Publications by authors named "Rick Sai-Chuen Wu"

The metastasis of human osteosarcoma (OS) shows a difficult‑to‑treat clinical scenario and results in decreased quality of life and diminished survival rates. Finding or developing novel treatments to improve the life quality of patients is urgent. Bisdemethoxycurcumin (BDMC), a natural product, was obtained from the rhizome of turmeric () and exerts antitumor activities in numerous human cancer cell lines.

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Article Synopsis
  • Human glioblastoma (GBM) is a deadly cancer in adults with challenging treatment options due to its metastasis, highlighting the urgent need for new therapeutic compounds.
  • The study focused on bisdemethoxycurcumin (BDMC), a natural compound from turmeric, and demonstrated its effectiveness in reducing cell proliferation, motility, migration, and invasion in human GBM cells.
  • BDMC was found to significantly affect critical signaling pathways and protein levels associated with cancer progression, suggesting its potential as a candidate for future GBM treatments.
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Bisdemethoxycurcumin (BDMC) has biological activities, including anticancer effects in vitro; however, its anticancer effects in human glioblastoma (GBM) cells have not been examined yet. This study aimed to evaluate the tumor inhibitory effect and molecular mechanism of BDMC on human GBM 8401/ cells in vitro and in vivo. In vitro studies have shown that BDMC significantly reduced cell viability and induced cell apoptosis in GBM 8401/ cells.

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Background: This study aimed to investigate skin condition, quality of life, and psychological impact of breast cancer patients after radiation therapy. We designed and administered a questionnaire to breast cancer survivors for better understanding the skin sequelae after radiation therapy.

Methods: This study performed an anonymous online survey.

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Background/aim: Etomidate, an intravenous anesthetic, has been shown to have anticancer effects, including induction of cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis. However, to our knowledge, there are no reports about the anti-metastasis effects of etomidate on A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cells.

Materials And Methods: The cell viability, cell adhesion, gelatin zymography assay, transwell migration and invasion assay, and western blotting analysis were used to investigate the effects of etomidate on A549 cells.

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Background/aim: Maslinic acid (MA), a pentacyclic triterpene extracted from wax-like coatings of olives, has been shown to reduce cancer cell number through induction of autophagy and apoptosis in many human cancer cells including human leukemia HL-60 cells. In the present study, we investigated whether or not MA affects immune responses in a leukemia mouse model.

Materials And Methods: WEHI-3 cells were intraperitonealIy (i.

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Phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) from cruciferous vegetables can inhibit the growth of various human cancer cells. In previous studies, we determined that PEITC inhibited the in vitro growth of human glioblastoma GBM 8401 cells by inducing apoptosis, inhibiting migration and invasion, and altering gene expression. Nevertheless, there are no further in vivo reports disclosing whether PEITC can suppress the growth of glioblastoma.

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Deguelin, a rotenoid, is isolated from a natural plant species, and has biological activities including antitumor function. In the present study, we investigated the effect of deguelin on the cell adhesion, migration and invasion of NCI-H292 human lung cancer cells in vitro. Cell viability was analyzed by using flow cytometer.

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The aim of the present study was to investigate the cytotoxic effects of bufalin on SCC‑4 human tongue cancer cells. Cell morphological changes and viability were examined using phase contrast microscopy and flow cytometry, respectively. The results indicated that bufalin induced morphological changes and reduced total viable cells.

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Gypenosides (Gyp), the primary components of Makino, have long been used as a Chinese herbal medicine. In the present study, the effects of Gyp on cell viability, the cell cycle, cell apoptosis, DNA damage and chromatin condensation were investigated using human oral cancer HSC-3 cells. The results of the present study indicated that Gyp induces cell death, G2/M phase arrest and apoptosis in HSC-3 cells in a dose-dependent manner.

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Ouabain, the specific Na /K -ATPase blocker, has biological activity including anti-proliferative and anti-metastasis effects in cancer cell. There is no study to show ouabain inhibiting cell migration and invasion in human osteosarcoma U-2 OS cells. Thus, we investigated the effect of ouabain on the cell migration and invasion of human osteosarcoma U-2 OS cells.

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Cantharidin (CTD) is a natural toxin in beetles of the genus (blister beetle), which has been revealed to induce cell death in various types of human cancer cells. However, to the best of our knowledge, no previous studies have investigated the effect of CTD on the expression of genes and their associated signaling pathways in human bladder carcinoma cells. In the present study, CTD-induced cell morphological changes and apoptosis were observed using phase-contrast microscopy and the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling assay, respectively, in TSGH-8301 human bladder carcinoma cells.

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In this study we investigate the molecular mechanisms of caspases and mitochondria in the extrinsic and intrinsic signal apoptosis pathways in human leukemia HL-60 cells after in vitro exposure to 18α-glycyrrhetinic acid (18α-GA). Cells were exposed to 18α-GA at various concentrations for various time periods and were harvested for flow cytometry total viable cell and apoptotic cell death measurements. Cells treated with 18α-GA significantly inhibited cell proliferation and induced cell apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner, with an IC50 value of 100 μM at 48 h.

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Deguelin, a naturally occurring rotenoid of the flavonoid family, is known to be an Akt inhibitor, to have chemopreventive activities and anti-tumor effect on several cancers. In this study, investigation to elucidate the effect of deguelin on apoptotic pathways in human lung cancer cells and on the anti-tumor effect in lung cancer xenograft nu/nu mice was performed. In vitro studies, found that deguelin induced cell morphological changes, and decreased the percentage of viability through the induction of apoptosis in H460 lung cancer cells.

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Objective: Sleep deprivation (SD) leads to the disturbance of the estrous cycle. Serotonin, the levels of which increase with SD, has been shown to inhibit luteinizing hormone production and the receptor has been found in the follicles. In this study, the serotonin effect on preovulatory follicular steroidogenesis is investigated and the underlying mechanisms are elucidated.

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Various sedative agents, including dexmedetomidine (dex), induce immunosuppression, and enhance infection progression. However, there was no information on how anesthetic affects local and systemic cellular immune function. We conducted this study to examine the impact of dex on the differentiation and function of immune cells at site of inflammation and in peripheral blood during endotoxemia of mice.

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Propofol is one of the most widely clinically used intravenous anesthetic, and it induces apoptosis in human and murine leukemia cell lines. Yet, whether propofol causes DNA damage and affects the mRNA expression of repair-associated genes in cancer cells remains undetermined. In the present study, we investigated the effects of propofol on DNA damage and associated mRNA gene expression in RAW264.

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Objective: Multimodal analgesia has been effectively used in postoperative pain control. Tramadol can be considered "multimodal" because it has two main mechanisms of action, an opioid agonist and a reuptake inhibitor of norepinephrine and serotonin. Tramadol is not as commonly used as morphine due to the increased incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV).

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Metastasis is a major cause of death of patients with malignant tumors. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are important for the migration and invasion of various types of cancer cell. Propofol is a known anesthetic agent, widely used for short-term anesthesia and for longer-term sedation.

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Purpose: The edible mushroom (fungus) Agaricus blazei Murill (ABM) is a health food in many countries. Importantly, it has been shown to have antitumor and immune effects. There is no available information on ABM-affected immune responses in leukemia mice in vivo.

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Prostate cancer has its highest incidence and is becoming a major concern. Many studies have shown that traditional Chinese medicine exhibited antitumor responses. Quercetin, a natural polyphenolic compound, has been shown to induce apoptosis in many human cancer cell lines.

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Sleep deprivation has been shown to be associated with an increase in inflammation that is also involved in the development of neointimal hyperplasia (or restenosis). The purpose of this study was to investigate whether total sleep deprivation (TSD) would worsen neointimal formation by balloon injury. Sixteen rats were randomly allocated into the following four groups: group 1, balloon angioplasty alone; group 2, TSD prior to angioplasty; group 3, angioplasty before TSD; and group 4, TSD before and after angioplasty.

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Propofol (2,6-diisopropylphenol) is the most extensively used general anesthetic-sedative agent and it is employed in clinical patients. It has been shown that propofol exhibits anticancer activities. However, there is no available information to address propofol-induced cytotoxic effects and affected gene expressions on murine leukemia cells.

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Etomidate is an important tool in the arsenal of the emergency physician, and it has been used in a variety of scenarios for both intubation and procedural sedation. In the present study, we investigated the cytotoxicity of etomidate including induction of apoptosis, and levels of protein and gene expressions associated with apoptotic cell death in murine leukemia RAW264.7 cells in vitro.

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This study examined the effects of needle-free electroacupuncture, at ST36 on postoperative pain following hysterectomy. Based on a double-blind, sham and different intervention controlled clinical experimental design, 47 women were randomly allocated to four different groups. Except for those in the control group (Group 1, n = 13), a course of treatment was given of either sham (Group 2, n = 12), high-frequency stimulation (Group 3, n = 12), or low-frequency stimulation (Group 4, n = 10).

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