• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• 제27권11호
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• pp.1147-1153
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• 2004

Bladder cancer is a common cancer with high risk of recurrence and mortality. Intravesicle chemotherapy after trans-urethral resection is required to prevent tumor recurrence and progression. It has been known that antioxidants enhance the antitumor effect of bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG), the most effective intravesical bladder cancer treatment. Capsaicin, the major pungent ingredient in genus Capsicum, has recently been tried as an intravesical drug for overactive bladder and it has also been shown to induce apoptotic cell death in many cancer cells. In this study, we investigated the apoptosis-inducing effect and alterations in the cellular redox state of capsaicin in MBT-2 murine bladder tumor cells. Capsaicin induced apoptotic MBT-2 cell death in a time- and dose-dependent manner. The capsaicin-induced apoptosis was blocked by the pretreatment with Z-VAD-fmk, a broad-range caspase inhibitor, or Ac-DEVD-CHO, a caspase-3 inhibitor. In addition to the caspase-3 activation, capsaicin also induced cytochrome c release and decrease in Bcl-2 protein expression with no changes in the level of Bax. Furthermore, capsaicin at the concentration of inducing apoptosis also markedly reduced the level of reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxidation, implying that capsaicin may enhance the antitumor effect of BCG in bladder cancer treatment. These results further suggest that capsaicin may be a valuable intravesical chemotherapeutic agent for bladder cancers.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제15권15호
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• pp.6321-6326
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• 2014

${\alpha}$-Methyl-n-butylshikonin (MBS), one of the active components in the root extracts of Lithospermum erythrorhizon, posses antitumor activity. In this study, we assess the molecular mechanisms of MBS in causing apoptosis of SW620 cells. MBS reduced the cell viability of SW620 cells in a dose-and time-dependent manner and induced cell apoptosis. Treatment of SW620 cells with MBS down-regulated the expression of Bcl-2 and up-regulated the expression of Bak and caused the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential. Additionally, MBS treatment led to activation of caspase-9, caspase-8 and caspase-3, and cleavage of PARP, which was abolished by pretreatment with the pan-caspase inhibitor Z-VAD-FMK. MBS also induced significant elevation in the phosphorylation of JNK and p38. Pretreatment of SW620 cells with specific inhibitors of JNK (SP600125) and p38 (SB203580) abrogated MBS-induced apoptosis. Our results demonstrated that MBS inhibited growth of colorectal cancer SW620 cells by inducing JNK and p38 signaling pathway, and provided a clue for preclinical and clinical evaluation of MBS for colorectal cancer therapy.

• 생약학회지
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• 제48권4호
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• pp.273-279
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• 2017

The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanisms underlying apoptosis induced by a broussochalcone B (BCB) from Broussonetia papyrifera in HepG2 cells. The results showed that BCB treatment for 24 hr significantly inhibited cell viability in a dose-dependent manner, and induced apoptosis in HepG2 cells. More so, BCB treatment triggered the cleavage of caspase-8, -9, -3, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), increase of Bax level, and decrease of Bcl-2 expression. A general caspase inhibitor (z-VAD-fmk) blocked BCB-induced cell death. Furthermore, BCB treatment caused reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, an antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) blocked BCB-induced ROS production and cell death. Therefore, these results indicate that BCB-induced apoptosis is mediated by a caspase dependent pathway and ROS production in HepG2 cells.

• BMB Reports
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• 제37권4호
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• pp.445-453
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• 2004

We identified apoptosis as being a significant mechanism of toxicity following the exposure of HeLa cell cultures to abrin holotoxin, which is in addition to its inhibition of protein biosynthesis by N-glycosidase activity. The treatment of HeLa cell cultures with abrin resulted in apoptotic cell death, as characterized by morphological and biochemical changes, i.e., cell shrinkage, internucleosomal DNA fragmentation, the occurrence of hypodiploid DNA, chromatin condensation, nuclear breakdown, DNA single strand breaks by TUNEL assay, and phosphatidylserine (PS) externalization. This apoptotic cell death was accompanied by caspase-9 and caspase-3 activation, as indicated by the cleavage of caspase substrates, which was preceded by mitochondrial cytochrome c release. The broad-spectrum caspase inhibitor, benzyloxycarbonyl-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethyl ketone (zVAD-fmk), prevented abrin-triggered caspase activation and partially abolished apoptotic cell death, but did not affect mitochondrial cytochrome c release. These results suggest that the release of mitochondrial cytochrome c, and the sequential caspase-9 and caspase-3 activations are important events in the signal transduction pathway of abrin-induced apoptotic cell death in the HeLa cell line.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제31권4호
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• pp.425-433
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• 2023

During liver injury, hepatic stellate cells can differentiate into myofibroblast-like structures, which are more susceptible to proliferation, migration, and extracellular matrix generation, leading to liver fibrosis. Anaerobic glycolysis is associated with activated stellate cells and glyceraldehyde (GA) is an inhibitor of glucose metabolism. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the anti-fibrotic effects of GA in human stellate LX-2 cells. In this study, we used cell viability, morphological analysis, fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS), western blotting, and qRT-PCR techniques to elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying the anti-fibrotic effects of GA in LX-2 cells. The results showed that GA significantly reduced cell density and inhibited cell proliferation and lactate levels in LX-2 cells but not in Hep-G2 cells. We found that GA prominently increased the activation of caspase-3/9 for apoptosis induction, and a pan-caspase inhibitor, Z-VAD-fmk, attenuated the cell death and apoptosis effects of GA, suggesting caspase-dependent cell death. Moreover, GA strongly elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and notably increased the phosphorylation of ERK and JNK. Interestingly, it dramatically reduced α-SMA and collagen type I protein and mRNA expression levels in LX-2 cells. Thus, inhibition of ERK and JNK activation significantly rescued GA-induced cell growth suppression and apoptosis in LX-2 cells. Collectively, the current study provides important information demonstrating the anti-fibrotic effects of GA, a glycolytic metabolite, and demonstrates the therapeutic potency of metabolic factors in liver fibrosis.

• 생명과학회지
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• 제19권11호
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• pp.1529-1537
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• 2009

L-arginine 구조유사체인 L-canavanine의 인체 급성백혈병 Jurkat T 세포에 대한 apoptosis 유도활성이 단백질 티로신키나아제 $p56^{lck}$에 어떻게 조절되는지를 규명하기 위해 $p56^{lck}$를 발현하는 Jurkat T 세포주 E6.1과 $p56^{lck}$-결손 Jurkat T 세포주 JCaM1.6에 있어서 L-canavanine의 세포독성, L-canavanine에 의해 유도되는 apoptotic DNA fragmentation 및 apoptotic sub-$G_1$ peak를 비교하여 본 바, $p56^{lck}$-negative JCaM1.6 세포가 $p56^{lck}$-positive E6.1 세포에 비해 L-canavanine의 apoptotis 유도활성에 훨씬 더 민감한 것으로 나타났다. 이러한 $p56^{lck}$-negative JCaM1.6 세포의 민감성은 JCaM1.6 세포에 $p56^{lck}$ 유전자를 transfection시켜 발현시키면 현저히 감소되었다. L-Canavanine에 의해 유도되는 apoptosis관련 현상들을 $p56^{lck}$-stable transfectant인 JCaM1.6/lck 세포와 empty vector-transfectant 인 $p56^{lck}$-negaive JCaM1.6/vector 세포에서 Western blot analysis로 비교한 결과, L-canavanine에 의해 유도되는 mitochondrial membrane potential (${\Delta\Psi}m$)의 감소, caspase-9, -8, -7 및 -3의 활성화, 그리고 PARP 및 $PLC{\gamma}$-1의 분해가 JCaM1.6/vector 세포에 비해 JCaM1.6/lck 세포에서 더 약하게 나타났다. JCaM1.6/lck 세포를 2.5 mM L-canavanine으로 처리한 다음 세포 내 $p56^{lck}$ kinase 활성의 변화를 $\alpha$-casein을 기질로 하여 시간 별로 측정한 결과, L-canavanine의 처리 후 15분만에 $p56^{lck}$ kinase의 활성이 약 1.6배 증가되었으며 이후 6시간 동안은 약 1.3~1.4 배정도 증가된 수준으로 kinase 활성이 유지되는 것으로 확인되었다. L-Canavanine에 의한 apoptosis의 개시에 Fas/FasL 상호작용이 관련되는지를 규명하기 위해 FADD-negative Jurkat T 세포주 I2.1, caspase-8-negative Jurkat T 세포주 I9.2 및 wild-type Jurkat T 세포주 A3에 대한 L-canavanine의 세포독성을 비교한 결과, A3와 I2.1 세포의 경우는 L-canavanine의 세포독성이 동일하게 나타났고, 특히 caspase-8가 결손된 I9.2 세포의 경우는 L-canavanine의 세포독성에 대한 민감성이 A3와 I2.1 세포에 비해 단지 미약하게만 완화되는 것으로 나타나, L-canavanine의한 apoptosis에는 Fas/FasL 상호작용이 관련되어 있지 않으며, 또한 caspase-8의 역할이 필수적이지 않음을 시사하였다. Jurkat T 세포에 있어서 L-canavanie에 의해 유도되는 sub-$G_1$ peak 및 caspases 활성화에 미치는 pan-caspase inhibitor (z-VAD-fmk), caspase-9 inhibitor (z-LEHD-fmk), caspase-3 inhibitor (z-DEVD-fmk), caspase-4 inhibitor (z-LEVD-fmk) 및 caspase-12 inhibitor (z-ATAD-fmk)의 영향을 조사한 결과, L-canavanie에 의한 apoptosis는 ${\Delta\Psi}m$의 감소, caspase-9 및 caspase -3의 활성화에 뒤따른 caspase-8 및 caspase-7의 활성화, 그리고 PARP의 분해의 순서로 유도되는 것으로 나타났으며, 아울러 caspase-9의 활성화와 함께 caspase-12의 활성화가 L-canavanine 처리에 따른 caspase-3의 활성화에 요구되는 것으로 확인되었다. 결론적으로, L-canavanine 처리에 의한 Jurkat T 세포의 apoptosis는 ${\Delta\Psi}m$ 감소, caspase-9, caspase-3 및 caspase-7의 활성화에 의해 유도되며, 이들 apoptosis 현상들은 $p56^{lck}$에 의해 negative regulation되었다.

• 대한약침학회지
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• 제22권4호
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• pp.269-278
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• 2019

Objectives: Naesohwangryeon-tang (NHT) is a type of traditional herbal formula, however, little is known about its antitumor activity. In this study, the antitumor properties of NHT was evaluated in human lung adenocarcinoma cells. Methods: To check the inhibitory effect of NHT, MTT assay was performed. Cell cycle analysis and detection of ROS production were conducted by flow cytometry. To evaluate the signaling pathway, Western blotting was conducted. Results: Our results showed that the decrease of cell proliferation by NHT stimulation occurred more significantly in A549 cells than in NCI-H460 cells. In addition, NHT-induced apoptosis was associated with the activation of caspases and production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). NHT-induced apoptosis was attenuated after pretreatments with z-VAD-fmk or N-acetylcysteine, suggesting that NHT-induced apoptosis was caspaseand ROS-dependent. Interestingly, NHT treatment led to the development of autophagic vesicular organelles and upregulation of several autophagy-related genes. The pretreatment of bafilomycin A1 decreased apoptosis slightly but increased cell viability in the presence of NHT. Conclusion: These findings indicated that NHT induces both apoptosis and cell-protective autophagy in human lung cancer cells. This data suggests that NHT might be a novel herbal drug for lung cancer.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제52권5호
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• pp.459-469
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• 2014

Entamoeba histolytica is a tissue-invasive protozoan parasite causing dysentery in humans. During infection of colonic tissues, amoebic trophozoites are able to kill host cells via apoptosis or necrosis, both of which trigger IL-8-mediated acute inflammatory responses. However, the signaling pathways involved in host cell death induced by E. histolytica have not yet been fully defined. In this study, we examined whether calpain plays a role in the cleavage of pro-survival transcription factors during cell death of colonic epithelial cells, induced by live E. histolytica trophozoites. Incubation with amoebic trophozoites induced activation of m-calpain in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Moreover, incubation with amoebae resulted in marked degradation of STAT proteins (STAT3 and STAT5) and NF-${\kappa}B$ (p65) in Caco-2 cells. However, $I{\kappa}B$, an inhibitor of NF-${\kappa}B$, was not cleaved in Caco-2 cells following adherence of E. histolytica. Entamoeba-induced cleavage of STAT proteins and NF-${\kappa}B$ was partially inhibited by pretreatment of cells with a cell-permeable calpain inhibitor, calpeptin. In contrast, E. histolytica did not induce cleavage of caspase-3 in Caco-2 cells. Furthermore, pretreatment of Caco-2 cells with a calpain inhibitor, calpeptin (but not the pan-caspase inhibitor, z-VAD-fmk) or m-calpain siRNA partially reduced Entamoeba-induced DNA fragmentation in Caco-2 cells. These results suggest that calpain plays an important role in E. histolytica-induced degradation of NF-${\kappa}B$ and STATs in colonic epithelial cells, which ultimately accelerates cell death.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제15권18호
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• pp.7919-7923
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• 2014

20(S)-Protopanaxadiol (PPD), a ginsenoside isolated from Pananx quinquefolium L., has been shown to inhibit growth and proliferation in several cancer cell lines. The aim of this study was to evaluate its anticancer activity in human breast cancer cells. MCF-7 cells were incubated with different concentrations of 20(S)-PPD and cytotoxicity was evaluated by MTT assay. Occurrence of apoptosis was detected by DAPI and Annexin V-FITC/PI double staining. Mitochondrial membrane potential was measured with Rhodamine 123. The Bcl-2 and Bax expression were determined by Western blot analysis. Caspase activity was measured by colorimetric assay. 20(S)-PPD dose-dependently inhibited cell proliferation in MCF-7 cells, with an $IC_{50}$ value of $33.3{\mu}M$ at 24h. MCF-7 cells treated with 20(S)-PPD presented typical apoptosis, as observed by morphological analysis in cell stained with DAPI. The percentages of annexin V-FITC positive cells were 8.92%, 17.8%, 24.5% and 30.5% in MCF-7 cells treated with 0, 15, 30 and $60{\mu}M$ of 20(S)-PPD, respectively. Moreover, 20(S)-PPD could induce mitochondrial membrane potential loss, up-regulate Bax expression and down-regulate Bcl-2 expression. These events paralleled activation of caspase-9, -3 and PARP cleavage. Apoptosis induced by 20(S)-PPD was blocked by z-VAD-fmk, a pan-caspase inhibitor, suggesting induction of caspase-mediated apoptotic cell death. In conclusion, the 20(S)-PPD investigated is able to inhibit cell proliferation and to induce cancer cell death by a caspase-mediated apoptosis pathway.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제16권14호
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• pp.5883-5887
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• 2015

Despite recent advances in therapeutic strategies for lung cancer, mortality still is increasing. In the present study, we investigated the anti-cancer effects of KMU-193, 2-(4-Ethoxy-phenyl)-N-{5-[2-fluoro-4-(4-methylpiperazine-1-carbonyl)-phenylamino]-1H-indazol-3-yl}-acetamide in a human non-small cell lung cancer cell line A549. KMU-193 strongly inhibited the proliferation of A549 cells, but it did not have anti-proliferative effect in other types of cancer cell lines. KMU-193 further induced apoptosis in association with activation of caspase-3 and cleavage of PLC-${\gamma}1$. However, KMU-193 had no apoptotic effect in untransformed cells such as TMCK-1 and BEAS-2B. Interestingly, pretreatment with z-VAD-fmk, a pan-caspase inhibitor, strongly abrogated KMU-193-induced apoptosis. KMU-193 treatment enhanced the expression levels of p53 and PUMA. Importantly, p53 siRNA transfection attenuated KMU-193-induced apoptosis. Collectively, these results for the first time demonstrate that KMU-193 has strong apoptotic effects on A549 cells and these are largely mediated through caspase-3- and p53-dependent pathways.