국내에서 오래 전부터 오미자와 칠해목은 약용식물로 이용해져 왔다. 오미자의 경우 생리활성 물질인 lignan을 통하여 여러가지 효능들이 연구를 통하여 알려졌으나, 칠해목의 경우 항염증과 관련된 연구가 진행되었을 뿐, 산화 스트레스와 관련된 연구는 미비한 실정이었다. 이에 본 연구에서는 오미자․칠해목의 추출혼합물을 이용하여, 과산화수소로 산화 스트레스가 유도된 SH-SY5Y 신경세포에서의 보호 효과를 알아보고자 하였다. 과산화수소의 처리 농도의 경우, 신경세포 독성 실험을 통하여 100 μM의 농도를 본 연구에 사용하였다. 또한, 오미자와 칠해목 추출물은 SH-SY5Y 신경세포에서 세포 독성이 없음을 실험을 통해 확인하였으며, 과산화수소를 이용한 신경세포 보호효과를 확인한 결과, 30% 에탄올 추출물 50 μg/mL의 농도에서 각각의 추출물에서 가장 높은 보호 효과를 확인할 수 있었다. 이에 오미자․칠해목 추출혼합물의 최적 효능 비율을 알아보기 위해서 각각의 추출물을 다양한 수율로써 6:4, 7:3, 8:2의 비율로 신경세포 보호 활성을 확인한 결과, 오미자와 칠해목 7:3의 비율과 50 μg/mL의 농도에서 가장 높은 신경세포 보호효과가 나왔으며, 이에 본 연구에서 오미자․칠해목 추출혼합물의 최적의 비율과 처리 농도로 사용하였다. Annexin V와 PI를 이용한 SH-SY5Y 신경 세포의 세포사멸을 확인해 본 결과에서도 오지마․칠해목 추출혼합물은 SH-SY5Y 신경세포의 세포사멸를 억제시키는 것을 확인할 수 있었다. 이에 본 연구에서는 오미자․칠해목 추출혼합물이 과산화수소로 유도된 산화적 스트레스에서 SH- SY5Y 신경세포에서 보호 효과가 있다는 것을 확인할 수 있었지만, 그에 대한 메카니즘에 대한 연구는 미비한 실정이다. 이에 차후 연구에서는 오미자․칠해목 추출혼합물의 산화 스트레스에 대한 정확한 기전을 파악하기 위하여 In vitro와 In-vivo에서의 후속적 연구가 필요하다고 사료된다.

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.

This study was carried out to identify medicinal mushrooms with protective effects against oxidative stress in PC12 neuronal cell line, followed by evaluation of their antioxidant property. Extracts of medicinal mushrooms, including Ganoderma lucidum extract (GLE), antler-shaped Ganoderma lingzhi extract (AGLE), Hericium erinaceus extract (HEE), and Sanghuangporus baumii extract (SBE), were screened for cytotoxicity using MTT assay. None of the extracts up to 10 μg/ml concentration affected cell viability. These extracts were further checked for their protective effect against oxidative stress-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Exposure to 50 μM H₂O₂ induced ROS generation in PC12 cells, which was inhibited only by treatment with AGLE. In addition, inhibition of H₂O₂-induced ROS generation by AGLE was found to be in a dose-dependent manner (2.5, 5, and 10 μg/ml). Microscopic examination of DCF fluorescence for detection of ROS showed a similar pattern. Further, antioxidant activity of AGLE was determined by ABTS radical cation assay, and its IC50 was found to be 46.90±0.31 μg/ml. Taken together, these results suggest that AGLE may help to alleviate oxidative stress in PC12 neuronal cells.

5-fluorouracil (5-FU) is a pyrimidine analog which can work as antineoplastic antimetabolite by blocking thymidylate synthetase conversion of deoxyuridylic acid to thymidylic acid in DNA synthesis. This study is aimed to know the anticancer effect of 5-FU on the expressions of important signaling proteins in KB cells through immunoprecipitation high performance liquid chromatography (IP-HPLC). KB cells were treated with 5 μM 5-FU and cultured for 12, 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours, and followed by IP-HPLC analysis using 32 antisera. 5-FU suppressed the proliferation of KB cells by decreases in the expressions of proliferation-related proteins, Ki-67, PCNA, CDK4, and MPM2 to 82.6%, 92.4%, 95.2%, and 95.9%, respectively, but increases of antiproliferation-related proteins, p16 and p21 to 106.7% and 125.5%, respectively, during 96 hours of experiment. This proliferation reduction was also negatively regulated by cMyc/MAX/MAD network signaling. The cellular protection and survival were consistently arrested by 5-FU treatment in KB cells. The expressions of NFkB, MDR, p-mTOR, and TNFα were decreased to 95.1%, 92.8%, 93.4%, and 90.3% in 48-72 hours, respectively, while cellular stress was increased by upregulation of p38 to 111.3% in 48 hours. And the expressions of pAKT1/2/3, hTERT, and AMPK were also decreased to 93.3%, 97.4%, and 89.3% in 24-48 hours, respectively, while the cellular transformation might be undergone by upregulation of TGF-β1 to 117% until 96 hours. Particularly, 5-FU treatment greatly induced the cellular apoptosis in KB cells by increased expressions of PARP, cPARP, caspase 9, c-caspase 9, caspase 8, and caspase 3 in the lack of p53/BAX and FASL/FAS signaling. The expressions of PARP and c-PARP were increased maximum to 119.2% in 24 hours, and followed by increases of caspase 9, c-caspase 9, caspase 8, and caspase 3 to 111.2%, 125.9%, 108.6%, and 116.3% in 72-96 hours. Therefore, it is presumed that 5-FU induced cellular apoptosis in KB cells may be derived from the overexpression of PARP due to the increased DNA defect caused by 5-FU, which can lead to ATP depletion and subsequent cellular apoptosis.

To compare functional Chinese cabbage(‘Amtak’ baechu; F1 hybrid cultivar between Brassica rapa and B. perkinensis, AB) with general Chinese cabbage (‘Chunkwang’ baechu; general spring cultivar, CB), two kinds of kimchi(ABK and CBK) prepared with AB and CB cultivar were fermented at 10°C for 10 days. Their fermentative characteristics and anti-proliferative activities against mouse carcinoma cell lines were investigated. General kimchi(CBK) showed mature pH on the 6th day of fermentation, whereas functional kimchi(ABK) reached pH on the 9th day. CBK also exhibited acidity of mature stage on the 6th day, but ABK reached mature acidity on the 9th day. Although ABK and CBK were salted in the same condition, ABK had lower salinity than CBK, throughout the fermentation time. The highest total bacterial and lactic bacterial counts of CBK showed on the 8th day of fermentation, but ABK showed the highest total bacterial and lactic bacterial counts on the 10th day. The texture of ABK was harder than CBK for fermentation time. This seems to be corrleated with the slower fermentation rate of ABK. ABK showed significantly higher anti-proliferative activity (54.6% cell viability of control) in B16BL6 at 1,000 μg/mL. ABK was also higher in anti-proliferative activity than CBK throughout the fermentation time. However, there was no significant difference in the anti-proliferative activity of ABK between the fermentation times. In conclusion, fermentation of ABK showed a better texture, due to the slow fermentation rate and more anti-proliferative activity against mouse carcinoma cell line than those of CBK.

Wolbachia is intra-cellular bacteria and frustrate host biology, such as parthenogenesis, feminization, male killing andsperm-egg incompatibility. It has been reported that > 90% of Aedes albopictus are infected with Wolbachia in the Republicof Korea (ROK). However any roles of the Wolbachia strains have not been reported in ROK. In this study, we infectedWolbachia to Vero cell line to investigate the cell migration which is related with the development of multi-cellular organisms,immune response and inflammation. Changes of wound healing and viability in vero cell after Wolbachia infection wereassessed. Cell migration was induced by Wolbachia after 24hr. Cell viability was not affected by Wolbachia after 24hr.This study will be helpful to understand the role of Wolbachia strain and support various information in Dengue andZika vector management programs.

Although salivary gland adenocarcinoma NOS accounts for third prevalence rate of all salivary gland tumors, it is one of the most aggressive solid tumors. Current therapy does not significantly improve survival rates. Thus, investigating new therapeutic modalities against salivary gland adenocarcinoma NOS is necessary. It is well known that docetaxel(TXT) as an antimicrotubulin agent induces mitotic block in proliferating cells. TXT has significant antitumor effects, and it is currently being tested in patients with malignant tumors, but TXT has not yet been tested in malignant salivary gland tumors. The purpose of this study were to examine the effects of TXT and to evaluate the biological mechanisms of TXT on salivary gland adenocarcinoma NOS. Proliferation, cell cycle regulation, connexin43 expression, apoptosis, and Fas receptor(FasR) expression were measured in cultured SGT cell line. Proliferation was little changed after 10ng/ml TXT exposure, but cellular proliferation was inhibited according to increasing concentration of TXT and time. Especially it was prominently inhibited after 96 hrs at 20ng/ml. G2-M arrest stage showed about up to 5 fold increase after exposure of TXT by flow cytometry. Apoptosis index showed about up to 8 fold increase after exposure of TXT by flow cytometry. Fas expression showed about up to 3 fold increase after exposure of TXT by flow cytometry. Apoptosis showed about up to 3 fold increase at 20ng/ml after exposure of TXT and anti-Fas agonist by flow cytometry. In Immunoslot blotting, Cx 43 protein expression was increased after TXT treatment. It suggested that TXT might induce apoptosis in SGT cells and could be used as a potent and specific chemotherapeutic tool for the treatment of salivary gland adenocarcinoma NOS in future.

Severe combined immune deficiency (SCID) pig is very important research model for biomedical research, such as the development of humanized tissues and organs for transplantation and long-term evaluation of transplanted cancer or stem cell of human origin. FOXN1 gene encodes a transcription factor essential for the development and function of thymic epithelial cells (TECs), the primary lymphoid organ that supports T-cell development and selection. In this study, we are going to produce the FOXN1 KO SCID pigs using the Crispr/Cpf1 method. Porcine genomic DNA sequences were analyzed and the target sequences were selected using a web tool, Benchling (https://benchling.com/). The designed crDNA oligos was synthesized by the Oligonucleotide Synthesis Service (Macrogen Inc., Seoul, Korea). To generate the AsCpf1-mCherry-Puro construct, pTE4396 (#74041; Addgene, Cambridge, MA, USA) was modified by removing the NeoR/KanR sequence using BstBI and SmaI. Then, the mCherry-Puro sequence from pSicoR-Ef1a-mCh-Puro (#31845; Addgene, Cambridge, MA, USA) digested with the same restriction enzymes was inserted into the aforementioned NeoR/KanR-deleted vector. The crDNA #1 or crDNA #2 was inserted into the pTE4396 and AsCpf1-mCherry-Puro vectors in the U6 promoter region using BsmBI enzyme, respectively. The two vectors were transfected with lipofectamine 3000 (Life Technologies, Grand Island, NY, USA) and selected with puromycin and G-418 antibiotics. As a result, we established a cell line into which two vectors (pTE4396+crFOXN1#2 and AsCpf1- mCherry-Puro+ crFOXN1#1) and were inserted. Further studies are needed to characterize FOXN1 KO cell lines.

Pleurotus cornucopiae (PC) mushrooms is found in the field and commonly known in Japan as Tamogidake mushrooms. Recently it has been reported that PC also alleviating the toxicity of heavy metals. However little is known about mechanism of the action of PC on osteoblast differentiation, especially in transcription factor. Inhibitor of DNA binding-1 (Id-1) function has been linked to the proliferation, migration, and senescence of cells, and studies about relationship between Id-1 and biological function. Therefore, this study was aimed to investigate the effect of PC on osteoblast differentiation and expression of Id-1 and Id-2. PC treatment increased ALP, Col 1 and OCN. PC treatment up-regulated the mRNA levels of Id-1 and Id-2 genes. This PC–induced osteoblast differentiation is more effective in lower doses rather than high doses. This study shows that expression of Id-1 and Id-2 was increased in a dose-dependent manner during PC-induced osteoblast differentiation.

Immunoprecipitation-based high performance liquid chromatography (IP-HPLC) is a type of modified enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) that uses protein A/G (or antibody)-conjugated beads instead of the antibody-conjugated wells used in ELISA. In order to determine the fidelity of IP-HPLC, the author used 83 antisera to identify protein expression changes caused by cisplatin treatment in KB human oral cancer cells. KB cells were cultured for 12 or 24 hours with 10 ug/mL cisplatin. The results obtained by IP-HPLC were comparable with published cisplatin data, although ELISA was not conducted in the present study. Cisplatin dominantly reduced the levels of proteins associated with cell proliferation, transcription factors, growth factors, cytoskeletal proteins, and cellular differentiating factors, but on the other hand, apoptosis-related factors, oncogenes, and protective proteins were usually up-regulated, presumably to address cisplatin-induced DNA damage. In particular, cisplatin directly inactivated genomic DNA by down-regulating histone H1 and demethylase and by up-regulating deacetylase. Cisplatin also rapidly induced p53 overexpression and mitochondria-mediated endogenous apoptosis occurred after 12 hours of cisplatin treatment, although this was almost completely replaced by FASL/FAS-mediated exogenous apoptosis after 24 hours. This preliminary study was conducted to investigate the anticancer effect of cisplatin on the KB human oral cancer cells and to determine the fidelity of IP-HPLC data. It was concluded that IP-HPLC is useful for identifying profile changes of genome wide essential proteins and signaling changes of major molecular pathways.

Hippo signaling is one of the signal transduction pathways revealed in Drosophila and mammalian. This signaling is known to control proliferation and growth of normal cells or cancer cells, in which many signaling proteins form a network. In this network, tumor suppressor kinases include MST and LATS while YAP and TAZ exist as oncoproteins. Combined with transcription factor, YAP the oncoprotien starts to secrete growth factors such as CTGF, FGF, and Cry61 regulating the growth of cells or the organ sizes. The YAP is also associated with the development of early embryo and the regeneration of the skin wound as well as abnormal growth of cancers in case of over-expression. Although many previous studies have found various tumors with YAP over-expressed, the expression of YAP is not yet clearly identified in oral cancer. The aim of this study was to check the expression level of YAP in oral squamous cell carcinoma. So we performed PCR and Western blot to check YAP expression in mRNA and protein level respectively. In result, all of the 13 cell lines examined has presented the expression of YAP, and especially in HSC2 and KOSCC11 cell lines has been observed the remarkable level of expression. In conclusion, we confirmed the overexpression of YAP cell line in oral squamous cell carcinoma, it will be a great help to the study carried out in the future. Once you understand the mechanism of oncoprotien YAP in oral cancer cells, it seems possible to research and development of targeted tumor therapy agents in oral cancer.

Shikonin, a major ingredient in the traditional Chinese herb Lithospermumerythrorhizon, exhibits multiple biological functions including antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antitumor effects. It has recently been reported that shikonin displays antitumor properties in many cancers. This study was aimed to investigate whether shikonin could inhibit oral squamous carcinoma cell (OSCC) growth via mechanisms of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. The effects of shikonin on the viability and growth of OSCC cell line, SCC25 cells were assessed by MTT assay and clonogenic assays, respectively. Hoechst staining and DNA electrophoresis indicated that the shikonin-treated SCC25 cells were undergoing apoptosis. Western blotting, immunocytochemistry, confocal microscopy, flow cytometry, MMP activity, and proteasome activity also supported the finding that shikonin induces apoptosis. Shikonin treatment of SCC25 cells resulted in a time- and dose-dependent decrease in cell viability, inhibition of cell growth, and increase in apoptotic cell death. The treated SCC25 cells showed several lines of apoptotic manifestation as follows: nuclear condensation; DNA fragmentation; reduced MMP and proteasome activity; decrease in DNA contents; release of cytochrome c into cytosol; translocation of AIF and DFF40 (CAD) onto the nuclei; a significant shift in Bax/Bcl-2 ratio; and activation of caspase-9, -7, -6, and -3, as well as PARP, lamin A/C, and DFF45 (ICAD). Shikonin treatment also resulted in down-regulation of the G1 cell cycle-related proteins and up-regulation of p27KIP1. Taken together, our present findings demonstrate that shikonin strongly inhibits cell proliferation by modulating the expression of the G1 cell cycle-related proteins, and that it induces apoptosis via the proteasome, mitochondria, and caspase cascades in SCC25 cells.