Oxymatrine is an alkaloid, which is derived from the traditional Chinese herb, Sophora flavescens Aiton. Oxymatrine has been shown to exhibit anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and anticancer properties. The present study aimed to investigate the anticancer effects of oxymatrine in human pros- tate cancer cells, and the underlying molecular mechanisms of these effects. An MTT assay demonstrated that oxymatrine significantly inhibited the proliferation of prostate cancer cells in a time‑ and dose‑dependent manner. In addition, flow cytometry and a terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-medi- ated dUTP-biotin nick end-labeling assay suggested that oxymatrine treatment may induce prostate cancer cell apop- tosis in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, western blot analysis demonstrated a significant increase in the expression of p53 and bax, and a significant decrease in that of Bcl-2, in prostrate cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner. In vivo analysis demonstrated that oxymatrine inhibited tumor growth following subcutaneous inoculation of prostate cancer cells into nude mice. The results of the present study suggested that the antitumor properties of oxymatrine, may be associ- ated with the inhibition of cell proliferation, and induction of apoptosis, via the regulation of apoptosis-associated gene expression. Therefore, the results may provide a novel approach for the development of prostate cancer therapy using oxymatrine, which is derived from the traditional Chinese herb, Sophora flavescens

https://www.spandidos-publications.com/10.3892/mmr.2015.3338/download

Oxymatrine inhibits the proliferation of prostate cancer cells in vitro and in vivo

Scutellarin inhibits human renal cancer cell proliferation and migration via upregulation of PTEN

Celastrus orbiculatus extract induces mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

Germacrone is one of the major bioactive components of the traditional Chinese Medicinal plant Curcuma aromatica Salisb. and has been shown to possess anti‑tumor properties. In the present study, the anti‑proliferative effect of germacrone on human glioma cells and the molecular mechanism underlying its cytotoxicity were investigated. Treatment of the U87 and U251 human glioma cell lines with germacrone inhibited the cell proliferation in a dose‑ and time‑dependent manner as assessed by MTT assay, while significantly lower effects were observed on normal human astrocytes. Flow cytometric analysis and DNA fragmentation revealed that germacrone promoted apoptosis of glioma cells, associated with an increased expression of p53 and bax and decreased expression of bcl‑2. Furthermore, flow cytometric cell cycle analysis revealed that germacrone induced G1 phase arrest, associated with an obvious decrease in the expression of cyclin D1 and CDK2 and an increased expression of p21. In conclusion, the present study suggested that germacrone may be a novel potent chemopreventive drug candidate for gliomas via regulating the expression of proteins associated with apoptosis and G1 cell cycle arrest.

/pdf/germacrone-inhibits-the-proliferation-of-glioma-cells-by-1rilbfepuc.pdf

Germacrone inhibits the proliferation of glioma cells by promoting apoptosis and inducing cell cycle arrest

Multidrug resistance (MDR) is the major obstacle in chemotherapy, which involves multiple signaling pathways. Diallyl trisulfide (DATS) is the main sulfuric compound in garlic. In the present study, we aimed to explore whether DATS could overcome P-glycoprotein-(P-gp-)mediated MDR in K562/A02 cells, and to investigate whether NF-κB suppression is involved in DATS-induced reversal of MDR. MTT assay revealed that cotreatment with DATS increased the response of K562/A02 cells to adriamycin (the resistance reversal fold was 3.79) without toxic side effects. DATS could enhance the intracellular concentration of adriamycin by inhibiting the function and expression of P-gp, as shown by flow cytometry, RT-PCR, and western blot. In addition, DATS resulted in more K562/A02 cell apoptosis, accompanied by increased expression of caspase-3. The expression of NF-κB/p65 (downregulation) was significantly linked to the drug-resistance mechanism of DATS, whereas the expression of IκBα was not affected by DATS. Our findings demonstrated that DATS can serve as a novel, nontoxic modulator of MDR, and can reverse the MDR of K562/A02 cells in vitro by increasing intracellular adriamycin concentration and inducing apoptosis. More importantly, we proved for the first time that the suppression of NF-κB possibly involves the molecular mechanism in the course of reversion by DATS.

/pdf/reversion-of-p-glycoprotein-mediated-multidrug-resistance-in-g28rvlapjc.pdf

Reversion of P-Glycoprotein-Mediated Multidrug Resistance in Human Leukemic Cell Line by Diallyl Trisulfide

Aeginetia indica Linn. (Guan-Jen-Huang, GJH), a traditional Chinese herb, has the potential to be an immunomodulatory agent. The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of GJH in the treatment of renal cancer. Concentration-effect curves for the influence of GJH on cellular proliferation showed a biphasic shape. Besides, GJH had a synergistic effect on cytotoxicity when combined with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)which may be due to the alternation of the chemotherapeutic agent resistance-related genes and due to the synergistic effects on apoptosis. In addition, treatment with GJH extract markedly reduced 786-O cell adherence to human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and decreased 786-O cell migration and invasion. In a xenograft animal model, GJH extract had an inhibitory effect on tumor cell-induced metastasis. Moreover, western blot analysis showed that the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in 786-O cells was significantly decreased by treatment with GJH extract through inactivation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB). These results suggest that GJH extract has a synergistic effect on apoptosis induced by chemotherapeutic agents and an inhibitory effect on cell adhesion, migration, and invasion, providing evidence for the use of water-based extracts of GJH as novel alternative therapeutic agents in the treatment of human renal cancer.

https://downloads.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2012/935860.pdf

Meng-Luen Li

Papers

Effects of a Chinese Herbal Medicine, Guan-Jen-Huang (Aeginetia indica Linn.), on Renal Cancer Cell Growth and Metastasis.