroblast cell lines. To explore the involved pathways, pattern of any cell death was determined using annexin-V/PI staining and also the expression of Bax and cytochrome c was investigated by Western blotting. Results: The results showed that SLAK selectively caused a concentration-related inhibition of proliferation of melanoma cells that was associated with remarkable increase in early events and over-expression of both Bax and cytochrome c. Conclusions: The current experiment indicates that Artemisia may have anti-cancer activity. We anticipate that the ingredients may be employed as therapeutic candidates for melanoma.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.304-308
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• 2016

Background: Joboksansam, Korean bird wild ginseng, is an artificially cultivated wild ginseng germinated from bird feces. Although numerous pharmacologic activities of wild ginsengs have been reported, the beneficial effect of joboksansam in cancer has not been elucidated. In this study, we investigated the in vivo and in vitro anticancer activities of joboksansam powder. Methods: To evaluate the in vivo anticancer activity of joboksansam, we established a xenograft mouse model bearing RMA cell-derived cancer. Direct cytotoxicity induced by joboksansam powder was also investigated in vitro using (3-4-5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2-5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The inhibitory activity of this powder on the activation of cell survival signaling involving Akt and Src was examined with immunoblot analysis. Results: Joboksansam powder displayed strong inhibitory activity against the increased tumor size, increased weight of total body and cancer tissues, and mortality of tumor-bearing mice. Joboksansam powder also suppressed the activation of survival regulatory enzymes Akt and Src, as assessed by phosphorylation levels in the immunoblot analysis of tumor tissues. Interestingly, the viability of RMA cells in vitro was directly decreased by joboksansam treatment. Conclusion: Overall, our results strongly suggest that joboksansam powder has the potential to protect against cancer generation by direct cytotoxic effects on cancer cells resulting from suppression of cell survival signaling.

• Mycobiology
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.21-27
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• 2009

In the present study, the anti-cancer effects of ginseng fermented with Phellinus linteus (GFPL) extract were examined through in vitro and in vivo assays. GFPL was produced by co-cultivating ginseng and Phellinus linteus together. Ginsenoside Rg3, Rh1 and Rh2 are important mediators of anti-angiogenesis and their levels in GFPL were enriched 24, 19 and 16 times, respectively, more than that of ginseng itself through the fermentation. GFPL exhibited distinct anti-cancer effects, including growth inhibition of the human lung carcinoma cell line A549, and promotion of immune activation by stimulating nitric oxide (NO) production in Raw 264.7 cells. Further evidence supporting anti-cancer effects of GFPL was its significant prolongment of the survival of B16F10 cancer cell-implanted mice. These results suggest that the GFPL may be a candidate for cancer prevention and treatment through immune activation and anti-angiogenic effects by enriching Rg3, Rh1 and Rh2.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.14
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• pp.6039-6046
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• 2015

Aims: To investigate effect of metallic nanoparticles, silver (AgNPs) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) as antitumor treatment in vitro against human breast cancer cells (MCF-7) and their associated mechanisms. This could provide new class of engineered nanoparticles with desired physicochemical properties and may present newer approaches for therapeutic modalities to breast cancer in women. Materials and Methods: A human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7) was used as a model of cells. Metallic nanoparticles were characterized using UV-visible spectra and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Cytotoxic effects of metallic nanoparticles on MCF-7 cells were followed by colorimetric SRB cell viability assays, microscopy, and cellular uptake. Nature of cell death was further investigated by DNA analysis and flow cytometry. Results: Treatment of MCF-7 with different concentrations of 5-10nm diameter of AgNPs inhibited cell viability in a dose-dependent manner, with IC50 value of $6.28{\mu}M$, whereas treatment of MCF-7 with different concentrations of 13-15nm diameter of AuNPs inhibited cell viability in a dose-dependent manner, with IC50 value of $14.48{\mu}M$. Treatment of cells with a IC50 concentration of AgNPs generated progressive accumulation of cells in the S phase of the cell cycle and prevented entry into the M phase. The treatment of cells with IC50 concentrations of AuNPs similarly generated progressive accumulation of cells in sub-G1 and S phase, and inhibited the entrance of cells into the M phase of the cell cycle. DNA fragmentation, as demonstrated by electrophoresis, indicated induction of apoptosis. Conclusions: Our engineered silver nanoparticles effectively inhibit the proliferation of human breast carcinoma cell line MCF-7 in vitro at high concentration ($1000{\mu}M$) through apoptotic mechanisms, and may be a beneficial agent against human carcinoma but further detailed study is still needed.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.8
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• pp.4615-4619
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• 2013

Background: Artesunate, extracted from Artemisia annua, has been proven to have anti-cancer potential. Allicin, diallyl thiosulfinate, the main biologically active compound derived from garlic, is also of interest in cancer treatment research. This object of this report was to document synergistic effects of artesunate combined with allicin on osteosarcoma cell lines in vitro and in vivo. Methods: After treatment with artesunate and allicin at various concentrations, the viability of osteosarcoma cells was analyzed by MTT method, with assessment of invasion and motility, colony formation and apoptosis. Western Blotting was performed to determine the expression of caspase-3/9, and activity was also detected after drug treatment. Moreover, in a nude mouse model established with orthotopic xenograft tumors, tumor weight and volume were monitored after drug administration via the intraperitoneal (i.p.) route. Results: The viability of osteosarcoma cells in the combination group was significantly decreased in a concentration and time dependent manner; moreover, invasion, motility and colony formation ability were significantly suppressed and the apoptotic rate was significantly increased through caspase-3/9 expression and activity enhancement in the combination group. Furthermore, suppression of tumor growth was evident in vivo. Conclusion: Our results indicated that artesunate and allicin in combination exert synergistic effects on osteosarcoma cell proliferation and apoptosis.