title: Thymoquinone induces apoptosis in oral cancer cells through p38β inhibition.
abstract: Oral cancer is a common malignancy associated with high morbidity and mortality. While p38 MAPK is reported to be involved in different cellular activities such as proliferation and differentiation, reports rarely define the roles of the individual members of the p38 MAPK family in cancer. We used two unique cell lines developed by our lab representing chemically induced oral cancer cells (T28) and non-tumor cells (N28) obtained from tissues surrounding the induced cancer as a model to screen out whether p38 MAPK is involved in the malignant transformation processes. The results suggest an association between p38β not p38α and oral cancer development. Additionally, the anti-cancer activity of thymoquinone (TQ) was screened out and we found evidences suggesting that the anti-tumor activity of TQ may be attributed to the downregulation of p38β MAPK.
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Basic Medical Science, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ehab
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Abdelfadil
authors.forename: Ya-Hsin
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Da-Tian
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Bau
authors.forename: Wei-Jen
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Ting
authors.forename: Li-Mien
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Hsi-Hsien
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: Yueh-Min
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Ray-Jade
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Fu-Jenn
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: Chang-Hai
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: Chih-Yang
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016588:Anticarcinogenic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D016227:Benzoquinones / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002460:Cell Line; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D015536:Down-Regulation; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D048290:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 11 / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D048308:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 14 / Q000378:metabolism; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D018307:Neoplasms, Squamous Cell / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D031881:Nigella sativa / Q000737:chemistry*; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D016588:Anticarcinogenic Agents; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D016227:Benzoquinones; D010936:Plant Extracts; D048290:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 11; D048308:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 14; C003466:thymoquinone