• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.237-244
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• 2010

This study investigated basic material properties and compressibility of commonly used pharmaceutical excipients. Five classes of excipients are selected including starch, lactose, calcium phosphate, microcrystalline cellulose (MCC), and povidone. The compressibility was evaluated using compression parameters derived from Heckel and Kawakita equation. The Heckel plot for lactose and dicalcium phosphate showed almost linear relationship. However, for MCC and povidone, curves in the initial phase of compression were observed followed by linear regions. The initial curve was considered as particle rearrangement and fragmentation and then plastic deformation at the later stages of the compression cycle. The Kawakita equation showed MCC exhibited higher compressibility, followed by povidone, lactose, and calcium phosphate. MCC undergoes significant plastic deformation during compression bringing an extremely large surface area into close contact and facilitating hydrogen bond formation between the plastically deformed, adjacent cellulose particles. Lactose compacts are consolidated by both plastic deformation and fragmentation, but to a larger extent by fragmentation. Calcium phosphate has poor binding properties because of its brittle nature. When formulating tablets, selection of suitable pharmaceutical excipients is very important and they need to have good compression properties with decent powder flowability. Material properties tested in this study might give a good guide how to select excipients for tablet formulations and help the formulation scientists design the optimum ones.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.574-578
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• 2010

Archaebacteria Sulfolobus acidocaldarius contains the highly thermophilic cytochrome P450 enzyme (CYP119). CYP119 possesses stable enzymatic activity at up to $85^{\circ}C$. However, this enzyme is still considered as an orphan P450 without known physiological function with endogenous or xenobiotic substrates. We characterized the regioselectivity of lauric acid by CYP119 using the auxiliary redox partner proteins putidaredoxin (Pd) and putidaredoxin reductase (PdR). Purified CYP119 protein showed a tight binding affinity to lauric acid ($K_d=1.1{\pm}0.1{\mu}M$) and dominantly hydroxylated (${\omega}-1$) position of lauric acid. We determined the steady-state kinetic parameters; $k_{cat}$ was 10.8 $min^{-1}$ and $K_m$, was 12 ${\mu}M$. The increased ratio to $\omega$-hydroxylated production of lauric acid catalyzed by CYP119 was observed with increase in the reaction temperature. These studies suggested that the regioselectivity of CYP119 provide the critical clue for the physiological enzyme function in this thermophilic archaebacteria. In addition, regioselectivity control of CYP119 without altering its thermostability can lead to the development of novel CYP119-based catalysts through protein engineering.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.223-230
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• 1999

Alterations of cardiovascular function associated with various thyroid states have been studied. In hyperthyroidism left ventricular contractility and relaxation velocity were increased, whereas these parameters were decreased in hypothyroidism. The mechanisms for these changes have been suggested to include alterations in the expression and/or activity levels of various proteins; ${\alpha}-myosin$ heavy chain, ${\beta}-myosin$ heavy chain, ${\beta}-receptors,$ the guanine nucleotide-binding regulatory protein, and the sarcolemmal $Ca^{2+}-ATPase.$ All these cellular alterations may be associated with changes in the intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ concentration. The most important regulator of intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ concentration is the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), which serves as a $Ca^{2+}$ sink during relaxation and as a $Ca^{2+}$ source during contraction. The $Ca^{2+}-ATPase$ and phospholamban are the most important proteins in the SR membrane for muscle relaxation. The dephosphorylated phospholamban inhibits the SR $Ca^{2+}-ATPase$ through a direct interaction, and phosphorylation of phospholamban relieves the inhibition. In the present study, quantitative changes of $Ca^{2+}-ATPase$ and phospholamban expression and the functional consequences of these changes in various thyroid states were investigated. The effects of thyroid hormones on (1) SR $Ca^{2+}$ uptake, (2) phosphorylation levels of phospholamban, (3) SR $Ca^{2+}-ATPase$ and phospholamban protein levels, (4) phospholamban mRNA levels were examined. Our findings indicate that hyperthyroidism is associated with increases in $Ca^{2+}-ATPase$ and decreases in phospholamban levels whereas opposite changes in these proteins occur in hypothyroidism.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.131-142
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• 2003

We have studied mutant forms of Kir2.1 in which an aspartate residue (D172), important for gating by intracellular polyamines, is replaced by one of three basic residues (Arg, Lys or His). Such channels are highly selective for $K^+$, but show inward rectification that is a shallow function of voltage compared with that found in wild type. This inward rectification occurs with a reduced affinity for spermine and persists in the absence of polyamines. Though the unitary current-voltage relation shows some inward rectification, it is insufficient to account for that seen under whole cell recording. Channels open and shut under single channel recording, and changes of $P_{open}$ appear to generate inward rectification. In D172H, the reduction in affinity for spermine is greater when His is protonated at low $pH_i$. The effective valency for spermine is reduced from $3.09{\pm}0.07$ in wild type to $1.95{\pm}0.09$ in D172H at $pH_i$ 6.3. In the presence of dual mutants of Kir2.1, where E224 is also replaced, spermine affinity becomes undetectable. However, channels still show inward rectification and open and shut under hyper- and depolarisation, respectively. We suggest that Kir2.1 channel are able to undergo conformation changes; these changes may be important physiologically in generating inward rectification, the normal parameters of which are set by the binding of polyamines such as spermine.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.309-314
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• 2009

An enzyme immunoassay (EIA) was validated for quantitation of cacitriol in human plasma. Calcitriol was immunoextracted with immunocapsules, which contain monoclonal antibodies to calcitriol linked to solid phase particles in suspension with a vitamin D binding protein inhibitor. Calcitrol was eluated and the eluates were evaporated under a gentle stream of nitrogen gas. The absorbance of analytes was determined using a microplate reader (reference wavelength 650 nm; measurement wavelength 450 nm). The method was specific and sensitive enough to detect as low as 6.5 pmol/L of calcitriol. Linear calibration range was 6.5-491 pmol/L with correlation coefficient greater than 0.99. The overall accuracy was in the range of 83.8 to 111.2% and precision C.V. (%) 0.99 to 8.47%. The recovery was approximately 100% and stability was confirmed during storage and sample preparation. The pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated by baseline subtraction because calcitriol is an endogenous material. Following oral dose of calcitriol, the mean AUC$_{24h}$ was 1038${\pm}$539 pmol/Lhr and C$_{max}$ of 128${\pm}$63.1 pmol/L was reached at 3.50${\pm}$1.07 hr. The mean t$_{1/2}$ of calcitriol was 5.13${\pm}$2.10 hr. The present EIA method was successfully applied to study bioavailability after oral administration of 2 ${\mu}$g of calcitriol in healthy Korean subjects.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.86-94
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• 2009

Various types of multilayer coatings including Al/$Al_2O_3$ structure have been prepared on Nd-Fe-B permanent magnet to modify the morphology of the coating and to enhance the corrosion resistance of the magnet. Magnetron sputtering has been employed to make the multilayer coatings. $Al_2O_3$sputtering conditions were optimized in reactive sputtering by varying the deposition parameters. The formation of $Al_2O_3$ film was confirmed from the binding energy shift measured by electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis. 3 types of coating structures were designed and prepared by magnetron sputtering. The coating structures consist of (1) single Al coating, (2) modified coatings having oxide or plasma treated layer in the middle of coating structure, and (3) Al/$Al_2O_3$ multilayer coatings. Surface and cross-sectional morphologies showed that Al/$Al_2O_3$ multilayer grew as a layered structure, and that very compact Zone 3 like structure were formed. X-ray diffraction peak showed that the crystal orientations of multilayer coatings were similar to that of the bulk powder pattern. Hardness increased drastically when the Al thickness was around 1im in the Al/$Al_2O_3$ multilayer. From the salt spray test and pressure cooker test, it has been shown that the multilayer coatings showed good corrosion resistance compared to Al single or modified layer coatings.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.28 no.10
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• pp.1196-1202
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• 2005

Omeprazole (OMP) is a proton pump inhibitor used as an oral treatment for acid-related gastrointestinal disorders. In the liver, it is primarily metabolized by cytochrome P-450 (CYP450) isoenzymes such as CYP2C19 and CYP3A4. 5-Hyroxyomeprazole (5-OHOMP) and omeprazole sulfone (OMP-SFN) are the two major metabolites of OMP in human. Cimetidine (CMT) inhibits the breakdown of drugs metabolized by CYP450 and reduces, the clearance of coad-ministered drug resulted from both the CMT binding to CYP450 and the decreased hepatic blood flow due to CMT. Phenobarbital (PB) induces drug metabolism in laboratory animals and human. PB induction mainly involves mammalian CYP forms in gene families 2B and 3A. PB has been widely used as a prototype inducer for biochemical investigations of drug metabolism and the enzymes catalyzing this metabolism, as well as for genetic, pharmacological, and toxicological investigations. In order to investigate the influence of CMT and PB on the metabolite kinetics of OMP, we intravenously administered OMP (30 mg/kg) to rats intraperitoneally pretreated with normal saline (5 mL/kg), CMT (100 mg/kg) or PB (75 mg/kg) once a day for four days, and compared the pharmacokinetic parameters of OMP. The systemic clearance ($CL_{t}$) of OMP was significantly (p<0.05) decreased in CMT-pretreated rats and significantly (p<0.05) increased in PB-pretreated rats. These results indicate that CMT inhibits the OMP metabolism due to both decreased hepatic blood flow and inhibited enzyme activity of CYP2C19 and 3A4 and that PB increases the OMP metabolism due to stimulation of the liver blood flow and/or bile flow, due not to induction of the enzyme activity of CYP3A4.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.65-69
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• 2003

The kinetic and chemical mechanisms of AChE-catalyzed hydrolysis of short-chain thiocholine esters are relatively well documented. Up to propanoylthiocholine (PrTCh) the chemical mechanism is general acid-base catalysis by the active site catalytic triad. The chemical mechanism for the enzyme-catalyzed butyrylthiocholine(BuTCh) hydrolysis shifts to a parallel mechanism in which general base catalysis by E199 of direct water attack to the carbonyl carbon of the substrate. [Selwood, T., et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1993, 115, 10477- 10482] The long chain thiocholine esters such as hexanoylthiocholine (HexTCh), heptanoylthiocholine (HepTCh), and octanoylthiocholine (OcTCh) are hydrolyzed by electric eel acetylcholinesterase (AChE). The kinetic parameters are determined to show that these compounds have a lower Michaelis constant than BuTCh and the pH-rate profile showed that the mechanism is similar to that of BuTCh hydrolysis. The solvent isotope effect and proton inventory of AChE-catalyzed hydrolysis of HexTCh showed that one proton transfer is involved in the transition state of the acylation stage. The relationship between the dipole moment and the Michaelis constant of the long chain thiocholine esters showed that the dipole moment is the most important factor for the binding of a substrate to the enzyme active site.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.19-26
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• 1990

To examine the effects of sequence variations near the transcriptional start site on the rate of formation of the open complexes at bacteriophage $\lambda P_{R}$ promoter, two mutant promoters were created by site-specific mutagenesis using synthetic oligonucleotides. Mutant I coatains changes at positions -3 and -4 from TT to CC, thus having a 6-bp long G/C stretch between -10 region and transciptional start site (+1). Mutant II has changes at positions -5 and -6 from GG to AA, thereby having a 9-bp long A/T stretch between positions -11 and -3. Selective filter binding assays were performed to measure the rate of formation of the open complexes between the wild-type or two mutant $P_{R}$ promoters on 664 bp fragments and E. coli RNA polymerase at two temperatures. At 37.deg.C, the wild-type and two mutants showed similar rates for the formation of open complex. The second order rate constant $k_{a}$ and $\tau _{int}$, as determined from the .tau.-plot analysis, were $(6.0\pm0.4)\times10^{6}M^{-1}sec^{-1}$ and $11\pm5$sec, respectively. At 18.deg.C, however, the wild-type and two mutant promoters showed differences in the kinetic parameters. k for the wild-type promoter was (2.2$\pm$0.1)\times 10^{6}M^{-1}sec^{-1}$ and $\tau _{int}$ was 76$\pm$sec. Mutant I and II exhibited differences mainly in the rate of isomerization ($\tau_{int,I}=91\pm$10 sec, int,II=34$\pm$ sec), whereas the second order rate constant $k_{a}$ was similar to the wild type value. This result implies that at $18^{\circ}C$, the isomerization rate is determined by both protein conformational change and DNA melting, which are separable kinetically according to the 3-step mechanism of Roe et al.(1984,1985), and that the base changes affected mainly the rate of DNA melting as predicted.lting as predicted.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.38 no.12
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• pp.59-71
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• 2000

The purpose of this study was to assess the iron nutritional status and dietary iron availability of postmenopausal women residing in Jeonju area. The anthropometric parameters, nutrient intake and biochemical status of iron were measured from 57 postmenopausal women aged 50∼74 years old. Mean values of hemoglobin(Hb), hematocrit(Hct), serum iron(Fe), total iron binding capacity(TIBC) and serum ferritin(Ferritin) concentration were 12.82${\pm}$1.03g/dl, 37.68${\pm}$2.99%, 92.60${\pm}$46.66ug/dl, 353.0${\pm}$54.48ug/dl, 86.86${\pm}$100.7ug/ιrespectively. Prevalence of iron deficiency greatly varied by indices from 14.04% when judged by Ferritin(<20ug/ι) to 40.4% by TIBC(>360${\mu}$g/dl. The anemic subjects assessed with Hct percent(36%) represented 22.8%, whereas 21.1% of the subjects possessed less than 12g/dl of Hb. Ferritin concentration showed a significantly negative correlation with TIBC(r=-0.343, p<0.01) and a positive correlation with MCHC(r=0.361, p<0.01). The mean daily intake of iron was 10.62mg and intake of heme iron was 5.3%(0.56mg) of total iron intake. Total absorbable iron caculated by the method of Monsen was 0.49mg anti bioavailability of dietary iron was 4.61%. Ferritin Concentration was positively associated with total iron intake(r=0.264, p<0.05), dietary nonheme iron(r=0.286, p<0.05) and iron of animal food (r=0.364, p<0.01). But Ferritin concentration was not correlated dietary heme iron(r=-0.137, p>0.05). Major food groups of iron intake were vegetables(20.15%), cereals(19.59%) and fishes(12.34%) in postmenopausal women. Intake of eggs was positively associated with Ferritin(r=0.473, p<0.01).