• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.15 no.16
• /
• pp.6791-6798
• /
• 2014

Background: To investigate the effect of silibinin on proliferation and apoptosis in human gastric cancer cell line MGC803 and its possible mechanisms. Materials and Methods: Human gastric cancer cell line MGC803 cells were treated with various concentration of silibinin. Cellular viability was assessed by CCK-8 assay andapoptosis and cell cycle distribution by flow cytometry. Protein expression and mRNA of STAT3, and cell cycle and apoptosis regulated genes were detected by Western blotting and real-time polymerase chain reaction, respectively. Results: Silibinin inhibits growth of MGC803 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Silibinin effectively induces apoptosis of MGC803 cells and arrests MGC803 cells in the G2/M phase of the cell cycle, while decreasing the protein expression of p-STAT3, and of STAT3 downstream target genes including Mcl-1, Bcl-xL, survivin at both protein and mRNA levels. In addition, silibinin caused an increase in caspase 3 and caspase 9 protein as well as mRNA levels. Silibinin caused G2/M phage arrest accompanied by a decrease in CDK1 and Cyclin B1 at protein and mRNA levels.. Conclusions: These results suggest that silibinin inhibits the proliferation of MGC803 cells, and it induces apoptosis and causes cell cycle arrest by down-regulating CDK1, cyclinB1, survivin, Bcl-xl, Mcl-1 and activating caspase 3 and caspase 9, potentially via the STAT3 pathway.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.14 no.12
• /
• pp.7561-7568
• /
• 2013

Galectin-3 (Gal-3) is a carbohydrate-binding protein which is thought to be involved in cancer progression but its contribution to epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) remains unclear. The present study sought to determine the role of Gal-3 in chemoresistance of the human SKOV-3 ovarian cancer cell line to paclitaxel (PTX) using recombinant human Gal-3 (rhGal-3) and PectaSol-C modified citrus pectin (Pect-MCP) as a specific Gal-3 competitive inhibitor. Our results showed 41% increased cell proliferation, 36% decreased caspase-3 activity and 33.6% increased substrate-dependent adhesion in the presence of rhGal-3 compared to the control case (p<0.001). Treatment of cells with a non-effective dose of PTX (100nM) and 0.1% Pect-MCP in combination revealed synergistic cytotoxic effects with 75% reduced cell viability and subsequent 3.9-fold increase in caspase-3 activity. Moreover, there was 39% decrease in substrate-dependent adhesion compared to control (p<0.001). These results suggest that inhibition of Gal-3 could be a useful therapeutic tool for combination therapy of ovarian cancer.

• Proceedings of the SCSK Conference
• /
• 2003.09a
• /
• pp.611-616
• /
• 2003

Korean ginseng(Panax Ginseng C.A. Meyer) known as a oriental miracle drug is an important medicinal plant. Ginseng has been used for geriatric, tonic, stomachic, and aphrodisiac treatments for thousands years. Also, it is an antibiotic and has therapeutic properties against stress and cancer. Ginseng is widely distributed all over the world. Among them, Korean mountain ginseng has the most valuable effect on pharmaceuticals. The roots of mountain ginseng contained several kinds of ginsenosides that have many active functions for the human body. However, the study of mountain ginseng has a limit because the mountain ginseng is very expensive and rare. So, we artificially cultured mountain ginseng adventitious roots using the bioreactor culture system. We induced callus from original mountain ginseng, directly dug up in mountain and aged about one hundred ten years. Separated adventitious roots were precultured in 500ml conical flasks and then, transferred in 20L bioreactors. The adventitious roots of mountain ginseng were harvested after culturing for 40days, dried and then, extracted with several solvents. In this study, we investigated the whitening effect, anti-wrinkle effect and the safety of tissue cultured adventitious roots extract of mountain ginseng in order to identify the merit as a cosmetic ingredient. Particularly, extract of mountain ginseng adventitious roots showed whitening and anti-wrinkle effects. The inhibitory effect of this extract on the melanogenesis was examined using B-16 melanoma cell. When B-16 melanoma cells were cultured with adventitious root extract, there was a dramatically decrease in melanin contents of 8-16 melanoma cell. And we identified this extract inhibited Dopa auto-oxidation significantly. Also, when transformed mouse fibroblast L929 cells were treated with this extract, there was a significant increase in collagen synthesis. The results show significant inhibited melanization and wrinkle without inhibiting cell viability.

• Mycobiology
• /
• v.43 no.1
• /
• pp.31-36
• /
• 2015

We have previously isolated ${\varepsilon}$-COP, the ${\alpha}$-COP interactor in COPI of Aspergillus nidulans, by yeast two-hybrid screening. To understand the function of ${\varepsilon}$-COP, the $aneA^+$ gene for ${\varepsilon}$-COP/AneA was deleted by homologous recombination using a gene-specific disruption cassette. Deletion of the ${\varepsilon}$-COP gene showed no detectable changes in vegetative growth or asexual development, but resulted in decrease in the production of the fruiting body, cleistothecium, under conditions favorable for sexual development. Unlike in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, in A. nidulans, over-expression of ${\varepsilon}$-COP did not rescue the thermo-sensitive growth defect of the ${\alpha}$-COP mutant at $42^{\circ}C$. Together, these data show that ${\varepsilon}$-COP is not essential for viability, but it plays a role in fruiting body formation in A. nidulans.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
• /
• v.31 no.1
• /
• pp.61-67
• /
• 2016

Objectives : The present study aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of the water extracts of Portulacae Herba (PH).Methods : We measured the effects of the water extracts of Portulacae Herba (PH) on the cell viability of mouse macrophage RAW 264.7 cells, the intracellular calcium production, and the proinflammatory mediators including nitric oxide (NO), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB, which are induced by the lipopolysaccharides (LPS), and obtained the results shown below.Results : After the cultivation of the PH extracts along with the mouse macrophages, the cell survival rate did not decrease with the MTT assay. However, the PH extracts did significantly suppress the production of NO by the mouse macrophages induced by LPS at the concentrations of 25, 50 and 100 ㎍/mL. The PH extract also significantly suppressed the VEGF, PDGF-BB and intracellular calcium production of the mouse macrophages by LPS at concentrations of 25, 50 and 100 ㎍/mL. As shown in the results above, the PH extracts do not have a toxic effect on the macrophages, but still have an anti-inflammatory effect that significantly reduces the intracellular calcium production as well as the production of NO, VEGF and PDGF-BB at concentrations above 25 ㎍/mL.Conclusions : In conclusion, the inhibitory anti-inflammatory effects of the PH extract can be used for a new treatment of anti-inflammatory diseases.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
• /
• v.41 no.4
• /
• pp.163-173
• /
• 2016

Flavonoid myricetin, usually found in tea and medicinal plants, has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Our objectives in this study were to verify the effects of myricetin on periodontal ligament fibroblasts (PDLFs) under inflammatory conditions and to observe its effects on osteoclast generation and on cytokine expression in RAW264.7 cells. To determine the effects of myricetin on PDLFs, we examined the expression and activity of proteolytic enzymes, including MMP-1, MMP-2, and MMP-8, which all play an important role in chronic periodontitis. We observed the effects of myricetin on intracellular signal transduction to verify the molecular mechanism involved. By measuring the formation of TRAP-positive multinucleated cells and the expression and activity of MMP-8, we were able to assess the effects of myricetin on osteoclast generation. In addition, by measuring the secretion of IL-6 and NO, we could evaluate the effects of myricetin on inflammatory mediators. We found that Myricetin had no effect on the viability of the PDLFs in the presence of inflammation, but it did decrease both the expression of MMP-1 and MMP-8 and the enzyme activity of MMP-2 and MMP-8 in these fibroblasts. Myricetin also decreased the lipopolysaccharide-stimulated phosphorylation of JNK, p38 signaling, IKKB, AKT, and p65RelA in the PDLFs. In the RAW264.7 cells, myricetin inhibited both the expression and the activity of MMP-8. Furthermore, Myricetin not only suppressed the generation of LPS-stimulated osteoclasts, but it also slightly inhibited LPS-stimulated degradation of IkB and decreased the release of LPS-induced IL-6 and NO. These findings suggest that myricetin alleviates the tissue-destructive processes that occur during periodontal inflammation.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
• /
• v.16 no.1
• /
• pp.12-17
• /
• 2011

This study was designed to investigate the protective effect of Sasa borealis leaf extract on 2,2'-azobis(2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride (AAPH)-induced oxidative stress in LLC-PK1 cells (porcine kidney epithelial cells). The butanol fraction from Sasa borealis leaf extract (SBBF) was used in this study because it possessed strong antioxidant activity and high yield among fractions. Exposure of LLC-PK1 cells to 1 mM AAPH for 24 hr resulted in a significant decrease in cell viability, but SBBF treatment protected LLC-PK1 cells from AAPH-induced cell damage in a dose dependant manner. To determine the protective action of SBBF against AAPH-induced damage of LLC-PK1 cells, we measured the effects of SBBF on lipid peroxidation and antioxidant enzymes activities of AAPH treated cells as well as scavenging activities on superoxide anion radical and hydroxyl radical. SBBF had a protective effect against the AAPH-induced LLC-PK1 cellular damage and decreased lipid peroxidation and increased activities of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase. Furthermore, SBBF showed strong scavenging activity against superoxide anion radical. The $IC_{50}$ value of SBBF was $28.45{\pm}1.28\;{\mu}g/mL$ for superoxide anion radical scavenging activity. The SBBF also had high hydroxyl radical scavenging activity ($IC_{50}=31.09{\pm}3.08\;{\mu}g/mL$). These results indicate that SBBF protects AAPH-induced LLC-PK1 cells damage by inhibiting lipid peroxidation, increasing antioxidant enzyme activities and scavenging free radicals.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
• /
• v.99 no.2
• /
• pp.244-250
• /
• 2010

The aim of this study was to investigate relationship among seed viability and enzymes activities involved in scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS), especially, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione reductase (GR), and catalase (CAT). In other respects, osmopriming has been demonstrated to reinvigorate aged seeds. Various viabilities of seeds that were ranged from 80 to 100% of germination rate could be produced using osmopriming and accelerated aging treatments. Priming treatment of Pinus thunbergii seeds for 3 days at $15^{\circ}C$ with a polyethylene glycol solution at -1.2 MPa improved their subsequent germination at $25^{\circ}C$. Accelerated aging (3, 6, 9, and 12 days at $41^{\circ}C$ and 100% relative humidity) decreased seed germination percentage depending on aging treatment duration. Electrolyte conductivities of seeds were measured as assay of membrane integrity. The conductivity from electrolyte leakage of P. thunbergii seed was also correlated with seed germinability. Conductivity for control seeds that had 95% of germination percentage was 3.48 ${\mu}S\;g^{-1}$, but jumped as doubled (7.98 ${\mu}S\;g^{-1}$) in 12-day-aged seed that had 80% of germination percentage. Our results demonstrate that aging of P. thunbergii seeds is associated with changes in the electrolyte leakage, lipid peroxidation, and antioxidant defense system. Priming of aged seeds progressively restored the initial germinative ability and resulted in a marked decrease in the levels of MDA and conductivity of seed leachate. These effects of priming were also well recovered of GR and CAT activities in aged seed. The improved seed quality by priming treatment appears at least partly attributable to reduced lipid peroxidation, resulting from enhanced antioxidative enzyme activities that are suggesting the antioxidant defense systems play a key role in seed vigor.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
• /
• v.16 no.6
• /
• pp.1117-1121
• /
• 2002

To test the protective effect of herbal medicine on myocardial damage against oxygen free radical-induced myocardiotoxicity, cytotoxicity was examined using MTT, Beating rate and DNA synthesis assay in the presence of water extract of three kinds of Radix Rehmanniae. Myocardial toxicity was evaluated in neonatal rat myocardiocytes in cultures. The results of these experiments were obtained as follows : Xanthine oxydase/hypoxanthine resulted in a decrease in viability, beating rate and DNA synthesis in cultured myocardial cells. Radix Rehmanniae Recens(生地黃, RRR) water extract shows effects of protection from the cardiocyte toxicity induced by xanthine oxydase/hypoxanthine treatment such as increases in beating rate. Radix Rehmanniae Preparat(熟地黃, RRP) water extract shows effects of protection from the cardiocyte toxicity induced by xanthine oxydase/hypoxanthine treatment such as increases in DNA synthesis. These results show that xanthine oxydase/hypoxanthine elicits toxic effects in cultured myocardial cells derived from neonatal rat, and suggest that water extract of three kinds of Radix Rehmanniae is very effective in the prevention of xanthine oxydase/hypoxanthine-induced cardiotoxicity.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
• /
• v.23 no.1
• /
• pp.129-143
• /
• 2012

Objectives : To evaluate the neuroprotective effects of the essential oil from Sohaphwangwon (SH), a Chinese traditional medicinal prescription in a Parkinson's disease mouse model. Methods : 1. The neuroprotective effect of SH on primary neuronal cells was examined by using 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium ion (MPP+). 2. The neuroprotective effect of SH was examined in a Parkinson's disease mouse model. C57BL/6 mice treated with 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP, 30 mg/kg/day), intraperitoneal (i.p.) for 5 days. SH inhalation was applied before MPTP treatment for 7 days and continued until 12 days after the first MPTP treatment. 3. To find out the intracellular target signal molecule(s) regarding the neuroprotective effect of SH essential oil, brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) and synaptic protein SNAP25 were examined by Western blot analysis. Results : 1. MPP+ induced a concentration-dependent decrease in cell viability. However, in the presence of 3 and 5 ug/ml of SH, MPP+-induced cell death was significantly reduced. 2. SH inhalation in MPTP mice led to the restoration of behavioral impairment and rescued tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive dopaminergic neurodegeneration. 3. In SH / MPTP mice, BDNF and SNAP25 increased. Conclusions : This experiment suggests that the neuroprotective effect of SH essential oil is mediated by the expression of BDNF. Furthermore, SH essential oil may serve as a potential preventive or therapeutic agent regarding Parkinson's disease.