Resveratrol has been reported to possess therapeutic effects for various cancers including colon cancers. In this article, the molecular basis of resveratrol with emphasis on its ability to control intracellular signaling cascades of adenosine monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK) responsible for inducing apoptosis in drug-resistant cancer cells was investigated. Recently, the evolutionarily conserved serine/threonine kinase, AMPK, emerges as a possible target molecule of cancer control. We have investigated the effects of resveratrol on apoptosis in relation to AMPK in HT-29 cells shown chemoresistant to a cancer chemotherapeutic drug, etoposide. Resveratrol exhibited a variety of molecular events in etoposide-based combination therapy in HT-29 colon cancer cells including the AMPK activation, inhibition of cell growth, induction of apoptosis, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. The involvement of AMPK signaling cascade in resveratrol-based cancer therapy was clearly shown by comparing the conditions of AMPK activated states and inactivated states. We have identified ROS as an upstream regulator of AMPK. Further investigation warrants to elucidate the mechanism by which resveratrol generates ROS and AMPK activation.
We report on rapid thermal chemical vapor deposition growth of silicon nanowires (Si NWs) that contain a high density of gold nanoclusters (Au NCs) with a uniform coverage over the entire length of the nanowire sidewalls. The Au NC-coated Si NWs with an antibody-coated surface obtain the unique capability to capture breast cancer cells at twice the highest efficiency currently achievable (~88% at 40 min cell incubation time) from a nanostructured substrate. We also found that irradiation of breast cancer cells captured on Au NC-coated Si NWs with a near-infrared light resulted in a high mortality rate of these cancer cells, raising a fine prospect for simultaneous capture and plasmonic photothermal therapy for circulating tumor cells.
Adenosine monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is activated during ATP-depleting metabolic states, such as hypoxia, heat shock, oxidative stress, and exercise. As a highly conserved heterotrimeric kinase that functions as a major metabolic switch to maintain energy homeostasis, AMPK has been shown to exert as an intrinsic regulator of mammalian cell cycle. Moreover, AMPK cascade has emerged as an important pathway implicated in cancer control. In this article, we have investigated the effects of capsaicin on apoptosis in relation to AMPK activation in colon cancer cell. Capsaicin-induced apoptosis was revealed by the presence of nucleobodies in the capsaicin-treated HT-29 colon cancer cells. Concomitantly, the activation of AMPK and the increased expression of the inactive form of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) were detected in capsaicin-treated colon cancer cells. We showed that both capsaicin and 5'-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-beta-D-ribonucleoside (AICAR), an AMPK activator possess the AMPK-activating capacity as well as apoptosis-inducing properties. Evidence of the association between AMPK activation and the increased apoptosis in HT-29 colon cancer cells by capsaicin treatment, and further findings of the correlation of the activated AMPK and the elevated apoptosis by cotreatment of AICAR and capsaicin support AMPK as an important component of apoptosis, as well as a possible target of cancer control.
The presence of voids in perovskite solar cells influences the efficiency because of accelerated charge recombination. The induced electric field near voids due to band bending attracts photogenerated electrons and holes toward the voids, leading to carrier recombination. However, if the surface of the voids is coated by materials with a band gap higher than that of the perovskite layer, the strong electric field induced near the voids in the opposite way prevents carriers from recombining. We identified voids in the perovskite layer by using an electron beam-induced current technique and found the influence of field-assisted passivation by organic materials on the efficiency of the solar cell.
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