• Korean Journal of Oriental Medicine
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.77-84
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• 2001

A survey was conducted to investigate the attitudes of pharmaceutical companies toward the status and permission of R & D of herbal products. The survey's results showed that some of them(42.9%) was conducting the R&D, and others(57.1%) were not conducting. As the results of analysis on the reason of R&D conducting, some of them(42.3%) answered that R&D of herbal products is more effective and powerful than these of synthetic products. And 23.1% answered that the cost of R&D is low and the time required is short. And another 23.1% answered that it has marketability and competitive power. As the results of analysis on the marketability of herbal products in Pharmaceutical Market, most of them(78.6%) answered that it seems enough. As the result of the comparison of synthetic drug and herbal products, the proportion of R&D investment on herbal products was lower than synthetic products in the preclinical study, the first clinical study and the second clinical study, and higher than in the third clinical study and the NDA. And the periods of R&D was long in most procedure except synthesis of new materials. As the results of analysis on the recognition of related regulation, most of them(73%) was yes. And 35.2% of the subjects thinks it enough.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.6.1-6.10
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• 2021

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is expressed at elevated levels by most cancer cells, which can stimulate vascular endothelial cell growth, survival, proliferation as well as trigger angiogenesis modulated by VEGF and VEGFR (a tyrosine kinase receptor) signaling. The angiogenic effects of the VEGF family are thought to be primarily mediated through the interaction of VEGF with VEGFR-2. Targeting this signaling molecule and its receptor is a novel approach for blocking angiogenesis. In recent years virtual high throughput screening has emerged as a widely accepted powerful technique in the identification of novel and diverse leads. The high resolution X-ray structure of VEGF has paved the way to introduce new small molecular inhibitors by structure-based virtual screening. In this study using different alkaloid molecules as potential novel inhibitors of VEGF, we proposed three alkaloid candidates for inhibiting VEGF and VEGFR mediated angiogenesis. As these three alkaloid compounds exhibited high scoring functions, which also highlights their high binding ability, it is evident that these alkaloids can be taken to further drug development pipelines for use as novel lead compounds to design new and effective drugs against cancer.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.166-172
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• 2024

Human bitter taste-sensing type 2 receptors (hTAS2Rs) are expressed in various human tissues and may be associated with various cell signaling pathways, cell progression, and cell physiology in each tissue. hTAS2Rs can be a potential drug target because it is also expressed in some cancer cells. Xanthorrhizol (XNT) has various biological activities, such as anticancer, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant. XNT produces a bitter taste, but the specific hTAS2R activated is unknown, and the hTAS2R-mediated effect of XNT on cancer cells has not been studied. This study discovered the target receptor of XNT among 25 hTAS2Rs and confirmed the possibility of the hTAS2R-mediated inhibition of cancer cell proliferation. XNT activated only one receptor, hTAS2R38 (EC₅₀=1.606±0.021 ㎍/mL), and its activity was inhibited by probenecid, a hTAS2R38 antagonist. When HepG2 and MCF-7 cells were treated with XNT or phenylthiocarbamide (PTC), a known hTAS2R38 agonist, both chemicals inhibited cancer cell proliferation. XNT targets the human bitter taste receptor TAS2R38 and inhibits the proliferation of HepG2 and MCF-7 cells mediated by TAS2R38. This suggests that TAS2R38 may be a new target for disease treatment and a potential new factor for drug development.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.17 no.8
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• pp.841-856
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• 2008

This research outlines a new method for evaluation of shellfish production in Gamak Bay based on the concept of EMERGY. Better understanding of those environmental factors influencing oyster production and the management of oyster stocks requires the ability to assess the real value of environmental sources such as solar energy, river, tide, wave, wind, and other physical mechanisms. In this research, EMERGY flows from environment sources were 76% for shellfish aquaculture in Gamak Bay. EMERGY yield ratio, Environmental Loading Ratio, and Sustainability Index were 4.26, 0.31 and 13.89, respectively. Using the Emergy evaluation data, the predicted maximum shellfish aquaculture production in Gamak Bay and the FDA (Food and Drug Administration, U.S.) designated area in Gamak Bay were 10,845 ton/y and 7,548 ton/yr, respectively. Since the predicted shellfish production was approximately 1.3 times more than produced shellfish production in 2005, the carrying capacity of Gamak Bay is estimated to be 1.3 times more than the present oyster production.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.573-580
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• 2016

Caspases, a family of cysteine proteases, cleave substrates and play significant roles in apoptosis, autophagy, and development. Recently, our group identified 72 genes that interact with Death Caspase-1 (DCP-1) proteins in Drosophila by genetic screening of 15,000 EP lines. However, the cellular functions and molecular mechanisms of the screened genes, such as their involvement in apoptosis and autophagy, are poorly understood in mammalian cells. In order to study the functional characterizations of the genes in human cells, we investigated 16 full-length human genes in mammalian expression vectors and tested their effects on apoptosis and autophagy in human cell lines. Our studies revealed that ALFY, BIRC4, and TAK1 induced autophagy, while SEC61A2, N-PAC, BIRC4, WIPI1, and FALZ increased apoptotic cell death. BIRC4 was involved in both autophagy and apoptosis. Western blot analysis and luciferase reporter activity indicated that ALFY, BIRC4, PDGFA, and TAK1 act in a p53-dependent manner, whereas CPSF1, SEC61A2, N-PAC, and WIPI1 appear to be p53-independent. Overexpression of BIRC4 and TAK1 caused upregulation of p53 and accumulation of its target proteins as well as an increase in p53 mRNA levels, suggesting that these genes are involved in p53 transcription and expression of its target genes followed by p53 protein accumulation. In conclusion, apoptosis and/or autophagy mediated by BIRC4 and TAK1 may be regulated by p53 and caspase activity. These novel findings may provide valuable information that will aid in a better understanding of the roles of caspase-related genes in human cell lines and be useful for the process of drug discovery.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.60 no.5
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• pp.339-344
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• 2022

The development of drug resistance is one of the most severe concerns of malaria control because it increases the risk of malaria morbidity and death. A new candidate drug with antiplasmodial activity is urgently needed. This study evaluated the efficacy of different dosages of aqueous extract of Strychnos ligustrina combined with dihydroartemisinin and piperaquine phosphate (DHP) against murine Plasmodium berghei infection. The BALB/c mice aged 6-8 weeks were divided into 6 groups, each consisting of 10 mice. The growth inhibition of compounds against P. berghei was monitored by calculating the percentage of parasitemia. The results showed that the mice receiving aqueous extract and combination treatment showed growth inhibition of P. berghei in 74% and 94%, respectively. S. ligustrina extract, which consisted of brucine and strychnine, effectively inhibited the multiplication of P. berghei. The treated mice showed improved hematology profiles, body weight, and temperature, as compared to control mice. Co-treatment with S. ligustrina extract and DHP revealed significant antimalarial and antipyretic effects. Our results provide prospects for further discovery of antimalarial drugs that may show more successful chemotherapeutic treatment.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.101-104
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• 2014

Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic disease caused by Toxoplasma gondii, with very few therapeutic treatment options. The choices for treatment are pyrimethamine and sulfadiazine, however their utility is limited because of drug toxicity and serious side effects. In this study, ethanol extracts of 13 traditional medicines used to treat Toxoplasma gondii were tested in vitro for their anti-Toxoplasma gondii cytotoxicity. The median effective concentration ($EC_{50}$) values for the herbal extracts ranged from 173 mg/mL to 1995.35 mg/mL. In HeLa cell, the selectivity of Alpinia oxyphylla (2.75), Mucunae Caulis (2.96), Dictamnus dasycarpus (7.52) which was higher than sulfadiazine (2.08). This indicates that Alpinia oxyphylla, Mucunae Caulis, Dictamnus dasycarpus extracts may be sources of new anti-Toxoplasma gondii compounds.

• Journal of Radiation Industry
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.33-38
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• 2017

RI-Biomics technology is advanced convergence technologies that can be measured in real time and track in vivo behavior and metabolism of substances using characteristics of the radioactive isotope. Its application fields are increasing such as drug development, agriculture, development of new materials and their utilization, etc. In addition, according to domestic and international developments and changes in the RI-Biomics environment, RI-Biomics professionals are needed to train continuously. To develop systematic human resources basement and competency-based curriculum, we perform competency modeling of pedagogical perspective to targeted at high-performance on RI-Biomics. Furthermore, we redefine the competency model and verified by industry experts with focus group interviews. In the result, two general competencies and three professional competencies were extracted by interview. Each competencies are organized six sub-competencies and nine sub-competencies. In the finial steps, the same procedures were repeated to obtain the consensus of experts on derived competencies and behavioral objectives. The results of the study are applicable to enhance human resource management and to develop the curriculum for RI-Biomics expert training. It is expected to be used as reference material of long term-planning for RI-Biomics professional.

• Biodesign
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.35-37
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• 2019

Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) is a plant pathogen, which causes a bacterial blight of rice. The bacterial blight is one of the most devastating diseases of rice in most of the rice growing countries and there is no effective pesticide against bacterial blight. The β-ketoacyl-acyl carrier protein synthase III (FabH) plays a key role in fatty acid synthesis (FAS) and is a promising drug target for the development of antibacterial agents. Xoo0878 gene, a fabH gene, from Xoo was cloned and its gene product Xoo0878 was expressed, purified and crystallized. Xoo0878 crystal diffracted to 2.1Å resolution and belonged to the triclinic space group P1, with unit-cell parameters a = 57.3Å, b = 64.7Å, c = 104.2Å and α = 81.6°, β = 84.7°, γ = 74.4°. There are four monomers in the asymmetric unit, with a corresponding crystal volume per protein weight of 2.65 ų Da^-1 and a solvent content of 53.6%. Xoo0878 structure will be useful to develop new antibacterial agents against Xoo.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2011

Tuberculosis is a disease with high morbidity and mortality in children worldwide. Despite the decrease in the incidence of tuberculosis in Korea, more than 30,000 new patients are diagnosed each year. Active tuberculosis is less frequent in children compared to adults but the risk of miliary tuberculosis and CNS tuberculosis is much higher. The diagnosis of tuberculosis in children and adolescents is difficult due to the nonspecific symptoms upon presentation. Diagnostic work up is based on the confirmation of tuberculosis infection by tuberculin skin test, abnormal radiologic findings, and contact with an adult with active tuberculosis. Anti-tuberculosis medications are prescribed according to the drug susceptibility of the index patient. Latent tuberculosis infection plays an important role in adult tuberculosis by reactivation. Thus, it is critical to accurately diagnose latent tuberculosis in children to prevent reactivation in adulthood. Korean guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis in children and adolescents provide evidence based recommendations in the optimal diagnosis and treatment for active and latent tuberculosis in children and adolescents based on the current Korean situation.