Background and purpose: Elephantopus scaber L. (Asteraceae) is a traditional herbal medicine with anti-cancer effects. We evaluated the in vitro and in vivo efficacy of a major sesquiterpene lactone constituent of E. scaber, deoxyelephantopin (DET), against mammary adenocarcinoma and the underlying molecular mechanism. Experimental approach: A variety of cellular assays, immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry, as well as both orthotopic and metastatic TS/A tumour models in BALB/c mice, were used. Test mice were pretreated and post-treated with DET or paclitaxel and mammary tumour growth evaluated. Waf1/Cip1 expression and caspase activation cascades were up-regulated by DET, effects suppressed by N-acetyl-L-cysteine. Moreover, tumour necrosis factor a-induced matrix metalloproteinase-9 enzyme activity and expression and nuclear factor-kappa B activation were abolished by DET. Pretreatment with DET was more effective than paclitaxel, for profound suppression of orthotopic tumour growth (99% vs. 68% reduction in tumour size) and lung metastasis of TS/A cells (82% vs. 63% reduction in metastatic pulmonary foci) and prolonged median survival time (56 vs. 37 days, P < 0.01) in mice. The levels of cyclooxygenase-2 and vascular endothelial growth factor in metastatic lung tissues of TS/A-bearing mice were attenuated by DET. Conclusions and implications: Our data provide evidence for the suppression of mammary adenocarcinoma by DET with several mechanisms and suggest that DET has potential as a chemopreventive agent for breast cancer.

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This study investigates the electrical performance of amorphous indium gallium zinc oxide (a-IGZO) thin-film transistors with Ga2O3 gate dielectric and applied on deep-ultraviolet phototransistors. To reduce the leakage current, we introduce the SiO2 interlayer dielectric, which effectively reduces the off-current. Under the illumination of 250 nm, the measured responsivity of the device was 3.2 A/W at an applied gate bias of 0 V. The photo-generated carriers were injected into the channel by the applied electric field and Fowler-Nordheim tunneling. A large photocurrent and responsivity can be obtained which is attributed to the high mobility of the a-IGZO channel.

This study investigates the electrical performance of amorphous indium gallium zinc oxide (a-IGZO) thin-film transistors (TFTs) with a Ta2O5 gate dielectric under monochromatic illumination. The relationship between the phototransistor performance and oxygen partial pressure is determined. The oxygen content of the a-IGZO channel significantly affects the electrical and optical characteristics of a-IGZO TFTs. At applied gate biases of 0, 0, and 0.25 V, oxygen partial pressures of 0%, 0.1%, and 0.2% yielded measured device responsivities of 0.23, 0.44, and 4.75 A/W, respectively. Oxygen content can be used to control the mobility of TFTs, which can amplify photocurrent and enhance the responsivity of a-IGZO TFTs with a Ta2O5 gate dielectric.