Oligomycin A enhances apoptotic effect of TRAIL through CHOP-mediated death receptor 5 expression.

Development of resistance to TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) in tumor cells is one of the important problems in cancer treatment. Despite the previous report demonstrating that oligomycin suppressed TNF-induced apoptosis, in our screening of small molecules enhancing cancer cell death to TRAIL, oligomycin A (OMA) was found to enhance TRAIL-induced apoptosis in HeLa cells. CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein homologous protein (CHOP) was found to directly bind to death receptor 5 (DR5) promoter through endoplasmic reticulum stress (ER-stress) signaling and sensitize the cells to TRAIL.

Ginsenoside Rh2 inhibits osteoclastogenesis through down-regulation of NF-κB, NFATc1 and c-Fos.

Ginsenoside Rh2 is one of the most active components of red ginseng, controlling cancer and other metabolic diseases including osteoclast differentiation. However, the molecular mechanism underlying the inhibition of osteoclast differentiation by ginsenoside Rh2 remains poorly understood. In the present study, it was found that ginsenoside Rh2 suppressed osteoclast differentiation from bone marrow macrophages (BMMs) treated with receptor activator of nuclear factor κB ligand (RANKL) without any cytotoxicity.

Asperlin induces G₂/M arrest through ROS generation and ATM pathway in human cervical carcinoma cells.

We exploited the biological activity of an antibiotic agent asperlin isolated from Aspergillus nidulans against human cervical carcinoma cells. We found that asperlin dramatically increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation accompanied by a significant reduction in cell proliferation. Cleavage of caspase-3 and PARP and reduction of Bcl-2 could also be detected after asperlin treatment to the cells.

Construction of adiponectin-encoding plasmid DNA and gene therapy of non-obese type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Adiponectin (ADN), an insulin-sensitizing adipokine, stimulates glucose uptake, inhibits gluconeogenesis, and plays an important role in improving insulin sensitivity. Since blood levels of ADN are low in type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM), this study was designed to investigate the therapeutic effectiveness of increasing the ADN level through injection of plasmid DNA encoding ADN in type 2 DM. A non-obese type 2 DM mouse model was established via combined administration of streptozotocin with nicotinamide and exhibited significantly higher plasma glucose concentration and insulin resistance compared with normal controls according to oral glucose tolerance and insulin challenge tests.

Synergistic decrease in blood pressure by captopril combined with losartan in spontaneous hypertensive rats.

This study was designed to examine the anti-hypertensive effect of the combination therapy of captopril with losartan by oral administration using both independent and cross-over experimental protocols. In independent experimental protocols, four different groups of spontaneous hypertensive rats (SHR) were treated for 1 or 2 weeks: control, captopril (20 mg/kg/day), losartan (20 mg/kg/day), and combination captopril (10 mg/kg/day) with losartan (10 mg/kg/day). In cross-over protocols, each SHR received all four treatments for 1 or 3 days with an interval of several days between each injection for washing-out and return to high blood pressure (BP) levels.