• 생약학회지
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• 제53권2호
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• pp.79-86
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• 2022

Excessive glutamate causes oxidative stress in neuronal cells, which can cause degenerative neurological disorders. We tried to find medicinal plant showed neuroprotective activity by using glutamate-injured HT22 cell as a model system. In this study, we found that Boesenbergia rotunda methanol extract showed neuroprotective activity against glutamate induced neurotoxicity in mouse hippocampal HT22 cells. B. rotunda methanol extract suppressed the formation of reactive oxygen species and decreased intracellular Ca²⁺concentration. Also, B. rotunda made mitochondrial membrane potential maintain to normal levels. In addition, B. rotunda increased total glutathione amount and activated antioxidative enzyme such as glutathione reductase and glutathione peroxidase compared to glutamate-treated groups. These results suggested that B. rotunda decreased neuronal cell death damaged by high concentrations of glutamate treatment, via antioxidative mechanism and might be one of candidate of development of new drug to treat neurodegenerative disease such as Alzheimer's disease.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제31권1호
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• pp.1-15
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• 2023

Autophagy is a process of eliminating damaged or unnecessary proteins and organelles, thereby maintaining intracellular homeostasis. Deregulation of autophagy is associated with several diseases including cancer. Contradictory dual roles of autophagy have been well established in cancer. Cytoprotective mechanism of autophagy has been extensively investigated for overcoming resistance to cancer therapies including radiotherapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy, and chemotherapy. Selective autophagy inhibitors that directly target autophagic process have been developed for cancer treatment. Efficacies of autophagy inhibitors have been tested in various pre-clinical cancer animal models. Combination therapies of autophagy inhibitors with chemotherapeutics are being evaluated in clinal trials. In this review, we will focus on genetical and pharmacological perturbations of autophagy-related proteins in different steps of autophagic process and their therapeutic benefits. We will also summarize combination therapies of autophagy inhibitors with chemotherapies and their outcomes in pre-clinical and clinical studies. Understanding of current knowledge of development, progress, and application of cytoprotective autophagy inhibitors in combination therapies will open new possibilities for overcoming drug resistance and improving clinical outcomes.

• 한국자원식물학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국자원식물학회 2021년도 춘계학술대회
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• pp.5-5
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• 2021

Alcoholic and nonalcoholic steaohepatitis is a leading form of chronic liver disease with few biomakers ad treatment options currently available. a progressive disease of NAFLD may lead to fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Recently, we extracted HIMH0021, which is an active flavonoid component in the Acer tegmentosum extract, has been shown to protect against liver damage caused by hepatic dysfunction. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to investigate whether HIMH0021 could regulate steatohepatitis and liver fibrosis during alcoholic or nonalcoholic metabolic process. HIMH0021, which was isolated from the active methanol extract of A. tegmentosum, inhibited alcohol-induced steatosis and attenuated the serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) during hepatocellular alcohol metabolism, both of which promote lipogenesis as well as liver inflammation. Treatment with HIMH0021 conferred protection against lipogenesis and liver injury, inhibited the expression of cytochrome P4502E1, and increased serum adiponectin levels in the mice subjected to chronic-plus-binge feeding. Furthermore, in hepatocytes, HIMH0021 activated fatty acid oxidation by activating pAMPK, which comprises pACC and CPT1a. These findings suggested that HIMH0021 could be used to target a TNFα-related pathway for treating patients with alcoholic hepatitis.

• Korean Circulation Journal
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• 제53권1호
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• pp.34-46
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• 2023

Background and Objectives: Diabetes mellitus (DM)-associated heart failure (HF) causes high morbidity and mortality. In this study, we established a zebrafish larvae model for in vivo research on diabetic HF. Methods: DM-like phenotypes were induced by treating zebrafish larvae with a combination of D-glucose (GLU) and streptozotocin (STZ). HF was induced by treatment with terfenadine (TER), a potassium channel blocker. Additionally, myocardial contractility, motility, and viability were evaluated. Results: The zebrafish larvae treated with a combination of GLU and STZ showed significantly higher whole-body glucose concentrations, lower insulin levels, and higher phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase levels, which are markers of abnormal glucose homeostasis, than the group treated with only GLU, with no effect on viability. When treated with TER, DM zebrafish showed significantly less myocardial fractional shortening and more irregular contractions than the non-DM zebrafish. Furthermore, in DM-HF with reduced ejection fraction (rEF) zebrafish, a significant increase in the levels of natriuretic peptide B, a HF biomarker, markedly reduced motility, and reduced survival rates were observed. Conclusions: We established a DM-HFrEF zebrafish model by sequentially treating zebrafish larvae with GLU, STZ, and TER. Our findings indicate the potential utility of the developed zebrafish larvae model not only in screening studies of new drug candidates for DM-HFrEF but also in mechanistic studies to understand the pathophysiology of DM-HFrEF.

• BMB Reports
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• 제57권7호
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• pp.311-317
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• 2024

Brain organoid is a three-dimensional (3D) tissue derived from stem cells such as induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) embryonic stem cells (ESCs) that reflect real human brain structure. It replicates the complexity and development of the human brain, enabling studies of the human brain in vitro. With emerging technologies, its application is various, including disease modeling and drug screening. A variety of experimental methods have been used to study structural and molecular characteristics of brain organoids. However, electrophysiological analysis is necessary to understand their functional characteristics and complexity. Although electrophysiological approaches have rapidly advanced for monolayered cells, there are some limitations in studying electrophysiological and neural network characteristics due to the lack of 3D characteristics. Herein, electrophysiological measurement and analytical methods related to neural complexity and 3D characteristics of brain organoids are reviewed. Overall, electrophysiological understanding of brain organoids allows us to overcome limitations of monolayer in vitro cell culture models, providing deep insights into the neural network complex of the real human brain and new ways of disease modeling.

• Journal of Digestive Cancer Research
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• 제8권1호
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• pp.65-70
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• 2020

Although being one of the major causes of malignancy related death globally, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has not received much attention in respect of novel drug development. Fortunately, several new drugs were found to be effective and tolerable in patients with advanced HCC from a number of phase 3 studies during the recent several years. Novel multi-targeted kinase inhibitors and immune checkpoint inhibitors were approved for clinical use, and combination strategies to maximize the potent of drugs demonstrated promising antitumor activity and safety with high response rate and improved safety profile. The increased number of available agents for HCC will contribute to change of treatment strategies and prognosis of patients with advanced HCC. Still, there is a many critical questions remain unanswered. Currently ongoing trials and future studies will provide better understanding of tumor biology and optimized criteria for patient selection and combination therapies.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• 제21권4호
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• pp.177-196
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• 2004

Objective : Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that pathogenesis is not fully understood and one of the most intractable musculoskeletal diseases. The concern in the immunopathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis has been increased since 1980's and many immunotherapeutic agents including disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) were developed and became the mainstay of treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. However, the cure of the disease has hardly been achieved. In oriental medicine, rheumatoid arthritis is related to Bi-Zheng(痺證), that presents pain, swelling, andlor loss of joint function as major clinical manifestations, and also known to be deeply involved in suppression of immune function related to weakness of Jung-Ki(正氣). The herbal medicine, empirically used, could be a potential resource of development of new immunotherapeutic agents for rheumatoid arthritis. Methods : We developed a search strategy using terms to include "rheumatoid arthritis and herbal medicine" combined with "Chinese medicine" and/or "Oriental medicine". The search was focused on experimental studies of herbal medicine (January 1999 to May 2004), which is known to have effects on immune function of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Computerized search used Internet databases including KISS and RISS4U (Korea), CNKI (China), MOMJ (Main Oriental Medicine Journal, Japan), and PubMed. The articles were selected from journals of universities or major research institutes. Results : The literature search for experimental studies on effects of herbal medicine on immunity of rheumatoid arthritis retrieved a total of 21 articles (Korea; 8, China ; 12, Japan ; 1). Of 21 articles, 10 were related to single-drug formula, 2 to drug interaction, and 9 to multi-drug formula. Single-drug formula was mainly used for aqua-acupuncture and researches on active components. Studies of drug interaction emphasized harmony of Ki-Hyul(氣血) and balance of Han-Yeul(寒熱). Multi-drug regimen was mainly found among formulas for Bo-Ki-Hyul(補氣血) and Bo-Sin(補腎). Conclusion : Studies on rheumatoid arthritis were performed both in vitro and in vivo in vitro study, LPS-stimulated splenocytes and synoviocytes were treated with herbal medicine, resulting in proliferation and activation of immune cells and suppression of cytokine activities in vivo study CIA animal model demonstrated that herbal medicine decreased antibody production and improved function of immune cells. In cellular and molecular study herbal medicine showed profound effects on the level of mRNA expression of certain cytokines related to immune function. This study revealed that herbal medicine has significant immune modulatory action and could be used for recovery of immune dysfunction of rheumatoid arthritis patients.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제55권1호
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• pp.41-58
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• 2003

연구배경 : 약제내성 결핵권의 조기 진단을 위해서, 최근 돌연변이 검출 및 질병의 진단 등에 새로운 기술로 대두되고 있는 올리고뉴콜레오티드 칩 기술을 이용하여 결핵균의 리팜핀, 아이소나아지드와 스트렙토마이신 내성과 관련된 rpoB, katG와 rpsL 유전자의 주요 돌연변이를 신속하고 정확하게 검출하고자 하였다. 방 법 : 리팜핀 내성 검출의 야생형 7개와 돌연변이형 13개, 아이소니아지드 내성 검출의 야생형 2개와 돌연변이형 3개, 그리고 스트렙토마이신 내성 검출을 위한 야생형과 돌연변이형 프로브 각 2종류를 고안한 후, 유리 슬라이드에 고정시켜 올리고뉴클레오티드 칩을 제작하였고, 약제내성을 가지고 있는 배양균주 55균주를 선택하여 PCR 증폭반응과 혼성화 반응을 실시한 후 비공초점 레이저 스케너를 이용하여 돌연변이를 검출하였다. 이를 염기서열방법으로 확인하여 돌연변이 다형성을 분석하였다. 결 과 : 리팜핀 내성은 코돈 531과 코돈 526에서 65%의 돌연변이를 검출하였고, 현재까지 보고되어 있지 않은 D516F의 새로운 돌연변이도 검출하였다. 아이소니아지드 내성은 S315T와 R463L 돌연변이가 45.2%로 검출되었고, 스트렙토마이신 내성은 K43R과 K88R 돌연변이가 78%로 검출되었다. 리팜핀 내성의 88%(35/40), 아이소니아지드 내성의 50%(20/42), 그리고 스트렙토마이신 내성의 78%(7/9)를 검출함으로써 현재까지 보고되어 있는 세가지 약제내성과 관련된 rpoB, katG와 rpsL 유전자의 주요 돌연변이는 대부분 검출할 수 있음을 확인할 수 있었고, 염기서열분석 결과와 비교하였을 때 모두 일치하는 결과를 얻음으로써 올리고뉴콜레오티드 칩의 유용성을 확인할 수 있었다. 결 론 : 따라서 본 연구에서 개발한 올라고뉴클레오티드 칩은 약재내성 결핵균의 조기 진단에 유용한 도구가 될 것으로 사료된다.

• 생명과학회지
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• 제27권1호
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• pp.78-88
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• 2017

혈관신생, 즉 새로운 혈관형성은 종양의 성장과 전이에 중요한 역할을 한다고 알려져 있으며, 암 치료에 중요한 목표물이 되고 있다. 이 연구의 목적은 황련 냉수추출물의 혈관신생 억제작용의 효과를 밝히고 항암제로서의 가능성을 평가하고자 한다. Ex vivo rat aortic ring assay 실험결과 신생혈관성장을 억제하는 결과를 확인하였고, 이것을 통해 황련 냉수추출물이 혈관신생과정의 주요한 단계와 내피세포의 증식, 이동, 침투, 혈관내피세포자극인자에 의한 반응으로 모세관 모양의 관 형성작용을 억제함을 알아내었다. 또한 황련 냉수추출물을 처리하였을 때, 세포주기가 억제되고 VEGF에 의한 반응으로 인해 G0/G1 주기에서 S 주기로 가는 과정을 예방하고, VEGF에 의해 활성화가 유도되는 MMP-2, MMP-9이 감소되었다. 따라서 이들의 결과는 황련 냉수추출물이 종양의 발달 단계 중 혈관신생을 방해하는 잠재적인 항암약물의 소재로 고려될 수 있음을 제안한다.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• 제42권2호
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• pp.83-87
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• 2008

지난 몇 년 동안 핵의학 영상 물리 및 기기 관련 융합영상기기 분야에 많은 발전이 있었다. 최근 몇 년 동안 국내 PET/CT 설치의 급속한 증가는 이들의 임상에서의 역할 및 그 중요성을 입증하고 있다. 그러나 PET/CT는 고가이고, 임상적으로 아직도 그 유용성이 입증되는 과정에 있으며, 특히 치료계획을 위한 장비로는, 미국의 경우 다소 많이 설치되었다는 평가가 공존하고 있다. 또한 저가로 해 결할 수 있는 소프트웨어 융합도 가능하기 때문에 PET 대신 반드시 PET/CT가 필요하다는 주장에는 위의 관점에서 그 한계가 있을 수 있다. 그림에도 불구하고 PET/CT 설치는 계속 증가하고 있어 영상획득 또는 영상판독 모두 PET과 CT 분야의 훈련과 교육이 매우 중요하며 이에 대한 지침서가 발간되었다. PET/CT에 비하여 SPECT/CT는 발전속도가 다소 떨어지지만 이에 대한 지침서도 발간되었다. PET/CT와 SPECT/CT 모두 CT는 앞 부분에 PET과 SPECT는 뒷부분에 설치된다. 이는 환자 영상을 얻을 때 동시에 얻는 것이 아니고 CT영상을 얻은 후 PET과 SPECT영상을 얻게되는 단점이 있다. 이와는 달리 MRI/PET경우 뇌영상을 얻을 때 동시에 MRI와 PET영상을 얻을 수 있어 뇌영상 연구에 큰 도움이 될 것으로 예상하고 있다. 앞으로 기술이 발전함에 따라 전신용 MRI/PET과 유방영상을 위한 PET/US 융합영상장치의 개발 가능성이 매우 높다. 이와 함께 SPECT/CT, PET/CT 및 MRI/PET 기기의 발전도 계속될 것으로 판단된다. 핵의학 영상 물리 및 기기 분야는 최첨단 융합영상 장치의 개발과 함께 하드웨어, 소프트웨어 물리적 특성에 대한 보정기술, 영상 재구성 분야의 다양한 연구도 많은 진전이 필요하다. 또한 영상기기의 설계 및 정량화 기법을 연구하기 위한 몬테카를로 시뮬레이션, 영상장비의 성능평가, 동력학 분석, 선량평가, 움직임 보정 및 융합영상의 정량화 및 분석 기법에 대한 연구도 더욱 활발히 진행될 것으로 예측된다.