• Korean Journal of Optics and Photonics
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.23-29
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• 2015

In this paper, we propose a microscope system for detecting both a tumor and blood vessels in brain tumor surgery as fluorescence images by using multiple light sources and a beam-splitter module. The proposed method displays fluorescent images of the tumor and blood vessels on the same display device and also provides accurate information about them to the operator. To acquire a fluorescence image, we utilized 5-ALA (5-aminolevulinic acid) for the tumor and ICG (Indocyanine green) for blood vessels, and we used a beam-splitter module combined with a microscope for simultaneous detection of both. The beam-splitter module showed the best performance at 600 nm for 5-ALA and above 800 nm for ICG. The beam-splitter is flexible to enable diverse objective setups and designed to mount a filter easily, so beam-splitter and filter can be changed as needed, and other fluorescent dyes besides 5-ALA and ICG are available. The fluorescent images of the tumor and the blood vessels can be displayed on the same monitor through the beam-splitter module with a CCD camera. For ICG, a CCD that can detect the near-infrared region is needed. This system provides the acquired fluorescent image to an operator in real time, matching it to the original image through a similarity transform.

• Journal of Photoscience
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.506-508
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• 2002

Photodynamic therapy using topical 5-ALA has been used for non-melanoma skin cancers. Recently, the therapeutic method using incoherent light brought beneficial result in the treatment for mycosis fungoides. We used ALA-PDT for two Japanese patients suffering from lymphadenosis benigna cutis. In both cases, lesions were markedly faded and histologically, the number of infiltrated cells also decreased. We suggest that ALA-PDT can be used as an effective and safe modality in the treatment of benign cutaneous lymphoma.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.3131-3138
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• 2015

At a dermatology during the skin care, photodynamic therapy(PDT) is carried after 5-aminolevulinic acid(ALA), light sensitive material, is applied. At a skin care shop, using drug is prohibited. Thus, the aim of this research was to see the effect of the acne skin by irradiating PDT to the skin without applying ALA. The research method was that 24 female undergraduates who had acne on their face at the level of mild or comedonal, and the participants were divided into four groups(group1: no treatment, group 2: 420 nm of blue visible light, group 3: 660 nm of red visible light and group 4: blue and red visible light). The participants of group 2, 3 and 4 were irradiated with visible light for 20 minutes per week for 6 weeks, and they were compared to group 1. As a result of the research, the number of erythema, sebum, papules and pustules of those who were irradiated with visible light decreased, and the pore size of those also decreased while the amount of moisture increased. If an skin care shop applies PDT to the existing acne skin care, that PDT will influence on the program of a skin care shop is expected.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2003.04a
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• pp.87-90
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• 2003

ALA is an essential intermediate in the tetrapyrrole biosynthesis pathway and has applications as a biodegradable herbicide and insecticide as well as medical applications including photodynamic therapy of cancers. For the development of mass production process of ALA it is necessary to on-line monitor some metabolites such as glycine, succinate, LA and ALA. In this work, medium compositions, pH conditions, induction and addition of LA were investigated to increase the production of ALA by recombinant E. coli. A 2-dimensional fluorescence sensor was used to monitor the processe and the fluorescence spectra were correlated with on- and off-line data like ALAS, ALAD, cell mass etc.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.3023-3028
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• 2013

Objective: Photodynamic therapy (PDT ) is a promising modality for the treatment of various tumors. In order to assist in optimizing treatment, we applied 5-ALA/PDT in combination with low-dose cisplatin to evaluate cytotoxicity in Hela cells. Methods: Antiproliferative effects of 5-ALA/PDT and cisplatin, alone and in combination, were assessed using MTT assay. To examine levels of apoptosis, Hela cells treated with 5-ALA/PDT, and combination treatment were assessed with Annexin-V/PI by flow cytometry. To investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying alterations in cell proliferation and apoptosis, Western blot analysis was conducted to determine the expression of p53, p21, Bax and Bcl-2 proteins. Results: MTT assays indicated that combination treatment obviously decreased the viability of Hela cells compared to individual drug treatment. In addition, it was confirmed that exposure of Hela cells to 5-ALA/PDT in combination with low-dose cisplatin resulted in more apoptosis in vitro. Synergistic anticancer activity was related to upregulation p53 expression and alteration in expression of p21, Bcl-2 and Bax. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that administration of 5-ALA/PDT in combination with the low-dose cisplatin may be an effective and feasible therapy for cervical cancer.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.500-506
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• 2017

To investigate the potential applications of bacterial heme, aminolevulinic acid synthase (HemA) was expressed in a Corynebacterium glutamicum HA strain that had been adaptively evolved against oxidative stress. The red pigment from the constructed strain was extracted and it exhibited the typical heme absorbance at 408 nm from the spectrum. To investigate the potential of this strain as an iron additive for swine, a prototype feed additive was manufactured in pilot scale by culturing the strain in a 5 ton fermenter followed by spray-drying the biomass with flour as an excipient (biomass: flour = 1:10 (w/w)). The 10% prototype additive along with regular feed was supplied to a pig, resulting in a 1.1 kg greater increase in weight gain with no diarrhea in 3 weeks as compared with that in a control pig that was fed an additive containing only flour. To verify if C. glutamicum-synthesized heme is a potential electron carrier, lactic acid bacteria were cultured under aerobic conditions with the extracted heme. The biomasses of the aerobically grown Lactococcus lactis, Lactobacillus rhamosus, and Lactobacillus casei were 97%, 15%, and 4% greater, respectively, than those under fermentative growth conditions. As a potential preservative, cultures of the four strains of lactic acid bacteria were stored at $4^{\circ}C$ with the extracted heme and living lactic acid bacterial cells were counted. There were more L. lactis and L. plantarum live cells when stored with heme, whereas L. rhamosus and L. casei showed no significant differences in live-cell numbers. The potential uses of the heme from C. glutamicum are further discussed.

• BMB Reports
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.330-336
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• 2010

5-Aminolevulinate (ALA) is well-known as an essential biosynthetic precursor of all tetrapyrrole compounds, which has been suggested to improve plant salt tolerance by exogenous application. In this work, the gene encoding aminolevulinate synthase (ALA-S) in yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae Hem1) was introduced into the genome of Arabidopsis controlled by the Arabidopsis thaliana HemA1 gene promoter. All transgenic lines were able to transcribe the YHem1 gene, especially under light condition. The chimeric protein (YHem1-EGFP) was found co-localizing with the mitochondria in onion epidermal cells. The transgenic Arabidopsis plants could synthesize more endogenous ALA with higher levels of metabolites including chlorophyll and heme. When the $T_2$ homozygous seeds were cultured under NaCl stress, their germination and seedling growth were much better than the wild type. Therefore, introduction of ALA-S gene led to higher level of ALA metabolism with more salt tolerance in higher plants.

• Journal of the Optical Society of Korea
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.305-313
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• 2016

A number of fluorescence imaging techniques for use in the surgical removal of glioma have been developed over the course of the long history of neurosurgery. Various biomarkers, biochemical agents, and detection systems for glioma have also been developed. This review focuses on 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA), which is used to detect glioma. Numerous forms of fluorescence-guided surgery use 5-ALA, which is helpful to the surgeon. The surgical microscope system is the observational method generally used with 5-ALA, while the loupe, endoscope, and exoscope are simpler alternatives. A system is needed for minimal resection and other issues that arise during neurosurgery. Such an enhanced system should be able to detect low-grade tumors and provide information on microinvasive diseases, resulting in an improved survival rate and better surgical skills. Development of systems that fulfill certain needs would help protect the brain function of the patient and broaden the use of such systems in neurosurgery.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.526-535
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• 2023

Breast cancer is the most common cancer and a frequent cause of cancer-related deaths among women wordlwide. As therapeutic strategies for breast cancer have limitations, novel chemotherapeutic reagents and treatment strategies are needed. In this study, we investigated the anti-cancer effect of synthetic homoisoflavane derivatives of cremastranone on breast cancer cells. Homoisoflavane derivatives, SH-17059 and SH-19021, reduced cell proliferation through G2/M cell cycle arrest and induced caspase-independent cell death. These compounds increased heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and 5-aminolevulinic acid synthase 1 (ALAS1), suggesting downregulation of heme. They also induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and lipid peroxidation. Furthermore, they reduced expression of glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4). Therefore, we suggest that the SH-17059 and SH-19021 induced the caspase-independent cell death through the accumulation of iron from heme degradation, and the ferroptosis might be one of the potential candidates for caspase-independent cell death.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.19 no.2 s.20
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• pp.167-176
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• 1986

For the purpose of determinating the normal values of some parameters relevant to lead exposure, a study was carried out from April 1 to June 30, 1986 on 258 healthy Korean adults who have had no apparant lead exposure. The lead indices subjected to this study were as follows; blood lead (PbB), hemoglobin (Hb), zinc protoporphyrin in blood (ZPP), delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD) activity in blood, coproporphyrin in urine (CPU), delta-aminolevulinic acid in urine (ALAU). 1) The mean value of PbB was $17.17{\pm}7.87{\mu}g/100ml$, and there was no statistically significant difference by age & sex. The distribution of PbB fitted to the log-normal distribution ($x^2=7.38$, p>0.1). 2) The mean value of Hb in male ($15.17{\pm}1.56g/100ml$) was higher than in female ($13.22{\pm}1.51g/100ml$)(p<0.01). The distribution of Hb fitted to the normal distribution ($x^2=9.40$, p>0.1). 3) The mean value of ZPP was $32.61{\pm}8.78{\mu}g/100ml$, and there was no statistically significant difference by age & sex. The distribution of ZPP fitted to the normal distribution ($x^2=13.93$, p>0.05). The correlation of ZPP & ALAD (r=-0.229), CPU (r=0.183) was statistically significant respectively. 4) The mean value of ALAD was $30.20{\pm}10.96{\mu}mol$ ALA/min/L of R.B.C., and there was no statistically significant difference by age & sex. The distribution of ALAD activity did not fit to the normal distribution. The correlation between ALAD & PbB (r=-0.219) was statistically significant 5) The mean value of CPU was $36.10{\pm}24.54{\mu}g/L$, and there was no statistically significant difference by age & sex. The distribution of CPU did not fit to the normal distribution. The correlation between CPU & PbB (r=0.185), ZPP (r=0.183) was statistically signinificant respectively. 6) The mean value of ALAU was $1.94{\pm}0.96mg/L$, and there was no statistically significant difference by age & sex. The distribution of ALAU fitted to the normal distribution ($x^2=9.76$, p>0.1).