• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.356-358
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• 2003

The use of cultured epidermal sheet grafts for large full-thickness wound has been tempered by weak points such as long culture periods, difficulty in handling the fragile sheets, high costs and the detachment of the skin cells from the culture dishes by enzymatic digestion. To overcome the drawback of epidermal sheet grafts, we have developed a transplantation method to spray the cultured human keratinocytes with the mixtures of rhEGF and fibrin gel matrix to the full-thickness wounds on the dorsum of the athymic mice to regenerate epithelial layers. Wound biopsies were retrieved at 7, 14 and 21 days after transplantation and retrieved biopsies were analyzed by histology and immunohistochemistry. Transplanted keratinocytes and EGF-fibriin gel accelerated wound regeneration compared with control groups. The technique developed in this study overcomes the drawbacks of the current cultured epidermal sheet grafts and accelerates epidermal wound healing.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.525-530
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• 2015

Ceramide is the most abundant lipid in the epidermis and plays a critical role in maintaining epidermal barrier function. Overall ceramide content in keratinocyte increases in parallel with differentiation, which is initiated by supplementation of calcium and/or vitamin C. However, the role of metabolic enzymes responsible for ceramide generation in response to vitamin C is still unclear. Here, we investigated whether vitamin C alters epidermal ceramide content by regulating the expression and/or activity of its metabolic enzymes. When human keratinocytes were grown in 1.2 mM calcium with vitamin C ($50{\mu}g/ml$) for 11 days, bulk ceramide content significantly increased in conjunction with terminal differentiation of keratinocytes as compared to vehicle controls (1.2 mM calcium alone). Synthesis of the ceramide fractions was enhanced by increased de novo ceramide synthesis pathway via serine palmitoyltransferase and ceramide synthase activations. Moreover, sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) hydrolysis pathway by action of S1P phosphatase was also stimulated by vitamin C supplementation, contributing, in part, to enhanced ceramide production. However, activity of sphingomyelinase, a hydrolase enzyme that converts sphingomyelin to ceramide, remained unaltered. Taken together, we demonstrate that vitamin C stimulates ceramide production in keratinocytes by modulating ceramide metabolicrelated enzymes, and as a result, could improve overall epidermal barrier function.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.648-654
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• 2023

Oxidative stress-induced melanocyte apoptosis is linked to the immune system and plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of vitiligo. Aquaporin-3 (AQP3), which is downregulated in vitiligo keratinocytes, regulates intracellular H₂O₂ accumulation. However, the role of AQP3 in oxidative stress is uncertain in vitiligo. This study investigated the effect of downregulated AQP3 on oxidative stress in vitiligo using lesional and non-lesional skin specimen sets from vitiligo patients and primary cultured adult normal human epidermal keratinocytes, with or without downregulation and overexpression of AQP3 in the presence or absence of H₂O₂ treatment. The levels of nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (NRF2) and/or its main target, NAD(P)H quinone dehydrogenase 1 (NQO-1), were lower in the lesional keratinocytes and cultured keratinocytes with AQP3 knockdown, but were increased in keratinocytes upon AQP3 overexpression. Ratios of NRF2 nuclear translocation and NQO-1 expression levels were further reduced in AQP3-knockdown keratinocytes following H₂O₂ treatment. The conditioned media from AQP3-knockdown keratinocytes treated with H₂O₂ contained higher concentrations of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Moreover, the number of viable melanocytes was reduced when the conditioned media were added to the culture media. Overall, AQP3 downregulation in the keratinocytes of patients with vitiligo can induce oxidative stress in neighboring melanocytes, leading to melanocyte death.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.456-463
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• 2021

Background: Keratinocytes form a physical barrier and act as an innate immune cell in skin. Keratinocytes secrete pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-1β, resulting from inflammasome activation when exposed to ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. Korean Red Ginseng extracts (RGE) have been well-studied as modulators of inflammasome activation in immune cells, such as macrophages. In the study, we elucidated the role of RGE on the UV-mediated inflammasome activation in keratinocytes compared with that in macrophages. Methods: Human skin keratinocyte cells (HaCaT), human epidermal keratinocytes (HEK), human monocyte-like cells (THP-1), and mouse macrophages were treated with RGE or a saponin fraction (SF) or non-saponin fraction (NS) of RGE before and after UV irradiation. The secretion levels of IL-1β, as an indicator of inflammasome activation, were analyzed. Results: The treatment of RGE or SF in macrophages after UV irradiation inhibited IL-1β secretion, but similar treatment in HaCaT cells did not. However, the treatment of RGE or SF in HaCaT cells in the presence of poly I:C, a toll-like receptor (TLR) 3 ligand, before UV exposure elicited the inhibition of the IL-1β secretion. The inhibition was caused by the disruption by RGE or SF of the TLR mediating up-regulation of the pro-IL-1β and NLRP3 genes during the priming step. Conclusion: RGE and its saponins inhibit IL-1β secretion in response to UV exposure in both keratinocytes and macrophages. In particular, RGE treatment interrupted only the priming step in keratinocytes, although it did attenuate both the priming and activation steps in macrophages.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.209-229
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• 1991

In the epidermis of skin, a fine balance exists between proliferating progenitor cells and terminally differentiating cells. We examined the effects of TGF-betas and retinoic acid (RA) on controlling this balance in normal human epidermal keratinocytes cultured under conditions where most morphological and biochemical features of epidermis in vivo are retained. Our results revealed marked and pleiotropic effects of both TGF-beta and RA on kerationcytes. In contrast to retinoids, TGF-betas acted on mitotically active basal cells to retard cell proliferation.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.11-18
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• 2002

Purpose: To evaluate cultured human artificial skin as an experimental model for studying radiation effects in vitro. Materials and Methods: The skin was constructed by culturing keratinocytes over collagen lattice which made by culturing fibroblasts. Two groups were irradiated to gamma rays at single dose of 25 Gy with or without 3.5% of DMSO. Ultrastructures were investigated by electron microscopy after irradiation. The number of epidermal layers and expression of cytokeratin (CK) 14 & 10 were also seem by light microscopy. Results: At 2 days after irradiation in experimental group without DMSO, necrotic cells were rarely found in the spinosal layer and undercornified cells were visible in the homey layer. Similar findings were also found in experimental group with DMSO but in mild form. The number of epidermal layers in experimental group without DMSO were significantly fewer than other group. CK 14 expressed in all the layer excluding homey layer but CK 10 expressed over 3∼4 basal layers. Such patterns of CK expression were similar to all groups. It is suggested that structures of the keratinocytes and epidermal formation could be disturbed by irradiation in artificial skin and that DMSO can protect these damages. Conclusion : Therefore this work could be used as an organotypic experimental model in vitro using human cells for studying radiation effect in skin. Furthermore structural findings provided in this study could be used as useful basic data in further study using this model.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.15-26
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• 2021

Peptides are short chain of amino acids linked by peptide bonds. They are widely used as effective and biocompatible active ingredients in cosmetic industry. In this study, we developed novel peptide mixture and identified its anti-pigmentation effect on melanocytes and keratinocytes. Our results revealed that peptide mixture inhibited melanosome biogenesis through the regulation of microphthalmia-associated transcription factor, a key factor of melanogenesis in melanocytes. And we observed that peptide mixture inhibited melanosome uptake through the reduction of protease-activated receptor 2, a phagocytosis-related receptor in keratinocytes. Furthermore, peptide mixture activated autophagy system resulting in degradation of transferred melanosomes in keratinocytes. The anti-pigmentation effect of multi-targeting peptide mixture was assessed in a human skin equivalent model (MelanoDerm). Melanin contents in epidermal layer were significantly decreased by topical treatment of peptide mixture, suggesting that it can be applied as a novel cosmetics material having a whitening function.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.29 no.2 s.43
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• pp.105-130
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• 2003

Human skin equivalents, also designated as cultured skin substitute (Boyce and Warden, 2002) or organotypic co-cultures (Maas-Szabowski et al., 1999, 2000, 2003), are three-dimensional systems that are engineered by seeding fibroblasts into a three-dimensional dermal matrix. Such a dermal equivalent is then subsequently seeded with human keratinocytes. After cell attachment, the culture is kept first under submerged condition to allow keratinocyte proliferation. Thereafter, the culture is lifted the air-liquid interface (A/L) to expose the epidermal compartment to the air, and to further induce keratinocyte differentiation. During the air-exposure, nutrients from the medium will diffuse through the underlying dermal substrate towards the epidermal compartment and support keratinocyte proliferation and differentiation. Under these conditions, a HSE is formed that shows high similarity with the native tissue from which it was derived (Figure 1) (Bell et at., 1981; Boyce et al., 1988; Ponec et al., 1997;El Ghalbzouri et al.., 2002).

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.89-111
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• 2001

In order to investigate the effects of GamiTakliSodocyum(GTS) on wound healing, migration of epidermis, formation of granulation tissue and number of capillary within the granulation tissue were measured in diabetic mice by local application and NZW rabbits by local application and prescription of medicine in vivo, and proliferation of human epidermal keratinocytes and human dermal fibroblasts and composition of extracellular matrix were measured in vitro. The results were summerized as follows. 1. $2\%,\;10\%$ GTS remarkably increased migration of epidermis in diabetic mice by local application. 2. $2\%,\;10\%$ GTS remarkably increased formation of granulation tissue, number of neovascularization within the granulation tissue in diabetic mice by local application. 3. 5\%,\;10\%$ GTS remarkably increased migration of epidermis in NZW rabbits by local application. 4. $5\%,\;10\%$ GTS remarkably increased fonnation of granulation tissue, number of neovascularization within the granulation tissue in NZW rabbits by local application. 5. $5\%,\;10\%$ GTS increased migration of epidennis in NZW rabbits by prescription of medicine. 6. $5\%,\;10\%$ GTS increased formation of granulation tissue, number of neovascularization within the granulation tissue in NZW rabbits by prescription of medicine. 7. GTS didn't show effect on the proliferation of human epidermal keratinocytes. 8. GTS increased the proliferation of cultured human dermal fibroblasts. 9. GTS increased the expression of procoliagen ${\alpha}1(I) mRNA in cultured human dermal fibroblasts. 10. GTS increased the expression of fibronectin mRNA in cultured human dennal fibroblasts according to dosage of GTS using northern blot hybridization but didn't increase, using RT-PCR. From the above results, it is conclude that GTS might use on wound healing.

• Annals of dermatology
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.645-652
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• 2018

Background: Adiponectin, an adipokine secreted from adipocytes, affects energy metabolism and also shows anti-diabetic and anti-inflammatory properties. Recent studies have reported that adiponectin plays a role in regulating skin inflammation. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effect of adiponectin on the expression of filaggrin (FLG) in normal human epidermal keratinocytes (NHEKs). Methods: NHEKs were serum-starved for 6h before being treated with adiponectin. Afterward, cell viability was assessed by MTT assay. We also treated with calcium, interleukin (IL)-4, and IL-13 to provide positive and negative comparative controls, respectively. Gene mRNA expression was quantified using real time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, and protein expression was evaluated using Western blot. To evaluate the relationship among mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), activator protein 1 (AP-1), and FLG, we also treated cells with inhibitors for MAPKs JNK, p38, and ERK1/2. Results: FLG and FLG-2 mRNA expression in NHEKs significantly increased after treatment with $10{\mu}g/ml$ adiponectin. Adiponectin also restored FLG and FLG-2 mRNA expression that was otherwise inhibited by treatment with IL-4 and IL-13. Adiponectin induced FLG expression via AP-1 and MAPK signaling. Conclusion: Adiponectin positively regulated the expression of FLG and could be useful as a therapeutic agent to control diseases related to disrupted skin barrier function.