title: Inhibitory effects of Saururus chinensis and its components on stomach cancer cells.
abstract: Saururus chinensis (SC) Baill. (Saururaceae), a perennial herb commonly called Chinese lizard's tail or Sam-baekcho in Korea, has been used in the treatment of edema, gonorrhea, jaundice, and inflammatory diseases. Recently, several reports have been commissioned to examine the anti-cancer activities of this plant. In this study, we evaluated the inhibitory activity and mechanism of action on SC and its components against stomach cancer cells. SC extracts displayed cytotoxic effects on AGS cells in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, SC increased the number of annexin V-positive apoptotic bodies and phosphorylated JNK and p38 in AGS cells. SC also down-regulated anti-apoptotic (Bcl-2) genes and up-regulated apoptotic (Bax) genes in AGS cells. We further confirmed that caspase activation plays an important role in SC-induced apoptosis in AGS cells. Furthermore, we examined erythro-Austrobailignan-6 and meso-dihydroguaiaretic acid, major active constituents of SC, which induced apoptosis in both the AGS and NCI-N87 stomach cancer cell lines. Taken together, our data provide the evidence that SC and its components induce apoptosis in stomach cancer cells, making it a potential candidate as a chemotherapeutic drug.
authors.affiliation: Dongguk University Research Institute of Biotechnology, Seoul 100-715, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Ha Jin
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Oriental Medicine, Dongguk University, Gyeongju, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Byung-Soo
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Koo
authors.affiliation: Natural Product Bank of Korea Promotion Institute for Traditional Medical Industry, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Tae-Hoon
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: Natural Product Bank of Korea Promotion Institute for Traditional Medical Industry, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Republic of Korea; Department of Physiology, College of Oriental Medicine, Dongguk University, Gyeongju, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Heung Mook
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Graduate School of Oriental Medicine, Dongguk University International Hospital, 814, Siksa-dong, Ilsandong-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do 410-773, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: omdjeong@naver.com.
authors.forename: Seunghyun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.affiliation: Dongguk University Research Institute of Biotechnology, Seoul 100-715, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: jsong0304@dongguk.edu.
authors.forename: Songhee
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jeon
mesh_terms: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006801:Humans; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D032134:Saururaceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D010936:Plant Extracts
keywords: Apoptosis; Cancer; Erythro-Austrobailignan-6; Meso-dihydroguaiaretic acid; Saururus chinensis