• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.353-359
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• 1996

The purpose of this study was to investigate the concentrations of Leukotriene B4 in relation to the clinical symptom of pulpitis in human dental pulp. Pulps obtained from 3 groups of teeth: normal uniflamed teeth(N=22), asymptomatic teeth with deep caries or large restorations(N = 21) and symptomatic teeth with the clinical diagnosis of irreversible pulpitis(N = 15). Pulps were dissected from normal un inflamed teeth and extirpated from asymptomatic and symptomatic teeth during routine endodontic treatment and stored in liquid nitrogen ($-70^{\circ}C$). The levels of Leukotriene B4 in individual or pooled pulps were measured by radioimmunoassay and the mean levels of each group were compared statistically(Kruskall-Wallis oneway ANOVA test). The results were as followings : 1. In normal pulp, low levels of Leukotriene B4 were measured. 2. In pulps from asymptomatic and symptomatic teeth had significantly higher levels of Leukotriene B4 than normal pulps(p<0.01). 3. The levels of Leukotriene B4 in pulps from symptomatic teeth were significantly higher than those of pulps from asymptomatic teeth(p<0.01). These results suggest that Leukotriene B4 play a cretain role in inflammatory process of dental pulp and have a relationship with clinical symptoms of pulpitis.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.35-38
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• 2001

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.32-34
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• 2001

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.52 no.6
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• pp.680-688
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• 2009

Purpose : Cysteinyl leukotrienes are important proinflammatory mediators in asthma. Recently, it was suggested that a promoter polymorphism in the genes encoding for leukotriene C4 synthase (LTC4S), a key enzyme in the leukotriene synthetic pathway, and cysteinyl leukotriene receptor 1 (CysLTR1) might be associated with aspirin-intolerant asthma. We investigated whether polymorphisms in LTC4S and CysLTR1 genes or their interactions were associated with the asthma phenotype, lung function, or bronchial hyperreactivity (BHR) in Korean children. Methods : A total of 856 asthmatic children and 254 non-asthmatic controls were enrolled; a skin prick test, lung function test and bronchial provocation test were performed. Of those enrolled, 395 children underwent exercise challenge tests. The LTC4S A(-444)C and CysLTR1 T(＋927)C were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. Results : Of those enrolled, 699 children were classified as having atopic asthma and 277 children, as having exercise-induced asthma (EIA). LTC4S and CysLTR1 polymorphisms were not associated with atopic asthma, EIA, or asthma per se. Lung function and BHR were not significantly different between the wild type (AA or TT) and the variant (AC＋CC or TC＋CC) genotypes in asthmatics, atopic asthmatics, and EIA (＋) asthmatics, while total eosinophil counts were higher in the variant type of LTC4S than in the wild type in atopic asthmatics. There were no associations between the gene-gene interactions of LTC4S and CysLTR1 genotypes and the asthma phenotypes. Conclusion : LTC4S A(-444)C and CysLTR1 T(＋927)C polymorphisms and their gene-gene interactions are not associated with asthma phenotype, lung function, or BHR in Korean children.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.48 no.7
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• pp.766-771
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• 2005

Purpose : Cysteinyl leukotrienes are important inflammatory mediators in the pathogenesis of asthma; therefore interruption of cysteinyl leukotrienes by leukotriene receptor antagonists improves clinical symptoms in the management of patients with mild to moderate asthma. We evaluated whether clinical response to montelukast, a leukotriene receptor antagonist, in childhood asthma was predicted by genotypes of leukotriene $C_4$ synthase($LTC_4S$) promoter gene polymorphism. Methods : An 8-week prospective, open trial of montelukast was carried out in 161 children with mild to moderate asthma. Genotyping of $LTC_4S$ gene polymorphism was determined by restriction fragment length polymorphism. Results : The distribution of the $LTC_4S$ genotypes AA, AC, and CC was 70.8 percent, 23.6 percent, and 5.6 percent, respectively in asthma group and 74.0 percent, 22.6 percent, and 3.4 percent, respectively in control group. A statistically significant difference in the distribution of $LTC_4S$ genotype was not observed between the asthma and the control groups, and there was no significant difference between the $LTC_4S$ genotype and asthma severity. The responders to montelukast were significantly prevalent in the mild asthma group(P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the distribution of the responders compared to non-responders within genotype in the total asthma group or the moderate asthma group. However, the responsiveness for montelukast was significant difference within genotype for both AA and AC/CC in the mild asthma group : The AA genotype was more included in the responder group(P<0.05). Conclusion : In the mild persistent asthma group, the A allele of $LTC_4S$ polymorphism may be regarded as a predictable factor for clinical response to montelukast. However, LTC4S polymorphism was not significantly associated with the clinical response to montelukast in asthmatic children.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.35-40
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• 1998

Human cytochrome P450 4F2 shows high regioselectivity in hydroxylation of stearic acid and leukotriene $ B_4.$ As a first step of its regulation study, human cytochrome P450 4F2 genomic DNA was isolated from liver of a person who was administered clofibrate for 10 years. From Southern hybridization, restriction enzyme digestion and sequencing experiments, isolated genomic DNA fragment was found to contain around 32 Kb DNA and more than 20 Kb of $5^I$ end regulatory region. Sequences of the structural gene region revealed exon 1 and exon 2. Further regulation studies would elucidate the feedback mechanisms of the oxidative degradation of fatty acids, inflammatory response and the clearance of leukotriene B4 in the liver. Furthermore, regulation study of this gene could explain the species difference in responses to peroxisome proliferator and help in the safety evaluation of peroxisome proliferating chemicals to human being.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.296-301
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• 2011

This meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the difference of the therapeutic effi cacy and adverse effects of leukotriene receptor antagonist and theophylline added to inhaled corticosteroids in adult asthma. Databases were searched for studies published through Nov, 2010. Randomized-controlled trials containing inhaled corticosteroids plus leukotriene receptor antagonist and inhaled corticosteroids plus sustained-release theophylline for asthma therapy were selected. For each report, data were extracted to the outcomes analyzed: mean change in morning peak expiratory flow, mean change in evening peak expiratory flow, mean change in morning forced expiratory volume in 1 sec, mean change in daily short bete2-agonist use, asthma exacerbation and adverse effects. Four assessable trials including 182 asthmatic patients were identified. Inhaled corticosteroids plus leukotriene receptor antagonist was superior to inhaled corticosteroids plus theophylline therapy in improving morning peak expiratory flow in asthmatics (mean difference 19.08 [95% confidence interval 13.37-23.79] l/min, p<0.001) and morning forced expiratory volume in 1 sec in asthmatics (mean difference 0.09 [95% confidence interval 0.03-0.14] liter, p=0.001). In evening peak expiratory flow, daily short bete2-agonist use, asthma exacerbation and adverse effects, there was no significant difference between these two therapies (All p>0.05). Our meta-analysis showed that the combination of inhaled corticosteroids plus leukotriene receptor antagonist resulted in more improvement in both peak expiratory flow and forced expiratory volume in 1 sec in the morning than inhaled corticosteroids plus sustained-release theophylline in adult asthmatics. Further trials are necessary to evaluate the dominant effects of the former combination.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2003.04a
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• pp.103-106
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• 2003

The epithelial cells that form a barrier lining the lung airway are key regulators of neutrophil trafficking into the airway lumen in a variety of lung inflammatory diseases. Although the lipid mediator leukotriene B$_4$ (LTB$_4$) is known to be a principal chemoattractant for recruiting neutrophils to inflamed sites across the airway epithelium, the precise signaling mechanism involved remains largely unknown. (omitted)

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.38-39
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• 2001

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.281-284
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• 2000