Natural products are vastly utilized as a source of chemotherapeutic agents for human cancers. Kochia scopraia is traditionally used for the cure of urological and dermatological diseases. Recently, methanol extract of Kochia scoparia (MEKS) has been shown to have anti-cancer activity to various human cancers. However, there is no report demonstrating the anti-cancer activity of MEKS in human mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) cells. In this study, the authors studied the effects of MEKS on the cell proliferation and underlying mechanism in YD15 human MEC cells. MEKS decreased YD15 cell proliferation proven by trypan blue exclusion assay and induced apoptosis, evidenced by cell cycle analysis and western blotting. Autophagy induction by MEKS was verified by western blotting. In addition, MEKS regulated the expression of phosphorylated Akt, phosphorylated p38 and Nrf2 protein. This results can imply that MEKS might be a potential candidate for the treatment of human MEC cells.

Abstract
 Ⅰ. INTRODUCTION
 Ⅱ. MATERIALS and METHODS
  1. Chemicals
  2. Cell culture and MEKS treatment
  3. Reagents and antibodies
  4. trypan blue exclusion assay
  5. cell cycle analysis
  6. Western blotting analysis
 Ⅲ. RESULTS
  1. Cell proliferation inhibition in MEKS-treated YD15 cells
  2. Alteration of cell cycle by in MEKS-treated YD15 cells
  3. Expression of apoptotic protein and autophagy related proteins
  4. Involvement of p38 and Akt pathway and Nrf2 protein in MEKS-induced cell death
 Ⅳ. DISCUSSION
 REFERENCES

• 도미향(부산대학교 구강생물공학연구소) | Mihyang Do (Research Institute for Oral Biotechnology, School of Dentistry, Pusan National University)
• 유미현(부산대학교 치의학전문대학원 구강병리학 교실, BK21 플러스 사업단) | Mi Heon Ryu (Department of Oral Pathology, BK21 Plus project, School of Dentistry, Pusan National University)
• 김욱규(부산대학교 치의학전문대학원 구강악안면외과학 교실) | Uk-Kyu Kim (Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Dentistry, Pusan National University) Correspondence