• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.34 no.10
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• pp.2909-2914
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• 2013

p-Hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD) is a potent herbicide target that is in current use. In this study, we developed a predictive pharmacophore model that uses known HPPD inhibitors based on a theoretically constructed HPPD homology model. The pharmacophore model derived from the three-dimensional (3D) structure of a target protein provides helpful information for analyzing protein-ligand interactions, leading to further improvement of the ligand binding affinity.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 1997.11a
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• pp.47-50
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• 1997

Drug development began with the finding of biologically active compounds which are obtained by chemical synthesis or from natural sources. The advent of Combinatorial Chemistry is recognized as a strategy which has a potential to change the methodology of research and development(R&D) of new drugs. Drug development has been carried out with diverse strategies. In the past several decades a variety of new methodology have been introduced in R&D. Random screening of accumulated synthetic samples which had been synthesized for development of other drugs led to the discovery of new drugs. The typical examples are anti-asthma drug trimethoquinol and calcium antagonist diltiazem. (herbesser). In particular the latter drug has been used as a calcium antagonist worldwide, however it was first synthesized to find new tranquilizer and this is the reason why diltiazem has benzodiazepam skeleton. The random screening contributed in the finding of new drugs were carried out with whole animal test and it is a standard methodology in R&D of new drugs. Aspirin is the first synthetic non-steroidal antiinflammatory drug(NSAID) and has been used for more than one hundred years. It is the first example of drug developed from natural product. Salicin is the main constituent of willow bark which had been used in Europe for a long time to treat arthritis and aspirin was developed from salicin. Most of NSAID used clinically were developed from the structure of aspirin, however it took 70 years to clarify why aspirin exhibits its antiinflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic activities. The target of aspirin is cyclooxygenase(COX)which is the first enzyme involved in arachidonate cascade leading to the production of prostaglandins(PG) and thromboxan(TX). Side effect of aspirin causing ulcer in stomach is rather serious problem, since aspirin is so popular drug easily obtained in drug store(OTP). This problem is now going to be solved by a new finding on COX, which have two different types, one is constitutionally expressed COX 1 in almost all organs and the other is inducible COX 2. COX 2 is the responsible enzyme in inflammation etc and now the search of COX 2 specific inhibitors is the target of R&D of next generation NSAID.

• BMB Reports
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.329-334
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• 2017

Protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) play crucial roles in signal transduction and their functional alteration has been detected in many diseases. PTP inhibitors have been developed as therapeutic drugs for diseases that are related to the activity of PTPs. In this study, PTP inhibitor XIX, an inhibitor of CD45 and PTEN, was investigated whether it inhibits other PTPs. Protein tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor type 2 (PTPN2) was selectively inhibited by the inhibitor in a competitive manner. Drug affinity responsive target stability (DARTS) analysis showed that the inhibitor induces conformational changes in PTPN2. Phosphorylation levels of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) at Tyr-705, a crucial site for STAT3 activation and target site of PTPN2, decreased upon exposure to the inhibitor. Our results suggest that PTP inhibitor XIX might be considered as an effective regulator of PTPN2 for treating diseases related to PTPN2.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.193-193
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• 2002

Methylmercury causes severe central nervous system disorders. Despite the efforts of many researchers, the mechanisms involved in methylmercury toxicity and the defense against this toxicity remain unknown. We focused on the fact that drug resistance is sometimes involved in elevation of the concentration of the intracellular target of the drug. (omitted)

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.41-45
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• 2007

Pharmacogenomics is the study that examines how genetic variations affect the ways in which people respond to drugs. The ways people respond to drugs are complex traits that are influenced by many different genes. Pharmacogenomics intends to develop rational means of optimizing drug therapy, with respect to the patients' genotype, to maximize efficacy with minimal adverse drug reactions. Pharmacogenomics has the potential to revolutionize the practice of medicine, and promises to usher in an area of personalized medicine, in which drugs and drug combinations are optimized for each individual's unique genetic makeup. Indeed, pharmacogenomics is exploited as an essential step for target discovery and drug development in the pharmaceutical industry. The goal of the personalized medicine is to get the right dose of the right drug to the right patient at the right time. In this article, we will review the use of pharmacogenomics in drug discovery and development.

• Biomaterials and Biomechanics in Bioengineering
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 2015

Despite recent progresses in nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems, there are still many unsolved limitations. Most of all, a major obstacle in current nanoparticle-based drug carrier is the lack of sufficient drug delivery into target cells due to various biological barriers, such as: extracellular matrix, endolysosomal barrier, and drug-resistance associated proteins. To circumvent these limitations, several research groups have utilized photochemical internalization (PCI), an extension of photodynamic therapy (PDT), in design of innovative and efficient nano-carriers drug delivery. This review presents an overview of a recent research on utilization of PCI in various fields including: anti-cancer therapy, protein delivery, and tissue engineering.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.7-15
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• 2016

Objectives: Malaria has been a major global health problem in recent times with increasing mortality. Current treatment methods include parasiticidal drugs and vaccinations. However, resistance among malarial parasites to the existing drugs has emerged as a significant area of concern in anti-malarial drug design. Researchers are now desperately looking for new targets to develop anti-malarials drug which is more target specific. Malarial parasites harbor a plastid-like organelle known as the 'apicoplast', which is thought to provide an exciting new outlook for the development of drugs to be used against the parasite. This review elaborates on the current state of development of novel compounds targeted againstemerging malaria parasites. Methods: The apicoplast, originates by an endosymbiotic process, contains a range of metabolic pathways and housekeeping processes that differ from the host body and thereby presents ideal strategies for anti-malarial drug therapy. Drugs are designed by targeting the unique mechanism of the apicoplasts genetic machinery. Several anabolic and catabolic processes, like fatty acid, isopenetyl diphosphate and heme synthess in this organelle, have also been targeted by drugs. Results: Apicoplasts offer exciting opportunities for the development of malarial treatment specific drugs have been found to act by disrupting this organelle's function, which wouldimpede the survival of the parasite. Conclusion: Recent advanced drugs, their modes of action, and their advantages in the treatment of malaria by using apicoplasts as a target are discussed in this review which thought to be very useful in desigining anti-malarial drugs. Targetting the genetic machinery of apicoplast shows a great advantange regarding anti-malarial drug design. Critical knowledge of these new drugs would give a healthier understanding for deciphering the mechanism of action of anti-malarial drugs when targeting apicoplasts to overcome drug resistance.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.268-275
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• 2014

The harshness of legionellosis differs from mild Pontiac fever to potentially fatal Legionnaire's disease. The increasing development of drug resistance against legionellosis has led to explore new novel drug targets. It has been found that phosphoglucosamine mutase, phosphomannomutase, and phosphoglyceromutase enzymes can be used as the most probable therapeutic drug targets through extensive data mining. Phosphoglucosamine mutase is involved in amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism. The purpose of this study was to predict the potential target of that specific drug. For this, the 3D structure of phosphoglucosamine mutase of Legionella pneumophila (strain Paris) was determined by means of homology modeling through Phyre2 and refined by ModRefiner. Then, the designed model was evaluated with a structure validation program, for instance, PROCHECK, ERRAT, Verify3D, and QMEAN, for further structural analysis. Secondary structural features were determined through self-optimized prediction method with alignment (SOPMA) and interacting networks by STRING. Consequently, we performed molecular docking studies. The analytical result of PROCHECK showed that 95.0% of the residues are in the most favored region, 4.50% are in the additional allowed region and 0.50% are in the generously allowed region of the Ramachandran plot. Verify3D graph value indicates a score of 0.71 and 89.791, 1.11 for ERRAT and QMEAN respectively. Arg419, Thr414, Ser412, and Thr9 were found to dock the substrate for the most favorable binding of S-mercaptocysteine. However, these findings from this current study will pave the way for further extensive investigation of this enzyme in wet lab experiments and in that way assist drug design against legionellosis.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.43.1-43.13
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• 2020

The coronavirus disease 2019 is a contagious disease and had caused havoc throughout the world by creating widespread mortality and morbidity. The unavailability of vaccines and proper antiviral drugs encourages the researchers to identify potential antiviral drugs to be used against the virus. The presence of RNA binding domain in the nucleocapsid (N) protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) could be a potential drug target, which serves multiple critical functions during the viral life cycle, especially the viral replication. Since vaccine development might take some time, the identification of a drug compound targeting viral replication might offer a solution for treatment. The study analyzed the phylogenetic relationship of N protein sequence divergence with other 49 coronavirus species and also identified the conserved regions according to protein families through conserved domain search. Good structural binding affinities of a few natural and/or synthetic phytocompounds or drugs against N protein were determined using the molecular docking approaches. The analyzed compounds presented the higher numbers of hydrogen bonds of selected chemicals supporting the drug-ability of these compounds. Among them, the established antiviral drug glycyrrhizic acid and the phytochemical theaflavin can be considered as possible drug compounds against target N protein of SARS-CoV-2 as they showed lower binding affinities. The findings of this study might lead to the development of a drug for the SARS-CoV-2 mediated disease and offer solution to treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.92-92
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• 2003

The drug discovery landscape is changing rapidly in the post-genomic era. Mapping of the human genome has led to an abundance of potential drug targets. Drug discovery times and costs can be significantly reduced by developing methods for high throughput target identification/ validation, multiplexed assay development and high efficient combinatorial chemistry. (omitted)