• Journal of Ginseng Research
• /
• 제41권2호
• /
• pp.215-221
• /
• 2017

Ginseng has been used in China for at least two millennia and is now popular in over 35 countries. It is one of the world's popular herbs for complementary and alternative medicine and has been shown to have helpful effects on cognition and blood circulation, as well as anti-aging, anti-cancer, and anti-diabetic effects, among many others. The pharmacological activities of ginseng are dependent mainly on ginsenosides. Ginsenosides have a cholesterol-like four trans-ring steroid skeleton with a variety of sugar moieties. Nuclear receptors are one of the most important molecular targets of ginseng, and reports have shown that members of the nuclear receptor superfamily are regulated by a variety of ginsenosides. Here, we review the published literature on the effects of ginseng and its constituents on two main sex steroid hormone receptors: estrogen and androgen receptors. Furthermore, we discuss applications for sex steroid hormone receptor modulation and their therapeutic efficacy.

• Toxicological Research
• /
• 제22권1호
• /
• pp.15-22
• /
• 2006

Many of endocrine disrupting chemicals induce effects via interaction with hormone receptors and responsive elements in target cells. We investigated endocrine disrupting effects of some food additives and contaminants including BHA, BHT, ethoxyquin, propionic acid, sorbic acid, benzoic acid, CPM, aflatoxin B1, cadmium chloride, genistein, TCDD and PCBs in yeast transformants expressing human steroid hormone receptors along with steroid responsive elements. The response limit of genetically recombinant yeast to $17{\beta}$-estradiol, testosterone and progesterone was $1{\times}10^{-16},\;1{\times}10^{-12}\;and\;1{\times}10^{-13}M$, respectively. BHT induced weak transcriptional activity in estrogen sensitive yeast, while BHA and sorbic acid interacted weakly with androgen receptor/responsive element. CPM induced transcriptional activities in all types of yeasts sensitive to steroid hormones. Zearalenone and genistein induced high transcriptional activation in estrogen sensitive yeast with relative potencies almost $10^8$ folds lower than $17{\beta}$-estradiol. TCDD induced transcriptional activation weakly in estrogen- and progesterone- sensitive yeasts. This study elucidated that recombinant yeast is a sensitive and high-throughput system and can be used for the direct assessment on chemical interactions with steroid receptors and responsive elements. Also, the present study raises the requirement of evaluation on the endocrine disrupting effects of BHT, BHA, sorbic acid, CPM and TCDD for their transcription activity in yeast screening system though weak in intensity.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
• /
• 제21권3호
• /
• pp.147-152
• /
• 1997

Ginsenosides $Rh_1$ and $Rh_2$ Induced the differentiation of F9 teratocarcinoma stem cells. These agents are structurally similar to the steroid hormones, therefore, we speculated that the steroid receptor (s) or novel nuclear receptor (s) could be involved in the differentiation process induces by them. Based on this speculation, we tried to alone new nuclear receptors with reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method by isolating RNA from F9 teratocarcinoma cells induced by ginsenosides. By using RT-PCR with degenerated primers from highly conserved DNA binding domain of nuclear receptors, we identified several nuclear receptors. In northern blot analysis we found that these clones are transcriptionally regulated by ginsenoside Rhl or Rh2 treatment. Further characterizations of these clones are needed to identify the mechanism of gene expression, which has an important role in the differentiation of F9 cells induced by ginsenosides.

• 약학회지
• /
• 제35권5호
• /
• pp.394-400
• /
• 1991

A question whether abnormal responsiveness of hypothalamic catecholaminergic nervous system to ovarian steoid hormones in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) exist was investigated. Four groups of experimental animals were prepared for SHR and normotensive Wistar rats (NW) respectively: 1) intact, 2) ovariectomized (OVX+V), 3) ovariectomized and estrogen treated (OVX+E), 4) ovariectomized and estrogen plus progesterone treated (OVX+E+P) groups. Hypothalami from experimental animals were dissected out and used for determination of .alpha.-adrenergic receptor binding characteristics and catecholamine contents. Norepinephrine(NE) content and B$_{max}$ of $\alpha_1$-adrenergic receptors in hypothalami were greater in intact SHR than in intact NW, but dopamine(DA) content was lower in SHR than in NW. Neither contents of NE and DA nor binding characteristics of $\alpha_1$-adrenergic receptors were different in OVX+V and OVX+E group from intact group of both SHR and NW. Kd and B$_{max}$ of $\alpha_1$-adrenergic receptors in OVX+E+P was lower than that in intact SHR but not in NW. DA content was lower in OVX+E+P than in intact group of SHR and NW. The result of the present study indicates that there is an abnormal responsiveness of hypothalamic catecholaminergic nervous system to ovarian steroid hormones in SHR which may be one of genetically-determined factors probably not responsible for the development of hypertension.

• 한국수정란이식학회지
• /
• 제28권2호
• /
• pp.157-162
• /
• 2013

Methoxychlor (MXC) was developed to be a replacement for the banned pesticide DDT. HPTE [2,2-bis (p-hydroxyphenyl)-1,1,1-trichloroethane], which is an in vivo metabolite of MXC, has strong oestrogenic and anti-androgenic effects. MXC and HPTE are thought to produce potentially adverse effects by acting through oestrogen and androgen receptors. Of the two, HPTE binds to sex-steroid receptors with greater affinity, and it inhibits testosterone biosynthesis in Leydig cells by inhibiting cholesterol side-chain cleavage enzyme activity and cholesterol utilisation. In a previous study, MXC was shown to induce Leydig cell apoptosis by decreasing testosterone concentrations. I focused on the effects of MXC on male mice that resulted from interactions with sex-steroid hormone receptors. Sex-steroid hormones affect other organs including the kidney and liver. Accordingly, I hypothesised that MXC can act through sex-steroid receptors to produce adverse effects on the testis, kidney and liver, and I designed our experiments to confirm the different effects of MXC exposure on the male reproductive system, kidney and liver. In these experiments, I used pre-pubescent ICR mice; the puberty period in ICR mice is from postnatal day (PND) 45 to PND60. I treated the experimental group with 0, 100, 200, 400 mg MXC/kg b.w. delivered by an intra-peritoneal injection with sesame oil used as vehicle for 4 weeks. At the end of the experiment, the mice were sacrificed under anaesthesia. The testes and accessory reproductive organs were collected, weighed and prepared for histological investigation. I performed a chemiluminescence immune assay to observe the serum levels of testosterone, LH and FSH. Blood biochemical determination was also performed to check for other effects. There were no significant differences in our histological observations or relative organ weights. Serum testosterone levels were decreased in a dose-dependent manner; a greater dose resulted in the production of less testosterone. Compared to the control group, testosterone concentrations differed in the 200 and 400 mg/kg dosage groups. In conclusion, I observed markedly negative effects of MXC exposure on testosterone concentrations in pre-pubescent male mice. From our biochemical determinations, I observed some changes that indicate renal and hepatic failure. Together, these data suggest that MXC produces adverse effects on the reproductive system, kidney and liver.

• Osteoporosis and Sarcopenia
• /
• 제2권3호
• /
• pp.140-155
• /
• 2016

Sex steroids influence the maintenance and growth of muscles. Decline in androgens, estrogens and progesterone by aging leads to the loss of muscular function and mass, sarcopenia. These steroid hormones can interact with different signaling pathways through their receptors. To date, sex steroid hormone receptors and their exact roles are not completely defined in skeletal and smooth muscles. Although numerous studies focused on the effects of sex steroid hormones on different types of cells, still many unexplained molecular mechanisms in both skeletal and smooth muscle cells remain to be investigated. In this paper, many different molecular mechanisms that are activated or inhibited by sex steroids and those that influence the growth, proliferation, and differentiation of skeletal and smooth muscle cells are reviewed. Also, the similarities of cellular and molecular pathways of androgens, estrogens and progesterone in both skeletal and smooth muscle cells are highlighted. The reviewed signaling pathways and participating molecules can be targeted in the future development of novel therapeutics.

• 한국동물학회:뉴스레터
• /
• 제12권2호
• /
• pp.5-5
• /
• 1995

No Abstract, See Full Text

• 한국동물학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 한국동물학회 1995년도 한국생물과학협회 학술발표대회
• /
• pp.71-71
• /
• 1995

No Abstract, See Full Text

• 한국발생생물학회지:발생과생식
• /
• 제23권3호
• /
• pp.263-275
• /
• 2019

Based on our preliminary results, we examined the possible role of low-dose and chronic-exposing of the chemicals those are known as endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC), on the proliferation of uterine endometrium and the localization of steroid receptors. Immunohistochemical or immunofluorochemical methodology were employed to evaluate the localization of antigen identified by monoclonal antibody Ki 67 protein (MKI67), estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1), estrogen receptor 2 (ESR2), and progesterone receptor (PGR). In $133{\mu}g/L$ and $1,330{\mu}g/L$ di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and $50{\mu}g/L$ nonylphenol (NP) groups, the ratio of MKI67 positive stromal cells was significantly increased but not in $500{\mu}g/L$ NP group. The ratios of MKI67 positive glandular and luminal epithelial cells were also changed by the chronic administration of NP and DEHP in tissue with dose specific manner. ESR1 signals were localized in nucleus in glandular and luminal epithelia of control group but its localization was mainly in cytoplasm in DEHP and NP administered groups. On the other hand, it was decreased at nucleus of stromal cells in $1,330{\mu}g/L$ DEHP group. The colocalization patterns of these nuclear receptors were also modified by the administration of these chemicals. Such a tissue specific and dose specific localization of ESR2 and PGR were detected as ESR1 in all the uterine endometrial tissues. These results show that the chronic lows-dose exposing of NP or DEHP modify the localization and colocalization of ESRs and PGR, and of the proliferation patterns of the endometrial tissues.

• 한국응용약물학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 한국응용약물학회 1994년도 제2회 추계심포지움
• /
• pp.93-98
• /
• 1994

Most drug discovery has focused in recent years on the development of molecules that either interact with or block receptors, proteins that act as on-off switches for genetic activity, on the surfaces of human cells. Now, we have developed a technology that targets “receptors inside the cell” (intracellular receptors), opening a new and compelling avenue for drug discovery. Our receptor-based small molecule drugs can be catagorized in two ways: 1) receptor agonists, or molecules that activate a receptor; and 2) receptor antagonists, or drugs that inactivate a receptor.