• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2019.10a
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• pp.70-70
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• 2019

Hepatic fibrosis is a common chronic liver diseases, characterized by the excessive deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM). Activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSC) is proliferative and fibrogenic and accumulating ECM. Transforming growth factor $(TGF)-{\beta}1$ is a critical mediator of HSC activation and ECM accumulation leading to fibrosis. Tenebrio molitor (TM), known as yellow mealworms, is reported in many countries as the nutritional value of foods. Our study has aims of finding liver function improvement effect of S. cerevisiae fermented Tenebrio molitor (SCTM) in vitro model. SCTM regulates $TGF-{\beta}1$ induced hepatic fibrosis via regulation of the $TGF-{\beta}1/Smad$ signaling. Also, we compared the components increased by yeast fermentation. It is possible to make a useful insect-derived alternative food in the improvement of hepatic liver disease.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.465-475
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• 2023

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of ultrasound shear wave elastography (SWE) for predicting hepatic fibrosis and native liver outcomes in patients with biliary atresia. Materials and Methods: This prospective study included 33 consecutive patients with biliary atresia (median age, 8 weeks [interquartile range, 6-10 weeks]; male:female ratio, 15:18) from Severance Children's Hospital between May 2019 and February 2022. Preoperative (within 1 week from surgery) and immediate postoperative (on postoperative days [PODs] 3, 5, and 7) ultrasonographic findings were obtained and analyzed, including the SWE of the liver and spleen. Hepatic fibrosis, according to the METAVIR score at the time of Kasai portoenterostomy and native liver outcomes during postsurgical follow-up, were compared and correlated with imaging and laboratory findings. Poor outcomes were defined as intractable cholangitis or liver transplantation. The diagnostic performance of SWE in predicting METAVIR F3-F4 and poor hepatic outcomes was analyzed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses. Results: All patients were analyzed without exclusion. Perioperative advanced hepatic fibrosis (F3-F4) was associated with older age and higher preoperative direct bilirubin and SWE values in the liver and spleen. Preoperative liver SWE showed a ROC area of 0.806 and 63.6% (7/11) sensitivity and 86.4% (19/22) specificity at a cutoff of 17.5 kPa for diagnosing F3-F4. The poor outcome group included five patients with intractable cholangitis and three undergoing liver transplantation who showed high postoperative liver SWE values. Liver SWE on PODs 3-7 showed ROC areas of 0.783-0.891 for predicting poor outcomes, and a cutoff value of 10.3 kPa for SWE on POD 3 had 100% (8/8) sensitivity and 73.9% (17/23) specificity. Conclusion: Preoperative liver SWE can predict advanced hepatic fibrosis, and immediate postoperative liver SWE can predict poor native liver outcomes in patients with biliary atresia.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.187-194
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• 2001

The oxidative stress causes the cell damage and death and thereby, stimulates membrane lipid peroxidation. In this study, the correlation between the lipid peroxidation product and the parameter of liver fibrosis (cirrhosis) was investigated in cholestasis induced rats. The Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 3 groups (sham: sham operation, BDL/S-I and BDL/S-II : bile duct ligation/scission) and were observed for 2 or 4 weeks. After observation period, the organs were weighed and the ratio of organ weight/body weight was calculated. Sera and liver tissue were used for the measurement of malondealdehyde (MDA), parameter of clinical biochemistry, total collagen content and the staining. The ratio of organ weight/body weight in BDL/S-I and BDL/S-II was significantly increased compared to sham operated group. Serological parameters (Alanine transaminase, Aspartate transaminase, Alkaline phosphatase and Total bilirubin) in BDL/S-I and BDL/S-II group were significantly higher than those in sham operated group. Concentration of MDA in BDL/S-I (261%) and BDL/S-II(790%) was significantly increased compared to MDA in sham operated group. And the content of hydroxyproline (hyp) in BDL/S-I and BDL/S-II group was significantly increased 2~4 times than in sham operated group. The good correlations between hyp in liver tissue and MDA in sera of sham operated group and all operated group were found (r=0.825). The significantly higher value of MDA, hyp and serological parameters in BDL/S-I and BDL/S-II group suggests the stimulation of lipid peroxidation and chronic liver damage. Especially the activation of lipid peroxidation and the stimulation of liver fibrosis was stronger in BDL/S-II group than in BDL/S-I group. The stronger fibrosis, portal-portal septum formation, the more massive bile duct proliferation in portal triads and stroma, and hepatocytes swelling were observed in liver tissue of and BDL/S-II group compared to BDL/S-I group. Conclusively, a good correlation between MDA as a lipid peroxidation marker and hyp as a liver fibrotic parameter could be connected with the process of liver fibrosis. Moreover, cholestasis condition may cause jaundice, activation of lipid peroxidation, and collagen accumulation in liver. Additionally, optimal observation period of bile duct obstruction for the screening of antioxidant and antifibrotic effect in rats would be four weeks.

• Smart Media Journal
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.33-38
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• 2013

In this paper, we investigated baseline estimation methods for remove background noise using Raman spectra from acute alcohol liver injury and acute ethanol-induced chronic liver fibrosis. Far the baseline estimation, we applied first derivative, linear programming and rolling ball method. Optimal input parameter of each method were determined by the training rate of MAP (maximum a posteriori probability) classifier. According to the experimental results, classification results baseline estimation with the rolling ball algorithm gave about 89.4%, which is very promising results for classification of acute alcohol liver injury and acute ethanol-induced chronic liver fibrosis. From these results, to determined the appropriate methods and parameters of baseline estimation impact on classification performance was confirmed.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.413-418
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• 2004

Objectives : Cirsii Japonici Herba (CJH) is one of medicinal plants that has been frequently used for styptic purposes in Asian countries. In order to evaluate a hepatoprotective effects of CJH in the liver fibrotic diseases, the present study investigated how CJH improves a hepatic function in the dimethylnitrosamine(DMN) treated rat. Methods : CJH were orally administered to rats that has been treated with DMN. Subsequently, the amount of blood L-asparate aminotransferase (AST), L-alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and hydroxyproline were quantitated. Several histopathological markers for examining the degree of hepatic fibrosis were investigated by H-E and Masson-Trichrome staining. Results: DMN treatment caused a increase of relative liver weight to the body at 14 days after DMN induction, Administration of CJH with 100mg/kg and 1,000mg/kg dose decreased significantly the AST level elevated by DMN injection(p<0.01). But ALT level was not improved. The hydroxyproline level was reduced by a simultaneous treatment of CJH with DMN for 7 days, but not recovered completely to its normal value, CJH administration improved conspicuously the DMN-induced histopathological changes of liver such as granuloma, but cell necrosis and fibrosis were not improved with CJH 1,000mg/kg dose. Conclusion: These results indicate that CJH has protective effect on liver injury and can inhibit liver fibrosis Induced by DMN in rats.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.21 no.12
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• pp.1795-1803
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• 2011

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease accompanies the rise in the prevalence of obesity, diabetes and the tendency toward high-fat dietary habits. Specifically, the higher prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in men and postmenopausal women seems to be caused by the protective effects of estrogen against liver fibrosis, or lack thereof. There are no effective preventive therapies for liver diseases because the mechanisms underlying the progression of fatty liver diseases to chronic liver diseases and the protective effects of estrogen against fibrogenesis remain unclear. Recently, it has been reported that the hedgehog signaling pathway plays an important role in the progression of chronic liver diseases. Hedgehog, a morphogen regulating embryonic liver development, is expressed in injured livers but not in adult healthy livers. The level of hedgehog expression parallels the stages of liver diseases. Hedgehog induces myofibroblast activation and hepatic progenitor cell proliferation and leads to excessive liver fibrosis, whereas estrogen inhibits the activation of hepatic stellate cells to myofibroblasts and prevents liver fibrosis. Although the mechanism underlying the opposing actions of hedgehog and estrogen on liver fibrosis remain unclear, the suppressive effects of estrogen on the expression of osteopontin, a profibrogenic extracellular matrix protein and cytokine, and the inductive effects of hedgehog on osteopontin transcription suggest that estrogen and hedgehog are associated with liver fibrosis regulation. Therefore, further research on the estrogen-mediated regulatory mechanisms underlying the hedgehog-signaling pathway can identify the mechanism underlying liver fibrogenesis and contribute to developing therapies for preventing the progression of fibrosis to chronic liver diseases.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.500-511
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• 2008

The aim of this study was to investigate the inhibitory effect of Saengangeonbitang-gasamchilgn(SGGBTGSCG) on collagen production in rat hepatic stellate cells(HSC) and on the TAA-induced chronic liver injury model in rats. Methods : 1) HSCs were treated with SGGBTGSCG extract powder(50% EtOH SGGBTGSCG, dw SGGBTGSCG). After the treatment, MTT assay, BrdU assay and procollagen assay were done. In addition, gene expressions of collagen type $1{\alpha}2$, ASMA, TIMP1, and TIMP2, all of which are known to be associated with liver fibrosis, were analyzed by RT-PCR. 2) Liver fibrosis was developed in rats by injection of TAA 3 times a week for 5 weeks. After the SGGBTGSCG-treatment, body weight, liver & spleen weight, liver function test, the complete blood cell count and the change of portal pressure were studied. Results : In MTT assay, SGGBTGSCG significantly decreased the viability of HSCs in a dose-dependent manner. In BrdU assay, SGGBTGSCG significantly inhibited the HSC proliferation in a dose-dependant manner. In procollagen assay, SGGBTGSCG decreased procollagen production by HSC. In the change of rats' liver and spleen weight, TAA+SGGBTGSCG groups showed little difference compared with TAA-only group. In the liver function test, SGGBTGSCG decreased the serum level of ALT, AST, and Alp elevated by TAA. In the complete blood cell count, SGGBTGSCG significantly decreased WBC elevated by TAA and increased RBC and Hct lowered by TAA. In the change of portal pressure, SGGBTGSCG decreased portal pressure elevated by TAA. Conclusions : These results suggest that SGGBTGSCG is beneficial in the treatment of cirrhotic patients as well as for patients with chronic hepatitis.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.327-332
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• 2001

The antifibrotic effects of hot water extract (WEC), intracellular biopolymer (IPC) and extracellular biopolymers (EPC) from mycelial liquid culture of Cordyceps militaris on liver fibrosis were studied. Liver fibrosis was induced by a bile duct ligation and scission (BDL/S) operation, duration of 4 weeks in rats. In BDL/S rats, the levels of aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total bilirubin in serum and hydroxyproline content in liver were dramatically increased. The WEC or IPC treatment (30mg/kg/day for 4 weeks, p.o.) in BDL/S rats reduced the serum AST, ALT and ALP levels significantly (p<0.01). The EPC treatment (30 mg/kg /day for 4 weeks, p.o.) reduced the serum ALT, AST and ALP levels significantly (p<0.01). Malondialdehyde contents in liver treated with WEC, IPC or EPC were significantly reduced (p <0.05). But Liver hydroxyproline content was decreased only in EPC treated BDL/S rats to 55% that of BDL/S control rats (p < 0.01). The morphological characteristics and expression of alpha smooth muscle like actin in fibrotic liver, which appeared in BDL/S control group were improved in EPC treated fibrotic liver. These results indicate that IPC (30 mg/kg /day for 4 weeks, p.o.) has an antifibrotic effect on fibrotic rats induced by BDL/S.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2003.04a
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• pp.155.2-156
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• 2003

The adducts of lipid peroxidation and related aldehydic end are mediators of chronic poisoning and affect the development of chronic liver damage leading to fibrosis and cirrhosis. Substances delayed or suppresed lipid peroxidation could have an antioxidant and protective effect in liver disease. In this study, it was attempted to find out above mentioned effect of Solanum lycopersicum investigated in CCl4 induce liver fibrosis model. (omitted)

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2008

Ribbon-type antisense oligonucleotide to TGF-${\beta}1$ (TGF-${\beta}1$ RiAS) was designed and tested to prevent or resolve the fibrotic changes induced by $CCl_4$ injection. When Hepa1c1c7 cells were transfected with TGF-${\beta}1$ RiAS, the level of TGF-${\beta}1$ mRNA was effectively reduced. TGF-${\beta}1$ RiAS, mismatched RiAS, and normal saline were each injected to mice via tail veins. When examined for the biochemical effects on the liver, TGF-${\beta}1$ mRNA levels were significantly reduced only in the TGF-${\beta}1$ RiAS-treated group. The results of immunohistochemical studies showed that TGF-${\beta}1$ RiAS prevented the accumulation of collagen and ${\alpha}$-smooth muscle actin, but could not resolve established fibrosis. These results indicate that ribbon antisense to TGF-${\beta}1$ with efficient uptake can effectively prevent fibrosis of the liver.