OBJECTIVE Three fractions (SM, SM-A, SM-B) were prepared from different polarity parts of Ipomoea batatas Lam. (cv.simon) leaves and the anti-tumor potency as well as the dose-response relations were evaluated. METHODS The anti-tumor activities of fraction SM, SM-A or SM-B were screened by MTS in human hepatic cancer Hep3B cells, lung cancer A549 cells or gastric carcinoma MGC803 cells, respe...

It has been reported that the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays an important role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the relationship between the insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and EMT of HCC was not fully elucidated. In the present work, we found that the expression of N-cadherin, Vimentin, Snail1, Snail2, and Twist1 was positively associated with IGF-1R expression, ...

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play critical roles in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the expression and biological function of miR-345 in HCC remain unknown. The present study demonstrated that miR-345 expression was reduced in HCC tissues and cell lines. Decreased miR-345 expression was associated with unfavorable clinical features and poor prognosis. In vitro functional assays showed that miR-3...

The aggressiveness and lack of well-tolerated widely effective treatments for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the predominant form liver cancer, rationalize its rank as second most common cause cancer-related death. Preclinical models need to be adapted recapitulate human conditions select best therapeutic candidates clinical development aid delivery personalized medicine. Three-dimens...

AIM The biopotential of the essential oils of the Greek aromatic plants Satureja thymbra and Satureja parnassica were investigated, together with their major components carvacrol, thymol, γ-terpinene and p-cymene. MATERIALS AND METHODS Antioxidant and cancer cell cytotoxic properties were determined using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and sulforhodamine B assays, respectively. The antiprolife...

Mutations affecting the p53 gene abrogate its tumor suppressor activity. It is, however, unclear whether such mutations can generate mutant p53 proteins with an intrinsic transforming ability. More importantly, the mechanism(s) by which they exert such activity is unknown. We report here that p53-deficient hepatoma cells (Hep3B) transfected with mutant p53-249ser (codon 249 Arg-->Ser) acquire a...

BACKGROUND Trigonelline occurs in many dietary food plants and has been found to have anti-carcinogenic activity. Trigonelline is also found in coffee which is one of the most widely consumed beverages. Many epidemiological studies have reported that coffee consumption has an inverse relationship with the risk of cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma. It would be interesting to investigate whet...

BACKGROUND Gene-based virotherapy mediated by oncolytic viruses is currently experiencing a renaissance in cancer therapy. However, relatively little attention has been given to the potentiality of dual gene virotherapy strategy as a novel therapeutic approach to mediate triplex anticancer combination effects, particularly if the two suitable genes are well chosen. Both tumor necrosis factor-re...

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) initiates STAT3 signaling in plasma membrane rafts with the subsequent transit of Tyr-phosphorylated STAT3 (PY-STAT3) through the cytoplasmic compartment to the nucleus in association with accessory proteins. We initially identified caveolin-1 (cav-1) as a candidate STAT3-associated accessory protein due to its co-localization with STAT3 and PY-STAT3 in flotation raft fract...

Significant progress has been made in Hepatitis C virus (HCV) culture since the JFH1 strain cloning. However, developing efficient and physiologically relevant culture systems for all viral genotypes remains an important goal. In this work, we aimed at producing a high titer JFH1 derived virus to test different hepatic cells' permissivity. To this end, we performed successive infections and obt...