Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) has a poor prognosis because it is often diagnosed after it has spread and develops multi-drug resistance. Epibrassinolide (EB) is a plant steroid hormone with widespread distribution and physiological effects. In plants, EB-activated gene expression occurs via a GSK-mediated signaling pathway, similar to β-catenin signaling in animal cells that is elevated in cancer cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: In a previously reported Phase I trial, we observed therapy-associated declines in circulating myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) with the administration of white button mushroom (WBM) tablets in prostate cancer (PCa) patients. These observations led us to hypothesise that WBM could mitigate PCa progression by suppressing MDSCs.
Methods: We performed bidirectional translational research to examine the immunomodulatory effects of WBM consumption in both syngeneic murine PCa models and patients with PCa participating in an ongoing randomised Phase II trial (NCT04519879).
Pharmaceuticals (Basel)
January 2023
Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) has a dismal prognosis, in part because of the development of multi-drug resistance. Castasterone (CAS) is the metabolic precursor of the plant steroid hormone epibrassinolide (EB). In some plants, EB accounts for the total hormone activity, whereas in other plants, CAS is the active form.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCancer progression and mortality remain challenging because of current obstacles and limitations in cancer treatment. Continuous efforts are being made to explore complementary and alternative approaches to alleviate the suffering of cancer patients. Epidemiological and nutritional studies have indicated that consuming botanical foods is linked to a lower risk of cancer incidence and/or improved cancer prognosis after diagnosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFXenoestrogens and phytoestrogens are referred to as "foreign estrogens" that are produced outside of the human body and have been shown to exert estrogen-like activity. Xenoestrogens are synthetic industrial chemicals, whereas phytoestrogens are chemicals present in the plant. Considering that these environmental estrogen mimics potentially promote hormone-related cancers, an understanding of how they interact with estrogenic pathways in human cells is crucial to resolve their possible impacts in cancer.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiochem Biophys Res Commun
November 2017
Small-cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) has a dismal prognosis in part because of multidrug resistance (MDR). Epibrassinolide (EB) is a steroid hormone in plants, with many physiological effects. It acts via a membrane receptor and GSK3 pathway, resulting in stabilization of a transcription factor.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCancer Lett
October 2013
Small-cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) has a dismal prognosis in part because of multidrug resistance (MDR). Silibinin is a flavonolignan extracted from milk thistle (Silybum marianum), extracts of which are used in traditional medicine. We tested the effects of silibinin on drug-sensitive (H69) and multi-drug resistant (VPA17) SCLC cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMultidrug resistance is a major problem in small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). Ganoderma lucidum is a widely used herb in traditional Chinese medicine. We tested the effects of Ganoderma on drug-sensitive (H69) and multi-drug resistant (VPA) human SCLC cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEpidemiological studies on humans and investigations in animal models suggest that consumption of green tea has anti-cancer effects. Small-cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) has a poor prognosis, particularly due to the development of drug resistance. We investigated the effects of the green tea polyphenol, epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) on human SCLC cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPC-SPES is a mixture of herbs used in the treatment of prostate cancer. Batches of this product were found to contain traces of synthetic drugs, and the product was removed from the market. On the basis of a correlation between contaminant levels and cytotoxicity in prostate carcinoma cell lines, Sovak et al.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMulti-drug resistance due in part to membrane pumps such as P-glycoprotein (Pgp) is a major clinical problem in human cancers. We tested the ability of liposomally-encapsulated daunorubicin (DR) to overcome resistance to this drug. A widely used breast carcinoma cell line originally selected for resistance in doxorubicin (MCF7ADR) was 4-fold resistant to DR compared to the parent MCF7 cells (IC50 79 nM vs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOne of the greatest challenges in the treatment of pancreatic cancer remains its inherent lack of beneficial response to cytotoxic chemotherapy. Chinese herbal extracts have been widely used for the treatment of various cancers, but objective information on their efficacy in pancreatic cancer is lacking. Eight human pancreatic cancer cell lines (MIA, Panc-1, BxPC, ASPC, HS-766T, CaPan-2, CFPAC, and HTB-147) were studied for in vitro susceptibility to ethanol extracts of SPES and PC-SPES, two quality-controlled, dried, encapsulated supplements of 15 and eight Chinese herbs, respectively.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCancer Chemother Pharmacol
April 2002
Purpose: We examined the pharmacology, cell biology and molecular biology of small-cell lung carcinoma cells treated with four extracts of Chinese herbal medicines. Many cancer patients take these medicines, but their effects at the cellular level are largely unknown. We were especially interested in the effects on drug-resistant cells, as resistance is a significant clinical problem in lung cancer.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMultiple drug resistance is a significant problem in small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). Artemisinin (ART) is a natural product used to treat drug-resistant malaria. The drug is effective because the Fe2+ present in infected erythrocytes acts non-enzymatically to convert ART to toxic products.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFemale albino rats were exposed to methadone over a 35-day period by addition of the drug in their drinking water. The final dose of the drug was 1.8 mg/kg body weight per day.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLow serum levels of vitamin D metabolites have been associated with an increased risk for colon cancer. To investigate the effects of vitamin D deficiency on the colon, 4-week-old mice were fed a diet either containing (100,000 IU/kg diet) or lacking this vitamin for 3 weeks. Food consumption and body weight gain were similar in both groups.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe activities of two key enzymes of glycolysis and two key enzymes of gluconeogenesis were measured in liver samples from 44 human fetuses ranging in gestational age from 20 weeks to term, from infants to 10 years and from adults from 21 to 58 years. Specific activities of both gluconeogenic enzymes, fructose-1,6-biphosphatase and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, increased throughout the period of fetal development examined, and rose to near adult levels after birth. The activities of both glycolytic enzymes, phosphofructokinase 1 and pyruvate kinase, were lower in fetal than in pediatric and adult samples.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe transition from cytosolic ("fetal") to mitochondrial ("adult") thymidine kinase, as detected by electrophoresis, was examined in six human fetal tissues of gestational ages 11-40 weeks. In all tissues there was an early period during development in which only the fetal form was detected, followed by a transitional period in which both fetal and adults forms were present, followed by a later period in which only the adult enzyme occurred. Transitional periods were 23-25 wk.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPregnant rats were given a diet supplemented with 0.5% alpha-methyl-phenylalanine and 3% phenylalanine from the 12th day of gestation to term. Compared to unsupplemented controls, maternal serum phenylalanine was elevated 8-10-fold.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGlycerol kinase activity was identified in extracts of higher plant seeds and seedlings, and was partially purified and characterized from cucumber radicle tissue. The enzyme was localized in the post-mitochondrial supernatant of the cell, and catalyzed the formation of glycerol-3-phosphate. The pH optiumum was 9.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe activities of three key enzymes of glycerol metabolism were measured in liver samples from 37 human fetuses ranging in gestational age from 18 weeks to term, from neonates (1-3 days) and from infants to 2 years. Glycerol kinase specific activity was constant throughout the period of fetal development examined, and was comparable to that measured in neonates and infants. However, the subcellular distribution of the activity changed markedly, being predominantly particulate in fetal samples and cytoplasmic in postnatal samples.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStudies of tissue culture cells and tissue slices have implicated the nucleotides, cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP, in the mechanism of action of opiates. However, there are little in vivo data to corroborate this hypothesis. We addicted rats to the synthetic opiate, methadone, by providing the drug in their drinking water (dosage 2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTricyclic antidepressant drugs bind to histamine receptors in rodent and other mammalian tissues. However, a readily accessible, normal human tissue for studies of these drugs has not been available. We showed that freshly isolated human leukocytes can be used for this purpose.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo)
April 1982
Male rabbits were injected intraperitoneally for five consecutive days with one of the following: (A) 0.3 ml/kg dimethyl ethylene glycol (solvent); (B) 40 mg/kg cholesterol and 8 mg/kg ergocalciferol in solvent; (C) same regimen as B with the addition of 150 mg/kg ascorbic acid in water. Daily blood samples were taken for determination of cholesterol and triglycerides, and for lipoprotein electrophoresis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Inherit Metab Dis
June 1983
Glycerol kinase deficiency has been associated with neuromuscular, skeletal and adrenal abnormalities and has also been seen in individuals without these clinical findings. Examination of residual enzyme activity in patients' liver, kidney, leukocytes and fibroblasts showed a generalized, heritable defect: the apparent Km for glycerol was increased 5-200-fold over control values, whereas the apparent Km for ATP was not significantly altered. This kinetic defect was similar in fibroblasts from clinically different individuals with this inborn error of metabolism.
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