• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.416-427
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• 2014

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the antineoplastic effect of several herbal medicine mixtures (compositions of Astragalus membranaceu, Angelica gigas, Trichosanthes kirilowii, Panax ginseng, Rhus verniciflua Stokes) on the SNU-80 anaplastic thyroid carcinoma cell line. Methods: MTT assay was used to examine whether our herbal medicine mixtures decreased cell growth rate of SNU-80. Wound healing assay and Transwell invasion assay was performed to investigate whether our herbal medicine mixtures affect the migration and invasion of anaplastic cancer cells, SNU-80. ELISA assay was performed to know if our herbal medicine mixtures suppressed the expression of pro-invasive molecules, such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) secreted from SNU-80. Results: MTT assay demonstrated that A. membranaceus:A. gigas:T. kirilowii=1:1:1 or 3:1:1, A. membranaceus:A. gigas :T. kirilowii:P. ginseng=1:1:1:1 or 3:1:1:1, A. membranaceus:A. gigas:T. kirilowii:P. ginseng:R. verniciflua Stokes=1:1:1:1:1 or 3:1:1:1:1 strongly suppressed the growth of SNU-80. Wound healing assay demonstrated that A. membranaceus:A. gigas=3:1, A. membranaceus:A. gigas:T. kirilowii=1:1:1 or 3:1:1, A. membranaceus:A. gigas:T. kirilowii:P. ginseng=1:1:1:1 or 3:1:1:1, A. membranaceus:A. gigas:T. kirilowii:P. ginseng:R. verniciflua Stokes=1:1:1:1:1 or 3:1:1:1:1 inhibited the migration of SNU-80. Transwell invasion assay demonstrated that A. membranaceus:A. gigas=1:1, A. membranaceus:A. gigas:T. kirilowii =1:1:1 or 3:1:1, A. membranaceus:A. gigas:T. kirilowii:P. ginseng=1:1:1:1, A. membranaceus:A. gigas:T. kirilowii:P. ginseng :R. verniciflua Stokes=1:1:1:1:1 or 3:1:1:1:1 inhibited the invasion of SNU-80. ELISA assay demonstrated that A. membranaceus :A. gigas:T. kirilowii=1:1:1 or 3:1:1, A. membranaceus:A. gigas:T. kirilowii:P. ginseng:R. verniciflua Stokes=1:1:1:1:1 suppressed the expression of VEGF. Also, A. membranaceus:A. gigas=1:1, A. membranaceus:A. gigas:T. kirilowii=1:1:1 or 3:1:1, A. membranaceus :A. gigas:T. kirilowii:P. ginseng=1:1:1:1 or 3:1:1:1, A. membranaceus:A. gigas:T. kirilowii:P. ginseng:R. verniciflua Stokes =1:1:1:1:1 or 3:1:1:1:1 suppressed the expression of MMP-2. Conclusions: The results obtained in this study suggest that several herbal medicine mixtures suppresse the growth and inhibit the migration and invasion of SNU-80, which is anaplastic thyroid cancer cells. Especially, A. membranaceus:A. gigas: T. kirilowii=1:1:1 mixture had a stronger anti-cancer effect.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.179-191
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• 2017

Objectives : Increased oxidative stress by reactive oxygen species (ROS) has been suggested as a major cause of muscle fatigue. Although several studies have demonstrated the various biological properties of Sophora flavescens Aiton, Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fischer and Dictamnus dasycarpus Turcz, but the antioxidative potentials have not been clearly demonstrated. The present study was designed to investigate the protective effects of their water and ethanol extract mixtures (medicinal herbal mixtures, MHMIXs) on hydrogen peroxide ($H_2O_2$)-induced cell damage and apoptosis in C2C12 myoblasts. Methods : Cytotoxicity was assessed by an MTT assay. Quantitative evaluation of apoptosis induction and ROS production was evaluated by flow cytometry analysis. Expression levels of apoptosis regulatory and DNA-damage proteins were detected by Western blotting. Result : The inhibition of $H_2O_2$-induced cell proliferation was effectively blocked in extracts of 3: 1: 1 (EMHMIXs-1) or 2: 2: 1 (EMHMIXs-2) of S. flavescens, G. uralensis and D. dasycarpus Turcz, ethanol extracts from various complex extracts in C2C12 myoblasts. EMHMIXs-1 and EMHMIXs-2 also effectively attenuated $H_2O_2$-induced C2C12 cell apoptosis, which was associated with the restoration of the upregulation of Bad and death receptor 4, and downregulation of XIAP and cIAP-1 induced by $H_2O_2$. In addition, these herbal mixtures significantly blocked the $H_2O_2$-induced ROS generation and phosphorylation of $p-{\gamma}H2A.X$, which suggests that they can prevent $H_2O_2$-induced cellular DNA damage. Conclusions : The results suggest that EMHMIXs-1 and EMHMIXs-2 could block the DAN damage and apoptosis of C2C12 myoblasts by oxidative stress through blocking ROS generation.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.329-335
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• 2014

Sophora flavescens, Glycyrrhiza uralensis and Dictamnus dasycarpus have been widely used in folk medicine for several inflammatory disorders in Korea and China. In this study, we compared the anti-inflammatory effects of the ethanol extracts of S. flavescens (EESF), G. uralensis (EEGU) and D. dasycarpus (EEDS), and their mixtures (medicinal herber mixtures, MHMIXs) on production of inflammatory mediators and cytokines in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 murine macrophages. Our data indicated that treatment with EESF, EEGU and EEDD significantly inhibited the excessive production of pro-inflammatory mediators such as nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin $E_2$ ($PGE_2$) in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. The ethanol extracts and MHMIXs also attenuated the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-$1{\beta}$ ($IL-1{\beta}$) and tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}$ ($TNF-{\alpha}$) by suppressing their protein expression, respectively. Interestingly, MHMIX-1, which basic ingredients are EESF, EEGU and EEDS in the proportion 3:1:1, more safely and effectively inhibits the LPS-induced inflammatory status in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages compared to ethanol extracts of each medicinal herb and other MHMIXs without causing any cytotoxic effects. Our study provides scientific evidence to support that a berbal mixture, MHMIX-1 may be useful in the treatment of inflammatory diseases by inhibiting inflammatory regulator responses in activated macrophages.