Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) ligands have been implicated in the growth inhibition and differentiation of certain human cancers with diverse tissue origin. In this ...study, expression of PPARgamma in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and the effect of PPARgamma ligands on HCC cells were investigated in vitro using Hep G2, HuH-7, KYN-1 and KYN-2 cell lines. All cell lines were found to express functionally active PPARgamma and a marked growth inhibition was induced by thiazolidinedione ligands troglitazone, and pioglitazone as well as with its natural ligand 15-deoxy-Delta(12,14)-prostaglandin J(2). The growth inhibitory effect was associated with a dose-dependent inhibition of DNA synthesis, cell cycle progression and alpha fetoprotein expression.
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DOBA, EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, IZUM, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Clinical research is important to improve medical quality, and ethics review is essential to conduct clinical research. Since the establishment of the first Japanese ethics committee at the ...University of Tokushima in 1982, Japanese ethics committees have increased. In this study, we surveyed the status of clinical studies and ethics committees in one Japanese region. The survey was conducted in collaboration with the Tokushima Medical Association. A questionnaire was established and mailed to all medical institutions (n=737) registered to the Tokushima Medical Association in 2012. Among 737, 223 (30.3%) questionnaires were returned and 221 were completed and are included in this analysis (respondents). Among respondents, 51 (23.1%) had performed clinical research, and of these, 17 had established ethics committees (though one was omitted from the following analysis due to an unsatisfactory response). Among 16 ethics committees, review of protocol amendments, review of serious adverse events, annual follow-up of approved protocols, and education for committee members were active in 10 (62.5%), 9 (56.3%), 6 (37.5%) and 4 (25.0%), respectively. Research ethics education was active in 4 (25.0%). Based on the results, we attempt to establish an appropriate system for ethical conduct of health-related research in Tokushima Prefecture. J. Med. Invest. 61: 399-403, August, 2014
This paper describes the synthesis and biological evaluation of fluoro-pegylated (FPEG) chalcones for the imaging of β-amyloid (Aβ) plaques in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). FPEG chalcone ...derivatives were prepared by the aldol condensation reaction. In binding experiments conducted in vitro using Aβ(1−42) aggregates, the FPEG chalcone derivatives having a dimethylamino group showed higher K i values (20−50 nM) than those having a monomethylamino or a primary amine group. When the biodistribution of 11C-labeled FPEG chalcone derivatives having a dimethyamino group was examined in normal mice, all four derivatives were found to display sufficient uptake for imaging Aβ plaques in the brain. 18F-labeled 7c also showed good uptake by and clearance from the brain, although a slight difference between the 11C and 18F tracers was observed. When the labeling of Aβ plaques was carried out using brain sections of AD model mice and an AD patient, the FPEG chalcone derivative 7c intensely labeled Aβ plaques. Taken together, the results suggest 7c to be a useful candidate PET tracer for detecting Aβ plaques in the brain of patients with AD.
In vivo imaging of beta -amyloid (A beta ) aggregates in the brain may lead to early detection of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and monitoring of the progression and effectiveness of treatment. The ...purpose of this study was to develop novel 18F-labeled amyloid-imaging probes based on flavones as a core structure. Fluoropegylated (FPEG) flavone derivatives were designed and synthesized. The affinity of the derivatives for A beta aggregates varied from 5 to 321 nM. In brain sections of AD model mice, FPEG flavones with the dimethylamino group intensely stained beta -amyloid plaques. In biodistrubution experiments using normal mice, they displayed high uptake in the brain ranging from 2.9 to 4.2%ID/g at 2 min postinjection. The radioactivity washed out from the brain rapidly (1.3-2.0%ID/g at 30 min), which is highly desirable for beta -amyloid imaging agents. FPEG flavones may be potential PET imaging agents for beta -amyloid plaques in Alzheimer's brains.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
We compared the dietary effects of dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid (DGLA) contained in the DGLA oil produced by a fungus with gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) on the fatty acid composition. Wistar rats were ...fed with three kinds of oil for two weeks as follows: (i) control group: corn oil; (ii) GLA group: borage oil; (iii) DGLA group: DGLA oil/safflower oil=55:45. The DGLA concentrations in the liver, serum, and brain of the DGLA group were higher than those of the GLA oil group. We also examined the dose effect of DGLA. The DGLA levels in the liver, serum, and brain significantly increased with increasing dosage of DGLA in the diet. DGLA administration significantly increased the ratio of PGEsub(1)/PGEsub(2) in the rat plasma. The mechanism for GLA administration to improve atopic eczema is thought to involve an increase in the concentration of DGLA metabolized from GLA, so these results suggest that the dietary effect of DGLA would be more dominant than GLA.
Abstract
Cancer microenvironment is characterized by severe hypoxia and nutrient deprivation, especially glucose. Cancer depends largely on glycolysis for energy production (Warburg effect), ...therefore tumor hypoxia is mainly caused by poor blood supply despite vigorous angiogenesis. Severe tumor hypoxia and glucose deprivation promote tumor progression and affects tumor behavior especially resistance to anticancer drugs. We have focused on the invention of agents that cancel cancer cells' ability to tolerate poor oxygen and glucose supply (antiausterity) and found many agents including kigamicin, pyrvinium pamoate, and arctigenin. Because antitumor activity and safety profile were excellent in preclinical test, arctigenin was chosen for the first compound for clinical trial. Arctigenin is rich in fruit of Arctinum lappa which is filed in Japanese Pharmacopoeia, we have invented an extraction method to enrich arctigenin (GBS-01, Kracie Pharma, Ltd.) and used in clinical trial. GBS-01 contained arctigenin about 10% in weight. Pancreatic cancer is characterized for its hypovascularity and severe hypoxia in cancer tissue has been reported and, in addition, only limited benefit of chemotherapy has been achieved so far. Patients, material and design of trial: Pancreatic cancer patients refractory to gemcitabine were selected for the phase I clinical trial of GBS-01. Primary endpoint of the trial was determination of recommended dose by assessing DLT in dose escalation study from 1 g/day to 4 g/day, corresponding to 100 mg to 400 mg arctigenin/day. GBS-01 administration was continued until either unacceptable adverse effcts or evident progression of the cancer appeared. Pharmacokinetic study was also carried out as a secondary endpoint. Results:Fifteen patients were enrolled and three patients were not evaluated because of early stopping due to progression of the disease. Results: Among 12 patients evaluated, no DLT was observed. No serious adverse effects on bone marrow, liver and kidney function was observed. Pharmacokinetic study revealed that arctigenin is efficiently absorbed and rapidly conjugated with glucuronic acid. Serum concentration of arctgenin glucuronide was about 100 to several hundreds higher than that of arctigenin, indicating glucuronidation in the first pass. Urinary secretion of arctigenin and its glucuronide was more than half of administered dose in more than half of patients, indicating high bioavailability. Regarding clinical tumor response, partial response was observed in one patient at 2.5 g/day (level 2) for 2 months followed by 2four months stable disease (SD) and SD was observed in other four patients. Median progression free survival was 1.05 months and median overall survival was 5.68 months.Conclusion: Arctigenin showed high bioavailability, high safety profile, and promising clinical responses.
Citation Format: Hiroyasu Esumi, Satoshi Owada, Rumi Fujioka, Katsuya Tsuchihara, Atsushi Ohtsu, Aihiro Sato, Masafumi Ikeda, Nobuo Mochizuki, Satoshi Kishino, Takanori Kawashima, Satoshi Yomoda. Arctigenin, an antiausterity agent shows high safety and promising clinical response in phase I clinical trial in patient with gemcitabine-refractory pancreatic cancer. abstract. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr CT213. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-CT213
Peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor γ (PPARγ) acts as a ligand‐activated transcription factor. Although ligand‐induced cellular differentiation and growth inhibition have been mostly studied ...on human cancers expressing PPARγ, it is unclear if the transcriptional activation of PPARγ is the main mechanism of growth inhibition. In this study, we investigated whether there is a link between growth inhibitory effect and transcriptional activation of PPARγ in several gastrointestinal tumour cell lines. The transcriptional activation potential of PPARγ was assessed by reporter gene assay employing a PPRE‐luciferase vector, and growth inhibitory effect of PPARγ was investigated by 3H‐thymidine incorporation assay, in the presence or absence of thiazolidinedione ligands, rosiglitazone and troglitazone. As expected, in the case of cell lines positive for the transcriptional activation potential of PPARγ (T.Tn, MKN‐45 and LoVo), both the ligands induced growth inhibition. However, in case of some other cell lines negative for the transcriptional activation potential of PPARγ (TT, AGS and HCT‐15), troglitazone still showed a growth inhibitory effect. Administration of the PPARγ antagonist GW9662 did not reverse this growth inhibitory activity of troglitazone. The introduction of dominant negative mutants of PPARγ did not suppress the activity either. These observations suggest that while rosiglitazone inhibits cellular growth predominantly through transcriptional activation of PPARγ, troglitazone can induce it both in PPARγ‐dependent and ‐independent pathways.
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BFBNIB, DOBA, FZAB, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), a potent inducer of cell migration with morphogenic and mitogenic actions was reported to have key roles in the repair of various tissues. In order to evaluate the ...role of HGF in the repair process of inflammatory bowel disease, we have investigated the HGF expression in a dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) colitis model. We randomly assigned rats to a colitis group or to a placebo group; the former received a 7-day course of 5% DSS (mw 5 kDa) in drinking water. DSS-induced severe colitis in rats manifested with weight loss, diarrhea, and intestinal bleeding. Animals were killed from day 1 through 7 and on days 9 and 14 after the end of DSS administration. After DSS was withdrawn, disease activity subsided gradually and HGF expression was significantly enhanced along with the augmented expression of IL-1beta, TNF-alpha, and cyclooxygenase-2, accompanied by an increased number of proliferating epithelial cells in colon. These findings suggest that proinflammatory cytokines and cyclooxygenase-2 may have an important role in the mucosal repair in inflammatory bowel disease through increased production of HGF.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OBVAL, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ