• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• 제37권4호
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• pp.269-276
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• 2020

Fibrosis is characterized by excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix components. The fibrotic process ultimately leads to organ dysfunction and failure in chronic inflammatory and metabolic diseases such as pulmonary fibrosis, advanced kidney disease, and liver cirrhosis. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a common form of progressive and chronic interstitial lung disease of unknown etiology. Pathophysiologically, the parenchyma of the lung alveoli, interstitium, and capillary endothelium becomes scarred and stiff, which makes breathing difficult because the lungs have to work harder to transfer oxygen and carbon dioxide between the alveolar space and bloodstream. The transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) signaling pathway plays an important role in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis and scarring of the lung tissue. Recent clinical trials focused on the development of pharmacological agents that either directly or indirectly target kinases for the treatment of IPF. Therefore, to develop therapeutic targets for pulmonary fibrosis, it is essential to understand the key factors involved in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis and the underlying signaling pathway. The objective of this review is to discuss the role of kinase signaling cascades in the regulation of either TGF-β-dependent or other signaling pathways, including Rho-associated coiled-coil kinase, c-jun N-terminal kinase, extracellular signal-regulated kinase 5, and p90 ribosomal S6 kinase pathways, and potential therapeutic targets in IPF.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제44권5호
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• pp.363-373
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• 2021

Immune checkpoint inhibitors have changed the paradigm of treatment options for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Monoclonal antibodies targeting programmed death-1 (PD-1) and programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) have gained wide attention for their application, which has been shown to result in prolonged survival. Nevertheless, only a limited subset of patients show partial or complete response to PD-1 therapy, and patients who show a response eventually develop resistance to immunotherapy. This article aims to provide an overview of the mechanisms of acquired resistance to anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy from the perspective of tumor cells and the surrounding microenvironment. In addition, we address the potential therapeutic targets and ongoing clinical trials, focusing mainly on NSCLC.

• 대한방사성의약품학회지
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• 제8권2호
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• pp.103-111
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• 2022

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive disease caused by some risk factors, including smoking, viral infection, toxic substances, and radiation, that decline lung function of fresh oxygen and blood delivery throughout the body. Patients with pulmonary fibrosis have suffered from breathing and cough and the average survival rate is only 3 years after diagnosis. Therefore, it is significant to diagnose IPF and start treatment in enough time. Usually, lung biopsy is available to diagnose localized pulmonary fibrotic sites directly. However, it is insufficient to visualize whole lung tissue, and also it has a risk of infection for patients. In the clinic, medical imaging systems can diagnose pulmonary fibrosis non-invasively without infection. In this review, we introduce current medical imaging systems used to diagnose pulmonary fibrosis, including CT, MRI, and nuclear medicine. Further, we introduce several molecular imaging probes targeting specific biomarkers which are expressed in pulmonary fibrosis. Through this paper, it is expected that it would be helpful to understand the latest knowledge and research trends on pulmonary fibrosis diagnostic imaging.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제33권9호
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• pp.1111-1118
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• 2023

As a long-term condition that affects the airways and lungs, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by inflammation, emphysema, breathlessness, chronic cough, and sputum production. Currently, the bronchodilators and anti-inflammatory drugs prescribed for COPD are mostly off-target, warranting new disease management strategies. Accumulating research has revealed the gut-lung axis to be a bidirectional communication system. Cigarette smoke, a major exacerbating factor in COPD and lung inflammation, affects gut microbiota composition and diversity, causing gut microbiota dysbiosis, a condition that has recently been described in COPD patients and animal models. For this review, we focused on the gut-lung axis, which is influenced by gut microbial metabolites, bacterial translocation, and immune cell modulation. Further, we have summarized the findings of preclinical and clinical studies on the association between gut microbiota and COPD to provide a basis for using gut microbiota in therapeutic strategies against COPD. Our review also proposes that further research on probiotics, prebiotics, short-chain fatty acids, and fecal microbiota transplantation could assist therapeutic approaches targeting the gut microbiota to alleviate COPD.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제15권3호
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• pp.1391-1396
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• 2014

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common type of lung cancer and the most common cause of lung cancer death. Currently, the epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor gefitinib is used for its treatment; however, drug resistance is a major obstacle. Expression of Met has been associated with both primary and acquired resistance to gefitinib, but the mechanisms regulating its expression are not fully understood. Recently, miRNAs such as miR-130a have been shown to play a role in gefitinib resistance, but importance in NSCLC and relationships with Met have not been fully explored. Here we show that miR-130a is over-expressed in gefitinibsensitive NSCLC cell lines, but is low in gefitinib-resistant NSCLC cell lines. Moreover, miR-130a expression was negatively correlated with that of Met. Further analysis revealed that over-expression of miR-130a increased cell apoptosis and inhibited proliferation of NSCLC cells treated with gefitinib, whereas lowering the expression of miR-130a decreased cell apoptosis and promoted cell proliferation after treatment with gefitinib in both gefitinib-sensitive and -resistant NSCLC cell lines, suggesting that miR-130a overcomes gefitinib resistance. We also demonstrated that miR-130a binds to the 3'-UTR of Met and significantly suppresses its expression. Finally, our results showed that over-expressing Met could "rescue" the functions of miR-130a regarding cell apoptosis and proliferation after cells are treated with gefitinib. These findings indicate that the miR-130a/Met axis plays an important role in gefitinib resistance in NSCLC. Thus, the miR-130a/Met axis may be an effective therapeutic target in gefitinib-resistant lung cancer patients.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• 제37권3호
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• pp.149-155
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• 2019

In metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the role of radiotherapy (RT) has been limited to palliation to alleviate the symptoms. However, with the development of advanced RT techniques, recent advances in immuno-oncology therapy targeting programmed death 1 (PD-1) and programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) and targeted agents for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation or anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) translocation allowed new roles of RT in these patients. Within this metastatic population, there is a subset of patients with a limited number of sites of metastatic disease, termed as oligometastasis that can achieve long-term survival from aggressive local management. There is no consensus on the definition of oligometastasis; however, most clinical trials define oligometastasis as having 3 to 5 metastatic lesions. Recent phase II randomized clinical trials have shown that ablative RT, including stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy (SABR) and hypofractionated RT, to primary and metastatic sites improved progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients with oligometastatic NSCLC. The PEMBRO-RT study, a randomized phase II study comparing SABR prior to pembrolizumab therapy and pembrolizumab therapy alone, revealed that the addition of SABR improved the overall response, PFS, and OS in patients with advanced NSCLC. The efficacy of RT in oligometastatic lung cancer has only been studied in phase II studies; therefore, large-scale phase III studies are needed to confirm the benefit of local ablative RT in patients with oligometastatic NSCLC. Local intensified RT to primary and metastatic lesions is expected to become an important treatment paradigm in the near future in patients with metastatic lung cancer.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제13권7호
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• pp.3223-3228
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• 2012

HMGN5 is a typical member of the HMGN (high mobility group nucleosome-binding protein) family which may function as a nucleosomal binding and transcriptional activating protein. Overexpression of HMGN5 has been observed in several human tumors but its role in tumorigenesis has not been fully clarified. To investigate its significance for human lung cancer progression, we successfully constructed a shRNA expression lentiviral vector in which sense and antisense sequences targeting the human HMGN5 were linked with a 9-nucleotide loop. Inhibitory effects of siRNA on endogenous HMGN5 gene expression and protein synthesis were demonstrated via real-time RT-PCR and western blotting. We found HMGN5 silencing to significantly inhibit A549 and H1299 cell proliferation assessed by MTT, BrdU incorporation and colony formation assays. Furthermore, flow cytometry analysis showed that specific knockdown of HMGN5 slowed down the cell cycle at the G0/G1 phase and decreased the populations of A549 and H1299 cells at the S and G2/M phases. Taken together, these results suggest that HMGN5 is directly involved in regulation cell proliferation in A549 and H1299 cells by influencing signaling pathways involved in cell cycle progression. Thus, our finding suggests that targeting HMGN5 may be an effective strategy for human lung cancer treatment.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제43권10호
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• pp.889-897
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• 2020

K-RAS is frequently mutated in human lung adenocarcinomas (ADCs), and the p53 pathway plays a central role in cellular defense against oncogenic K-RAS mutation. However, in mouse lung cancer models, oncogenic K-Ras mutation alone can induce ADCs without p53 mutation, and loss of p53 does not have a significant impact on early K-Ras-induced lung tumorigenesis. These results raise the question of how K-Ras-activated cells evade oncogene surveillance mechanisms and develop into lung ADCs. RUNX3 plays a key role at the restriction (R)-point, which governs multiple tumor suppressor pathways including the p14^ARF-p53 pathway. In this study, we found that K-Ras activation in a very limited number of cells, alone or in combination with p53 inactivation, failed to induce any pathologic lesions for up to 1 year. By contrast, when Runx3 was inactivated and K-Ras was activated by the same targeting method, lung ADCs and other tumors were rapidly induced. In a urethane-induced mouse lung tumor model that recapitulates the features of K-RAS-driven human lung tumors, Runx3 was inactivated in both adenomas (ADs) and ADCs, whereas K-Ras was activated only in ADCs. Together, these results demonstrate that the R-point-associated oncogene surveillance mechanism is abrogated by Runx3 inactivation in AD cells and these cells cannot defend against K-Ras activation, resulting in the transition from AD to ADC. Therefore, K-Ras-activated lung epithelial cells do not evade oncogene surveillance mechanisms; instead, they are selected if they occur in AD cells in which Runx3 has been inactivated.

• 대한임상검사과학회지
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• 제39권3호
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• pp.217-222
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• 2007

In the last 5 years the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) has emerged as one of the most important targets for drug development in oncology. Monoclonal antibodies targeting the external domain of EGFR have been shown to have clinical benefits in colorectal and head and neck cancer when combined with chemotherapy and/or radiation. Also the targeting of the epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR) kinase domain using the closely related inhibitors gefitinib and erlotinib has generally been ineffective against solid tumors, many of which over express the receptor. We found that there were some differential expressions according to primary antibodies of the EGFR protein which being used as one of the histological tumor markers for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We also found that there are some differential expressions according to antibodies, the pH of the antigen retrieval (AR) buffer solutions and kinds of enzymes. There were some differential expressions according to the secondary antibodies and the detection systems. We analyzed the correlations between the immunohistochemical expressions of the EGFR protein and the gene mutations of the EGFR. The differences between automatic stainers and manual staining methods were also evaluated.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제46권4호
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• pp.550-560
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• 2022

Background: The effect of ginsenoside Rh2 (G-Rh2) on mast cell-mediated anaphylaxis remains unclear. Herein, we investigated the effects of G-Rh2 on OVA-induced asthmatic mice and on mast cell-mediated anaphylaxis. Methods: Asthma model was established for evaluating airway changes and ear allergy. RPMCs and RBL-2H3 were used for in vitro experiments. Calcium uptake, histamine release and degranulation were detected. ELISA and Western blot measured cytokine and protein levels, respectively. Results: G-Rh2 inhibited OVA-induced airway remodeling, the production of TNF-α, IL-4, IL-8, IL-1β and the degranulation of mast cells of asthmatic mice. G-Rh2 inhibited the activation of Syk and Lyn in lung tissue of OVA-induced asthmatic mice. G-Rh2 inhibited serum IgE production in OVA induced asthmatic mice. Furthermore, G-Rh2 reduced the ear allergy in IgE-sensitized mice. G-Rh2 decreased the ear thickness. In vitro experiments G-Rh2 significantly reduced calcium uptake and inhibited histamine release and degranulation in RPMCs. In addition, G-Rh2 reduced the production of IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-8, and IL-4 in IgE-sensitized RBL-2H3 cells. Interestingly, G-Rh2 was involved in the FcεRI pathway activation of mast cells and the transduction of the Lyn/Syk signaling pathway. G-Rh2 inhibited PI3K activity in a dose-dependent manner. By blocking the antigen-induced phosphorylation of Lyn, Syk, LAT, PLCγ2, PI3K ERK1/2 and Raf-1 expression, G-Rh2 inhibited the NF-κB, AKT-Nrf2, and p38MAPK-Nrf2 pathways. However, G-Rh2 up-regulated Keap-1 expression. Meanwhile, G-Rh2 reduced the levels of p-AKT, p38MAPK and Nrf2 in RBL-2H3 sensitized IgE cells and inhibited NF-κB signaling pathway activation by activating the AKT-Nrf2 and p38MAPK-Nrf2 pathways. Conclusion: G-Rh2 inhibits mast cell-induced allergic inflammation, which might be mediated by the AKT-Nrf2/NF-kB and p38MAPK-Nrf2/NF-κB signaling pathways.