Convallaria keiskei as a novel therapeutic alternative for salivary gland cancer treatment by targeting myeloid cell leukemia-1.
Various chemotherapeutic agents have been used largely for the treatment of salivary gland cancer. However, results are disappointing, and these agents can cause some serious side effects. Therefore, recent studies have focused on the possible roles of natural products to overcome these limitations.



Salivary gland cancer cells treated with or without Convallaria keiskei (MECK) for 24 hours. Apoptotic changes were evaluated by live/dead assay, immunoblotting, and expression levels of caspase-3 and B-cell lymphoma-2 family member.



MECK significantly inhibited salivary gland cancer growth. At the molecular level, MECK dramatically reduced myeloid cell leukemia-1 (Mcl-1) in a translation-dependent manner and thereby induced apoptosis through Bax/Bid. Furthermore, we found that Mcl-1 could be a potential therapeutic target of MECK-induced apoptosis and its stability is regulated by extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2) signaling



MECK can be used as a safe and efficient therapeutic alternative for the treatment of salivary gland cancer. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: E761-E770, 2016.
Department of Oral Pathology, School of Dentistry and Institute of Biodegradable Material, Institute of Oral Bioscience, Brain Korea 21 Project, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju, Republic of Korea.
Haeng-Eun
HE
Lee
Laboratory of Tumor Suppressor, Lee Gil Ya Cancer and Diabetes Institute, Gachon University, Incheon, South Korea.|Department of Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, Gachon University, Incheon, South Korea.
Jeong-Seok
JS
Nam
Department of Oral Pathology, School of Dentistry and Institute of Biodegradable Material, Institute of Oral Bioscience, Brain Korea 21 Project, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju, Republic of Korea.
Ji-Ae
JA
Shin
Laboratory of Tumor Suppressor, Lee Gil Ya Cancer and Diabetes Institute, Gachon University, Incheon, South Korea.|Department of Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, Gachon University, Incheon, South Korea.
In-Sun
IS
Hong
Department of Oral Pathology, School of Dentistry and Institute of Biodegradable Material, Institute of Oral Bioscience, Brain Korea 21 Project, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju, Republic of Korea.
In-Hyoung
IH
Yang
Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Bio-Safety Research Centre, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju, Republic of Korea.
Myung-Jo
MJ
You
Department of Oral Pathology, School of Dentistry and Institute of Biodegradable Material, Institute of Oral Bioscience, Brain Korea 21 Project, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju, Republic of Korea.
Sung-Dae
SD
Cho
D017209:Apoptosis; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D031405:Convallaria / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D064549:Myeloid Cell Leukemia Sequence 1 Protein / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D012468:Salivary Gland Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*
C000595707:BCL2 protein, human; C579095:MCL1 protein, human; D064549:Myeloid Cell Leukemia Sequence 1 Protein; D010936:Plant Extracts; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; C505407:CASP3 protein, human; D053148:Caspase 3
Convallaria keiskei (MECK); apoptosis; extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2); myeloid cell leukemia-1 (Mcl-1); salivary gland cancer