• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
• /
• v.49 no.2
• /
• pp.192-197
• /
• 2006

Purpose : Vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF) is a key cytokine for controlling vascular permeability and angiogenesis, which is one of the major findings in airway remodeling. However, it is not well known if it is associated with acute lower respiratory tract disease such as lobar pneumonia. The aim of this study is to compare serum VEGF levels in patients with asthma according to its severity and duration of cough, and to compare its levels with children with lobar pneumonia. Methods : Using a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, the serum VEGF levels were measured in 16 mild asthmatics, 14 moderate to severe asthmatics, six children with lobar pneumonia, and 22 control subjects. The asthmatics were also classified into three groups according to the duration of cough. Serum VEGF levels were compared in each group. Results : Serum VEGF levels were significantly increased in the children with moderate to severe asthma and lobar pneumonia compared to the children with mild asthma and control subjects. Serum VEGF levels were higher in children with chronic coughs of more than two weeks than in children with coughs lasting less than two weeks. Serum levels of VEGF showed positive correlations with blood platelet and white blood cell counts. Conclusion : VEGF increased according to the severity of asthma and duration of cough in children with asthma. It may play an important role not only in chronic airway inflammation, but also in the acute inflammation in children with lower respiratory tract disease.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
• /
• v.31 no.6
• /
• pp.47-57
• /
• 2010

Objective: The present study investigated the effect of ethanol extract of Cynanchum wilfordii (ECW) on vascular relaxation and vascular inflammation in rat artery isolated from rats and anti-inflammatory activity in human aortic smooth muscle cells (HASMC). Methods: Vascular tone and guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP) production were examined in rat artery isolated from Sprague Dawley rats, in the presence of ECW. HASMC were incubated with tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-${\alpha}$) or Angiotensin II for 24 h. Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and anti-oxidant activity of ECW was investigated by pretreatment with ECW in HASMC. Results: Cumulative treatment of ECW relaxed aortic smooth muscles of rats in a dose-dependent manner. ECW-induced vasorelaxation was significantly decreased by pretreatment of L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) or oxadiazolo-quinoxalinone (ODQ). Furthermore, ECW treatment of thoracic aorta significantly increased cGMP production. Incubation of ECW with ODQ or L-NAME markedly decreased ECW-induced cGMP production. ECW treatment dose-dependently suppressed TNF-${\alpha}$- or Angiotensin II-induced increase in matrix metalloproteinase-2 expression in HASMC. Also, ECW exhibited 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity in vitro and reduced TNF-${\alpha}$-induced increase in reactive oxygen species production in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusions: Taken together, the results suggest that ECW exerts vascular relaxation via NO/cGMP signaling pathway and decreases MMP-2 expression via anti-oxidant activity.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
• /
• v.35 no.1
• /
• pp.27-33
• /
• 2010

Periodontal disease is a major oral disorder and comprises a group of infections that lead to inflammation of the gingiva and the destruction of periodontal tissues. $PPAR{\gamma}$ plays an important role in the regulation of several metabolic pathways and has recently been implicated in inflammatory response pathways. However, its effects on periodontal inflammation have yet to be clarified. In our current study, we evaluated the anti-inflammatory effects of $PPAR{\gamma}$ on periodontal disease. Human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs) treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) showed high levels of intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), and -9 (MMP-9). Moreover, these cells also showed upregulated activities for extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK1/2), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygnase-2. However, cells treated with Ad/$PPAR{\gamma}$ and rosiglitazone in same culture system showed reduced ICAM-1, VCAM-1, MMP-2, -9 and COX-2. Finally, the anti-inflammatory effects of $PPAR{\gamma}$ appear to be mediated via the suppression of the ERK1/2 pathway and consequent inhibition of NF-kB translocation. Our present findings thus suggest that $PPAR{\gamma}$ indeed has a pivotal role in gingival inflammation and may be a putative molecular target for future therapeutic strategies to control chronic periodontal disease.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
• /
• v.24 no.4
• /
• pp.489-495
• /
• 2011

These studies were conducted to investigate the effects an herbal extract composition(MHE) containing $Hovenia$ $dulcis$ T., $Artemisa$ $capillaris$ T., $Pueraria$ $thunbergiana$ B., $Polygonatum$ $falcatum$ A., $Agastache$ $rugosa$ O., $Silybum$ $marianum$ L. and $Glycyrrhiza$ $uralensis$ F. in alcohol administered mice. Prophylactic administration of different doses of MHE(20~100 mg/kg) had beneficial actions toward alcohol degradation in acute alcohol treated mice. In addition, intraperitoneal administration of the MHE showed anti-inflammatory effects in inhibition tests of vascular permeability produced by acetic acid. MHE also reduced the concentrations of nitric oxide(NO) and tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-${\alpha}$ in macrophages that were activated by LPS. These results demonstrate that MHE possesses the potential to stimulate alcohol degradation and inhibit inflammatory effects in mice.

• Neonatal Medicine
• /
• v.18 no.2
• /
• pp.165-176
• /
• 2011

The pathologic hallmark of new bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is an arrest in alveolarization and vascular development. Alveoli are the fully mature gas-exchange units and alveolarization denotes the process through which the developing lung attains its fully mature structure. In human, alveolarization is mainly a postnatal event and begins in utero around 35 postmenstrual weeks and continues to 2 postnatal years. Beginning of respiration with very immature lungs as a result of preterm delivery renders the immature lung to be exposed to various injuries such as mechanical stretch, hyperoxia, infection/inflammation and leads to a disruption of normal alveolarization process, which is a main pathologic finding of BPD. Better understanding of the control mechanisms of normal alveolarization process should help us to figure out the pathophysiology of BPD and discover effective preventive or therapeutic measures for BPD. In this review, the pathologic evolution of BPD from 'old' to 'new' BPD, the detailed mechanisms of normal alveolarization, and the factors that disrupt normal alveolarization will be discussed.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
• /
• v.23 no.4
• /
• pp.542-548
• /
• 2010

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of Acanthopanax senticosus extracts(ASE) on alcohol administered mice. The administration of Acanthopanax senticosus extracts(60 mg/kg) had beneficial actions toward alcohol degradation in acute alcohol treated mice. In the acute alcohol degradation experiment, serum alcohol concentration were lower 3 and 6 hours after taking ethanol(5 g/kg) in ASE treated mice. The oral administration of ASE showed decreased gastric mucous membrane damage produced in ethanol treated mice. In addition, intraperitoneal(i.p.) administration of ASE showed antiinflammatory effects in inhibition tests of vascular permeability produced by acetic acid. ASE also reduced concentrations of nitric oxide(NO), tumor necrosis alpha(TNF)-${\alpha}$ and interleukin(IL)-6 in macrophages that were activated by LPS. These results demonstrate that Acanthopanax senticosus extracts possesses the potential to stimulate alcohol degradation and inhibit inflammatory effects in mice.

• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
• /
• v.19 no.2
• /
• pp.145-147
• /
• 2017

Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is generally characterized by lancinating, unilateral, paroxysmal pain occurring in the distribution of the fifth cranial nerve. TN is diagnosed clinically based on the typical patient history, negative findings in a neurologic examination, and the response to medication. Idiopathic TN is the most common type, but TN can result from vascular malformation, compression, trauma, neoplasm, multiple sclerosis, or inflammation. We report a TN case diagnosed as recurrent trigeminal neuritis of the maxillary branch confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
• /
• v.16 no.5
• /
• pp.796-801
• /
• 2007

This study was conducted to investigate antioxidant activity and anti-immunological inflammatory effect of Allium victorialis subsp. platyphyllum extracts (AVPEs). Antioxidant activities of AVPEs were determined by free radical scavenging assay and reducing power test. Leaf-part extract had comparatively better antioxidant activity than other-part extracts. Antioxidant activity of extracts had protective effect for human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) against superoxide anions secreted from activated neutrophils. Also, we observed AVPEs had inhibitory effects on the adherence of monocytic THP-1 to HUVEC monolayer to the basal level. Inhibitory effect on cell adhesion was caused by suppression of tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}\;(TNF-{\alpha})-upregulated$ expression of vascular cellular adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and E-selectin in HUVECs. From these results, we expect to support the evidence of anti-immunological inflammatory effects of Allium victorialis subsp. platyphyllum (AVP) as a Korean traditional pharmaceutical.

• Proceedings of the KAIS Fall Conference
• /
• 2011.05b
• /
• pp.1068-1071
• /
• 2011

Cyclooxygenases (COX)-2 has been highly expressed in a variety of tumor cells and involved inflammatory process, tumor-associated angiogenesis, and vascular functions but the underlying mechanism is not clearly elucidated. We here investigated the molecular mechanism by which COX-2 regulates tumor-associated angiogenesis. In vivo, we injected B16-F1 cells overexpressed with COX-2 or mock in wild type or eNOS-deficient mice. Tumor cells overexpressed with COX-2 increase tumor-associated angiogenesis and tumor growth compared with control cells and that the effect of COX-2 was lower in eNOS-deficient mice than wild type mice. These results may contribute to further understanding of the regulation of angiogenesis by COX during tumor metastasis and inflammation.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.2 no.1
• /
• pp.71-76
• /
• 1994

Anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities and skin irritation of piroxicam patch were investigated. Piroxicam patch increased the pain threshold in rat hind paw inflamed by carrageenan and inhibited writhing induced by acetic acid in mice. Piroxicam patch also inhibited the carrageenan-induced edema in rat hind paw as well as the increased vascular permeability induced by histamine in rats. In adjuvant arthritis of rats, piroxicam patch showed anti-inflammatory effects. Skin irritation of piroxicam patch was tested in Newzealand White rabbits and evaluated by Primary Irritation Index of Draize. The results from skin irritation test showed that piroxicam patch seemed practically non-irritating. The result from the present study indicates that piroxicam may be useful without serious side effects as anti-inflammatory analgesics in this patch form.