title: Medicinal herb extract and a single-compound drug confer similar complex pharmacogenomic activities in mcf-7 cells.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Institute of BioAgricultural Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC. nsyang@gate.sinica.edu.tw
authors.forename: Ning-Sun
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Lie-Fen
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Shyur
authors.forename: Chih-Huai
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Sheng-Yang
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Chi-Meng
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Tzeng
mesh_terms: D016588:Anticarcinogenic Agents; D002460:Cell Line; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D006801:Humans; D029595:Orchidaceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D010597:Pharmacogenetics; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet
chemical_list: D016588:Anticarcinogenic Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts