• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.64 no.6
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• pp.873-881
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• 2021

Objective : Peripheral nerve injuries occur mostly as a result of mechanical trauma. Due to the microvascular deterioration in peripheral nerve damage, it becomes challenging to remove free oxygen radicals. Gallic acid is a powerful antioxidant with anti-inflammatory effects and a free radical scavenger. The purpose of the study is to show that gallic acid contributes to the restorative effect in mechanical nerve damage, considering its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Methods : Thirty male Sprague Dawley albino mature rats were included in the study. Ten of them constituted the control group, 10 out of 20 rats for which sciatic nerve damage was caused, constituted the saline group, and 10 formed the gallic acid group. Post-treatment motor functions, histological, immunohistochemical, and biochemical parameters of the rats were evaluated. Results : Compared to the surgery+saline group, lower compound muscle action potential (CMAP) latency, higher CMAP amplitude, and higher inclined plane test values were found in the surgery+gallic acid group. Similarly, a higher nerve growth factor (NGF) percentage, a higher number of axons, and a lower percentage of fibrosis scores were observed in the surgery+gallic acid group. Finally, lower tissue malondialdehyde (MDA) and higher heat shock protein-70 (HSP-70) values were determined in the surgery+gallic acid group. Conclusion : Gallic acid positively affects peripheral nerve injury healing due to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. It has been thought that gallic acid can be used as a supportive treatment in peripheral nerve damage.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.24 no.3_4
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• pp.143-150
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• 1980

The effect of ginseng saponin on chick embryonic dorsal root ganglia organ culture and brain, spinal cord, muscle dissociation cultures was studied. The fiber outgrowth in explanted chick embryonic dorsal root ganglia was markedly induced by water and alcohol extracts of ginseng, total ginseng saponin, protopanaxadiol and protopanaxatriol glycosides as well as ginsenosides R/sub b1/, R/sub d/, R/sub 0/+R/sub a/+R/sub b1/, and R/sub b2/+R/sub c/+R/sub e/ mixtures. The life span of the cultured chick embryonic dorsal root ganglia and potentiation of nerve cell density were also observed with all of these ginseng saponins. The effect of ginseng saponin on chick embryonic dorsal root ganglia organ culture was more marked in the absence of the chick embryonic extract which was known to contain nerve growth factor-like material in the culture media. However, the ginseng saponin did not influence the cultured central nervous system such as brain and spinal cord cells and cultured skeletal muscle cells with respect to the morphological changes, maturation and life span of these cells.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.239-247
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• 2005

This study demonstrated that xenogenic human marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) could elicit the regeneration of the sensory nerve after axotomy in the adult rats infraorbital nerves without immunosuppression. For this, we evaluated the behavioral testing for functional recovery of the nerve and histological findings at weeks 3 and 5 compared to controls. Xenogenic hMSCs did not evoke any significant inflammatory or immunologic reaction after systemic and local administrations. HMSCs-treated rats exhibited significant improvement on sensory recovery tested with von Frey monofilaments. At 5 postoperative weeks, in the hMSCs treated nerve, expression of myelin basic protein (MBP), neurofilament (NF) at the site of axotomy was higher than control. And mRNA expression of neurotropin receptor Trk precursor (TrkPre), nerve growth factor receptor (NGFR) and neuropeptide (NPY) in trigeminal ganglion were also higher. The number of myelinated nerve at distal stump and cells in trigeminal ganglion were higher in hMSC treated rats. So it was supposed that transplanted MSCs contributed to reducing post-traumatic degeneration and production of neurotrophic factors. Immunofluorescence labeling showed small portion of hMSCs (<10%) expressed a phenotypic marker of Schwann cell (S-100). Xenogenic or allogenic mesenchymal stem cells might have immune privileged characteristics and useful tool for cell based nerve repair.

• BMB Reports
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.60-70
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• 2017

Glaucoma is characterized by a slow and progressive degeneration of the optic nerve, including retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axons in the optic nerve head (ONH), leading to visual impairment. Despite its high prevalence, the biological basis of glaucoma pathogenesis still is not yet fully understood, and the factors contributing to its progression are currently not well characterized. Intraocular pressure (IOP) is the only modifiable risk factor, and reduction of IOP is the standard treatment for glaucoma. However, lowering IOP itself is not always effective for preserving visual function in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma. The second messenger cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP) regulates numerous biological processes in the central nervous system including the retina and the optic nerve. Although recent studies revealed that cAMP generated by adenylyl cyclases (ACs) is important in regulating aqueous humor dynamics in ocular tissues, such as the ciliary body and trabecular meshwork, as well as cell death and growth in the retina and optic nerve, the functional role and significance of cAMP in glaucoma remain to be elucidated. In this review, we will discuss the functional role of cAMP in aqueous humor dynamics and IOP regulation, and review the current medications, which are related to the cAMP signaling pathway, for glaucoma treatment. Also, we will further focus on cAMP signaling in RGC growth and regeneration by soluble AC as well as ONH astrocytes by transmembrane ACs to understand its potential role in the pathogenesis of glaucoma neurodegeneration.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.375-381
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• 2008

Objective : The effects on neural proliferation and differentiation of neural stem cells (NSC) of basic fibroblast growth factor-2 (bFGF). insulin growth factor-I (IGF-I). brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). and nerve growth factor (NGF) were assessed. Also, following combinations of various factors were investigated : bFGF+IGF-I, bFGF+BDNF, bFGF+NGF, IGF-I+BDNF, IGF-I+NGF, and BDNF+NGF. Methods : Isolated NSC of Fisher 344 rats were cultured with individual growth factors, combinations of factors, and no growth factor (control) for 14 days. A proportion of neurons was analyzed using $\beta$-tubulin III and NeuN as neural markers. Results : Neural differentiations in the presence of individual growth factors for $\beta$-tubulin III-positive cells were : BDNF, 35.3%; IGF-I, 30.9%; bFGF, 18.1%; and NGF, 15.1%, and for NeuN-positive cells was : BDNF, 34.3%; bFGF, 32.2%; IGF-I, 26.6%; and NGF, 24.9%. However, neural differentiations in the absence of growth factor was only 2.6% for $\beta$-tubulin III and 3.1% for NeuN. For $\beta$-tubulin III-positive cells, neural differentiations were evident for the growth factor combinations as follows : bFGF+IGF-I, 73.1 %; bFGF+NGF, 65.4%; bFGF+BDNF, 58.7%; BDNF+IGF-I, 52.2%; NGF+IGF-I, 40.6%; and BDNF+NGF, 40.0%. For NeuN-positive cells : bFGF+IGF-I, 81.9%; bFGF+NGF, 63.5%; bFGF+BDNF, 62.8%; NGF+IGF-I, 62.3%; BDNF+NGF, 56.3%; and BDNF+IGF-I, 46.0%. Significant differences in neural differentiation were evident for single growth factor and combination of growth factors respectively (p<0.05). Conclusion : Combinations of growth factors have an additive effect on neural differentiation. The most prominent neural differentiation results from growth factor combinations involving bFGF and IGF-I. These findings suggest that the combination of a mitogenic action of bFGF and post-mitotic differentiation action of IGF-I synergistically affects neural proliferation and NSC differentiation.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.22 no.11
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• pp.1444-1450
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• 2012

The purpose of the present research is to investigate the effects of acute soccer game on serum levels of neurotrophins and neurocognitive function. The subjects of the research were 15 healthy male adolescents. The subjects underwent two experiments: one experiment in the soccer game treatment (SOC) condition, and the other in the self-study treatment (CON) condition. Blood samples were collected at three times: before treatment (Pre), after treatment (Post), and 2 hours post treatment (Post-2 h) for the analyses of serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), nerve growth factor (NGF), and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). For the measurements of neurocognitive functions, the Stroop Color-Word test was performed at blood collecting times. The results of the research showed that the serum levels of BDNF, NGF, and IGF-1 were significantly increased after the soccer game (p<0.05), and significantly higher in SOC than CON at Post (p<0.05). In the Stroop Color-Word test, significantly increased scores were observed in SOC at Post (p<0.05), and significantly higher in SOC than in CON at Post and Post-2 h (p<0.05). These results suggest that acute soccer game has positive effects on neurocognitive functions by increasing the neurotrophins.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2008.11a
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• pp.1585-1587
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• 2008

Fibroblast is constantly subjected to mechanical loads in connective tissues where mechanical signals are converted to intercellular biochemical events. The aim of this study is to understand the effects of tensile stress on the neurotrophin (NT) and transforming growth factor (TGF) expression of fibroblast in vitro. Nerve growth factor (NGF) stimulates fibroblast migration, and TGF is related to tissue repair. In this study, at the uniaxial stretch of 10% strain and frequency of 0.5 Hz, different resting times of 0, 20, and 60 min are placed in between 10 min stimulations periods. Results show increase in NGF mRNA levels and a substantial decrease in NT3 mRNA after 1 hr of stimulation, indicating that the tensile stress may regulate NGF and NT3, key factors for the neurocosmetic applications. The mRNA level for TGF-${\alpha}$ and TGF-${\beta}2$ had increased up to two-folds after 1 hr of stimulation, showing that the tensile stress may control TGF, an important part of wound healing.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.208-212
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• 2014

Marfan syndrome is one of the collagen vascular diseases that theoretically predisposes patients to excessive radiation-induced fibrosis yet there is minimal published literature regarding this clinical scenario. We present a patient with a history of Marfan syndrome requiring radiation for a diagnosis of a right brachial plexus malignant nerve sheath tumor. It has been suggested that plasma transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-${\beta}1$) can be monitored as a predictor of subsequent fibrosis in this population of high risk patients. We therefore monitored the patient's TGF-${\beta}1$ level during and after treatment. Despite maintaining stable levels of plasma TGF-${\beta}1$, our patient still developed extensive fibrosis resulting in impaired range of motion. Our case reports presents a review of the literature of patients with Marfan syndrome requiring radiation therapy and the limitations of serum markers on predicting long-term toxicity.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Machine Tool Engineers Conference
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• 2005.05a
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• pp.3-8
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• 2005

We introduced mechanical stimuli and micropatterned substrate with micro fibers to investigate the effects of those on neurite outgrowth along with nerve growth factor (NGF) in vitro. Microfiber substrates were fabricated using an electrospinning process. And PC-12 cells cultured on substrates were simulated with nerver growth factor and laminar flow shear stress in a fluid flow system The results suggest that microfiber substrates and fluid-induced shear stress are promising for simulating neuronal regeneration in a desired direction.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.254-261
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• 2017

Glioblastomas (GBM) are very difficult to treat and their aggressiveness is one of the main reasons for this as well as for the frequent recurrences. MicroRNAs post-transcriptionally regulate their target genes through interaction between their seed sequence and 3'UTR of the target mRNAs. We previously reported that miR-296-3p is regulated by neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2) and enhances the invasiveness of GBM cells via SOCS2/STAT3. In this study, we investigated whether miR-296-5p, which originates from the same precursor miRNA as miR-296-3p, can increase the invasiveness of GBM cells. It was observed that miR-296-5p potentiated the invasion of various GBM cells including LN229, T98G, and U87MG. Through bioinformatics approaches, two genes were identified as miR-296-5p targets: caspase-8 (CASP8) and nerve growth factor receptor (NGFR). From results obtained from Ago2 immunoprecipitation and luciferase assays, we found that miR-296-5p downregulates CASP8 and NGFR through direct interaction between seed sequence of the miRNA and 3'UTR of the target mRNA. Knockdown of CASP8 or NGFR also increased the invasive ability of GBM cells, indicating that CASP8 and NGFR are involved in potentiation of invasiveness by miR-296-5p. Consistent with our findings, CASP8 was downregulated in brain metastatic lung cancer cells, which have a high level of miR-296-5p, compared to parental cells, suggesting that miR-296-5p may be generally associated with the acquisition of invasiveness. Collectively, our results implicate miR-296-5p as a potential cause of invasiveness in cancer and suggest it as a promising therapeutic target for GBM.