BUKU ABSTRAK - Universiti Putra Malaysia

The Role of Andographis panniculata (Hempedu Bumi) as a Cholesterol-lowering
Agent
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zuraini Ahmad
Arifah Abdul Kadir and Muhammad Nazrul Hakim Abdullah
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University Putra Malaysia,
43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
+603-8947 2313; zuraini@medic.upm.edu.my
The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential roles of aqueous extracts of Andographis
paniculata in lowering the plasma lipid parameter which is responsible for hyperlipidemia and its damaging
consequences and also to determine the kidney and liver functions of rats. Plasma Total Cholesterol (TC), Low
Density Lipoproteins (LDL) cholesterol and Triglycerides (TG) had progressively increased in cholesterol-fed
rats up to four weeks of cholesterol-feeding. Both 100 and 200 mg/kg concentrations of A.paniculata extracts
had kept TC, LDL and TG values within the normal range even after four weeks of feeding. No significant
enhancement was found in the amount of High Density Lipoproteins (HDL) cholesterol and the kidney and liver
enzymes of the rats, i.e. Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN), total creatinine and Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH) and
Aspartate Amino Transferase (AST) and Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT), respectively indicating normal kidney
and liver functions. From the current study, it can be concluded that 100 and 200 mgkg-1 aqueous extract of A.
paniculata appeared to possess great potentials as anti-hyperlipidemic agent in rats.
Keywords: Andographis paniculata, hyperlipidemia
Histone Demethylase KDM5B Regulates Cellular Proliferation and Invasion via
the E2F/RB Pathway
Dr. Abhimanyu Veerakumarasivam
Rozita Rosli, Syahrilnizam Abdullah, Tan Keai Sinn and Chan Soon Choy
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University Putra Malaysia,
43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
+603-8947 2646; abhi@medic.upm.edu.my
Although an increasing number of histone demethylases have been identified and biochemically characterised,
their biological functions largely remain uncharacterised, particularly in the context of human diseases such as
cancer. We investigated the role of KDM5B, a JmjC histone demethylase, in human carcinogenesis. Quantitative
RT-PCR and microarray analyses were used to examine the expression profiles of histone demethylases in clinical
tissue samples. We also examined the functional effects of KDM5B on the growth of cancer cell lines treated with
small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). Downstream genes and signal cascades induced by KDM5B expression were
identified from Affymetrix Gene Chip experiments, and validated by real-time PCR and reporter assays. Cell
cycle-dependent characteristics of KDM5B were identified by immunofluorescence and FACS. Quantitative RT-
PCR analysis confirmed that expression levels of KDM5B are significantly higher in human bladder cancer tissues
than in their corresponding non-neoplastic bladder tissues (P < 0.0001). The expression profile analysis of clinical
tissues also revealed up-regulation of KDM5B in various kinds of malignancies. Transfection of KDM5B-specific
siRNA into various bladder and lung cancer cell lines significantly suppressed the proliferation of cancer cells
and increased the number of cells in sub-G1 phase. Microarray expression analysis indicated that E2F1 and E2F2
are downstream genes in the KDM5B pathway. Inhibition of KDM5B may affect apoptosis and reduce growth of
cancer cells. Further studies will explore the pan-cancer therapeutic potential of KDM5B inhibition.
Keywords: Cancer, histone demethylase, microarrays, therapeutic target
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