• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.39-46
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• 2002

The water fraction exhibiting anticancer activity was prepared from 70% methanol extract of Artemisis argyi by stepwise solvent partioning. This water fraction(5 $\mu$g/ml concentration) showed a considerable cytotoxicity against leukemic L1210 cells with a maximal value of 92% for 3 days culture. Contrastingly to such substantial anticancer activities the identical fraction showed far low toxicity against normal lymphocytes than chloroform fraction of Artemisia argyi mitomycine and 5-fluorouracil at every concentration ranging 0.01$\mu$g/ml~10.00$\mu$g/ml. The cytotoxicity displayed against L1210 cells by the water fraction of Artemisia was found to be proportinal to the decrease of viability of L1210 cells. On the other hand, $O_2$ion generation in L1210 cells appeared to be elevated in accordance to cytotoxicity by the water fraction with concurrent increases of superoxide dismuatse (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) which are responsible for the conversion of $O_2$ ion and $H_2O$$_2$ respectively These findings taken together indicate that the death of L1210 cells by the water fraction of Auemisia atgyi, may be induced at least in part by the detrimental action of reactive oxygen species (ROS) including $O_2$- in spite of substantial extorts of SOD and GPx to overcome the attack of ROS.

• Proceedings of the SCSK Conference
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• 2003.09a
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• pp.268-284
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• 2003

Nor-aporphine derivatives have been discovered which interfere with the flux of Calcium into and out of the cell interior. It has been shown that adrenergic antagonists that block the Calcium exchange lead to an inhibition of Protein kinase C activity, thus blocking tyrosinase activation. Di-acetyl-dimethoxy-methyl-nor-aporphine is a semi-synthetic molecule of natural origin with very high potency. On B16 melanocytes as well as in normal human melanocytes the decrease in melanin synthesis reaches -50％ at a level of 40 ppm in the culture medium. On a molar concentration basis, this is 50 to 70 times stronger than Kojic acid inhibition. Yet, the cell viability is not affected. Reversibility studies show that after washing out of the active compound, melanogenesis returns to normal levels. Possible mechanisms of the activity are discussed. Tests carried out on SkinEthic(R) three-dimensional models of the epidermis and in vivo clinical studies on Asian population confirm the strong inhibition of melanogenesis. Safety evaluation of these molecules, on the other hand, demonstrates good skin tolerance and absence of toxicity.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.607-613
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• 2003

Dendritic cells (DCs) play an essential role in a variety of immune reactions involving $CD4^+$ T cells and have been used to enhance tumor-specific immune responses. Immunosuppression in patients with cancer includes the downregulation of function and number of DCs. Although DCs have been studied, the apoptosis of Des induced by anticancer drugs for chemotherapy remains largely uncharacterized. This study demonstrated that GM-CSF protects DCs from 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) or mitomycin C-induced apoptosis. After 6 - 10 days culture, DCs were characterized by specific surface marker, CD11c and MHC class II. MTT assay revealed that GM-CSF significantly enhanced the viability of DCs treated with 5-FU or mitomycin C. The percentage of dead cells of DCs was determined by cell size using FACScan and GM-CSF was clearly effective. However, GM-CSF did not increase the expression of MHC class II on viable DCs gated, suggesting that GM-CSF may differentially regulate critical factors involved in the function of DCs. For the quantitative analysis of apoptosis, annexin V-FITC staining was performed. 5-FU induced the apoptosis of DCs and GM-CSF significantly protects DCs from 5-FU-induced apoptosis. Taken together, the results in this study that GM-CSF has an anti-apoptosis effect on DCs may provide patients with cancer with clinical benefits to overcome the immunosuppression induced by the decrease of number and functional insufficiency of DCs.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.206-212
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• 2001

Catechol and 4-chlorobenzoate (4CBA) which are produced from the biodegradation of a variety of aromatic and chloroaromatics have been recognized as toxic to living organisms. In this study, the toxic effects of catechol and 4-chlorobenzoate on gram-positive and -negative bacteria were examined in terms of survival, morphology, change in fatty acids and membrane protein composition. The survival rate of the organisms during treatment for 6 h was decreased, as the concentration of each aromatic was increased. Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas cells treated with catechol and 4CBA at concentrations causing a significant decrease in their viability, showed destructive openings in their cell envelopes. Bacills subtilis treated with the aromatics were reduced in cell size and Staphylococcus aureus cells displayed irregular rod shapes with wrinkled surfaces. The bacterial cells treated with 20 mM catechol showed increases in unsaturated fatty acids, but several saturated fatty acids were decreased. In the E. coli cells treated with 20 mM catechol, inner membrane proteins of 150 kDa and 105 kDa were decreased. But several kinds of the inner and outer membrane proteins were increased. In B. subtilis treated with 20 mM catechol, several kinds of proteins were increased or decreased in membrane proteins.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.8
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• pp.3865-3869
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• 2016

Curcumin, a polyphenolic compound isolated from the rhizomes of an herbaceous perennial plant, Curcuma longa, is known to possess anticancerous activity. However, the mechanism of apoptosis induction in cancers differs. In this study, we have (1) investigated the anticancerous activity of curcumin on REH and RS4;11 leukemia cells and (2) studied the chemo-sensitizing potential of curcumin for doxorubicin, a drug presently used for leukemia treatment. It was found that curcumin induced a dose dependent decrease in cell viability because of apoptosis induction as visualized by annexin V-FITC/ PI staining. Curcumin-induced apoptosis of leukemia cells was mediated by PARP-1 cleavage. An increased level of caspase-3, apoptosis inducing factor (AIF), cleaved PARP-1 and decreased level of Bcl2 was observed in leukemia cells after 24h of curcumin treatment. In addition, curcumin at doses lower than the $IC_{50}$ value significantly enhanced doxorubicin induced cell death. Therefore, we conclude that curcumin induces apoptosis in leukemia cells via PARP-1 mediated caspase-3 dependent pathway and further may act as a potential chemo-sensitizing agent for doxorubicin. Our study highlights the chemo-preventive and chemo-sensitizing role of curcumin.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.104-112
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• 2012

Silica is one of the most abundant compounds found in nature. Immoderate exposure to crystalline silica has been linked to pulmonary disease and crystalline silica has been classified as a Group I carcinogen. Ultrafine (diameter <100 nm) silica particles may have different toxicological properties compared to larger particles. We evaluated the effect of ultrafine silica nanoparticles on mouse bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDC) and murine dendritic cell line, DC2.4. The exposure of dendritic cells (DCs) to ultrafine silica nanoparticles showed a decrease in cell viability and an induction of cell death in size- and concentration-dependent manners. In addition, in order to examine the phenotypic changes of DCs following co-culture with silica nanoparticles, we added each sized-silica nanoparticle along with GM-CSF and IL-4 during and after DC differentiation. Expression of CD11c, a typical DC marker, and multiple surface molecules such as CD54, CD80, CD86, MHC class II, was changed by silica nanoparticles in a size-dependent manner. We also found that silica nanoparticles affect inflammatory response in DCs in vitro and in vivo. Finally, we found that p38 and NF-${\kappa}B$ activation may be critical for the inflammatory response by silica nanoparticles. Our data demonstrate that ultrafine silica nanoparticles have cytotoxic effects on dendritic cells and immune modulation effects in vitro and in vivo.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.75-84
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• 1995

Drug delivery by red cells was established to maintain the release of drugs in the blood. The entrapment method by amphotericin B was re-examined and evaluated for obtaining the suitable entrapping conditions without hemolysis. The amphotericin B treatment below $10{\mu}g/ml$ induced the non-hemolysis to entrap daunorubicin into red cells within 10min. Under these conditions intracellular ATP level was decreased as $18\%$. Membrane fluidity and the shape factor of red cells were maintained. To maintain intracellular ATP, ATP and sodium pyruvate were added during the entrapment procedure because hemolysis during the release test would reflect the loss of intracellular ATP that would be postulate the decrease of the viability invivo. Consequently, the addition of ATP in the reaction solution can raise the intracellular level of ATP.

• BMB Reports
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• v.40 no.6
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• pp.1009-1015
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• 2007

In this communication, we report the efficacy of $\beta$-carotene towards differentiation and apoptosis of leukemia cells. Dose ($20{\mu}M$) and time dependence (12 h) tests of $\beta$-carotene showed a higher magnitude of decrease (significance p < 0.05) in cell numbers and cell viability in HL-60 cells than U937 cells but not normal cell like Peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC). Microscopical observation of $\beta$-carotene treated cells showed a distinct pattern of morphological abnormalities with inclusion of apoptotic bodies in both leukemia cell lines. When cells were treated with $20{\mu}M$ of $\beta$-carotene, total genomic DNA showed a fragmentation pattern and this pattern was clear in HL-60 than U937 cells. Both the cell lines, on treatment with $\beta$-carotene, showed a clear shift in $G_1$ phase of the cell cycle. In addition the study also revealed anti-oxidant properties of $\beta$-carotene since there was reduction in relative fluorescent when treated than the control at lower concentration. Collectively this study shows the dual phenomenon of apoptosis and differentiation of leukemia cells on treatment with $\beta$-carotene.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.71-83
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• 2005

Chelidonii Herba (Baekgulchae in Korean: CHE), a commonly used herb in Korea, Japan and China, is widely used in the treatment of stomach cancer, jaundice, gastric ulcer, edema and pain of stomach. In the present study, we demonstrated that CHE induces apoptosis in AGS cells, human stomach adenocarcinoma cell line. One of the most important recent advances in cancer research is the recognition that apoptosis plays a major role in both tumor formation and treatment response, In this study, CHE caused a decrease of viability in AGC cells. When AGS cells were treated with CHE, cells showed dose-dependent manner apoptotic cell death. Increased apoptotic cell death, exposured to CHE, resulted from induction of Bad translocation to mitochondria, cytochrome-c release from mitochondria to cytosol, activation of caspase-3, 8, 9, and PARP cleavage. These results suggest that CHE may be potential therapeutic approach in the clinical management of stomach adenocarcinoma.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.11
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• pp.6863-6867
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• 2013

Phyllanthus emblica (PE) is known to exhibit various pharmacological properties. This study aimed to evaluate the antimetastatic potential of a PE aqueous extract. Cytotoxicity to human fibrosarcoma cells, HT1080, was determined by viability assay using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol,2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) reagent. Cell migration and invasion were investigated using chemotaxis chambers containing membranes precoated with collagen IV and Matrigel, respectively. Cell attachment onto normal surfaces of cell culture plates was tested to determine the cell-adhesion capability. The molecular mechanism of antimetastatic activity was assessed by measuring the gene expression of matrix metalloproteinases, MMP2, and MMP9, using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay. The mRNA levels of both genes were significantly down-regulated after pretreatment with PE extract for 5 days. Our findings show the antimetastatic function of PE extract in reducing cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and adhesion in both dose- and time-dependent manners, especially growth arrest with low $IC_{50}$ value. A decrease in the expression of both MMP2 and MMP9 seems to be the cellular mechanism for antimetastasis in this case. There is a high potential to use PE extracts clinically as an optional adjuvant therapeutic drug for therapeutic intervention strategies in cancer therapy or chemoprevention.