• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.201-207
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• 2004

In order to develop an optimum formulation for iontophoretic flux of vitamine C 2-phosphate (VCP), we have prepared three different hydrogels containing VCP, using carbopol, HPMC and poloxamer, and iontophoretic flux through hairless mouse skin from these hydrogels was carried out. Drug stability in phosphate buffer (PBS) solution (pH 7.4) with and without current application was studied. The effect of various factors, such as drug concentration, current density, and current profile on skin flux was also investigated. Stability study indicated that VCP in PBS (pH 7.4) solution was stable under the experimental condition, irrespective of the presence of current. Cathodal delivery increased the flux markedly, whereas the anodal and passive flux was negligible. Thus, cathodal delivery was used in all experiments. Flux increased as the drug concentration (2.5, 5.0, 7.5%) and current density $(0.2,\;0.4,\;0.6\;mA/cm^2)$ increased. Pulsed application of the current showed lower flux than constant current application. The results obtained suggest that VCP can be delivered into the skin and the amount delivered can be controlled by varying hydrogel, current density, drug concentration and current application profile.

• Proceedings of the SCSK Conference
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• 2003.09b
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• pp.319-329
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• 2003

Ursolic acid (UA) and oleanolic acid (OA) are pentacyclic triterpenoids which are widely distributed in plants, and their derivatives are aglycones of many naturally occurring saponins. It is known that pentacyclic acids may possibly enhance the mechanical barrier functions of cell membranes in plants. Recently, it has been reported that OA and UA have interesting biological activities on skin, such as anti-inflammatory and anti-wrinkle activities. Since triterpenoids are extremely insoluble and their solubility problem limits skin-care application, OA and UA were encapsulated in liposomes via micelle-to-vesicle transition to overcome poorly soluble property and enhance biological efficacy. Optimal molar ratio of OA to lecithin was found to exist for producing liposomes of small hydrodynamic size and liposomal suspensions without recrystallized precipitation of OA. From electron micrograph and dynamic light scattering studies, reconstituted OA-containing liposomes without severe mechanical treatment showed small hydrodynamic size about 150 nm. Wide-angle X-ray diffraction coupled with dynamic light scattering revealed that optimal amount of OA in liposome was 25.4 mole %. In biological evaluation, OA-containing liposome significantly increased filaggrin and transglutaminase as markers of keratinocyte differentiation in epidermal layer of hairless mouse, whereas ursolic acid-containing liposome did not show noticeable increase of filaggrin and transglutaminase compared to empty liposome. It is concluded that nano-scaled liposomes containing triterpenoids were spontaneously prepared by vesicular transition from mixed micelle and liposomal triterpenoids can enhance skin absorption of triterpenoid and biological efficacy.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.43-50
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• 1998

Niosomes are vesicles formed from synthetic non-ionic surfactants, offering an alternative to chemically unstable and expensive liposomes as a drug carrier. Non-ionic surfactant and cholesterol mixture film leads to the formation of vesicular system by hydration with sonication method. The formation of niosome was ascertained by negative staining of TEM. The entrapment efficiency of niosomal suspension was gradually increased with increasing the ratio of cholesterol to surfactant. It was found that the niosome with 6 : 4 (polyoxyethylene 2-cetyl ether: cholesterol) ratio was more stable than those with other ratios. The topical application of acyclovir(ACV) in the treatment of herpes simplex virus type 1(HSV-1) skin disease has a long history. There are an increasing number of reports, however, in which topical ACV therapy is not as effective as oral administration. Lack of efficacy with topical ACV has been hypothesized to reflect the inadequate delivery of drug to the skin. We investigated the permeation of niosome containing $[^{3}H]ACV$ in hairless mouse skin using Franz diffusion cell model. Permeation coefficient(P) of aqueous ACV was $6.7{\times}10^{-4}\;(cm/hr)$ and that of ACV in niosome was $23.4{\times}10^{-4}\;(cm/hr)$, suggesting about 3.5 times increase in the transdermal permeation.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.133-139
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• 2010

In order to develop a new skin whitening agent, approximately 100 plant extracts were evaluated for their inhibitory activities against melanin biosynthesis in cultured mouse melanocyte melan-a cells. As a result, seven extracts exhibited over 50% inhibition of melanin synthesis compared to control at a concentration of $20\;{\mu}g/ml$. In particular, Aster ageratoides Turcz. var. ageratoides (branch, root, aerial, flower; $IC_{50}$ = 17.3, 6.1, 13.6, $12.9\;{\mu}g/ml$, respectively) and Physalis alkekengi var. francheti (leaf, unripen fructus, aerial; $IC_{50}$ = 6.5, 28.3, $23.9\;{\mu}g/ml$) markedly inhibited melanin synthesis. In addition, tyrosinase activity was monitored by the measurement of dopachrome formation from the oxidation of L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine. Extracts of A. ageratoides Turcz. var. ageratoides (flower) and P. alkekengi var. francheti (leaf) showed the most potent tyrosinase inhibitory activity. These plants might be the potential candidate sources in the development of novel skin-whitening products.

• BMB Reports
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• v.56 no.5
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• pp.296-301
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• 2023

Retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor α (RORα) plays a vital role in various physiological processes, including metabolism, cancer, circadian rhythm, cerebellar development, and inflammation. Although RORα is expressed in the skin, its role in skin physiology remains poorly elucidated. Herein, Rorα was expressed in the basal and suprabasal layers of the epidermis; however, keratinocyte-specific Rorα deletion did not impact normal epidermal formation. Under pathophysiological conditions, Rorα-deficient mice exhibited alleviated psoriasis-like symptoms, including relatively intact epidermal stratification, reduced keratinocyte hyperproliferation, and low-level expression of inflammatory cytokines in keratinocytes. Unexpectedly, the splenic population of Th17 cells was significantly lower in keratinocyte-specific RORα deficient mice than in the control. Additionally, Rorα-deficiency reduced imiquimod-induced activation of nuclear factor-κB and STAT3 in keratinocytes. Therefore, we expect that RORα inhibitors act on immune cells and keratinocytes to suppress the onset and progression of psoriasis.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 2007.11a
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• pp.79-92
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• 2007

Oxidative stress have known to be a risk factor for the degenerative processes and closely related to a lot of diseases. It is well established that antioxidants are good in protection and therapeutic means against oxidative damage. There is increasing interest in natural antioxidants and many natural antioxidants have been found and utilized as the possible protection for various diseases and skin aging. We have screened natural antioxidant agents for cosmeceuticals, nutraceuticals, and drugs as therapeutic and preventive means against oxidative stress, and have developed a number of novel antioxidants from various natural sources. A novel melanin synthesis inhibitor, Melanocin A, isolated from the metabolite of a fungal strain Eupenicillium shearii F80695 inhibited mushroom tyrosinase and melanin biosynthesis of B16 melanoma cells with $IC_{50}$ value of 9.0 nM and MIC value of $0.9\;{\mu}M$, respectively. Melanocin A also exhibited potent antioxidant activity by scavenging of DPPH and superoxide anion radicals. UV was found to increase the level of hydrogen peroxides and other reactive oxygen species (ROS) in skin tissues. This increase in ROS may not only alter the structure and function of many genes and proteins directly but may also modulate their expressions through signal transduction pathways and, ultimately, lead to skin damage. We investigated the effect of Melanocin A on UV-induced premature skin aging. Firstly, the effect of Melanocin A on UV-induced matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 expression in an immortalized human keratinocyte cell line, HaCaT in vitro was investigated. Acute UV irradiation induced MMP-9 expression at both the mRNA and protein levels and Melanocin A suppressed this expression in a dose-dependent manner. We then investigated UV-induced skin changes in hairless mice in vivo by Melanocin A. Chronic exposure of hairless mouse dorsal skin to UV increased skin thickness and induced wrinkle formation and the gelatinase activities of MMP-2 and MMP-9. Moreover, Melanocin A significantly suppressed UV-induced morphologic skin changes and MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression. These results show that Melanocin A can prevent the harmful effects of UV that lead to skin aging. Therefore, we suggest that Melanocin A should be viewed as a potential therapeutic agent for preventing and/or treating premature skin aging. Terrein is a bioactive fungal metabolite isolated from Penicillium species. Terrein has a relatively simple structure and can be easily synthesized. However, the biologic effects of terrein are comparatively unknown. We found for the first time that terrein potently inhibit melanin production in melanocytes and has a strong hypopigmentary effect in a spontaneously immortalized mouse melanocyte cell line, Mel-Ab. Treatment of Mel-Ab cells with terrein (10-100 mM) for 4 days significantly reduced melanin levels in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, terrein at the same concentration also reduced tyrosinase activity. We then investigated whether terrein influences the extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK) pathway and the expression of microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF), which is required for tyrosinase expression. Terrein was found to induce sustained ERK activation and MITF down-regulation, and luciferase assays showed that terrein inhibits MITF promoter activity in a dose-dependent manner. To elucidate the correlation between ERK pathway activation and a decreased MITF transcriptional level, PD98059, a specific inhibitor of the ERK pathway, was applied before terrain treatment and found to abrogate the terrein-induced MITF attenuation. Terrein also reduced the tyrosinase protein level for at least 72 h. These results suggest that terrain reduces melanin synthesis by reducing tyrosinase production via ERK activation, and that this is followed by MITF down-regulation.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Toxicology Conference
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• 2001.05a
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• pp.152-152
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• 2001

Curcumin, a yellow coloring ingredient of turmeric (Curcuma longa L., Zingiberaceae), has been shown to inhibit experimental carcinogenesis and mutagenesis, but molecular mechanisms underlying its chemopreventive activities remain unclear.(omitted)

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2000.10a
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• pp.91-92
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• 2000

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Toxicology Conference
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• 2001.10a
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• pp.137-138
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• 2001

There has been accumulating evidence for the association of inflammatory tissue damage with the process of cancer development. Cyclooxygenase (COX), an important enzyme involved in mediating the inflammation, catalyzes the formation of prostaglandins (PGs) from arachidonic acid. There are two isoforms of COX, designated as COX-l and COX-2. COX-l is a housekeeping enzyme which is constitutively expressed and is thought to be involved in maintaining physiological functions.(omitted)

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Toxicology Conference
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• 2001.10a
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• pp.139-140
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• 2001

Ginseng saponins (ginsenosides) have been regarded as principal components responsible for the majority of pharmacological activities exerted by ginseng. IH-901, an intestinal bacterial metabolite derived from the protopanaxadiol saponin of Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer, has been reported to have anti-tumor effects including inhibition of angiogenesis, invasion and metastasis, as well as induction of tumor cell apoptosis. (omitted)