• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.107-114
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• 2020

Acacetin, which is present in damiana (Turnera diffusa) and black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia), has several pharmacologic activities such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-proliferative effects on cancer cells. However, the effect of acacetin on head and neck cancers has not been clearly established. This study aimed to examine the effects of acacetin on cell growth and apoptosis induction in FaDu human pharyngeal carcinoma cells. These were investigated by 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay, Live/Dead cell assay, 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole dihydrochloride staining, caspase-3 and caspase-7 activation assay, and immunoblotting in FaDu cells. Acacetin induced FaDu cell death in a dose-dependent manner, with an estimated IC₅₀ value of 41.9 µM, without affecting the viability of L-929 mouse fibroblasts as normal cells. Acacetin treatment resulted in nuclear condensation in the FaDu cells. It promoted the proteolytic cleavage of procaspase-3, -7, -8, and -9 with increasing amounts of the cleaved caspase isoforms in FaDu cells. Acacetin-induced apoptosis in FaDu cells was mediated by the expression of Fas and activation of caspase-8, caspase-3, and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase. Immunoblotting showed downregulation of the anti-apoptotic mitochondrial proteins Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL, but upregulation of the mitochondria-dependent pro-apoptotic proteins Bax and Badin FaDu cells after acacetin treatment. These findings indicate that acacetin inhibits cell proliferation and induces apoptotic cell death in FaDu human pharyngeal carcinoma cells via both the death receptor-mediated extrinsic apoptotic pathway and the mitochondria-mediated intrinsic apoptotic pathway.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.37-46
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• 2006

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of Dangguibohyultang (DB) and its combination (DB-I; Astragali membraneus BUNGE : Angelica gigas NAKAI=5:1, DB-II; Astragali membraneus BUNGE:Angelica gigas NAKAI=1:1, DB-III; Astragali membraneus BUNGE:Angelica gigas NAKAI=1:5,) on apoptosis in human colorectal adenocarcinoma HCT116 cells. Methods : To study the cytotoxic effect of methanol extract of DB-I, DB-II and DB-III on HCT116 cells, the cell viability was determined by XTT reduction method and ttypan blue exclusion assay. To confirm the induction of apoptosis, the cleavage of poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP), a substrate for caspase-3 and a typical sign of apoptosis, and the activation of procaspase-3, -8 and -9 were examined by western blot analysis. Furthermore, DB-induced apoptosis was confirmed by DNA fragmentation. The release of cytochrome C from mitochondria to cytosol, the level of Bcl-2 and Bax, and the expressions of Raf/MEK/ERK were examined by western blot analysis. Results : DB-I and DB-II reduced proliferation of HCT116 cells in a dose-dependent manner. DB-I and DB-II decreased procaspase-3, -8, -9 levels in a dose-dependent manner and induced the clevage of PARP. DB-I and DB-II also triggered the mitochondrial apoptotic signaling by increasing the release of cytochrome C from mitochondria to cytosol, decreasing of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2, and increasing of pro-apoptotic Bax. DB-I and DB-II decreased the activation of Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK cascade in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusion : These results suggest that DB-I and DB-II induce apoptosis via mitochondrial pathway in HCT116 cells. Furthermore, Raf/MEK/ERK cascade is involved in DB-induced apoptosis. These results suggest that DB is potentially useful as a chemotherapeutic agent in human liver cancer.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.20 no.8
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• pp.1281-1286
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• 2010

Gaucher disease (GD) is caused by glucocerebrosidase functional deficiency and the most prevalent lysosomal storage disorder (LSD), with an incidence of about 1 in 20,000 new births. Resveratrol, one kind of phytoalexin, is a produced naturally by several plants and has anti-tumor, anti-aging, anti-inflammatory and neuro-protective effects. In this paper we provide the cellular protective effect of resveratrol in both type I and type II Gaucher disease cells. Resveratrol treatment did not show any significant change in the p21 and p53 mRNA expression level, however expression level of the p21 protein, a cell cycle arrest factor, shows significant increment in both types of Gaucher disease cells. These cell cycle arrest patterns were confirmed by both MTT assay measurement and microscopy detection. In comparison, expression level of poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP), an apoptosis indicator protein, was significantly decreased in both type I and II Gaucher disease cells after treatment with resveratrol. This result indicates that resveratrol relievescellular apoptotic stress fromtype I and II Gaucher disease cells. Therefore, we demonstrate that resveratrol inhibits cell proliferation via p21 activity and activates cellular repair systems for Gaucher disease cells. Our results provide at least one of the molecular mechanisms of Gaucher disease and may allow the verification of potential drug targets for therapeutic trials.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.338-346
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• 2015

This study was performed to elucidate the anti-proliferative and apoptotic mechanism of flavonoids in HT-29 human colon cancer cells. We investigated the anti-proliferative activity of flavonoids in HT-29 human colon cancer cells via cell viability assay (MTT assay), caspase-3 activity, RT-PCR, and western blotting. We cultured HT-29 cells in the presence of various flavonoids (apigenin, rutin, naringenin, and myricetin) at a concentration of $100{\mu}M$. In the MTT assay, naringenin showed the strongest effect on cell viability in HT-29 colon cancer cells. Caspase-3 activity, a marker of apoptosis, significantly increased upon naringenin treatment. For RT-PCR, myricetin significantly increased Bax protein levels, naringenin increased p53 protein levels, and rutin reduced expression of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2. Western blotting of HT-29 colon cancer cells showed that myricetin increased cleaved caspase-3 protein levels, naringenin significantly increased poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase protein levels, and rutin increased E-cadherin protein levels. These results indicate that flavonoid exerts anticancer effects on human colon HT-29 cells through a caspase-dependent apoptotic pathway.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.75 no.1
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• pp.9-17
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• 2013

Background: In cancer cells, autophagy is generally induced as a pro-survival mechanism in response to treatment-associated genotoxic and metabolic stress. Thus, concurrent autophagy inhibition can be expected to have a synergistic effect with chemotherapy on cancer cell death. Monensin, a polyether antibiotic, is known as an autophagy inhibitor, which interferes with the fusion of autophagosome and lysosome. There have been a few reports of its effect in combination with anticancer drugs. We performed this study to investigate whether erlotinib, an epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor, or rapamycin, an mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor, is effective in combination therapy with monensin in non-small cell lung cancer cells. Methods: NCI-H1299 cells were treated with rapamycin or erlotinib, with or without monensin pretreatment, and then subjected to growth inhibition assay, apoptosis analysis by flow cytometry, and cell cycle analysis on the basis of the DNA contents histogram. Finally, a Western blot analysis was done to examine the changes of proteins related to apoptosis and cell cycle control. Results: Monensin synergistically increases growth inhibition and apoptosis induced by rapamycin or erlotinib. The number of cells in the sub-$G_1$ phase increases noticeably after the combination treatment. Increase of proapoptotic proteins, including bax, cleaved caspase 3, and cleaved poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, and decrease of anti-apoptotic proteins, bcl-2 and bcl-xL, are augmented by the combination treatment with monensin. The promoters of cell cycle progression, notch3 and skp2, decrease and p21, a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, accumulates within the cell during this process. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that concurrent autophagy inhibition could have a role in lung cancer treatment.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.21-32
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• 2006

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of Imyosan on apoptosis in human colorectal cancer HCT116 cells. Phellodendron amurense Rupr. and Atratylodes lancea D.C. compose Imyosan. First of all, to study the cytotoxic effect of methanol extract of Imyosan (IMS-MeOH) on HCT116 cells, the cells were treated with various concentrations of IMS-MeOH and then cell viability was determined by XTT reduction method. IMS-MeOH reduced viability of HCT116 cells in a dose and time-dependent manner. To confirm the induction of apoptosis, the c1eavage of poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP), a substrate for caspase-3 and a typical sign of apoptosis, and the activation of caspase-3, procaspase-8 and procaspase-9 were examined by western blot analysis. IMS-MeOH decreased procaspase-3, procaspase-8 and procaspase-9 levels in a dose-dependent manner and induced the clevage of PARP. IMS-MeOH triggered the mitochondrial apoptotic signaling by increasing the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria to cytosol. Furthermore, IMS-MeOH also downregulated the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 and upregulated the pro-apoptotic-Bax. Therefore, these results suggest that IMS-MeOH induced HCT1l6 cell death through the mitochondrial pathway. To explore whether the activities of caspases was required for induction of apoptosis by IMS-MeOH, caspase-3, -8, -9 activity measured by using substrates, respectively. IMS-MeOH increased caspase-3, -8, -9 activity. Co-treatment with inhibitors of caspase-3, -8, -9 and IMS-MeOH significantly blocked IMS-MeOH-triggered apoptosis in HCT1l6 cells. These results suggest that IMS-MeOH induces caspases-mediated apoptosis.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.272-283
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• 2012

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to investigate the mechanism of protective effect of Jinmu-tang (JMT, Zhenwu-tang) extract on $H_2O_2$-induced cell death in C6 glial cells. Methods : Cultured C6 glial cells of white mice were pretreated with JMT extract and exposed to $H_2O_2$ for inducing cell death. We measure the cell viability by 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and investigate the cell morphology using a light microscope after crystal violet (CV) staining. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation was analyzed using a flow cytometer and a fluorescent microscope after staining with 2'7'-dichlorofluorescein diacetate (DCF-DA). DNA fragmentation was analyzed using a flow cytometer after propidium iodide (PI) staining and nuclei morphology was investigated using a fluorescent microscope after 2-[4-amidinophenyl]-6-indo-lecarbamidine dihydrochloride (DAPI) staining. We analyzed expression of Bax, processing of procaspase-3 and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), and activation of nuclear factor-${\kappa}B$ (NF-${\kappa}B$) by western blot method. Tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ (TNF-${\alpha}$) secretion was analyzed using Quantikine kit. Results : We determined the elevated cell viability by JMT extract on $H_2O_2$-induced C6 glial cell death. ROS formation, DNA fragmentation, $I{\kappa}B{\alpha}$ phosphorylation, NF-${\kappa}B$ activation, and secretion of TNF-${\alpha}$ induced by $H_2O_2$ are inhibited by JMT extract pre-treatment. JMT extract inhibits Bax expression, processing of caspase-3 and PARP that are critical biochemical markers of apoptotic cell death. Conclusions : These results suggest that JMT extract has a protective effect on $H_2O_2$-induced C6 glial cell death in various pathways.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.623-629
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• 2016

(1S,2S,3E,7E,11E)-3,7,11,15-cembratetraen-17,2-olide (LS-1), a marine cembrenolide diterpene, has anticancer activity against colon cancer cells such as HT-29, SNU-C5/5-FU (fluorouracil-resistant SNU-C5) and SNU-C5. However, the action mechanism of LS-1 on SNU-C5 human colon cancer cells has not been fully elucidated. In this study, we investigated whether the anticancer effect of LS-1could result from apoptosis via the modulation of $Wnt/{\beta}$-catenin and the TGF-${\beta}$ pathways. When treated with the LS-1, we could observe the apoptotic characteristics such as apoptotic bodies and the increase of sub-G1 hypodiploid cell population, increase of Bax level, decrease of Bcl-2 expression, cleavage of procaspase-3 and cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase in SNU-C5 cells. Furthermore, the apoptosis induction of SNU-C5 cells upon LS-1 treatment was also accompanied by the down-regulation of $Wnt/{\beta}$-catenin signaling pathway via the decrease of GSK-$3{\beta}$ phosphorylation followed by the decrease of ${\beta}$-catenin level. In addition, the LS-1 induced the activation of TGF-${\beta}$ signaling pathway with the decrease of carcinoembryonic antigen which leads to decrease of c-Myc, an oncoprotein. These data suggest that the LS-1 could induce the apoptosis via the down-regulation of $Wnt/{\beta}$-catenin pathway and the activation of TGF-${\beta}$ pathway in SNU-C5 human colon cancer cells. The results support that the LS-1 might have potential for the treatment of human colon cancer.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.37-42
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• 2018

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug-activated gene-1 (NAG-1) is a transforming growth factor beta (TGF-${\beta}$) superfamily gene associated with pro-apoptotic and anti-tumorigenic activities. In the present study, we investigated if caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) derived from propolis could induce the expression of anti-tumorigenic gene NAG-1. Our results indicate that CAPE significantly induced NAG-1 expression in a time- and concentration-dependent manner in HCT116 cells. We also found that CAPE induced NAG-1 expression in a concentration-dependent manner in another human colorectal cancer cell line, LOVO. In addition, CAPE triggered apoptosis, which was detected with Western blot analysis using poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase antibody. NAG-1 induction by CAPE was not dependent on transcription factor p53, which was confirmed with Western blot analysis using p53 null HCT116 cells. The luciferase assay results indicated that the new cis-elements candidates were located between -474 and -1,086 of the NAG-1 gene promoter. CAPE dramatically induced activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) expression, but not cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB), which shares the same binding sites with ATF3. The co-transfection experiment with pCG-ATF3 and pCREB showed that only ATF3 was associated with NAG-1 up-regulation by CAPE, whereas CREB had no effect. In conclusion, the results suggest that CAPE could induce the expression of anti-tumorigenic gene NAG-1 mainly through ATF3.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.50-57
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• 2018

Millettia erythrocalyx, a species of plant in the Fabaceae family, is widely distributed in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world, such as the Indies, China, and Thailand. The antiviral activity of flavonoids from M. erythrocalyx has been reported; however, the antioxidative and anticancer activities of M. erythrocalyx remain unclear. In this study, we evaluated the antioxidative and anticancer effects of ethanol extract of M. erythrocalyx (EEME) and the molecular mechanism of its anticancer activity in human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells. EEME exhibited significant antioxidative effects, with a concentration at 50% inhibition ($IC_{50}$) value of $2.74{\mu}g/ml$, as measured by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay; moreover, it inhibited cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner in HepG2 cells. Cell cycle analyses showed that EEME induced HepG2 cell accumulation in the subG1 phase in a dose-dependent manner. EEME also induced apoptosis of HepG2 cells, with increases in apoptotic cells and apoptotic bodies, as detected by Annexin V and 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining, respectively. Treatment with EEME resulted in increased expression of First apoptosis signal (Fas), a death receptor, and Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax), a proapoptotic protein, and the activation of caspase-3, 8, and 9, resulting in the cleavage of poly (Adenosine diphosphate-ribose) polymerase (PARP). Collectively, these results suggest that EEME may exert an anticancer effect in HepG2 cells by inducing apoptosis via both the intrinsic and extrinsic pathways.