• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.172-178
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• 2019

Inflammation is an innate immune response that protects the body from pathogens, toxins, and other dangers and is initiated by recognizing pathogen-associated molecular patterns or danger-associated molecular patterns by pattern-recognition receptors expressing on or in immune cells. Intracellular pattern-recognition receptors, including nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptors (NLRs), absent in melanoma 2, and cysteine aspartate-specific protease (caspase)-4/5/11 recognize various pathogen-associated molecular patterns and danger-associated molecular patterns and assemble protein complexes called "inflammasomes." These complexes induce inflammatory responses by activating a downstream effector, caspase-1, leading to gasdermin D-mediated pyroptosis and the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin $(IL)-1{\beta}$ and IL-18. Ginsenosides are natural steroid glycosides and triterpene saponins found exclusively in the plant genus Panax. Various ginsenosides have been identified, and their abilities to regulate inflammatory responses have been evaluated. These studies have suggested a link between ginsenosides and inflammasome activation in inflammatory responses. Some types of ginsenosides, including Rh1, Rg3, Rb1, compound K, chikusetsu saponin IVa, Rg5, and Rg1, have been clearly demonstrated to inhibit inflammatory responses by suppressing the activation of various inflammasomes, including the NLRP3, NLRP1, and absent in melanoma 2 inflammasomes. Ginsenosides have also been shown to inhibit caspase-1 and to decrease the expression of $IL-1{\beta}$ and IL-18. Given this body of evidence, the functional relationship between ginsenosides and inflammasome activation provides new insight into the understanding of the molecular mechanisms of ginsenoside-mediated antiinflammatory actions. This relationship also has applications regarding the development of antiinflammatory remedies by ginsenoside-mediated targeting of inflammasomes, which could be used to prevent and treat inflammatory diseases.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.346.1-346.1
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• 2002

FXR (farnesoid X-activated receptor) is a member of nuclear steroid hormone receptor superfamily and especially a orphan receptor, which are able to control mevalonate pathway upon activation by binding of the specific ligands. We. have launched our study for development of FXR specific ligands getting on in lead discovery. A promising lead stilbene analog was obtained through the screening of a set of library compounds which was previously targeted for other nuclear receptors. And then synthetic modilication of the lead was perfoumde. In addition. fishing a new pharmacophore was fried by UNITT aearch. which brought new structural features.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.454-458
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• 2008

Sex steroid hormone receptors play a central role in modulating telomerase activity, especially in cancer cells. However, information on the regulation of steroid hormone receptors and their distinct functions on telomerase activity within the mesenchymal stem cell are largely unavailable due to low telomerase activity in the cell. In this study, the effects of estrogen ($E_2$) treatment and function of estrogen receptor alpha ($ER{\alpha}$) and estrogen receptor beta ($ER{\beta}$) on telomerase activity were investigated in human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs). Telomerase activity and mRNA expression of the catalytic subunit of telomerase (hTERT) were upregulated by treatment of the cells with $E_2$. The protein concentration of $ER{\alpha}$ was also increased by $E_2$ treatment, and enhancement of $ER{\alpha}$ accumulation in the nucleus was clearly detected with immunocytochemistry. When $ER{\alpha}$ expression was reduced by siRNA transfection into hMSCs, the effect of $E_2$ on the induction of hTERT expression and telomerase activity was diminished. In contrast, the transient overexpression of $ER{\alpha}$ increased the effect of $E_2$ on the expression of hTERT mRNA. These findings indicate that the activation of hTERT expression and telomerase activity by $E_2$ in hMSCs depends on $ER{\alpha}$, but not on $ER{\beta}$.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.471-474
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• 2015

Background: Male and female breast cancers were investigated for variation in the clinicopathologic characteristics and expression of steroid hormone receptors in the northeast of Iran. Materials and Methods: Tumor specimens of 17 males and 338 females with breast cancer were collected at the hospitals of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. Immunohistochemical expression of hormone receptors and clinicopathologic features of breast cancer were compared between two groups. Results: The mean age in men was 15 years higher than women (p=0.000). Males and females were mainly in stage II and III respectively (p=0.007). Although more than 60% of male and female patients were grade II, the respective figures for grade I and III were 25% and 12.5% in men but 7.1% and 27.2% in women respectively (p=0.025). ER was significantly more positive in men against women; 82.3% versus 53.4% (p=0.016). The related measures for PR was 58.8% and 50.3%, respectively (p=0.424). Males also showed significantly more ER expression than postmenopausal females; 82.3% versus 48.9% (p=0.010). Conclusions: Breast cancer in males and females contrasted in age at diagnosis, histological type, stage, grade and ER expression which emphasize they are separate diseases with different behaviors.

• BMB Reports
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.207-213
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• 2003

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are orphan nuclear hormone receptors that are known to control the expression of genes that are involved in lipid homeostasis and energy balance. PPARs activate gene transcription in response to a variety of compounds, including hypolipidemic drugs. Most of these compounds have high affinity to the ligand-binding domain (LBD) of PPARs and cause a conformational change within PPARs. As a result, the receptor is converted to an activated mode that promotes the recruitment fo co-activators such as the steroid receptor co-activator-1 (SRC-1). Based on the activation mechanism of PPARs (the ligand binding to $PPAR{\gamma}$ induces interactions of the receptor with transcriptional co-activators), we performed Western blot and ELISA. These showed that the indomethacin, a $PPAR{\gamma}$ ligand, increased the binding between $PPAR{\gamma}$ and SRC-1 in a ligand dose-dependent manner. These results suggested that the in vitro conformational change of $PPAR{\gamma}$ by ligands was also induced, and increased the levels of the ligand-dependent interaction with SRC-1. Collectively, we developed a novel and useful ELISA system for the mass screening of $PPAR{\gamma}$ ligands. This screening system (based on the interaction between $PPAR{\gamma}$ and SRC-1) may be a promising system in the development of drugs for metabolic disorders.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.187-193
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• 2007

Ethane 1,2-dimethane sulfonate(EDS), a Leydig cell specific toxicant, has been widely used to create the reversible testosterone withdrawal rat model. Though the maintenance of epididymal structure and function is highly dependent on the testosterone secreted from testis, its derivatives, dihydroxytestosterone(DHT) and estrogen, might have crucial roles. The aim of present study was to monitor the expression patterns of sex steroid receptors, cytochrome P450 aromatase(P450arom) and $5{\alpha}$-reductase in the rat epididymis up to 7 weeks after EDS injection. Adult male rats($350{\sim}400g$) were injected with a single does of EDS(75 mg/kg i.p.) and sacrificed on weeks 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. The transcriptional activities of the target genes were evaluated by semi-quantitative RT-PCRs. The transcript level of estrogen receptor alpha($ER{\alpha}$) in EDS group was significantly higher than control level on week 1(P<0.01). After week 2, there was no significant difference in $ER{\alpha}$ levels between EDS group and control. The transcript level of estrogen receptor beta($ER{\beta}$) in EDS group was significantly higher than control level on week 1(P<0.05), lowered on weeks 2 and 3(P<0.05 and P<0.01, respectively), fluctuated during weeks 4 and 6, and elevated on week 7(P<0.05). The androgen receptor (AR) message levels increased significantly week 2(P<0.01), then returned to control level on week 3. In contrast, expression of cytochrome P450 aromatase(P450arom) decreased sharply during weeks $1{\sim}3$(P<0.01 on weeks 1 and 2; P<0.05 on week 3), then went back to control level on week 4. The mRNA level of $5{\alpha}$-reductase type 2($5{\alpha}$-RT2) increased significantly on week 4(P<0.01), then returned to control level. The present study indicated that EDS administration could induce reversible alterations in the transcriptional activities of sex steroid hormone receptors and androgenconverting enzymes in rat epididymis. EDS injection model will be useful to clarify the regulation mechanism of mammalian epididymal physiology.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.457-463
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• 2008

The sex steroid hormone estradiol-$17{\beta}(E_2)$ mediate their biological effects on development, differentiation and maintenance of reproductive tract and other target tissue through gene regulation by nuclear steroid receptors. Although the importance of $E_2$ in many physiological process has been reported, but little is known about the effects of $E_2$ on primary cultured chicken hepatocyte. therefore, in the present study, we have examined the effect of $E_2$ on cell proliferation and it's related signal cascades. $E_2$ increase $[^3H]$-thymidine incorporation in time-(${\leq}8hr$) and dose-($10^{-10}M$)dependent manner and treatment of $E_2$ increased the phosphorylation of p44/43 MAPKs(p44/42 mitogen-activated protein kinase) and JNK(c-Jun N-terminal kinase) in a time dependent manner. In addition, PD98059(p44/42 blocker, $10^{-5}M$), SP600125(JNK blocker, $10^{-6}M$) blocked the estrogen-induced increase in $[^3H]$-thymidine incorporation. In conclusion, $E_2$ stimulates the proliferation of primary cultured chicken hepatocytes and this action is mediated by p44/42 MAPKs and JNK signal transduction pathway.

• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.52-61
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• 2005

Transcript profiling is a particularly valuable tool in the field of steroid receptor biology, as these receptors are ligand-activated transcription factors and therefore exert their initial effects through altering gene expression in responsive cells. Also, an awareness of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and their potential screening methods to identify endocrine activity have been increased. Here we developed an in-house cDNA microarray, named KISTCHIP-400 ver. 1.0, with 416 clones, based on public database and research papers. These clones contained estrogen, androgen, thyroid hormone & receptors, sex hormone signal transduction & regulation, c-fos, c-myc, ps2 gene, metabolism related genes etc. Also, to validate the KISTCHIP-400 ver. 1.0, we investigated gene expression profiles with reference hormones, $10^{8}\;M\;17{\beta}-estradiol,\;10^{-7}\;M\;testosterone\;and\;10^{-7}\;M$ progesterone in MCF-7 cell line. As the results, gene expression profiles of three reference hormones were distinguished from each other with significant and identified 33 $17{\beta}-estradiol$ responsive genes. This study is in first step of validation for KISTCHIP-400 ver. 1.0, as following step transcriptional profile analysis on not only low concentrations of EDCs but suspected EDCs using KISTCHIP-400 ver. 1.0 is processing. Our results indicate that the developed microarray may be a useful laboratory tool for screening EDCs and elucidating endocrine disrupting mechanism.

• Proceedings of the Korea Society of Environmental Toocicology Conference
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• 2003.05a
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• pp.180-180
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• 2003

Transcript profiling is a particularly valuable tool in the field of steroid receptor biology, as these receptors are ligand-activated transcription factors and therefore exert their initial effects through altering gene expression in responsive cells. Also, an increased awareness of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EBCs) and their potential to affect wildlife and humans has produced a demand for practical screening methods to identify endocrine activity. Here we developed an in-house cDNA microarray, named KISTCHIP-400, with 401 clones, hormone related genes, factors, and ESTs, based on public database and research papers. Theses clones contained estrogen, androgen, thyroid hormone St receptors, sex hormone signal transduction ＆ regulation, c-fos, c-myc, ps2 gene, metabolism related genes etc. And to validate the KISTCHIP-400, we investigated gene expression profiles with reference hormones, 10$\^$-8/ M 17be1a-estradiol, 10$\^$-7/ M testosterone, 10$\^$-7/ M progesterone, and thyroxin in MCF-7 cell line. Although it is in first step of validation, low doses and combinations of EDCs need to be tested. Our preliminary results that indicate the developed microarray may be a useful laboratory tool for screening EDCs and elucidating endocrine disrupting mechanism.

• Journal of the Korean Orthopaedic Association
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2020

The progression of aging and the increase in musculoskeletal diseases have led to an increase in invasive treatment methods, including various surgical methods, but conservative treatment should be attempted before surgical treatment in musculoskeletal diseases. Medication for pain control, such as acetaminophen, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, steroid, opioids, antidepressants, etc., is one of the most popular methods for pain control. If the pain receptors on peripheral organ are stimulated, pain is transmitted to the brain by the ascending pathway, and the brain then secretes endogenous opioids, such as endorphin, by the descending pathway for pain control. Opioids are substances that act on the opioid receptors, and there are three receptors for opioids. The affinity for each receptor varies according to the tissue and the patient's systemic status. Antidepressants work on the synapses in the central nervous system and its main mechanism is regulation of the ascending pathway. This is mainly effective in chronic pain and neuropathic pain, which is similar in effectiveness to opioids. This review focuses on the effectiveness, method of use, and side effects of opioids and antidepressants.