• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• 제22권2호
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• pp.77-90
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• 2004

종양 발생 과정에 관여되고 있는 분자 생물학적 기전을 직접 공격해 보자고 하는 치료 방침은 암 치료에 있어서 아주 유망한 치료방법의 하나로 인정되고 있다. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) 수용체에 여러 ligands가 결합하게 되면 발암 단계에서부터 암의 진행 과정과 전이 과정 그리고 방사선에 대한 저항성과 관련된 여러 가지중요한 신호전달체계를 활성화시킨다. 특히 진행된 두경부 암 환자들에서 EGFR이 과발현 된 경우에는 매우 불량한 예후를 나타내고 있기 때문에 이러한 signaling pathway의 selective targeting을 위한 많은 임상 시도가 이루어지고 있다. 현재까지 알려진 표적치료 항암제로는 크게 EGFR에 대한 monoclonal antibody와 tyrosin kinase Inhibitors로 대별될 수 있는데 이와 같은 약제들은 여러 xenograft에서 고무적인 실험 결과들이 입증되어 곧 바로 임상 현장에서 적용되고 있다. 그러나 기대와는 달리 EGFR Inhibitor 단독으로 치료한 초기 임상연구 결과들을 보면 극히 소수의 환자에서만 미미한 효과를 나타내고 있고, 방사선 치료와의 병용치료에서도 괄목할만한 항암 효과를 보여주지 않고 있다. 그럼에도 불구하고 많은 실험적 데이터로부터 여러 가지 생물학적 이점이 밝혀져 있고 또 미래 지향적인 치료법의 하나로 각광을 받고 있기 때문에 현재 많은 연구자들은 어떤 환자 군에서 이러한 표적 치료가 도움이 될 것이며, 방사선 치료 또는 항암 치료와는 어떤 방식으로 조합할 것인지, 또 그 순서는 어떻게 할 것이며, 또 환자 선정에 있어 reliable marker는 무엇인지, 어떻게 체내에서 신호 전달체계의 효과적인 차단을 확인할 수 있겠는지, 또한 multiple targ리ed therapy가 필 요하도록 하는 targeted agent에 대 한 Intrinsic 또는 acquired resistance의 기전은 무엇인지 등등, 현재 당면하고 있는 많은 문제점을 규명하고자 노력하고 있다. 특히 EGFR-signaling pathway를 표적으로 하는 표적 지향적 방사선 치료를 위한 translation research의 적절한 모델이 되고 있는 두경부 암 환자에서 이러한 제반 문제점을 해결하기 위해서는 더 많은 임상 연구와 함께 well-Integrated laboratory clinical research program이 필요할 것으로 생각된다 또한 EGFR antagonist 외에도 anglogenlc pathway나 cell-cycle pathway를 표적으로 하는 새로운 약제들이 계속 개발되고 있고 이에 관한 연구가 활발히 진행 중이다. 따라서 이 고찰에서는 두경부 암 환자에서 이러한 약제들을 방사선 치료와 병용하였을 때의 임상 연구 결과들을 재검토해 보고 부가적으로 EGFR blockade에 따르는 내성 문제 그리고 방사선 치료를 병용하면서 여러 표적을 동시에 차단시키는 multiple-targeted therapy의 개발 현황을 간략히 소개하고자 한다

• BMB Reports
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• 제51권11호
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• pp.590-595
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• 2018

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common chronic neurodegenerative disease mainly caused by the death of dopaminergic neurons. However, no complete pharmacotherapeutic approaches are currently available for PD therapies. 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium $(MPP^+)$-induced SH-SY5Y neurotoxicity has been broadly utilized to create cellular models and study the mechanisms and critical aspects of PD. In the present study, we examined the role of a novel azetidine derivative, 3-(naphthalen-2-yl(propoxy)methyl)azetidine hydrochloride (KHG26792), against $MPP^+$-induced neurotoxicity in SH-SY5Y cells. Treatment of KHG26792 significantly attenuated $MPP^+$-induced changes in the protein levels of Bcl-2 and Bax together with efficient suppression of $MPP^+$-induced activation of caspase-3 activity. KHG26792 also attenuated mitochondrial potential and levels of ROS, $Ca^{2+}$, and ATP in $MPP^+$-treated SH-SY5Y cells. Additionally, KHG26792 inhibited the induced production of nitric oxide and malondialdehyde. Moreover, the protective effect of KHG26792 is mediated through regulation of glutathione peroxidase and GDNF levels. Our results suggest a possibility that KHG26792 treatment significantly protects against $MPP^+$-induced neurotoxicity in SH-SY5Y cells and KHG26792 may be a valuable therapeutic agent for the treatment of PD induced by an environmental toxin.

• BMB Reports
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• 제36권1호
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• pp.95-109
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• 2003

Inflammatory lung diseases are characterized by chronic inflammation and oxidant/antioxidant imbalance. The sources of the increased oxidative stress in patients with chronic inflammatory lung diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) derive from the increased burden of inhaled oxidants, and from the increased amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by several inflammatory, immune and various structural cells of the airways. Increased levels of ROS produced in the airways is reflected by increased markers of oxidative stress in the airspaces, sputum, breath, lungs and blood in patients with lung diseases. ROS, either directly or via the formation of lipid peroxidation products such as 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal may play a role in enhancing the inflammation through the activation of stress kinases (JNK, MAPK, p38) and redox sensitive transcription factors such as NF-${\kappa}B$ and AP-1. Recent evidences have indicated that oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory mediators can alter nuclear histone acetylation/deacetylation allowing access for transcription factor DNA binding leading to enhanced pro-inflammatory gene expression in various lung cells. Understanding of the mechanisms of redox signaling, NF-${\kappa}B$/AP-1 regulation, the balance between histone acetylation and deacetylation and the release and expression of pro- and anti-inflammatory mediators may lead to the development of novel therapies based on the pharmacological manipulation of antioxidants in lung inflammation and injury. Antioxidants that have effective wide spectrum activity and good bioavailability, thiols or molecules which have dual antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity, may be potential therapeutic agents which not only protect against the direct injurious effects of oxidants, but may fundamentally alter the underlying inflammatory processes which play an important role in the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory lung diseases.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제24권3호
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• pp.260-267
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• 2016

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) offer significant therapeutic promise for various regenerative therapies. However, MSC-based therapy for injury exhibits low efficacy due to the pathological environment in target tissues and the differences between in vitro and in vivo conditions. To address this issue, we developed adipose-derived MSC spheroids as a novel delivery method to preserve the stem cell microenvironment. MSC spheroids were generated by suspension culture for 3 days, and their sizes increased in a time-dependent manner. After re-attachment of MSC spheroids to the plastic dish, their adhesion capacity and morphology were not altered. MSC spheroids showed enhanced production of hypoxia-induced angiogenic cytokines such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), stromal cell derived factor (SDF), and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF). In addition, spheroid culture promoted the preservation of extracellular matrix (ECM) components, such as laminin and fibronectin, in a culture time- and spheroid size-dependent manner. Furthermore, phosphorylation of AKT, a cell survival signal, was significantly higher and the expression of pro-apoptotic molecules, poly (ADP ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) and cleaved caspase-3, was markedly lower in the spheroids than in MSCs in monolayers. In the murine hindlimb ischemia model, transplanted MSC spheroids showed better proliferation than MSCs in monolayer. These findings suggest that MSC spheroids promote MSC bioactivities via secretion of angiogenic cytokines, preservation of ECM components, and regulation of apoptotic signals. Therefore, MSC spheroid-based cell therapy may serve as a simple and effective strategy for regenerative medicine.

• 생물정신의학
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• 제7권2호
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• pp.115-122
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• 2000

The development of molecular biology has brought many changes in psychiatry. Molecular biology makes us possible to know the cause of mental disorders that provide the way to prevent the disorders, and to develop various accurate diagnostic and treatment methods for mental disorders. The author discusses the concept, cause, and treatment of mental disorders in the aspect of molecular biology. Importing the methods of molecular biology into psychiatry, we can anticipate to get a number of the goals of psychiatric genetics, including identification of specific susceptibility genes, clarification of the pathophysiological processes whereby these genes lead to symptoms, establishment of epigenetic factors that interact with these genes to produce disease, validation of nosological boundaries that more closely reflect the actions of these genes, and development of effective preventive and therapeutic interventions based on genetic counseling, gene therapy, and modification of permissive or protective environmental influences. In addition to their capacity to accelerate the discovery of new molecules participating in the nervous system's response to disease or to self-administered drugs, molecular biological strategies can also be used to determine how critical a particular gene product may be in mediating a cellular event with behavioral importance. Molecular biology probably enables us discover the environmental factors of mental disorders and allow rational drug design and gene therapies for mental disorders, by isolation of gene products that facilitate a basic understanding of the pathogenesis of these disorders. A specific genetic linkage may suggest a novel class of drugs that has not yet been tried. With respect to gene therapy, the hypothetical method would use a gene delivery system, most likely a modified virus, to insert a functional copy of a mutant gene into those brain cells that require the gene for normal function.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제13권6호
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• pp.2943-2948
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• 2012

Arsenic exposure is a serious health hazard worldwide. We have previously established that it may result in immune suppression by upregulating Th2 cytokines while downregulating Th1 cytokines and causing lymphocytic death. Treatment modalities for arsenic poisoning have mainly been restricted to the use of chelating agents in the past. Only recently have combination therapies using a chelating agent in conjunction with other compounds such as anti-oxidants, micronutrients and various plant products, been introduced. In the present study, we used T11TS, a novel immune potentiating glycopeptide alone and in combination with the sulfhydryl-containing chelator, mono-iso-amyl-dimarcaptosuccinic acid (MiADMSA) as a therapeutic regimen to combat arsenic toxicity in a mouse model. Results indicated that Th1 cytokines such as TNF-${\alpha}$, $IFN{\gamma}$, IL12 and the Th2 cytokines such as IL4, IL6, IL10 which were respectively downregulated and upregulated following arsenic induction were more efficiently restored to their near normal levels by T11TS alone in comparison with the combined regimen. Similar results were obtained with the apoptotic proteins studied, FasL, BAX, BCL2 and the caspases 3, 8 and 9, where again T11TS proved more potent than in combination with MiADMSA in preventing lymphocyte death. The results thus indicate that T11TS alone is more efficient in immune re-establishment after arsenic exposureas compared to combination therapy with T11TS+MiADMSA.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제15권21호
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• pp.9185-9190
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• 2014

Cyclo-oxygenase-2(Cox-2), a key regulator of inflammation-producing prostaglandins, promotes cell proliferation and growth. Therefore, a better understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of Cox-2 could lead to novel targeted cancer therapies. MicroRNAs are strongly implicated in colorectal cancer but their specific roles and functions have yet to be fully elucidated. MiR-1297 plays an important role in lung adenocarcinoma and laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma, but its significance in colorectal cancer (CRC) has yet to be reported. In our present study, we found miR-1297 to be down regulated in both CRC-derived cell lines and clinical CRC samples, when compared with normal tissues. Furthermore, miR-1297 could inhibit human colorectal cancer LOVO and HCT116 cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro and tumorigenesis in vivo by targeting Cox-2. Moreover, miR-1297 directly binds to the 3'-UTR of Cox-2, and the expression level was drastically decreased in LOVO and HCT116 cells following overexpression of miR-1297. Additionally, Cox-2 expression levels are inversely correlated with miR-1297 expression in human colorectal cancer xenograft tissues. These results imply that miR-1297 has the potential to provide a new approach to colorectal cancer therapy by directly inhibiting Cox-2 expression.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제15권21호
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• pp.9445-9451
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• 2014

Neuroblastoma is the most common extracranial solid tumor in children. Approximately half of the affected patients are diagnosed with high-risk poor prognosis disease, and novel therapies are needed. Sanguinarine is a benzophenanthridine alkaloid which has anti-microbial, anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The aim of this study is whether sanguinarine has in vitro apoptotic effects and which apoptotic genes might be affected in the human neuroblastoma cell lines SH-SY5Y (N-myc negative), Kelly (N-myc positive, ALK positive), and SK-N-BE(2). Cell viability was analysed with WST-1 and apoptotic cell death rates were determined using TUNEL. After RNA isolation and cDNA conversion, expression of 84 custom array genes of apoptosis was determined. Sanguinarine caused cell death in a dose dependent manner in all neuroblastoma cell lines except SK-N-BE(2) with rates of 18% in SH-SY5Y and 21% in Kelly human neuroblastoma cells. Cisplatin caused similar apoptotic cell death rates of 16% in SH-SY5Y and 23% in Kelly cells and sanguinarine-cisplatin combinations caused the same rates (18% and 20%). Sanguinarine treatment did not affect apoptototic gene expression but decreased levels of anti-apoptotic genes NOL3 and BCL2L2 in SH-SY5Y cells. Caspase and TNF related gene expression was affected by the sanguinarine-cisplatin combination in SH-SY5Y cells. The expression of regulation of apoptotic genes were increased with sanguinarine treatment in Kelly cells. From these results, we conclude that sanguinarine is a candidate agent against neuroblastoma.

• 대한의생명과학회지
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• 제20권4호
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• pp.209-220
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• 2014

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a key factor involved in the induction of angiogenesis and has become an attractive target for anti-angiogenesis therapies. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the anti-angiogenic activity of Rubus coreanus Miquel water extract (RCME). Rubus coreanus Miquel has long been employed as a traditional medicine, and recent studies have demonstrated that it has measureable biological activities. Thus, we investigated for the first time the effect of RCME on angiogenesis and its underlying signaling pathways. The effects of RCME were tested on in vitro models of angiogenesis, namely, proliferation, migration, invasion and tube formation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells as well as an ex vivo model of vessel sprouting from the rat aorta in response to VEGF. We observed that VEGF-induced angiogenesis was strongly suppressed by RCME treatment compared to that of the control group. Moreover, we found that RCME inhibited VEGF-induced activation of matrix metalloproteinases and phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase and p38, and also effectively inhibited phosphorylation of VEGF receptor 2. These results indicated that RCME inhibits angiogenesis by suppressing phosphorylation of the VEGF receptor and may be useful for the treatment of angiogenesis-dependent diseases such as cancer and diabetic retinopathy.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제15권17호
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• pp.7037-7041
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• 2014

Background: 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is the most commonly used drug in colon cancer therapy. However, despite impressive clinical responses initially, development of drug resistance to 5-Fu in human tumor cells is the primary cause of failure of chemotherapy. In this study, we established a 5-Fu-resistant human colon cancer cell line for comparative chemosensitivity studies. Materials and Methods: Real time PCR and Western blotting were used to determine gene expression levels. Cell viability was measured by MTT assay. Glucose uptake was assess using an Amplex Red Glucose/Glucose Oxidase assay kit. Results: We found that 5-Fu resistance was associated with the overexpression of Glut1 in colon cancer cells. 5-Fu treatment at low toxic concentration induced Glut1 expression. At the same time, upregulation of Glut1 was detected in 5-Fu resistant cells when compared with their parental cells. Importantly, inhibition of Glut1 by a specific inhibitor, WZB117, significantly increased the sensitivity of 5-Fu resistant cells to the drug. Conclusions: This study provides novel information for the future development of targeted therapies for the treatment of chemo-resistant colon cancer patients. In particular it demonstrated that Glut1 inhibitors such as WZB117 may be considered an additional treatment options for patients with 5-Fu resistant colon cancers.