• BMB Reports
• /
• 제44권11호
• /
• pp.730-734
• /
• 2011

Amyloid ${\beta}$-peptide ($A{\beta}$-peptide)-induced oxidative stress is thought to be a critical component of the pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD). New chalcone derivatives, the Chana series, were recently synthesized from the retrochalcones of licorice. In this study, we investigated the protective effects of the Chana series against neurodegenerative changes in vitro and in vivo. Among the Chana series, Chana 30 showed the highest free radical scavenging activity (90.7%) in the 1,1-diphenyl-2- picrylhydrazyl assay. Chana 30 also protected against $A{\beta}$-induced neural cell injury in vitro. Furthermore, Chana 30 reduced the learning and memory deficits of $A{\beta}_{1-42}$-peptide injected mice. Taken together, these results suggest that Chana 30 may be a promising candidate as a potent therapeutic agent against neurodegenerative diseases.

• 한국응용약물학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 한국응용약물학회 2006년도 Spring Conference
• /
• pp.77-90
• /
• 2006

Beta-amyloid peptide (A$\beta$) is a major component of senile plaques and its aggregation is considered to play a critical role in pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Aggregation of A$\beta$ could result from both increased synthesis and decreased degradation of A$\beta$. Our laboratory is interested in understanding the mechanism of A$\beta$ degradation in brain. Recently our laboratory identified a bacterial gene (SKAP) from Streptomyces sp KK565 whose protein product has an activity to cleave A$\beta$ and thus reduce the A$\beta$-induced neurotoxicity. The sequence analysis showed that this gene was closely related to aminopeptidase. Maldi-Tof analysis showed that the recombinant SKAP protein expressed in E. coli cleaves both A$\beta$ 40 and A$\beta$ 42 at the N-terminal of A$\beta$ while an aminopeptidase from Streptomyces griseus (SGAP) cleaves at the C-terminal. We also identified a mammalian homolog of SKAP and the recombinant mammalian protein expressed in Sf-9 insect cells showed a similar proteolytic activity to SGAP, cutting A$\beta$ at the C-terminus. I well discuss the detailed mechanism of the enzyme action and its functional implication in AD.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• 제30권6호
• /
• pp.1237-1238
• /
• 2009

• 대한약학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 대한약학회 2003년도 Proceedings of the Convention of the Pharmaceutical Society of Korea Vol.2-2
• /
• pp.136.1-136.1
• /
• 2003

$\beta$-amyloid (A$\beta$) peptide produced from amyloid precursor protein (APP) is a major cause of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Therefore, in early phase of AD, imbalance of the production and the clearance of $A\beta$ is regarded as an important factor to progressive AD presenting senile plaque, a hallmark of AD. In the present study, we wanted to verify whether Rg3 can playa role in helping microglia engulfing $A\beta$ peptides. Validations for the study was conducted by using DiI-Ac-LDL, which attached only on type A macrophage scavenger receptor (MSR-A) and ligands for he receptor, fucoidan. (omitted)

• 생명과학회지
• /
• 제15권2호
• /
• pp.169-175
• /
• 2005

Resveratrol (3,4',5-trihydroxy-trans-stilbene)은 포도와 같은 식물에서 각종 감염균으로부터 자신의 몸을 보호하기 위하여 생성되는 물질인 phytoalexin의 일종으로 강력한 항산화작용, 암예방 효과 및 항암 작용을 포함한 각종 약리작용을 가진 것으로 보고 되어져 오고 있다. Alzheimer 환자의 뇌에 축적되어 뇌 신경세포를 죽이는 amyloid plaque의 주 성분은 $amyloid-\beta$의 축적에 의한 것인데, $amyloid-\beta$는 정상적인 단백질 신진대사 과정의 결과로 체내 모든 세포들로부터 생성되는 물질이다. 본 연구에서는 resveratrol의 세포독성 보호효과에 관한 효능을 검증하기 위하여 C6 신경교세포에서 $amyloid-\beta-peptide$ (fragment 31-35)에 의한 세포독성 및 세포성장 조절관련 주요 유전자들의 발현에 미치는 resveratrol의 영향을 조사하였다. $Amyloid-\beta$가 처리된 C6세포는 처리 농도의존적으로 증식이 억제되었으며, 형태적 변형도 유발 되었으나 resveratrol의 전처리에 의하여 효과적으로 차단되었다. RT-PCR 및 Western blot analysis에 의한 결과에서 $amyloid-\beta$ 처리에 의한 세포증식 억제는 종양억제유전자 p53 및 Cdk 억제제인 p21 (WAF1/CIP1) 발현이 증가되었다. 또한 apoptosis 유발에 매우 중요한 역할을 수행하는 Bax의 발현도 $amyloid-\beta$가 처리된 C6 세포에서 발현이 증가되었으나 apoptosis 유발억제에 관여하는 Bcl-2및 $Bcl-X_{L}$ 발현에는 큰 영향을 미치지 못하였다. 그러나 resveratrol이 전처리된 세포에서는 처리 농도 의존적으로 $amyloid-\beta$에 의해 유도되는 p53, p21 및 Bax의 발현이 정상수준으로 회복되었다.

• 혜화의학회지
• /
• 제8권1호
• /
• pp.793-825
• /
• 1999

For the development of drugs for alzheimer,s disease, the study was done to review the oriental pathology, clinical data, recent trends for research and strategy for future study. The results were as follows: 1. The medical term Chi-dsi implying alzheimer,s disease was referred for the first time in a medical book, Hwatasheneubijeon written by Hwa-Ta and its differentiation and treatment were studied more in Ming or Ching dynasties. Chi-dai can be differentated as weak(虛) syndrome and Shi(實) syndrome. This can be caused by deficiencies of renal Yin, renal Yang, cardiac Yin and hepatic blood, while that by deficiencies of pathological fluid(痰飮) and clotted blood(瘀血). 2. Dementia can be roughly classified as alzheimer's disease and multi-infarct disease. Its causes were known to be cholinergic transmitter, C-peptide, amyloid-${\beta}$, apolipoprotein, APP(amyloid precursor protein), TGF, MMP-9 and free radical. 3. In Korea experimental studies were chiefly done for the elimataion of C-peptide, amyloid-${\beta}$, apolipoprotein, APP for alzheimer's disease, for the development of drug inhibiting degerative change following CVA and loss of memory and also administrative measure was done by support of government. 4. Drugs of dimentia developed so far were Chi-Dai dan, extracts from aloe, mushroom, green tea, Ganoderma and also folic acid, vitamin C, DHEA and silk amino acid were reported to be effective in dimenta. 5. Future strategic research had better be done on dementia-inducing factors such as acetylcholine, C-peptide, amyloid-${\beta}$, apolipoprotein, APP, TGF, MMP-9 and free radical, development of animal model for dimentia, clinical study, epidemiology, nursing and administrative studies and also consortium for dimentia research should be formed so that repeated investment be avoided.

• 동의생리병리학회지
• /
• 제19권1호
• /
• pp.242-245
• /
• 2005

The most common feature of neurodegenerative disease (i.e. Alzheimer's disease, AD) is the increased number of activated microglial cells nearby the pathogenic area of the brain, such as amyloid plaque in AD. An abnormality of protein regulation and an imbalance of clearance against ${\beta}-amyloid\;(A{\beta})$ produced amyloid precursor protein (APP) can turn microglia into the activated feature out of the ramified resting phase. We examined the possibility that ginsenoside Rb1 could attenuate the microglial activation induced by massive $A{\beta}$ that has known to induce a chronic inflammation, which is a major cause of AD by damaging neuronal cells (i.e. apoptosis or necrosis). Aggregated $A{\beta}42\;(5\;{\mu}M)$ peptide was used with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) ($10\;{\mu}g$) for a comparative control up to 48hours. We found that Rb1 reduced the production of nitric oxide as well as proinflammatory cytokines, such as $IL-1{\beta}$ and $TNF-{\alpha}$.

• BMB Reports
• /
• 제50권7호
• /
• pp.345-354
• /
• 2017

Autophagy, a catabolic process necessary for the maintenance of intracellular homeostasis, has recently been the focus of numerous human diseases and conditions, such as aging, cancer, development, immunity, longevity, and neurodegeneration. However, the continued presence of autophagy is essential for cell survival and dysfunctional autophagy is thought to speed up the progression of neurodegeneration. The actual molecular mechanism behind the progression of dysfunctional autophagy is not yet fully understood. Emerging evidence suggests that basal autophagy is necessary for the removal of misfolded, aggregated proteins and damaged cellular organelles through lysosomal mediated degradation. Physiologically, neurodegenerative disorders are related to the accumulation of amyloid ${\beta}$ peptide and ${\alpha}-synuclein$ protein aggregation, as seen in patients with Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, respectively. Even though autophagy could impact several facets of human biology and disease, it generally functions as a clearance for toxic proteins in the brain, which contributes novel insight into the pathophysiological understanding of neurodegenerative disorders. In particular, several studies demonstrate that natural compounds or small molecule autophagy enhancer stimuli are essential in the clearance of amyloid ${\beta}$ and ${\alpha}-synuclein$ deposits. Therefore, this review briefly deliberates on the recent implications of autophagy in neurodegenerative disorder control, and emphasizes the opportunities and potential therapeutic application of applied autophagy.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• 제40권9호
• /
• pp.613-620
• /
• 2017

The most common form of senile dementia is Alzheimer's disease (AD), which is characterized by the extracellular deposition of amyloid ${\beta}-peptide$ ($A{\beta}$) plaques and the intracellular formation of neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) in the cerebral cortex. Tau abnormalities are commonly observed in many neurodegenerative diseases including AD, Parkinson's disease, and Pick's disease. Interestingly, tau-mediated formation of NFTs in AD brains shows better correlation with cognitive impairment than $A{\beta}$ plaque accumulation; pathological tau alone is sufficient to elicit frontotemporal dementia, but it does not cause AD. A growing amount of evidence suggests that soluble $A{\beta}$ oligomers in concert with hyperphosphorylated tau (pTau) serve as the major pathogenic drivers of neurodegeneration in AD. Increased $A{\beta}$ oligomers trigger neuronal dysfunction and network alternations in learning and memory circuitry prior to clinical onset of AD, leading to cognitive decline. Furthermore, accumulated damage to mitochondria in the course of aging, which is the best-known nongenetic risk factor for AD, may collaborate with soluble $A{\beta}$ and pTau to induce synapse loss and cognitive impairment in AD. In this review, I summarize and discuss the current knowledge of the molecular and cellular biology of AD and also the mechanisms that underlie $A{\beta}-mediated$ neurodegeneration.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• 제24권1호
• /
• pp.69-75
• /
• 2007

Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder associated with progressive loss of cognitive function and memory. Amyloid beta peptide ($A{\beta}$) is the major component of senile plaques and is known to exert its cytotoxic effect mainly by producing $H_2O_2$. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is elevated in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and brain of AD patients, and $H_2O_2$ is one of the factors that induce VEGF. Therefore, we tested whether $A{\beta}$ might be responsible for the increased VEGF synthesis. We found that $A{\beta}$ induced the production of $H_2O_2$ in vitro. Comparison of the amount of $H_2O_2$ required to induce VEGF synthesis in HN33 cells and the amount of $H_2O_2$ produced by $10{\mu}M\;A{\beta}_{1-42}$ in vitro suggested that a toxic concentration of $A{\beta}$ might induce VEGF synthesis in these cells. However, toxic concentrations of $A{\beta}$ failed to induce VEGF synthesis in several cell systems. They also had no effect on antioxidant enzymes such as glutathione peroxidase, catalase, and peroxiredoxin in HN33 cells. $Cu^{2+}$, $Zn^{2+}$ and $Fe^{3+}$ are known to accumulate in the brains of AD patients and promote aggregation of $A{\beta}$, and $Cu^{2+}$ by itself induces synthesis of VEGF. However, there was no synergistic effect between $Cu^{2+}$ and $A{\beta}_{1-42}$ in the induction of VEGF synthesis and $Zn^{2+}$ and $Fe^{3+}$ also had no effect on the synthesis of VEGF, alone or in combination with $A{\beta}$.