• Journal of Korean Traditional Oncology
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.13-24
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• 2008

Objective: To evaluate the effects of Bikihaun (BKH) on angiogenesis. Method: We examined the anti-angiogenic effect of BKH in invasion assay model. We performed proliferation assay, migration assay, tube formation assay and Chicken Chorioallantoic Membrane (CAM) assay. Results: In proliferation assay, at lower dose under 125 ${\mu}g/m{\ell}$ anti-angiogenesis effect of the group treated BKH made no difference with the control group. But, at the dose of 250 ${\mu}g/m{\ell}$ or more anti-angiogenesis effect of the group treated BKH showed more effective as compared to the control group. In migration assay, BKH did not affect migration of vascular endothelial cell. In tube formation assay, at lower dose under 100 ${\mu}g/m{\ell}$ showed mild effect of anti-tube formation. But, at the dose of 1000 ${\mu}g/m{\ell}$ showed more effective anti-tube formation. In CAM assay, BKH showed anti-angiogenesis effect at the dose of 10 ${\mu}g/m{\ell}$. Conclusion: BKH has antiangiogenetic properties in vitro.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.22-32
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• 2000

Purpose : Histopathologic observation was performed in order to determine which type of suture material is superior in microvascular anastomoses. Materials & Methods : The interrupted end to end anastomosis of the transected carotid arteries of 105 Sprague-Dawley rats, weighing 180 to 200g, were performed using 9-0 polypropylene ($Prolene^{TM}$, Ethicon, U.K.), 9-0 polyglactin 910 monofilament($Vicryl^{TM}$, Ethicon, U.K.), and 9-0 polyamide($Ethilon^{TM}$, Ethicon, U.K.) under intramuscular Ketamine and Xylazine anesthesia(5mg/100g). In all cases, 10 to 12 sutures were placed to complete the anastomoses. The specimens were obtained at 1, 2, 3 days, and 1, 2, 4 and 6 weeks after the surgery and prepared with H&E and Van-Gieson stains and investigated the histologic changes in anastomotic sites under light microscope. The histologic changes we were concerned about were followings- thrombus formation, intimal edema, infiltration of inflammatory cells in media and adventitia, proliferation of endothelial cells and subintimal hyperplasia. Results : 1. All of the anastomosed arteries were patent when they were exposed for examination. 2. Thrombus formation and intimal edema were most severe in Vicryl group, followed by Ethilon, Prolene group in order. 3. The inflammatory cells infiltrated to the media and the adventitia most severely in Ethilon group, followed by Vicryl, Prolene group in order. 4. There was little difference in proliferation of endothelial cells in each group. 5. Subintimal hyperplasia was greater in Vicryl group than the others, but there was no significant difference between the Prolene and Ethilon groups. Conclusions : On the basis of these observations, we could conclude that Prolene may be the better suture material for microvascular anastomoses regarding the tissue responses than Ethilon and Vicryl.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.237-245
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• 2023

Background: Ginsenoside Rg2 (Rg2) has a variety of pharmacological activities and provides benefits during inflammation, cancer, and other diseases. However, there are no reports about the relationship between Rg2 and atherosclerosis. Methods: We used 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) to detect the cell viability of Rg2 in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). The expression of inflammatory factors in HUVECs and the expression of phenotypic transformation-related marker in VSMCs were detected at mRNA levels. Western blot method was used to detect the expression of inflammation pathways and the expression of phenotypic transformation at the protein levels. The rat carotid balloon injury model was performed to explore the effect of Rg2 on inflammation and phenotypic transformation in vivo. Results: Rg2 decreased the expression of inflammatory factors induced by lipopolysaccharide in HUVECs-without affecting cell viability. These events depend on the blocking regulation of NF-κB and p-ERK signaling pathway. In VSMCs, Rg2 can inhibit the proliferation, migration, and phenotypic transformation of VSMCs induced by platelet derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB)-which may contribute to its anti-atherosclerotic role. In rats with carotid balloon injury, Rg2 can reduce intimal proliferation after injury, regulate the inflammatory pathway to reduce inflammatory response, and also suppress the phenotypic transformation of VSMCs. Conclusion: These results suggest that Rg2 can exert its anti-atherosclerotic effect at the cellular level and animal level, which provides a more sufficient basis for ginseng as a functional dietary regulator.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.135-145
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• 2012

Previously, we reported that Helicobacter pylori-associated gastritis and gastric cancer are closely associated with increased levels of hydrogen sulfide ($H_2S$) and that Korean red ginseng significantly reduced the severity of H. pylori-associated gastric diseases by attenuating $H_2S$ generation. Because the incubation of endothelial cells with $H_2S$ has been known to enhance their angiogenic activities, we hypothesized that the amelioration of $H_2S$-induced gastric inflammation or angiogenesis in human umbilical vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs) might explain the preventive effect of Korean red ginseng on H. pylori-associated carcinogenesis. The expression of inflammatory mediators, angiogenic growth factors, and angiogenic activities in the absence or presence of Korean red ginseng extracts (KRGE) were evaluated in HUVECs stimulated with the $H_2S$ generator sodium hydrogen sulfide (NaHS). KRGE efficiently decreased the expression of cystathionine ${\beta}$-synthase and cystathionine ${\gamma}$-lyase, enzymes that are essential for $H_2S$ synthesis. Concomitantly, a significant decrease in the expression of inflammatory mediators, including cyclooxygenase-2 and inducible nitric oxide synthase, and several angiogenic factors, including interleukin (IL)-8, hypoxia inducible factor-1a, vascular endothelial growth factor, IL-6, and matrix metalloproteinases, was observed; all of these factors are normally induced after NaHS. An in vitro angiogenesis assay demonstrated that NaHS significantly increased tube formation in endothelial cells, whereas KRGE pretreatment significantly attenuated tube formation. NaHS activated p38 and Akt, increasing the expression of angiogenic factors and the proliferation of HUVECs, whereas KRGE effectively abrogated this $H_2S$-activated angiogenesis and the increase in inflammatory mediators in vascular endothelial cells. In conclusion, KRGE was able to mitigate $H_2S$-induced angiogenesis, implying that antagonistic action against $H_2S$-induced angiogenesis may be the mechanism underlying the gastric cancer preventive effects of KRGE in H. pylori infection.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.16 no.7 s.80
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• pp.1199-1206
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• 2006

Plasminogen kringle 5 is a potent inhibitor of endothelial tell proliferation like an endogenous angiogenesis inhibitor, angiostatin consisting of plasminogen kringles 1-4. In this study, we produced the recombinant protein of plasminogen kringle 5 (PK5) employing an Pichia expression system and examined its. effect on~endothelial cell migration and its possible inhibitory mechanism. PK5 was expressed in Pichia pastoris GS115 by fusion of the cDNA spanning from Thr456 to Phe546 to the secretion signal sequence of a-factor prepro-peptide. After methanol induction, the secreted PK5 was purified by using S-spin column. SDS-PACE analysis of the purified protein showed one major band of approximately 10kDa. In in vitro migration assays, the purified protein inhibited dose-dependently the migration of human umbilical endothelial cells (HUVECs) induced by basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) or vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) with an $IC_{50}$ of approximately 500nM. Accordingly, it inhibited bfGF-stimulated extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) phosphorylation in HUVECs at 500nM. In addition, it also potently inhibited bFGF-induced cytoskeletal rearrangement of HUVECs. Thus, these results suggest that Pichia-produced PK5 effectively inhibits endothelial cell migration, in part by suppression of ERK1/2 activation and blocking cytoskeleton rearrangement.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.48 no.8
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• pp.886-893
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• 2005

Purpose : Kawasaki disease is the most common cause of systemic vasculitis in children less than 5 years of age. Recent immunohistochemistry findings suggest that many vascular growth factors play a role in the formation of the coronary artery lesions. Active remodeling of the coronary artery lesions in Kawasaki disease continues in the form of intimal proliferation and neoangiogenesis for several years after the onset of the disease. Intravenous immunoglobulin(IVIG) and corticosteroid have been used in the treatment of Kawasaki disease but the exact mechanism is not clear. We have investigated that IVIG and corticosteroid inhibited vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)-induced tube formation of endothelial cells in vitro on Matrigel assay. Methods : Human umbilical vein endothelial cells(HUVECs) were cultured and seeded on Matrigel coated 24 well plates in medium with or without the following agents : VEGF, VEGF plus IVIG, VEGF plus VEGF antibody, VEGF plus methylprednisolone, VEGF, IVIG plus methylprednisolone for 18 hours. The total length of tube structures in each photograph was quantified. Results : IVIG significantly inhibited the proliferation of HUVECs. The inhibitory effect of IVIG was also reversible. In the meantime, VEGF induced the differentiation of HUVECs into capillary like structures on Matrigel, which was inhibited by VEGF antibody in a dose-dependent manner. Interestingly, IVIG and methylprednisolone inhibited VEGF-induced tube formation of HUVECs. IVIG was more effective in inhibition than methylprednisolone alone. Conclusion : We revealed that VEGF induced the differentiation of HUVECs and this effect was inhibited by IVIG and methylprednisolone.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.40 no.4 s.273
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• pp.264-272
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• 2007

Background: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays an important role in angiogenesis, including stimulating the proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). It has been known that diabetes is associated with accelerated cellular proliferation via VEGF, as compared to that under a normal glucose concentration. We investigated the effects of selective blockade of a VEGF receptor by using anti-Flt-1 peptide on the formation and hyperplasia of the neointima in balloon injured-carotid arteries of OLETF rats and also on the in vitro VSMCS' migration under high glucose conditions. Material and Method: The balloon-injury method was employed to induce neointima formation by VEGF. For f4 days beginning 2 days before the ballon injury, placebo or vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1 (VEGFR-1) specific peptide (anti-Flt-1 peptide), was injected at a dose of 0.5mg/kg daily into the OLETF rats. At 14 days after balloon injury, the neointimal proliferation and vascular luminal stenosis were measured, and cellular proliferation was assessed by counting the proliferative cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) stained cells. To analyze the effect of VEGF and anti-Flt-1 peptide on the migration of VSMCs under a high glucose condition, transwell assay with a matrigel filter was performed. And finally, to determine the underlying mechanism of the effect of anti-Flt-1 peptide on the VEGF-induced VSMC migration in vitro, the expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) was observed by performing reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Result: Both the neointimal area and luminal stenosis associated with neointimal proliferation were significantly decreased in the anti-Flt-1 peptide injected rats, ($0.15{\pm}0.04 mm^2$ and $ 36.03{\pm}3.78%$ compared to $0.24{\pm}0.03mm^2\;and\;61.85{\pm}5.11%$, respectively, in the placebo-injected rats (p<0.01, respectively). The ratio of PCNA(+) cells to the entire neointimal cells was also significantly decreased from $52.82{\pm}4.20%\;to\;38.11{\pm}6.89%$, by the injected anti-Flt-1 peptide (p<0.05). On the VSMC migration assay, anti-Flt-1 peptide significantly reduced the VEGF-induced VMSC migration by about 40% (p<0.01). Consistent with the effect of anti-Flt-1 peptide on VSMC migration, it also obviously attenuated the induction of the MMP-3 and MMP-9 mRNA expressions via VEGF in the VSMCS. Conclusion: Anti-Flt-1 peptide inhibits the formation and hyperplasia of the neointima in a balloon-injured carotid artery model of OLETF rats. Anti-Flt-1 peptide also inhibits the VSMCs' migration and the expressions of MMP-3 and MMP-9 mRNA induced by VEGF under a high glucose condition. Therefore, these results suggest that specific blockade of VEGFR-1 by anti-Flt-1 peptide may have therapeutic potential against the arterial stenosis of diabetes mellitus patients or that occurring under a high glucose condition.

• Biomaterials and Biomechanics in Bioengineering
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2014

Polymer multilayered hydrogels were prepared on a titanium alloy (Ti) substrate using a layer-by-layer (LBL) process to load a cell growth factor. Two water-soluble polymers were used to fabricate the multilayered hydrogels, a phospholipid polymer with both N, N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) units and 4-vinylphenylboronic acid (VPBA) units [poly(MPC-co-DMAEMA-co-VPBA) (PMDV)], and the polysaccharide alginate (ALG). PMDV interacted with ALG through a selective reaction between the VPBA units in PMDV and the hydroxyl groups in ALG and through electrostatic interactions between the DMAEMA units in PMDA and the anionic carboxyl groups in ALG. First, the Ti substrate was covered with photoreactive poly vinyl alcohol, and then the Ti alloy was alternately immersed in the respective polymer solutions to form the PMDV/ALG multilayered hydrogels. In this multilayered hydrogel, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was introduced in different layers during the LbL process under mild conditions. Release of VEGF from the multilayered hydrogels was dependent on the location; however, release continued for 2 weeks. Endothelial cells adhered to the hydrogel and proliferated, and these corresponded to the VEGF release profile from the hydrogel. We concluded that multilayered hydrogels composed of PMDV and ALG could be loaded with cell growth factors that have high activity and can control cell functions. Therefore, this system provides a cell function controllable substrate based on the controlled release of biologically active proteins.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.591-597
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• 2003

Human urokinase kringle domain, sharing homology with angiostatin kringles, has been shown to be an inhibitor of angiogenesis, which can be used for the treatment of cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and retinopathy. Here, the expression of the kringle domain of urokinase (UK1) as a secreted protein in high levels is reported. UK1 was expressed in the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris GS115 by fusion of the cDNA spanning from Ser47 to Lys135 to the secretion signal sequence of ${\alpha}-factor$ prepro-peptide. In a flask culture, the secreted UK1 reached about 1 g/l level after 120h of methanol induction and was purified to homogeneity by ion-exchange chromatography. Amino-terminal sequencing of the purified UK1 revealed that it was cleaved at the Ste13 signal cleavage site. The molecular mass of UK1 was determined to be 10,297.01 Da. It was also confirmed that the purified UK1 inhibited endothelial cell proliferation stimulated by basic fibroblast growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor, or epidermal growth factor, in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggest that a P. pastoris sytem can be employed to obtain large amounts of soluble and active UK1.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.260-265
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• 1998

Angiogenic activity of Aloe vera gel was investigated by in vitro assay. We obtained the most active fraction from dichloromethane extract of Aloe vera gel by partitioning between hexane and 90% aqueous methanol. The most active fraction (F3) increased the proliferation of calf pulmonary artery endothelial (CPAE) cells. In addition, F3 fraction induced CPAE cells to invade type I collagen gel and form capillary-like tube through in vitro angiogenesis assay, and increased the invasion of CPAE cells into matrigel through in vitro invasion assay. Furthermore, the effect on the MRNA expression of proteolytic enzymes which are key participants in the regulation of extracellular matrix degradation was investigated by northern blot analysis. F3 fraction enhanced mRNA expression of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (u-PA), matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), and membrane-type MMP (MT-MMP) in CPAE cells whereas the expression of plasminogen activator inhibitory (PAl-1) mRNA was not changed.