• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.381-388
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• 2020

Methamphetamine (METH) is a highly addictive psychostimulant and one of the most widely abused drugs worldwide. The continuous use of METH eventually leads to drug addiction and causes serious health complications, including attention deficit, memory loss and cognitive decline. These neurological complications are strongly associated with METH-induced neurotoxicity and neuroinflammation, which leads to neuronal cell death. The current review investigates the molecular mechanisms underlying METH-mediated neuronal damages. Our analysis demonstrates that the process of neuronal impairment by METH is closely related to oxidative stress, transcription factor activation, DNA damage, excitatory toxicity and various apoptosis pathways. Thus, we reach the conclusion here that METH-induced neuronal damages are attributed to the neurotoxic and neuroinflammatory effect of the drug. This review provides an insight into the mechanisms of METH addiction and contributes to the discovery of therapeutic targets on neurological impairment by METH abuse.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.16 no.2 s.75
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• pp.266-273
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• 2006

This study is investigated the effect of selenium against neurotoxicity induced by MPTP(1-methy-4-phenyl-propion-oxypiperidine) in mice. In order to demonstrate neuroprotective activity of selenium, mice were administrated orally with selenium(25, 50, 100 ${\mu}g/kg$, once/day) for 10 days, and MPTP(10 mg/kg) was injected subcutaneously into the mice for 6 days from the beginning 1hr before selenium treatment. Test of rota road activity was inhibited by treatment with selenium in MPTP-induced neurotoxicity group when compared to MPTP treatment group in normal mice. Monoamine oxidase(MAO)-B activity and cerebral lipid peroxide content were significantly decreased in the treatment of selenium in MPTP-induced neurotoxicity group when compared to MPTP treatment group in normal mice and MAO-A was not affected. Activities of cerebral superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase were significantly increased in the treatment of selenium in MPTP-induced neurotoxicity group when compared to MPTP treatment group in normal mice. These results suggest that selenium might be estimated the result from the cooperative action of its inhibitory effect on monoamine oxidase-B with that of the enhancement of antioxidant(SOD, catalase, GSH-Px) defence ability.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.532-539
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• 2014

Peripheral neuropathy induced by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and antiretroviral therapy is not only difficult to distinguish in clinical practice, but also difficult to relieve the pain symptoms by analgesics because of the severity of the disease at the later stage. Hence, to explore the mechanisms of HIV-related neuropathy and find new therapeutic options are particularly important for relieving neuropathic pain symptoms of the patients. In the present study, primary cultured embryonic rat dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons were used to determine the neurotoxic effects of HIV-gp120 protein and/or antiretroviral drug dideoxycytidine (ddC) and the therapeutic actions of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) on gp120- or ddC-induced neurotoxicity. DRG neurons were exposed to gp120 (500 pmol/L), ddC ($50{\mu}mol/L$), gp120 (500 pmol/L) plus ddC ($50{\mu}mol/L$), gp120 (500 pmol/L) plus IGF-1 (20 nmol/L), ddC ($50{\mu}mol/L$) plus IGF-1 (20 nmol/L), gp120 (500 pmol/L) plus ddC ($50{\mu}mol/L$) plus IGF-1 (20 nmol/L), respectively, for 72 hours. The results showed that gp120 and/or ddC caused neurotoxicity of primary cultured DRG neurons. Interestingly, the severity of neurotoxicity induced by gp120 and ddC was different in different subpopulation of DRG neurons. gp120 mainly affected large diameter DRG neurons (> $25{\mu}m$), whereas ddC mainly affected small diameter DRG neurons (${\leq}25{\mu}m$). IGF-1 could reverse the neurotoxicity induced by gp120 and/or ddC on small, but not large, DRG neurons. These data provide new insights in elucidating the pathogenesis of HIV infection- or antiretroviral therapy-related peripheral neuropathy and facilitating the development of novel treatment strategies.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.501-510
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• 2018

This study examined the neurotoxicity induced by lead acetate (LA) on cultured C6 glioma cells and the protective effects of Euphorbiae humifusae L. (EH) extract against LA-induced cytotoxicity. In this study, LA exhibited neurotoxicity in a dose-dependent manner compared to the control, and was determined to be highly-toxic according to the toxic criteria. The $XTT_{50}$ value of LA was calculated at a concentration of $38.6{\mu}M$ after C6 glioma cells were incubated for 72 hours in the media containing $30{\sim}50{\mu}M$ of LA, respectively. In addition, LA-induced neurotoxicity was suggested to correlate with the level of oxidative stress because vitamin E, an antioxidant, increased the cell viability damaged by LA-induced cytotoxicity. The EH extract effectively prevented cell injury from LA-induced cytotoxicity via its antioxidative effects, such as inhibitory ability of lipid peroxidation, superoxide dismutase-like activity and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl-radical scavenging activity. These antioxidative effects may result in components, such as polyphenol or flavonoids including gallic acid or quercetin. In conclusion, natural resources, such as EH extracts, may be a useful putative agent for the treatment of diseases associated with oxidative stress, such as lead neurotoxicity.

• Proceedings of the Korea Environmental Mutagen Society Conference
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• 2002.11a
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• pp.188-189
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• 2002

• Proceedings of the Korea Society of Environmental Toocicology Conference
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• 2004.05a
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• pp.76-76
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• 2004

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Toxicology Conference
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• 2002.11b
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• pp.188-189
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• 2002

This work aimed to identify neuronal cell toxicity induced by decrease of physiological NO production by differential phosphorylation of constitutive neuronal NO synthase (nNOS), which can be mediated by Ca2+-dependent PKC and/or CaM-KII activities activated by metals.(omitted)

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Toxicology Conference
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• 2002.05a
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• pp.89-89
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• 2002

It is well known that oxygen radicals induce neuronal cell damage by initiation of lipid peroxidation chain reaction. Recent work has been also demonstrated that enzymatically generated free radicals cause the release of glutamate and aspartate from cultured rat hippocampal slices.(omitted)

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.146-149
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• 2002

To evaluate the protective effect of Ziziphi Jujubae Semen(ZJS) on 5-Fluorouracil(5-Fu) in cultured vestibular neurons(VN), neurotoxicity was assessed by XTT assay after VN was exposed to 3-24ug/ml 5-Fu for 48 hours. and also, the neuroprotective effect of ZJS was measured by XTT assay in these cultrures. Cell viability was remarkably decreased dose-dependently, after the treatment with 12ug/ml 5-Fu to cultured VN for 48 hours. In the neuroprotective effect of ZJS on the toxicity induced by 5-Fu, ZJS prevented the neurotoxicity induced by 5-Fu in these cultures. From above the results, it suggests that 5-Fu is toxic in cultured VN and herb extract, ZJS has protective effect over the neurotoxicity induced by 5-Fu.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.928-931
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• 2002

To elucidate the toxic effect of oxygen free radicals on cultured mouse cerebral neurons damaged by hydrogen peroxide(H₂O₂)-induced neurotoxicity, we examined the neurotoxicity induced by oxygen radicals by NR assay when cultured cerebral neurons were grown in the media containing various concentrations of H202 for 6 hours. In addition, neuroprotective effects of herb extracts such Rhizoma Gastrodiae(RG) on H202-induced neurotoxicity in cultured cerebral neurons were evaluated after cultured cerebral neurons were preincubated with various concentrations of herb extract, RG for 2 hours before 50uM H₂O₂ for 6 hours. H₂O₂ decreased remarkably cell viability in dose-and time-dependent manner in these cultures, and also herb exract, RG decreased LDH activity of cerebral neurons damaged by H₂O₂. From the above results, it is suggested that H₂O₂ was toxic in cultured cerebral neurons from mouse, and RG was effective in blocking the neurotoxicity induced by oxygen radicals in these cultures.