• Environmental Mutagens and Carcinogens
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.115-130
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• 2003

Idiopathic Parkinson's disease (IPD) represents a common neurodegenerative disorder. While epidemiological studies have suggested a number of risk factors including age, gender, race, and inherited disorder, the cumulative evidence supports the view that environmental or occupational exposure to certain chemicals may contribute to the initiation and progress of Parkinsonism. More recently, clinical and laboratory investigations have led to the theory that dysregulation of iron, an essential metal to body function, may underlie IPD by initiating free radical reaction, diminishing the mitochondrial energy production, and provoking the oxidative cytotoxicity. The participation of iron in neuronal cell death is especially intriguing in that iron acquisition and regulation in brain are highly conservative and thus vulnerable to interference from other metals that bear the similar chemical reactivity. Manganese neurotoxicity, induced possibly by altering iron homeostasis, is such an example. In fact, the current interest in manganese neurotoxicology stems from two primary concerns: its clinical symptoms that resemble Parkinson's disease and its increased use as an antiknock agent to replace lead in gasoline. This article will commence with addressing the current understanding of iron-associated neurodegenerative damage. The major focus will then be devoted to the mechanism whereby manganese alters iron homeostasis in brain.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.187-192
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• 1995

The cytotoxic effects of hydrogen peroxide and neuroprotective effects of a variety of agents were investigated in newborn mouse forebrain tissue culture. In our experiments, oxygen radical was generated enzymatically by glucose oxidase and the values were expressed as a percentage of number of living cells by 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Cytotoxicity of oxygen radicals was prevented by catalase and (N, N, N', N', -tetrakis (2-pyridylmethyl) ethylenediamine (TPEN), but N-tetra-ot-butyl-phenylnitrone (PBN), and deferoxamine (DFX), failed to show protective effects against oxygen radicals. Antagonists of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor, D-2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid (APV), 7-chlorokynurenic acid (CKA), and MK801 (a non-competitive NMDA antagonist) were also not effective in blocking neurotoxicity induced by glucose oxidase generated oxygen radicals.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2005.04a
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• pp.99-101
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• 2005

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.1231-1234
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• 2003

To clerify the toxic effect of methylmercuric chloride(MMC) in cultured mouse myocardial cells, cytotoxic effect was measured by MTT assay after cultured myocardial cells were incubated for 48 hours in the media containing 1～30 uM concentrations of MMC. And also, the protective effect of Benincasae Semen (BS) was assessed in these cultrures. Cell viability was significantly decreased in a dose-dependent manner after cultured myocardial cells were exposed to 30 uM MMC for 48 hours. In the neuroprotective effect of BS on MMC-induced cytotoxicity, BS blocked the MMC-induced myotoxicity in these cultures. From these results, it suggests that MMC is toxic on cultured mouse myocardial cells and BS is effective in blocking the neurotoxicity induced by MMC.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Toxicology Conference
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• 2002.05a
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• pp.111-111
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• 2002

Many cases of early onset autosomal dominant inherited forms of Alzheimer's disease (AD) are caused by mutation in the genes encoding presenilin-2 (PS-2) on chromosome 1. It is characterized by amyloid deposition and associated with loss of neuron. However, molecular mechanisms underlying the role of PS-2 mutation in the pathogenic AD are not known.(omitted)

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.209-214
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• 2000

The preventive effects of sodium molybdate on the acute toxicity of lead were studied by investigating tissue accumulation of lead, changes of nerve conduction velocity and concentrations of metabolites related to function of sciatic nerve in rats treated with lead, sodium molybdate and both, respectively. In lead-intoxicated rat, the conduction velocity, myo-inositol concentration and $Na^{+}/K^{+}$ ATPase activity of sciatic nerve were decreased by about 33 %, 48 % and 58 %, respectively. However, sodium molybdate treatment significantly normalized the conduction velocity, $Na^{+}/K^{+}$ ATPase activity and myo-inositol concentration of sciatic nerve in lead-intoxicated rat. Also, sodium molybdate treatment decreased the contents of lead in blood and sciatic nerve through promotion of urinary excretion of lead. But sodium molybdate treatment did not affect the glucose concentration in sciatic nerve. These results suggest that sodium molybdate prevented peripheral neuropathy not only by reducing lead contents in sciatic nerve and blood, but also by enhancing $Na^{+}/K^{+}$ ATPase activity in sciatic nerve.

• BMB Reports
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.312-316
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• 2011

1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) and its toxic metabolite 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridium ion (MPP$^+$) have been shown to induce Parkinson's disease-like symptoms as well as neurotoxicity in humans and animal species. Recently, we reported that maintenance of redox balance and cellular defense against oxidative damage are primary functions of the novel antioxidant enzyme cytosolic NADP$^+$-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDPc). In this study, we examined the role of IDPc in cellular defense against MPP$^+$-induced oxidative injury using PC12 cells transfected with IDPc small interfering RNA (siRNA). Our results demonstrate that MPP$^+$-mediated disruption of cellular redox status, oxidative damage to cells, and apoptotic cell death were significantly enhanced by knockdown of IDPc.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 2002.07a
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• pp.97-102
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• 2002

Life Science Research Center of SK Chemicals has developed a 3rd-generation anticancer platinum drug for the first time in the nation′s 100-year-old pharmaceutical industry. The Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) approved the sale of "Sunpla" (code name SKI 2053R, general name : Heptaplatin) on July 14, 1999 for the treatment of advance, metastatic gastric cancer. Cisplatin, the 1 st-generation anticancer drug, which was developed by Bristol-Myers of the United States in 1976, is one of the most potent anticancer drugs and is a major component of combination chemotherapy for a variety of human cancers. However its clinical usefulness has frequently been limited not only by undesirable side effects such as severe renal toxicity, nausea, vomiting, ototoxicity, and neurotoxicity but also by the development of resistance. Carboplatin, the 2nd-generation anticancer platinum drug, which was also developed by Bristol-Myers in 1986, has modified the problems of the renal and gastrointestinal toxicities of cisplatin. Carboplatin, however, has no enhanced therapeutic efficacy over cisplatin and does not possess the property to overcome cross-resistance to cisplatin.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.304-307
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• 1997

Continuous epidural infusion, a combination of local anesthetic and opioid, have been widely administered for treatment of chronic cancer pain. A serious complications of epidural block is paraplegia which can also be caused by : direct spinal cord injury, epidural hematoma, epidural abscess, ischemic change, neurotoxicity, preexisting disease. Continuous epidural block for pain control of patient with cervical cancer was performed at $T_{12}/L_1$ interspace. A 4 cm catheter was inserted cephalad into the epidural space. After four months, back pain and motor weariless of lower extremities progressively developed. Spine CT showed bony destruction and soft mass-like lesion at $T_9$ & $T_{12}$ spine. We propose paraplegia was caused by spinal cord compression which resulted from vertebral metastasis of cervical cancer.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.632-635
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• 2007

This study examined the neuroprotective effect of scopoletin from Angelica dahurica against oxygen and glucose deprivation-induced neurotoxicity in a rat organotypic hippocampal slice culture. Scopoletin reduced the propidium iodide (PI) uptake, which is an indication of impaired cell membrane integrity. In addition, it inhibited the loss of NeuN, which represents the viability of neuronal cells. The results suggests that scopoletin from A. dahurica protects neuronal cells from the damage caused by oxygen and glucose deprivation.