• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.157-171
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• 2000

Front Points are told to be deeply related with viscera and bowels in oriental medicine. Since the Front Points are treated as response zone, it can be used for the diagnosis and treatment of disease in viscera and bowels. The location of Front Points are very similar to the several response zones in western medicine. Diagnostic aspect of Front Points to several response zones were discussed in here based on many thesis and reported laboratorial experiments. Front Points are located in the same latitude of viscera and bowels. So, diagnosis result in Front Points represent condition of each organs. Palpitation of the Front Points can make diagnosis of body surface and the organ beneath the body surface. Such use of Front Points for diagnosis can used as the treatment points also. Only three Front Points (LU-1, LI-14, GB-24) in lung, liver and gall bladder meridian are located on its meridian. The Front Points of Stomach (CV-12) cross its meridian or closely located to it. Unlike to those four Front Points that are matched to its meridian, other eight Front Points do not located or cross its meridian at all. It seems that the location of Front Points are decided by the location of organs and the conditions at a certain organ do not delivered by the meridians but delivered by main collaterals, tertiary collaterals and superficial collaterals instead. Among visceral response zones, Five Front Points (CV-3, CV-4, CV-12, LI-14, GB-25) are exactly matched to Head's response zone and other Front Points are closely matched to the Head's response zone. There are five Front Points (CV-12, CV-14, CV-17, LI-14, GB-24) that are matched with the location of pressing palpitation point and other Front Points are closely located to the pressing palpitation point. So far, it was clear that the Front Points do have important role as response points. Symptoms expressed to the Front Points were delivered conditions or symptoms occur in corresponding organ and the anatomical location of Front Points were also found near the corresponding organ. Diagnostic and therapeutic application of Front Points for Organ theory and in the Interpromotion-restraint of the five elements in oriental medicine can be made in future to increase its potential.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.441-449
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• 2015

Endlicheria anomala, a neotropical plant, is found in northern South America and the Amazon region. It is traditionally used to remove poisons and cure gangrene. According to recent data, this plant has diverse biological properties such as anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory and anti-melanogenic properties. However, the anti-cancer effect of E. anomala and its molecular mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we examined the anti-cancer effect and the active mechanism of methanol extract of E. anomala (MEEA) in human lung adenocarcinoma cells (A549) and human liver cancer cells (HepG2). Our data revealed that MEEA showed cytotoxic activity in a dose-dependent manner and induced apoptosis both in A549 and HepG2 cells. We verified evidences of apoptosis via formation of chromatin condensation, apoptotic body and accumulation of cells in the subG1 phase. Following observed apoptosis-related phenomena, we found that the induction of apoptosis by MEEA was associated with the increase of tumor suppressor p53 and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21 (WAF1/CIP1) expression. Furthermore, MEEA-induced apoptosis was characterized with proteolytic activation of caspase-3, degradation of poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP), and up-regulation of pro-apoptotic Bax expression. Taken together, these findings indicate that MEEA may have potential cancer therapeutic utility in A549 and HepG2 cells.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.555-560
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• 2009

Pine mushroom (Tricholoma matsutake Sing.) is an expensive and highly prized delicacy in Korean and Japanese cuisines with its unique flavor and functional properties. The pine mushroom juice (PMJ) was investigated for its antioxidant and anti-tumor activities with ABTS radical scavenging method and MTT assay. The phenolic contents in pine mushroom juice ranged from 1.19 to 54.99 GAEs mg/100 mL at the concentrations of $1{\sim}50\;mg/mL$. The ABTS radical scavenging activities of pine mushroom juice were 7.0%, 81.7% and 91.8% at the concentrations of 1, 10 and 50 mg/mL, respectively. The $IC_{50}$ values of pine mushroom juice were 605.9, 788.4, 583.6 and $232.5{\mu}g/mL$ on the cytotoxicities against AGS, HeLa, HepG2 and HT-29, respectively, and PMJ showed the strongest growth inhibitory activity against HT-29 cell. These results suggested therapeutic potential for pine mushroom juice as an anti-oxidant and anti-tumor agent.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.511-518
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• 2012

The mechanisms of Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling have been the focus of extensive studies because TLRs are the target of therapeutic intervention on multiple diseases. In this study, we investigated the inhibitory potential of Vigna angularis (azuki bean) on the TLR signaling. The effect of Vigna angularis extract (JSD) on TLR activation was investigated by assessing NF-${\kappa}B$ and AP-1 inducible secreted embryonic alkaline phosphatase (SEAP) activity. JSD significantly inhibited SEAP activity induced by poly I:C (TLR3 ligand) and poly I (TLR7 ligand) in a dose-dependent manner at concentration below 100 ${\mu}g/ml$ with no sign of cytotoxicity. Pretreatment of JSD markedly suppressed mRNA expressions of pro-inflammatory cytokines and adhesive molecules such as TNF-${\alpha}$, IL-6, RANTES, MCP-1 and ICAM-1 induced by TLR ligands. It also diminished the phosphorylation of $I{\kappa}B$ kinase and $I{\kappa}B$, and followed by $I{\kappa}B$-mediated nuclear translocation of p50, p65, and phosphorylation of p38, JNK, and IRF signaling pathway. In conclusion, our results suggest that Vigna angularis has inhibitory activity on TLR-3 and -7 signaling and it can be further developed as a remedy in curing TLR-related multiple diseases.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.982-991
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• 2007

The present study was done to assess the suppressive effects of Haedongpi-san(HDPS), a traditional herbal medicine, on collagen induced arthritis (CIA) in mice and to examined it's effects on immune system. Oral administration of HDPS (200 or 400 mg/Kg) significantly suppressed the progression of CIA, which extend is comparable to that of methotrexate (MTX, 30 mg/Kg), a positive control. Histological examinations reveled that HDPS inhibited infiltration of inflammatory cells into affected paw joint, and bone erosion and cartilage destruction were greatly reduced compared with control. In paw joint, the number of CD3+ cells and CD11b+/Gr-1+ cells were greatly reduced by HDPS. The levels of pathologic cytokines including TNF-a and IL-6 were significantly decreased in the serum by oral treatment with HDPS. The levels of $IFN-{\gamma}$ in the culture supernatant of splenocyte stimulated with CD3/CD28 or collagen were dramatically decreased, while those of IL-4 was increased. Rheumatoid factors including IgG, IgM and collagen specific antibody were present much lower in the serum of HDPS treated mice than control. In peripheral blood mononuclear cells of HDPS treated mice, the percentage of CD3+, CD3+/CD69+, CD4+, CD4+/CD25+ cells were significantly decreased, while CD19+ cells were slightly increased compared with control. The absolute number of CD19+, CD3+, CD3+/CD69+, CD4+/CD25+, CD49b+ cell in spleen from HDPS treated mice were significantly decreased. The absolute number of CD3+, CD3+/CD69+, CD4+, CD4+/CD25+ CD8+, CD49b+, CD3+/CD49b+ cells in draining lymph node were significantly increased compared with control. Taken together, HDPS has suppressive effects on rheumatoid arthritis by modulating immune system, and has potential to use as an therapeutic for rheumatoid arthritis.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.191-198
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• 2018

BACKGROUD/OBJECTIVES: Neuroinflammation plays critical role in neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). We investigated the effect of three licorice varieties, Glycyrhiza uralensis, G. glabra, and Shinwongam (SW) on a mouse model of inflammation-induced memory and cognitive deficit. MATERIALS/METHODS: C57BL/6 mice were injected with lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 2.5 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) and orally administrated G. uralensis, G. glabra, and SW extract (150 mg/kg/day). SW, a new species of licorice in Korea, was combined with G. uralensis and G. glabra. Behavioral tests, including the T-maze, novel object recognition and Morris water maze, were carried out to assess learning and memory. In addition, the expressions of inflammation-related proteins in brain tissue were measured by western blotting. RESULTS: There was a significant decrease in spatial and objective recognition memory in LPS-induced cognitive impairment group, as measured by the T-maze and novel object recognition test; however, the administration of licorice ameliorated these deficits. In addition, licorice-treated groups exhibited improved learning and memory ability in the Morris water maze. Furthermore, LPS-injected mice had up-regulated pro-inflammatory proteins, such as inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2, interleukin-6, via activation of toll like receptor 4 (TLR4) and nuclear factor-kappa B ($NF{\kappa}B$) pathways in the brain. However, these were attenuated by following administration of the three licorice varieties. Interestingly, the SW-administered group showed greater inhibition of iNOS and TLR4 when compared with the other licorice varieties. Furthermore, there was a significant increase in the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the brain of LPS-induced cognitively impaired mice that were administered licorice, with the greatest effect following SW treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The three licorice varieties ameliorated the inflammation-induced cognitive dysfunction by down-regulating inflammatory proteins and up-regulating BDNF. These results suggest that licorice, in particular SW, could be potential therapeutic agents against cognitive impairment.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.216-220
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• 2010

Obesity is an important risk factor that significantly increases mortality and disease rates in the cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and various diseases. So far, the most powerful way to inhibit fat absorption is pancreatic lipase inhibitors. In this study, we investigated the anti-obesity effect of the extract of Juniperus rigida. Juniperus rigida extract (JRE) had a inhibitory effect on pancreatic lipase activity ($IC_{50}$=8.63 ${\mu}g$/ml). In in vivo oil-emulsion loading test, this extract also inhibited the intestinal fat absorption. In addition, we measured inhibitory effects of JRE on activity of phosphodiesterase (PDE) and hormone sensitive lipase (HSL) among the important enzymes associated with lipolysis. JRE strongly inhibited PDE activity ($IC_{50}$=4.56 ${\mu}g$/ml), whereas inhibitory effect on HSL activity was very weak compared with orlistat. As a result, JRE inhibited the absorption of fat by inhibiting the activity of pancreatic lipase and induced lipolysis through inhibition of PDE activity. Therefore, we suggest that Juniperus rigida may be a potential therapeutic agent improving obesity.

• Journal of Radiopharmaceuticals and Molecular Probes
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.118-122
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• 2015

Suicidal gene therapy is based on the transduction of tumor cells with "suicide" genes encoding for prodrug-activating enzymes that render target cells susceptible to prodrug treatment. Suicidal gene therapy results in the death of tumor with the expression of gene encoding enzyme that converts non-toxic prodrug into cytotoxic product. Cytochrome P450 4B1 (CYP4B1) activates 4-ipomeanol (4-IPO) or 2-aminoanthracene (2-AA) to cytotoxic furane epoxide and unsaturated dialdehyde intermediate.In this study, therapeutic effects of suicidal gene therapy with rabbit CYP4B1/2-AA or 4-IPO system were evaluated in HT-29 (human colon cancer cell). pcDNA-CYP4B1 vector was transfected into HT-29 by lipofection and stable transfectant was selected by treatment of hygromycin ($500{\mu}g/mL$) for 3 weeks. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis was performed for confirmation of CYP4B1 expression in CYP4B1 gene transduced cell. The cytotoxic effects of CYP4B1 transduced cell were determined using dye-exclusion assay after treatment of 2-AA or 4-IPO for 96 hrs. Dye-exclusion assay showed that $IC_{50}$ of HT-29 and CYP4B1 transduced HT-29 was 0.01 mM and 0.003 mM after 4-IPO or 2-AA treatment at 96 hrs exposure, respectively. In conclusion, CYP4B1 based prodrug gene therapy probably have the potential for treatment of colorectal adenocarcinoma.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.38-45
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• 2018

Acne is an inflammatory skin disease that occurs in puberty and young people. Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes) is known to be a major cause of inflammation in acne. P. acnes proliferates within hair follicles blocked by overproduced sebum in the skin, and thereby activates monocytic cells to promote the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines. In this study, we investigated the possibility of Cnestis palala (Lour.) Merr. extract to diminish P. acnes-mediated inflammatory responses. We found that C. palala extract significantly attenuated P. acnes-induced pro-inflammatory cytokine expressions, such as $IL-1{\beta}$, IL-6, $TNF-{\alpha}$, iNOS, and COX-2 in mouse macrophage RAW264.7 cells. Moreover, we observed that C. palala extract inhibited $NF-{\kappa}B$ transcriptional activation, which is the major transcription factor of inflammatory cytokine expression. Therefore, it is expected that C. palala extract has a potential as a therapeutic agent or supplement for the treatment P. acnes-induced inflammatory responses.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.311-318
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• 2013

Schisandra chinensis containing a variety of pharmacologically active lignans has been traditionally used in oriental medicine. In this study, anti-inflammatory compounds were screened from the hexane extracts of S. chinensis by activity-guided fractionation. First, we investigated the regulatory effects on the expression of E-selectin, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) with 38 fractions from the hexane extracts of S. chinensis in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). As a result, SCKH1 among the 38 fractions from the hexane extract of S. chinensis was selected for further analysis based on its unique regulatory effect on cell adhesion molecules, especially on VCAM-1, in LPS-stimulated HUVECs. The subsequent activity-guided fractionation of SCKH1 resulted in the purification of SCKH1PAIBPB, which was found to suppress the expression of VCAM-1, MCP-1, IL-6 and IL-8 in HUVECs stimulated with LPS, and to inhibit the adhesive capacity between HUVECs and monocytes. Taken together, our data indicate that SCKH1PAIBPB can be proposed as an effective anti-inflammatory compound that may have a potential therapeutic use for the prevention and treatment of various inflammatory diseases as well as ischemic vascular diseases.