Elm tree bark extract inhibits HepG2 hepatic cancer cell growth via pro-apoptotic activity

Abstract

Control of inflammation is widely accepted as an important strategy for cancer chemoprevention. Anti-inflammatory effects of bark extracts of elm tree (BEE) have been amply reported. Therefore, BEE may be a good candidate cancer chemopreventive agent. Considering the high incidence of hepatic cancer and limited therapeutic approaches for treating this disease, it is important to develop liver cancer-specific chemopreventive agents. To evaluate the chemopreventive potential of BEE, we investigated the growth inhibition effect of BEE on the HepG2 human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line. We performed a cell counting kit-8 assay to determine cell viability, and 4,6-diamino-2-phenylindole staining and flow cytometry to measure apoptotic cell death. Finally, the expression levels of pro- and anti-apoptotic proteins were measured. BEE inhibited the growth of HepG2 cells and induced apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. Pro-apoptotic activity was promoted via the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis, as demonstrated by the activation of pro-apoptotic proteins Bax, caspase-9, caspase-3, and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase as well as the down-regulation of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2. These results suggest that BEE may have potential use in hepatic cancer chemoprevention by suppressing cancer cell growth via pro-apoptotic activity.

Genomic analysis of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 from cattle and pork-production related environments

“…To date, a paucity of information on the genetic relationship between cattle and swine STEC strains is available in published accounts. E. coli O157:H7 strains from the two animal species showed distinct randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) patterns in a Korean study 60 , while similar pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) patterns were found in a Norwegian study 30 . The present study observed very limited strain diversity for isolates from both animal species determined by all five conventional subtyping methods: 95%, 95%, 94.2%, 100%, and 100% of the isolates belonging to one Manning clade (2), LPSA lineage (I), MLST type (822; Pasteur Institute’s eight-gene scheme), MLST type (11, Achtman’s seven-gene scheme) or Clermont phylo-group (E).…”

CPBMF65, a synthetic human uridine phosphorylase-1 inhibitor, reduces HepG2 cell proliferation through cell cycle arrest and senescence

“…HepG2 cells were seeded in 24-well plates (5 × 10 4 cells/well) and treated with CPBMF65 (90 µM) or Urd (5 and 10 mM). The culture medium was discarded, and four steps were performed: (1) labeling of the nuclei with 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI), a fluorescent dye that binds strongly to the adenine rich regions and thymine in DNA sequences [14]; (2) acquisition of images using an inverted fluorescence microscope (20x microscope objective; Eclipse TE2000-S, Nikon, Japan). At least 200 nuclei in three independent experiments were analyzed at each data point.…”

Mechanism of apoptosis induction in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells following treatment with a gecko peptides mixture

“…This self-destructive cellular process is critical for organ development, tissue remodeling, immune regulation and several disease conditions (19). Numerous antitumor agents exert their therapeutic effects by inducing apoptosis (20)(21)(22)(23)(24). Mitochondria have an essential role in the regulation of cell apoptosis, and there are certain proteins that are closely associated with cell apoptosis in the intermembrane (25).…”