• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.47-54
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• 2004

A hydraulically and hydrologically based estimation method of pollutant delivery load for water quality modeling is proposed. The proposed method works on grid basis and routes overland flows from one cell to the next following the maximum downslope directions. The method is able to consider spatially-varied data of source pollutant, topography, land slopes, soil characteristics, land use and aspects, which can be extracted from geographic information systems (GIS) and from digital elevation models (DEMs). Because of this feature, the proposed method can be expected to be used for evaluating the impacts of various practices on watershed management for water quality.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2011.02a
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• pp.1-1
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• 2011

We developed a new generalized synthetic procedure, called as "heat-up process," to produce uniform-sized nanocrystals of many transition metals and oxides without a size selection process. We were able to synthesize uniform magnetite nanocrystals as much as 1 kilogram-scale from the thermolysis of Fe-oleate complex. Clever combination of different nanoscale materials will lead to the development of multifunctional nano-biomedical platforms for simultaneous targeted delivery, fast diagnosis, and efficient therapy. In this presentation, I would like to present some of our group's recent results on the designed fabrication of multifunctional nanostructured materials based on uniform-sized magnetite nanoparticles and their medical applications. Uniform ultrasmall iron oxide nanoparticles of <3 nm were synthesized by thermal decomposition of iron-oleate complex in the presence of oleyl alcohol. These ultrasmall iron oxide nanoparticles exhibited good T1 contrast effect. In in vivo T1 weighted blood pool magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), iron oxide nanoparticles showed longer circulation time than commercial gadolinium complex, enabling high resolution imaging. We used 80 nm-sized ferrimagnetic iron oxide nanocrystals for T2 MRI contrast agent for tracking transplanted pancreatic islet cells and single-cell MR imaging. We reported on the fabrication of monodisperse magnetite nanoparticles immobilized with uniform pore-sized mesoporous silica spheres for simultaneous MRI, fluorescence imaging, and drug delivery. We synthesized hollow magnetite nanocapsules and used them for both the MRI contrast agent and magnetic guided drug delivery vehicle.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.93-98
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• 1998

We have developed liposomes which can be easily prepared with inexpensive lipid, have enhanced stability, and can efficiently deliver DNA into the COS-l cells, Liposome formulations were prepared using cationic materials such as dimethyldioctadecyl ammonium bromide (DDAB), cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide(CTAB), We investigated the effect of cationic liposome formulations on in vitro DNA transfection, DDAB-containing liposomes showed increased transfection efficiency which was 3.2-fold as much as that by $Lipofectin^{\circledR}$, but CTAB-containing liposomes were inactive in gene transfection. The effect of colipid of DDAB-containing liposome was also investegated. As a colipid, dioleylphosphatidylethanolamine(DOPE) and cholesterol did altered the transfection efficiency of DDAB-containing liposomes. And increased DDAB concentration lowered the transfection efficiency. The optimum amount of liposomal formulation was $10\;{\mu}M$ for $1\;{\mu}g$ of DNA. In the experiment of stability, DOPE-containing liposomes formulation showed a broad size distribution and separation of two major peaks on a 5th day of preparation, but liposomes containing cholesterol was stable for 10 days. DDAB-containing liposomal DNA delivery system was prepared easily and was stable.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.281-286
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• 2007

For transdermal delivery of porcine placenta extract (PPE), various emulsion formulations were prepared and evaluated. Polysorbate surfactants were used as emulsifiers and various C-18 unsaturated fatty acids as enhancers. The skin permeation of PPE was tested using a cellulose nitrate membrane-loaded Franz cell apparatus. Among emulsifiers, Tween 20 provided higher penetration effect than did Tween 80. Meanwhile, of various fatty acids, linolenic acid (18:3) revealed the highest skin permeation of PPE than the other C-18 unsaturated fatty acids. Stability of PPE emulsions was determined by cycles of freezing and thawing processes. The stability of emulsions depended on the percentage of Tween 20. Minimum 20% of Tween 20 was required to stabilize emulsions at room temperature for several days. Taken together, our results suggest that Tween 20 and linolenic acids might be key components to formulate PPE emulsion to provide the desirable skin permeability and stability.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.19-25
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• 2009

In order to enhance the gene delivery efficiency and decrease the cytotoxicity of polyplexes, we synthesized Solutol-g-PEI by conjugating polyethyleneimine (PEI) to Solutol (polyoxyethylene (10) stearate), and evaluated its efficiency as a possible nonviral gene carrier candidate. Structural analysis of synthesized polymer was performed by using $^1H$-NMR. Gel retardation assay, particle sizes and zeta potential measurement confirmed that the new gene carrier formed a compact complex with plasmid DNA. The complexes were smaller than 150 nm, which implicated its potential for intracellular delivery. It showed lower cytotoxicity in three different cell lines (Hela, MCF-7, and HepG2) than PEI 25 kDa. pGL3-lus was used as a reporter gene, and the transfection efficiency was in vitro measured in Hela cells. Solutol-g-PEI showed much higher transfection efficiency than unmodified PEI 25 kDa.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.35 no.10
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• pp.3030-3034
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• 2014

Bis-chloroethylnitrosourea (BCNU) is currently used as an anti-cancer drug for glioblastoma therapy. In this study, BCNU was loaded into the hydrophobic cores of R3V6 amphiphilic peptide micelles for efficient delivery into brain tumors. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) study showed that the BCNU-loaded R3V6 peptide micelles (R3V6-BCNU) formed spherical micelles. MTT assay showed that R3V6-BCNU more efficiently induced cell death in C6 glioblastoma cells than did BCNU. In the Annexin V assay, R3V6-BCNU more efficiently induced apoptosis than did BCNU alone. Furthermore, the results showed that R3V6 was not toxic to cells. The positive charges of the R3V6 peptide micelles may facilitate the interaction between R3V6-BCNU and the cellular membrane, resulting in an increase in cellular uptake of BCNU. In vivo evaluation with an intracranial glioblastoma rat model showed that R3V6-BCNU more effectively reduced tumor size than BCNU alone. The results suggest that R3V6 peptide micelles may be an efficient carrier of BCNU for glioblastoma therapy.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.28 no.8
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• pp.1317-1321
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• 2007

Arginine conjugated PAMAM dendrimer, PAMAM-R was modified with propylene oxide via hydroxylation of primary amines of arginine residues. About 49 amines were detected to be converted to amino alcohols by 1H NMR. The newly synthesized polymer, PAMAM-R-PO was able to completely retard pDNA from a charge ratio of 2. The average diameter of PAMAM-R-PO polyplex was found to be 242 nm at a charge ratio of 30. The Zeta-potential value of PAMAM-R-PO polyplex was able to reach 20-30 mV over a charge ratio of 10. PAMAM-R-PO indicated higher cell viability than unmodified PAMAM-R on HeLa and 293 cells because of its hydroxylated amines. Transfection experiments on 293 cells showed that the transfection efficiency of PAMAM-R-PO was found to be 1.5-1.9 times higher than that of PEI25kDa at a charge ratio of 30. The polymer eventually displayed about 2 times greater transfection efficiency than PAMAM-R at the same charge ratio in the absence of serum. Therefore, we concluded that the modification of primary amines of PAMAMR to amino alcohols gives positive effects such as reduced cytotoxicity and enhanced transfection efficiency on 293 cells for gene delivery potency of PAMAM-R.

• Translational and Clinical Pharmacology
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.103-110
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• 2018

The human microbiome is known to play an essential role in influencing host health. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have also been reported to act on a variety of signaling pathways, distally transport cellular components such as proteins, lipids, and nucleic acid, and have immunomodulatory effects. Here we shall review the current understanding of the intersectionality of the human microbiome and EVs in the emerging field of microbiota-derived EVs and their pharmacological potential. Microbes secrete several classes of EVs: outer membrane vesicles (OMVs), membrane vesicles (MVs), and apoptotic bodies. EV biogenesis is unique to each cell and regulated by sophisticated signaling pathways. EVs are primarily composed of lipids, proteins, nucleic acids, and recent evidence suggests they may also carry metabolites. These components interact with host cells and control various cellular processes by transferring their constituents. The pharmacological potential of microbiome-derived EVs as vaccine candidates, biomarkers, and a smart drug delivery system is a promising area of future research. Therefore, it is necessary to elucidate in detail the mechanisms of microbiome-derived EV action in host health in a multi-disciplinary manner.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.17
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• pp.7435-7439
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• 2015

A failure of a cell to self destruct has long been associated with cancer progression and development. The fact that tumour cells may not instigate cell arrest or activate cell death mechanisms upon cancer drug delivery is a major concern. Autophagy is a mechanism whereby cell material can be engulfed and digested while apoptosis is a self-killing mechanism, both capable of hindering multiplication after cell injury. In particular situations, autophagy and apoptosis seem to co-exist simultaneously or interdependently with the aid of mutual proteins. This review covers roles of microRNAs and chemopreventive agents and makes an attempt at outlining possible partnerships in maximizing cancer cell death with minimal normal cell damage.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.57-62
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• 2002

Cationic liposomes complexed with DNA have been extensively utilized for the delivery of reporter or therapeutic genes both in culture and in vivo. We investigated and determined the optimum conditions of a cationic liposome, composed of dimethyldioctadecy-lammonium bromide (DDAB) and dioleoyl phosphati-dylethanolamine UOPE), mediated a reporter plasmid expressing luciferase into insect cell lines (Sf-21 and Bm-N) and silkworm larvae. Together the data demonstrated that Bombyx mori nuclear polyhedrosis virus (BmNPV) genomic DNA (128 kb) was successfully transfected into Bm-5 cells using this liposome. These results suggest that DDAB/DOPE liposome will be useful as delivery agents for gene transfer to insect cells both in vitro and in vivo.