• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• 제26권5호
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• pp.367-375
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• 2022

Gastric cancer stem cells (GCSCs) are a major cause of radioresistance and chemoresistance in gastric cancer (GC). Therefore, targeting GCSCs is regarded as a powerful strategy for the effective treatment of GC. Atorvastatin is a widely prescribed cholesterol-lowering drug that inhibits 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase, a rate-limiting enzyme in the mevalonate pathway. The anticancer activity of atorvastatin, a repurposed drug, is being investigated; however, its therapeutic effect and molecular mechanism of action against GCSCs remain unknown. In this study, we evaluated the anticancer effects of atorvastatin on MKN45-derived GCSCs. Atorvastatin significantly inhibited the proliferative and tumorsphere-forming abilities of MKN45 GCSCs in a mevalonate pathway-independent manner. Atorvastatin induced cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase and promoted apoptosis by activating the caspase cascade. Furthermore, atorvastatin exerted an antiproliferative effect against MKN45 GCSCs by inhibiting the expression of cancer stemness markers, such as CD133, CD44, integrin α6, aldehyde dehydrogenase 1A1, Oct4, Sox2, and Nanog, through the downregulation of β-catenin, signal transducer and activator of transcription 3, and protein kinase B activities. Additionally, the combined treatment of atorvastatin and sorafenib, a multi-kinase targeted anticancer drug, synergistically suppressed not only the proliferation and tumorsphere formation of MKN45 GCSCs but also the in vivo tumor growth in a chick chorioallantoic membrane model implanted with MKN45 GCSCs. These findings suggest that atorvastatin can therapeutically eliminate GCSCs.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제27권5호
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• pp.635-647
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• 2014

Unfertilized oocytes age inevitably after ovulation, which limits their fertilizable life span and embryonic development. Rapamycin affects mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) expression and cytoskeleton reorganization during oocyte meiotic maturation. The goal of this study was to examine the effects of rapamycin treatment on aged porcine oocytes and their in vitro development. Rapamycin treatment of aged oocytes for 24 h (68 h in vitro maturation [IVM]; $44h+10{\mu}M$ rapamycin/24 h, $47.52{\pm}5.68$) or control oocytes (44 h IVM; $42.14{\pm}4.40$) significantly increased the development rate and total cell number compared with untreated aged oocytes (68 h IVM, $22.04{\pm}5.68$) (p<0.05). Rapamycin treatment of aged IVM oocytes for 24 h also rescued aberrant spindle organization and chromosomal misalignment, blocked the decrease in the level of phosphorylated-p44/42 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and increased the mRNA expression of cytoplasmic maturation factor genes (MOS, BMP15, GDF9, and CCNB1) compared with untreated, 24 h-aged IVM oocytes (p<0.05). Furthermore, rapamycin treatment of aged oocytes decreased reactive oxygen species (ROS) activity and DNA fragmentation (p<0.05), and downregulated the mRNA expression of mTOR compared with control or untreated aged oocytes. By contrast, rapamycin treatment of aged oocytes increased mitochondrial localization (p<0.05) and upregulated the mRNA expression of autophagy (BECN1, ATG7, MAP1LC3B, ATG12, GABARAP, and GABARAPL1), anti-apoptosis (BCL2L1 and BIRC5; p<0.05), and development (NANOG and SOX2; p<0.05) genes, but it did not affect the mRNA expression of pro-apoptosis genes (FAS and CASP3) compared with the control. This study demonstrates that rapamycin treatment can rescue the poor developmental capacity of aged porcine oocytes.

• 한국유기농업학회지
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• 제19권3호
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• pp.385-396
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• 2011

본 연구는 구기자 유기재배 시 발생하는 주요 병해충에 대해 친환경적인 방제방법을 개발하기 위해서 수행하였다. 관내 주요 유기재배 농가의 병해충의 발생을 조사한 결과 18종의 병해충이 조사되었는데 그 중 발생의 정도에 따라 병해로 흰가루병과 뒷면곰팡이병 해충으로 복숭아혹진딧물과 꽃노랑총채벌레 및 나방류가 친환경적인 방제연구가 필요하였다. 이에 방제 시험한 결과 초여름 발생하는 흰가루병에는 Bacilus subtilis QST 713 수화제와 Sulfur 수화제가 효과가 좋았고 초가을에 발생하는 흰가루병에는 Sulfur 수화제와 Copper hydroxide 수화제, Paraffinic oil 유제의 효과가 좋았다. 또한 뒷면곰팡이병 방제시험 결과 Paraffinic oil 유제와 Bacilus subtilis GB-0365 액상수화제의 방제효과가 70% 이상으로 좋았다. 해충 친환경 방제시험에서 총채벌레의 방제에 천적인 유럽애꽃노린재(Orius laevigatus)를 방사하여 80%이상 방제가능 하였다. 왕담배나방은 미생물농약인 Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. aizawai GB413 액상수화제와 Bacillus thuringiensis aizawa 0423 수화제로 70%이상의 방제가로 방제할 수 있었으며, 구기자 뿔나방(Hedma lycia sp.)은 B.T. servar aizawai 수화제가 70% 이상의 방제가로 효과가 우수하였다. 마지막으로 복숭아혹진딧물을 친환경제제로 방제 시험한 결과 Bacillus subtilis(Seoncho)와 Bacillus subtilis(Jinsami)가 80%이상의 방제가로 약효가 우수하였으며 Ginkgo nut extract로도 70%이상 방제할 수 있었다. 이상의 방제시험으로 구기자 유기재배시 우선 문제되는 5종의 병해충에 대해서 방제방법을 제시할 수 있었다.