• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.1299-1303
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• 2005

Human articular chondrocytes (HAC) were cultivated as a monolayer in a serum-free medium for primary culture (SFM-P). An optimized SFM-P provides $95\%$ proliferation rate of that obtainable from primary and secondary chondrocyte cultures grown in a control medium with serum. The gradual decrease in the amounts of synthesized glycosaminoglycan and type II collagen was improved by coating the culture dishes with type IV collagen and fibronectin. A significant improvement in the expression of type II collagen and aggrecan mRNA could be achieved. In addition, the monolayer cultures showed better synthesis of the extracellular matrices than alginate-bead cultures in SFM-P.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.25-31
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• 2013

Electrospun nanofibers are being widely used as a substratum for mammalian cell culture owing to their structural similarity to collagen fibers found in extracellular matrices of mammalian cells and tissues. Especially, development of diverse synthetic polymers has expanded use of electrospun nanofibers for constructing cell culture substrata. Synthetic polymers have several benefits comparing to natural polymer for their structural consistency, low cost, and capability for blending with other polymers or small molecules to enhance their structural integrity or add biological functions. PMGI (polymethylglutarimide) is one of the synthetic polymers that produced a rigid nanofiber that enables incorporation of small molecules, peptides, and gold nanoparticles through co-electrospinning process, during which the materials are fixed without any chemical modifications in the PMGI nanofibers by maintaining their activities. Using the phenomenon of PMGI nanofiber, here I introduce a construction method of a nanofiber substratum having cell-affinity function towards a pluripotent stem cell by incorporating a small molecule in the PMGI nanofiber.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.277-284
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• 2005

The loss or failure of an organ or tissue can occur because of accident or disease, for which tissue or organ transplantation is a generally accepted treatment. However, this approach is extremely limited due to donor shortage. Tissue engineering is a new and exciting strategy, in which patients who need a new organ or tissue are supplied with a synthetic organ or tissue. In this approach, tissues are engineered using a combination of the patient's own cells and a polymer scaffold. The polymer scaffold potentially mimics many roles of extracellular matrices in the body. Various polymers have been studied and utilized to date in tissue engineering approaches. However, no single polymer has been considered ideal for all types of tissues and approaches. This paper discusses the design parameters of those polymers potentially useful in tissue regeneration.

• BMB Reports
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• v.51 no.12
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• pp.623-629
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• 2018

For mechanical force to induce changes in cellular behaviors, two main processes are inevitable; perception of the force and response to it. Perception of mechanical force by cells, or mechanosensing, requires mechanical force-induced conformational changes in mechanosensors. For this, at least one end of the mechanosensors should be anchored to relatively fixed structures, such as extracellular matrices or the cytoskeletons, while the other end should be pulled along the direction of the mechanical force. Alternatively, mechanosensors may be positioned in lipid bilayers, so that conformational changes in the embedded sensors can be induced by mechanical force-driven tension in the lipid bilayer. Responses to mechanical force by cells, or mechanotransduction, require translation of such mechanical force-induced conformational changes into biochemical signaling. For this, protein-protein interactions or enzymatic activities of mechanosensors should be modulated in response to force-induced structural changes. In the last decade, several molecules that met the required criteria of mechanosensors have been identified and proven to directly sense mechanical force. The present review introduces examples of such mechanosensors and summarizes their mechanisms of action.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2003.10b
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• pp.235.1-235.1
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• 2003

With an aim of obtaining high efficacy in cartilage regeneration, implantable polymeric rods were fabricated. These rod-type matrices were anticipated to perform structural tissue supporting activity and enhance extracellular matrix (ECM) formation by releasing specific agent, DHEA-S, in controlled manner. It is expected that application for the drilling operation on the articular cartilage of OA patients as the implants may promote regeneration of their cartilage. Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease characterized by progressive loss of articular cartilage, subchondral bone remodeling, spur formation, and synovial inflammation. (omitted)

• Medical Lasers
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.76-81
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• 2021

Biological tissues and organs are composed of different arrays of cells, biochemical cues, and extracellular matrices arranged in a complex microarchitecture. Laser-Assisted Bioprinting (LAB) is an emerging and promising technology that is reproducible with high accuracy that can be used for fabricating complex bioengineered scaffolds that mimic tissues and organs. The LAB process allows researchers to print intricate structural scaffolds using cells and different biomaterials essential for facilitating cell-scaffold interaction and to induce tissue and organ regeneration which cannot be achieved in a traditional scaffold fabrication. This process can fabricate artificial cell niches or architecture without affecting cellular viability and material integrity. This review tackles the basic principles and key aspects of Laser-Assisted Bioprinting. Recent advances, limitations, and future perspectives are also discussed.

• Biomaterials and Biomechanics in Bioengineering
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.47-59
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• 2015

A bioactive and multifunctional elastin-like polymer (ELP) was produced by genetic engineering techniques to develop new artificial matrices with the ability to mimic the extracellular matrix (ECM). The basic composition of this ELP is a thermo- and pH-sensitive elastin pentapeptide which has been enriched with RGD-containing domains, the RGD loop of fibronectin, for recognition by integrin receptors on their sequence to promote efficient cell attachment. Hydrogels of this RGD-containing polymer were obtained by crosslinking with hexamethylene diisocyanate, a lysine-targeted crosslinker. These materials retain the "smart" nature and temperature-responsive character, and the desired mechanical behavior of the elastin-like polymer family. The influence of the degree of crosslinking on the morphology and properties of the matrices were tested by calorimetric techniques and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Their mechanical behavior was studied by dynamical mechanical analysis (DMA). These results show the potential of these materials in biomedical applications, especially in the development of smart systems for tissue engineering.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.38-43
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• 2016

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are crucial extracellular matrices degrading enzymes that take important roles in metastasis of cancer progression as well as other significant conditions such as oxidative stress and hepatic fibrosis. Natural products are on the rise for their potential to provide remarkable health benefits. In this context, halophytes have been of interest in the nutraceutical field with reported instances of isolation of bioactive compounds. In this study, Limonium tetragonum, an edible halophyte, was studied for its ability to inhibit MMP-2 and -9 using HT1080 fibrosarcoma cells. Results showed that L. tetragonum extract was able to inhibit the enzymatic activity and mRNA expression of MMP-2 and -9 according to gelatin zymography and RT-PCR assays, respectively, but it was not able to significantly change the MMP pathway related factors such as tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases. Also, Mitogen-activated protein kinases pathway-related protein levels and their phosphorylation were assayed. While the phosphorylated p38 levels were decreased, extracellular signal-regulated kinase and c-Jun N-terminal kinase were not affected by L. tetragonum treatment. In conclusion, it was suggested that L. tetragonum contains substances acting as MMP inhibitors on enzymatic activity rather than intracellular pathway intervention, which could be useful for further utilization of L. tetragonum as a source for anti-MMP agents.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.5-12
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• 2008

Objectives : Showing that Bong-Han corpuscles(BHC) are suppliers of the stem cells in adulthood, and the Bong-Han ducts(BHD) are transportation routes of stem cells. Methods : BHC and BHD were obtained from the internal organ-surfaces of rats. The sliced BHC and BHD were immunostained with various stem cell markers. Extracellular matrices were also analyzed by immunohistochemistry. Result : The presence of mesenchymal stem cells was confirmed by the expression of Integrin beta 1, Collagen type 1 and Fibronectin. But CD54 was not expressed. The hematopoietic stem cell marker, Thy 1 was strongly expressed. BHDs showed Collagen type 1, Fibronectin, and vWF expression. Conclusion : Both hematopoietic and mesenchymal stem cell markers were expressed strongly in BHC similarly as in bone marrow. An endothelial cell marker(vWF) demonstrated the possibility of the stem cell transportation routes of BHD.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.35-40
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• 2008

This experiment was designed to clarify the effect of high concentrations of extracellular glucose on the periodontal ligament cells. The cells were incubated for 24 and 48 hours with ${\alpha}-MEM$ including 1,000 mg/L(control group) and 4,500 mg/L(experimental group) of glucose. Then, the expressions of ${\alpha}5$ integrin, cathepsin-B and -L were examined using RT-PCR method. The results were as follows: 1. ${\alpha}5$ integrin expression was increased after incubation in high glucose media. 2. Cathepsin-B expression was increased after the 24-H incubation with high glucose media, but was decreased after the 48-H incubation. 3. The expression of cathepsin-L was decreased by the high glucose media. Theses results suggest that extracellular glucose at high concentration may be attributed to delayed wound healing in diabetes patients through increase in ${\alpha}5$ integrin and decrease in cathepsins, which lead to accumulation of extracellular matrices and adhesion molecules.