• 생약학회지
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• 제26권2호
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• pp.139-147
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• 1995

Crinum asiaticum var. japonicum is a wild plant growing only in Jeju-island, Korea, and in Japan. The whole part of this plant has been known to have the pharmacological actions such as analgesic, anti-inflammatory, platelet-aggregation inhibitory, antitussive, and expectorant. With these assumed actions, the leaves (Crinum folium) of this plant has been used in the folk remedies for arthritis and arthralgia. There is, however, no scientific evidences for the pharmacological actions of Crinum asiaticum var. japonicum. In the present study, the analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and platelet-aggregation inhibitory actions of Crinium folium were evaluated using writhing test, tail-flick test, carrageenin antiedema test, in vitro thromboxane $B_2$ quantitation assay and in vitro platelet aggregation test. In order to obtain the partially purified fraction whose pharmacological action is excellent, the methanol extract of Crinium folium was fractionated consecutively into four biological fractions such as ether, ethyl acetate, butanol, and water fractions and their pharmacological actions of the fractions were investigated. Putting our results together, Crinium folium, especially ethyl acetate fraction was proven to have significant analgesic, anti-inflammatory and platelet-aggregation inhibitory actions by inhibition of prostanoids biosynthesis as one of its mechanism of action.

• 약학회지
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• 제49권1호
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• pp.103-108
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• 2005

Tacrine analogues for degenerative brain disease treatments have been designed. A series of diazaanthrine derivatives as novel analogues of tacrine has been prepared through the alkyl substitution and the ring expansion. They were expected to retain anti-inflammatory activity by inhibition of prostaglandin production with reduction of side effect as the selective prostaglandin synthase inhibitor. Prostaglandin synthase expression is associated with the deposition of beta-amyloid protein in neuritic plaques in brain inflammation. Therefore selective prostaglandin synthase blockade is important for the prevention and treatment of alzheimer's disease. To evaluate inhibitory effect of prostaglandin synthase, synthetic tacrine derivatives were screened with accumulation of prostaglandin biosynthesis by lipopolysaccharide in aspirin-treated murine macrophage cell. Most of synthetic compounds have shown significant prostaglandin synthase activities in vitro screening with $84.3{\sim}33.6\%$ inhibition of the prostaglandin $E_2$ production at $10\;{\mu}g/ml$.

• BMB Reports
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• 제38권6호
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• pp.633-638
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• 2005

Biosynthesis of prostanoids is regulated by three sequential enzymatic steps, namely phospholipase $A_2$ enzymes, cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes, and various lineage-specific terminal prostanoid synthases. Prostaglandin E synthase (PGES), which isomerizes COX-derived $PGH_2$ specifically to $PGE_2$, occurs in multiple forms with distinct enzymatic properties, expressions, localizations and functions. Two of them are membrane-bound enzymes and have been designated as mPGES-1 and mPGES-2. mPGES-1 is a perinuclear protein that is markedly induced by proinflammatory stimuli, is down-regulated by anti inflammatory glucocorticoids, and is functionally coupled with COX-2 in marked preference to COX-1. Recent gene targeting studies of mPGES-1 have revealed that this enzyme represents a novel target for anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer drugs. mPGES-2 is synthesized as a Golgi membrane-associated protein, and the proteolytic removal of the N-terminal hydrophobic domain leads to the formation of a mature cytosolic enzyme. This enzyme is rather constitutively expressed in various cells and tissues and is functionally coupled with both COX-1 and COX-2. Cytosolic PGES (cPGES) is constitutively expressed in a wide variety of cells and is functionally linked to COX-1 to promote immediate $PGE_2$ production. This review highlights the latest understanding of the expression, regulation and functions of these three PGES enzymes.