Chen Jei Tai

Aqueous Extract of Solanum nigrum Leaves Induces Autophagy and Enhances Cytotoxicity of Cisplatin, Doxorubicin, Docetaxel, and 5-Fluorouracil in Human Colorectal Carcinoma Cells

Colorectal cancer is a common cancer worldwide, and chemotherapy is a mainstream approach for advanced and recurrent cases. Development of effective complementary drugs could help improve tumor suppression efficiency and control adverse effects from chemotherapy. The aqueous extract of Solanum nigrum leaves (AE-SN) is an essential component in many traditional Chinese medicine formulas for treating cancer, but there is a lack of evidence verifying its tumor suppression efficacy in colorectal cancer. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the tumor suppression efficacy of AE-SN using DLD-1 and HT-29 human colorectal carcinoma cells and examine the combined drug effect when combined with the chemotherapeutic drugs cisplatin, doxorubicin, docetaxel, and 5-fluorouracil. The results indicated that AE-SN induced autophagy via microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 A/B II accumulation but not caspase-3-dependent apoptosis in both cell lines. The IC50s after 48 hours of treatment were 0.541 and 0.948 mg/ml AE-SN in DLD-1 and HT-29, respectively. AE-SN also demonstrated a combined drug effect with all tested drugs by enhancing cytotoxicity in tumor cells. Our results suggest that AE-SN has potential in the development of complementary chemotherapy for colorectal cancer.

Anti-Cancer Activity of Solanum nigrum (AESN) through Suppression of Mitochondrial Function and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) in Breast Cancer Cells

Chemotherapy is the main approach for treating advanced and recurrent carcinoma, but the clinical performance of chemotherapy is limited by relatively low response rates, drug resistance, and adverse effects that severely affect the quality of life of patients. An association between epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and chemotherapy resistance has been investigated in recent studies. Our recent studies have found that the aqueous extract of Solanum nigrum (AESN) is a crucial ingredient in some traditional Chinese medicine formulas for treating various types of cancer patients and exhibits antitumor effects. We evaluated the suppression of EMT in MCF-7 breast cancer cells treated with AESN. The mitochondrial morphology was investigated using Mitotracker Deep-Red FM stain. Our results indicated that AESN markedly inhibited cell viability of MCF-7 breast cancer cells through apoptosis induction and cell cycle arrest mediated by activation of caspase-3 and production of reactive oxygen species. Furthermore, mitochondrial fission was observed in MCF-7 breast cancer cells treated with AESN. In addition to elevation of E-cadherin, downregulations of ZEB1, N-cadherin, and vimentin were found in AESN-treated MCF-7 breast cancer cells. These results suggested that AESN could inhibit EMT of MCF-7 breast cancer cells mediated by attenuation of mitochondrial function. AESN could be potentially beneficial in treating breast cancer cells, and may be of interest for future studies in developing integrative cancer therapy against proliferation, metastasis, and migration of breast cancer cells.

Aqueous Extract of Solanum nigrum Leaf Activates Autophagic Cell Death and Enhances Docetaxel-Induced Cytotoxicity in Human Endometrial Carcinoma Cells

Chemotherapy is the main approach in dealing with advanced and recurrent endometrial cancer. An effective complementary ingredient can be helpful in improving the clinical outcome. Aqueous extract of Solanum nigrum leaf (AE-SN) is a principal ingredient for treating cancer patients in traditional Chinese medicinal practice but lacks sufficient evidence to verify its tumor suppression efficacy. This study evaluated the antitumor effects of AE-SN and also assessed the synergistic effects of AE-SN with docetaxel On the human endometrial cancer cell lines, HEC1A, HEC1B, and KLE. The activation of apoptotic markers, caspase-3 and poly-ADP-ribose polymerase, and autophagic marker, microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 A/B, wAS determined to clarify the cell death pathways responsible for AE-SN induced tumor cell death. Results indicated that AE-SN-treatment has significant cytotoxicity on the tested endometrial cancer cells with accumulation of LC3 A/B II and demonstrated a synergistic effect of AE-SN and docetaxel in HEC1A and HEC1B cells, but not KLE cells. In conclusion, AE-SN treatment was effective in suppressing endometrial cancer cells via the autophagic pathway and was also capable of enhancing the cytotoxicity of docetaxel in human endometrial cancer cells. Our results provide meaningful evidence for integrative cancer therapy in the future.

Wave-induced flow in meridians demonstrated using photoluminescent bioceramic material on acupuncture points

The mechanisms of acupuncture remain poorly understood, but it is generally assumed that measuring the electrical conductivity at various meridians provides data representing various meridian energies. In the past, noninvasive methods have been used to stimulate the acupuncture points at meridians, such as heat, electricity, magnets, and lasers. Photoluminescent bioceramic (PLB) material has been proven to weaken hydrogen bonds and alter the characteristics of liquid water. In this study, we applied the noninvasive PLB technique to acupuncture point irradiation, attempting to detect its effects by using electrical conductivity measurements. We reviewed relevant literature, searching for information on meridians including their wave-induced flow characteristics.

Integrated Treatment of Aqueous Extract of Solanum nigrum-Potentiated Cisplatin- and Doxorubicin-Induced Cytotoxicity in Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells

Chemotherapy is the main approach for treating advanced and recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but the clinical performance of chemotherapy is limited by a relatively low response rate, drug resistance, and adverse effects that severely affect the quality of life of patients. The aqueous extract of Solanum nigrum (AE-SN) is a crucial ingredient in some traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formulas for treating cancer patients and exhibits antitumor effects in human HCC cells. Therefore, this study examined the tumor-suppression efficiency of AE-SN integrated with a standard chemotherapeutic drug, namely, cisplatin or doxorubicin, in human HCC cells, namely, Hep3B and HepJ5. The results suggested that the integrated treatment with AE-SN-potentiated cisplatin and doxorubicin induced cytotoxicity through the cleavage of caspase-7 and accumulation of microtubule-associated protein-1 light chain-3 A/1B II (LC-3 A/B II), which were associated with apoptotic and autophagic cell death, respectively, in both the Hep3B and HepJ5 cells. In conclusion, AE-SN can potentially be used in novel integrated chemotherapy with cisplatin or doxorubicin to treat HCC patients.

Preclinical Evaluation on the Tumor Suppression Efficiency and Combination Drug Effects of Fermented Wheat Germ Extract in Human Ovarian Carcinoma Cells

Fermented wheat germ extract (FWGE) is a nutrient supplement and a potential antitumor ingredient for developing an integrated chemotherapy with standard chemotherapeutic drugs for treating ovarian cancer patients. In this study, we evaluated the tumor suppression efficiency of FWGE in human ovarian carcinoma cells, SKOV-3 and ES-2, and found the half-maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50s) to be 643.76 μg/mL and 246.11 μg/mL after 48 h of FWGE treatment. FWGE treatment also induced programmed cell death by activating the caspase-7 cleavage in both SKOV-3 and ES-2 cells, but only caspase-3 and poly(adenosine diphosphate-ribose) polymerase cleavages were activated in SKOV-3 cells. Moreover, FWGE exhibited combination drug effects with cisplatin and docetaxel in SKOV-3 and ES-2 cells by enhancing the cytotoxicity of both drugs. In conclusion, we found that FWGE not only suppressed cell growth but also induced caspase-3-related and caspase-7-related cell death in human ovarian carcinoma cells. FWGE treatment further enhanced the cytotoxicity of cisplatin and docetaxel, suggesting that FWGE is a potential ingredient in the development of adjuvant chemotherapy with cisplatin or docetaxel for treating ovarian cancer patients.

Antitumor effects and biological mechanism of action of the aqueous extract of the camptotheca acuminata fruit in human endometrial carcinoma cells

The aqueous extracts of the leaves and fruit of Camptotheca acuminata have long been used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for treating cancer patients. The chemotherapeutic drug, camptothecin (CPT), and related analogs were first isolated from C. acuminata in the 1970s. Although the antitumor effects of CPT have been characterized in recent years, the antitumor effects of aqueous extracts of C. acuminata have not been clarified. The aims of our current study were to determine the tumor-suppression efficiency of an aqueous extract of the fruit of C. acuminata (AE-CA) in the human endometrial carcinoma cell lines, HEC-1A, HEC-1B, and KLE, and compare its antitumor effects with those of CPT. Cell viability assays indicated that a dosage of AE-CA containing 0.28 mg/mL of CPT demonstrated enhanced cytotoxicity, compared with CPT treatment. The effects of AE-CA on the induction of cell cycle arrest, the accumulation of cyclin-A2 and -B1, and the activation of caspase-3 and caspase-7 were similar to those of CPT. Furthermore, AE-CA exhibited a synergistic effect on the cytotoxicity of cisplatin in HEC-1A and HEC-1B cells. These results indicated that AE-CA is a potent antitumor agent and can be combined with cisplatin for the treatment of human endometrial cancer.

Combination of Two Targeted Medications (Bevacizumab Plus Cetuximab) Improve the Therapeutic Response of Pancreatic Carcinoma.

AbstractThe objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety profiles of the targeted medications, bevacizumab and cetuximab, in combination with cytostatic drugs in patients with locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer.In this retrospective phase 2 study, a total of 59 patients with pancreatic cancer were recruited and received conventional (gemcitabine, cisplatin, and fluorouracil) or targeted regimen (conventional plus bevacizumab and cetuximab for the first cycle) in 2-week intervals for four cycles. The primary end-point for this study was the overall response rate. Secondary end-points were progression-free survival and the safety profiles of the combined therapy.The median time-to-progression and overall survival were 3 and 7 months, respectively, in the conventional treatment group as well as 11 and 13 months, respectively, in the targeted medications treatment group. The most common adverse events in both treatment groups were nausea and vomiting. Moderate (Grade 2) nausea and vomiting were more common in the conventional group than the targeted group but severe (Grade 3) nausea and vomiting were more common in the targeted group.Bevacizumab and cetuximab in combination with gemcitabine, cisplatin, and fluorouracil may help lengthen overall survival up to six months for patients with pancreatic cancer.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound and computed tomography assessment of hepatocellular carcinoma after transcatheter arterial chemo-embolization: A systematic review

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) are used to assess the response of hepatocellular carcinoma after transarterial chemoembolization. Our aim was to perform a systematic review to compare CEUS and CECT for therapeutic response assessment to transarterial chemoembolization in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. METHOD PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library databases were searched from inception until January 1, 2016. PARTICIPANTS patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. INTERVENTION transarterial chemoembolization and CECT vs CEUS. RESULTS Sixteen studies were included in the systematic review. The total number of patients was 858 and the mean patient age ranged from 42 to 73 years. The mean tumor size ranged from 1.0 cm to 4.3 cm. The sensitivity and specificity of CEUS ranged from 46% to 100% and 65% to 100%, respectively, and that of CECT ranged from 34% to 87% and 92% to 100%, respectively. The accuracy of CEUS ranged from 72.6% to 100% and that of CECT from 61% to 94%. Marked heterogeneity was present among the studies. CONCLUSION CEUS is comparable with CECT for the therapeutic response assessment after transarterial chemoembolization.

Solanum nigrum Protects against Hepatic Fibrosis via Suppression of Hyperglycemia in High-Fat/Ethanol Diet-Induced Rats

Background: Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) signal through the receptor for AGE (RAGE), which can lead to hepatic fibrosis in hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia. We investigated the inhibitory effect of aqueous extracts from Solanum nigrum (AESN) on AGEs-induced RAGE signaling and activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and hyperglycemia induced by high-fat diet with ethanol. Methods: An animal model was used to evaluate the anti-hepatic fibrosis activity of AESN in rats fed a high-fat diet (HFD; 30%) with ethanol (10%). Male Wistar rats (4 weeks of age) were randomly divided into four groups (n = 6): (1) control (basal diet); (2) HFD (30%) + ethanol (10%) (HFD/ethanol); (3) HFD/ethanol + AESN (100 mg/kg, oral administration); and (4) HFD/ethanol + pioglitazone (10 mg/kg, oral administration) and treated with HFD for 6 months in the presence or absence of 10% ethanol in dietary water. Results: We found that AESN improved insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia, and downregulated lipogenesis via regulation of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα), PPARγ co-activator (PGC-1α), carbohydrate response element-binding protein (ChREBP), acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), and fatty acid synthase (FAS) mRNA levels in the liver of HFD/ethanol-treated rats. In turn, AESN may delay and inhibit the progression of hepatic fibrosis, including α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) inhibition and MMP-2 production. Conclusions: These results suggest that AESN may be further explored as a novel anti-fibrotic strategy for the prevention of liver disease.