Browsing by Author "Tzeng, CM"

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Induction of apoptosis in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells by phytochemicals from Anoectochilus formosanus
(2004-01-01)
Shyur, LF
;
Chen, CH
;
Lo, CP
;
Wang, SY
;
Kang, PL
The antitumor activity of Anoectochilus formosanus Hayata (Orchidaceae), a popularly used folk medicine in the treatment of cancers in Asia, was investigated in MCF-7 human mammary carcinoma cells. Plant extracts of A. formosanus were observed to induce apoptosis of MCF-7 cells as evidenced by cell-morphological changes, an early redistribution of plasma membrane phosphatidylserine, and DNA content distribution studies. Bioactivity-guided fractionation of A. formosanus extracts produced a specific ethyl acetate (EA)-partitioned fraction in which apoptotic activity was enriched. The chemical profile and candidate index compounds of the active EA fraction were obtained using HPLC and various spectral analyses. Western blot analysis showed that upon treatment of MCF-7 cells with the EA fraction, cleavage of pro-caspases-8, -9, and -7, and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase as well as significant release of mitochondrial cytochrome c into the cytosol were readily observed. Flow cytometry showed that the Fas ligand protein was overexpressed in EA-treated MCF-7 cells. Functional genomic studies indicated that specific genes related to cytoskeleton rearrangement, apoptotic signal transduction, and various transcription factors were differentially regulated in EA-treated MCF-7 cells. Putative apoptotic signaling pathways of MCF-7 cells in response to the EA extract of A. formosanus are proposed. Copyright (C) 2004 National Science Council, ROC and S. Karger AG, Basel.
Medicinal herb extract and a single-compound drug confer similar complex pharmacogenomic activities in MCF-7 cells
(2004-01-01)
Yang, NS
;
Shyur, LF
;
Chen, CH
;
Wang, SY
;
Tzeng, CM
Metabolite profiling and DNA microarray analysis of global gene expression profiles were employed to characterize the bioactivities of the herbal extract of Anoectochilus formosanus (AF), a popular folk medicine with anticancer activity, in MCF-7 cancer cells. The pharmacogenomic activities of this plant extract as a crude phytocompound mixture were compared to those conferred by the single-compound drug, plumbagin. A similar level of complexity in transcriptional regulation at the genomic level was observed for both AF extract- and plumbagin-treated MCF-7 cells, as revealed by the number of up- or downregulated genes as well as by the specific but distinct patterns found in the gene-clustering analysis. This finding offers evidence to support the search for fractionated medicinal herb extracts or phytocompound mixtures, in addition to single-compound drugs, as defined therapeutic agents. Copyright (C) 2004 National Science Council, ROC and S. Karger AG, Basel.