• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.19-27
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• 1997

The present study was conducted to assess the effect of total saponins from Korean red ginseng on the biosynthesis of inositol phospholipids in vivo and also effects on the metabolic enzymes, such as phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C(Pl-PLC) and PI-kinases. The administration of 0.1% saponin solution, 0.1 ml 3 times a day intraperitoneally to 5 mice for 30 days has increased a 23% of the body weight when it compared with a control group. The amounts of 32P-phoschorus radioactivity incorporated into the phosphoinositides from the liver and brain tissues have increased a 310% and 260%, respectively, in the saponin treated mice. The activities of PI-PLC from liver and brain were stimulated in the various amounts by the conditions treated with saponins. The PI-kinases from liver and brain were also activated by saponins, but its effect was lower than that of PI-PLC. From these results, it was confirmed that red ginseng saponins have affected positively not only on the biosynthesis of phosphoinositides but also on the PI-PLC and PI-kinases related to the cellular signal transduction.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.1709-1714
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• 2011

KIST301135 was semi-synthetically prepared by the reaction of Staurosporine with triphosgene in anhydrous dichloromethane. The structure of KIST301135 was confirmed by $^1H$ NMR, $^{13}C$ NMR, and high resolution mass spectrum. KIST301135 was initially tested in a single dose duplicate mode at a concentration of 20 nM over a panel of 53 kinases against Staurosporine as a positive control. KIST301135 has showed inhibitions above 75% in only 2 kinases (FLT3 and JAK3 kinases) of the 53 tested kinases, while Staurosporine has showed inhibitions above 80% in about 62% of the tested kinases. KIST301135 was retested at a 5-dose testing mode over the 9 kinases inhibited by percentages over 20 at the single dose testing in order to determine its $IC_{50}$ values. KIST301135 has shown much improved kinase inhibitory selectivity relative to Staurosporine in its potency at JAK3 kinase and CAMK2b kinase.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Potoscience Conference
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• spring
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• pp.25-25
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• 1996

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.429-435
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• 2004

Ginseng has an anti-cancer effect in several cancer models. This study was to characterize active constituents of ginseng and their effects on proliferation of prostate cancer cell lines, LNCaP and PC3. Cell proliferation was measured by $[^3H]$thymidine incorporation, the intracellular calcium concentration by a dual-wavelength spectrophotometer system, effects on mite-gen-activated protein (MAP) kinases by Western blotting, and cell attachment and morphologic changes were observed under a microscope. Among 11 ginsenosides tested, ginsenosides $Rg_3\;and\;Rh_2$ inhibited the proliferation of prostate cancer cells. $EC_{50}s\;of\;Rg_3\;and\;Rh_2$ on PC3 cells were $8.4{\mu}M\;and\;5.5{\mu}M$, respectively, and $14.1{\mu}M\;and\;4.4{\mu}M$ on LNCaP cells, respectively. Both ginsenosides induced cell detachment and modulated three modules of MAP kinases activities differently in LNCaP and PC3 cells. These results suggest that ginsenosides $Rg_3\;and\;Rh_2$-induced cell detachment and inhibition of the proliferation of prostate cancer cells may be associated with modulation of three modules of MAP kinases.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.195-200
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• 2009

Protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs) play a central role in the modulation of a wide variety of cellular events such as differentiation, proliferation and metabolism, and their unregulated activation can lead to various diseases including cancer and diabetes. PTKs represent a diverse family of proteins including both receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) and non-receptor tyrosine kinases (NRTKs). Due to the diversity and important cellular roles of PTKs, accurate classification methods are required to better understand and differentiate different PTKs. In addition, PTKs have become important targets for drugs, providing a further need to develop novel methods to accurately classify this set of important biological molecules. Here, we introduce a novel statistical model for the classification of PTKs that is based on their structural features. The approach allows for both the recognition of PTKs and the classification of RTKs into their subfamilies. This novel approach had an overall accuracy of 98.5% for the identification of PTKs, and 99.3% for the classification of RTKs.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.113-117
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• 2008

Saururus chinensis is a commonly used folk herb for the treatment of edema and liver diseases in Korea. To study the biological activity of Saururus chinensis in bone metabolism, we evaluated the effect of its extracts on osteoclast differentiation in vitro using primary mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages. Methanol extract (ME) from dried roots of Saururus chinensis was partitioned into methylene chloride (MF), ethyl acetate (EF), n-butanol (BF) and water fractions (WF). Tartrate-resistance acid phosphatase (TRAP) activity assay and western blot analysis were performed to determine the effect on osteoclast differentiation and mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases activation. ME, MF and EF dramatically inhibited receptor activator of ${NF-kB}$ ligand (RANKL)-induced formation of multinucleated osteoclasts and activation of MAP kinases. This study firstly demonstrated that ME, MF and EF of Saururus chinensis have the potential to inhibit the osteoclast differentiation, which results from the inhibition of MAP kinases activations in part.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.71-76
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• 2007

Previous studies have shown that BMI-1026 is a potent inhibitor of the cyclin-dependent kinases (cdk). In cell culture, the compound also arrests G2/M strongly and G1/S and S weakly. Two key kinases, cdk1 (p34cdc2 kinase) and mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase (erk1 and 2), perform crucial roles during oocyte maturation and, later, metaphase II (MII) arrest. In mammalian oocytes, both kinases are activated gradually around the time of germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) and maintain high activity in eggs arrested at metaphase II. In this study, we examined the effects of BMI-1026 on GVBD and MII arrest in mouse oocytes. BMI-1026 inhibited GVBD of immature oocytes and activated MII-arrested oocytes in a concentration-dependent manner, with more than 90% of oocytes exhibiting GVBD inhibition and MII activation at 100 nM This is approximately 500$\sim$1,000 times more potent than the activity reported for the cdk inhibitors roscovitine (${\sim}50{\mu}M$) and butyrolactone (${\sim}100{\mu}M$). Based on the results of previous in vitro kinase assays, we expected BMI-1026 to inhibit only cdk1 activation in oocytes and eggs, not MAP kinase. However, in our cell-based system, it inhibited the activity of both kinases. We also found that the effect of BMI-1026 is reversible. Our results suggest that BMI-1026 inhibits GVBD and activates MII-arrested oocytes efficiently and reversibly and that it also inhibits both cdk1/histone HI kinase and MAP kinase in mouse oocytes.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.155-160
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• 2002

It is not known whether gender differences play a role in susceptibility to ischemic acute renal failure. Thus, we examined if there were any differences in susceptibility between male and female mice to kidney ischemic injury, and if so, whether it is due to differences in mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPKs) or inflammatory responses to ischemia. Female mice were protected against kidney ischemia when compared with males. Thirty minutes of bilateral ischemia resulted in marked functional and morphological damages in males, but not in females. The ischemia-induced phosphorylation of c-jun N-terminal stress-activated protein kinases (JNKs) was higher in males than in females. Phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs) was lower in males than in females. Post- ischemia medullary infiltration of RAW 264.7 cell, a monocyte-macrophage cell, and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) were greater in males than in females. In conclusion, males were much more susceptible to ischemia than females. The enhanced propensity to ischemic injury in males was correlated with greater activation of JNKs, greater expression of ICAM-1, and greater trapping of leukocytes in the medulla.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.33-43
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• 2015

Successful somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) has been reported across a range of species using a range of recipient cells including enucleated metaphase II (MII) arrested oocytes, enucleated activated MII oocytes, and mitotic zygotes. However, the frequency of development to term varies significantly, not only between different cytoplast recipients but also within what is thought to be a homogenous population of cytoplasts. One of the major differences between cytoplasts is the activities of the cell cycle regulated protein kinases, maturation promoting factor (MPF) and mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK). Dependent upon their activity, exposure of the donor nucleus to these kinases can have both positive and negative effects on subsequent development. Co-ordination of cell cycle stage of the donor nucleus with the activities of MPF and MAPK in the cytoplast is essential to avoid DNA damage and maintain correct ploidy. However, recent information suggests that these kinases may also effect reprogramming of the somatic nucleus and preimplantation embryo development by other mechanisms. This article will summarise the differences between cytoplast recipients, their effects on development and discuss the potential role/s of MPF and or MAPK in nuclear reprogramming.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.225-234
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• 2018

Adenosine is a naturally occurring breakdown product of adenosine triphosphate and plays an important role in different physiological and pathological conditions. Adenosine also serves as an important trigger in ischemic and remote preconditioning and its release may impart cardioprotection. Exogenous administration of adenosine in the form of adenosine preconditioning may also protect heart from ischemia-reperfusion injury. Endogenous release of adenosine during ischemic/remote preconditioning or exogenous adenosine during pharmacological preconditioning activates adenosine receptors to activate plethora of mechanisms, which either independently or in association with one another may confer cardioprotection during ischemia-reperfusion injury. These mechanisms include activation of $K_{ATP}$ channels, an increase in the levels of antioxidant enzymes, functional interaction with opioid receptors; increase in nitric oxide production; decrease in inflammation; activation of transient receptor potential vanilloid (TRPV) channels; activation of kinases such as protein kinase B (Akt), protein kinase C, tyrosine kinase, mitogen activated protein (MAP) kinases such as ERK 1/2, p38 MAP kinases and MAP kinase kinase (MEK 1) MMP. The present review discusses the role and mechanisms involved in adenosine preconditioning-induced cardioprotection.