title: Preclinical evaluation on the tumor suppression efficiency and combination drug effects of fermented wheat germ extract in human ovarian carcinoma cells.
abstract: Fermented wheat germ extract (FWGE) is a nutrient supplement and a potential antitumor ingredient for developing an integrated chemotherapy with standard chemotherapeutic drugs for treating ovarian cancer patients. In this study, we evaluated the tumor suppression efficiency of FWGE in human ovarian carcinoma cells, SKOV-3 and ES-2, and found the half-maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50s) to be 643.76 μg/mL and 246.11 μg/mL after 48 h of FWGE treatment. FWGE treatment also induced programmed cell death by activating the caspase-7 cleavage in both SKOV-3 and ES-2 cells, but only caspase-3 and poly(adenosine diphosphate-ribose) polymerase cleavages were activated in SKOV-3 cells. Moreover, FWGE exhibited combination drug effects with cisplatin and docetaxel in SKOV-3 and ES-2 cells by enhancing the cytotoxicity of both drugs. In conclusion, we found that FWGE not only suppressed cell growth but also induced caspase-3-related and caspase-7-related cell death in human ovarian carcinoma cells. FWGE treatment further enhanced the cytotoxicity of cisplatin and docetaxel, suggesting that FWGE is a potential ingredient in the development of adjuvant chemotherapy with cisplatin or docetaxel for treating ovarian cancer patients.
authors: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei 110, Taiwan ; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan.
authors: Chia-Woei
authors: CW
authors: Wang
authors: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan ; Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Taipei Medical University Hospital, 252 Wu Hsing Street, Taipei 110, Taiwan ; Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan ; Department of Chinese Medicine, Taipei Medical University Hospital, 252 Wu Hsing Street, Taipei 110, Taiwan.
authors: Chien-Kai
authors: 0000-0002-9162-6820
authors: CK
authors: Wang
authors: Cancer Research Center, Taipei Medical University and Hospital, Taipei 110, Taiwan ; Department of Surgery, Taipei Medical University and Hospital, Taipei 110, Taiwan ; Division of General Surgery, Department of Surgery, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan ; Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan.
authors: Yu-Jia
authors: YJ
authors: Chang
authors: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan.
authors: Chen-Yen
authors: CY
authors: Choong
authors: Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan.
authors: Chi-Shian
authors: 0000-0002-9235-816X
authors: CS
authors: Lin
authors: Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Taipei Medical University Hospital, 252 Wu Hsing Street, Taipei 110, Taiwan ; Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan.
authors: Cheng-Jeng
authors: 0000-0001-9497-2414
authors: CJ
authors: Tai
authors: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan ; Department of Chinese Medicine, Taipei Medical University Hospital, 252 Wu Hsing Street, Taipei 110, Taiwan ; Traditional Herbal Medicine Research Center, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei 110, Taiwan.
authors: Chen-Jei
authors: 0000-0001-7304-6489
authors: CJ
authors: Tai