In Vitro Activities of 3-Hydroxy-1,5,6-trimethoxy-2-methyl-9,10- anthraquinone against Non-small Cell Lung Carcinoma

Shi-Xiu Feng,Caigan Du,Qiunong Guan,Tao Chen 대한약학회 2012 Archives of Pharmacal Research Vol.35 No.7

Medicinal herbs are the preferred candidates for drug discovery against human diseases including cancer. The roots of Prismatomeris connata have been used in traditional herbal medicine to treat many health problems, particularly pneumoconiosis. This study was to test the anti-tumor activity of 3-Hydroxy-1,5,6-trimethoxy-2-methyl-9,10-anthraquinone (PCON6), a major anthraquinone derivative from C. connata, against lung cancer. Cell viability in cultures was assessed by MTT assay. Cell death or apoptosis was determined with Annexin-V and 7-Aminoactinomycin D staining. Cell cycle was analyzed by both propidium iodide DNA staining and BrdU incorporation assay. Here we showed that in a panel of fifteen different tumor cells lines, a group of four non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) cell lines exhibited a relatively higher sensitivity to PCON6 growth inhibition than the rest of most non-lung cancer cell lines (p = 0.0461). Further studies demonstrated that the suppression of NSCLC H520 cell growth by PCON6 was associated with its induction of apoptosis at 20 μM (p = 0.0008), and of cell accumulation at S phase cell cycle (p < 0.05) that was further supported by a decrease in cdc2 protein expression. This preliminary study suggests that natural compound PCON6 has relatively selective cytotoxicity against NSCLC growth and represent a concept of developing a novel drug therapy specific for NSCLC based on the roots of C. connata or PCON6.

Alu Tandem Sequences Inhibit GFP Gene Expression by Triggering Chromatin Wrapping

Xiu Fang Wang,Xiao Yan Wang,Jing Liu,Jing Jing Feng,Wen Li Mu,Xiao Juan Shi,Qin Qing Yang,Xiao Cui Duan,Ying Xie,Zhan Jun Lu 한국유전학회 2009 Genes & Genomics Vol.31 No.3

Alu elements belonging to the short interspersed nuclear elements (SINE) of repetitive elements are present in more than one million copies which altogether represent 10% of the whole human genome. In this study, the roles of Alu tandem sequences in the process of GFP gene (GFP) expression and packing into chromatin of its DNA were studied. To detect the effect of Alu repeats on gene expression, different copies of Alus were inserted GFP downstream respectively in pEGFP-C1 vector. We found that Alu sequences decreased the amount of GFP transcription, the percentage of GFP positive cells and the accessibility to DNase I in length-dependent manner. Inserting Alu caused the production of higher-molecular-mass RNA, indicating Alu sequence did not induce premature transcriptional termination. Tight packing chromatins keep silent and resist to DNase I digestion, which is a general phenomenon. We suggested that head and tail tandem Alu sequences suppressed GFP expression in length dependent manner by triggering chromatin packing.

Induction of MicroRNA-9 Mediates Cytotoxicity of Curcumin Against SKOV3 Ovarian Cancer Cells

Zhao, Song-Feng,Zhang, Xiao,Zhang, Xiao-Jian,Shi, Xiu-Qin,Yu, Zu-Jiang,Kan, Quan-Cheng Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.8

Background: Curcumin, a phenolic compound extracted from the rhizomes of Curcuma longa, has shown cytotoxic effects against a variety of cancers. The aim of this study was to identify potential microRNA (miRNA) mediators of the anticancer effects of curcumin in ovarian cancer cells. Materials and Methods: SKOV3 ovarian cancer cells were treated with curcumin ($10-60{\mu}M$) and miR-9 expression, cell proliferation, and apoptosis were assessed. The effects of miR-9 depletion on curcumin-mediated growth suppression were also examined. Phosphorylation of Akt and forkhead box protein O1 (FOXO1) was measured in cells with miR-9 overexpression or curcumin treatment. Results: Curcumin caused a significant and dose-dependent increase of miR-9 expression in SKOV3 cells, while significantly impeding cell proliferation and stimulating apoptosis. Depletion of miR-9 significantly (p<0.05) attenuated the growth-suppressive effects of curcumin on SKOV3 cells, coupled with reduced percentages of apoptotic cells. In contrast, overexpression of miR-9 significantly enhanced the cleavage of caspase-3 and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase and promoted apoptotic death in SKOV3 cells. Western blot analysis showed that both miR-9 overexpression and curcumin similarly caused a significant (p<0.05) decline in the phosphorylation of Akt and FOXO1, compared to untreated cells. Conclusions: The present study provided evidence that curcumin exerts its cytotoxic effects against SKOV3 ovarian cancer cells largely through upregulation of miR-9 and subsequent modulation of Akt/FOXO1 axis. Further studies are needed to identify direct targets of miR-9 that mediate the anticancer effects of curcumin in ovarian cancer cells.

Nitric Oxide Modulates the Metabolism of Plasma Membrane and Tonoplast in Cucumber Roots

Qing Hua Shi,Xiu Feng Wang,Min Wei 한국원예학회 2006 한국원예학회 기타간행물 Vol.- No.-

The Prognostic Impact of Heat Shock Proteins Expression in Patients with Esophageal Cancer: A Meta-Analysis

Xiao-wei Wang,Xiu-feng Cao,Xin-hui Shi,Yu-suo Tong 연세대학교의과대학 2015 Yonsei medical journal Vol.56 No.6

Purpose: Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are highly conserved molecular chaperones. There are various studies that assess the prognosticvalue of HSPs in patients with esophageal cancer, but the conclusion remains controversial. This is the first meta-analysisstudy aiming to summarize the evidence on the suitability of HSPs to predict patients’ survival. Materials and Methods: Searching PubMed, Web of science and Medline until May 31, 2014, data were compared for overall survivalin patients with down-regulated HSPs level with those with up-regulated level. We conducted a meta-analysis of 9 studies(801 patients) that correlated HSPs levels with overall survival. Data were synthesized with hazard ratios (HRs). Results: The estimated risk of death was 2.93-fold greater in HSP27 negative patients than HSP27 positive patients [95% confidenceinterval (CI), 1.12–7.62]. When limited to esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), the risk of death in HSP27 negativepatients seemed more significant (HR, 3.90; 95% CI, 2.35–6.49). Decreased expression of HSP70 was also associated with worsesurvival in esophageal cancer (HR, 2.83; 95% CI, 1.90–4.23) and, when limited to ESCC, HR was 3.21 (95% CI, 1.94–5.30). Data collected,however, were not sufficient to determine the prognostic value of HSP90 in patients with ESCC nor esophageal adenocarcinomas(EADC). Conclusion: In this meta-analysis, reduced HSP27 and HSP70 expressions were associated with poor survival in patients withesophageal cancer, especially esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Diffusion-Weighted Imaging for the Left Hepatic Lobe has Higher Diagnostic Accuracy for Malignant Focal Liver Lesions

Han, Xue,Dong, Yin,Xiu, Jian-Jun,Zhang, Jie,Huang, Zhao-Qin,Cai, Shi-Feng,Yuan, Xian-Shun,Liu, Qing-Wei Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.15

Background: This study was conducted to investigate whether apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) measurements by dividing the liver into left and right hepatic lobes may be utilized to improve the accuracy of differential diagnosis of benign and malignant focal liver lesions. Materials and Methods: A total of 269 consecutive patients with 429 focal liver lesions were examined by 3-T magnetic resonance imaging that included diffusion-weighted imaging. For 58 patients with focal liver lesions of the same etiology in left and right hepatic lobes, ADCs of normal liver parenchyma and focal liver lesions were calculated and compared using the paired t-test. For all 269 patients, ADC cutoffs for focal liver lesions and diagnostic accuracy in the left hepatic lobe, right hepatic lobe and whole liver were evaluated by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Results: For the group of 58 patients, mean ADCs of normal liver parenchyma and focal liver lesions in the left hepatic lobe were significantly higher than those in the right hepatic lobe. For differentiating malignant lesions from benign lesions in all patients, the sensitivity and specificity were 92.6% and 92.0% in the left hepatic lobe, 94.4% and 94.4% in the right hepatic lobe, and 90.4% and 94.7% in the whole liver, respectively. The area under the curve of the right hepatic lobe, but not the left hepatic lobe, was higher than that of the whole liver. Conclusions: ADCs of normal liver parenchyma and focal liver lesions in the left hepatic lobe were significantly higher than those in the right hepatic lobe. Optimal ADC cutoff for focal liver lesions in the right hepatic lobe, but not in the left hepatic lobe, had higher diagnostic accuracy compared with that in the whole liver.

Improved antimicrobial effect of ginseng extract by heat transformation

Peng Xue,Yang Yao,Xiu-Shi Yang,Jia Feng,Gui-xing Ren 고려인삼학회 2017 Journal of Ginseng Research Vol.41 No.2

Background: The incidence of halitosis has a prevalence of 22e50% throughout the world and is generally caused by anaerobic oral microorganisms, such as Fusobacterium nucleatum, Clostridium perfringens, and Porphyromonas gingivalis. Previous investigations on the structure-activity relationships of ginsenosides have led to contrasting results. Particularly, the antibacterial activity of less polar ginsenosides against halitosis-related bacteria has not been reported. Methods: Crude saponins extracted from the Panax quinquefolius leaf-stem (AGS) were treated at 130C for 3 h to obtain heat-transformed saponins (HTS). Five ginsenoside-enriched fractions (HTS-1, HTS-2, HTS-3, HTS-4, and HTS-5) and less polar ginsenosides were separated by HP-20 resin absorption and HPLC, and the antimicrobial activity and mechanism were investigated. Results: HPLC with diode-array detection analysis revealed that heat treatment induced an extensive conversion of polar ginsenosides (-Rg1/Re, -Rc, -Rb2, and -Rd) to less polar compounds (-Rg2, -Rg3, -Rg6, -F4, -Rg5, and -Rk1). The antimicrobial assays showed that HTS, HTS-3, and HTS-4 were effective at inhibiting the growth of F. nucleatum, C. perfringens, and P. gingivalis. Ginsenosides-Rg5 showed the best antimicrobial activity against the three bacteria, with the lowest values of minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration. One major reason for this result is that less polar ginsenosides can more easily damage membrane integrity. Conclusion: The results indicated that the less polar ginsenoside-enriched fraction from heat transformation can be used as an antibacterial agent to control halitosis.

Improved antimicrobial effect of ginseng extract by heat transformation

Xue, Peng,Yao, Yang,Yang, Xiu-shi,Feng, Jia,Ren, Gui-xing The Korean Society of Ginseng 2017 Journal of Ginseng Research Vol.41 No.2

Background: The incidence of halitosis has a prevalence of 22-50% throughout the world and is generally caused by anaerobic oral microorganisms, such as Fusobacterium nucleatum, Clostridium perfringens, and Porphyromonas gingivalis. Previous investigations on the structure-activity relationships of ginsenosides have led to contrasting results. Particularly, the antibacterial activity of less polar ginsenosides against halitosis-related bacteria has not been reported. Methods: Crude saponins extracted from the Panax quinquefolius leaf-stem (AGS) were treated at $130^{\circ}C$ for 3 h to obtain heat-transformed saponins (HTS). Five ginsenoside-enriched fractions (HTS-1, HTS-2, HTS-3, HTS-4, and HTS-5) and less polar ginsenosides were separated by HP-20 resin absorption and HPLC, and the antimicrobial activity and mechanism were investigated. Results: HPLC with diode-array detection analysis revealed that heat treatment induced an extensive conversion of polar ginsenosides (-Rg1/Re, -Rc, -Rb2, and -Rd) to less polar compounds (-Rg2, -Rg3, -Rg6, -F4, -Rg5, and -Rk1). The antimicrobial assays showed that HTS, HTS-3, and HTS-4 were effective at inhibiting the growth of F. nucleatum, C. perfringens, and P. gingivalis. Ginsenosides-Rg5 showed the best antimicrobial activity against the three bacteria, with the lowest values of minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration. One major reason for this result is that less polar ginsenosides can more easily damage membrane integrity. Conclusion: The results indicated that the less polar ginsenoside-enriched fraction from heat transformation can be used as an antibacterial agent to control halitosis.

Preparation and Antitumor Activity of a Tamibarotene-Furoxan Derivative

Wang, Xue-Jian,Duan, Yu,Li, Zong-Tao,Feng, Jin-Hong,Pan, Xiang-Po,Zhang, Xiu-Rong,Shi, Li-Hong,Zhang, Tao Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.15

Multi-target drug design, in which drugs are designed as single molecules to simultaneously modulate multiple physiological targets, is an important strategy in the field of drug discovery. QT-011, a tamibarotene-furoxan derivative, was here prepared and proposed to exert synergistic effects on antileukemia by releasing nitric oxide and tamibarotene. Compared with tamibarotene itself, QT-011 displayed stronger antiproliferative effects on U937 and HL-60 cells and was more effective evaluated in a nude mice U937 xenograft model in vivo. In addition, QT-011 could release nitric oxide which might contribute to the antiproliferative activity. Autodocking assays showed that QT-011 fits well with the hydrophobic pocket of retinoic acid receptors. Taken together, these results suggest that QT-011 might be a highly effective derivative of tamibarotene and a potential candidate compound as antileukemia agent.

Upregulation of STK15 in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinomas in a Mongolian Population

Chen, Guang-Lie,Hou, Gai-Ling,Sun, Fei,Jiang, Hong-Li,Xue, Jin-Feng,Li, Xiu-Shen,Xu, En-Hui,Gao, Wei-Shi,Cao, Jian-Ping Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.15

Background: The STK15 gene located on chromosome 20q13.2 encodes a centrosome-associated kinase critical for regulated chromosome segregation and cytokinesis. Recent studies have demonstrated STK15 to be significantly associated with many tumors, with aberrant expression obseved in many human malignancies. The purpose of this study was to investigate expression of STK15 in esophageal squamous cell carcinomas (ESCCs) in a Mongolian population. Methods: Two non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms in the coding region of STK15, rs2273535 (Phe31Ile) and rs1047972 (Val57Ile) were assessed in 380 ESCC patients and 380 healthy controls. We also detected STK15 mRNA expression in 39 esophageal squamous cell carcinomas and corresponding adjacent tissues by real time PCR. Results: rs2273535 showed a significant association with ESCC in our Mongolian population (rs227353, P allele = 0.0447, OR (95%CI) = 1.259 (1.005~1.578)). Real time PCR analysis of ESCC tissues showed that expression of STK15 mRNA in cancer tissues was higher than in normal tissues (p = 0.013). Conclusions: Our study showed that functional SNPs in the STK15 gene are associated with ESCC in a Mongolian population and up-regulation of STK15 mRNAoccurs in ESCC tumors compared adjacent normal tissues. STK15 may thus have an important role in the prognosis of ESCC and be a potential therapeutic target.