• Journal of Haehwa Medicine
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.793-825
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• 1999

For the development of drugs for alzheimer,s disease, the study was done to review the oriental pathology, clinical data, recent trends for research and strategy for future study. The results were as follows: 1. The medical term Chi-dsi implying alzheimer,s disease was referred for the first time in a medical book, Hwatasheneubijeon written by Hwa-Ta and its differentiation and treatment were studied more in Ming or Ching dynasties. Chi-dai can be differentated as weak(虛) syndrome and Shi(實) syndrome. This can be caused by deficiencies of renal Yin, renal Yang, cardiac Yin and hepatic blood, while that by deficiencies of pathological fluid(痰飮) and clotted blood(瘀血). 2. Dementia can be roughly classified as alzheimer's disease and multi-infarct disease. Its causes were known to be cholinergic transmitter, C-peptide, amyloid-${\beta}$, apolipoprotein, APP(amyloid precursor protein), TGF, MMP-9 and free radical. 3. In Korea experimental studies were chiefly done for the elimataion of C-peptide, amyloid-${\beta}$, apolipoprotein, APP for alzheimer's disease, for the development of drug inhibiting degerative change following CVA and loss of memory and also administrative measure was done by support of government. 4. Drugs of dimentia developed so far were Chi-Dai dan, extracts from aloe, mushroom, green tea, Ganoderma and also folic acid, vitamin C, DHEA and silk amino acid were reported to be effective in dimenta. 5. Future strategic research had better be done on dementia-inducing factors such as acetylcholine, C-peptide, amyloid-${\beta}$, apolipoprotein, APP, TGF, MMP-9 and free radical, development of animal model for dimentia, clinical study, epidemiology, nursing and administrative studies and also consortium for dimentia research should be formed so that repeated investment be avoided.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.227-237
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• 2022

Amyloid beta (Aβ) is produced from an amyloid precursor protein by the activation of the amyloidogenic pathway, and it is widely known to cause Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this study, we investigated the neuroprotective effects of three flavonoids, quercitrin, isoquercitrin, and afzelin, from Acer okamotoanum against Aβ-induced neurotoxicity in SH-SY5Y neuronal cells. Aβ_25-35 treatments resulted in decreased cell viability and increased levels of nuclei condensation and fragmentation. However, an isoquercitrin treatment dose-dependently increased cell viability and decreased nuclei condensation and fragmentation levels. SH-SY5Y cells treated with Aβ_25-35 showed increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production compared to that from cells not treated with Aβ_25-35. However, treatment with the three flavonoids significantly inhibited ROS production compared to an Aβ_25-35-treated control group, indicating that the three flavonoids blocked neuronal oxidative stress. For a closer examination of the neuroprotective mechanisms, we measured the expressions of the non-amyloidogenic pathway-related proteins of a disintegrin and metalloprotease 10 (ADAM10) and the tumor necrosis factor-α converting enzyme (TACE). An isoquercitrin treatment enhanced the expressions of ADAM10 compared to the control group. In addition, the three flavonoids activated the non-amyloidogenic pathway via the upregulation of TACE. In conclusion, we demonstrated neuroprotective effects of three flavonoids from A. okamotoanum, in particular isoquercitrin, on neurotoxicity by the regulation of the non-amyloidogenic pathway in Aβ_25-35-treated SH-SY5Y cells. Therefore, we suggest that flavonoids from A. okamotoanum may have some potential as therapeutics of AD.

• Journal of Haehwa Medicine
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.11-26
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• 2003

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by amyloid deposition and associated loss of neunons in brain regions involved in learning and memory processes. Several causes of evidence support that the congnitive disturbance is closed associated with the deficit of cerebral acetylcholine neurotransmission, and the effect of carboxyl terminal 105 amino acid fragment (CT105) of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) on the gene expression of proinflammatory cytokines. We tested it on the scopolamine-induced amnesia model of the ICR mouse using the Morris water maze with repeated orally administration of 1st Green-Tea extract (200 mg/kg) and 2nd Green-Tea extract (200 mg/kg). The Green-Tea prevents impairment of learning and memory and neuronal loss in mouse models of cognitive disturbance and it demonstrated selectivity for inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE). Furthermore, the repeated administration of Green-Tea, CT105-induced alzheimer's mouse model showed central cholinergic activity by ameliorates learning and memory impairment, and isolation of CD14 microglia showed significantly decreases intracellular release of the proinflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$, interleukin-$1{\beta}$ and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Because of its composite profile, oral therapeutic index and a prophylactic, Green-Tea is considered the better therapeutic candidate for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.79-115
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• 2002

This research investigates the effect of the Crataegus pinnatifida BGE. var. major N.E. BR(CPVM) on Alzheimer's disease. Specifically, the effects of the DYHT extract on (1) $IL-1{\beta}$, IL-6, amyloid precursor proteins(APP), acetylcholinesterase(AChE), and glial fibrillary acidic protein(GFAP) mRNA of PC-12 cells treated with CTI05; (2) the AChE activity and the APP production of PC-12 cell treated with CT105; (3) the behavior; and (4) expression of $IL-1{\beta}$, $TNF-{\alpha}$, reactive oxygen species(ROS), nitrite oxide(NO); and (5) the infarction area of the hippocampus, and brain tissue injury in Alzheimer's diseased mice induced with CT105 were investigated. The results are as follow. 1. The CPVM extract suppressed the expression of $IL-1{\beta}$, IL-6, APP, AChE, and GFAP mRNA in PC-12 cells treated with CT105. 2. The CPVM extract suppressed the AChE activity and the production of APP significantly in PC-12 cells treated with CT105. 3. The CPVM extract group showed a significant inhibitory effect on the memory deficit for the mice with Alzheimer's disease induced by CT105 in the Morris water maze experiment. 4. The CPVM extract suppressed the over-expression of $IL-1{\beta}$, $TNF-{\alpha}$, ROS and NO in the mice with Alzheimer's disease induced by CT105. 5. The CPVM extract reduced the infarction area of hippocampus, and controlled the injury of brain tissue in the mice with Alzheimer's disease induced by CT105. These results suggest that the CPVM extract may be effective for the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.370-375
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• 2014

BACE2 is a membrane-bound aspartic protease that is highly homologous with BACE1. While BACE1 processes the amyloid precursor protein (APP) at a key step in generating ${\beta}$-amyloid peptide and presumably causes Alzheimer's disease (AD), BACE2 has not been demonstrated to be involved in APP processing directly, and its physiological functions are unknown. To determine its function and to develop inhibitors from marine sources, we constructed an overexpression vector for producing BACE2. The gene encoding human BACE2 protease was amplified using the polymerase chain reaction and cloned into the pET11a expression vector, resulting in pET11a/BACE2. Recombinant BACE2 protease was overexpressed successfully in E. coli as inclusion bodies, refolded using the rapid-dilution method, and purified via two-step fast protein liquid chromatography using Sephacryl S-300 gel filtration and Resource-Q column chromatography. The BACE2 protease produced was an active form. This study provides an efficient method not only for studying the basic properties of BACE2, but also for developing inhibitors from natural marine sources.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.157-171
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• 2001

Astrocytes are glial cells that play a major role in the inflammation observed in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Upon stimulation from various agents, these cells adopt a reactive phenotype, a morphological hallmark in AD pathology, during which they themselves may produce still more inflammatory cytokines. Substance P (SP) can stimulate secretion of tumor necrosis $factor-\;{\alpha}$ $(TNF-\;{\alpha})$ from astrocytes stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Here I report that Sunghyangjungkisan- ga- pogokyoung(Sgp) can modulate cytokines secretion from primary cultures of rat astrocytes. Sgp $(10\;to\;1000\;{\mu}g/ml)$ significantly inhibited the $TNF-\;{\alpha}$ secretion by astrocytes stimulated with LPS and SP. Interleukin-1 (IL-1) has been shown to elevate $TNF-\;{\alpha}$ secretion from LPS-stimulated astrocytes while having no effect on astrocytes in the absence of LPS. Treatment of Sgp $(10\;to\;1000\;{\mu}g/ml)$ to astrocytes stimulated with both LPS and SP decreased IL-1 secretion significantly. The secretion of $TNF-\;{\alpha}$ by LPS and SP in astrocytes was progressively inhibited with increasing amount of IL-1 neutralizing antibody. Neurodegenerative processes in AD are thought to be driven in part by the deposition of ${\beta}\;-amyloid\;(A\;{\beta})$, a 39- to 43-amino acid peptide product resulting from an alternative cleavage of amyloid precursor protein. Sgp $(10\;to\;1000\;{\mu}g/ml)$ significantly inhibited the $TNF-\;{\alpha}$ secretion by astrocytes stimulated with $A-{\beta}-$and IL-1. These results suggest that Sgp may inhibit $TNF-\;{\alpha}$ secretion by inhibiting IL-1 secretion and that Sgp has an antiinflammatory activity in AD brain

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2015

Alzheimer's disease is a common form of dementia occurring among the elderly population and can be identified by symptoms such as cognition impairments, memory loss and neuronal dysfunction. Alzheimer's disease was found to be caused by the deposition of $\beta$-amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. In addition, mutation in the APP (Amyloid precursor protein), Presenilin 1 (PSEN1) and Presenilin 2 (PSEN2) genes were also found to contribute to Alzheimer's disease. Since the potential conformational diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease requires histopathological tests on brain through autopsy, potential early diagnosis still remains challenging. In recent years, several researches have proposed the use of biomarkers for early diagnosis. In cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), $\beta$-amyloid(1-42), phosphorylated-tau and total tau were suggested to be effective biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease diagnosis. However, a single biomarker might not be sufficient for potential diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Thus, the use of RNA interference (RNAi) through microRNAs (miRNAs) has been proposed by several researchers for simultaneous analysis of several biomarkers using microarray technology. These miRNA based biomarkers can be analysed from both blood and CSF, but miRNAs from blood are advantageous over CSF as they are non-invasive and simple for collection. Moreover, the RNAi based therapeutics by siRNA (short interference RNA) or shRNA (short hairpin RNA) have also been proposed to be effective in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. This review describes the promising application of RNAi technology in therapeutics and as a biomarker for both Alzheimer's disease diagnosis and treatment.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.1215-1222
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• 2008

Recent studies indicate that the deposition of ${\beta}$-amyloid ($A{\beta}$) is associated with the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD), but the underlying mechanism is not clear yet. To investigate the effects of Jangwonhwangagambang (JWHG) extract on AD pathogenicity, we have generated transgenic Drosophila model in which GMR-APP-GAL4/UAS-GRIM system was designed to overexpress amyloid precursor protein(APP), We examined fly's survival ratio, flight behavior, and morphological patterns of chest and eye. We found that JWHG treatment improved fly's survival ratio by inhibiting apoptosis and flight behavior. APP-GRIM transgenic flies treated with JWHG showed had significantly lower levels of APP deposition in the chest and eye compared to control animals. JWHG treatment further inhibited chest and eye degeneration. These results suggest that JWHG prevents APP-induced neurotoxicity, and thus may be applicable for the development of preventive or therapeutic agents for AD treatment.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.603-616
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• 2006

The water extract of Gamiyaengshinhwan (GYH), has been used in vitro tests for its beneficial effects on neuronal survival and neuroprotective functions, particularly in connection with CT105-related dementias and Alzheimer's disease(AD). CT105 derived from proteolytic processing of the $\beta$-amyloid precursor protein (APP), including the amyloid-$\beta$ peptide ($A{\beta}$), plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's dementia. We determined that transfected overexpressing APP695 and $A{\beta}$ CT105 have a profound attenuation in the Increase in CT105 expressing neuro2A cells from GYH. Experimental evidence indicates that GYH protects against neuronal damage from cells, but its cellular and molecular mechanisms remain unknown. Using a neuroblastoma cell line stably expressing CT105-associated neuronal degeneration, we demonstrated that GYH inhibits formation of amyloid-$\beta$ fragment ($A{\beta}$ CT105). which are the characteristic, and possibly causative, features of AD. The decreased CT105 $A{\beta}$ in the presence of GYH was observed in the conditioned medium of this CT105-secreting cell line under in vitro. In the cells, GYH significantly attenuated mitochondrion-initiated apoptosis and decreased the activity of Bax, a key enzyme in the apoptosis cell-signaling cascade. These results suggest that neuronal damage in AD might be due to two factors: a direct CT05 toxicity and the apoptosis initiated by the mitochondria. Multiple cellular and molecular neuroprotective mechanisms, including attenuation of apoptosis and direct inhibition of CT105 aggregation, underlie the neuroprotective effects of GYH.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.1165-1170
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• 2008

The deposition of the amyloid $\beta}$ ($A{\beta}$)-peptide following proteolytic processing of amyloid precursor protein (APP) by $\beta$-secretase (BACE1) and $\gamma$-secretase is critical feature in the progress of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Consequently, BACE1, a key enzyme in the production of $A{\beta}$, is a prime target for therapeutic intervention in AD. In the course of searching for BACE1 inhibitors from natural sources, the ethyl acetate fraction of Petasites japonicus showed potent inhibitory activity. Two BACE1 inhibitors quercetin (QC) and kaempferol 3-O-(6"-acetyl)-$\beta$-glucopyranoside (KAG) were isolated from P. japonicus by activity-guided purification. QC, in particular, non-competitively attenuated BACE1 activity with $IC_{50}$ value of $2.1{\times}10^{-6}\;M$ and $K_i$ value of $3.7{\times}10^{-6}\;M$. Both compounds exhibited less inhibition of $\alpha$-secreatase (TACE) and other serine proteases including chymotrypsin, trypsin, and elastase, suggesting that they ere relatively specific and selective inhibitors to BACE1. Furthermore, both compounds significantly reduced the extracellular $A{\beta}$ secretion in $APP_{695}$-transfected B103 cells.