• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제46권2호
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• pp.248-254
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• 2022

Background: Zinc homeostasis is essential for human health and is regulated by several zinc transporters including ZIP and ZnT. ZIP4 is expressed in the small intestine and is important for zinc absorption from the diet. We investigated in the present study the effects of Panax ginseng (P. ginseng) extract on modulating Zip4 expression and cellular zinc levels in mouse Hepa cells. Methods: Hepa cells were transfected with a luciferase reporter plasmid that contains metal-responsive elements, incubated with P. ginseng extract, and luciferase activity was measured. Using ⁶⁵ZnCl₂, zinc uptake in P. ginseng-treated cells was measured. The expression of Zip4 mRNA and protein in Hepa cells was also investigated. Finally, using a luciferase reporter assay system, the effects of several ginsenosides were monitored. Results: The luciferase activity in cells incubated with P. ginseng extract was significantly higher than that of control cells cultured in normal medium. Hepa cells treated with P. ginseng extract exhibited higher zinc uptake. P. ginseng extract induced Zip4 mRNA expression, which resulted in an enhancement of Zip4 protein expression. Furthermore, some ginsenosides, such as ginsenoside Rc and Re, enhanced luciferase activity driven by intracellular zinc levels. Conclusion: P. ginseng extract induced Zip4 expression at the mRNA and protein level and resulted in higher zinc uptake in Hepa cells. Some ginsenosides facilitated zinc influx. On the basis of these results, we suggest a novel effect of P. ginseng on Zip4-mediated zinc influx, which may provide a new strategy for preventing zinc deficiency.

• Macromolecular Research
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• 제15권6호
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• pp.513-519
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• 2007

Self-assembled nanoparticles have great potential to act as vehicles for hydrophobic drug delivery. Understanding nanoparticle cellular internalization is essential for designing drugs intended for intracellular delivery. Here, the endocytosis and exocytosis of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-conjugated glycol chitosan (FGC) self-assembled nanoparticles were investigated by flow cytometry and confocal microscopy. The cellular internalization of FGC nanoparticles was initiated by nonspecific interactions between nanoparticles and cell membranes. Although adsorptive endocytosis of the nanoparticles occurred quickly, significant amounts of FGC nanoparticles were exocytosed, particularly in the early stage of endocytosis. The amount of exocytosed nanoparticles was dependent on the pre-incubation time with nanoparticles, suggesting that exocytosis is dependent on the progress of endocytosis. FGC nanoparticles internalized by adsorptive endocytosis were distributed in the cytoplasm, but not in the nucleus. In vitro cell cycle analysis demonstrated that FGC nanoparticles delivered paclitaxel into the cytoplasm and were effective in arresting cancer cell growth.

• 산업기술연구
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• 제40권1호
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• pp.1-6
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• 2020

In the process of protein transcription and translation, various protein complexes bind to DNA, and all processes are precisely controlled. Among the proteins constituting this complex, a peptide derived from eukaryotic initiation factor (eIF) 2 was synthesized. In addition, in order to increase the efficiency of transduction of this peptide into cells, peptides with polyarginine, one of the protein transduction domains (PTD), were synthesized. Cell growth inhibition was confirmed in HER2 positive breast cancer (SK-Br-3) and HER2 negative breast cancer (MDA-MB-231), and cardiomyocytes (H9c2). The peptide with polyarginine had high transduction efficiency in all cells, and had excellent cancer cell growth inhibitory effects. The peptide used in this study might be useful peptide therapeutics for the treatment of cancer through future research.

• Applied Science and Convergence Technology
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• 제24권6호
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• pp.284-288
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• 2015

Anionic small molecules are hard to penetrate the cell membranes because of their negative charges. Encapsulation of small molecules into liposome particles can provide target specific delivery of them. In our previous study, siRNA could be efficiently encapsulated into liposome particles using an asymmetric preparation method of liposomes. In this study, the same method was applied for encapsulation of small anionic fluorescent chemicals such as calcein and indocyanine green (ICG). More than 90% fluorescent chemicals were encapsulated in the asymmetric liposome particles (ALPs). No intracellular fluorescent signal was observed in the tumor cells treated with the unmodified calcein/ALPs and ICG/ALPs, whereas the surface modification with a cell-penetrating polyarginine peptide (R8 or R12) allows cellular uptake of the ALPs. The results demonstrate that the ALPs encapsulating small anionic drugs will be useful for target-specific delivery after modification of target-specific ligands.

• 한국생물물리학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국생물물리학회 2002년도 제9회 학술 발표회 프로그램과 논문초록
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• pp.40-40
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• 2002

Altered intracellular $Ca^{2＋}$ homeostasis is presumably the primary mechanism of the diastolic impairment in diabetic cardiomyopathy. However, causal relations of numerous environmental changes observed in the diabetic heart have been left unresolved. In the present study, we sought to establish an in vitro model of diabetic cardiomyopathy using H9c2 cardiac myocyte cell line.(omitted)

• Mycobiology
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• 제43권3호
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• pp.179-183
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• 2015

Zinc is an essential micronutrient required for many enzymes that play essential roles in a cell. It was estimated that approximately 3% of the total cellular proteins are required for zinc for their functions. Zinc has long been considered as one of the key players in host-pathogen interactions. The host sequesters intracellular zinc by utilizing multiple cellular zinc importers and exporters as a means of nutritional immunity. To overcome extreme zinc limitation within the host environment, pathogenic microbes have successfully evolved a number of mechanisms to secure sufficient concentrations of zinc for their survival and pathogenesis. In this review, we briefly discuss the zinc uptake systems and their regulation in the model fungus Saccharomyces cerevisiae and in major human pathogenic fungi such as Aspergillus fumigatus, Candida albicans, and Cryptococcus gattii.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제23권1호
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• pp.131-135
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• 2013

A DOTAP analog labeled by NBD on the head group (DTNBD) was designed and synthesized to label DOTAP liposome. The structure was confirmed by $^1H$ NMR and FAB-MS, and the fluorescence of the newly synthesized DT-NBD was observed by fluorescent microscopy. The transfection efficiency of DOTAP liposome containing DT-NBD was comparable to commonly used NBD PE in COS7 and MCF7 cells. Furthermore, the level of cellular uptake and fluorescent intensity of fluorescent liposome containing DT-NBD was higher than NBD PE. Therefore, the novel NBD-labeled DOTAP analog seems to be effectively used for investigation of the cellular interaction and transfection mechanism of DOTAP liposome.

• Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry
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• 제67권
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• pp.429-436
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• 2018

Targeted intracellular delivery of therapeutic agents is one of the great challenges for cancer treatment. Aptamers that bind to a variety of biological targets have emerged as new targeting moieties with high specificity for targeted cancer therapy. In this study, near-infrared (NIR) light-absorbing hollow gold nanocages (AuNCs) were synthesized and conjugated with AS1411 aptamer to achieve cancer-targeted photothermal therapy. AuNC functionalized with PEG and AS1411 (AS1411-PEG-AuNC) exhibited selective cellular uptake in breast cancer cells due to selective binding of AS1411 to nucleolin, a protein that is over-expressed in cancer cells over normal cells. As a result, AS1411-PEG-AuNC showed cancer-targeted photothermal activity. This study demonstrates that aptamer-conjugated AuNCs are effective tumor-targeting photothermal agents.

• 생명과학회지
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• 제17권8호통권88호
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• pp.1053-1062
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• 2007

유방암 치료제로 사용되는 탐옥시펜 (Tam)은 MCF-7 세포주에서 세포증식을 억제하며 세포사멸을 유도한다. 본 연구에서는 Tam의 세포독성 효과가 세포 내 칼슘이온 농도 증가에 따른 미토콘드리아-의존 기작에 의하여 일어난다는 것을 보여준다. Tam에 의해 유도된 세포 내 칼슘이온 농도 증가는 주로 외부로부터의 칼슘 유입에 의한 것으로 생각된다. 칼슘 채널 억제제를 이용한 실험 결과에 의하며, 칼슘 증가 초기 단계는 주로 전압의존 칼슘채널에 의한 것이며 후기에는 세포 내 저장된 칼슘의 유출, 혹은 다른 방법에 의한 칼슘 유입으로 생각된다. Tam에 의한 세포 내 칼슘 증가는 미토콘드리아로부터의 cytochrome c 방출과 미토콘드리아막의 탈분극에 의한 membrane potential 변화를 초래하였다. 세포사멸에 주도적인 역할을 하는 caspase의 확인에 있어서는, MCF-7 세포는 caspase-3이 결핍되어서 caspase-7이 중심적인 역할을 하는 것으로 이미 알려져 있다. 본 연구에서 확인한 결과 Tam 처리시 caspase-7이 활성화되었으며, 또한 세포사멸 조절 단백질인 Bcl-2 종류 단백질들의 발현을 조사 한 결과 세포사멸 억제 단백질인 Bcl-2의 발현에는 변화가 없었으나 촉진단백질인 Bax는 Tam 처리시 단백질 양이 2배로 증가되었다. 이상의 결과에 의하면, Tam에 의해 유도되는 세포사멸과정은 세포질 내 칼슘이온 농도증가에 의한 미토콘드리아의 변화가 주도적인 역할을 하는 것으로 생각된다.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제32권9호
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• pp.1126-1133
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• 2022

This study investigated the contribution of lipoxygenase (LOX) inhibitors, nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA), tetra-O-methyl nordihydroguaiaretic acid (M₄N) and zileuton (ZIL), and thromboxane A2 (TXA₂) inhibitor 4,5-diphenylimidazole (DPI) in the proliferation of Brucella abortus infection. None of the compounds affected the uptake of Brucella into the macrophages. We determined the effect of neutralizing leukotriene B4 (LTB4) receptor and showed that the uptake of the bacteria was inhibited at 30 min post-infection. M₄N treatment attenuated intracellular survival of Brucella at 2 h post-incubation but it was not observed in the succeeding time points. DPI treatment showed reduced survival of Brucella at 24 h post-incubation while blocking LTB4 receptor was observed to have a lower intracellular growth at 48 h post-incubation suggesting different action of the inhibitors in the course of the survival of Brucella within the cells. Reduced proliferation of the bacteria in the spleens of mice was observed in animals treated with ZIL or DPI. Increased serum cytokine level of TNF-α and MCP-1 was observed in mice treated with M₄N or ZIL while a lower IFN-γ level in ZIL-treated mice and a higher IL-12 serum level in DPI-treated mice were observed at 7 d post-infection. At 14 d post-infection, ZIL-treated mice displayed reduced serum level of IL-12 and IL-10. Overall, inhibition of 5-LOX or TXA₂ or a combination therapy promises a potential alternative therapy against B. abortus infection. Furthermore, strong ligands for LTB4 receptor could also be a good candidate for the control of Brucella infection.