• 대한한방부인과학회지
• /
• 제19권1호
• /
• pp.47-68
• /
• 2006

Purpose : This study was carried out to investigate the effects of Gagamdokhwalgisang-Tang on the morphometric changes of femur, and on the hormones and cytokines associated with bone metabolism in overiectomized rats. Methods : Twenty-four female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into sham operated group(normal) ovariectomized group(control), and treated with extract of GD group(treated). Each group was evaluated the changes of body weight at 0, 3, 6, 8 weeks after ovariectomy. Morphometric analysis(femur weight, femur/body weight ratio, femur ash weight femur ash/body weight ratio cross sectional area of compact bone and concellous bone of femur) and histopathological examination were performed at 8 weeks after ovariectomy. Estrogen, Alkaline Phosphatase(ALP) and cytokine(Tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}$, $Interleukin-l{\beta}$, Inerleukin-6) assay were performed at 8 weeks after ovariectomy. Results : 1. The body weight of control and treated group was significantly increased(p<<0.001) compared with the normal group at 8 weeks. 2. The femur weight and femur/body weight ratio of treated group were significantly increased(p<<0.05, p<<0.01) compared with the control group at 8 weeks. 3. The femur ash weight showed no significantly different changes, but femur ash/body weight ratio of treated group was significantly increased(p<<0.05) compared with the control group at 8 weeks. 4. In the cross sectional area of cancellous bone of femoral body, the treated group was significantly increased(p<<0.001) compared with the control group at 8 weeks. 5. The serum estrogen level of treated group showed no significantly different changes compared with the control group at 8 weeks. 6. The serum ALP activity of treated group was significantly decreased(p<<0.01) compared with the control group at 8 weeks. 7. The serum Tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}(TNF-{\alpha})$ level of treated group was significantly decreased(p<<0.05) compared with the control group at 8 weeks. 8. The serum $Interleukin-l{\beta}(IL-1{\beta})$ level of treated group was significantly decreased(n<<0.001) compared with the control group at 8 weeks. 9. The serum Interleukin-6(IL-6) level of treated group was significantly decreased(P<<0.01)compared with the control group at 8 weeks. Conclusion : These results indicate that GD inhibits bone resorption in ovariectomized rats. And the major inhibitory mechanism may be related to the inhibitory effects of GD on the secretion of $TNF-{\alpha}$, $IL-1{\beta}$ and IL-6 in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis in estrogen deficient rats.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
• /
• 제22권6호
• /
• pp.51.1-51.20
• /
• 2022

Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas disease, is an intracellular protozoan parasite, which is now present in most industrialized countries. About 40% of T. cruzi infected individuals will develop severe, incurable cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, or neurological disorders. The molecular mechanisms by which T. cruzi induces cardiopathogenesis remain to be determined. Previous studies showed that increased IL-6 expression in T. cruzi patients was associated with disease severity. IL-6 signaling was suggested to induce pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic responses, however, the role of this pathway during early infection remains to be elucidated. We reported that T. cruzi can dysregulate the expression of host PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) during early infection. Here, we aim to evaluate the dysregulation of IL-6 signaling and the piRNAs computationally predicted to target IL-6 molecules during early T. cruzi infection of primary human cardiac fibroblasts (PHCF). Using in silico analysis, we predict that piR_004506, piR_001356, and piR_017716 target IL6 and SOCS3 genes, respectively. We validated the piRNAs and target gene expression in T. cruzi challenged PHCF. Secreted IL-6, soluble gp-130, and sIL-6R in condition media were measured using a cytokine array and western blot analysis was used to measure pathway activation. We created a network of piRNAs, target genes, and genes within one degree of biological interaction. Our analysis revealed an inverse relationship between piRNA expression and the target transcripts during early infection, denoting the IL-6 pathway targeting piRNAs can be developed as potential therapeutics to mitigate T. cruzi cardiomyopathies.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• 제28권1호
• /
• pp.115-121
• /
• 2018

Upon sensing of microbial infections or endogenous danger signals in macrophages, inflammasome signaling plays a significant role in triggering inflammatory responses via producing interleukin (IL)-$1{\beta}$. Recent studies revealed that active caspase-1, a product of the inflammasome complex, causes maturation of inactive pro-IL-$1{\beta}$ into the active form. However, the underlying mechanism by which this leaderless cytokine is secreted into the extracellular space remains to be elucidated. In this study, we demonstrated that prolonged lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment to macrophages could trigger the unexpected maturation and extracellular release of IL-$1{\beta}$ through a nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor family, pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3)-independent manner. Short-term treatment (less than 6 h) of LPS induced robust production of the IL-$1{\beta}$ precursor form inside cells but did not promote the maturation and secretion of IL-$1{\beta}$ in bone marrow-derived macrophages or peritoneal macrophages. Instead, prolonged LPS treatment (more than 12 h) led to a significant release of matured IL-$1{\beta}$ with no robust indication of caspase-1 activation. Intriguingly, this LPS-triggered secretion of IL-$1{\beta}$ was also observed in NLRP3-deficient macrophages. In addition, this unexpected IL-$1{\beta}$ release was only partially impaired by a caspase-1 and NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitor. Collectively, our results propose that prolonged exposure to LPS is able to drive the maturation and secretion of IL-$1{\beta}$ in an NLRP3 inflammasome-independent manner.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• 제20권6호
• /
• pp.556-561
• /
• 2012

Steroid sulfatase (STS) is responsible for the conversion of estrone sulfate to estrone that can stimulate growth in endocrine-dependent tumors such as prostate cancer. Although STS is considered as a therapeutic target for the estrogen-dependent diseases, cellular function of STS are still not clear. Previously, we found that tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-${\alpha}$ significantly enhances steroid sulfatase expression in PC-3 human prostate cancer cells through PI3K/Akt-dependent pathways. Here, we studied whether bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS) which are known to induce TNF-${\alpha}$ may increase STS expression. Treatment with LPS in PC-3 cells induced STS mRNA and protein in concentration- and time-dependent manners. Using luciferase reporter assay, we found that LPS enhanced STS promoter activity. Moreover, STS expression induced by LPS increased PC-3 tumor cell migration determined by wound healing assay. We investigated that LPS induced IL-6 expression and IL-6 increased STS expression. Taken together, these data strongly suggest that LPS induces STS expression through IL-6 pathway in human prostate cancer cells.

• 대한한의학회지
• /
• 제24권1호
• /
• pp.74-83
• /
• 2003

Background : Production of cytokines by bronchial epithelial cells may contribute to the local accumulation of inflammatory cells in patients with bronchial asthma. In many recent studies, molecular biological methods have been used to investigate the role of cytokines in pathogenesis and new therapeutic targets of asthma. Objective : We aimed to identify the dose-dependent inhibitory effects of Socheongryong-tang and Socheongryong-tang plus Sasam (Adenophorae Radix) on the mRNA expressions of Interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8 and granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) involved in the asthma model. Materials and Methods : In this study, BEAS-2B cell lines, human epithelial cells, were used. These cells were stimulated by tumor necrosis factor $(TNF)-{\alpha},{\;}IL-1{\beta}$ and histamine for artificial inflammatory expression. ${\beta}-actin$ messenger RNA (mRNA) was used for the internal standard. After each 24 hours of the Socheongryong-tang (小靑龍湯) and Socheongryong-tang plus Sasam (小靑 龍湯加沙蔘) treatment, total cellular RNAs were collected by applying RNAzol directly to the living cells. Then the transcriptional activities of IL-6, IL-8 and GM-CSF were measured by RT-PCR with electrophoresis. Results : In the Socheongryong-tang (小靑龍湯) study, the mRNA expressions of IL-6, IL-8 and GM-CSF were significantly inhibited compared to that of the control group (p<0.05). In the Socheongryong-tang plus Sasam (小靑龍湯加沙蔘) study, the mRNA expressions of IL-6, IL-8 and GM-CSF were significantly inhibited compared to that of the control group (p<0.05). Conclusions : This study shows that Socheongryong-tang (小靑龍湯) and Socheongryong-tang plus Sasam (小靑龍湯加沙蔘) have dose-dependent inhibitory effects on the mRNA expressions of IL-6, IL-8 and GM-CSF in human epithelial cells, so these herbal medicines may inhibit the inflammatory process of asthma. Advanced studies are required to investigate the mechanisms of inhibition by herbal medicine in the asthma model.

• 생명과학회지
• /
• 제18권11호
• /
• pp.1551-1560
• /
• 2008

본 연구자들은 체외순환을 적용한 심장판막 수술 시 혈청사이토카인들의 변화와 여러 장기 표지자들과의 상관관계규명을 위해 전향적 연구를 실시하였다. 체외순환은 수술 동안 또는 수술 후 시기에 걸쳐 염증성 사이토카인(TNF-$\alpha$ 및 IL-6) 및 항염증성 사이토카인(IL-10)의 혈청 농도의 증가를 가져왔고 염증성 사이토카인의 증가에 따라 항염증성 사이토카인의 길항적 상승이 뒤 따랐다. 또한 심장수술 후 간, 신장, 심장 등 장기의 기능표지자들 역시 기준치보다 증가되었고 사이토카인들은 이러한 장기기능 표지자와 다양한 시기에 걸쳐 유의한 상관성을 보였다. 본 연구의 결과들은 심장판막수술 시 필연적으로 적용하는 체외순환이 염증성 사이토카인을 활성화시키기도 하지만 이의 상쇄를 위한 항염증성 사이토카인의 방출 역시 자극하며 이러한 사이토카인들은 수술 후 여러 장기의 기능에 직간접적으로 관여하여 장기 손상 혹은 장기보호의 역할을 함이 시사되었다.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• 제13권3호
• /
• pp.161-168
• /
• 2009

In the peripheral nerves, injury-induced cytokines and growth factors perform critical functions in the activation of both the MEK/ERK and JAK/STAT3 pathways. In this study, we determined that nerve injury-induced ERK activation was temporally correlated with STAT3 phosphorylation at the serine 727 residue. In cultured Schwann cells, we noted that ERK activation is required for the serine phosphorylation of STAT3 by neuropoietic cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6). Serine phosphorylated STAT3 by IL-6 was transported into Schwann cell nuclei, thereby indicating that ERK may regulate the transcriptional activity of STAT3 via the induction of serine phosphorylation of STAT3. Neuregulin-1 (NRG) also induced the serine phosphorylation of STAT3 in an ERK-dependent fashion. In contrast with the IL-6 response, serine phosphorylated STAT3 induced by NRG was not detected in the nucleus, thus indicating the non-nuclear function of serine phosphorylated STAT3 in response to NRG. Finally, we determined that the inhibition of ERK prevented injury-induced serine phosphorylation of STAT3 in an ex-vivo explants culture of the sciatic nerves. Collectively, the results of this study show that ERK may be an upstream kinase for the serine phosphorylation of STAT3 induced by multiple stimuli in Schwann cells after peripheral nerve injury.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
• /
• 제41권4호
• /
• pp.217-223
• /
• 2016

Porphyromonas gingivalis, a foremost periodontal pathogen, has been known to cause periodontal diseases. Epidemiologic evidences have indicated the involvement of P. gingivalis in the development of cardiovascular diseases. In this study, we show that the P. gingivalis lipopolysaccharide increases the mRNA expression and protein secretion of interleukin-6 in vascular smooth muscle cells. We demonstrate that P. gingivalis LPS activates the extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and Akt, which mediate the IL-6 expression in vascular smooth muscle cells. Also, P. gingivalis LPS stimulates the vascular smooth muscle cell migration, which is a critical step for the progression of atherosclerosis. Moreover, neutralization of the IL-6 function inhibits the migration of vascular smooth muscle cells induced by P. gingivalis LPS. Taken together, these results indicate that P. gingivalis LPS promotes the expression of IL-6, which in turn increases the migration of vascular smooth muscle cells.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
• /
• 제7권2호
• /
• pp.165-173
• /
• 2003

Cytokines represent an essential part of the innate immune response in mammals. Recently, several studies have reported the presence of cytokine-like activities and molecules in the invertebrates such as echinoderms, tunicates, mollusks and insects. In our serial study, we investigated presence of cytokines in the silkworm, Bombyx mori, infected with several immune inducers. Western blotting analysis using rabbit anti-human cytokines showed the presence of IL-6-like molecule in the hemolymph collected at 8 and 24 hrs after infection with peptidoglycan and oligodeoxynucleotide, and the molecular weight of the proteins was ∼45 kDa. We attempted to isolate the molecule by gel permeation HPLC, anion exchange chromatography, ultra centrifugation, and immuno-dot-blot assay, but until now the effort was not much successful yet. It, however, does not appear that the IL-6-like molecule in the silkworm larvae is a mere experimental artifact happened by Western blotting analysis. Instead, further experiment on this subject probably will provide us more fruitful result as detected in other invertebrates including insects.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• 제13권2호
• /
• pp.131-138
• /
• 2009

The binding of interleukin-6 (IL-6) cytokine family ligands to the gp130 receptor complex activates the Janus kinase (JAK)/ signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) signal transduction pathway, where STA T3 plays an important role in cell survival and tumorigenesis. Constitutive activation of STAT3 has been frequently observed in many cancer tissues, and thus, blocking of the gp130 signaling pathway, at the JAK level, might be a useful therapeutic approach for the suppression of STAT3 activity, as anticancer therapy. AG490 is a tyrphostin tyrosine kinase inhibitor that has been extensively used for inhibiting JAK2 in vitro and in vivo. In this study, we demonstrate a novel mechanism associated with AG490 that inhibits the JAK/STAT3 pathway. AG490 induced downregulation of gp130, a common receptor for the IL-6 cytokine family compounds, but not JAK2 or STAT3, within three hours of exposure. The downregulation of gp130 was not caused by enhanced degradation of gp130 or by inhibition of mRNA transcription. It most likely occurred by translation inhibition of gp130 in association with phosphorylation of the eukaryotic initiation factor-2 a. The inhibition of protein synthesis of gp130 by AG490 led to immediate loss of mature gp130 in cell membranes, due to its short half-life, thereby resulting in reduction in the STAT3 response to IL-6. Taken together, these results suggest that AG490 blocks the STAT3 activation pathway via a novel pathway.