Hsia-Fen Hsu

Typhonium blumei extract inhibits proliferation of human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells via induction of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Typhonium blumei Nicolson & Sivadasan is a traditional Chinese medicinal herb endowing with detumescence, detoxification, anti-inflammation activities, and has been used as a folk prescription on anticancer in Taiwan. AIM OF THE STUDY The purpose of this study is to investigate the inhibitory effect of Typhonium blumei (Tb) extract on the viability of different cancer cells and the apoptotic effect of this extract on A549 lung cancer cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS Human A549 cell line and other cancer cell lines were treated with different concentrations of Tb extract at different time intervals. Growth inhibition was determined by MTT assay. Apoptosis was detected by cell morphologic observation, cell cycle analysis, and immunoblot analysis on the expression of protein associated with cell death. GC-MS were used to determine the chemical constituents of this extract. RESULTS The Tb extract had cytotoxicity toward A549 lung cancer cells (IC(50)=97.7 μg/ml), LNCaP prostate cancer cells (IC(50)=124.5 μg/ml) and MCF-7 breast cancer cells (IC(50)=125.8 μg/ml). Conversely, the adverse effects of Tb extract on normal embryonic lung fibroblast MRC-5 cells (IC(50)=245.5 μg/ml) and embryonic kidney fibroblast HEK293 cells (IC(50)=251.1 μg/ml) were comparatively low. Cytometric analysis results demonstrate that A549 cells were arrested at the G2/M phase by treatment with Tb extract. The extract induced A549 cell apoptosis via the mitochondrial pathway by down-regulating Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL protein expression, up-regulating Bax, Bad and Bak protein expression, and activating caspase-9 and caspase-3. Experimental results of bioactive compound analysis indicate that dibutyl phthalate, α-linolenic acid, phytol, campesterol, stigmasterol and β-sitosterol were the major bioactive ingredients of Tb extract. Although all these compounds had good anti-proliferative effects on A549 cells, campesterol (IC(50)=2.2 μM for 24h treatment) and β-sitosterol (IC(50)=1.9 μM for 24h treatment) displayed the greatest inhibitory activity. CONCLUSIONS Experimental results of this study suggest that the Tb extract exerts potential anticancer activity through the growth inhibition and the apoptosis on A549 cells.

Pretreatment circulating monocyte count associated with poor prognosis in patients with oral cavity cancer

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the pretreatment total and differential leukocyte counts can predict the prognosis of patients with oral cavity cancer.

Anti-Proliferative Effects of Siegesbeckia orientalis Ethanol Extract on Human Endometrial RL-95 Cancer Cells

Endometrial cancer is a common malignancy of the female genital tract. This study demonstrates that Siegesbeckia orientalis ethanol extract (SOE) significantly inhibited the proliferation of RL95-2 human endometrial cancer cells. Treating RL95-2 cells with SOE caused cell arrest in the G2/M phase and induced apoptosis of RL95-2 cells by up-regulating Bad, Bak and Bax protein expression and down-regulation of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL protein expression. Treatment with SOE increased protein expression of caspase-3, -8 and -9 dose-dependently, indicating that apoptosis was through the intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways. Moreover, SOE was also effective against A549 (lung cancer), Hep G2 (hepatoma), FaDu (pharynx squamous cancer), MDA-MB-231 (breast cancer), and especially on LNCaP (prostate cancer) cell lines. In total, 10 constituents of SOE were identified by Gas chromatography-mass analysis. Caryophyllene oxide and caryophyllene are largely responsible for most cytotoxic activity of SOE against RL95-2 cells. Overall, this study suggests that SOE is a promising anticancer agent for treating endometrial cancer.

Anti-inflammatory effects of Siegesbeckia orientalis ethanol extract in in vitro and in vivo models.

This study aims to investigate the anti-inflammatory responses and mechanisms of Siegesbeckia orientalis ethanol extract (SOE). In cell culture experiments, RAW264.7 cells were pretreated with SOE and stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for inflammatory mediators assay. In animal experiments, mice were tube-fed with SOE for 1 week, and s.c. injected with λ-carrageenan or i.p. injected with LPS to simulate inflammation. The degree of paw edema was assessed, and cytokine profile in sera and mouse survival were recorded. Data showed that SOE significantly reduced NO, IL-6, and TNF-α production in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. In vivo studies demonstrated that mice supplemented with 32 mg SOE/kg BW/day significantly lowered sera IL-6 level and resulted a higher survival rate compared to the control group (P = 0.019). Furthermore, SOE inhibited LPS-induced NF-κB activation by blocking the degradation of IκB-α. The SOE also reduced significantly the phosphorylation of ERK1/2, p38, and JNK in a dose-dependent manner. In summary, the in vitro and in vivo evidence indicate that SOE can attenuate acute inflammation by inhibiting inflammatory mediators via suppression of MAPKs- and NF-κB-dependent pathways.

Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of Lonicera japonica Thunb. var. sempervillosa Hayata flower bud extracts prepared by water, ethanol and supercritical fluid extraction techniques

Abstract Lonicera japonica Thunberg (LJ) has long been used as an antipyretic, anti-inflammatory and anti-infectious agent in East Asia. The subspecies L. japonica Thunb. var. sempervillosa Hayata (LJv) is a variant that mainly grows in Taiwan. This study examined the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of the extracts from the flower buds of these two species. The extracts were obtained by three extraction methods: water extraction, ethanol extraction, and supercritical-CO2 fluid extraction (SFE). The antioxidant activities of dry LJ (dLJ) extracts were superior to those of LJv extracts. Water extracts possessed higher activities than that prepared by ethanol or SFE. The total polyphenols content, total flavonoids content, and the amount of chlorogenic acid and luteolin-7-O-glucoside were all higher in the water extracts compared to the other two. The SFE extracts of these two species all exhibited excellent anti-inflammatory activities. Although the water and ethanol extracts of dLJ extracts had higher anti-inflammatory activity than that of LJv extracts, the SFE extracts prepared from fresh LJv flower buds (fLJv) exhibited the highest activity among all extracts. The SFE effectively isolates the bioactive components of L. japonica and can obtain the L. japonica extracts with high anti-inflammatory activity.

Siegesbeckia orientalis Extract Inhibits TGFβ1-Induced Migration and Invasion of Endometrial Cancer Cells

Type II endometrial carcinoma typically exhibits aggressive metastasis and results in a poor prognosis. Siegesbeckia orientalis Linne is a traditional Chinese medicinal herb with several medicinal benefits, including the cytotoxicity against various cancers. This study investigates the inhibitory effects of S. orientalis ethanol extract (SOE) on the migration and invasion of endometrial cancer cells, which were stimulated by transforming growth factor β (TGFβ). The inhibitory effects were evaluated by determining wound healing and performing the Boyden chamber assay. This study reveals that SOE can inhibit TGFβ1-induced cell wound healing, cell migration, and cell invasion in a dose-dependent manner in RL95-2 and HEC-1A endometrial cancer cells. SOE also reversed the TGFβ1-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition, including the loss of the cell-cell junction and the lamellipodia-like structures. Western blot analysis revealed that SOE inhibited the phosphorylation of ERK1/2, JNK1/2, and Akt, as well as the expression of MMP-9, MMP-2, and u-PA in RL95-2 cells dose-dependently. The results of this investigation suggest that SOE is a potential anti-metastatic agent against human endometrial tumors.

Glossogyne tenuifolia Extract Inhibits TNF-α-Induced Expression of Adhesion Molecules in Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells via Blocking the NF-kB Signaling Pathway

Chronic inflammation plays a pivotal role in the development of atherosclerosis, where the pro-inflammatory cytokine-induced expression of endothelial adhesion molecules and the recruitment of monocytes are the crucial events leading to its pathogenesis. Glossogyne tenuifolia ethanol extract (GTE) is shown to have potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. We evaluated the effects of GTE and its major components, luteolin (lut), luteolin-7-glucoside (lut-7-g), and oleanolic acid (OA) on TNF-α-induced expression of adhesion molecules in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). The results demonstrated that GTE, lut, and lut-7-g attenuated the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) in TNF-α-activated HUVECs, and inhibited the adhesion of monocytes to TNF-α-activated HUVECs. The TNF-α-induced mRNA expression of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 was also suppressed, revealing their inhibitory effects at the transcriptional level. Furthermore, GTE, lut, and lut-7-g blocked the TNF-α-induced degradation of nuclear factor-κB inhibitor (IκB), an indicator of the activation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB). In summary, GTE and its bioactive components were effective in preventing the adhesion of monocytes to cytokine-activated endothelium by the inhibition of expression of adhesion molecules, which in turn is mediated through blocking the activation and nuclear translocation of NF-κB. The current results reveal the therapeutic potential of GTE in atherosclerosis.

Inhibitory Effects of Siegesbeckia orientalis Extracts on Advanced Glycation End Product Formation and Key Enzymes Related to Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome typically includes Type 2 diabetes associated with hyperglycemia, central obesity, dyslipidemia and hypertension. It is highly related to oxidative stress, formation of advanced glycated end products (AGEs) and key enzymes, such as carbohydrate digesting enzymes like pancreatic α-amylase and intestinal α-glucosidase, pancreatic lipase and angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE). This study used an in vitro approach to assess the potential of four extracts of Siegesbeckia orientalis linne on key enzymes relevant to metabolic syndrome. In this research, S. orientailis was firstly extracted by ethanol. The ethanol extract (SE) was then partitioned sequentially with hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol, and these extracts were named SE-Hex, SE-EA and SE-MeOH, respectively. The experimental results showed that SE-EA had the highest total phenolic content (TPC, 76.9 ± 1.8 mg/g) and the total flavonoids content (TFC, 5.3 ± 0.3 mg/g). This extract exhibited the most significant antioxidant activities, including DPPH radical-scavenging capacity (IC50 = 161.8 ± 2.4 μg/mL), ABTS radical-scavenging capacity (IC50 = 13.9 ± 1.5 μg/mL) and reducing power. For anti-glycation activities, SE-EA showed the best results in the inhibition of AGEs, as well as inhibitory activities against α-glucosidase (IC50 = 362.3 ± 9.2 μg/mL) and α-amylase (IC50 = 119.0 ± 17.7 μg/mL). For anti-obesity activities, SE-EA indicated the highest suppression effect on pancreatic lipase (IC50 = 3.67 ± 0.52 mg/mL). Finally, for anti-hypertension activity, SE-EA also demonstrated the strongest inhibitory activity on ACE (IC50 = 626.6 ± 15.0 μg/mL). Close relationships were observed among the parameters of TPC, antioxidant activities, inhibitory activities on α-amylase, α-glucosidase, lipase and ACE (R > 0.9). Moderate correlations were found among the parameters of TFC, antioxidant activities, and suppression of dicarbonyl compounds formation (R = 0.5–0.9). Taken together these in vitro studies reveal the therapeutic potential of SE-EA extract in the prevention and treatment of metabolic disorders.