• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.7-15
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• 2024

Objectives : This study aimed to predict the effectiveness and potential of Schizonepeta tenuifolia as an anticancer treatment for non-small cell lung cancer through network-based pharmacology and cellular experiment. Methods : To identify the major bioactive compounds in Schizonepeta tenuifolia, we used the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems. The target genes for the cancer treatment were selected using the UniProt database and the networked using Cytoscape. We performed functional enrichment analysis based on the Gene Ontology Biological Process and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes Pathways to predict the mechanisms. To investigate the effect of Schizonepeta tenuifolia on lung cancer cell growth, we treated A549 cells, a lung cancer cell line, with different concentrations of the drug and used the MTT assay for cell viability. Results : Research has shown that the most effective mechanism of active compounds from Schizonepeta tenuifolia is through the pathway of cancer. The results of the network pharmacology analysis indicate that Schizonepeta tenuifolia has potential medicinal value as an adjuvant in anticancer treatment. The concentration-dependent inhibition of cell viability was observed on A549 cells. Furthermore, synergistic anticancer activity with Doxorubicin was also observed. Conclusions : Through a network pharmacological approach, Schizonepeta tenuifolia was predicted to have potential as an anticancer agent, and its efficacy was experimentally demonstrated using A549 cells. These findings suggest that Schizonepeta tenuifolia is a promising candidate for future research.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.21-26
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• 2013

Background: Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is a serious complication resulting from herpes zoster infections, and it can impair the quality of life. In order to relieve pain from PHN, various treatments, including pharmacological and interventional methods have been used. However, little information on the recommendations for the interventional treatment of PHN, along with a lack of nation-wide surveys on the current status of PHN treatment exists. This multicenter study is the first survey on the treatment status of PHN in Korea. Methods: Retrospective chart reviews were conducted on the entire patients who visited the pain clinics of 11 teaching hospitals from January to December of 2011. Co-morbid disease, affected site of PHN, routes to pain clinic visits, parenteral/topical medications for treatment, drugs used for nerve block, types and frequency of nerve blocks were investigated. Results: A total of 1,414 patients' medical records were reviewed. The most commonly affected site was the thoracic area. The anticonvulsants and interlaminar epidural blocks were the most frequently used pharmacological and interventional methods for PHN treatment. For the interval of epidural block, intervals of 5 or more-weeks were the most popular. The proportion of PHN patients who get information from the mass media or the internet was only 0.8%.The incidence of suspected zoster sine herpete was only 0.1%. Conclusions: The treatment methods for PHN vary among hospitals. The establishment of treatment recommendation for PHN treatment is necessary. In addition, public relations activities are required in order to inform the patients of PHN treatments by pain clinicians.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.16-27
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• 2019

Generative and vegetative parts of the cactuses have had a long-lasting position in folk medicine and their effects could partly be confirmed in scientific experiments. Nowadays, the cactus, fruits, and cladodes are the focus of many studies because of their desirable properties. Therefore, the summarized reports of valuable properties of medicinal plants may be a good way to familiarize researches with a new source of drugs with lower side effects and higher efficacy. Opuntia dillenii, a well-known member of the Cactaceae family, is used as a medicinal plant in various countries and grows in the desert, semi-desert, tropical and sub-tropical areas. It shows diverse pharmacological activities such as: antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, neuroprotective, hepatoprotective, hypotensive etc. OD fruit also possesses valuable constitutes for instance: betalains, ascorbic acid, total phenol, protein as well as essential elements which suggest the significant potential of this plant as a complementary therapy against several pathological conditions. This review describes experimental evidence about pharmacological and therapeutic potential of OD in order to give the basis of its application in the prevention and treatment of some chronic diseases. More studies on OD can help better understanding of its pharmacological mechanism of action to explain its traditional uses and to identify its potential new therapeutic applications.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.229-234
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• 2022

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Indigo Naturalis (IN) is a dark blue powder obtained by processing leaves or stems of indigo plants, its anticancer effects have been reported in several studies. However, the pharmacological mechanism of IN in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is not elucidated. In this study, to investigate the anticancer efficacy of IN for SCLC, we presented potential active ingredients, SCLC-related targets, and pharmacological mechanisms of IN that are expected to have anticancer activity for SCLC using a network pharmacological analysis. The phytochemical compounds of IN have been collected through TCMSP, SymMap, or HPLC documents. The active ingredients of IN such as indirubin, indican, isatin, and tryptanthrin were selected through ADME parameters or literature investigations for each compound. Using the Compounds, Disease-Target associations Databases, 124 common targets of IN and SCLC were obtained. Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) Pathway enrichment analysis was carried out. GO biological processes are associated with response to xenobiotic stimulus, positive regulation of protein phosphorylation, regulation of mitotic cell cycle, and regulation of apoptotic signaling pathway. KEGG disease pathways included Gastric cancer, Bladder cancer, SCLC, and Melanoma. The main anticancer targets of the IN for SCLC were analyzed in 14 targets, including BCL2, MYC, and TP53. In conclusion, the results of this study based on the network pharmacology of IN can provide important data for the effective prevention and treatment of SCLC.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 1998.05a
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• pp.1-4
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• 1998

Impaired insulin action in Type 2 diabetes is thought to lead to hyperglycemia, with both environmental and complex genetic factors playing key roles. Although the primary lesion in Type 2 diabetes is unknown, a number of studies suggest that metabolic defects in the liver, skeletal muscle and fat, and pancreatic ${\beta}$-cells contribute to the disease. These metabolic abnormalities are characterized by the overproduction of hepatic glucose, impaired insulin secretion, and peripheral insulin resistance. In current pharmacological treatment of Type 2 diabetes, sulfonylurea (SU) drugs have mainly been used as oral hypoglycemic drugs to stimulate endogenous insulin secretion from ${\beta}$ cells. SU drugs, however, sometimes aggravate the disease by causing fatigue of the pancreatic ${\beta}$ cells, which leads to reduced drug efficacy after long-term treatment. This class of drugs also leads to enhanced obesity arising from the stimulation of endogenous insulin secretion in obese Type 2 diabetic patients, plus an increased incidence of SU-induced hypoglycemia. Since 1980, a major challenge has been made by us to develop a potential pharmacological therapy for the treatment of insulin resistance in peripheral tissues and/or suppression of abnormal hepatic glucose production in Type 2 diabetic patients. Such a drug would be expected to have fewer side effects and retain long-term efficacy.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.85 no.4
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• pp.302-312
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• 2022

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a complex and heterogeneous disease. Not all patients with COPD respond to available drugs. Identifying respondents to therapy is critical to delivering the most appropriate treatment and avoiding unnecessary medication. Recognition of individual patients' dominant characteristics by phenotype is a useful tool to better understand their disease and tailor treatment accordingly. To look for a suitable phenotype, it is important to understand what makes COPD complex and heterogeneous. The pathology of COPD includes small airway disease and/or emphysema. Thus, COPD is not a single disease entity. In addition, there are two types (panlobular and centrilobular) of emphysema in COPD. The coexistence of different pathological subtypes could be the reason for the complexity and heterogeneity of COPD. Thus, it is necessary to look for the phenotype based on the difference in the underlying pathology. Review of the literature has shown that clinical manifestation and therapeutic response to pharmacological therapy are different depending on the presence of computed tomography-defined airway wall thickening in COPD patients. Defining the phenotype of COPD based on the underlying pathology is encouraging as most clinical manifestations can be distinguished by the presence of increased airway wall thickness. Pharmacological therapy has shown significant effect on COPD with airway wall thickening. However, it has limited use in COPD without an airway disease. The phenotype of COPD based on the underlying pathology can be a useful tool to better understand the disease and adjust treatment accordingly.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.65-82
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• 2018

Objectives : The purpose of this study is 1) to explore the general tendency of the herbs or herbal formula for acne treatment in clinical practice 2) and to provide a basis for explaining the principles of acne treatment in Korean Medicine in order to make patients understand more easily based on pharmacological mechanism by analyzing the herbs or herbal formula using for acne treatment in clinical practice. Methods : In the domestic databases (Oriental medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System-OASIS, Korean Traditional Knowledge Portal-KTKP, National Discovery for Science Leader-NDSL, Research Information Sharing Service-RISS), we selected among the papers published using search terms related to "acne". Reports related to sasang constitutional medicine were excluded and a total of 23 papers were finally selected. Results : 29 prescriptions were retrieved from 23 papers. Chungan-tang (淸顔湯) notified formulas ranked first by Cheongsangbangpung- tang (淸上防風湯), Hwangnyeonhaedok-tang (黃連解毒湯), Dangguijakyaksan (當歸芍藥散) and Bipachungpe-eum (枇杷淸肺飮). Commonly used herbs are Forsythiae Fructus (連翹), Scutellariae Radix (黃芩), Gardeniae Fructus (梔子), Ligustici Rhizoma (川芎), and Angelicae Gigantis Radix (當歸). In most patients with inflammatory lesions or excessive flushing, exterior-releasing medicinal (解表藥) and heat-clearing medicinal (淸熱藥) were mainly prescribed for acne treatment, while in patients with acne accompanied hyperkeratinization, Excess sebum secretion, Dysmenorrhea or indigestion, qi-tonifying medicinal (補氣藥) or blood-tonifying medicinal (補血藥) were mainly used. KAGS (Korean Acne Grading System) was the most commonly used method for acne severity assessment. Conclusions : These findings suggest that the herbs or herbal formula for acne treatment in Korean Medicine is prescribed differently according to the cause and symptoms of acne in a unique way for control the whole body balance. Also, our findings could provide a basis for explaining the principles of acne treatment in Korean Medicine in order to make patients understand more easily based on pharmacological mechanism in clinical practice.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.390-395
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• 2022

Objectives: Sweet bee venom (sBV) is purified from Apis mellifera, containing a high level of melittin-its main component. It has been used as a therapeutic agent for pain relief and anti-inflammation, as well as for treating neuronal abnormalities. Recently, there have been studies on the therapeutic application of sBV for anticancer treatment. In the present study, we investigated the pharmacological effect of sBV treatment in A549 human lung cancer cells. Methods: We used microscopic analysis to observe the morphological changes in A549 cells after sBV treatment. The MTT assay was used to examine the cytotoxic effect after dose-dependent sBV treatment. Molecular changes in sBV were evaluated by the expression of apoptosis marker proteins using western blot analysis. Results: Microscopic analysis suggested that the growth inhibitory effect occurred in a dose-dependent manner; however, cell lysis occurred at a concentration over 20 ㎍/mL of sBV. The MTT assay indicated that sBV treatment exhibited a growth inhibitory effect at a concentration over 5 ㎍/mL. On fluorescence activated cell sorting analysis, G0 dead cells were observed after G1 arrest at treatment concentrations up to 10 ㎍/mL. However, rapid cell rupture was observed at a concentration of 20 ㎍/mL. Western blot analysis demonstrated that sBV treatment modulated the expression of multiple cell death-related proteins, including cleaved-PARP, cleaved-caspase 9, p53, Bcl2, and Bax. Conclusion: sBV induced cell death in A549 human lung cancer cells at a pharmacological concentration, albeit causing hemolytic cell death at a high concentration.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.67-70
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• 2022

Persistent idiopathic facial pain is a rare and difficult condition to treat. Several pharmacological, nonpharmacological, and invasive treatment options have been used, with varying results. We report the case of a patient with intractable persistent idiopathic facial pain who responded favorably to a combination of botulinum toxin injections and pulsed radiofrequency treatment of the infraorbital nerve.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.64 no.1
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• pp.70-83
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• 2022

A set of studies was performed to determine the influence of dietary ZnO concentration and source during two phases (days 0 to 14 and days 15 to 28). Experiment 1: 168 weaned piglets were allocated to four treatment groups in six replicates. The treatments included a basal diet without ZnO supplementation (control), 2,500 mg ZnO/kg (In2500), 500 mg nano-ZnO/kg (N500), and 150 mg nano-ZnO/kg (N150). Experiment 2: 168 weaned piglets were divided into three treatment groups with eight replicates. The treatments included control, In2500, N300, and 150 mg nano-ZnO/kg (N150). An in vitro trial showed that the growth of Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella typhimurium was inhibited when exposed to 300 and 500 ppm of ZnO after 24 h of incubation. In experiment 1, the average daily gain (ADG) by the pigs was improved in the N500 and IN2500 treatment groups. Colonization of coliforms and Clostridium spp. significantly decreased in the pigs fed the N500 and IN2500 diets in phase 1. The total plasma antioxidant capacity was greater in the IN2500 and N500 treatment groups than in the control. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was greater in pigs fed the IN2500 (phase 1) or the IN2500 and N500 (phase 2) diets than in the control and N150 treatment group. In experiment 2, pigs in the N300 treatment group showed a higher ADG and lower fecal score colonization of coliforms and Clostridium spp. compared with those in the N150 treatment group. In conclusion, nano-ZnO at a dose of 300 ppm showed the same growth as the pharmacological dose of Zn. This provides an option to the pharmacological dose.