Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is prevalent but the current treatments remain to be improved. This study evaluated the effect of dietary mushrooms on expression of surface (HBsAg) and e (HBeAg) antigens of HBV. Hot-water extracts (HWE) of dietary mushrooms, Agrocybe aegerita (AA), Hypsizigus mamoreus (HM) and Flammulina velutipes (FV), were prepared and subjected to gel permeation chromatogr...

The influence of p53 on cytokine-triggered Janus kinase-STAT signaling was investigated in human hepatoma Hep3B cell lines engineered to constitutively express the temperature-sensitive Val135 mutant of p53. In comparison to the parental p53-free Hep3B cells, these p53-Val135-containing Hep3B cell lines displayed a reduced response to IL-6 at the wild-type-like p53 temperature (32.5 degrees C)....

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a primary malignancy of the liver and is a major cause of cancer related deaths worldwide. Only 10 to 20% of HCC can be surgically excised. Therefore, chemotherapeutic intervention and treatment is essential for achieving favorable prognosis. However, therapeutic outcome of chemotherapy is generally poor owing to inherent resistance of cancer cells to the treat...

Arsenic is a toxic metalloid known to interact with drug-metabolizing enzymes. In the present study, we investigated the effects of arsenic trioxide (As2O3), recently used as an anticancer drug, on the expression of human cytochrome P450 (P450) 1A1, which bioactivates polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons into mutagenic metabolites. Clinically relevant concentrations (0.25-5 microM) of As2O3 were de...

Erythropoietin (Epo), the hormone that stimulates red blood cell production, is induced by hypoxia. We have utilized the human hepatoma cell line, Hep3B, to investigate the regulation of the Epo gene. We present evidence that the oxygen sensor in Hep3B cells is a heme protein. Hypoxic and cobalt induction of Epo protein is paralleled by a 50- to 100-fold increase in Epo mRNA which we have accur...

Vitamin K2 (VK2) is an anti-proliferative agent toward a variety of cancer including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Because the growth inhibitory effect of VK2 to HCC has not been established yet, we investigated it in HCC cells in vitro. VK2 inhibited growth of Hep3B, but not of HepG2, HLF, and Huh6. VK2 induced the cell cycle arrest at the G1 phase and involvement of apoptosis was suggested ...

Destruxin B, a cyclodepsipeptide was originally identified as a plant pathogen from the fungus, Alternaria brassicae. We examined the antiviral activity of destruxin B and found that it suppresses the expression of the hepatitis B viral surface antigen (HBsAg) gene in human hepatoma Hep3B cells which carry an integrated viral gene in its chromosome. In contrast, destruxin B shows no cytotoxic e...

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a frequent cause of cancer-related death; therefore, more effective anticancer therapies for the treatment of HCC are needed. Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors serve as promising anticancer drugs because they can induce cell growth arrest and apoptosis. We previously reported that 3-[1-(4-methoxybenzenesulfonyl)-2,3-dihydro-1H-indol-5-yl]-N-hydroxyacrylamid...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Hirsutanol A is a novel sesquiterpene compound purified from fungus chondrostereum sp in Sarcophyton tortuosum. Its pharmacologic effect has not been reported yet. This study aimed to investigate cytotoxic effect of Hirsutanol A on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells and its mechanism. METHODS Hep3B cells were treated with different concentrations of Hirsutanol A. Ce...

AIM To investigate the anti-proliferative and apoptotic effects of Chaga mushroom (Inonotus obliquus) water extract on human hepatoma cell lines, HepG2 and Hep3B cells. METHODS The cytotoxicity of Chaga extract was screened by 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Morphological observation, flow cytometry analysis, Western blot were employed to elucidate t...