• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.28 no.4
• /
• pp.488-495
• /
• 2018

The p53 gene plays a critical role in the transcriptional regulation of cellular response to stress, DNA damage, hypoxia, and tumor development. Keeping in mind the recently discovered manifold physiological functions of p53, its involvement in the regulation of cancer is not surprising. In about 50% of all human cancers, inactivation of p53's protein function occurs either through mutations in the gene itself or defects in the mechanisms that activate it. This disorder plays a crucial role in tumor evolution by allowing the evasion of a p53-dependent response. Many recent studies have focused on directly targeting p53 mutants by identifying selective, small molecular compounds to deplete them or to restore their tumor-suppressive function. These small molecules should effectively regulate various interactions while maintaining good drug-like properties. Among them, the discovery of the key p53-negative regulator, MDM2, has led to the design of new small molecule inhibitors that block the interaction between p53 and MDM2. Some of these small molecule compounds have now moved from proof-of-concept studies into clinical trials, with prospects for further, more personalized anti-carcinogenic medicines. Here, we review the structural and functional consequences of wild type and mutant p53 as well as the development of therapeutic agents that directly target this gene, and compounds that inhibit the interaction between it and MDM2.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• v.31 no.1
• /
• pp.52-58
• /
• 2010

Human histamine H1 receptor (HHR1) is a G protein-coupled receptor and a primary target for antiallergic therapy. Here, the ligand-based three-dimensional pharmacophore models were built from a set of known HHR1 inverse agonists using HypoGen module of CATALYST software. All ten generated pharmacophore models consist of five essential features: hydrogen bond acceptor, ring aromatic, positive ionizable and two hydrophobic functions. Best model had a correlation coefficient of 0.854 for training set compounds and it was validated with an external test set with a high correlation value of 0.925. Using this model Maybridge database containing 60,000 compounds was screened for potential leads. A rigorous screening for drug-like compounds unveiled RH01692 and SPB00834, two novel molecules for HHR1 with good CATALYST fit and estimated activity values. The new lead molecules were docked into the active site of constructed HHR1 homology model based on recently crystallized squid rhodopsin as template. Both the hit compounds were found to have critical interactions with Glu177, Phe432 and other important amino acids. The interpretations of this study may effectively be deployed in designing of novel HHR1 inverse agonists.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
• /
• v.59 no.6
• /
• pp.270-277
• /
• 2015

There is a lack of evidence on the impact of pharmacist interventions in diabetes care in South Korea. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of pharmacist counseling on clinical and humanistic outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes. An uncontrolled before-and-after study was conducted at the outpatient diabetes clinic in a teaching hospital in Gyeongnam, South Korea between January 2 and November 30, 2014. A total of 37 patients were enrolled. During the study periods, the participants and pharmacists met every 2 weeks via follow-up telephone calls in addition to face-to-face meetings upon returning for care visit. At each meeting, a structured patient counseling was performed and the average duration of each meeting was 15~30 minutes. The participants were requested to record daily self-care activities. At the end of this study, patients' satisfaction on pharmacist care was evaluated using the questionnaire developed by us. Compared to baseline, significant reductions (mean${\pm}$standard deviation, p<0.05) in HbA1c were observed at each follow-up period: $-0.32{\pm}0.72%$ from baseline to 3 months; $-0.52{\pm}0.76%$ from baseline to 6 months; $-0.72{\pm}0.76%$ from baseline to 9 months. Over the same follow-up period, the proportions of patients achieving target HbA1c (defined as HbA1c<6.5%) were 3.1%, 10.3%, and 20%, respectively. The proportions of patients who never missed a dose during the same follow-up period were 43.8%, 31.0%, and 20.0%, respectively. The results from the patient satisfaction survey indicated that pharmacist counseling improved patients' knowledge about diabetes and possible drug interactions. Especially, the information on a healthy diet and lifestyle was the most satisfying. To conclude, follow-up telephone calls combined with face-to-face meetings improved clinical and humanistic outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.22 no.12
• /
• pp.1659-1664
• /
• 2012

TSAHC [4'-(p-toluenesulfonylamido)-4-hydroxychalcone] is a promising antitumorigenic chalcone compound, especially against TM4SF5 (four-transmembrane L6 family member 5)-mediated hepatocarcinoma. We evaluated the potential of TSAHC to inhibit the catalytic activities of nine cytochrome P450 isoforms and of P-glycoprotein (P-gp). The abilities of TSAHC to inhibit phenacetin O-deethylation (CYP1A2), coumarin 6-hydroxylation (CYP2A6), bupropion hydroxylation (CYP2B6), amodiaquine N-deethylation (CYP2C8), diclofenac 4-hydroxylation (CYP2C9), omeprazole 5-hydroxylation (CYP2C19), dextromethorphan O-demethylation (CYP2D6), chlorzoxazone 6-hydroxylation (CYP2E1), and midazolam 1'-hydroxylation (CYP3A) were tested using human liver microsomes. The P-gp inhibitory effect of TSAHC was assessed by [$^3H$]digoxin accumulation in the LLCPK1-MDR1 cell system. TSAHC strongly inhibited CYP2C8, CYP2C9, and CYP2C19 isoform activities with $K_i$ values of 0.81, 0.076, and $3.45{\mu}M$, respectively. It also enhanced digoxin accumulation in a dose-dependent manner in the LLCPK1-MDR1 cells. These findings indicate that TSAHC has the potential to inhibit CYP2C isoforms and P-gp activities in vitro. TSAHC might be used as a nonspecific inhibitor of CYP2C isoforms based on its negligible inhibitory effect on other P450 isoforms such as CYP1A2, CYP2A6, CYP2B6, CYP2D6, CYP2E1, and CYP3A.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetic Resonance Society
• /
• v.12 no.1
• /
• pp.1-13
• /
• 2008

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) catalyzes the first step in fatty acid biosynthesis: the synthesis of malonyl-CoA from acetyl-CoA. As essential regulators of fatty acid biosynthesis and metabolism, ACCs are regarded as therapeutic targets for the treatment of metabolic diseases such as obesity, In ACC, the biotinoyl domain performs a critical function by transferring an activated carboxyl group from the biotin carboxylase domain to the carboxyl transferase domain, followed by carboxyl transfer to malonyl-CoA. Despite the intensive research on this enzyme, only the bacterial and yeast ACC structures are currently available, To explore the mechanism of ACC holoenzyme function, we determined the structure of the biotinoyl domain of human ACC2 and analyze its characteristics using NMR spectroscopy. The 3D structure of the hACC2 biotinoyl domain has a similar folding topology to the previously determined domains from E. coli and P. Shermanii, however, the 'thumb' structure is absent in the hACC2 biotinoyl domain. Observations of the NMR signals upon the biotinylation indicate that the biotin group of hACC2 does not affect the structure of the biotinoyl domain, while the biotin group for E. coli ACC interacts directly with the thumb residues that are not present in the hACC2 structure. These results imply that, in the E. coli ACC reaction, the biotin moiety carrying the carboxyl group from BC to CT can pause at the thumb of the BCCP domain. The human biotinoyl domain, however, lacks the thumb structure and does not have additional non-covalent interactions with the biotin moiety; thus, the flexible motion of the biotinylated lysine residue must underlie the "swinging arm" motion. This study provides insight into the mechanism of ACC holoenzyme function and supports the "swinging arm" model in human ACCs.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.17 no.3 s.83
• /
• pp.334-339
• /
• 2007

We evaluated the potential of 20 herbal medications (HMs), commonly used in Korea, to inhibit the catalytic activities of several cytochrome P450 (CYP) isoforms. The abilities of 500 ${\mu}g/ml$ of aqueous extracts of 20 HMs to inhibit phenacetin O-deethylation (CYP1A2), coumarin 6-hydroxylation (CYP2A6), bupropion hydroxylation (CYP2B6), rosiglitazone hydroxylation (CYP2C8), tolbutamide 4-methylhydroxylation (CYP2C9), S-mephenytoin 4'-hydroxylation (CYP2C19), dextromethorphan O-demethylation (CYP2D6), chlorzoxazone 6-hydroxylation (CYP2E1), and midazolam 1'-hydroxylation (CYP3A) were tested using human liver microsomes. The HMs Woohwangcheongsimwon suspension and Hwanglyeonhaedok-Tang strongly inhibited CYP2B6 and CYP2D6 isoform activity, respectively. These results suggest that some of the HMs used in Korea have potential to inhibit CYP isoforms in vitro. Although the plasma concentrations of the active constituents of the HMs were not determined, some herbs could cause clinically significant interactions because the usual doses of those individual herbs are several grams of freeze-dried extracts.

• Polymer(Korea)
• /
• v.34 no.4
• /
• pp.300-305
• /
• 2010

Zaltoprofen is a propionic acid derivative of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and has been widely used in the treatment of a number of arthritic conditions or lumbago. Zaltoprofen has low water solubility and low bioavailability, therefore great efforts have been devoted to enhance the extent of drug adsorption. In this study, zaltoprofen was formulated into a tablet to enhance the bioavailability and to achieve sustained-release using additives such as lactose monohydrate, carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC). Fourier transform-infrared (FTIR) and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) were employed to study the structure and crystallization of zaltoprofen in the tablet with various contents of additives. It was found that additives had interactions with zaltoprofen and inhibited the crystallization of zaltoprofen. Tablets containing low viscosity HPMC showed a higher release than those containing high viscosity HPMC. Also, as the amount of CMC increased zaltoprofen release increased.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.30 no.6
• /
• pp.553-561
• /
• 2022

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a slowly progressing hematopoietic cell disorder. Sphingosine kinase 1 (SPHK1) plays established roles in tumor initiation, progression, and chemotherapy resistance in a wide range of cancers, including leukemia. However, small-molecule inhibitors targeting SPHK1 in CML still need to be developed. This study revealed the role of SPHK1 in CML and investigated the potential anti-leukemic activity of hirsuteine (HST), an indole alkaloid obtained from the oriental plant Uncaria rhynchophylla, in CML cells. These results suggest that SPHK1 is highly expressed in CML cells and that overexpression of SPHK1 represents poor clinical outcomes in CML patients. HST exposure led to G2/M phase arrest, cellular apoptosis, and downregulation of Cyclin B1 and CDC2 and cleavage of Caspase 3 and PARP in CML cells. HST shifted sphingolipid rheostat from sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) towards the ceramide coupled with a marked inhibition of SPHK1. Mechanistically, HST significantly blocked SPHK1/S1P/S1PR1 and BCR-ABL/PI3K/Akt pathways. In addition, HST can be docked with residues of SPHK1 and shifts the SPHK1 melting curve, indicating the potential protein-ligand interactions between SPHK1 and HST in both CML cells. SPHK1 overexpression impaired apoptosis and proliferation of CML cells induced by HST alone. These results suggest that HST, which may serve as a novel and specific SPHK1 inhibitor, exerts anti-leukemic activity by inhibiting the SPHK1/S1P/S1PR1 and BCR-ABL/PI3K/Akt pathways in CML cells, thus conferring HST as a promising anti-leukemic drug for CML therapy in the future.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.9 no.1
• /
• pp.1-25
• /
• 1996

The pathogenesis of atherosclerosis can not be summarized as a single process. Lipid infiltration hypothesis and endothelial injury hypothesis have been proposed and investigated. Recent developments show that there are many points of potential interactions between them and that they can actually be regarded as two phases of a single, unifying hypothesis. Among the many risk factors of atherosclerosis, plasma homocysteine and lipoprotein(a) draw a considerable interest because they are independent indicators of atherogenicity. Triglyceride (TG)-rich lipoproteins (chylomicron and VLDL) are not considered to be atherogenic but they are related to the metabolism of HDL cholesterol and indirectly related to coronary heart disease (CHD). LDL can of itself be atherogenic but the oxidative products of this lipoprotein are more detrimental. HDL cholesterol has been considered to be a favorable cholesterol. The so-called 'causalist view' claims that HDL traps excess cholesterol from cellular membranes and transfers it to TG-rich lipoproteins that are subsequently removed by hepatic receptors. In the so-called 'noncausalist view', HDL does not interfere directly with cholesterol deposition in the arterial wall but instead reflects he metabolism of TG-rich lipoproteins and their conversion to atherogenic remnants. Approximately 70-80% of the human population shows an effective feedback control mechanism in cholesterol homeostasis. Type of dietary fat has a significant effect on the lipoprotein cholesterol metabolism and atherosclerosis. Generally, saturated fatty acids elevate and PUFA lower serum cholesterol, whereas MUFA have no specific effect. EPA and DHA inhibit the synthesis of TG, VLDL and LDL, and may have favourable effects on some of the risk factors. Phospholipids, particularly lecithin, have an antiatherosclerotic effect. Essential phospholipids (EPL) may enhance the formation of polyunsaturated cholesteryl ester (CE) which is less sclerotic and more easily dispersed via enhanced hydrolysis of CE in the arterial wall. Also, neutral fecal steroid elimination may be enhanced and cholesterol absorption reduced following EPL treatment. Antioxidants protect lipoproteins from oxidation, and cells from the injury of toxic, oxidized LDL. The rationale for lowering of serum cholesterol is the strong association between elevation of plasma or serum cholesterol and CHD. Cholesterol-lowing, especially LDL cholesterol, to the target level could be achieved using diet and combination of drug therapy. Information on the link between cholesterol and CHD has decreased egg consumption by 16-25%. Some clinical studies have indicated that dietary cholesterol and egg have a significant hypercholesterolemic effect, while others have indicated no effect. These studies differed in the use of purified cholesterol or cholesterol in eggs, in the range of baseline and challenge cholesterol levels, in the quality and quantity of concomitant dietary fat, in the study population demographics and initial serum cholesterol levels, and clinical settings. Cholesterol content of eggs varies to a certain extent depending on the age, breed and diet of hens. However, egg yolk cholesterol level is very resistant to change because of the particular mechanism involved in yolk formation. Egg yolk contains a factor of factors responsible for accelerated cholesterol metabolism and excretion compared with crystalline cholesterol. One of these factors could be egg lecithin. Egg lecithin may not be as effective as soybean lecithin in lowering serum cholesterol level due probably to the differences of fatty acid composition. However, egg lecithin may have positive effects in hypercholesterolemia by increasing serum HDL level and excretion of fecal cholesterol. The association of serum cholesterol with egg consumption has been widely studied. When the basal or control diet contained little or no cholesterol, consumption of 1 or 2 eggs daily increased the concentration of plasma cholesterol, whereas that of the normolipemic persons on a normal diet was not significantly influenced by consuming 2 to 3 eggs daily. At higher levels of egg consumption, the concentration of HDL tends to increase as well as LDL. There exist hyper-and hypo-responders to dietary (egg) cholesterol. Identifying individuals in both categories would be useful from the point of view of nutrition guidelines. Dietary modification of fatty acid composition has been pursued as a viable method of modifying fat composition of eggs and adding value to eggs. In many cases beneficial effects of PUFA enriched eggs have been demonstrated. Generally, consumption of n-3 fatty acids enriched eggs lowered the concentration of plasma TG and total cholesterol compared to the consumption of regular eggs. Due to the highly oxidative nature of PUFA, stability of this fat is essential. The implication of hepatic lipid accumulation which was observed in hens fed on fish oils should be explored. Nutritional manipulations, such as supplementation with iodine, inhibitors of cholesterol biosynthesis, garlic products, amino acids and high fibre ingredients, have met a limited success in lowering egg cholesterol.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.25 no.10
• /
• pp.1751-1760
• /
• 2015

Mucin2 (MUC2), an important regulatory factor in the immune system, plays an important role in the host defense system against bacterial translocation. Probiotics known to regulate MUC2 gene expression have been widely studied, but the interactions among probiotic, pathogens, and mucin gene are still not fully understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of MUC2 in blocking effects of probiotics on meningitic E. coli-induced pathogenicities. In this study, live combined probiotic tablets containing living Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, and Streptococcus thermophilus were used. MUC2 expression was knocked down in Caco-2 cells by RNA interference. 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-Aza-CdR), which enhances mucin-promoted probiotic effects through inducing production of Sadenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe), was used to up-regulate MUC2 expression in Caco-2 cells. The adhesion to and invasion of meningitic E. coli were detected by competition assays. Our studies showed that probiotic agents could block E. coli-caused intestinal colonization, bacteremia, and meningitis in a neonatal sepsis and meningitis rat model. MUC2 gene expression in the neonatal rats given probiotic agents was obviously higher than that of the infected and uninfected control groups without probiotic treatment. The prohibitive effects of probiotic agents on MUC2-knockdown Caco-2 cells infected with E44 were significantly reduced compared with nontransfected Caco-2 cells. Moreover, the results also showed that 5-Aza-CdR, a drug enhancing the production of SAMe that is a protective agent of probiotics, was able to significantly suppress adhesion and invasion of E44 to Caco-2 cells by upregulation of MUC2 expression. Taken together, our data suggest that probiotic agents can efficiently block meningitic E. coli-induced pathogenicities in a manner dependent on MUC2.