• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.802-808
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to develop an aloin-loaded wound dressing with an enhanced healing effect. The cross-linked hydrogel films were prepared with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and carboxyl methyl cellulose (CMC) using a freeze-thawing (F-T) method. Their gel properties, release of drug, in vivo wound healing effect and histopathology were then evaluated. In the wound healing test, this aloin loaded PVA/CMC hydrogel showed faster healing of the wound made in rat dorsum than the aloin carbomer 934 gel or the control (carbomer 934 gel) due to phytochemical activity of aloin and moisture of CMC. In conclusion, the aloin-loaded wound dressing composed of 5% PVA, 5% CMC and 0.125% aloin is a potential wound dressing with enhanced wound healing effect.

• Journal of Radiation Industry
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.199-207
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• 2015

Typical radiation cross-linked hydrogels has the characteristic that high water content, but low emission efficiency of active ingredients. Therefore, the hydrogel was prepared by the addition to collagen, which is closely related to the formation of skin wrinkles in biocompatibility and highly water-soluble carboxymethyl cellulose sodium salt (CMC) in order to preparation of hydrogels has excellent emission efficiency of active ingredients. Hydrogels were prepared by dissolving CMC and collagen each of 0.5%, 10% concentration in deionized water. Then, prepared hydrogels are performed by gamma-radiation at 1, 3, 5 kGy irradiation dose. The results showed that the gel fraction of after irradiated 3 kGy hydrogel was higher than before irradiated gelation as long as the 55.3%. The swelling rate of irradiated 3 kGy hydrogel was lower than the non-irradiated sample. The compressive strength of 3 kGy irradiated hydrogel was the highest. The visco-elastic did not show any significant differences, even after irradiation. The CMC hydrogel in this study suggested a potential use as a material for the mask pack for improved emission efficiency of the active ingredient and anti-wrinkles.

• Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry
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• v.68
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• pp.229-237
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• 2018

Medical silicone tubes are generally used as implants for the treatment of nasolacrimal duct stenosis. However, side effects such as allergic reactions and bacterial infections have been reported following the silicone tube insertion, which cause surgical failure. These drawbacks can be overcome by modifying the silicone tube surface using a functional coating. Here, we report a biocompatible and superhydrophilic surface coating based on a polysaccharide multilayer nanofilm, which can load and release antibacterial and anti-inflammatory agents. The nanofilm is composed of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) and chitosan (CHI), and fabricated by layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly. The LbL-assembled CMC/CHI multilayer films exhibited superhydrophilic properties, owing to the rough and porous structure obtained by a crosslinking process. The surface coated with the superhydrophilic CMC/CHI multilayer film initially exhibited antibacterial activity by preventing the adhesion of bacteria, followed by further enhanced antibacterial effects upon releasing the loaded antibacterial agent. In addition, inflammatory cytokine assays demonstrated the ability of the coating to deliver anti-inflammatory agents. The versatile nanocoating endows the surface with anti-adhesion and drug-delivery capabilities, with potential applications in the biomedical field. Therefore, we attempted to coat the nanofilm on the surface of an ophthalmic silicone tube to produce a multifunctional tube suitable for patient-specific treatment.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.421-426
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• 2008

pH-responsive P(MAA-co-EGMA) hydrogel microparticles were synthesized via dispersion photo polymerization and the feasibility of the particles as the cosmetic formulation was investigated. Rh-B and the functional materials for the cosmetic application such as ascorbic acid, adenosine, EGCG, and arbutin were loaded in the P (MAA-co-EGMA) hydrogel microparticles in order to examine the interaction between the hydrogel and the loaded materials. In the loading experiments, Rh-B showed the highest loading efficiency to the P(MAA-co-EGMA) hydrogels due to the electrostatic attraction between the negative charge of the hydrogels and the positive charge of Rh-B at the ionized states. However, the functional materials showed relatively low loading efficiencies because of the electrostatic repulsions between the negative charges of both the hydrogels and the materials at the ionized states. In addition, P(MAA-co-EGMA) hydrogel microparticles showed pH-responsive release behavior of Rh-B according to the external pH changes.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.399-406
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• 1997

The effects of different $K^+$ channel blockers were investigated on the non-adrenergic non-cholinergic (NANC) relaxations in the circular muscle of the rabbit proximal stomach. Non-selective blockers of $K^+$ channels, 4-aminopyridine (4-AP, 3~30${\mu}M$) and tetraethylammonium (TEA, 100~1000${\mu}M$) significantly enhanced the NANC relaxations in a concentration-dependent manner. The enhancement was more prominent for the NANC relaxations induced by the electric field stimulation (EFS) with lower frequencies. Blockers of large conductance $Ca^{2+}$-activated $K^+$ channels, charybdotoxin and iberiotoxin, a blocker of small conduntance $Ca^{2+}$-activated $K^+$ channels, apamin and a blocker of ATP-sensitive $K^+$ channels, glibenclamide had no effect on the NANC relaxations, respectively. Exogeneous administration of nitric oxide (NO, 1~30${\mu}M$) caused concentration-dependent relaxations which showed a similarity to those obtained with EFS. None of the $K^+$ channel blockers had an effect on the concentration-dependent relaxation in response to NO. These results suggest that prejunctional $K^+$ channels regulate the release of NO from the NANC nerve in the rabbit proximal stomach as the inhibition of prejunctional $K^+$ channels increases the NANC relaxation induced by the EFS.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.15-24
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• 2022

The development of selective targeting of drug molecules towards the mitochondria is an important issue related to therapy efficacy. In this study, we report that gallic acid (GA)-mitochondria targeting sequence (MTS)-H₃R₉ exhibits a dual role as a mitochondria-targeting vehicle with antioxidant activity for disease therapy. In viability assays, GA-MTS-H₃R₉ showed a better rescue action compared to that of MTS-H₃R₉. GA-MTS-H₃R₉ dramatically exhibited cell penetration and intercellular uptake compared to MTS and fit escape from lysosome release to the cytosol. We demonstrated the useful targeting of GA-MTS-H₃R₉ towards mitochondria in AC16 cells. Also, we observed that the antioxidant properties of mitochondrial-accrued GA-MTS-H₃R₉ alleviated cell damage by reactive oxygen species production and disrupted mitochondrial membrane potential. GA-MTS-H₃R₉ showed a very increased cytoprotective effect against anticancer activity compared to that of MTS-H₃R₉. We showed that GA-MTS-H₃R₉ can act as a vehicle for mitochondria-targeting and as a reagent for therapeutic applications intended for cardiovascular disease treatment.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.48.1-48.10
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• 2021

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) encodes small envelope protein (E) that plays a major role in viral assembly, release, pathogenesis, and host inflammation. Previous studies demonstrated that pyrazine ring containing amiloride analogs inhibit this protein in different types of coronavirus including SARS-CoV-1 small envelope protein E (SARS-CoV-1 E). SARS-CoV-1 E has 93.42% sequence identity with SARS-CoV-2 E and shared a conserved domain NS3/small envelope protein (NS3_envE). Amiloride analog hexamethylene amiloride (HMA) can inhibit SARS-CoV-1 E. Therefore, we performed molecular docking and dynamics simulations to explore whether amiloride analogs are effective in inhibiting SARS-CoV-2 E. To do so, SARS-CoV-1 E and SARS-CoV-2 E proteins were taken as receptors while HMA and 3-amino-5-(azepan-1-yl)-N-(diaminomethylidene)-6-pyrimidin-5-ylpyrazine-2-carboxamide (3A5NP2C) were selected as ligands. Molecular docking simulation showed higher binding affinity scores of HMA and 3A5NP2C for SARS-CoV-2 E than SARS-CoV-1 E. Moreover, HMA and 3A5NP2C engaged more amino acids in SARS-CoV-2 E. Molecular dynamics simulation for 1 ㎲ (1,000 ns) revealed that these ligands could alter the native structure of the proteins and their flexibility. Our study suggests that suitable amiloride analogs might yield a prospective drug against coronavirus disease 2019.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.253-263
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• 2023

The biogenesis and biological roles of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in the progression of liver diseases have attracted considerable attention in recent years. EVs are membrane-bound nanosized vesicles found in different types of body fluids and contain various bioactive materials, including proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, and mitochondrial DNA. Based on their origin and biogenesis, EVs can be classified as apoptotic bodies, microvesicles, and exosomes. Among these, exosomes are the smallest EVs (30-150 nm in diameter), which play a significant role in cell-to-cell communication and epigenetic regulation. Moreover, exosomal content analysis can reveal the functional state of the parental cell. Therefore, exosomes can be applied to various purposes, including disease diagnosis and treatment, drug delivery, cell-free vaccines, and regenerative medicine. However, exosome-related research faces two major limitations: isolation of exosomes with high yield and purity and distinction of exosomes from other EVs (especially microvesicles). No standardized exosome isolation method has been established to date; however, various exosome isolation strategies have been proposed to investigate their biological roles. Exosome-mediated intercellular communications are known to be involved in alcoholic liver disease and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease development. Damaged hepatocytes or nonparenchymal cells release large numbers of exosomes that promote the progression of inflammation and fibrogenesis through interactions with neighboring cells. Exosomes are expected to provide insight on the progression of liver disease. Here, we review the biogenesis of exosomes, exosome isolation techniques, and biological roles of exosomes in alcoholic liver disease and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.81-89
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• 1992

Enuresis is a common voiding disorder among children. There are several therapeutic regimens for the disorder available today; behavioral therapies, psychotherapy, bladder training, sleep interruption, hypnosis and drug therapy. Recently, the efficacy of drug therapy has been acknowledged, particularly of antidepressants. Among the tricyclic antidepressants, imipramine is most frequently employed for the treatment of enuresis. Present study was undertaken to investigate the mechanism of imipramine on the contractility of urinary bladder in relation to the calcium modulation using isolated strips of rat detrusor urinae. 1. The electric fileld stimulation-induced contraction was abolished by imipramine, but partially inhibited by atropine. 2. Imipramine reduced the basal tone and diminished the phasic activity of detrusor muscle concentration-dependently, which was similar to that of diltiazem, a calcium channel blocker. 3. Imipramine suppressed the maximal responses and shifted the concentration-response curves of bethanechol and ATP to right. 4. Imipramine inhibited the calcium-induced recovery of tension in calcium-free physiologic salt solution (PSS) with a mode of action similar to that of diltizaem. 5. A23187, a calcium ionophore recovered the basal tone which had been reduced by imipramine in normal PSS. 6. In calcium-free PSS, A23187 could recover the abolished basal tone with the pretreatment of imipramine, but it exerted a partial recovery with the pretreatment of TMB-8, an inhibitor of intracellular calcium release. Based on these results, it is suggested that the inhibitory action of imipramine on the detrusor muscle exerted in part by blockade of the muscarinic and purinergic receptors, and interference with the influx of extracellular calcium, but not with the release of intracellular stored calcium, is involved in its mechanism of action.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.293-299
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• 2001

Background : Sustained-release theophylline, which is generally prescribed as a twice-daily equal-dose regimen, is one of the more common asthma treatments. The development of a sustained-release drug delivery technology that enables improved control of the theophylline blood levels represents a significant advancement in both the efficacy and safety of dosing. Method : A crossover study was conducted with 25 adult chronic asthmatic patients requiring daily bronchodilator therapy. The study group included thirteen males and twelve females with ages ranging from 19 to 71 years. The overall approach was to place the patients first on the twice-daily preparation($Etheophyl^{(R)}$) for 28 days at 8 AM and 8 PM, and measure the pulmonary function and theophylline level on the 28th day. The patients were subsequently switched to the once-daily preparation($Uniphyl^{(R)}$) in the same daily dose at 8 PM on the 29th day and the same parameters were measured on the 56th day. Results : The mean serum levels of theophylline were $8.18{\pm}1.66\;{\mu}g/ml$ in the $Etheophyl^{(R)}$-treated period and $8.00{\pm}1.75\;{\mu}g/ml$ in the $Uniphyl^{(R)}$-treated period. ln addition, the $FEV_1$ showed $71.40{\pm}7.48$ percent in the $Etheophyl^{(R)}$-treated and $69.18{\pm}9.00$ percent in the $Uniphyl^{(R)}$-treated period. Thus there were no significant differences between the once-daily and twice-daily preparation. Conclusion : The results indicated little clinical differences between the two medications. The two drugs are equally effective in controlling asthma over the four weeks of treatment.