Biofactors - Volume 28, issue 3-4

Authors: Suzuki, Keiko | Tanaka, Izumi | Nakanishi, Ikuo | Kurematsu, Ayako | Yakumaru, Haruko | Ikota, Nobuo | Ishihara, Hiroshi

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Among antioxidative polyphenols, caffeic acid esters such as caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) and chlorogenic acid are contained in propolis, vegetables and coffee. In this study, we compared the efficacy of some polyphenols on the activation level of a cytoprotective heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) gene in RAW264.7 mouse macrophage cells using quantitative real-time RT-PCR. The quantitative study revealed a variety of activation level of HO-1 gene by the chemicals. CAPE and caffeic acid ethyl ester (CAEE) at …the final concentration of 2 μM drastically activated the HO-1 gene to 39.2-fold and 20.1-fold, respectively. Curcumin, structurally related with caffeic acid and an element of turmeric, induced the HO-1 gene to 5.8-fold. In contrast, no activation was observed by other caffeic acid esters such as chlorogenic acid and rosmarinic acid. Higher concentrations were necessary for the activation by an antioxidant cysteamine and the electrophile diethyl maleate. Although the inducible activities of CAPE and chlorogenic acid were distinctly different, they showed similar reductive capacities when determined by cyclic voltammetry. These results show that the drastic activation of HO-1 gene by CAPE and CAEE is dependent upon their chemical structures, rather than the reductive activity of polyphenols, possibly reflecting the physiological effects of the nutritional elements. Show more

Keywords: Caffeic acid phenethyl ester, caffeic acid ethyl ester, real-time RT-PCR, cyclic voltammetry, curcumin

Citation: BioFactors, vol. 28, no. 3-4, pp. 151-158, 2006

Authors: Jung, Jae In | Chung, Eunkyung | Seon, Mi Ra | Shin, Hyun-Kyung | Kim, Eun Ji | Lim, Soon Sung | Chung, Won-Yoon | Park, Kwang-Kyun | Park, Jung Han Yoon

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Isoliquiritigenin (ISL), a flavonoid found in licorice, shallot, and bean sprouts, has been identified as a potent anti-tumor promoting agent. We previously demonstrated that ISL reduces cell proliferation and induces apoptosis in DU145 human prostate cancer cells and MAT-LyLu (MLL) rat prostate cancer cells. Overexpression of members of the ErbB receptor family is a frequently observed event in several human cancers, and ErbB receptors currently constitute the primary targets of anticancer strategies. In order to …elucidate the mechanisms underlying the ISL regulation of prostate cancer cell proliferation, the present study attempted to determine whether ISL inhibits heregulin (HRG)-β-induced ErbB3 signaling. DU145 and MLL cells were cultured in serum-free medium with ISL and/or HRG-β. Exogenous HRG-β alone was shown to effect an increase in the numbers of viable cells, whereas HRG-β did not counteract the ISL-induced growth inhibition. ISL reduced the protein and mRNA levels of ErbB3 in a dose-dependent manner, but exerted no effect on HRG protein levels. Immunoprecipitation/Western blot studies indicated that ISL inhibited the HRG-β-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of ErbB3, the recruitment of the p85 regulatory subunit of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) to ErbB3, and Akt phosphorylation in DU145 cells. These results indicate that ISL inhibits the proliferation of prostate cancer cells, at least in part, via the inhibition of ErbB3 signaling and the PI3K/Akt pathway. Show more

Keywords: Isoliquiritigenin, prostate cancer cells, ErbB signaling, Akt, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, ERK-1/2

Citation: BioFactors, vol. 28, no. 3-4, pp. 159-168, 2006

Authors: Vaya, Jacob | Mahmood, Saeed

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: The total flavonoid content of leaf extracts (70% ethanol) from fig (Ficus carica L.), carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.) and pistachio (Pistacia lentiscus L.) plants were determined by using reverse phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-and analyzed by UV/VIS array and electrospray ionization (ESI)-mass spectrometry (MS) detectors. As a base for comparison, flavonoid type and level were also determined in extracts from soybeans and grape seeds. It was found that the major flavonoids in Ficus …are quercetin and luteolin, with a total of 631 and 681 mg/kg extract, respectively. In Ceratonia leaves, nine different flavonoids were detected. The major one was myricetin (1486 mg/kg extract), with a similar level in Pistacia (1331 mg/kg extract, myricetin). The present study is the first to report the presence of the isoflavone genistein in the Pistacia leaf, which was discovered to consist of about a third of the genistein level detected in soybean. Show more

Keywords: Flavonoids, detection, Ficus, Ceratonia, Pistacia, LC/MS

Citation: BioFactors, vol. 28, no. 3-4, pp. 169-175, 2006

Authors: Chu, Chih-Sheng | Kou, Hwang-Shang | Lee, Chun-Jing | Lee, Kun-Tai | Chen, Su-Hwei | Voon, Wen-Chol | Sheu, Sheng-Hsiung | Lai, Wen-Ter

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Statin therapy can reduce the biosynthesis of both cholesterol and coenzyme Q_{10} by blocking the common upstream mevalonate pathway. Coenzyme Q_{10} depletion has been speculated to play a potential role in statin-related adverse events, and withdrawal of statin is the choice in patients developing myotoxicity or liver toxicity. However, the effect of statin withdrawal on circulating levels of coenzyme Q_{10} remains unknown. Twenty-six patients with hypercholesterolemia …received atorvastatin at 10 mg/day for 3 months. Serum lipid profiles and coenzyme Q_{10} were assessed before and immediately after 3 months and were also measured 2 and 3 days after the last day on the statin. After 3 months' atorvastatin therapy, serum levels of total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and coenzyme Q_{10} (0.43 ± 0.23 to 0.16 ± 0.10 μg/mL) were all significantly reduced (all p < 0.001). On day 2 after the last atorvastatin, the coenzyme Q_{10} level was significantly elevated (0.37 ± 0.16 μg/mL) and maintained the same levels on day 3 (0.39 ± 0.18 μg/mL) compared with those on month 3 (both p< 0.001), while TC and LDL-C did not significantly change within the same 3 days. These results suggest that statin inhibition of coenzyme Q_{10} synthesis is less strict than inhibition of cholesterol biosynthesis. Show more

Keywords: Withdrawal, atorvastatin, coenzyme Q_{10}, hypercholesterolemia

Citation: BioFactors, vol. 28, no. 3-4, pp. 177-184, 2006

Authors: Hamano, Hiroki | Yoshinaga, Koji | Eta, Runa | Emori, Yutaka | Kawasaki, Daisuke | Iino, Yuka | Sawada, Miwa | Kuroda, Hiroyuki | Takei, Mineo

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: The effect of polaprezinc, a chelate compound consisting of zinc ion and L-carnosine, on abnormalities of taste sensation induced by feeding a zinc-deficient diet to rats was examined by using the two-bottle preference test (quinine hydrochloride as a bitter taste and sodium chloride as a salty taste). Rats were fed either a zinc-deficient or a zinc-sufficient diet. The zinc-deficient diet increased the preference for both taste solutions, while polaprezinc (at doses of 3 and 10 mg/kg) …restored the altered taste preferences. We also evaluated the proliferation of taste bud cells using 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU). The BrdU incorporation into taste bud cells was significantly reduced in rats fed a zinc-deficient diet compared with rats fed a zinc-sufficient diet (from 50.8% to 45.0%, p<0.05) and this reduction was reversed by polaprezinc at doses of 1, 3, and 10 mg/kg, increasing to 50.2%, 53.5%, and 52.5%, respectively. These findings indicate that zinc deficiency induces the delayed of proliferation of taste bud cells, while polaprezinc improves cell proliferation. In conclusion, polaprezinc had a therapeutic effect in a rat model of abnormal taste sensation. Its mechanism of action was suggested to involve improvement of the decrease in taste bud cell proliferation caused by zinc deficiency. Show more

Keywords: Taste disorder, zinc, two-bottle preference test, taste bud cell proliferation, rat, Z-103

Citation: BioFactors, vol. 28, no. 3-4, pp. 185-193, 2006

Authors: Naghii, Mohammad Reza | Torkaman, Giti | Mofid, Mahmood

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Objective: The objective of this study was to consider the effects of boron (B) and calcium (Ca) supplementation on mechanical properties of bone tissues and mineral content of the selected bones in rats. Methods: Adult male Sprague Dawley rats underwent three different treatments with boron and calcium in their drinking water, while taking diet ad libitum for 4 weeks. Rats in the three treatment groups received 2 mg B/d, 300 mg Ca/d, and a combination …of 2 mg B+ 300 mg Ca/d, respectively. After the experimental period body weights were recorded and bone mechanical properties were determined on the tibiae, femurs, and fifth lumbar vertebral bones and the mineral contents of these bones was calculated as the ash percentage. Results: Better measurement of bone mechanical properties were observed for boron supplementation. The stiffness of the lumbar vertebral bones tended to increase in all groups and was significant for Ca supplementation. The significant maximal load obtained for boron in all bones indicates higher strength and less strength for apparently a high level of calcium, while this negative defect in the case of lumbar vertebral bones was corrected in the presence of boron. Highest mean energy to maximal load was shown with boron supplementation, demonstrating significant values with Ca group, and lower energy for the lumbar vertebral bones in Ca group in comparison with the controls. Less deformation at the yield points was shown in Ca group. There were no significant differences in ash weights among the four groups. Conclusions: Additional and longer studies are warranted to further determine the effects of supplemental boron with different calcium levels and possibly other minerals involved in bone mechanical properties in rats. Show more

Keywords: Boron, calcium, supplementation, mechanical properties of bones, rats

Citation: BioFactors, vol. 28, no. 3-4, pp. 195-201, 2006

Authors: Tao, Yingqun | Wei, Qing | Xu, Zaihua | Bai, Rulin | Li, Yao | Luo, Chun | Dong, Yan | Gao, Guoyi | Lu, Yicheng

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Meningiomas, which originate from arachnoid cells and constitute the largest subgroup of all intracranial tumors, are generally benign, yet have the capacity to progress into a higher histological grade of malignancy associated with an increase in biological aggressivity and/or capacity to recur. To elucidate meningioma pathogenesis and malignancy, we applied a holistic and network approach analyzing cDNA and tissue microarray results. A potential pathway leading to meningioma angiogenesis, apoptosis and proliferation was …evidenced as well as a regulatory network of the biomarkers including Ki-67, AR, CD34, P53, c-MYC, etc. which might support clinical research. In this potential pathway, ITGB1 could be the most important "superoncogene" playing a vital role in apoptosis and proliferation, while FOXO3A, MDM4 and MT3 are important to the malignancy process. Some genes are first reported that could explain why radiation induces meningioma and why more female than male patients are affected. Further, we present the hypothesis that HIV-Tat protein might have a close relationship with meningioma pathogenesis and malignancy. Show more

Citation: BioFactors, vol. 28, no. 3-4, pp. 203-219, 2006