• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
• /
• v.48 no.4
• /
• pp.303-310
• /
• 2021

Decorin (DCN) is a proteoglycan belonging to the small leucine-rich proteoglycan family. It is composed of a protein core containing leucine repeats with a glycosaminoglycan chain consisting of either chondroitin sulfate or dermatan sulfate. DCN is a structural component of connective tissues that can bind to type I collagen. It plays a role in the assembly of the extracellular matrix (ECM), and it is related to fibrillogenesis. It can interact with fibronectin, thrombospondin, complement component C1, transforming growth factor (TGF), and epidermal growth factor receptor. Normal DCN expression regulates a wide range of cellular processes, including proliferation, migration, apoptosis, and autophagy, through interactions with various molecules. However, its aberrant expression is associated with oocyte maturation, oocyte quality, and poor extravillous trophoblast invasion of the uterus, which underlies the occurrence of preeclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction. Spatiotemporal hormonal control of successful pregnancy should regulate the concentration and activity of specific proteins such as proteoglycan participating in the ECM remodeling of trophoblastic and uterine cells in fetal membranes and uterus. At the human feto-maternal interface, TGF-β and DCN play crucial roles in the regulation of trophoblast invasion of the uterus. This review summarizes the role of the proteoglycan DCN as an important and multifunctional molecule in the physiological regulation of oocyte maturation and trophoblast migration. This review also shows that recombinant DCN proteins might be useful for substantiating diverse functions in both animal and in vitro models of oogenesis and implantation.

• Biomedical Science Letters
• /
• v.24 no.4
• /
• pp.311-318
• /
• 2018

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) supplementation has been suggested to negatively correlate with obesity in humans and other animals. Previous studies, including ours, have demonstrated that a high-fat diet (HFD) induces obesity and related diseases such as hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Here, we investigated the effects of vitamin C on visceral adipocyte hypertrophy and glucose intolerance in C57BL/6J mice. Mice received a low-fat diet (LFD, 10% kcal fat), HFD (45% kcal fat), or the same HFD supplemented with vitamin C (HFD-VC, 1% w/w) for 15 weeks. Visceral adiposity and glucose intolerance were examined using metabolic measurements, histology, and gene expression analyses. Mice in the HFD-VC supplementation group had reduced body weight, mesenteric fat mass, and mesenteric adipocyte size compared with HFD-fed mice. Vitamin C intake in obese mice also decreased the mRNA levels of lipogenesis-related genes (i.e., stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 and sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1c) in mesenteric adipose tissues, inhibited hyperglycemia, and improved glucose tolerance. In addition, vitamin C attenuated the HFD-induced increase in the size of pancreatic islets. These results suggest that vitamin C suppresses HFD-induced visceral adipocyte hypertrophy and glucose intolerance in part by decreasing the visceral adipose expression of genes involved in lipogenesis.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
• /
• v.44 no.6
• /
• pp.289-292
• /
• 2018

Objectives: Chronic periodontitis is a common inflammatory disease of the oral cavity that causes destruction of periodontal tissues and bone around the teeth. Sclerostin is a protein encoded by the SOST gene. In this study, gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) levels of sclerostin in patients with chronic periodontitis were compared with those of healthy subjects. Materials and Methods: In this case-control study, a total of 40 subjects were enrolled and divided into the healthy group (n=23) and chronic periodontitis group (n=17). GCF samples were collected, and the concentration of sclerostin was evaluated using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Comparison of significance between groups was assessed using Mann-Whitney U test. Results: Sclerostin concentration was significantly higher in the chronic periodontitis group compared with the healthy group (P<0.005). Conclusion: Despite the limitations of this study, sclerostin can be a possible marker for assessment of periodontal health status.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.42 no.9
• /
• pp.628-636
• /
• 2019

Altered genetic features in cancer cells lead to a high rate of aerobic glycolysis and metabolic reprogramming that is essential for increased cancer cell viability and rapid proliferation. Pyruvate kinase muscle (PKM) is a rate-limiting enzyme in the final step of glycolysis. Herein, we report that PKM is a potential therapeutic target in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells. We found that PKM1 or PKM2 is highly expressed in TNBC tissues or cells. Knockdown of PKM significantly suppressed cell proliferation and migration, and strongly reduced S phase and induced G2 phase cell cycle arrest by reducing phosphorylation of the CDC2 protein in TNBC cells. Additionally, knockdown of PKM significantly suppressed $NF-{\kappa}B$ (nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells) activity by reducing the phosphorylation of p65 at serine 536, and also decreased the expression of $NF-{\kappa}B$ target genes. Taken together, PKM is a potential target that may have therapeutic implications for TNBC cells.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.29 no.4
• /
• pp.427-433
• /
• 2021

Free fatty acid receptor 2 (FFA2, also known as GPR43), a G-protein-coupled receptor, has been known to recognize short-chain fatty acids and regulate inflammatory responses. FFA2 gene deficiency exacerbated disease states in several models of inflammatory conditions including asthma. However, in vivo efficacy of FFA2 agonists has not been tested in allergic asthma. Thus, we investigated effect of 4-chloro-α-(1-methylethyl)-N-2-thiazoylylbenzeneacetanilide (4-CMTB), a FFA2 agonist, on antigen-induced degranulation in RBL-2H3 cells and ovalbumin-induced allergic asthma in BALB/c mice. Treatment of 4-CMTB inhibited the antigen-induced degranulation concentration-dependently. Administration of 4-CMTB decreased the immune cell numbers in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and suppressed the expression of inflammatory Th2 cytokines (IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13) in the lung tissues. Histological studies revealed that 4-CMTB suppressed mucin production and inflammation in the lungs. Thus, results proved that FFA2 functions to suppress allergic asthma, suggesting 4-CMTB activation of FFA2 as a therapeutic tool for allergic asthma.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• v.26 no.6
• /
• pp.511-518
• /
• 2022

Sepsis-associated myocardial injury, an invertible myocardial depression, is a common complication of sepsis. Neogambogic acid is an active compound in garcinia and exerts anthelmintic, anti-inflammatory, and detoxification properties. The role of neogambogic acid in sepsis-associated myocardial injury was assessed. Firstly, mice were pretreated with neogambogic acid and then subjected to lipopolysaccharide treatment to induce sepsis. Results showed that lipopolysaccharide treatment induced up-regulation of biomarkers involved in cardiac injury, including lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB), and troponin I (cTnI). However, pretreatment with neogambogic acid reduced levels of LDH, CK-MB, and cTnI, and ameliorated histopathological changes in the heart tissues of septic mice. Secondly, neogambogic acid also improved cardiac function in septic mice through reduction in left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, and enhancement of ejection fraction, fractional shortening, and left ventricular systolic mean pressure. Moreover, neogambogic acid suppressed cardiac apoptosis and inflammation in septic mice and reduced cardiac fibrosis. Lastly, protein expression of p-p38, p-JNK, and p-NF-κB in septic mice was decreased by neogambogic acid. In conclusion, neogambogic acid exerted anti-apoptotic, anti-fibrotic, and anti-inflammatory effects in septic mice through the inactivation of MAPK/NF-κB pathway.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.55 no.8
• /
• pp.380-388
• /
• 2022

The B cell translocation gene 1 (BTG1) and BTG2 play a key role in a wide range of cellular activities including proliferation, apoptosis, and cell growth via modulating a variety of central biological steps such as transcription, post-transcriptional, and translation. BTG1 and BTG2 have been identified by genomic profiling of B-cell leukemia and diverse lymphoma types where both genes are commonly mutated, implying that they serve as tumor suppressors. Furthermore, a low expression level of BTG1 or BTG2 in solid tumors is frequently associated with malignant progression and poor treatment outcomes. As physiological aspects, BTG1 and BTG2 have been discovered to play a critical function in regulating quiescence in hematopoietic lineage such as Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and naive and memory T cells, highlighting their novel role in maintaining the quiescent state. Taken together, emerging evidence from the recent studies suggests that BTG1 and BTG2 play a central anti-proliferative role in various tissues and cells, indicating their potential as targets for innovative therapeutics.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
• /
• 1995.04a
• /
• pp.71-71
• /
• 1995

The succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase which is one of the key enzyme of GABA shunt in CNS has been purified from bovine brain homogeneously for the first time. The molecular mass of the native enzyme was estimated to be approximately 110,000 on gel filtration, The subunit molecular mass was determined by SDS-PAGE to be 54,000. These results indicate that the enzyme is a dimeric protein made up to identical subunits. Chemical modification studies of the enzyme suggest that the critical lysyl, connected with catalytic activity of the enzyme, The binding of IAF-SSDH(enzyme tagged with fluoreceine) to GABA transaminase which catalyzes the degradation of GABA was monitored by steady emission anisotropy. The changes of fluorescence anisotropy by interactions between two enzymes suggest that the formation of enzyme cluster must be invoved in the regulation of GABA concentration in brain tissues. The inhibitory effects of some antiepileptic and anticonvulsant drugs on the enzyme were also examined.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• v.27 no.1
• /
• pp.21-29
• /
• 2023

The poor outcome of advanced ovarian cancer under conventional therapy necessitates new strategies to improve therapeutic efficacy. β-glucosidase (encoded by GBA) is a lysosomal enzyme and is involved in sphingolipids metabolism. Recent studies revealed that β-glucosidase plays a role in cancer development and chemoresistance. In this work, we systematically evaluated the expression and role of GBA in ovarian cancer. Our work demonstrates that inhibition of β-glucosidase has therapeutic potential for ovarian cancer. Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis database, western blot and immunohistochemistry analyses of patient samples demonstrated that GBA mRNA and protein expression levels were significantly increased in ovarian cancer compared to normal tissues. Functional studies using gainof-function and loss-of-function approaches demonstrated that GBA overexpression did not affect growth and migration but alleviated cisplatin's efficacy in ovarian cancer cells. In addition, GBA depletion resulted in growth inhibition, apoptosis induction, and enhancement of cisplatin's efficacy. Of note, we found that GBA inhibition specifically decreased receptor tyrosine kinase AXL level, leading to the suppression of AXL-mediated signaling pathways. Our data suggest that GBA represents a promising target to inhibit AXL signaling and overcome cisplatin resistance in ovarian cancer.

• Animal Bioscience
• /
• v.36 no.6
• /
• pp.953-961
• /
• 2023

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effect of dorsal cranial myopathy (DCM) on chicken meat quality. Methods: Sixty-six Ross 308 AP broilers, 47 days old, of both sexes, weighing about 3.51 kg, were slaughtered according to standard industrial practices, and evaluated for meat color, pH, chemical composition, collagen content, fatty acid profile, and histopathological parameters. Comparisons between normal and DCM-affected meat were performed using Student's t-test at the 5% significance level. Results: Histological analysis of muscle tissues affected by DCM showed myofiber degeneration, proliferation of inflammatory cells, fibroplasia, and necrosis with fibrosis. DCM samples had lower protein content and higher moisture, ash, insoluble collagen, total collagen, and pH. DCM-affected meat was redder and more yellowish. There were no differences in lipid or soluble collagen contents between groups. DCM-affected meat had higher percentages of arachidonic acid (C20:4n-6) and eicosapentaenoic acid (C20:5n-3). Conclusion: This study revealed that DCM-affected meat exhibits considerable changes in quality parameters.