Osteosarcoma (OS), a severe malignant bone tumour, usually occurs in adolescents and children and has a poor prognosis. Asiatic acid (AA), an active component isolated from Centella asiatica (L.) Urb., exhibits appreciable anti-oxidant and anti-tumour activities. So far, the effects and underlying mechanisms of AA against OS have not been clarified. Here, we explored the anti-tumour effects of AA against human OS and the involved mechanism mediating its actions. To evaluate effects of AA on the cell proliferation of human OS cells, cell viability and colony formation assays were performed. Flow cytometry was used to evaluate apoptosis in OS cells exposed to AA and mitochondrial membrane potential. Western blotting and RT-PCR were applied to determine expression of the relevant proteins and their mRNA levels. Our explorations showed that AA inhibits proliferation of human OS cells in a concentration- and time-dependent manner, and induces apoptosis of OS cells by the intrinsic (mitochondrial) pathway. Importantly, we found that inhibition of the AA-induced phosphorylation of JAK2/STAT3 signalling molecules and the decrease in MCL-1 contributed to the anti-tumour efficacy of AA. Collectively, our results suggest that AA could evoke mitochondrial- induced apoptosis in human OS cells by suppression of the JAK2/STAT3 pathway and MCL-1 expression. These results strongly demonstrate that AA could be a potential anti-tumour agent for OS treatment.
The research into wedding and its diverse aspects is still topical, despite many studies and publications focused on that theme. It is a phenomenon that permanently changes, develops and adapts to various conditions. The contribution focuses on different forms of two selected wedding elements during one century. In 1942, the Slovak Matica carried out the first all-Slovakian survey within which a questionnaire was filled in the village of Veľké Rovné (north-west of Slovakia). The questionnaire served as a starting point to evaluate and compare wedding elements at the turn of the 20th century, which were supplemented with the author ́s research conducted since the 1940s. Erecting trees in bride ́s and bridegroom ́s yards is a certain regional specific feature which has survived from the oldest records to date. The questionnaire discovered an interesting fact that at the turn of the centuries the local version of one part of the wedding ceremony (making an apology to the parents) was not known within the contemporary Slovakia.