Antitumor Activities and Apoptosis-regulated Mechanisms of Fermented Barley Extract in the Transplantation Tumor Model of Human HT-29 Cells in Nude Mice

Objective A subcutaneous transplantation tumor model of human HT-29 cells was established in nude mice to study the anticarcinogenic activities and apoptosis-regulatory mechanistic effect of aqueous extract of fermented barley with Lactobacillus plantarum dy-1 （LFBE）. Methods HT-29 cells were transplanted via subcutaneous injection of 1 × 107cells into the right flank of each nude mouse. Then, nude mice were treated for 30 days with LFBE （high-dose 2 g·kg-1·d-1; low-dose 1 g·kg-1·d-1） and for 7 days with 5-fluorouracil （5-FU, 25 g·kg-1·d-1） by gavage and intraperitoneal injection, respectively. Results Tumor volume and weight decreased significantly in both groups of nude mice treated with LFBE. In addition, the cell apoptosis rate of the LFBE group was significantly higher than that of the control group and 5-FU groups as measured by the TUNEL assay. Moreover, the real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR and Western blot methods further confirmed these apoptosis-enhancing and growth-inhibiting effects. The involvement of LFBE in inducing apoptosis was confirmed by the expression of Bax, Bcl-2, caspase-3, and cyclin D1. Conclusion The results showed that LFBE could induce subcutaneous transplantation tumor apoptosis in nude mice and could be used as a natural nutrient supplement or chemopreventive agent in the treatment of human colon cancer.

Fermented Barley Extracts with Lactobacillus plantarum dy-1 Rich in Vanillic Acid Modulate Glucose Consumption in Human HepG2 Cells

Objective To investigate the effect of fermented barley extracts with Lactobacillus plantarum dy-1（LFBE） for modulating glucose consumption in HepG2 cells via miR-212 regulation. Methods Hepatocellular carcinoma（HepG2） cells were treated with palmitate. After 12 h, palmitate-induced HepG2 cells were treated with LFBE and its main components. Changes in glucose consumption, proinflammatory cytokine secretion, and miRNA-212 expression in HepG2 cells was observed. Results Treatment with LFBE rich in vanillic acid（VA） increased glucose consumption and reduced proinflammatory cytokine secretion in HepG2 cells. LFBE and VA normalized the upregulation of miR-212, which led to the upregulation of dual-specificity phosphatase-9（DUSP9）, a direct target of miR-212, at both protein and mR NA levels. Downregulation of miR-212 markedly increased glucose consumption and reduced proinflammatory cytokine secretion by enhancing DUSP9 expression. Conclusion The results showed the benefit of LFBE and miR-212 downregulation in modulating glucose consumption and reducing proinflammatory cytokine secretion by targeting DUSP9. VA in LFBE was a strong regulator of palmitate-induced abnormal glucose consumption in HepG2 cells and can be a primary mediator.