title: Anticancer Effect of Thymol on AGS Human Gastric Carcinoma Cells.
abstract: Numerous plants have been documented to contain phenolic compounds. Thymol is one among these phenolic compounds that possess a repertoire of pharmacological activities, including anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antioxidant, antibacterial, and antimicrobial effects. Despite of the plethora of affects elicited by thymol, its activity profile on gastric cancer cells is not explored. In this study, we discovered that thymol exerts anticancer effects by suppressing cell growth, inducing apoptosis, producing intracellular reactive oxygen species, depolarizing mitochondrial membrane potential, and activating the proapoptotic mitochondrial proteins Bax, cysteine aspartases (caspases), and poly ADP ribose polymerase in human gastric AGS cells. The outcomes of this study displayed that thymol, via an intrinsic mitochondrial pathway, was responsible for inducing apoptosis in gastric AGS cells. Hence, thymol might serve as a tentative agent in the future to treat cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Konkuk University, Chungju 27478, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Seo-Hee
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Konkuk University, Chungju 27478, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Yon-Suk
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Division of Food Bioscience, Konkuk University, Chungju 27478, Republic of Korea.|Nokyong Research Center, Konkuk University, Chungju 27478, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Eun-Kyung
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Konkuk University, Chungju 27478, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jin-Woo
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Technology, Korea National University of Transportation, Jeungpyeong 27909, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jae-Hyun
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Konkuk University, Chungju 27478, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Konkuk University, Chungju 27478, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jae-Woong
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Nokyong Research Center, Konkuk University, Chungju 27478, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sang-Ho
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Moon
authors.affiliation: Nokyong Research Center, Konkuk University, Chungju 27478, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Byong-Tae
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Jeon
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Konkuk University, Chungju 27478, Republic of Korea.|Nokyong Research Center, Konkuk University, Chungju 27478, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Pyo-Jam
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000187:drug effects; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D013943:Thymol / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D013943:Thymol
keywords: AGS human gastric carcinoma cells; Anticancer; Apoptosis; Thymol