• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.59-65
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• 2000

Cancer development and the efficiency of chemotherapy relies on the patients calcium-related pathological status such as hyper- or hypocalcemica. In the present study, we investigated the effect of extracellular cations such as calcium and magnesium on the therapeutic efficacy of antitumor drugs. The analytic parameters used were cellular drug uptake/excretion and the chemosensitivity of the human breast cancer cell lines, MCF7 and MCF7/ADR. Both calcium and magnesium ions decreased the membrane permeability of cancer cells, which was determined bycell size analysis. These divalent ions also lowered the drug uptake and the cytoplasmic levels of rhodamine 123 and adriamycin, suggesting that they might interfere with the diffusion of these drugs by modifying the physical properties of the cytoplasmic membrane. The acute cytotoxicity of adriamycin after a short period of incubation correlated with changes in its cytoplasmic level. Our results indicate that these extracellular cations might play an important role in the therapeutic activities of anticancer drugs in cancer patients. These results also provide insight a new aspect of chemotherapy, because they suggest that the therapeutic dose of anti-cancer drugs should be modified in cancer-bearing patients presenting with abnormal blood calcium levels.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.213-228
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• 2007

Objectives : The purpose of this report was to investigate the chemotherapeutic effect of Bujeonghangamtang against cancer cells. Materials and Methods : Various cancer cell lines including PANC-1, C6 glioma, SH-SY5Y, HepG2, and MCF-7 cells, were used. Apoptosis was determined by DAPI nuclei staining and flow cytometry in PANC-1 cells treated with 1 mg/ml Bujeonghangamtang for 48 hr. Expression of cell cycle arrest mediators including, cdc2p34 and cyclin B1 proteins were measured by Western blot analysis. Mitochondrial membrane potential was measured by fluorescence staining with JC-1, rhodamine 123. Result : Bujeonghangamtang induced the apoptosis of PANC-1, which was characterized as nucleic acid and genomic DNA fragmentation, chromatin condensation, and sub-G0/G1 fraction of cell cycle increase. but not C6 glioma, SH-SY5Y, HepG2, and MCF-7 cells. PANC-1 cells were markedly sensitive to Bujeonghangamtang. Treatment with Bujeonghangamtang resulted in the decreased expression of cdc2p34 and cyclin B1. Treatment with Bujeonghangamtang also increased the ROS production and induced mitochondrial dysfunction. Conclusion : Bujeonghangamtang exerted cytotoxicity against human Pancreatic cancer cells via cell cycle arrest-mediated apoptotic signaling including ROS production and mitochondrial dysfunction. Our data suggest that Bujeonghangamtang may be an important modulator of chemosensitivity of cancer cells against anticancer chemotherapeutic agents.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.343-349
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• 2010

This study was designed to investigate the effects of ticlopidine on the pharmacokinetics of carvedilol after oral or intravenous administration of carvedilol in rats. Carvedilol was administered orally (3 mg/kg) or intravenously (1 mg/kg) without or with oral administration of ticlopidine (4, 12 mg/kg) to rats. The effects of ticlopidine on P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2C9 activity were also evaluated. Ticlopidine inhibited CYP2C9 activity in a concentration-dependent manner with 50% inhibition concentration ($IC_{50}$) of $25.2\;{\mu}M$. In addition, ticlopidine could not significantly enhance the cellular accumulation of rhodamine 123 in MCF-7/ADR cells overexpressing P-gp. Compared with the control group (given carvedilol alone), the area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) was significantly (12 mg/kg, p<0.05) increased by 14-41%, and the peak concentration ($C_{max}$) was significantly (12 mg/kg, p<0.05) increased by 10.7-73.3% in the presence of ticlopidine after oral administration of carvedilol. Consequently, the relative bioavailability (R.B.) of carvedilol was increased by 1.14- to 1.41-fold and the absolute bioavailability (A.B.) of carvedilol in the presence of ticlopidine was increased by 36.2-38.5%. Compared to the i.v. control, ticlopidine could not significantly change the pharmacokinetic parameters of i.v. administered carvedilol. The enhanced oral bioavailability of carvedilol may result from inhibition of CYP2C9-mediated metabolism rather than P-gpmediated efflux of carvedilol in the intestinal and/or in liver and renal eliminatin of carvedilol by ticlopidine.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.364-370
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of curcumin on the pharmacokinetics of loratadine in rats. The effect of curcumin on P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4 activity was evaluated. Pharmacokinetic parameters of loratadine were also determined after oral and intravenous administration in the presence or absence of curcumin. Curcumin inhibited CYP3A4 activity with an IC50 value of 2.71 ${\mu}M$ and the relative cellular uptake of rhodamine-123 was comparable. Compared to the oral control group, curcumin significantly increased the area under the plasma concentration-time curve and the peak plasma concentration by 39.4-66.7% and 34.2-61.5%. Curcumin also significantly increased the absolute bioavailability of loratadine by 40.0-66.1% compared to the oral control group. Consequently, the relative bioavailability of loratadine was increased by 1.39- to 1.67-fold. In contrast, curcumin had no effect on any pharmacokinetic parameters of loratadine given intravenously, implying that the enhanced oral bioavailability may be mainly due to increased intestinal absorption caused via P-gp and CYP3A4 inhibition by curcumin rather than to reduced renal and hepatic elimination of loratadine. Curcumin enhanced the oral bioavailability of loratadine in this study. The enhanced bioavailability of loratadine might be mainly attributed to enhanced absorption in the gastrointestinal tract via the inhibition of P-gp and reduced fi rst-pass metabolism of loratadine via the inhibition of the CYP3A subfamily in the small intestine and/or in the liver by curcumin.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.301-307
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• 2011

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of kaempferol on the pharmacokinetics of nimodipine in rats. Nimodipine and kaempferol interact with cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes and P-glycoprotein (P-gp), and the increase in the use of health supplements may result in kaempferol being taken concomitantly with nimodipine as a combination therapy to treat orprevent cardiovascular disease. The effect of kaempferol on P-gp and CYP3A4 activity was evaluated and Pharmacokinetic parameters of nimodipine were determined in rats after an oral (12 mg/kg) and intravenous (3 mg/kg) administration of nimodipine to rats in the presence and absence of kaempferol (0.5, 2.5, and 10 mg/kg). Kaempferol inhibited CYP3A4 enzyme activity in a concentration-dependent manner with 50% inhibition concentration ($IC_{50}$) of $17.1{\mu}M$. In addition, kaempferol significantly enhanced the cellular accumulation of rhodamine-123 in MCF-7/ADR cells overexpressing P-gp. Compared to the oral control group, the area under the plasma concentration-time curve ($AUC_{0-\infty}$) and the peak plasma concentration ($C_{max}$) of nimodipine significantly increased, respectively. Consequently, the absolute bioavailability of nimodipine in the presence of kaempferol (2.5 and 10 mg/kg) was 29.1-33.3%, which was significantly enhanced compared to the oral control group (22.3%). Moreover, the relative bioavailability of nimodipine was 1.30- to 1.49-fold greater than that of the control group. The pharmacokinetics of intravenous nimodipine was not affected by kaempferol in contrast to those of oral nimodipine. Kaempferol significantly enhanced the oral bioavailability of nimodipine, which might be mainly due to inhibition of the CYP3A4-mediated metabolism of nimodipine in the small intestine and /or in the liver and to inhibition of the P-gp efflux transporter in the small intestine by kaempferol. The increase in oral bioavailability of nimodipine in the presence of kaempferol should be taken into consideration of potential drug interactions between nimodipine and kaempferol.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.353-361
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• 2011

In this study, cyanidin-3-glucoside (C3G) fraction extracted from the mulberry fruit (Morus alba L.) was investigated for its neuroprotective effects against oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) and glutamate-induced cell death in rat primary cortical neurons. Cell membrane damage and mitochondrial function were assessed by LDH release and MTT reduction assays, respectively. A time-course study of OGD-induced cell death of primary cortical neurons at 7 days in vitro (DIV) indicated that neuronal death was OGD duration-dependent. It was also demonstrated that OGD for 3.5 h resulted in approximately 50% cell death, as determined by the LDH release assay. Treatments with mulberry C3G fraction prevented membrane damage and preserved the mitochondrial function of the primary cortical neurons exposed to OGD for 3.5 h in a concentration-dependent manner. Glutamate-induced cell death was more pronounced in DIV-9 and DIV-11 cells than that in DIV-7 neurons, and an application of $50{\mu}M$ glutamate was shown to induce approximately 40% cell death in DIV-9 neurons. Interestingly, treatment with mulberry C3G fraction did not provide a protective effect against glutamate-induced cell death in primary cortical neurons. On the other hand, treatment with mulberry C3G fraction maintained the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) in primary cortical neurons exposed to OGD as assessed by the intensity of rhodamine-123 fluorescence. These results therefore suggest that the neuroprotective effects of mulberry C3G fraction are mediated by the maintenance of the MMP and mitochondrial function but not by attenuating glutamate-induced excitotoxicity in rat primary cortical neurons.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.252-257
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• 2010

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of resveratrol on the pharmacokinetics of nifedipine in rats. The pharmacokinetic parameters of nifedipine were measured after the oral administration of nifenipine (6 mg/kg) in the presence or absence of resveratrol (0.5, 2.5 and 10 mg/kg, respectively). The effect of resveratrol on the P-glycoprotein (Pgp), CYP 3A4 activity was also evaluated. Resveratrol inhibited CYP3A4 enzyme activity in a concentration-dependent manner with 50% inhibition concentration ($IC_{50}$) of 0.94 ${\mu}M$. In addition, resveratrol significantly enhanced the cellular accumulation of rhodamine 123 in MCF-7/ADR cells overexpressing P-gp. Compared to the control groups, the presence of 2.5 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg of resveratrol significantly (p<0.05, p<0.01) increased the area under the plasma concentrationtime curve (AUC) of nifedipine by 49~75%, and the peak concentration ($C_{max}$) of nifedipine by 48~66%. The absolute bioavailability (AB%) of nifedipine was significantly (p<0.05) increased by 22.9-34.8% compared to the control (19.8%). The terminal half-life ($T_{1/2}$) of nifedipine was significantly (p<0.05) increased compared to the control. While there was no significant change in the time to reach the peak plasma concentration ($T_{max}$) of nifedipine in the presence of resveratrol. It might be suggested that resveratrol altered disposition of nifedipine by inhibition of both the CYP3A and P-glycoprotein efflux pump in the small intestine of rats. In conclusion, the presence of resveratrol significantly enhanced the oral bioavailability of nifedipine, suggesting that concurrent use of resveratrol or resveratrol-containing dietary supplenment with nifedipine should require close monitoring for potential drug interation.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.18
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• pp.7919-7923
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• 2014

20(S)-Protopanaxadiol (PPD), a ginsenoside isolated from Pananx quinquefolium L., has been shown to inhibit growth and proliferation in several cancer cell lines. The aim of this study was to evaluate its anticancer activity in human breast cancer cells. MCF-7 cells were incubated with different concentrations of 20(S)-PPD and cytotoxicity was evaluated by MTT assay. Occurrence of apoptosis was detected by DAPI and Annexin V-FITC/PI double staining. Mitochondrial membrane potential was measured with Rhodamine 123. The Bcl-2 and Bax expression were determined by Western blot analysis. Caspase activity was measured by colorimetric assay. 20(S)-PPD dose-dependently inhibited cell proliferation in MCF-7 cells, with an $IC_{50}$ value of $33.3{\mu}M$ at 24h. MCF-7 cells treated with 20(S)-PPD presented typical apoptosis, as observed by morphological analysis in cell stained with DAPI. The percentages of annexin V-FITC positive cells were 8.92%, 17.8%, 24.5% and 30.5% in MCF-7 cells treated with 0, 15, 30 and $60{\mu}M$ of 20(S)-PPD, respectively. Moreover, 20(S)-PPD could induce mitochondrial membrane potential loss, up-regulate Bax expression and down-regulate Bcl-2 expression. These events paralleled activation of caspase-9, -3 and PARP cleavage. Apoptosis induced by 20(S)-PPD was blocked by z-VAD-fmk, a pan-caspase inhibitor, suggesting induction of caspase-mediated apoptotic cell death. In conclusion, the 20(S)-PPD investigated is able to inhibit cell proliferation and to induce cancer cell death by a caspase-mediated apoptosis pathway.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.255-260
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of ticlopidine on the pharmacokinetics of diltiazem and its active metabolite, desacetyldiltiazem, in rats. Pharmacokinetic parameters of diltiazem and desacetyldiltiazem were determined in rats after oral administration of diltiazem (15 $mg{\cdot}kg^{-1}$) with ticlopidine (3 or 9 $mg{\cdot}kg^{-1}$). The effects of ticlopidine on P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4 activities were also evaluated. Ticlopidine inhibited CYP3A4 enzyme activity in a concentrationdependent manner with a 50% inhibition concentration ($IC_{50}$) of 35 ${\mu}M$. In addition, ticlopidine did not significantly enhance the cellular accumulation of rhodamine-123 in NCI/ADR-RES cells overexpressing P-gp. Compared with the control (given diltiazem alone), ticlopidine significantly altered the pharmacokinetic parameters of diltiazem. The peak concentration ($C_{max}$) and the area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) of diltiazem were significantly (9 $mg{\cdot}kg^{-1}$, p<0.05) increased in the presence of ticlopidine. The AUC of diltiazem was increased by 1.44-fold in rats in the presence of ticlopidine (9 $mg{\cdot}kg^{-1}$). Consequently, the absolute bioavailability (A.B.) of diltiazem in the presence of ticlopidine (9.3-11.5%) was signifi cantly higher (9 $mg{\cdot}kg^{-1}$, p<0.05) than that in the control group (8.0%). Although ticlopidine significantly (p<0.05) increased the AUC of desacetyldiltiazem, the metabolite-parent AUC ratio (M.R.) in the presence of ticlopidine (9 $mg{\cdot}kg^{-1}$) was significantly decreased compared to that in the control group, implying that ticlopidine could effectively inhibit the metabolism of diltiazem. In conclusion, the concomitant use of ticlopidine significantly enhanced the oral bioavailability of diltiazem in rats by inhibiting CYP3A4-mediated metabolism in the intestine and/or liver rather than by inhibiting intestinal P-gp activity or renal elimination of diltiazem.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.2083-2087
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• 2016

A new compound namely (13-(3,3-dihydroxypropyl)-1,6-dihydroxy-3,4-dihydro-1H-isochromen-8(5H)-one (1) was isolated from an ethyl acetate extract of the borne fungi Screlotium rolfsii. Its chemical structure was elucidated by spectroscopic analysis. Screlotiumol 1 were evaluated for their effects on the reversion of multidrug resistant (MDR) mediated by P-glycoprotein (P-gp) of the soil borne fungi. The multidrug resistant P-glycoprotein is a target for chemotherapeutic drugs in cancer cells. In the present study rhodamine-123 exclusion screening test on human mdr1 gene transfected mouse gene transfected L5178 and L5178Y mouse T-cell lymphoma which showed excellent MDR reversing effect in a dose dependent manner against mouse T-lymphoma cell line. Moreover, molecular docking studies of compound-1 also showed better results as compared with the standard. Therefore the preliminary results obtained from this study suggest that screlotiumol 1 could be used as a potential agent for the treatment of cancer.