Jun Yatsunami

Anticarcinogenic effects of (−)-epigallocatechin gallate☆☆☆

BACKGROUNDnOur research objective is to develop nontoxic cancer chemopreventive agents and to apply these agents in treating humans. We are identifying agents that inhibit the process of tumor promotion in two-stage carcinogenesis experiments on mouse skin.nnnMETHODSnWe review (a) the inhibitory effect of penta-O-galloyl-beta-D-glucose (5GG) on tumor promotion by teleocidin, one of the 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-type tumor promoters (5GG is structurally similar to (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and is isolated from hydrolyzed tannic acid); (b) the inhibitory effects of EGCG, the main constituent of Japanese green tea, on tumor promotion with two tumor promoters, teleocidin and okadaic acid, a non-TPA-type tumor promoter; (c) the mechanisms of action of EGCG, a single application of which reduced the specific binding of [3H]TPA and [3H]okadaic acid to a particulate fraction of mouse skin; and (d) the anticarcinogenic effects of EGCG on duodenal carcinogenesis induced by N-ethyl-N-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine in male C57BL/6 mice. EGCG is a nontoxic compound.nnnCONCLUSIONnWe believe that the main constituent of Japanese green tea, EGCG, is a practical cancer chemopreventive agent available in everyday life.

Vimentin is hyperphosphorylated in primary human fibroblasts treated with okadaic acid

Okadaic acid and dinophysistoxin-1 (35-methylokadaic acid) induced hyperphosphorylation of a 58 kDa protein in primary human fibroblasts, due to inhibition of protein phosphatase 1 and 2A activities. The protein was present in the nuclear and cytosolic fractions. Its pI was 5.3. The hyperphosphorylated protein reacted with monoclonal and polyclonal anti-vimentin antibodies, but not with anti-nucleolin antibody. Phosphorylation of vimentin was stimulated in vitro by dinophysistoxin-1 dose-dependently in the presence of protein phosphatase 2A and protein kinases.

Binding competition of okadaic acid derivatives to anti-okadaic acid antibody

The serologic activities of structurally related okadaic acid derivatives have been determined. Binding of [3H]okadaic acid to rabbit anti-okadaic acid is inhibited with equal effectiveness by okadaic acid, dinophysistoxin-1, acanthifolicin, okadaic acid tetramethyl ether, and okadaic acid spiroketal II. Okadaic acid spiroketal I, which lacks the F- and G-rings of okadaic acid, inhibits serologic binding about 60 times less effectively. The F- and G-rings of okadaic acid may comprise part of the epitopes recognized by some of the polyclonal antibodies.