• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.386-398
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• 2020

Tissue fibrosis is an eventual pathologic change of numerous chronic illnesses, which is characterized by resident fibroblasts differentiation into myofibroblasts during inflammation, coupled with excessive extracellular matrix deposition in tissues, ultimately leading to failure of normal organ function. Now, there are many mechanistic insights into the pathogenesis of tissue fibrosis, which facilitate the discovery of effective antifibrotic drugs. Moreover, many chronic diseases remain a significant clinical unmet need. For the past five years, many research works have undoubtedly addressed the functional dependency of ginsenosides in different types of fibrosis and the successful remission in various animal models treated with ginsenosides. Caveolin-1, interleukin, thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1), liver X receptors (LXRs), Nrf2, microRNA-27b, PPARδ-STAT3, liver kinase B1 (LKB1)-AMPK, and TGF-β1/Smads are potential therapy targeting using ginsenosides. Ginsenosides can play a targeting role and suppress chronic inflammatory response, collagen deposition, and epitheliale-mesenchymal transition (EMT), as well as myofibroblast activation to attenuate fibrosis. In this report, our aim was to focus on the therapeutic prospects of ginsenosides in fibrosis-related human diseases making use of results acquired from various animal models. These findings should provide important therapeutic clues and strategies for the exploration of new drugs for fibrosis treatment.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.68-77
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• 2001

Herbal medicines have been used since ancient times as medicines to treat and relieve the symptoms of many different human diseases. However, so far, relatively few herbal medicines have been evaluated scientifically to prove their safety, potential benefits and effectiveness. This study was conducted to provide the groundwork for improving the current registration regulations for herbal medicines in distinction from synthetic medicines. The study was performed based on the literature research and individual interviews with 5 experts who had extensive experience in registration of herbal medicines. When compared with synthetic drugs, herbal medicines exhibit some marked differences, namely the active principles are frequently unknown, standardization, stability and quality control are not easy, they are usually mixtures of complex compounds. Second, the current regulations for herbal medicines are reviewed by comparison of foreign regulation systems like the one in China. The regulation requirements of herbal medicine in China are in distinction from synthetic drugs. The authors conclude that new registration requirements for the herbal medicines should be changed as follows; the toxicity and efficacy data should be submitted as mixed herbal preparation and the documents and other research on the reproduction and generation toxicity need to be shown for the proof of reproduction and generation toxicity, if needed.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.91-100
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• 1999

Today, toxicology is used for many purpose, in many fields. Classification of special toxic effect is related next 4 important principles. 1. The chemical substance must move to target organ or tissue that can induce Biological effect. For this movement, we have to understand the physical-chemical characteristic of substance, and the rout of absorption, metabolism, diffusion and excretion of toxic substance. 2. Every biological effect that induced by chemical substance is not harmful. For example, some specific chemical substance is not harmful in liver enzyme system. 3. The strength of biological effect induced by chemical substance is deep related with dose. Nearly all substance is not effective below the specific dose, and it may toxic to death over the specific dose. It is the 'Dose - response relationship' But carcinogen may toxic whether it is law dose or not. 4. The information that was obtained by experimental animal test, could have to adapt in human biology. Because biological effect of chemical substance could be different in every biological species. In past, drugs was obtained by animal or plants. But in the future, it could be obtained by biochemistry, and genome project. Therefore, in Oriental medicine, research and approach is needed at this time, and have to develop new method of experience in toxic method.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.331-337
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• 2002

Nonproprietary name may be used without restriction by the public at large and can be called common name, generic name. Nomenclature agencies exist in US, Great Britain, Japan and so on. The agencies maintain liaison with onε another in an effort to secure the wide adoption of thε most appropriate and universally acceptable designation for each drug. To prevent the confusion which arises when several nonproprietary names are used for a single drug, either in the same country or in several different countries, the WHO has assumed the responsibility of coordination existing nomenclature at the international level. In this study, the nomenclature for new drugs and the terminology to harmonize specifications for revision of Korean Pharmacopoeia (KP) were established.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.699-703
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• 2016

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a serious clinical and an urgent problem worldwide. Few new drugs are available against MRSA, because MRSA has the ability to acquire resistance to most antibiotics, which consequently increases the cost of medication. In the present study, the antibacterial activity of Hydnocarpi Semen was investigated. The most effective method is to develop antibiotics from the natural products without having any toxic or side effects. Therefore, there is a need to develop alternative antibacterial drugs for the treatment of infectious diseases. Five Clinical isolates (MRSA) were obtained from five different patients at Wonkwang University Hospital (Iksan, South Korea). The Other 2 strains were ATCC 33591 (Methicillin-resistant strain) and ATCC 25923 (Methicillin-susceptible strain). Antibacterial activity (Minimal Inhibitory Concentrations, MICs) was determined by broth dilution method, disk diffusion method, MTT test, and checkerboard dilution test. Antibacterial activity of n-hexane fraction was remarkable, and had a MICs ranging from $31.25-125{\mu}g/m{\ell}$. FICI values for HFH+AM and HFH+OX were 0.13-0.19 and 0.04-0.29, showing the increase of synergistic effect. When combined together, these antibacterial effects were dramatically increased.

• BMB Reports
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• v.47 no.11
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• pp.599-608
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• 2014

As the prevalence of obesity has increased explosively over the last several decades, associated metabolic disorders, including type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases, have been also increased. Thus, new strategies for preventing and treating them are needed. The nuclear peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are involved fundamentally in regulating energy homeostasis; thus, they have been considered attractive drug targets for addressing metabolic disorders. Among the PPARs, $PPAR{\gamma}$ is a master regulator of gene expression for metabolism, inflammation, and other pathways in many cell types, especially adipocytes. It is a physiological receptor of the potent anti-diabetic drugs of the thiazolidinediones (TZDs) class, including rosiglitazone (Avandia). However, TZDs have undesirable and severe side effects, such as weight gain, fluid retention, and cardiovascular dysfunction. Recently, many reports have suggested that $PPAR{\gamma}$ could be modulated by post-translational modifications (PTMs), and modulation of PTM has been considered as novel approaches for treating metabolic disorders with fewer side effects than the TZDs. In this review, we discuss how PTM of $PPAR{\gamma}$ may be regulated and issues to be considered in making novel anti-diabetic drugs that can modulate the PTM of $PPAR{\gamma}$.

• BMB Reports
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.278-286
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• 2008

Angiogenesis, the formation of blood vessels, is essential for preparing a closed circulatory system in the body, and for supplying oxygen and nutrition to tissues. Major diseases such as cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and atherosclerosis include pathological angiogenesis in their malignant processes, suggesting anti-angiogenic therapy to be a new strategy for suppression of diseases. However, until the 1970s, the molecular basis of angiogenesis was largely unknown. In recent decades, extensive studies have revealed a variety of angiogenic factors and their receptors, including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-VEGFRs, Angiopoietin-Tie, Ephrin-EphRs and Delta-Notch to be the major regulators of angiogenesis in vertebrates. VEGF and its receptors play a central role in physiological as well as pathological angiogenesis, and functional inhibitors of VEGF and VEGFRs such as anti-VEGF neutralizing antibody and small molecules that block the tyrosine kinase activity of VEGFRs have recently been approved for use to treat patients with colorectal, lung, renal and liver cancers. These drugs have opened a novel field of cancer therapy, i.e. anti-angiogenesis therapy. However, as yet they cannot completely cure patients, and cancer cells could become resistant to these drugs. Thus, it is important to understand further the molecular mechanisms underlying not only VEGF-VEGFR signaling but also the VEGF-independent regulation of angiogenesis, and to learn how to improve anti-angiogenesis therapy.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.16 no.9
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• pp.1247-1253
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• 2003

Selection for increased milk production in dairy cows has often resulted in a higher incidence of disease and thus incurred a greater health costs. Considerable interests have been shown in breeding dairy cattle for disease resistance in recent years. This paper discusses the limitations of breeding dairy cattle for genetic resistance in six parts: 1) complexity of disease resistance, 2) difficulty in estimating genetic parameters for planning breeding programs against disease, 3) undesirable relationship between production traits and disease, 4) disease as affected by recessive genes, 5) new mutation of the pathogens, and 6) variable environmental factors. The hidden problems of estimating genetic and phenotypic parameters involving disease incidence were examined in terms of categorical nature, non-independence, heterogeneity of error variance, non-randomness, and automatic relationship between disease and production traits. In light of these limitations, the prospect for increasing genetic resistance by conventional breeding methods would not be so bright as we like. Since the phenomenon of disease is the result of a joint interaction among host genotype, pathogen genotype and environment, it becomes essential to adopt an integrated approach of increasing genetic resistance of the host animals, manipulating the pathogen genotypes, developing effective vaccines and drugs, and improving the environmental conditions. The advances in DNA-based technology show considerable promise in directly manipulating host and pathogen genomes for genetic resistance and producing vaccines and drugs for prevention and medication to promote the wellbeing of the animals.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.337-346
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• 2008

Applications of nanotechnology in the medical field have provided the fundamentals of tremendous improvement in precise diagnosis and customized therapy. Recent advances in nanomedicine have led to establish a new concept of theragnosis, which utilizes nanomedicines as a therapeutic and diagnostic tool at the same time. The development of high affinity nanoparticles with large surface area and functional groups multiplies diagnostic and therapeutic capacities. Considering the specific conditions related to the disease of individual patient, customized therapy requires the identification of disease target at the cellular and molecular level for reducing side effects and enhancing therapeutic efficiency. Well-designed nanoparticles can minimize unnecessary exposure of cytotoxic drugs and maximize targeted localization of administrated drugs. This review will focus on major pharmaceutical nanomaterials and nanoparticles as key components of designing and surface engineering for targeted theragnostic drug development.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.565-572
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• 2016

While there have been great demands on improving domestic water pollution issues, the necessity for real time monitoring of particular drug residues in water resources has been raised since drug residues including antibiotics could provoke new trains of drug-resistant bacteria in water environments. Among many different types of drugs used for pharmaceutical treatment, antibiotics are considered to be one of the most hazardous to our ecosystem since they can rapidly promote the spreading of drug-resistant bacteria in water environments. In this mini-review, we will highlight recent developments made on creating in-situ sensing platforms for the fast monitoring of antibiotic residues in aquatic environmental samples focusing on optical and electrochemical techniques. Related recent technology developments and the resulting economy effects will also be discussed.