• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.257-262
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• 2015

It is well known that cigarette smoke can cause erectile dysfunction by affecting the penile vascular system. However, the exact effects of nicotine on the corpus cavernosum remains poorly understood. Nicotine has been reported to cause relaxation of the corpus cavernosum; it has also been reported to cause both contraction and relaxation. Therefore, high concentrations of nicotine were studied in strips from the rabbit corpus cavernosum to better understand its effects. The proximal penile corpus cavernosal strips from male rabbits weighing approximately 4 kg were used in organ bath studies. Nicotine in high concentrations ($10^{-5}{\sim}10^{-4}M$) produced dose-dependent contractions of the corpus cavernosal strips. The incubation with $10^{-5}M$ hexamethonium (nicotinic receptor antagonist) significantly inhibited the magnitude of the nicotine associated contractions. The nicotine-induced contractions were not only significantly inhibited by pretreatment with $10^{-5}M$ indomethacin (nonspecific cyclooxygenase inhibitor) and with $10^{-6}M$ NS-398 (selective cyclooxygenase inhibitor), but also with $10^{-6}M$ Y-27632 (Rho kinase inhibitor). Ozagrel (thromboxane $A_2$ synthase inhibitor) and SQ-29548 (highly selective TP receptor antagonist) pretreatments significantly reduced the nicotine-induced contractile amplitude of the strips. High concentrations of nicotine caused contraction of isolated rabbit corpus cavernosal strips. This contraction appeared to be mediated by activation of nicotinic receptors. Rho-kinase and cyclooxygenase pathways, especially cyclooxygenase-2 and thromboxane $A_2$, might play a pivotal role in the mechanism associated with nicotine-induced contraction of the rabbit corpus cavernosum.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.319-323
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• 2012

In recent years, egg allergy has been raised as the most prevalent food hypersensitivity in the pediatric population. One of the major egg allergens is ovalbumin (OVA) which is the major protein in egg white, comprising 54% of its total protein content. Parthenolide isolated from Tanacetum partheniumb has been used to treat many chronic diseases for many years. In the present report, we present biochemical evidence that parthenolide inhibits the nuclear factor-${\kappa}B$ (NF-${\kappa}B$) activation induced by OVA. Parthenolide also inhibits OVA-induced cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression. These data suggest new approaches for the efficient alleviation of the allergic symptoms.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.17
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• pp.89-96
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• 2001

Recently, considerable attention has been focused on the role of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in the carcinogenesis as well as in inflammation. Improperly overexpressed COX-2 has been observed in many types of human cancers and transformed cells in culture. Thus, it is conceivable that targeted inhibition of abnormally or improperly up-regulated COX-2 provides one of the most effective and promising strategies for cancer prevention. A ubiquitous eukaryotic transcription factor, NF-kB is considered to be involved in regulation of COX-2 expression. Furthermore, extracellular-regulated protein kinase and p38 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase appear to be key elements of the intracellular signaling cascades involved in NF-kB activation in response to a wide array of external stimuli. Certain chemopreventive phytochemicals suppress activation of NF-kB by blocking one or more of the MAP kinases, which may contribute to their inhibitory effects on COX-2 induction. One of the plausible mechanisms by which chemopreventive phytochemicals inhibit NF-kB activation involves suppression of degradation of the inhibitory unit I kB, which hampers subsequent translocation of p65, the functionally active subunit of NF-kB.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.270-274
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• 2013

Egg allergy has been raised as the most prevalent food hypersensitivity in children. Ovalbumin (OVA), which is one of the major egg allergens, is the major protein in egg white. Isoliquiritigenin (ILG) is an active component present in licorice and has been used to treat many chronic diseases for many years. In this study, we present biochemical evidence that ILG inhibits OVA-induced nuclear factor-${\kappa}B$ (NF-${\kappa}B$) activation. ILG also inhibits OVA-induced cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression. These data suggest that ILG has anti-allergy effects.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Toxicology Conference
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• 2002.05a
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• pp.80-80
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• 2002

Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is an inducible enzyme expressed in response to a variety of cytokines. The presence of oncogenic ras has been associated with sustained induction of COX-2, which confers resistance to apoptosis. Contrary to the above notion, we found that MCF10A-ras cells treated with an anti-tumor agent, ET-18-O-$CH_3$, underwent apoptosis as revealed by proteolytic cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase, pro-caspase 3 activity, and TUNEL staining, while the same treatment caused an increased expression of COX-2 as well as the elevated production of prostaglandin E$_2$(PGE$_2$).(omitted)

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.855-863
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• 2006

Objectives : This study was performed to evaluate effects of Yangsim-tang extract (YST) on hemodynamics (regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and mean arterial blood pressure (MABP) ) in normal rats, and effects of cyclooxygenase and guanylate cyclase under YST. Methods : Laser-Doppler flowmetry (LDF) measured changes of rCBF, and a data acquisition system assembled with MacLab and Macintosh measured changes of MABP. Results : YST significantly increased rCBF, but did not change MABP. Pretreatment with indomethacin significantly inhibited rCBF increased by YST, but pretreatment with methylene blue did not significantly inhibit rCBF increased by YST. Conclusions : YST increases rCBF, and the action of this response is mediated by cyclooxygenase.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.155-168
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• 1996

The active site of cyclooxygenase was modeled by complementary receptor-cavity mapping procedure using 3D structures of the non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). A total of 50 NSAIDs were chosen as data ligands which compete the same site on the enzyme. Partial atomic charges were estimated, and the energetic differences for various conformations were calculated so as to meet the need for a most efficient overlapping of the probably-equivalent functional groups of the ligand molecules. The structure activity relationships of the NSAIDs, if available, were fully considered throughout the modeling. The overall shape of the model obtained is similar to a boot-without-bottom. Most of inner surface of the cavity appeared as hydrophobic; two polar counterparts except the carboxyl-binding position were found. By this model, some clear explanations could be given on the experimental observations which were not satisfiably understood yet.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Toxicology Conference
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• 2003.10b
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• pp.139-140
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• 2003

Inflammatory as well as oxidative tissue damage has been implicated in pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD), and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have been reported to have beneficial effects in the treatment or prevention of AD. In the present study, we investigated the effect of celecoxib, a selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor, on inflammatory cell death induced by beta-amyloid, a neurotoxic peptide associated with senile plaques formed in the brains of patients with AD.(omitted)

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.62 no.2
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• pp.149-155
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• 2019

Elicitor treatment was performed to increase the anti-inflammatory activity of useful biological sources. The result showed that elicitor-treated Saururus chinensis leaf extracts positively affected nitric oxide (NO) production, and the expression of inducible NO synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 compared to extracts not exposed to elicitor treatment. This finding identified elicitor treatment as a suitable strategy for increasing the biological activity of S. chinensis. Therefore, elicitor-treated S. chinensis is useful both as health functional and medicinal materials.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2003.10b
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• pp.113.2-113.2
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• 2003

Inducible cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) has been implicated in the processes of inflammation and carcinogenesis. Thus, the potential COX-2 inhibitors have been considered as anti-inflammatory or cancer chemopreventive agents. In this study, we investigated the effect of Caffeoyl-4-dihydrocaffeoyl quinic acid (CDCQ) isolated from Salicornia herbacea on the expression of cyclooxygenase (COX-2) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated RAW 264.7 macrophages. When CDCQ was treated with LPS, the prostaglandin $E_2$ production and COX-2 gene expression induced by LPS were markedly reduced in a dose-dependent manner. (omitted)