• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.1-11
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• 2001

New technologies will have a large impact on the discovery of new herbicide site of action. Genomics, combinatorial chemistry, and bioinformatics help take advantage of serendipity through tile sequencing of huge numbers of genes or the synthesis of large numbers of chemical compounds. There are approximately $10^{30}\;to\;10^{50}$ possible molecules in molecular space of which only a fraction have been synthesized. Combining this potential with having access to 50,000 plant genes in the future elevates tile probability of discovering flew herbicidal site of actions. If 0.1, 1.0 or 10% of total genes in a typical plant are valid for herbicide target, a plant with 50,000 genes would provide about 50, 500, and 5,000 targets, respectively. However, only 11 herbicide targets have been identified and commercialized. The successful design of novel herbicides depends on careful consideration of a number of factors including target enzyme selections and validations, inhibitor designs, and the metabolic fates. Biochemical information can be used to identify enzymes which produce lethal phenotypes. The identification of a lethal target site is an important step to this approach. An examination of the characteristics of known targets provides of crucial insight as to the definition of a lethal target. Recently, antisense RNA suppression of an enzyme translation has been used to determine the genes required for toxicity and offers a strategy for identifying lethal target sites. After the identification of a lethal target, detailed knowledge such as the enzyme kinetics and the protein structure may be used to design potent inhibitors. Various types of inhibitors may be designed for a given enzyme. Strategies for the selection of new enzyme targets giving the desired physiological response upon partial inhibition include identification of chemical leads, lethal mutants and the use of antisense technology. Enzyme inhibitors having agrochemical utility can be categorized into six major groups: ground-state analogues, group specific reagents, affinity labels, suicide substrates, reaction intermediate analogues, and extraneous site inhibitors. In this review, examples of each category, and their advantages and disadvantages, will be discussed. The target identification and construction of a potent inhibitor, in itself, may not lead to develop an effective herbicide. The desired in vivo activity, uptake and translocation, and metabolism of the inhibitor should be studied in detail to assess the full potential of the target. Strategies for delivery of the compound to the target enzyme and avoidance of premature detoxification may include a proherbicidal approach, especially when inhibitors are highly charged or when selective detoxification or activation can be exploited. Utilization of differences in detoxification or activation between weeds and crops may lead to enhance selectivity. Without a full appreciation of each of these facets of herbicide design, the chances for success with the target or enzyme-driven approach are reduced.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.69-78
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• 2001

Cyclooxygenase (COX) is an enzyme, which catalyzes the production of prostaglandins from arachi-donic acid and exists in two isoforms (COX-1 and COX-2). COX-1 is involved in the maintenance of physiological functions such as platelet aggregation, cytoprotection in the stomach and maintenance of normal kidney function. COX-2 is induced significantly in vivo under inflammatory conditions. COX-1 and COX-2 serve different physiological and pathological functions. All commercially available nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) are inhibitors of both COX-1 and COX-2. Therefore, selective inhibitors of COX-2 may be effective antiinflammatory agents without the ulcerogenic effects associated with current NSAms. Since the mid 1990s, a number of reports have been appeared on the preparation and biological activity of selective COX-2 inhibitors. Recently celecoxib, and rofecoxib, the representative COX-2 inhibitors, are introduced in the drug market. In this paper the relationship of structure-activity for selective COX-2 inhibitors is reviewed.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.33 no.7
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• pp.2365-2368
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• 2012

The $11{\beta}$-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 ($11{\beta}$-HSD1) enzyme is involved in modulation of glucocorticoid activity within target tissues. This enzyme may contribute to obesity and/or metabolic disease through its action in adipose or liver tissue. Inhibition of $11{\beta}$-HSD1 has major therapeutic potential for glucocorticoid-associated diseases, including obesity, diabetes (wound healing), and muscle atrophy. To develop such therapeutics, we performed a pharmacophore-based virtual screening (VS) for identification of novel $11{\beta}$-HSD1 inhibitors and found that the VS hit compounds show potent inhibition of $11{\beta}$-HSD1 enzyme activity. Further, we present a binding model for active compounds. The proposed pharmacophore may serve as a useful guideline for future design of new chemical entities as $11{\beta}$-HSD1-targeted antidiabetic agents.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.135-143
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• 2018

Tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}$ ($TNF{\alpha}$) and the angiotensin system are involved in inflammatory diseases and may contribute to acute kidney injury. We investigated the mechanisms by which $TNF{\alpha}$-converting enzyme (TACE) contributes to lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced renal inflammation and the effect of TACE inhibitor treatment on LPS-induced cellular injury in human renal proximal tubule epithelial (HK-2) cells. Mice were treated with LPS (10 mg/kg, i.p.) and HK-2 cells were cultured with or without LPS ($10{\mu}g/ml$) in the presence or absence of a type 1 TACE inhibitor ($1{\mu}M$) or type 2 TACE inhibitor ($10{\mu}M$). LPS treatment induced increased serum creatinine, $TNF{\alpha}$, and urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin. Angiotensin II type 1 receptor, mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK), and TACE increased, while angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) expression decreased in LPS-induced acute kidney injury and LPS-treated HK-2 cells. LPS induced reactive oxygen species and the down-regulation of ACE2, and these responses were prevented by TACE inhibitors in HK-2 cells. TACE inhibitors increased cell viability in LPS-treated HK-2 cells and attenuated oxidative stress and inflammatory cytokines. Our findings indicate that LPS activates renin angiotensin system components via the activation of TACE. Furthermore, inhibitors of TACE are potential therapeutic agents for kidney injury.

• BMB Reports
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.459-467
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• 1998

A new set of functional group interaction energy descriptors relevant to the ACE (Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme) inhibitory peptide, QSAR (Quantitative Structure Activity Relationships), is presented. The functional group interaction energies approximate the charged interactions and distances between functional groups in molecules. The effective energies of the computationally derived geometries are useful parameters for deriving 3D-QSAR models, especially in the absence of experimentally known active site conformation. ACE is a regulatory zinc protease in the renin-angiotensin system. Therapeutic inhibition of this enzyme has proven to be a very effective treatment for the management of hypertension. The non bond interaction energy values among functional groups of six-feature of ACE inhibitory peptides were used as descriptor terms and analyzed for multivariate correlation with ACE inhibition activity. The functional group interaction energy descriptors used in the regression analysis were obtained by a series of inhibitor structures derived from molecular mechanics and semi-empirical calculations. The descriptors calculated using electrostatic and steric fields from the precisely defined functional group were sufficient to explain the biological activity of inhibitor. Application of the descriptors to the inhibition of ACE indicates that the derived QSAR has good predicting ability and provides insight into the mechanism of enzyme inhibition. The method, functional group interaction energy analysis, is expected to be applicable to predict enzyme inhibitory activity of the rationally designed inhibitors.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 1998.11a
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• pp.128-128
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• 1998

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a family of zinc-dependent proteases that degrade extracellular matrix and basement membrane. These enzymes are play important roles in tumor cell invasion and metastasis, as well as angiogenesis and other connective tissue diseases. In our screening program for inhibitors of MMP-2 from fungal metabolites, we have isolated novel non-peptidic inhibitors of MMPs, designated gelastatin A and B from the culture broth of Westerdykella multispora F50733. The structures of gelastatin A and B were determined to be 3-(5E-hexa-2E,4E-dienylidene-2-oxo-5,6-dihydro-2H-pyran-3yl)-propanoic acid and 3-(5Z-hexa-2E,4E-dienylidene-2-oxo-5,6-dihydro-2H-pyran-3yl)-propanoic acid, respectively. Gelastatin A and B exist as a mixture of two stereoisomers in a ratio of 2: 1. The 2: 1 mixture of gelastatin A and B inhibited activated MMP-2 and MMP-9 with an IC$\sub$50/ value of 0.63, 5.29 ${\mu}$M, respectively. They inhibited the invasion of B16F10 melanoma cells through basement membrane Matrigel with dose dependent.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Bioinformatics Conference
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• 2005.09a
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• pp.249-255
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• 2005

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) is primarily responsible for human hypertension. Current ACE drugs show serious cough and angiodema health problems due to the un-specific activity of the drug to ACE protein. The availability of ACE crystal structure (1UZF) provided the plausible biological orientation of inhibitors to ACE active site (C-domain). Three-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationship (3D-QSAR) models have been constructed using the comparative molecula. field analysis (CoMFA) and comparative molecular similarity indices analysis (CoMSIA) for a series of 28 ACE inhibitors. Alignment for CoMFA obtained by docking ligands to 1UZF protein using FlexX program showed better statistical model as compared to superposition of corresponding atoms. The statistical parameters indicate reasonable models for both CoMFA (q$^2$ = 0.530, r$^2$ = 0.998) and CoMSIA (q$^2$= 0.518, r$^2$ = 0.990). The 3D-QSAR analyses provide valuable information for the design of ACE inhibitors with potent activity towards C-domain of ACE. The group substitutions involving the phenyl ring and carbon chain at the propionyl and sulfonyl moieties of captopril are essential for specific activity to ACE.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.157-161
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• 2002

Thirty plants of the Compositae family were screened for inhibitory activity of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE). Among them, Chrysanthemum boreale Makino and Ixeris dentate Nakai were selected for further investigation since they had the highest inhibitory activity. Crude water extracts of the flowers of Chrysanthemum boreale Makino and the roots of Ixeris dentate Nakai were prepared by heating at 95$^{\circ}C$ and 6$0^{\circ}C$ for 2 hr, respectively, followed by centrifugation at 8000$\times$ g far 30 min. Crude extracts were then filtered using YM-3 and YM-1 membranes. The ACE inhibitors were isolated using consecutive chromatographic methods including: Sephadex G-15, ion exchange, FPLC, and reverse phase HPLC. The inhibitors were identified to have molecular masses of 204 and 283 daltons, respectively, by mass spectrometry. These results demonstrate that crude extracts of Compositae plants may be useful as functional food ingredients with anti-hypertensive properties.

• BMB Reports
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.321-326
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• 1996

Spinach glycolate oxidase was subjected to a series of chemical modifications aimed at identifying amino acid residues essential for catalytic activity. The oxidase was reversibly inactivated by treatment with pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP). The inactivation by PLP was accompanied by the appearance of an absorption peak of around 430 nm, which was shifted to 325 nm upon reduction with $NaBH_4$. After reduction, the PLP-treated oxidase showed a fluorescence spectrum with a maximum of around 395 nm by exciting at 325 nm. The substrate-competitive inhibitors oxalate and oxaloacetate provided protection against inactivation of the oxidase by PLP. These results suggest that PLP inactivates the enzyme by fonning a Schiff base with lysyl residue(s) at an active site of the oxidase. The enzyme was also inactivated by tryptophan-specific reagent N-bromosuccinimide (NBS). However, competitive inhibitors oxalate and oxaloacetate could not protect the oxidase significantly against inactivation of the enzyme by NBS. The results implicate that the inactivation of the oxidase by NBS is not directly related to modification of the tryptophanyl residue at an active site of the enzyme. Treatments of the oxidase with cysteine-specific reagents iodoacetate, silver nitrate, and 5,5'-dithiobis-2-nitrobenzoic acid did not affect significantly the activity of the enzyme.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 1998.11a
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• pp.127-127
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• 1998

Specific inhibitors of a calcium activated neutral protease calpain could be used for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, cataract and muscular dystrophy diseases because of their therapeutic effects. In the course of screening for potential calpain inhibitors from microorganisms, a new analogue of chymostatins named calmostinol was isolated from the culture filtrate of an actinomycete. The MW was determined to be 596 [(M + H)$\^$+/] by FAB-MS in glycerol matrix. The structure was elucidated to be N-[((S)-1-carboxy-2-phenylethyl)-carbamoyl]-${\alpha}$-[2- iminohexahydro-4(S)-pyrimidyl]-L-glycyl- L-valyl-phenylalaninol, by the spectroscopic methods such as NMR and MS fragmentation studies. Calmostinol exhibited strong activity against calpain while not against a Ca$\^$2+/ -independent cysteine protease papain.