• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.17-24
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• 2020

Objectives : The objective of this study was to evaluate the gastric protective effect of Curcuma Longae Rhizoma (CLR) in 150 mM HCl/60% ethanol induced gastric ulcer (GU) in mice. Methods : Forty ICR mice were divided into five groups (n=8/Group): Nor group; Normal, Veh group; GU control, SC group; GU + sucralfate 10 mg/kg, CL; GU + CLR 30% ethanol extract 100 mg/kg, CH group; GU + CLR 30% ethanol extract 200 mg/kg. Then, mice were orally administered with 150 mM HCl/60% ethanol and caused GU. After 1 hr, mice were sacrificed, and blood and stomach tissue were collected. Results : CLR showed significance scavenging effects in 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azinobis-3-ethyl-benzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) radical scavenging activities (DPPH IC₅₀; 78.18 ± 0.60 ㎍/㎖, ABTS IC₅₀; 55.91 ± 1.86 ㎍/㎖). CLR significance reduce inflammatory-related factors such as cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) via nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) inactivation. In addition, the activation of nuclear factor erythroid2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) significantly led to up-regulation of anti-oxidant enzymes including factors heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), super oxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase-1/2 (GPx-1/2). Conclusions : Our discovery provides that CLR possesses anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Hence, CLR may ameliorate the development of gastric ulcer though the inhibition of NF-κB inflammatory pathway and the elevation of Nrf2 anti-oxidant pathway.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.1363-1367
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• 2014

This research was conducted to compare differences in colon cancer lymphatic vessel invasion (LVI) with D2-40 antibody labeling and regular HE staining, blood vessel invasion (BVI) with CD34 antibody labeling and HE staining and to assess the possibility of using D2-40-LVI/CD34-BVI in combination for predicting stage II colon cancer prognosis and guiding adjuvant chemotherapy.Anti-D2-40 and anti-CD34 antibodies were applied to tissue samples of 220 cases of stage II colon cancer to label lymphatic vessels and small blood vessels, respectively. LVI and BVI were assessed and multivariate COX regression analysis was performed for associations with colon cancer prognosis. Regular HE staining proved unable to differentiate lymphatic vessels from blood vessels, while D2-40 selectively labeled lymphatic endothelial cell cytosol and CD34 was widely expressed in large and small blood vessels of tumors as well as normal tissues. Compared to regular HE staining, D2-40-labeling for LVI and CD34-labeling for BVI significantly increased positive rate (22.3% vs 10.0% for LVI, and 19.1% vs 9.1% for BVI). Multivariate analysis indicated that TNM stage, pathology tissue type, post-surgery adjuvant chemotherapy, D2-40-LVI, and CD34-BVI were independent factors affecting whole group colon cancer prognosis, while HE staining-BVI, HE staining-LVI were not significantly related. When CD34-BVI/D2-40-LVI were used in combination for detection, the risk of death for patients with two or one positive results was 5.003 times that in the LVI(-)&BVI(-) group (95% CI 2.365 - 9.679). D2-40 antibody LVI labeling and CD34 antibody BVI labeling have higher specificity and accuracy than regular HE staining and can be used as molecular biological indicators for prognosis prediction and guidance of adjuvant chemotherapy for stage II colon cancer.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.75 no.2
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• pp.52-58
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• 2013

Background: More than half of cases for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) occur in elderly patients with a median age at diagnosis of 70 years. The aim of our study was to examine the clinical features and prognostic factors contributing to mortality in elderly patients with advanced NSCLC. Methods: Following a retrospective review of clinical data, 122 patients aged 70 years and over with a histopathological diagnosis of locally advanced (stage IIIB, n=32) and metastatic (stage IV, n=90) NSCLC between 2005 and 2011 were enrolled. Results: The median age was 76 years (interquartile range, [IQR], 72-80 years), and 85 (70%) patients were male. Fifty-seven (46%) patients had never smoked, and 17 (19%) were in a malnourished state with a body mass index (BMI) of <$18.5kg/m^2$. The initial treatments included chemotherapy (40%) and radiotherapy (7%), but 57% of the patients received supportive care only. The 1-year survival rate was 32%, and the 3-year survival rate was 4%, with a median survival duration of 6.2 months (IQR, 2.5-15.3 months). Male gender (hazard ratio [HR], 2.2; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.3-3.9; p=0.005), low BMI (HR, 2.3; 95% CI, 1.3-3.9; p=0.004), and supportive care only (HR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.2-2.9; p=0.007) were independent predictors of shorter survival based on a Cox proportional hazards model. Conclusion: Elderly patients with advanced NSCLC had a poor prognosis, particularly male patients, those with a low BMI, and those who received supportive care only.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.287-292
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• 2020

Lathyrus palustris often used as a treatment for inflammation of the kidneys in Korean traditional medication. Generally, drugs for arthritis have anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive properties. However, the validity of the anti-inflammatory effect has not been scientifically investigated so far. Therefore, the purpose of the research was to investigate the latent anti-inflammatory ability of L. palustris using the ethanol extract. To evaluate the anti-inflammatory activities, we examined the inflammatory arbitrators such as a nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂) on RAW 264.7 cells. Our results indicated that ethanol extract significantly inhibited the lipopolysaccharide E (LPS) derived PGE₂ production in RAW 264.7 cell. The inhibitory activity of ethanol extract for PGE₂ tests with inhibition ratio showed in 40 ㎍/mL. Overall, PGE₂ tests had a higher inhibitory effect on inflammation than NO tests. This result anticipated that the ethanol extract from L. palustris is a good candidate for developing the origin of anti-inflammatory agents.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.12
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• pp.5043-5047
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• 2015

Background: Relatively little is known with certainty about the status and role of p53 or MDM2 in predicting prognosis and survival of renal cell carcinoma. The present study aimed to determine the value of P53 and MDM2 over-expression, alone and simultaneously, to predict five-year survival of patients with kidney cancer in Iran. Materials and Methods: Patients with kidney cancer referred to Hasheminejad Kidney Center between 2007 and 2009, underwent radical nephrectomy and had pathology reports of clear cell, papillary or chromophobe renal cell carcinoma were included in our cohort study. Other histological types of renal cell carcinoma were not included. The patients with missed, incomplete or poor quality paraffin blocks were also excluded. Overall ninety one patients met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. To assess the histopathological features of the tumor, immunohistochemical (IHC) staining of formalin fixed, paraffin-embedded tumor samples were performed. The five-year survival was determined by the patients' medical files and telephone following-up. Results: In total, 1.1% of all samples were revealed to be positive for P53. Also, 20.8% of all samples were revealed to be positive for MDM2.The patients were all followed for 5 years. In this regard, 5-year mortality was 30.5% and thus 5-year survival was 85.3%. According to the Cox proportional hazard analysis, positive P53 marker was only predictor for patients' 5-year survival that the presence of positive p53 increased the risk for long-term mortality up to 2.8 times (HR=2.798, 95%CI: 1.176-6.660, P=0.020). However, the presence of MDM2 could not predict long-term mortality. In this regard, analysis by the ROC curve showed a limited role for predicting long-term survival by confirming P53 positivity (AUC=0.610, 95%CI: 0.471-.750, P=0.106). The best cutoff point for P53 to predict mortality was 0.5 yielding a low sensitivity (32.0%) but a high specificity (97.9%). In similar analysis, measurement of MDM2 positivity could not predict mortality (AUC=0.449, 95%CI: 0.316-.583, P=0.455). Conclusions: The simultaneous presence of both P53 and MDM2 markers in our population is a rare phenomenon and the presence of these markers may not predict long-term survival in patients who undergoing radical nephrectomy.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.7-11
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• 2016

The aerial part of Trichosanthes kirilowii Maxim. (Cucurbitaceae), has long been used in traditional Korean and Chinese medicines for the treatment of heatstroke. We isolated and identified three flavones, luteolin-7-O-${\beta}$-D-glucopyranoside(1), luteolin-4'-O-${\beta}$-D-glucopyranoside(2), luteolin(3) from its methanolic extract. In the present study, we found that luteolin attenuates the lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced inflammation in BV2 microglial cells. Luteolin significantly inhibited LPS-induced production of pro-inflammatory mediators such as nitric oxide(NO) and prostaglandin $E_2(PGE_2)$ in BV2 microglia in a concentration-dependent manner without cytotoxic effect. Luteolin dose-dependently suppressed the protein expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase(iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2(COX-2). In addition, luteolin also showed significant induction of heme oxygenase(HO)-1. These results suggest that both the aerial part of T. kirilowii and luteolin may be good candidates to regulate LPS-induced inflammatory response.

• Experimental and Molecular Medicine
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• v.50 no.12
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• pp.13.1-13.12
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• 2018

We aimed to explore whether changes in circulating levels of miRNAs according to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) or prediabetes status could be used as biomarkers to evaluate the risk of developing the disease. The study included 462 patients without T2DM at baseline from the CORDIOPREV trial. After a median follow-up of 60 months, 107 of the subjects developed T2DM, 30 developed prediabetes, 223 maintained prediabetes and 78 remained disease-free. Plasma levels of four miRNAs related to insulin signaling and beta-cell function were measured by RT-PCR. We analyzed the relationship between miRNAs levels and insulin signaling and release indexes at baseline and after the follow-up period. The risk of developing disease based on tertiles (T1-T2-T3) of baseline miRNAs levels was evaluated by COX analysis. Thus, we observed higher miR-150 and miR-30a-5p and lower miR-15a and miR-375 baseline levels in subjects with T2DM than in disease-free subjects. Patients with high miR-150 and miR-30a-5p baseline levels had lower disposition index (p = 0.047 and p = 0.007, respectively). The higher risk of disease was associated with high levels (T3) of miR-150 and miR-30a-5p ($HR_{T3-T1}=4.218$ and $HR_{T3-T1}=2.527$, respectively) and low levels (T1) of miR-15a and miR-375 ($HR_{T1-T3}=3.269$ and $HR_{T1-T3}=1.604$, respectively). In conclusion, our study showed that deregulated plasma levels of miR-150, miR-30a-5p, miR-15a, and miR-375 were observed years before the onset of T2DM and pre-DM and could be used to evaluate the risk of developing the disease, which may improve prediction and prevention among individuals at high risk for T2DM.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.631-640
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• 2014

The inhibitory effects of Boswellia serrata (BW) extracts on degenerative osteoarthritis were investigated in primary-cultured rat cartilage cells and a monosodium-iodoacetate (MIA)-induced osteoarthritis rat model. To identify the protective effects of BW extract against $H_2O_2$ ($800{\mu}M$, 2 hr) in vitro, cell survival was measured by MTT assay. Cell survival after $H_2O_2$ treatment was elevated by BW extract at a concentration of $20{\mu}g/mL$. In addition, BW extract treatment significantly reduced and normalized the productions of pro-inflammatory factors, nuclear transcription factor ${\kappa}B$, cyclooxygenase-2, tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$, and interleukin-6 at a concentration of $20{\mu}g/mL$. Treatment of chondrocytes with BW extract significantly reduced 5-lipoxygenase activity and production of prostaglandin E2, especially at a concentration of $10{\sim}20{\mu}g/mL$. For the in vivo animal study, osteoarthritis was induced by intra-articular injection of MIA into knee joints of rats. Consumption of a diet containing BW extract (100 and 200 mg/kg) for 35 days significantly inhibited the development and severity of osteoarthritis in rats. To determine the genetic expression of arthritic factors in articular cartilage, real-time PCR was applied to measure matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-3, MMP-9, and MMP-13), collagen type I, collagen type II, and aggrecan, and BW extract had protective effects at a concentration of 200 mg/kg. In conclusion, BW extract was able to inhibit articular cartilage degeneration by preventing extracellular matrix degradation and chondrocyte injury. One can consider that BW extract may be a potential therapeutic treatment for degenerative osteoarthritis.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.2591-2596
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• 2014

Purpose: To evaluate the prognostic value of the expression of excision repair cross-complementation group l (ERCC1), MutS protein homolog 2 (MSH2) and poly ADP-ribose polymerase 1 (PARP1) in non-small-cell lung cancer patients receiving platinum-based postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy. Methods: Immunohistochemistry was applied to detect the expression of ERCC1, MSH2 and PARP1 in 111 cases of non-small cell lung cancer paraffin embedded surgical specimens. Through og-rank survival analysis, we evaluated the prognostic value of the ERCC1, MSH2, PARP1 and the related clinicopathological factors. COX regression analysis was used to determine whether ERCC1, MSH2 and PARP1 were independent prognostic factors. Results: In the enrolled 111 non-small cell lung cancer patients, the positive expression rate of ERCC1, MSH2 and RARP1 was 33.3%, 36.9% and 55.9%, respectively. ERCC1 (P<0.001) and PARP1 (P=0.033) were found to be correlated with the survival time while there was no correlation for MSH2 (P=0.298). Patients with both ERCC1 and PARP1 negative cancer had significantly longer survival time than those with ERCC1 (P=0.042) or PARP1 (P=0.027) positive alone. Similalry, the survival time of patients with both ERCC1 and PARP1 positive cancer was shorter than those with ERCC1 (P=0.048) or PARP1 (P=0.01) positive alone. Conclusion: Patients with ERCC1 or PARP1 negative non-small cell lung cancer appear to benefit from platinum-based postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.26-33
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• 2017

The objective of this study was to examine the immune-enhancing effects of polysaccharides isolated from Phellinus linteus mycelium on Mori ramulus. Crude polysaccharides were isolated by pressurized extraction ($121^{\circ}C$, $1.2kgf/cm^2$, 3 h), ethanol precipitation, and lyophilization. In addition, crude polysaccharides were further fractionated into unabsorbed fractions (PF-1, fraction No. 3~15) and absorbed fractions (PF-2, fraction No. 24~33) by DEAE-sepharose CL-6B column chromatography in order to isolate immune-regulating polysaccharides. The major constituents in PF-1 and PF-2 were total sugar (75.51% and 52.38%), total protein (1.63% and 8.41%), uronic acid (17.53% and 15.04%), and ${\beta}-glucan$ (28.33% and 25.04%), respectively. PF-1 increased production of nitric oxide (NO) and cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha ($TNF-{\alpha}$) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in a dose-dependent manner. The mRNA expression levels of inducible NO synthetase, cyclooxygenase-2, $TNF-{\alpha}$, and IL-6 markedly increased as determined by polymerase chain reaction analysis. The above data led us to conclude that macrophage activation of purified polysaccharides was higher than that of crude polysaccharides. The polysaccharides isolated from P. linteus mycelium on M. ramulus investigated herein are useful as natural immune-enhancing agents.