Daurisoline inhibits proliferation, induces apoptosis, and enhances TRAIL sensitivity of breast cancer cells by upregulating DR5.

Daurisoline (DS) is an isoquinoline alkaloid that exerts anticancer activities in various cancer cells. However, the underlying mechanisms through which DS affects the survival of breast cancer cells remain poorly understood. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to investigate the potential anticancer effect of DS on breast cancer cells and reveal the mechanism underlying the enhanced tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL)-mediated apoptosis by DS.

6-Methoxydihydrosanguinarine exhibits cytotoxicity and sensitizes TRAIL-induced apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells through ROS-mediated upregulation of DR5.

6-methoxydihydrosanguinarine (6-MS), a natural benzophenanthridine alkaloid extracted from Macleaya cordata (Willd.) R. Br, has shown to trigger apoptotic cell death in cancer cells.

Scutebarbatine A induces ROS-mediated DNA damage and apoptosis in breast cancer cells by modulating MAPK and EGFR/Akt signaling pathway.

Scutebarbatine A (SBT-A), a diterpenoid alkaloid, has exerted cytotoxicity on hepatocellular carcinoma cells in our previous works. Here, the antitumor activity of SBT-A in breast cancer cells and the underlying mechanism were explored. The anti-proliferative effect of SBT-A was measured by trypan blue staining, 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) incorporation and colony formation assay.

Licochalcone B induces DNA damage, cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, and enhances TRAIL sensitivity in hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly fatal disease recognized as a growing global health crisis. Traditional Chinese herbal medicines have been used to treat patients with cancer for many years in China. This study investigated the effects of licochalcone B (LCB), a flavonoid compound isolated from the root of Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch.

CCT128930 induces G1-phase arrest and apoptosis and synergistically enhances the anticancer efficiency of VS5584 in human osteosarcoma cells.

Osteosarcoma is a highly invasive primary malignant bone tumor. PI3K/mTOR pathway plays a key role in tumor progression, and inhibition of PI3K/mTOR pathway represents a novel strategy in therapy of osteosarcoma. CCT128930 and VS5584 are both inhibitors of PI3K/mTOR, but the anticancer mechanism of CCT128930 or/and VS5584 against human osteosarcoma cells remains unclear.

VS-5584 Inhibits Human Osteosarcoma Cells Growth by Induction of G1- phase Arrest through Regulating PI3K/mTOR and MAPK Pathways.

Background: Activation of the PI3K/mTOR signaling pathway plays a key role in the progression of human osteosarcoma. Studies have confirmed that VS-5584 was a novel inhibitor of the PI3K/mTOR pathway, and displayed potential anticancer activity.

Objective: To explore the anticancer effect and underlying mechanism of VS-5584 against the growth of human osteosarcoma cells.

CUDC-907 enhances TRAIL-induced apoptosis through upregulation of DR5 in breast cancer cells.

CUDC-907 is a novel dual-acting inhibitor of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) and histone deacetylase (HDAC). In this study, we aimed to explore the anticancer effects of CUDC-907 on human breast cancer cells. Our results showed that CUDC-907 effectively inhibited breast cancer cell proliferation.

Caudatin potentiates the anti-tumor effects of TRAIL against human breast cancer by upregulating DR5.

Background: The ability of tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) to preferentially induce apoptosis in transformed cells while sparing most normal cells is well established. However, the intrinsic and acquired resistance of tumors to TRAIL-induced apoptosis limits its therapeutic applicability.

Purpose: We investigated the effect of caudatin, a species of C-21 steroidal glycosides isolated from the roots of Cynanchum auriculatum, on TRAIL-induced apoptosis in human breast cancer cells.

HBXIP regulates etoposide-induced cell cycle checkpoints and apoptosis in MCF-7 human breast carcinoma cells.

Etoposide, an anticancer DNA topoisomerase II poison, plays an important role in the therapy for human cancers. Unfortunately, many cancers develop etoposide resistance and do not respond to chemotherapy, leading to difficulty in treatment and poor prognosis. In this study, we investigate the effects of HBXIP gene silencing on etoposide chemosensitivity in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells.

Inhibition of autophagy enhances effects of PF-04691502 on apoptosis and DNA damage of lung cancer cells.

Autophagy modulation has been considered as a potential therapeutic strategy for lung diseases. The PI3K-Akt-mTOR pathway may be one of the main targets for regulation of autophagy. We previously reported that a PI3K/mTOR dual inhibitor PF-04691502 suppressed hepatoma cells growth in vitro.

Fluoxetine synergizes with temozolomide to induce the CHOP-dependent endoplasmic reticulum stress-related apoptosis pathway in glioma cells.

Although temozolomide (TMZ) is the most effective chemotherapy agent for glioma, chemotherapy resistance has limited its clinical use. Fluoxetine (FLT), which is widely used in cancer-related depression, has exhibited potent anticancer properties in different cancer cell types. The aim of this study was i) to evaluate the antitumor mechanism of FLT, and ii) to further evaluate the effects of a combination of FLT and TMZ on glioma cells.

Strategy to Suppress Oxidative Damage-Induced Neurotoxicity in PC12 Cells by Curcumin: the Role of ROS-Mediated DNA Damage and the MAPK and AKT Pathways.

Oxidative damage plays a key role in causation and progression of neurodegenerative diseases. Inhibition of oxidative stress represents one of the most effective ways in treating human neurologic diseases. Herein, we evaluated the protective effect of curcumin on PC12 cells against H2O2-induced neurotoxicity and investigated its underlying mechanism.

The checkpoint 1 kinase inhibitor LY2603618 induces cell cycle arrest, DNA damage response and autophagy in cancer cells.

Chemotherapy- or radiotherapy-induced DNA damage activates the Chk1-dependent DNA damage response (DDR) and cell cycle checkpoints to facilitate cell survival. Numerous attempts have been made to identify specific Chk1 inhibitors to enhance the efficiency of chemotherapy or radiotherapy. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms underlying the antitumor activity of LY2603618, a potent and selective small molecule inhibitor of Chk1 protein kinase, in human lung cancer cells.

CCT128930 induces cell cycle arrest, DNA damage, and autophagy independent of Akt inhibition.

PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway plays an important role in tumor progression and anti-cancer drug resistance. The aim of the present study is to determine the antitumor effect of CCT128930, a novel small molecule inhibitor of Akt, in the HepG2 hepatoma cancer cells. Our results showed that at low concentrations, CCT128930 increased, but not inhibited, the phosphorylation of Akt in HepG2 and A549 cells.

MK-2206 induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in HepG2 cells and sensitizes TRAIL-mediated cell death.

It has become evident that AKT inhibitors have great potential in cancer treatment. In this study, we investigate the anticancer activity of MK-2206, a novel AKT inhibitor, on HepG2 hepatocellular carcinoma cell, and to show whether MK-2206 enhances the apoptosis-inducing potential of tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL). The cell growth inhibition was evaluated by MTT assay and colony formation assay.

PF-04691502 triggers cell cycle arrest, apoptosis and inhibits the angiogenesis in hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the world. The aim of the present study is to determine the antitumor effect of PF-04691502, a potent inhibitor of PI3K and mTOR kinases, on the apoptosis and angiogenesis of the hepatoma cancer cells. Our results indicate that treatment of cancer cells with PF-04691502 reduces cell viability and inhibits cell growth in a dose-dependent manner.

Caudatin inhibits carcinomic human alveolar basal epithelial cell growth and angiogenesis through modulating GSK3β/β-catenin pathway.

In this study, we investigate the anti-cancer activity of caudatin in carcinomic human alveolar basal epithelial cell line A549 and anti-angiogenic activity in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). We show that caudatin impairs the cell viability and induces G(0) /G(1) phase arrest in A549 cells with a dose dependent manner. A549 cells, not HUVECs, dealing with caudatin exhibited typical characteristics of apoptosis, which were accompanied by activation of caspase-3, caspase-9 and Poly(ADP-Ribose) Polymerase (PARP).

Perifosine as potential anti-cancer agent inhibits proliferation, migration, and tube formation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

Targeting angiogenesis is considered an effective strategy for treating the expansion and metastasis of tumors. The aim of this study is to assess the effects of perifosine, an inhibitor of Akt, on cell proliferation, apoptosis, angiogenesis, and VEGF-induced cell migration in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in vitro. MTT and cell cycle analysis results indicated that perifosine inhibited the growth of HUVECs in a dose-dependent manner, arrested cell cycle progression at the G(2) phase with regulation the expression of p21 and cyclinB1.

Caudatin induces cell cycle arrest and caspase-dependent apoptosis in HepG2 cell.

In the present study, we investigate the anti-cancer activity and mechanism of caudatin, the C-21 steroidal glycosides, on human hepatoma cell line HepG2. The MTT assay and flow cytometry were used to evaluate HepG2 cell proliferation and cell cycle. Annexin-V/PI and DAPI staining were used to investigate cell apoptosis.

Hepatitis B x-interacting protein induces HepG2 cell proliferation through activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt pathway.

Hepatitis B x-interacting protein (HBXIP), a co-factor of survivin, was originally identified by its binding with the C-terminus of the hepatitis B virus x protein (HBx). We have recently shown that HBXIP promotes the growth of both normal liver cells and hepatoma cells in vitro, but the molecular mechanisms of this have not been documented. In this study, we investigated the potential effects of HBXIP on the proliferation of HepG2 cells and the intracellular signaling pathway mediating these changes.

Perifosine induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in human hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines by blockade of Akt phosphorylation.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common solid cancers, representing the third cause of cancer-related death among cirrhotic patients. Treatment of advanced HCC has become a very active area of research. Perifosine, a new synthetic alkylphospholipid Akt inhibitor, has shown anti-tumor activity by inhibition of Akt phosphorylation.

Myosin light chain kinase is responsible for high proliferative ability of breast cancer cells via anti-apoptosis involving p38 pathway.

Aim: To investigate whether myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) contributed to the high proliferative ability of breast cancer cells.

Methods: Soft agar colony formation on the MCF-7 and LM-MCF-7 cell lines was determined. The cell cycles of MCF-7 and LM-MCF-7 were detected using flow cytometry analysis.

NF-kappaB downregulation may be involved the depression of tumor cell proliferation mediated by human mesenchymal stem cells.

Aim: It has been reported that stem cells are able to home to tumorigenesis and inhibit the proliferation of tumor cells. The purpose of our study was to demonstrate the molecular mechanism of the inhibitory proliferation of hepatoma cells and breast cancer cells mediated by human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs).

Methods: The proliferation of H7402 human hepatoma cells and MCF-7 human breast cancer cells was measured by the 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation assay and flow cytometry assay after the treatment with conditioned media from hMSCs culture, such as Z3 cells or BMMS-03 cells.

Promotion of cell proliferation by HBXIP via upregulation of human telomerase reverse transcriptase in human mesenchymal stem cells.

Aim: We previously found that the hepatitis B X-interacting protein (HBXIP) was able to promote the proliferation of cells. Telomerase activity is known to be critical in cellular senescence and its level is modulated by the regulation of the telomerase catalytic subunit, telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), at both the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. To investigate the mechanism of promoting proliferation by HBXIP, the effect of HBXIP on human TERT (hTERT) was investigated in human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC).