Sunwoo Park

Phytosterols, which are present in a variety of foods, exhibit various physiological functions and do not have any side effects. Here, we attempted to identify functional role of campesterol in regulation of oxidative stress by leading to cell death of ovarian cancer. We investigated the effects of campesterol on cancer cell aggregation using a three-dimensional (3D) culture of human ovarian cancer cells. The effects of campesterol on apoptosis, protein expression, proliferation, the cell cycle, and the migration of these cells were determined to unravel the underlying mechanism. We also investigated whether campesterol regulates mitochondrial function, the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and calcium concentrations. Our results show that campesterol activates cell death signals and cell death in human ovarian cancer cells. Excessive calcium levels and ROS production were induced by campesterol in the two selected ovarian cancer cell lines. Moreover, campesterol suppressed cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, and cell aggregation in ovarian cancer cells. Campesterol also enhanced the anticancer effects of conventional anticancer agents. The present study shows that campesterol can be used as a novel anticancer drug for human ovarian cancer.

Ovarian cancer has a high mortality rate and high resistance to chemotherapy. Thus, many studies are currently assessing the ability of natural products to induce ovarian cancer cell death. A coumarin derivative, 4-methylumbelliferone (4-MU), has been reported to have anti-cancer effects on various cancers, but its effects on ovarian cancer are not fully understood. In this study, we identified the intracellular mechanism underlying the effects of 4-MU on epithelial ovarian cancer cells. Decreased ovarian cancer cell proliferation and an accumulation of cells in the G2/M phase were observed following 4-MU treatment. Moreover, 4-MU interfered with calcium homeostasis; induced endoplasmic reticulum stress in both cell lines; inhibited AKT and S6 phosphorylation; and increased ERK1/2, P38, and JNK phosphorylation. Furthermore, 4-MU and pharmacological inhibitors showed synergic effects in suppressing cell proliferation. Collectively, our current data indicate that antitumor effects of 4-MU could be appropriate for use as a therapeutic agent against epithelial ovarian cancer cells.

Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of gynecological cancer-related mortality. The anticancer effect of eupatilin, a family of flavonoids, is known in many cancer types, but it is unclear what mechanism it plays in ovarian cancer. In this study, eupatilin promoted cell death of ovarian cancer cells by activating caspases, cell cycle arrest, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, calcium influx, disruption of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)–mitochondria axis with SERPINB11 inhibition, and downregulation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) and mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways. Additionally, eupatilin-reduced SERPINB11 expression enhanced the effect of conventional chemotherapeutic agents against ovarian cancer cell progression. Cotreatment with siSERPINB11 and eupatilin increased calcium-ion-dependent apoptotic activity in ovarian cancer cells. Although there were no significant toxic effects of eupatilin on embryos, eupatilin completely inhibited tumorigenesis in a zebrafish xenograft model. In addition, eupatilin suppressed angiogenesis in zebrafish transgenic models. Collectively, downregulating SERPINB11 with eupatilin against cancer progression may improve therapeutic activity.

Pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy (PIPAC) has been suggested as an alternative option for treating peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC). Even with its clinical advantages, the current PIPAC system still suffers from limitations regarding drug distribution area and penetration depth. Thus, we evaluated the new PIPAC system using a novel prototype, and compared its performance to the results from previous studies related with the current MIP^® indirectly because the system is currently not available for purchase in the market. The developed prototype includes a syringe pump, a nozzle, and controllers. Drug distribution was conducted using a methylene blue solution for performance test. For penetration depth evaluation, an ex-vivo experiment was performed with porcine tissues in a 3.5 L plastic box. Doxorubicin was sprayed using the novel prototype, and its penetration depth was investigated by confocal laser scanning microscopy. The experiment was repeated with varying nozzle levels from the bottom. The novel prototype sprays approximately 30 μm drug droplets at a flow rate of 30 mL/min with 7 bars of pressure. The average diameter of sprayed region with concentrated dye was 18.5 ± 1.2 cm, which was comparable to that of the current MIP^® (about 10 cm). The depth of concentrated diffusion (DCD) did not differ among varying nozzle levels, whereas the depth of maximal diffusion (DMD) decreased with increasing distance between the prototype and the bottom (mean values, 515.3 μm at 2 cm; 437.6 μm at 4 cm; 363.2 μm at 8 cm), which was comparable to those of the current MIP^® (about 350–500 μm). We developed a novel prototype that generate small droplets for drug aerosolization and that have a comparably wide sprayed area and depth of penetration to the current MIP^® at a lower pressure.

Background: Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death in women. Although, recently, the number of pathological studies of breast cancer have increased, it is necessary to identify a novel compound that targets multiple signaling pathways involved in breast cancer. Methods: The effects of osthole on cell viability, apoptosis, mitochondria-mediated apoptosis, production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress proteins of BT-474 and MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines were investigated. Signal transduction pathways in both cells in response to osthole were determined by western blot analyses. Results: Here, we demonstrated that osthole inhibited cellular proliferation and induced cell cycle arrest through modulation of cell cycle regulatory genes in BT-474 and MCF-7 cells. Additionally, osthole induced loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), intracellular calcium imbalance, and ER stress. Moreover, osthole induced apoptosis by activating the pro-apoptotic protein, Bax, in both cell lines. Osthole regulated phosphorylation of signaling proteins such as Akt and ERK1/2 in human breast cancer cells. Furthermore, osthole-induced activation of JNK protein-mediated apoptosis in both cell lines. Conclusions: Collectively, the results of the present study indicated that osthole may ameliorate breast cancer and can be a promising therapeutic agent for treatment of breast cancer.