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Gwang-suk Ahn

Seoul National University · Medicine

About the Lab

Professor Gwang-suk Ahn's research lab specializes in identifying and characterizing bioactive natural compounds with potent anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties. The lab focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms of dietary polyphenols, tocotrienols, ginkgolic acid, formononetin, and quercetin in regulating key signaling pathways such as NF-κB, TGF-β, and TRAIL in cancer cells. Research directions include targeting epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), inducing apoptosis, and overcoming drug resistance in cancer cells, particularly in lung and glioma models. The lab integrates in vitro and in vivo approaches to translate natural compound findings into potential therapeutic strategies for cancer prevention and treatment.

natural compoundscancer signalingapoptosisepithelial-mesenchymal transitionNF-κB pathway

Research Overview

Papers
402
Total Citations
22,964
Papers (5y)
96
Primary Field
Medicine

Research Output Trend

Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.

Publications per year (5y)
96total
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
Citations per year (5y)
1,125total
20222023202420252026

Selected Papers

15
1
Review|780 citations·2017
The Role of Resveratrol in Cancer Therapy
Jeong‐Hyeon Ko, Gautam Sethi, Jae‐Young Um, Muthu K. Shanmugam, Frank Arfuso, Alan Prem Kumar, Anupam Bishayee, Kwang Seok Ahn
SJR Q1International Journal of Molecular SciencesOA

Natural product compounds have recently attracted significant attention from the scientific community for their potent effects against inflammation-driven diseases, including cancer. A significant amount of research, including preclinical, clinical, and epidemiological studies, has indicated that dietary consumption of polyphenols, found at high levels in cereals, pulses, vegetables, and fruits, may prevent the evolution of an array of diseases, including cancer. Cancer development is a carefull

Geriatrics and GerontologyMedicine
2
Review|278 citations·2013
Targeted abrogation of diverse signal transduction cascades by emodin for the treatment of inflammatory disorders and cancer
Deepti Shrimali, Muthu K. Shanmugam, Alan Prem Kumar, Jingwen Zhang, Benny K.H. Tan, Kwang Seok Ahn, Gautam Sethi
SJR Q1Cancer LettersOA
Plant ScienceAgricultural and Biological Sciences
3
Article|268 citations·2005
Inhibition of inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase II by Platycodon grandiflorum saponins via suppression of nuclear factor-κB activation in RAW 264.7 cells
Kwang Seok Ahn, Eun Jung Noh, Hai Lin Zhao, Sang Hoon Jung, Sam Sik Kang, Yeong Shik Kim
SJR Q1Life Sciences
Molecular BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
4
Article|261 citations·2006
γ-Tocotrienol Inhibits Nuclear Factor-κB Signaling Pathway through Inhibition of Receptor-interacting Protein and TAK1 Leading to Suppression of Antiapoptotic Gene Products and Potentiation of Apoptosis
Kwang Seok Ahn, Gautam Sethi, Koyamangalath Krishnan, Bharat B. Aggarwal
SJR Q1Journal of Biological ChemistryOA

Unlike the tocopherols, the tocotrienols, also members of the vitamin E family, have an unsaturated isoprenoid side chain. In contrast to extensive studies on tocopherol, very little is known about tocotrienol. Because the nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) pathway has a central role in tumorigenesis, we investigated the effect of gamma-tocotrienol on the NF-kappaB pathway. Although gamma-tocotrienol completely abolished tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF)-induced NF-kappaB activation, a similar do

Cancer ResearchBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
5
Review|225 citations·2016
Cancer prevention and therapy through the modulation of transcription factors by bioactive natural compounds
Muthu K. Shanmugam, Jong Hyun Lee, Edna Zhi Pei Chai, Madhu M. Kanchi, Shreya Kar, Frank Arfuso, Arun Dharmarajan, Alan Prem Kumar, Perumal Samy Ramar, Chung Yeng Looi, Mohammad Rais Mustafa, Vinay Tergaonkar
SJR Q1Seminars in Cancer Biology
ToxicologyPharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics
6
Article|219 citations·2016
Ginkgolic Acid Inhibits Invasion and Migration and TGF‐β‐Induced EMT of Lung Cancer Cells Through PI3K/Akt/mTOR Inactivation
Seung Ho Baek, Jeong‐Hyeon Ko, Jong Hyun Lee, Chulwon Kim, Hanwool Lee, Dongwoo Nam, Jun‐Hee Lee, Seok‐Geun Lee, Woong Mo Yang, Jae‐Young Um, Gautam Sethi, Kwang Seok Ahn
SJR Q1Journal of Cellular Physiology

Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a critical cellular phenomenon regulating tumor metastases. In the present study, we investigated whether ginkgolic acid can affect EMT in lung cancer cells and the related underlying mechanism(s) of its actions. We found that ginkgolic acid C15:1 (GA C15:1) inhibited cell proliferation, invasion, and migration in both A549 and H1299 lung cancer cells. GA C15:1 also suppressed the expression of EMT related genes (Fibronectin, Vimentin, N-cadherin, MM

Molecular BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
7
Review|197 citations·2019
Focus on Formononetin: Anticancer Potential and Molecular Targets
Samantha Ong, Muthu K. Shanmugam, Lu Fan, Sarah Fraser, Frank Arfuso, Kwang Seok Ahn, Gautam Sethi, Anupam Bishayee
SJR Q1CancersOA

Formononetin's antioxidant and neuroprotective effects underscore its therapeutic use against Alzheimer's disease. Formononetin has been under intense investigation for the past decade as strong evidence on promoting apoptosis and against proliferation suggests for its use as an anticancer agent against diverse cancers. These anticancer properties are observed in multiple cancer cell models, including breast, colorectal, and prostate cancer. Formononetin also attenuates metastasis and tumor grow

ToxicologyPharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics
8
Review|196 citations·2015
Targeting TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) receptor by natural products as a potential therapeutic approach for cancer therapy
Xiaoyun Dai, Jingwen Zhang, Frank Arfuso, Arunachalam Chinnathambi, ME Zayed, Sulaiman Ali Alharbi, Alan Prem Kumar, Kwang Seok Ahn, Gautam Sethi
SJR Q2Experimental Biology and MedicineOA

Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) has been shown to selectively induce apoptotic cell death in various tumor cells by engaging its death-inducing receptors (TRAIL-R1 and TRAIL-R2). This property has led to the development of a number of TRAIL-receptor agonists such as the soluble recombinant TRAIL and agonistic antibodies, which have shown promising anticancer activity in preclinical studies. However, besides activating caspase-dependent apoptosis in several cancer

Molecular BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
9
Review|195 citations·2015
NF-κB in cancer therapy
Feng Li, Jingwen Zhang, Frank Arfuso, Arunachalam Chinnathambi, Mohamed E. Zayed, Sulaiman Ali Alharbi, Alan Prem Kumar, Kwang Seok Ahn, Gautam Sethi
SJR Q1Archives of Toxicology
Cancer ResearchBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
10
Article|190 citations·2018
Formononetin-induced oxidative stress abrogates the activation of STAT3/5 signaling axis and suppresses the tumor growth in multiple myeloma preclinical model
Chulwon Kim, Seok‐Geun Lee, Woong Mo Yang, Frank Arfuso, Jae‐Young Um, Alan Prem Kumar, Jin‐Song Bian, Gautam Sethi, Kwang Seok Ahn
SJR Q1Cancer Letters
OncologyMedicine
11
Review|185 citations·2021
Long non-coding RNAs in the doxorubicin resistance of cancer cells
Saeed Ashrafizaveh, Milad Ashrafizadeh, Ali Zarrabi, Kiavash Husmandi, Amirhossein Zabolian, Md Shahinozzaman, Amir Reza Aref, Michael R. Hamblin, Noushin Nabavi, Francesco Crea, Yuzhuo Wang, Kwang Seok Ahn
SJR Q1Cancer Letters
Cancer ResearchBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
12
Article|173 citations·2016
Resveratrol inhibits STAT3 signaling pathway through the induction of SOCS-1: Role in apoptosis induction and radiosensitization in head and neck tumor cells
Seung Ho Baek, Jeong‐Hyeon Ko, Hanwool Lee, Jinhong Jung, Moonkyoo Kong, Jung-woo Lee, Jun‐Hee Lee, Arunachalam Chinnathambi, ME Zayed, Sulaiman Ali Alharbi, Seok‐Geun Lee, Bum Sang Shim
SJR Q1Phytomedicine
OncologyMedicine
13
Article|170 citations·2013
Quercetin Induces Mitochondrial Mediated Apoptosis and Protective Autophagy in Human Glioblastoma U373MG Cells
Hyeonji Kim, Jeong Yong Moon, Kwang Seok Ahn, Somi Kim Cho
SJR Q1Oxidative Medicine and Cellular LongevityOA

Quercetin is a dietary flavonoid with known antitumor effects against several types of cancers by promoting apoptotic cell death and inducing cell cycle arrest. However, U373MG malignant glioma cells expressing mutant p53 are resistant to a 24 h quercetin treatment. In this study, the anticancer effect of quercetin was reevaluated in U373MG cells, and quercetin was found to be significantly effective in inhibiting proliferation of U373MG cells in a concentration-dependent manner after 48 and 72

EpidemiologyMedicine
14
Review|162 citations·2019
Potential of Zerumbone as an Anti-Cancer Agent
Sosmitha Girisa, Bano Shabnam, Javadi Monisha, Lu Fan, Clarissa Esmeralda Halim, Frank Arfuso, Kwang Seok Ahn, Gautam Sethi, Ajaikumar B. Kunnumakkara
SJR Q1MoleculesOA

Cancer is still a major risk factor to public health globally, causing approximately 9.8 million deaths worldwide in 2018. Despite advances in conventional treatment modalities for cancer treatment, there are still few effective therapies available due to the lack of selectivity, adverse side effects, non-specific toxicities, and tumour recurrence. Therefore, there is an immediate need for essential alternative therapeutics, which can prove to be beneficial and safe against cancer. Various phyto

PharmacologyPharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics
15
Review|155 citations·2018
Potential Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Cancer Properties of Farnesol
Young Yun Jung, Sun Tae Hwang, Gautam Sethi, Lu Fan, Frank Arfuso, Kwang Seok Ahn
SJR Q1MoleculesOA

Farnesol, an acyclic sesquiterpene alcohol, is predominantly found in essential oils of various plants in nature. It has been reported to exhibit anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory effects, and also alleviate allergic asthma, gliosis, and edema. In numerous tumor cell lines, farnesol can modulate various tumorigenic proteins and/or modulates diverse signal transduction cascades. It can also induce apoptosis and downregulate cell proliferation, angiogenesis, and cell survival. To exert its anti-in

ToxicologyPharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics

Research Areas

Molecular BiologyOncologyCancer ResearchPharmacologyComplementary and alternative medicineEpidemiology

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