A potent and selective anti-tumor agent on human gastric adenocarcinoma

April 20, 2009

Previous studies on shikonin, a chemical derived from the Chinese medicinal herb had anti-tumor effects although it was found to be toxic. However, an acetyl derivative, acetylshikonin had less toxicity and prevented the growth of sarcomas. However, knowledge of the effect of acetylshikonin on gastric cancer in vitro and especially in vivo is unknown.

A research article to be published on April 21, 2009 in the World Journal of Gastroenterology addresses this question. The research team led by Prof. Zhou from Department of Pharmacology of Sichuan University analyzes the effect of acetylshikonin on gastric cancer cell line SGC-7901 and in vivo in nude mice injected with the same cells.

The authors used the gastric carcinoma cell line SGC-7901 and treated the cells in culture with various doses of acetylshikonin. They observed that increased doses of the drug resulted in increased death of the cells using MTT assay. Further analysis using TUNEL assay, Hoechst staining and FACScan showed that cell death is mediated by apoptotic pathways. This was further by increase in the Bax and decrease in Bcl-2 both at the mRNA and protein level as shown by RT-PCR and western blot analysis. In order to see if the drug was also effective in vivo, the authors injected the cells subcutaneously into nude mice and challenged them with acetylshikonin along with cyclophosphamide as a positive control. Consistent with their in vitro studies, administration of acetylshikonin into mice resulted in significant shrinkage of tumor volume and also showed increased ratio of Bax/Blc-2 as seen with cultured cells. Taken together, these data suggest that acetylshikonin has potent anti-tumor activity against gastric tumors and should be explored for further development for therapeutic use.

More information: Zeng Y, Liu G, Zhou LM. Inhibitory effect of acetylshikonin on human gastric carcinoma cell line SGC-7901 in vitro and in vivo. World J Gastroenterol 2009; 15(15): 1816-1820, http://www.wjgnet. … /15/1816.asp

Source: (news : web)


Rank 5 /5 (1 vote)
Relevant PhysicsForums posts
  • Is Everyday Technology Killing Us?
    createdFeb 08, 2012
  • Exercise and weight loss
    createdFeb 08, 2012
  • Why do we have head aches? Our brains can't feel anything.
    createdFeb 07, 2012
  • "The end of diseases" by David Agus, interview from Daily Show with Jon Stewart
    createdFeb 04, 2012
  • Oncolytic adenovirus
    createdFeb 04, 2012
  • Nutrition label stuffs and diets
    createdFeb 02, 2012
  • More from Physics Forums - Medical Sciences

More news stories

Discovery paves way for salmonella vaccine

(Medical Xpress) -- An international research team led by a University of California, Davis, immunologist has taken an important step toward an effective vaccine against salmonella, a group of increasingly antibiotic-resistant ...

Medicine & Health / Research

created 12 minutes ago | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

First-of-its-kind stem cell study re-grows healthy heart muscle in heart attack patients

Results from a Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute clinical trial show that treating heart attack patients with an infusion of their own heart-derived cells helps damaged hearts re-grow healthy muscle.

Medicine & Health / Cardiology

created 18 minutes ago | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Ovarian cancer arises in fallopian tube of knockout mice

(Medical Xpress) -- The most deadly form of "ovarian" cancer arises in the fallopian tubes – not the ovaries – of knockout mice that lack two genes associated with the disease, said researchers led by Baylor College ...

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created 13 minutes ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Smoking bans lead to less, not more, smoking at home: study

Smoking bans in public/workplaces don't drive smokers to light up more at home, suggests a study of four European countries with smoke free legislation, published online in Tobacco Control.

Medicine & Health / Health

created 18 minutes ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

UK cases of progressive sight loss condition set to rise a third by 2020

New cases of the progressive sight loss condition, known as age-related macular degeneration, or AMD for short, are set to rise by a third in the UK over the next decade, reveals research published online in the British Jo ...

Medicine & Health / Diseases

created 17 minutes ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0


Scientists discover reason for Mt. Hood's non-explosive nature

(PhysOrg.com) -- For a half-million years, Mount Hood has towered over the landscape, but unlike some of its cousins in Oregon’s Cascade Mountains and many other volcanoes around the Pacific “Rim ...

Time of year important in projections of climate change effects on ecosystems

(PhysOrg.com) -- Does it matter whether long periods of hot weather, such as last year's heat wave that gripped the U.S. Midwest, happen in June or July, August or September?

Medical school link to wide variations in pass rate for specialist exam

Wide variations in doctors' pass rates, for a professional exam that is essential for one type of specialty training, seem to be linked to the particular medical school where the student graduated, indicates research published ...

Missing dark matter located: Intergalactic space is filled with dark matter

Researchers at the University of Tokyo’s Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (IPMU) and Nagoya University used large-scale computer simulations and recent observational data of gravitational ...

Plants use circadian rhythms to prepare for battle with insects

In a study of the molecular underpinnings of plants' pest resistance, Rice University biologists have shown that plants both anticipate daytime raids by hungry insects and make sophisticated preparations to ...

Sensing self and non-self: New research into immune tolerance

At the most basic level, the immune system must distinguish self from non-self, that is, it must discriminate between the molecular signatures of invading pathogens (non-self antigens) and cellular constituents that usually ...