title: Bufalin, a traditional oriental medicine, induces apoptosis in human cancer cells.
abstract: Bufalin is a traditional oriental medicines which induces apoptosis in some lines of human tumor cells. It constitutes the major digoxin-like immunoreactive component of Chan Su, obtained from the skin and parotid venom glands of toads. Bufalin is cardioactive C-24 steroids that exhibits a variety of biological activities, such as cardiotonic, anaesthetic, blood pressure stimulatory, respiratory and antineoplastic effects. In terms of its anti-tumor activity, bufalin has been demonstrated to inhibit the growth of tumors, such as endometrial and ovarian cancers. This commentary introduces biologic and therapeutic effects of bufalin in treating some cancers. The compound is able to mediate inhibition of cell growth, cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, and expression of genes related to the malignant phenotype in human cancer cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Oita University Faculty of Medicine, Oita, Japan. takai@oita-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Noriyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Takai
authors.forename: Naoko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kira
authors.forename: Terukazu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ishii
authors.forename: Toshie
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: Masakazu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nishida
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nishida
authors.forename: Kaei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nasu
authors.forename: Hisashi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Narahara
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D002018:Bufanolides / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000187:drug effects; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D006801:Humans; D008518:Medicine, East Asian Traditional; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology*; D008517:Phytotherapy; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D002018:Bufanolides; C022777:bufalin