earticle

영어

In the last decade, advances in cancer research have enhanced our understanding of cancer biology and genetics. Anticancer effects may be exhibited through selective cytotoxicity, antiproliferative action, and apoptosis. Natural products or phytochemicals, substances found in edible fruits and vegetables, exhibit a potential for modulating human metabolism in a manner favorable for the prevention of chronic and degenerative diseases. Many different sub-tropical fruits are currently being evaluated for their effects against cancer as well as the possible mechanism of this action using various human cancer cell lines in our groups. The chloroform fraction (CF) of dangyuja leaf extract strongly decreased the survival rate of HeLa cells, whereas the CF of guava leaf extract exhibited the maximum cytotoxicity on SNU-16 cells. Both CF treatments induced the down-regulation of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 expression, resulting in the proteolytic activation of caspases and the degradation of poly (ADP–ibose) polymerase (PARP) protein in these cell lines. Arrested cell growth and induction of apoptosis were confirmed by flow cytometry and DNA fragmentation analysis, respectively. The major components, which might be responsible for induction of apoptosis, of two different CFs identified by high performance liquid chromatography coupled with photo diode array and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HPLC-PDA-ESI-MS) will be discussed.