• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제54권6호
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• pp.272-275
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• 2011

A recently recognized connective tissue disorder, Loeys-Dietz syndrome (LDS) is a genetic aortic aneurysm syndrome caused by mutations in the transforming growth factor-receptor type I or II gene (TGFBR1 or TGFBR2). They have distinctive phenotypic abnormalities including widely spaced eyes (hypertelorism), bifid uvula or cleft palate, and arterial tortuosity with aortic aneurysm or dissection throughout the arterial tree. LDS is characterized by aggressive and rapid progression of aortic aneurysm. Therefore, the patients with distinct phenotype, marked aortic dilatation and aneurysm at early age should be suspected to be affected by LDS and rapid TGFBR gene analysis should be done. We report one child diagnosed as LDS due to typical phenotypes and two novel missense mutations of the TGFBR2 gene (c.1526G>T and c.1528A>T).

• Toxicological Research
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• 제26권3호
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• pp.193-201
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• 2010

Hepatic fibrosis represents the main complication of most chronic liver disorders and, regardless of its etiology, is characterized by excessive deposition of extracellular matrix components. In this study, we examined that 1-O-Hexyl-2,3,5-Trimethylhydroquinone (HTHQ), a potent anti-oxidative agent, could prevent experimental hepatic fibrosis induced by dimethylnitrosamine (DMN) in male SD rats. Except for vehicle control group, other groups were induced hepatic fibrosis by intraperitoneal injection with DMN (10 mg/ml/kg) on 3 consecutive days weekly for 4 weeks. During the same 4 weeks, control and DMN groups were given vehicle and HTHQ 50, 100 and 200 groups were orally administered HTHQ (50, 100, 200 mg/kg respectively). In HTHQ 100 and 200 groups, relative liver weight and serum chemistry level improved significantly. HTHQ reduced hydroxyproline (p < 0.05) and malondialdehyde (p < 0.05) level in the liver. Histopathological examination of H&E, Masson's trichrome stain showed the reduced fibrotic septa in HTHQ 100 and 200 groups. HTHQ administration showed reduced mRNA level of PDGF (Platelet-derived growth factor), $\alpha$-SMA ($\alpha$-smooth muscle actin) and TGF-$\beta$ (transforming growth factor-$\beta$) than DMN-induced hepetic fibrosis animals in the liver tissue. In this study, we showed that HTHQ improves against DMN-induced liver fibrosis in male SD rats.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제44권4호
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• pp.871-888
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• 1997

연구배경 : 특발성 폐 섬유화확 병인론으로 폐포염과 폐에 침윤한 염증세포 및 폐 조직자체의 실질세포들이 성장인자를 포함한 다양한 cytokine을 분비하여 실질조직을 구성하는 세포에 손상을 야기함으로써 종국에는 섬유화를 초래하는 것으로 이해하고 있다. 그러나 이들에 대한 개괄적인 연구가 부족하고 매개체 각각에 대한 단편적인 논문들뿐이어서 본 연구에서는 BLM유도 폐 손상및 섬유화의 발생기전에 있어서 IL-1, IL-6, TNF-$\alpha$와 TGF-${\beta}_1$, PDGF, bFGF들의 역할을 규명하고자 하였다. 방 법 : Wistar백서를 정상대조군, BLM투여군, BLM과 비타민 E병합투여군으로 나누었고 BLM 투여후 제 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 14, 21, 28일에 각각 도살한 다음 기관지폐포 세척술을 시행하여 시기별 총 세포수, 세포 구성성분비율을 살펴보았고 TGF-${\beta}_1$, PDGF, bFGF, IL-1, IL-6, TNF-$\alpha$에 대한 면역조직화학 염색, TGF-${\beta}_1$ mRNA에 대한 동소보합결합검사를 시행, 각 매개체의 생성소, 발현분포 및 정도를 분석하였다. 결 과 : BLM 투여후 1~7 일에 중성구와 기관지상피세포에서 생성된 IL-1, IL-6는 폐손상부위로 원하는 것으로 생각되며 7일이내에 기관지상피세포에서의 IL-1, IL-6 의 양성발현은 기관지상피세포가 BLM 유도 폐 섬유화시 기도주변에서 일어나는 염증 및 면역반응을 항진 및 유지시키는 간접증거로 생각된다. TNF-$\alpha$는 BLM투여후 1~5일에는 기관지상피세포, 중성구가 주생성소로 폐손상부위로의 염증세포의 이동에 주요역할을 하는 것으로 생각되며 7~28일에는 대식세포가 주생성소로서 섬유화를 촉진시키는 것으로 생각된다. TGF-${\beta}_1$은 기관지 상피세포, 대식세포가 주생성소로서 섬유모세포가 표적세포로 생각되며 섬유모세포가 세포외 기질을 생성하도록 자극하고 대식세포에서 유리된 PDGF와 함께 섬유모세포의 증식을 자극한다. 대식세포 및 섬유모세포에서 유리된 bFGF는 TGF-${\beta}_1$과 함께 교원질과 같은 세포외기질의 생성을 자극하는 것으로 여겨진다. 비타민 E와 BLM 병합투여군의 경우 6가지 성장인자 및 cytokine의 발현세포는 같았으나 발현세포수는 극히 미미하였고 trichrome염색상 섬유화도 미약하였다. 결 론 : BLM으로 인한 혈관내피 및 폐포상피세포 손상이후 침윤한 중성구 및 기관지 상피세포가 IL-1, IL-6, TNF-$\alpha$를 분비하여 BLM투여 1~7 일에 많은 수의 중성구를 동원하도록 유도하며 이들이 유리하는 다양한 효소 및 산소유리기가 폐의 정상구조를 파괴하여 섬유화를 시작하게 하는 것으로 생각한다. 손상이 진행됨에 따라 BLM투여 7~28 일에 대식세포가 유리하는 TGF-${\beta}_1$, PDGF, bFGF, TNF-$\alpha$는 섬유모세포를 자극, 이들의 증식을 유도하고 또한 세포외기질의 생성증가를 유도하여 폐 섬유화를 진행시키는 것으로 사료되며 TNF-$\alpha$는 BLM투여후 전 기간에 걸쳐 다수의 세포에서 발현된 점으로 미루어 섬유화에 있어서 TGF-${\beta}_1$ 못지않은 중요한 역할을 하는 것으로 여겨진다. 또한 비타민 E가 BLM유도 폐 손상으로 인한 폐 섬유화의 정도를 감소시키는 것으로 생각한다.

• 대한의생명과학회지
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• 제19권3호
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• pp.195-205
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• 2013

Obesity may cause metabolic syndrome and adult diseases. This study was undertaken to investigate the ameliorative or useful effects of beanleaves on inflammation and liver damage in obese rat models. Rats were divided into three groups: a control group (normal diet, n=6), a fat diet group (45%-fat diet, n=7), and a bean leaf group (45%-fat+Korean bean leaves diet, n=7). Body weights in the bean leaf group were lower than those of the fat group (P<0.05). Serum tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ (TNF-${\alpha}$) and prostaglandin $E_2$ ($PGE_2$) concentrations were lower in both the control and bean leaf groups than in the fat group (P<0.001). TNF-${\alpha}$ concentrations in the bean leaf group were slightly higher than in the control group but statistically significant (P<0.05). The bean leaf group histologically exhibited lower fatty degeneration, spotty necrosis, and leukocyte infiltrations in hepatic tissues than those of the fat group. In the homogenized liver tissues, the cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) gene was only expressed in the fat group. The gene expression levels of hepatic TNF-${\alpha}$, inducible nitric-oxide synthase, peroxiome proliferator-activated receptor-${\alpha}$ (PPAR-${\alpha}$), poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), and transforming growth factor-${\beta}1$ (TGF-${\beta}1$) were weaker in the bean leaf group than in the fat group. These results suggest that adding bean-leaves to the diet may ameliorate obesity-induced systemic inflammation and liver damage and that bean leaves may be a useful food for preventing obesity and thereby metabolic syndrome and adult diseases.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제62권3호
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• pp.95-101
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• 2019

Purpose: Increased apoptosis was recently found in the hypertrophied left ventricle of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). Although the available evidence suggests that apoptosis can be induced in cardiac cells by various insults including pressure overload, cardiac apoptosis appears to result from an exaggerated local production of angiotensin in adult SHRs. Altered expressions of Bcl associated X (Bax), Bcl-2, chemokine receptor (CCR)-2, monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1, transforming growth factor $(TGF)-{\beta}1$, phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinases (PERK), and connexin 43 proteins, and kallikrein mRNA were investigated to explore the effects of losartan on the SHR model. Methods: Twelve-week-old male rats were grouped as follows: control (C), SHR (hypertension: H), and losartan (L; SHRs were treated with losartan [10 mg/kg/day] for 5 weeks). Western blot and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assays were performed. Results: Expression of Bax, CCR-2, MCP-1, $TGF-{\beta}1$, PERK, and connexin 43 proteins, and kallikrein mRNA was significantly increased in the H group compared to that in the C group at weeks 3 and 5. Expression of Bax, CCR-2, MCP-1, $TGF-{\beta}1$, and connexin 43 proteins and kallikrein mRNA was significantly decreased after losartan treatment at week 5. PERK protein expression was significantly decreased after losartan treatment at weeks 3 and 5. Bcl-2 protein expression was significantly decreased in the H group compared to that in the C group at weeks 3 and 5. Conclusion: Losartan treatment reduced expression of Bax, CCR-2, MCP-1, $TGF-{\beta}1$, PERK, and connexin 43 proteins, and kallikrein mRNA in SHRs, along with decreased inflammation and apoptosis.

• Current Optics and Photonics
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• 제3권6호
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• pp.485-495
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• 2019

Photobiomodulation (PBM) using organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) surface light sources have recently been claimed to be the next generation of PBM light sources. However, the differences between light emitting diodes (LEDs) and OLED mechanisms in vitro and in vivo have not been well studied. In vivo mouse models were used to investigate the effects of OLED irradiation on cellular function and cutaneous wound healing compared to LED irradiation. Mice in the LED- and OLED-irradiated groups were subjected to irradiation with 6 J/㎠ LED and OLED (630 nm), respectively, for 14 days after wounding, and some mice were sacrificed for the experiments on days 3, 7, 10, and 14. To evaluate wound healing, we performed hematoxylin-eosin and Masson's trichrome staining and quantified collagen density by computerized image analysis. The results showed that the size of the wound, collagen density, neo-epidermis thickness, number of new blood vessels, and number of fibroblasts and neutrophils was significantly influenced by LED and OLED irradiation. The tissue levels of interleukin (IL)-β, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α were investigated by immunohistochemical staining. LED and OLED irradiation resulted in a significant increase in the tissue IL-β and IL-6 levels at the early stage of wound healing (P < 0.01), and a decrease in the tissue TNF-α level at all stages of wound healing (P < 0.05), compared to the no-treatment group. The expression levels of the genes encoding vascular endothelial growth factor and transforming growth factor-beta 1 were significantly increased in LED and OLED-irradiated wound tissue at the early stage of wound healing (P < 0.01) compared to the no-treatment group. Thus, OLED as well as LED irradiation accelerated wound healing by modulating the synthesis of anti-inflammatory cytokines and the expression levels of genes encoding growth factors, promoting collagen regeneration and reducing scarring. In conclusion, this suggests the possibility of OLED as a new light source to overcome the limitations of existing PBMs.

• 한국축산식품학회지
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• 제32권5호
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• pp.635-643
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• 2012

As an appraisal for the application of a new starter culture, more than 200 lactic acid bacteria strains were isolated from raw milk and healthy human feces. The strains showing excellent growth and acid production ability in 10% skim milk media were selected and identified as Lactobacillus casei based on the results of their API carbohydrate fermentation patterns, as well as 16S rDNA sequence analysis. To assess the effect of L. casei strains on irritable bowel disease (IBD), the inhibitory effect of the selected strains against the nitric oxide (NO) production of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells was measured. Among the tested L. casei strains, L. casei MCL was observed to have the greatest NO inhibitory activity. Additionally, L. casei MCL was found to inhibit mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-$1{\beta}$, IL-6, TNF-${\alpha}$), as well as cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) involved in pathophysiologic processes such as inflammation. The mRNA expression of anti-inflammatory cytokines, including IL-10 and transforming growth factor-$1{\beta}$ (TGF-${\beta}$) of L. casei MCL, was confirmed using quantitative real-time PCR. In conclusion, L. casei MCL showed decreases in the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and up-regulated expression of the anti-inflammatory cytokine.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• 제14권6호
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• pp.377-384
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• 2010

The present study examined whether metformin treatment prevents isoporterenol-induced cardiac hypertrophy in mice. Chronic subcutaneous infusion of isoproterenol (15 mg/kg/24 h) for 1 week using an osmotic minipump induced cardiac hypertrophy measured by the heart-to-body weight ratio and left ventricular posterior wall thickness. Cardiac hypertrophy was accompanied with increased interleukin-6 (IL-6), transforming growth factor (TGF)-${\beta}$, atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), collagen I and III, and matrix metallopeptidase 2 (MMP-2). Coinfusion of metformin (150 mg/kg/24 h) with isoproterenol partially inhibited cardiac hypertrophy that was followed by reduced IL-6, TGF-${\beta}$, ANP, collagen I and III, and MMP-2. Chronic subcutaneous infusion of metformin did not increase AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activity in heart, although acute intraperitoneal injection of metformin (10 mg/kg) increased AMPK activity. Isoproterenol increased nitrotyrosine levels and mRNA expression of antioxidant enzyme glutathione peroxidase and metformin treatment normalized these changes. These results suggest that metformin inhibits cardiac hypertrophy through attenuating oxidative stress.

• Toxicological Research
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• 제26권4호
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• pp.245-252
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• 2010

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a complex process in which epithelial cells acquire the characteristics of invasive mesenchymal cells. EMT has been implicated in cancer progression and metastasis as well as the formation of many tissues and organs during development. Epithelial cells undergoing EMT lose cell-cell adhesion structures and polarity, and rearrange their cytoskeletons. Several oncogenic pathways such as transforming growth factor (TGF)-$\beta$, Wnt, and Notch signaling pathways, have been shown to induce EMT. These pathways have activated transcription factors including Snail, Slug, and the ZEB family which work as transcriptional repressors of E-cadherin, thereby making epithelial cells motile and resistant to apoptosis. Mounting evidence shows that EMT is associated with cell invasion and tumor progression. In this review, we summarize the characteristic features of EMT, pathways leading to EMT, and the role of EMT in cell invasion. Three topics are addressed in this review: (1) Definition of EMT, (2) Signaling pathways leading to EMT, (3) Role of EMT in cell invasion. Understanding the role of EMT in cell invasion will provide valuable information for establishing strategies to develop anti-metastatic therapeutics which modulate malignant cellular processes mediated by EMT.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• 제33권1호
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• pp.39-45
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• 2006

This study is to examine the relationship between TGF-b1 expression and CTGF expression, and to evaluate the effect of Sp1 blockade on the expression of TGF-b1, CTGF and extracellular genes, clones of fibroblasts stably transfected with Sp1 decoy ODN. R-Sp1 decoy ODN was highly resistant to degradation by nucleases or serum, compared to the linear or phosphorothioated-Sp1 decoy ODN. Skin wounds were created on the back of 36 anesthetized rats. They were divided into four groups-the rats with normal skin, with wounded skin without decoy, with wounded skin injected with R-Sp1 decoy, and with wounded skin injected with mismatched R-Sp1 decoy, respectively. Skins were collected at 3rd, 5th, 7th, 14th day after wounding. Cellular RNA was extracted by RT-PCR analysis. TGF-${\beta}1$ and CTGF were deeply related with skin fibrosis during scar formation and it appeared that TGF-${\beta}1$ may cause the induction of CTGF expression. R-Sp1 decoy ODN inhibited TGF-${\beta}1$ and CTGF expression both in cultured fibroblasts and in the skin of rats. These results indicate that targeting Sp1 with R-type decoy efficiently blocks extracellular matrix gene expression, and suggest an important new therapeutic approach to control the scarring in normal wound healing and fibrotic disorders.