• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.75-85
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• 2023

This study was conducted to assess the effect of heptapeptide, composed of seven amino acids, on the activation of human hair cells isolated from human hair follicles. We have confirmed that the heptapeptide could bind to Lgr5 from the results of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) analysis. Heptapeptide enhanced the proliferation of human hair follicle dermal papilla cells (HHFDPCs) in a dose dependent manner. It induced the protein level of nuclear β-catenin, and the expressions of β-catenin downstream target genes, including LEF1, Cyc-D1 and c-Myc, in HHFDPCs. Heptapeptide significantly induced the phosphorylation of Akt and ERK, and the mRNA expressions of growth factors, including hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), in HHFDPCs. In addition, heptapeptide significantly increased mRNA expression levels of differentiation-related transcription factors of human hair germinal matrix cells (HHGMCs) and differentiation markers of human hair outer root sheath cells (HHORSCs). Additionally, we investigated the effect of heptapeptide on human hair follicle stem cells (HHFSCs) differentiation and found that the heptapeptide reduced the mRNA and protein levels of stem cell markers, while it increased those levels of differentiation markers. These results have indicated that the heptapeptide promotes proliferation or differentiation of various types of hair follicle constituent cells through the induction of Wnt/β-catenin signaling. From the results, we have suggested that the heptapeptide in this study could be applied as a new functional material for the improvement of hair growth and alopecia.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.1881-1895
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• 2015

Background: The vascular endothelial growth factor family has been implicated in tumorigenesis and metastasis. The prognostic value of each vascular endothelial growth factor family member, particular VEGF/VEGFR co-expression, in patients with non-small lung cancer remains controversial. Materials and Methods: Relevant literature was identified by searching PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Science. Studies evaluating expression of VEGFs and/or VEGFRs by immunohistochemistry or ELISA in lung cancer tissue were eligible for inclusion. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) from individual study were pooled by using a fixed- or random-effect model, heterogeneity and publication bias analyses were also performed. Results: 74 studies covering 7,631 patients were included in the meta-analysis. Regarding pro-angiogenesis factors, the expression of VEGFA (HR=1.633, 95%CI: 1.490-1.791) and VEGFR1 (HR=1.924, 95%CI: 1.220-3.034) was associated separately with poor survival. Especially, VEGFA over-expression was an independent prognostic factor in adenocarcinoma (ADC) (HR=1.775, 95%CI: 1.384-2.275) and SCC (HR=2.919, 95%CI: 2.060-4.137). Co-expression of VEGFA/VEGFR2 (HR=2.011, 95%CI: 1.405-2.876) was also significantly associated with worse survival. For lymphangiogenesis factors, the expression of VEGFC (HR=1.611, 95%CI: 1.407-1.844) predicted a poor prognosis. Co-expression of VEGFC/VEGFR3 (HR=2.436, 95%CI: 1.468-4.043) emerged as a preferable prognostic marker. Conclusions: The expression of VEGFA (particularly in SCC and early stage NSCLC), VEGFC, VEGFR1 indicates separately an unfavorable prognosis in patients with NSCLC. Co-expression VEGFA/VEGFR2 is comparable with VEGFC/VEGFR3, both featuring sufficient discrimination value as preferable as prognostic biologic markers.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.8
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• pp.1338-1343
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• 2007

Angiogenesis is an essential step in tumor progress and metastasis. Accordingly, small molecules that inhibit angiogenesis would appear to be a promising way to cure angiogenesis-related diseases, including cancer. In the present study, we report that streptochlorin, a small molecule from marine actinomycete, exhibits a potent antiangiogenic activity. The compound potently inhibited endothelial cell invasion and tube formation stimulated with vascular endothelial cell growth factor (VEGF) at low micromolar concentrations where it showed no cytotoxicity to the cells. In addition, streptochlorin inhibited TNF-${\alpha}$-induced $NF-{\kappa}B$ activation in the newly developed cell-based reporter gene assay. These data demonstrate that streptochlorin is a new inhibitor of $NF-{\kappa}B$ activation and can be a basis for the development of novel anti-angiogenic agents.

• BMB Reports
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• v.52 no.9
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• pp.560-565
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• 2019

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a common disease in elderly males, is accompanied by non-malignant growth of prostate tissues, subsequently causing hypoxia and angiogenesis. Although VEGF-related angiogenesis is one of the therapeutic targets of prostate cancer, there is no previous study targeting angiogenesis for treatment of BPH. Dihydrotestosterone (DHT)-induced expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in prostate epithelial RWPE-1 cells and human umbilical vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs). Conditioned media (CM) from DHT-treated RWPE-1 cells were transferred to HUVECs. Then, 6SL inhibited proliferation, VEGFR-2 activation, and tube formation of HUVECs transferred with CM from DHT-treated RWPE-1 cells. In the rat BPH model, 6SL reduced prostate weight, size, and thickness of the prostate tissue. Formation of vessels in prostatic tissues were also reduced with 6SL treatment. We found that 6SL has an ameliorative effect on in vitro and in vivo the BPH model via inhibition of VEGFR-2 activation and subsequent angiogenesis. These results suggest that 6SL might be a candidate for development of novel BPH drugs.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.59 no.5
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• pp.215-221
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• 2015

Glucocorticoids are known to have anti-inflammatory effect. To investigate whether corticosterone pretreatment enhances or not lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced production of inflammatory mediators, RAW 264.7 cells were pretreated with various concentrations of corticosterone for 24 h and then cultured without corticosterone in the presence or absence of LPS. Our results demonstrated that LPS remarkably increased production of TNF-${\alpha}$, IL-6, IL-$1{\beta}$, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and NO (nitric oxide). Corticosterone pretreatment significantly attenuated LPS-induced production of TNF-${\alpha}$, IL-$1{\beta}$, and VEGF, while significantly enhanced IL-6 and NO. These findings suggest that corticosterone pretreatment may contribute to LPS-induced inflammatory responses in macrophages via pro- and anti-inflammatory imbalance of inflammatory mediators.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.323-328
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• 2017

Angiogenesis is a process including members of the angiogenic factors. In particular, fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) is considered the most potent angiogenic factor because it promotes cell proliferation and tube formation. A recent study reported that fucoidan derived from marine plant potentiated FGF-2 induced tube formation in human endothelial cells. On the other hand, the molecular mechanisms involved in the angiogenic activity of fucoidan and FGF2 are unknown. In this study, a fucoidan treatment promoted angiogenesis induced by FGF2. The effects of fucoidan on FGF2-induced angiogenesis were confirmed by a proliferation assay using a CellTiter96 Aqueous One solution after a treatment with fucoidan and FGF2. The tube formation and wound healing assay for the angiogenic activity were also confirmed. Reverse transcription PCR showed a change in the mRNA of vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A), intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), matrix metallopeptidase9 (MMP9), and the signal transducer and activator of transcription3 (STAT3). In summary, the Fucoidan/FGF2 treatment induced an increase in cell proliferation, improved the tube formation and wound healing activity, and altered the STAT3, VEGF-A, ICAM-1, and MMP9 mRNA expression levels. Further research will be needed to provide a scientific explanation in terms of cell-signaling and confirm the present findings.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.213-218
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• 2007

This study was performed to investigate the effect of VEGF on in vitro maturation of porcine oocytes. The base medium for IVM, TCM-199 was supplemented with 0.6 mM cysteine, 0.91 mM pyruvate, 10 ng/ml epidermal growth factor, $75{\mu}g/ml$ kenamycin, $1{\mu}g/ml$ insulin and 10% (V/V) porcine follicular fluid (pFF) as a Group A; Group B was consists of Group A plus 5 ng/ml VEGF; Group C was consists of replacement of pFF by 10% PVA and Group D: was consists of Group C plus 5 ng/ml VEGF. 1. The maturation rate was significantly higher (p<0.05) in control and VEGF+pFF group than other two groups ($76.1{\pm}9.6,\;78.9{\pm}6.0\;vs\;60.4{\pm}14.2\;and\;58.3{\pm}14.3$, respectively). 2. Addition of VEGF without pFF showed a negative effect on oocytes maturation and about 58.26% oocytes were reached to M-II stage. 3. In the parthenogenetic development, the cleavage rate was significantly higher (p<0.05) in control and VEGF+pFF group ($73.2{\pm}1.8\;and\;64.6{\pm}1.1$, respectively) than other groups ($47.9{\pm}1.8\;and\;48.3{\pm}1.7$, respectively). 4. The blastocyst formation rate was significantly higher (p<0.05) in VEGF+pFF group ($32.6{\pm}2.4$) compared to control and other groups. 5. There was no significant difference in cell numbers (inner cell mass or trophectoderm) among these groups.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.50-54
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• 2003

Polygonum cuspidatum has been used as a fork medicine for a long time. Emodin was purified from the root of P. cuspidatum by thin layer chromatography (TLC) and preparative high perfomance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The effects of emodin on the migration of endothelial cells and in vitro angiogenesis stimulated with vascular endothelial cell growth factor (VEGF) were examined, using human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and porcine pulmonary arterial endothelial cells (PPAECs). Emodin potently inhibited the VEGF-induced migration of (HUVECs) at relatively low cocentrations $(0.1-10\;{\mu}g/ml)$; the inhibition of endothelial cells by emodin was 75.4% at $0.1\;{\mu}g/ml$ and about 90% at $1\;{\mu}g/ml$. Emodin also inhibited VEGF-induced sprout formation in vitro at concentrations of $0.1-10\;{\mu}g/ml$. Emodin was also evaluated for the inhibitory potential on in vivo angiogenesis in a growing chick embryo chorioallantoic membranes (CAM). At a concentration of $1.0\;{\mu}g/ml$ Per disc, emodin was able to induce avacular zone in the CAMs. These findings suggest that emodin is a potent angiogenesis inhibitor and P. cuspidatum is a useful herb in the development of therapeutics for angiogenesis dependent diseases.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.68 no.1
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• pp.22-28
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• 2010

Background: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a potent mediator of angiogenesis. VEGF production is regulated by HIF-$1{\alpha}$ and EGFR. This study examined the relationship between the clinicopathological factors and VEGF, HIF-$1{\alpha}$ and EGFR protein overexpression, and evaluated their prognostic value in patients with a surgically resected non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: Patients who underwent a surgical resection at Kangnam St. Mary's hospital were reviewed retrospectively. The core biopsy samples from 54 patients with NSCLC were assembled on a tissue microarray (TMA), and immunohistochemical staining for the VEGF, HIF-$1{\alpha}$ and EGFR proteins was performed. The overexpression of these proteins was evaluated in relation to age, gender, histology and staging by univariate analysis. The clinicopathological prognostic factors were analyzed. Results: Multivariate analysis performed by Cox regression (odds ratio 2.8, 95% CI 1.0~8.2, p=0.046) revealed HIF-$1{\alpha}$ overexpression to be an unfavorable factor. There was no correlation between the overexpression of these proteins and the clinicopathological factors. VEGF showed a positive relationship with EGFR, but there was no statistical significance [$p(x^2)=0.06$]. Conclusion: HIF-$1{\alpha}$ overexpression predicts shorter survival in patients with a surgically resected NSCLC. Therefore, HIF-$1{\alpha}$ may be a poor prognostic factor in NSCLC.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.44.1-44.10
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• 2023

Tumor hypoxia, oxygen deprivation state, occurs in most cancers and promotes angiogenesis, enhancing the potential for metastasis. The vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family genes play crucial roles in tumorigenesis by promoting angiogenesis. To investigate the malignant processes triggered by hypoxia-induced angiogenesis across pan-cancers, we comprehensively analyzed the relationships between the expression of VEGF family genes and hypoxic microenvironment based on integrated bioinformatics methods. Our results suggest that the expression of VEGF family genes differs significantly among various cancers, highlighting their heterogeneity effect on human cancers. Across the 33 cancers, VEGFB and VEGFD showed the highest and lowest expression levels, respectively. The survival analysis showed that VEGFA and placental growth factor (PGF) were correlated with poor prognosis in many cancers, including kidney renal cell and liver hepatocellular carcinoma. VEGFC expression was positively correlated with glioma and stomach cancer. VEGFA and PGF showed distinct positive correlations with hypoxia scores in most cancers, indicating a potential correlation with tumor aggressiveness. The expression of miRNAs targeting VEGF family genes, including hsa-miR-130b-5p and hsa-miR-940, was positively correlated with hypoxia. In immune subtypes analysis, VEGFC was highly expressed in C3 (inflammatory) and C6 (transforming growth factor β dominant) across various cancers, indicating its potential role as a tumor promotor. VEGFC expression exhibited positive correlations with immune infiltration scores, suggesting low tumor purity. High expression of VEGFA and VEGFC showed favorable responses to various drugs, including BLU-667, which abrogates RET signaling, an oncogenic driver in liver and thyroid cancers. Our findings suggest potential roles of VEGF family genes in malignant processes related with hypoxia-induced angiogenesis.