The objective of this study was to investigate the anticancer effects of EMPS (edible mushroom mycelium polysaccharide: Tremella fuciformis) in animal models with colorectal cancer induced by AOM/DSS. The experimental groups consisted of Nor (normal), NC (AOM/DSS), EMPS (EMPS 50, EMPS 100), and PC (Fluorouracil). The NC group had the highest number of colon tumors, whereas it was observed that tumor occurrence was significantly reduced in the EMPS consumption group. The expression of Bcl-2, an apoptosis inhibitor, was significantly lower in the EMPS 50 & 100 and PC groups. On the other hand, the mRNA gene expression of Bax, a factor that induces apoptosis, was significantly higher in the EMPS 50 & 100 and PC groups compared to the NC group. The mRNA expression levels of TNF-α and COX-2 significantly increased in the NC group, but showed a significant decrease in the EMPS and PC groups, indicating inhibition of the cancer-promoting response of cells. At the phylum level of the mice's intestinal microbial composition, the proportion of Bacteroidetes tended to decrease, while the proportion of Firmicutes tended to increase with EMPS administration. This suggests that changes in the gut microbiota caused by inflammation can be influenced by dietary intake.

Comparing the quality characteristics of kimchi were measured and anticancer effects using AGS human gastric cancer cells were observed. Five kinds of kimchi samples were made of Kanghwa Baek kimchi (KB), Kangwha Turnip kimchi (KT), Turnip: Chinese cabbage = 1:1 Baek kimchi (T1B1), Turnip:Chinese cabbage = 4:1 Baek kimchi (T4B1), Turnip mul kimchi (T). As a result T kimchi showed the best fermentation characteristics among the five samples. T kimchi had a lower percentage of the total number of aerobic bacteria, while the number of lactobacillus was higher than that of other samples. The mRNA and protein expression levels of apoptosis-related factors found that T kimchi significantly increases the mRNA expression levels of caspases-3 and caspases-9 in AGS human gastric cancer cells as compared to the other kimchi samples. It showed high anticancer effects in the order of T, T1B1, and KB kimchi. As the anticancer effect of Turnip mul kimchi made only of turnip was higher, the higher the turnip content, the higher the anticancer effect. These results show that there were changes in fermentation characteristics such as pH, acidity, number of lactic acid bacteria, and anticancer effects according to the ratio of turnip and cabbage.

Spirodelae Herba (SH) and Perilla Frutescens (PF) extracts have been widely used in clinical practice with various disorders for thousands of years. There are some reports regarding the anticancer effects of SH and PF each by each, but their mixture have not been investigated and their mechanisms also have not been clear. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the anticancer mechanisms and their effects of the mixture of SH and PF extracts on head and neck cancer cell line. Head and neck carcinoma KB cells were treated with SH, PF and their mixture. Anticancer effects were investigated by searching cancer cell death pathway; apoptosis and autophagy, which have been regarded to be effective and safe methods. Apoptosis, which is termed a programmed cell death, was observed by TUNNEL assay. Autophagy, which is termed a type II programmed cell death, was observed by acridine orange red staining. Additionally, the protein expressions associated with apoptosis and autophagy were detected for their mechanism by western blots. The mixture of SH and PF extracts induced autophagic and apoptotic cell death simultaneously in cancer cells. And 0.4 mg/ml of the mixture with SH and PF extracts down-regulated the expression of mTOR, however, the expressions of ATG5 and LC3-II, which induced autophagy, up-regulated. The mixture of SH and PF extracts also down-regulated the expressions of Bcl-2, but up-regulate the expressions of PARP-1 cleavage, Caspase-9 cleavage, Caspase-3 cleavage and BAX, which induced apoptosis. Taken together, these results suggested that the mixture of SH and PF extracts induce autophagic and apoptotic cell death simultaneously in head and neck cancer cells and it could be used as an alternative for anti-cancer drugs.

Fenbendazole (FBZ) is one of the safest anthelmintic drugs. FBZ has been found to have anti-cancer effects by destabilizing microtubules. In this study, a synergistic effect of paclitaxel (PA), a microtubule-stabilizing anti-cancer agent, and FBZ was investigated on HL-60 cells, a human leukemia cell line. The metabolic activity of cells significantly decreased and the nucleus morphology upon the treatment of FBZ and PA based on 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazoliumbromide assay and Hoechst 33342 staining, respectively. To investigate the involvement of reactive oxygen species (ROS), the metabolic activity of the cells after treatment of N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) was measured. Indeed, NAC significantly increased the metabolic activity of the cells treated with FBZ and PA, suggesting that both drugs affect at least in part via ROS. Furthermore, FBZ and PA increased cell death in an annexin V- fluorescein isothiocyanate/propidium iodide staining assay. Taken together, FBZ and PA have a synergistic anti-cancer activity on HL-60 cells at a certain concentration. These results may provide researchers and clinicians in cancer-related fields with some valuable information to broaden the use of FBZ.

The study was conducted to identify the anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effects in sprouts of mouse-eyed bean (Rhynchosia nulubilis), ginseng (Panax ginseng), perilla (Perilla frutescens), broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica), and lettuce (Lactuca sativa) grown with organic germanium concentrate. Western blot analysis was performed to assess the antiinflammatory activity of the extract. All extracts exhibited noticeable anti-oxidant activity, indicating a significant correlation between the germanium content and anti-oxidant activity (p<0.05). In particular, rat-eyed bean sprouts with the highest germanium content showed significant anti-inflammatory activity (p<0.05) by significantly inhibiting the expression of the inflammatory complexes, NLRP3, cytokines IL-1β and caspase-1. Ginseng and broccoli sprouts showed strong anti-cancer properties and had high anti-oxidant effects (p<0.001). Germanium-concentrated water allows the mass production of agricultural products containing high concentrations of organic germanium. Agricultural produce grown with germanium concentrate add organic germanium to various physiological active ingredients, increasing the anti-oxidant and anti-cancer effects. These results strongly suggest that agricultural products containing high germanium concentrations can be used as novel health supplements to improve health.

Doenjang is a major fermented soy-based food in Korea. Recent investigations have shown that fermented soybean foods have immunity-enhancing, anti-cancer, anti-obesity and anti-diabetic effects. Several studies also have reported that genistein and daidzein, which are easily absorbed in the body are produced in larger quantities in aged doenjang. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the variations in the anti-cancer effects of commercialized doenjang as it ages. Four groups were formed for this study according to aging periods of doenjang, namely short (under 5 years, S group), mid (under 10 years, M group), long (under 15 years, L group) and very long (over 15 years, E group). The anti-cancer effects of doenjang were determined by cell cytotoxicity assays in A549, YAC-1, and HepG2 cancer cell lines. Also, NK cell activity and splenocyte proliferation were assayed for cancer immunotherapy. The quantities of phenolic compounds in doenjang at different ages were also measured. The results showed that the anti-cancer effects increased in the S and M groups for all three cancer cell lines. Interestingly, similar to this result, splenocyte proliferation and NK activity were also the highest in the S and M groups. In contrast, the E group showed significantly reduced splenocyte proliferation. The quantity of phenolic compounds was similar to that of the anti-cancer results. Collectively, these results suggest that the fermentation period of doenjang plays a very important role in determining its anti-cancer effects.

Purpose: The objective of this study was conducted to investigate the effects of rutin, buckwheat components on cell growth and anti-inflammation in adipocyte 3T3-L1 and human colon cancer cell SW-480. Methods: We cultured 3T3-L1 adipocyte and SW-480 colon cancer cell to confluence, at which time starvation was induced with SFM for 1 day. Cells were then cultured in medium containing 0, 25, 50, or 100 μmol/mL of rutin 3T3-L1 or 0, 10, 20, or 40 μmol/mL SW-480. Cell viability was measured using a cell viability kit. In addition, we examined the expression of mRNA related to inflammation. RT-PCR was used to quantity tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) mRNA levels. Results: Rutin significantly inhibited 3T3-L1 and SW-480 cell proliferation in a dose and time dependent manner. Rutin also significantly reduced the mRNA expression of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α at the highest dose. In addition, rutin treatment caused a significant reduction in COX-2 and iNOS mRNA levels compared to the control group. Conclusion: Overall, our results suggest that rutin has the potential to reduce inflammation, and that these effects are greater during tissue-damaging inflammatory conditions.

Vegetable soup has been reported to have anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative and anti-cancer effects. In this study, five kinds of vegetable soup were developed using a new manufacturing process and compositional changes in raw material, and anti-cancer and immuno-stimulatory activities were evaluated. Cytotoxicity tests based on MTT assay revealed that all vegetable soups had strong inhibitory effects against CT26 mouse colon cancer cells, with soups including Solomon’s seal being most effective based on comparison of IC50 values. Apoptosis in response to vegetable soup was occurred by 3-5 fold on cancer cells compared to normal cells. Mouse splenocytes increased by 266-541% in response to addition of vegetable soup in an in vitro proliferation experiment. In co-culture with splenocytes and CT26 cancer cells, splenocytes increased by more than 280% in every vegetable soup treatment, while cancer cells decreased by about 60% and cytokines such as IFN-γ and IL-12 were secreted from splenocytes in high levels only in response to vegetable soup including Solomon’s seal. In conclusion, all vegetable soups developed in this study had anti-cancer effects, and vegetable soup including Solomon’s seal showed the strongest anti-cancer and immuno-stimulatory effects. These results suggest that functionality of vegetable soup could be increased by changes in manufacturing processes and raw materials composition.

Human malignant melanoma is an aggressive skin cancer which has been rising at a greater rate than any other cancers. Although various new therapeutic methods have been developed in previous studies, this disease has properties of high proliferation and metastasis rate which remain obstacles that have lead to a poor prognosis in patients. It has been reported that a specific Lactobacillus extract has anti-cancer and –metastasis effect in vitro and in vivo. However, previous research has not specified precisely what effect the Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) extract has had on human malignant melanomas. In this study, we showed that the LGG extract has anti-cancer and –metastasis effects on the human malignant melanoma cell lines, A375P and A375SM. At first, it was found that, while the LGG extract affects human neonatal dermal fibroblasts slightly, it induced the dose-dependent anti-cancer effect on A375P and A375SM by a WST-1 proliferation assay. As a result of a real-time PCR analysis, the expression patterns of several genes related to cell cycle, proliferation, and apoptosis were modulating in a manner that inhibited the growth of both malignant melanoma cell lines after the treatment of the LGG extract. Furthermore, genes related to the epithelialmesenchymal transition were down-regulated, and migration rates were also decreased significantly by the LGG extract. Our study showed that the LGG extract could be used as a potential therapeutic source.

Fludarabine, a chain terminating anti-cancer drug, is a purine analogue that causes DNA strand breaks in normal cells. In this study, we determined if A. melanocarpa and Korean red ginseng extract mixture reduce cytotoxicity of fludarabine. Treatment of HaCaT cells with 10 μM of fludarabine for 24 hours decreased cell viability and increased DNA strand breaks. Treatment of A. melanocarpa and Korean red ginseng extract mixture for 24 hours increased cell viability as compared with single extract treatment. The protective effect of these extracts on cell activity increased in a concentration-dependent manner. DNA strand breaks induced by fludarabine decreased as concentration of extract mixture increased. p-H2AX level, a marker of DNA strand breakage, decreased depending on the concentration of extract mixture. The effect of mixed extract of A. melanocarpa and Korean red ginseng on DNA damage is due to the anti-oxidative effect of A. melanocarpa and signal transmission through glucocorticoid receptor upon binding of saponin of Korean red ginseng.

Codonopsis lanceolata L. (Campanulaceae) has long been used in traditional Korean medicine to treat bronchitis, cough, and inflammatory diseases, however, the efficacy of anti-tumor activities remains to be defined. In this study the effects of Codonopsis lanceolata (C. lanceolata) on proliferation, migration and adhesion in lung (A549, H1299) and ovarian cancer (SKOV-3) cells were investigated. To assess and compare the pharmacological effects and production places of C. lanceolata, the ethanolic extracts of C. lanceolata from different places in Korea (Hongseong, Yecheon, Yeongwol, Yanggu, Gangjin, and Hoengseong) were prepared. The extract from Hoengseong county did have only marginal anti-proliferative activity in all the cell lines tested, however, other extracts had little or no effect on cell proliferation. The extracts from Hongseong, Gangjin or Hoengseong county had partial anti-migratory activity in lung cancer cells, but not in ovarian cancer cells. In addition, the extract from Hoengseong county had partial anti-adhesive activity in ovarian cancer cells, however, other extracts did not affect cell adhesion in both lung and ovarian cancer cells. Taken together, these findings provide the first description of anti-tumor efficacy of C. lanceolata from different production places in Korea, and suggest that C. lanceolata from Hoengseong county may have therapeutic potential in lung and ovarian cancers.

Sulfur is commonly used in Asia as a n herba l medicine to treat infl ammation and cancel‘. and potent chemopreventive effects have been demonstrated in various in vivo and in vitromodels for sulfur-containing compounds found in naturally occun‘ ing products. Here, we report the growth inhibitory and apoptosis-related effects of a newly developedhigh- purity eclible sulfur (ES) on immortali zecl human oral keratinocytes (IHOKs) and on oral cancer cells representing two stages of oral can cer (HN4‘ HN12) basecl on an 3-(4. 5-Dimethylt hiazol-2-yl)-2.5-cliphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) a ssay, Western blotting, cell cycle analysis, ancl nuclear staining. The puri ty of the ES used in th is s tucly was verified by high performance liquid chromat ography (HPLC) , amino acid analysis and energy di spersive spectroscopy (EDS). ES inhibitecl the proliferation of immor talized and malignant oral kerati nocytes in a dose- and time-dependent manner FITC-Annexin V staining. DNA fragmentation testing. and Hoechst 33258 staining revealed that ES inhibits cell growth via apoptosis . ES blocked cell-cycle progression at the sub- Gl phase, with decreased expression 0 1' cyclins Dl, D2, and E, and t heir activating partners cdk2, cdk4, and cdk6‘ and a concomitant induction of p53 and p21/WAF1. Furthermore, ES treatment increased the cytosolic level of cytochrome c a nd resulted in caspase-3 activation‘ and thi s effect was correlated wi th Bax up- regulation and Bcl-2 down- regulation Taken together, these clata suggest that ES is a potential chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic agent for oral cancel

Sulfur is commonly used in Asia as an herbal medicine to treat inflammation and cancer , a nd potent chemo preventi ve effects have been demons tra ted in various in vivo and in vitromodels for s ul fur-containing compounds found in natura l1y occurring product s. Here, we 1'eport the growth inhibitory and apoptosis-related effects of a n ewly developedhigh-puri ty edible sulfur(ES) on immo1'tali zed human o1'al ke1'atinocytes(IHOKs) and on oral cancer cells representing two stages of oral cancer (HN4‘ HN12) based on an 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl) -2.5- diphe n yltetrazolium bromide(MTI) assay, Western blotting, cell cycle analysis, and nuclear staining. The puri ty of the ES used in thi s study was ve1'ified by high performance liquid chromatog1'aphy (HPLC) , ami no acid analysis and energy dispersive spectroscopy(EDS). ES inhibited the prolife1'ation of imrnortalized and ma lig nant o1'al kerati nocytes in a dose- and time-dependent manne1' FITC-Annex.in V staining, DNA fragmentation t esting. and Hoechst 33258 s taining revealed that ES inhibits cell growth via apoptosis. ES bl ocked cell-cycle prog1'ession at t he sub-Gl phase‘ wi th decreased expression of cyclins Dl, D2‘ and E, and their activating partn ers cdk2‘ cdk4‘ and cdkfì, and a concomitant induction of p53 and p21/WAF1. Furthe1'more, ES treatment in creased the cytosolic level of cytochrome c and resulted in caspase- 3 activation‘ and thi s effect was co1'1'elated with Bax up-regulation and Bcl-2 down-1'egulation Taken together‘ these data suggest that ES is a potential chemopreventive and chemotherapeut ic agent fo r oral ca ncer

The Sellaginella Tarmariscina is widely used in the traditional oriental herbal medicine for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant effects. The effects of aqueous extracts of Sellaginella Tarmariscina on the viability and induction of apoptotic cell death were investigated in HL-60 cells. The cell viability after treating with extract of Sellaginella Tarmariscina was quantified by MTT assay. The results showed that could inhibit the proliferation of HL-60 cells and caused a 40% inhibition of HL-60 cells at concentrations of 400 ㎍/ml. The cancericidic effect of Sellaginella Tarmariscina was mediated by apoptosis. Thus, HL-60 cells exposed to Sellaginella Tarmariscina displayed the DNA fragmentation ladder and nucleus chromatin condensation characteristic for apoptosis. In conclusion, our results suggest that the extract of Sellaginella Tarmariscina may induce the apoptotic death in HL-60 cells.