Background: Chlorogenic acid (CA), a polyphenolic component of fruits, vegetables, coffee, wine, and olive oil, has beneficial effects on human heath, including antioxidant and anticancer effects. However, its precise effects on glioma have not been examined. Objective: Our study aimed to explore the anticancer effects of CA obtained from Viscum album callus on C6 glioma cell migration and proliferation. Materials and Methods: Anticancer potency was analyzed by the 2,3-bis-(2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium-5-carboxanilide salt assay to assess the ability to inhibit cell growth and proliferation. Cell mobility was investigated based on the Boyden chamber and the scratch wound healing assay. Factors involved in cell cycle progression were evaluated by mRNA and protein expression. Cell death was determined by staining with specific dyes and fluorescence microscopy. Results: CA significantly reduced C6 glioma cell proliferation and migration. Furthermore, it induced reactive oxygen species generation and apoptotic cell death. Treatment with CA also suppressed extracellular signal-regulated kinase ½ (ERK½) phosphorylation and the gene expression of cyclins E and A. Conclusion: Our results show that CA may regulate glioma cell migration and proliferation via modulation of ERK½ phosphorylation and cell cycle regulation. Thus, it might be a potent anticancer agent in preventing progression of glioma.

Background: Exercise promotes energy metabolism (e.g., metabolism of glucose and lipids) in skeletal muscles; however, reactive oxygen species are also generated during exercise. Various spices have been reported to have beneficial effects in sports medicine. Here, we investigated the effects of piperine, an active compound in black pepper, to determine its effects on metabolism during acute endurance exercise.Methods: ICR mice (n = 18) were divided into three groups: nonexercise (CON), exercise (EX), and exercise with piperine (5 mg/kg) treatment (EP). Mice were subjected to enforced exercise on a treadmill at a speed of 22 m/min for 1 h. To evaluate the inflammatory responses following exercise, fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis was performed to monitor changes in CD4(+) cells within the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of mice. The expression levels of metabolic pathway components and redox-related factors were evaluated in the soleus muscle by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and western blotting.Results: There were no changes in the differentiation of immune cells in PBMCs in both the EX and EP groups compared with that in the CON group. Mice in the EX group exhibited a significant increase in the expression of metabolic pathway components and redox signal-related components compared with mice in the CON group. Moreover, mice in the EP group showed greater metabolic (GLUT4, MCT1, FAT/CD36, CPT1, CS) changes than mice in the EX group, and changes in the expression of redox signal components were lower in the EP group than those in the EX group.Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate that piperine promoted beneficial metabolism during exercise by regulating carbohydrate/fat metabolism and redox signals. Therefore, piperine may be a candidate supplement for improvement of exercise ability.

Background: Proliferation and migration of keratinocytes are essential for the repair of cutaneous wounds. Hibiscus syriacus L. has been used in Asian medicine; however, dermatological properties of absolute from Hibiscus syriacus L. flower (HSF) and to provide fundamental research for alternative medicine. Materials and Methods: We identified the composition of HSF absolute using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. We also examined the effect of HSF absolute in HaCaT cells using the XTT assay, Boyden chamber assay, sprout- out growth assay, and western blotting. We conducted an in-vivo wound healing assay in rat tail-skin. Results: Ten major active compounds were identified from HSF absolute. As determined by the XTT assay, Boyden chamber assay, and sprout-out growth assay results, HSF absolute exhibited similar effects as that of epidermal growth factor on the proliferation and migration patterns of keratinocytes (HaCaT cells), which were significantly increased after HSF absolute treatment. The expression levels of the phosphorylated signaling proteins relevant to proliferation, including extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (Erk 1/2) and Akt, were also determined by western blot analysis. Conclusion: These results of our in-vitro and ex-vivo studies indicate that HSF absolute induced cell growth and migration of HaCaT cells by phosphorylating both Erk 1/2 and Akt. Moreover, we confirmed the wound-healing effect of HSF on injury of the rat tail-skin. Therefore, our results suggest that HSF absolute is promising for use in cosmetics and alternative medicine.

Bo-Gan-Whan (BGH), a Korean polyherbal medicine, is used as a hepatoprotective drug. It has six natural sources, and has been demonstrated to have anti-oxidative, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammatory properties; however, its effect on vascular diseases remains unclear.

Despite potential medical, economical, and agronomical importance, the bioprocessing of mistletoe cell cultures, from callus cultures to mass production of high-value products (e.g., lectins and viscotoxins), has been unsuccessful to date. In this study, we confirmed the potential of in vitro lectin production from callus cultures of Korean mistletoe (Viscum album L. var. coloratum).

L-asparaginase (EC 3.5.1.1) catalyzes the hydrolysis of the amide group of L-asparagine, releasing aspartate and NH4+. We isolated a low temperature-inducible cDNA sequence encoding L-asparaginase from soybean leaves. The full-length L-asparaginase cDNA, designated GmASP1, contains an open reading frame of 1,258 bp coding for a protein of 326 amino acids. Genomic DNA blotting and fluorescence in situ hybridization showed that the soybean genome has two copies of GmASP1. GmASP1 mRNA was induced by low temperature, ABA and NaCl, but not by heat shock or drought stress. E. coli cells expressing recombinant GmASP1 had 3-fold increased L-asparaginase activity. A possible function of L-asparaginase in the early response to low temperature stress is discussed.

Regulation of tetrapyrrole biosynthesis in higher plants has been attributed to negative feedback control of steps prior to delta-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) formation. One of the first mutants with a defect in this control had been identified in barley. The tigrina (tig) d mutant accumulates 10-15-fold higher amounts of protochlorophyllide than wild type, when grown in the dark. The identity of the TIGRINA d protein and its mode of action are not known yet. Initially this protein had been proposed to act as a repressor of genes that encode enzymes involved in early steps of ALA formation, but subsequent attempts to confirm this experimentally failed. Here we demonstrate that the TIGRINA d gene of barley is an ortholog of the FLU gene of Arabidopsis thaliana. The FLU protein is a nuclear-encoded plastid protein that plays a key role in negative feedback control of chlorophyll biosynthesis in higher plants. Sequencing of the FLU gene of barley revealed a frame shift mutation in the FLU gene of the tig d mutant that results in the loss of two tetratricopeptide repeats that in the FLU protein of Arabidopsis are essential for its biological activity. This mutation cosegregates strictly with the tigrina phenotype within the F1 population of a heterozygous tig d mutant, thus providing additional support for the flu gene being responsible for the tigrina phenotype of barley.

Regulation of tetrapyrrole biosynthesis in higher plants has been attributed to negative feedback control of steps prior to δ-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) formation. One of the first mutants with a defect in this control had been identified in barley. The tigrina (tig) d mutant accumulates 10–15-fold higher amounts of protochlorophyllide than wild type, when grown in the dark. The identity of the TIGRINA d protein and its mode of action are not known yet. Initially this protein had been proposed to act as a repressor of genes that encode enzymes involved in early steps of ALA formation, but subsequent attempts to confirm this experimentally failed. Here we demonstrate that the TIGRINA d gene of barley is an ortholog of the FLU gene of Arabidopsis thaliana. The FLU protein is a nuclear-encoded plastid protein that plays a key role in negative feedback control of chlorophyll biosynthesis in higher plants. Sequencing of the FLU gene of barley revealed a frame shift mutation in the FLU gene of the tig d mutant that results in the loss of two tetratricopeptide repeats that in the FLU protein of Arabidopsis are essential for its biological activity. This mutation cosegregates strictly with the tigrina phenotype within the F1 population of a heterozygous tig d mutant, thus providing additional support for the flu gene being responsible for the tigrina phenotype of barley.