• Journal of Life Science
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• v.28 no.11
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• pp.1332-1338
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• 2018

Activated microglia, induced by various pathogens, protect neurons and maintain homeostasis of the central nervous system (CNS). However, severe activation causes neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease because of the secretion of various neurotoxic molecules, such as nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin (PG), and pro-inflammatory cytokines. Because chronic microglial activation endangers neuronal survival, negative regulators of microglial activation have been identified as potential therapeutic candidates for treatment of many neurological diseases. One potential source of these regulators is Locusta migratoria, a grasshopper of the Acrididae, usually 4-6 cm in size, belonging to the family of large insects in Acrididae. This grasshopper is an edible insect resource that can be consumed by humans as protein source or used for animal feed. The aim of the present study was to examine the inhibitory effects of a L. migratoria ethanol extract (LME) on the production of inflammatory mediators in LPS-stimulated BV-2 microglia cells. The extract significantly inhibited the NO, iNOS, COX-2, and pro-inflammatory cytokine ($TNF-{\alpha}$, IL-6 and $IL-1{\beta}$) levels in BV-2 microglia cell. Because the inhibition of microglial activation may be an effective solution for treating brain disorders like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, these results suggest that LME may be a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of brain disorders induced by neuroinflammation.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.104-114
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• 2024

Licochalcone C (LCC; PubChem CID:9840805), a chalcone compound originating from the root of Glycyrrhiza inflata, has shown anticancer activity against skin cancer, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, and oral squamous cell carcinoma. However, the therapeutic potential of LCC in treating colorectal cancer (CRC) and its underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Chemotherapy for CRC is challenging because of the development of drug resistance. In this study, we examined the antiproliferative activity of LCC in human colorectal carcinoma HCT116 cells, oxaliplatin (Ox) sensitive and Ox-resistant HCT116 cells (HCT116-OxR). LCC significantly and selectively inhibited the growth of HCT116 and HCT116-OxR cells. An in vitro kinase assay showed that LCC inhibited the kinase activities of EGFR and AKT. Molecular docking simulations using AutoDock Vina indicated that LCC could be in ATP-binding pockets. Decreased phosphorylation of EGFR and AKT was observed in the LCC-treated cells. In addition, LCC induced cell cycle arrest by modulating the expression of cell cycle regulators p21, p27, cyclin B1, and cdc2. LCC treatment induced ROS generation in CRC cells, and the ROS induction was accompanied by the phosphorylation of JNK and p38 kinases. Moreover, LCC dysregulated mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and the disruption of MMP resulted in the release of cytochrome c into the cytoplasm and activation of caspases to execute apoptosis. Overall, LCC showed anticancer activity against both Ox-sensitive and Ox-resistant CRC cells by targeting EGFR and AKT, inducing ROS generation and disrupting MMP. Thus, LCC may be potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of Ox-resistant CRC cells.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.174-178
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• 2005

Oxidative stress is an important causative factor in several human chronic diseases, such as atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disorders, mutagenesis, cancer, several neurodegenerative disorders, and the aging process. Phenolics and tannins are reported to be good antioxidants. Anogeissus latifolia (Combretaceae) bark has been used in the Indian traditional systems of medicine for curing a variety of ailments, but scientific validation is not available till date. Hence the present study was undertaken to isolate antioxidant compounds by activity-guided isolation. Inhibtion of diphenyl picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) and Xanthine oxidase along with photochemiluminescence assay were used as bioassay for antioxidant activity. Activity guided isolation was carried out using silica column and the compounds were quantified using HPLC. Ethyl acetate and butanol fraction exhibited potent antioxidant activity. Bioassay-guided isolation led to isolation of ellagic acid (1) and dimethyl ellagic acid (2) as the main active compounds, which along with gallic acid were quantified by HPLC. Thus we conclude that these three major tannoid principles present in A. latifolia, are responsible for the antioxidant potential and possibly their therapeutic potential.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.2201-2205
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• 2013

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common cancers in many parts of the world. Its development is a multi-step process involving three distinct stages, initiation that alters the molecular message of a normal cell, followed by promotion and progression that ultimately generates a phenotypically altered transformed malignant cell. Reports have suggested an association of the phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway with colon tumorigenesis. Activation of Akt signaling and impaired expression of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) (a negative regulator of Akt) has been reported in 60-70% of human colon cancers and inhibitors of PI3K/Akt signaling have been suggested as potential therapeutic agents. Around 80% of human colon tumors possess mutations in the APC gene and half of the remainder feature ${\beta}$-catenin gene mutations which affect downstream signaling of the PI3K/Akt pathway. In recent years, there has been a great focus in targeting these signaling pathways, with natural and synthetic drugs reducing the tumor burden in different experiment models. In this review we survey the role of PI3K/Akt/mTOR and Wnt signaling in CRC.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.11
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• pp.5619-5625
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• 2012

Gastric carcinoma is a leading cause of cancer death in the world and multi-drug resistance (MDR) is an essential aspect of gastric carcinoma chemotherapy failure. Recent studies have shown that integrin-linked kinase (ILK) is involved in metastasis of human tumors, expression silencing of ILK inhibiting the metastasis of several types of cultured human cancer cells. However, the role and potential mechanism of ILK to reverse the multi-drug resistance in human gastric carcinoma is not fully clear. In this report, we focused on roles of expression silencing of ILK in multi-drug resistance reversal of human gastric carcinoma SGC7901/DDP cells, including increased drug sensitivity to cisplatin, cell apoptosis rates, and intracellular accumulation of Rhodamine-123, and decreased mRNA and protein expression of multi-drug resistance gene (MDR1), multi-drug resistance-associated protein (MRP1), excision repair cross-complementing gene 1 (ERCC1), glutathione S-transferase -${\pi}$ (GST-${\pi}$) and RhoE, and transcriptional activation of AP-1 and NF-${\kappa}B$ in ILK silenced SGC7901/DDP cells. We also found that there was a decreased level of p-Akt and p-ERK. The results indicated that ILK might be used as a potential therapeutic strategy to combat multi-drug resistance through blocking PI3K-Akt and MAPK-ERK pathways in human gastric carcinoma.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.80 no.2
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• pp.113-135
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• 2017

Asthma is traditionally regarded as a chronic airway disease, and recent literature proves its heterogeneity, based on distinctive clusters or phenotypes of asthma. In defining such asthma clusters, the nature of comorbidity among patients with asthma is poorly understood, by assuming no causal relationship between asthma and other comorbid conditions, including both communicable and noncommunicable diseases. However, emerging evidence suggests that the status of asthma significantly affects the increased susceptibility of the patient to both communicable and noncommunicable diseases. Specifically, the impact of asthma on susceptibility to noncommunicable diseases such as chronic systemic inflammatory diseases (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis), may provide an important insight into asthma as a disease with systemic inflammatory features, a conceptual understanding between asthma and asthma-related comorbidity, and the potential implications on the therapeutic and preventive interventions for patients with asthma. This review discusses the currently under-recognized clinical and immunological phenotypes of asthma; specifically, a higher risk of developing a systemic inflammatory disease such as rheumatoid arthritis and their implications, on the conceptual understanding and management of asthma. Our discussion is divided into three parts: literature summary on the relationship between asthma and the risk of rheumatoid arthritis; potential mechanisms underlying the association; and implications on asthma management and research.

• BMB Reports
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.147-152
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• 2015

Small interfering RNA (siRNA) functions through pairing with specific mRNA sequences and results in the mRNA's degradation. It is a potential therapeutic approach for many diseases caused by altered gene expression. The delivery of siRNA is still a major problem due to its rapid degradation in the circulation. Various strategies have been proposed to help with the cellular uptake of siRNA and short or small hairpin RNA (shRNA). Here, we reviewed recently published data regarding local applications of siRNA. Compared with systemic delivery methods, local delivery of siRNA/shRNA has many advantages, such as targeting the specific tissues or organs, mimicking a gene knockout effect, or developing certain diseases models. The eye, brain, and tumor tissues are 'hot' target tissues/organs for local siRNA delivery. The siRNA can be delivered locally, in naked form, with chemical modifications, or in formulations with viral or non-viral vectors, such as liposomes and nanoparticles. This review provides a comprehensive overview of RNAi local administration and potential future applications in clinical treatment.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.51-60
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• 2009

Objectives : It is considered not easy to diagnose the condition of acupoints or meridians. Oriental Medical instruments have rarely complied with Oriental Medical diagnostic/therapeutic theories. The aim of this study was to develop a system which measures meridian electric potential(MEP) in proportion to bio-electric charge for the purpose of Oriental Medical diagnosis. Method : To evaluate a meridian energy measurement system(MEMS), we carried out a performance test. For significance test, we conducted a clinical trial which measured the MEP of ST36(Chok-samni) on Stomach Meridian(ST). Results & Conclusions : We could evaluate the balance or the imbalance of the MEPs on the left/right ST36. Also, through the comparison of MEPs before and after meals, we could identify the correlation between the MEP and the condition of internal organs. Namely, MEP reflects the condition of acupoints/meridians and internal organs, therefore, we propose this new method for measuring and analyzing the condition of meridians and acupoints for Oriental Medical diagnosis.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.371-379
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• 2016

Store-operated calcium entry (SOCE), a major mode of extracellular calcium entry, plays roles in a variety of cell activities. Accumulating evidence indicates that the intracellular calcium ion concentration and calcium signaling are critical for the responses induced by oxidative stress. The present study was designed to investigate the potential effect of SOCE inhibition on $H_2O_2$-induced apoptosis in endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), which are the predominant cells involved in endothelial repair. The results showed that $H_2O_2$-induced EPC apoptosis was reversed by SOCE inhibition induced either using the SOCE antagonist ML-9 or via silencing of stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1), a component of SOCE. Furthermore, SOCE inhibition repressed the increases in intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and ameliorated the mitochondrial dysfunction caused by $H_2O_2$. Our findings provide evidence that SOCE inhibition exerts a protective effect on EPCs in response to oxidative stress induced by $H_2O_2$ and may serve as a potential therapeutic strategy against vascular endothelial injury.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.253-260
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• 2011

Chaga mushroom (Inonotus obliquus) extract has been known to have therapeutic effects, such as anti-inflammatory, hepato-protective, anti-oxidant and anti-tumor effect. In this study, we evaluated the effects of Chaga extract on the cytotoxic actions of cisplatin in HepG2 hepatoma cells. The viability of the HepG2 cells was decreased to 10% at 3 ${\mu}M$ cisplatin and to 20% at 500 ${\mu}g$/ml Chaga extract as measured by the MTT assay. The viability of HepG2 cells co-treated with cisplatin (3 ${\mu}M$) and Chaga extract (500 ${\mu}g$/ml) was decreased to 50% in compared with the control cells. The cytotoxicity of two drugs was revealed as apoptosis characterized by the chromatic condensation, nuclear fragmentation and the cleavage of pro caspase-3 in HepG2 cells. Also, the cells treated with combination of two drugs showed synergistically the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and increase of intracellular ROS levels. Therefore, these results suggest that the combination treatment of cisplatin and Chaga extract induces apoptotic cell death in HepG2 cells and has more potential anti-tumor effect than cisplatin alone.