• Molecules and Cells
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.315-324
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• 2005

Pain is an unpleasant sensation experienced when tissues are damaged. Thus, pain sensation in some way protects body from imminent threat or injury. Peripheral sensory nerves innervated to peripheral tissues initially respond to multiple forms of noxious or strong stimuli, such as heat, mechanical and chemical stimuli. In response to these stimuli, electrical signals for conducting the nociceptive neural signals through axons are generated. These action potentials are then conveyed to specific areas in the spinal cord and in the brain. Sensory afferent fibers are heterogeneous in many aspects. For example, sensory nerves are classified as $A{\alpha}$, $-{\beta}$, $-{\delta}$ and C-fibers according to their diameter and degree of myelination. It is widely accepted that small sensory fibers tend to respond to vigorous or noxious stimuli and related to nociception. Thus these fibers are specifically called nociceptors. Most of nociceptors respond to noxious mechanical stimuli and heat. In addition, these sensory fibers also respond to chemical stimuli [Davis et al. (1993)] such as capsaicin. Thus, nociceptors are considered polymodal. Recent advance in research on ion channels in sensory neurons reveals molecular mechanisms underlying how various types of stimuli can be transduced to neural signals transmitted to the brain for pain perception. In particular, electrophysiological studies on ion channels characterize biophysical properties of ion channels in sensory neurons. Furthermore, molecular biology leads to identification of genetic structures as well as molecular properties of ion channels in sensory neurons. These ion channels are expressed in axon terminals as well as in cell soma. When these channels are activated, inward currents or outward currents are generated, which will lead to depolarization or hyperpolarization of the membrane causing increased or decreased excitability of sensory neurons. In order to depolarize the membrane of nerve terminals, either inward currents should be generated or outward currents should be inhibited. So far, many cationic channels that are responsible for the excitation of sensory neurons are introduced recently. Activation of these channels in sensory neurons is evidently critical to the generation of nociceptive signals. The main channels responsible for inward membrane currents in nociceptors are voltage-activated sodium and calcium channels, while outward current is carried mainly by potassium ions. In addition, activation of non-selective cation channels is also responsible for the excitation of sensory neurons. Thus, excitability of neurons can be controlled by regulating expression or by modulating activity of these channels.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.449-456
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• 2014

The use of synovial fluid-derived mesenchymal stem cells (SFMSCs) obtained from patients with degenerative arthropathy may serve as an alternative therapeutic strategy in osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). For treatment of OA and RA patients, autologous transplantation of differentiated MSCs has several beneficial effects for cartilage regeneration including immunomodulatory activity. In this study, we induced chondrogenic differentiation of SFMSCs by inhibiting protein kinase A (PKA) with a small molecule and microRNA (miRNA). Chondrogenic differentiation was confirmed by PCR and immunocytochemistry using probes specific for aggrecan, the major cartilaginous proteoglycan gene. Absorbance of alcian blue stain to detect chondrogenic differentiation was increased in H-89 and/or miRNA-23b-transfected cells. Furthermore, expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 and MMP-2 was decreased in treated1 cells. Therefore, differentiation of SFMSCs into chondrocytes through inhibition of PKA signaling may be a therapeutic option for OA or RA patients.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.26-31
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• 2016

Toxoplasmosis is an important cause of foodborne, inflammatory illnesses, as well as congenital abnormalities. Currently available therapies are ineffective for persistent chronic disease and congenital toxoplasmosis or have severe side effects which may result in life-threatening complications. There is an urgent need for safe and effective therapies to eliminate or treat this cosmopolitan infectious disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the in vitro anti-Toxoplasma activities of Plantago asiatica L., one of the herbal extracts, using tachyzoit of T. gondii RH strain infected HeLa cells. As the results, the selectivity of Plantago asiatica L. extract was 4.5, which was higher than Sulfadiazine selectivity (0.4). Also, we perfomed the cell proliferation inhibition test and the morphological study to evaluate the anti-T. gondii activity of Plantago asiatica L. extract with HeLa cells. As the results, the inhibition rate of the Plantago asiatica L. extract was high inhibition rate. This indicates that the Plantago asiatica L. extract may be used for new anti-T. gondii agent.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.431-437
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• 2009

To investigate the anti-inflammatory effect of Ephedrae Herba in vivo and in vitro acute inflammation was induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) shock in rats fed Ephedrae Herba extracts and inflammatory cytokine concentrations were examined. In addition, the effect of Ephedrae Herba extracts on the production of inflammatory cytokines was examined in LPS-stimulated Raw 264.7 cells. In an in vivo experiment, plasma interleukin-$1{\beta}$ (IL-$1{\beta}$), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-10 (IL-10) and tumor necrosis factor-$\alpha$ (TNF-$\alpha$) concentrations were increased at 2 h and reached to maximal levels at 5 h after LPS treatment in all groups. Compared with control group, plasma IL-$1{\beta}$, IL-6, and TNF-$\alpha$ levels were lowered at 5 h after LPS treatment, but plasma IL-10 level was higher in at 2 and 5 h after LPS treatment in Ephedrae Herba extract group. In an in vitro experiment using Raw 264.7 macrophages, IL-$1{\beta}$, IL-6 and TNF-$\alpha$ concentrations in the Ephedrae Herba extract group were lower than those in control group. Compared with control group, IL-10 concentration appeared to be higher in the Ephedrae Herba extract group, but this trend was not significant. In conclusion, these results suggested that functional compound (s) in Ephedrae Herba extract may play a role in alleviating inflammatory response.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.20 no.3 s.39
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• pp.45-53
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• 1999

Since Radix Stemonae was recorded hypothennal and a little toxic in the 'Myngyubelrok (名醫別錄)', it has been recorded as having the same nature in many herbal books. However, the security of Radix Stemonae when used to treat respiratory disease over a long term has not been studied until now. Therefore, the objective of this study is to determine the effects of Radix Stemonae on the main organs if Radix Stemonae is administrated over a long term. In order to investigate the histological changes of the liver and kidneys of rats after oral administration of Radix Stemonae extract, the experimental rats were subdivided into control, 1, 3, 5, 7, 21, 28 and 35 days after administration groups, and 10 rats per group were used in this study. The control group was sufficiently supplied with water and solid forage. The other groups were administrated the reagent at 5mg/kg once a day by oral injection. Several times each day, the experimental groups were carefully observed for any changes of general condition, toxic symptoms, activity, appearance and the number of dead rats. The experimental groups were weighed and narcotized. For the histological observation, the tissues of liver and kidneys of the experimental groups were collected, stained by hematoxylin-eosin stain, and evaluated by observing the changes of gross appearance and by observing microscopic findings. 1. This drug, during the experimental term, did not induce any toxicological effect in mortality, abnormal symptoms or changes of body weight except for the 1 day after administration groups whose body weights were decreased, compared to the control group. 2. No gross changes of the liver and kidneys were observed in this study. 3. No histological changes of the liver were detected in 1 day after administration groups. However, dilation of the central vein was observed in 3, 5 and 7 days after administration groups and chronic passive congestion of the liver was demonstrated in the 21 days after administration groups. In the 28 and 35 days after administration groups, a centrolobular disposition of fatty tissue (adipose cell) was observed. 4. No histological changes of the kidneys were observed in this study. It is evaluated that if Radix Stemonae is administrated for a long term, it induces toxicity in the liver. So, to examine the toxicity of Radix Stemonae on the liver and kidney, it is necessary that the studies of biochemistry and electron microscopic findings about Radix Stemonae be systematically performed.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.191-199
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• 2000

Genomics is providing targets faster than we can validate them and combinatorial chemistry is providing new chemical entities faster than we can screen them. Historically, the drug discovery cascade has been established as a sequential process initiated with a potency screening against a selected biological target. In this sequential process, pharmacokinetics was often regarded as a low-throughput activity. Typically, limited pharmacokinetics studies would be conducted prior to acceptance of a compound for safety evaluation and, as a result, compounds often failed to reach a clinical testing due to unfavorable pharmacokinetic characteristics. A new paradigm in drug discovery has emerged in which the entire sample collection is rapidly screened using robotized high-throughput assays at the outset of the program. Higher-throughput pharmacokinetics (HTPK) is being achieved through introduction of new techniques, including automation for sample preparation and new experimental approaches. A number of in vitro and in vivo methods are being developed for the HTPK. In vitro studies, in which many cell lines are used to screen absorption and metabolism, are generally faster than in vivo screening, and, in this sense, in vitro screening is often considered as a real HTPK. Despite the elegance of the in vitro models, however, in vivo screenings are always essential for the final confirmation. Among these in vivo methods, cassette dosing technique, is believed the methods that is applicable in the screening of pharmacokinetics of many compounds at a time. The widespread use of liquid chromatography (LC) interfaced to mass spectrometry (MS) or tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) allowed the feasibility of the cassette dosing technique. Another approach to increase the throughput of in vivo screening of pharmacokinetics is to reduce the number of sample analysis. Two common approaches are used for this purpose. First, samples from identical study designs but that contain different drug candidate can be pooled to produce single set of samples, thus, reducing sample to be analyzed. Second, for a single test compound, serial plasma samples can be pooled to produce a single composite sample for analysis. In this review, we validated the issue whether the second method can be applied to practical screening of in vivo pharmacokinetics using data from seven of our previous bioequivalence studies. For a given drug, equally spaced serial plasma samples were pooled to achieve a 'Pooled Concentration' for the drug. An area under the plasma drug concentration-time curve (AUC) was then calculated theoretically using the pooled concentration and the predicted AUC value was statistically compared with the traditionally calculated AUC value. The comparison revealed that the sample pooling method generated reasonably accurate AUC values when compared with those obtained by the traditional approach. It is especially noteworthy that the accuracy was obtained by the analysis of only one sample instead of analyses of a number of samples that necessitates a significant man-power and time. Thus, we propose the sample pooling method as an alternative to in vivo pharmacokinetic approach in the selection potential lead(s) from combinatorial libraries.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 1999

We sought to find out the mechanism of vascular relaxation by extracellular $K^+$ concentration $([K^+]_o)$ in the cerebral resistant arteriole from rabbit. Single cells were isolated from the cerebral resistant arteriole, and using voltage-clamp technique barium-sensitive $K^+$ currents were recorded, and their characteristics were observed. Afterwards, the changes in membrane potential and currents through the membrane caused by the change in $[K^+]_o$ was observed. In the smooth muscle cells of cerebral resistant arteriole, ion currents that are blocked by barium, 4-aminopyridine (4-AP), and tetraethylammonium (TEA) exist. Currents that were blocked by barium showed inward rectification. When the $[K^+]_o$ were 6, 20, 60, and 140 mM, the reversal potentials were $-82.7{\pm}1.0,\;-49.5{\pm}1.86,\;-26{\pm}1.14,\;-5.18{\pm}1.17$ mV, respectively, and these values were almost identical to the calculated $K^+$ equilibrium potential. The inhibition of barium-sensitive inward currents by barium depended on the membrane potential. At the membrane potentials of -140, -100, and -60 mV, $K_d$ values were 0.44, 1.19, and 4.82 ${\mu}M,$ respectively. When $[K^+]_o$ was elevatedfrom 6 mM to 15 mM, membrane potential hyperpolarized to -50 mV from -40 mV. Hyperpolarization by $K^+$ was inhibited by barium but not by ouabain. When the membrane potential was held at resting membrane potential and the $[K^+]_o$ was elevated from 6 mM to 15 mM, outward currents increased; when elevated to 25 mM, inward currents increased. Fixing the membrane potential at resting membrane potential and comparing the barium-sensitive outward currents at $[K^+]_o$ of 6 and 15 mM showed that the barium- sensitive outward current increased at 15 mM $K^+.$ From the above results the following were concluded. Barium-sensitive $K^+$?channel activity increased when $[K^+]_o$ is elevated and this leads to an increase in $K^+-outward$ current. Consequently, the membrane potential hyperpolarizes, leading to the relaxation of resistant arteries, and this is thought to contribute to an increase in the local blood flow of brain.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.389-399
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• 2015

Zinc has been considered as a vital constituent of proteins, including enzymes. Mobile reactive zinc ($Zn^{2+}$) is the key form of zinc involved in signal transductions, which are mainly driven by its binding to proteins or the release of zinc from proteins, possibly via a redox switch. There has been growing evidence of zinc's critical role in cell signaling, due to its flexible coordination geometry and rapid shifts in protein conformation to perform biological reactions. The importance and complexity of $Zn^{2+}$ activity has been presumed to parallel the degree of calcium's participation in cellular processes. Whole body and cellular $Zn^{2+}$ levels are largely regulated by metallothioneins (MTs), $Zn^{2+}$ importers (ZIPs), and $Zn^{2+}$ transporters (ZnTs). Numerous proteins involved in signaling pathways, mitochondrial metabolism, and ion channels that play a pivotal role in controlling cardiac contractility are common targets of $Zn^{2+}$. However, these regulatory actions of $Zn^{2+}$ are not limited to the function of the heart, but also extend to numerous other organ systems, such as the central nervous system, immune system, cardiovascular tissue, and secretory glands, such as the pancreas, prostate, and mammary glands. In this review, the regulation of cellular $Zn^{2+}$ levels, $Zn^{2+}$-mediated signal transduction, impacts of $Zn^{2+}$ on ion channels and mitochondrial metabolism, and finally, the implications of $Zn^{2+}$ in health and disease development were outlined to help widen the current understanding of the versatile and complex roles of $Zn^{2+}$.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.223-228
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• 2013

The calcium-activated $K^+$ ($BK_{Ca}$) channel is one of the potassium-selective ion channels that are present in the nervous and vascular systems. $Ca^{2+}$ is the main regulator of $BK_{Ca}$ channel activation. The $BK_{Ca}$ channel contains two high affinity $Ca^{2+}$ binding sites, namely, regulators of $K^+$ conductance, RCK1 and the $Ca^{2+}$ bowl. Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA, 1-radyl-2-hydroxy-sn-glycero-3-phosphate) is one of the neurolipids. LPA affects diverse cellular functions on many cell types through G protein-coupled LPA receptor subtypes. The activation of LPA receptors induces transient elevation of intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ levels through diverse G proteins such as $G{\alpha}_{q/11}$, $G{\alpha}_i$, $G{\alpha}_{12/13}$, and $G{\alpha}s$ and the related signal transduction pathway. In the present study, we examined LPA effects on $BK_{Ca}$ channel activity expressed in Xenopus oocytes, which are known to endogenously express the LPA receptor. Treatment with LPA induced a large outward current in a reversible and concentration-dependent manner. However, repeated treatment with LPA induced a rapid desensitization, and the LPA receptor antagonist Ki16425 blocked LPA action. LPA-mediated $BK_{Ca}$ channel activation was also attenuated by the PLC inhibitor U-73122, $IP_3$ inhibitor 2-APB, $Ca^{2+}$ chelator BAPTA, or PKC inhibitor calphostin. In addition, mutations in RCK1 and RCK2 also attenuated LPA-mediated $BK_{Ca}$ channel activation. The present study indicates that LPA-mediated activation of the $BK_{Ca}$ channel is achieved through the PLC, $IP_3$, $Ca^{2+}$, and PKC pathway and that LPA-mediated activation of the $BK_{Ca}$ channel could be one of the biological effects of LPA in the nervous and vascular systems.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.257-270
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• 1986

It has been reported that the luteal function may be regulated by the intracellular calcium in luteal cells (Higuchi et al, 1976; Dorflinger et at, 1984; Gore and Behrman, 1984) which is adjusted partially by $Ca^{++}-ATPase$ activities in luteal cell membranes (Verma and Pennistion, 1981). However, the physicochemical and kinetic properties of $Ca^{++}-ATPase$ in luteal membranes were not fully characterized. This study was, therefore, undertaken to partially characterize the physicochemical and kinetic properties of $Ca^{++}-ATPase$ system in luteal membranes and microsomal fractions, known as an one of the major $Ca^{++}$ storge sites (Moore and Pastan, 1978), from the highly luteinized ovary Highly luteinized ovaries were obtained from PMSG-hCG injected immautre female rats. Light membrane and heavy membrane fractions and microsomal fractions were prepared by the differential and discontinuous sucrose density gradient centrifugation method desribed by Bramley and Ryan (1980). Light membrane and heavy membrane fractions and microsomal fractions from highly luteinized ovaries are composed of the two different kinds of $Ca^{++}-ATPase$ system. One is the high affinity $Ca^{++}-ATPase$ which is activated in low $Ca^{++}$ concentration (Km, 10-30 nM), the other is low affinity $Ca^{++}-ATPase$ activated in higher $Ca^{++}$ concentration $(K_{1/2},\;40\;{\mu}M)$. At certain $Ca^{++}$ concentrations, activities of high and low affinity $Ca^{++}-ATPase$ are the highest in light membrane fractions and are the lowest in microsomal fractions. It appeares that high affinity $Ca^{++}-ATPase$ system have 2 binding sites for ATP (Hill's coefficient; around 2 in all membrane fractions measured) and the positive cooperativity of ATP bindings obviously existed in each membrane fractions. The optimum pH for high affinity $Ca^{++}-ATPase$ activation is around S in all membrane fractions measured. The lipid phase transition temperature measured by Arrhenius plots of high affinity $Ca^{++}-ATPase$ activity is around $25^{\circ}C$. The activation energies of high affinity $Ca^{++}-ATPase$ below the transition temperature are similar in each membrane fractions, but at the above transition temperature, it is the hightest in heavy membrane fractions and the lowest in microsomal fractions. According to the above results, it is suggested that intracellular $Ca^{++}$ level, which may regulate the luteal function, may be adjusted primarily by the high affinity $Ca^{++}-ATPase$ system activated in intracellular $Ca^{++}$ concentration range $(below\;0.1\;{\mu}M)$.