• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.12-22
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• 2013

Objective: We investigated the norepinephrine transporter (NET) expression in normal and pre-eclamptic placentas and analyzed the invasion activity of trophoblastic cells based on norepinephrine (NE)-NET regulation. Methods: NET and NE expression levels were examined by western blot and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. Trophoblast invasion activity, depending on NE-NET regulation, was determined by NET-small interfering RNA (siRNA) and NET transfection into the human extravillous trophoblast cells with or without NE treatment and invasion rates were analyzed by zymography and an invasion assay. Results: NET mRNA was expressed at a low level in pre-eclamptic placentas compared with normal placentas and NE concentration in maternal plasma increased significantly in pre-eclamptic women compared to normal pregnant women (p<0.05). NET gene upregulation and NE treatment stimulated trophoblast cell invasion up to 2.5-fold (p<0.05) by stimulating matrix metalloproteinase-9 activity via the phosphoinositol-3-kinase/AKT signaling pathway, whereas NET-siRNA with NE treatment reduced invasion rates. Conclusion: NET expression is reduced by inadequate regulation of NE levels during placental development. This suggests that a complementary balance between NET and NE regulates trophoblast cell invasion activities during placental development.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.99-104
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• 2006

Prostaglandins biosynthesis and nitric oxide production have been implicated in the process of inflammation. In this study we investigated on the effects of ethyl acetate extract of Angelica Koreana Radix (EAKR) on the activities of prostaglandin $E_2\;(PGE_2)$, proteoglycan (PG) degradation and nitric oxide synthase (NO) in inflammation cytokines-activated rabbit articular chondrocytes. EAKR exhibited inhibitory activities on NO production and $PGE_2$ production as $73.08\%\;and\;89.49\%$, respectively at $20{\mu}g/ml$ and inhibited the degradation of PG in a concentration-dependent manner Zelatin zymography analysis demonstrated that EAKR significantly inhibited MMP-2, 9 expression in chondrocytes. In vivo, EAKR was shown to have inhibitory effects on acetic acid-induced pain. This study suggests that modulation of $PGE_2$, NO, PG degradation and MMP-2, 9 by EARK may be important in the prevention of inflammation and osteroarthritis.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.974-979
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• 2009

Proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cell(VSMC) is one of the key features in onset of atherosclerosis and restenosis after vascular surgery such as stent implant. Atherosclerotic plaques are usually composed of collagen, elatsin and smooth muscle cells. Release of matrix metalloproteinases(MMPs) is considered to have correlation with development of atherosclerotic plaques. Based on the hypothesis that MMP inhibition would be helpful in the treatment of atherosclerosis, we investigated inhibition of MMP activity and migration of TNF-$\alpha$-induced human aortic smooth muscle cell(HASMC) by Cinnamomi Ramulus(CC). The result from gelatin zymography showed that CC inhibited MMP-9 activity in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, CC considerably inhibited the migration of HASMC induced by TNF-$\alpha$, while it showed little cytotoxic effect on HASMC. These results suggest that CC can be a potential anti-atherosclerotic agent through inhibition of MMP-9 activity and SMC migration.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 2001.11a
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• pp.106-106
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• 2001

Matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) 는 다양한 세포에서 전이와 침윤성에 중요한 역할을 한다. MMP의 내인성 저해제인 tissue inhibitor of motalloprotease-2 (TIMP-2) 는 MMP-2에 높은 특이성을 지닌다. MMP-2와 TIMP-2사이의 불균형은 침윤성과 전이와 같은 병리학적 과정과 관계되는 extracellular matrix (ECM)의 퇴화를 일으킨다. TIMPs는 분비되는 분자이기 때문에 특정한 암의 유전자 치료에 사용될 가능성을 지닌다. 본 연구에서는 MMP-2가 H-ras에 의해 유도된 침윤성에 책임지는 것으로 보여지는 H-ras MCF10A 세포에 TIMP-2 유전자를 함유하는 retrovirus를 이용하여 연구하였다. TIMP-2 유전자를 함유하는 재조합 retrovirus는 PG13 세포를 infection 시키는데 사용되었다. H-ras MCF10A 세포는 PGl3 세포의 conditioned media로 처리되었을 때, gelatin zymography에서 MMP-2의 분비가 농도의존적으로 저해되었다. 또한 retrovirus에 의한 TIMP-2의 과잉 발현은 농도의존적으로 H-ras MCF10A 세포의 침윤성과 이동성을 상당히 감소시킨다. 이와 같은 실험 결과는 TIMP-2가 H-ras MCF10A 세포에서 MMP-2 분비와 세포의 침윤성, 이동성을 감소시키는 역할을 지닌다는 것과 TIMP-2 유전자를 함유하는 retrovirus가 효과적으로 MMP-2 분비, 세포 침윤성, 세포 이동성을 감소시켰다는 것을 보여 준다. 이는 암의 예방과 치료를 위한 유전자 치료법의 적용에 상당한 가능성을 제시한다.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 2003.11a
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• pp.84-84
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• 2003

Lead has long been considered as a toxic environmental pollutant, which severely damages central nervous system. Lead can cause hypo- and de-myelination, and glial cells are closely related with myelination or demyelination. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are proteolytic enzymes that are involved in the remodelling of the extracellular matrix in a variety of physiological and pathological processes. MMPs also seem to be important in the pathogenesis of inflammatory demyelinating diseases of the central and peripheral nervous system. In this study, we investigated whether lead affects MMP-9 expression in rat primary glial cells. Treatment of 0.1-5 ${\mu}$M lead dose- and time-dependently increased MMP-9 expression in rat primary glial cells. The activity of MMPs was determined using zymography. Lead activated Erk(1/2) but neither of the other endogenous MAP kinases, p38 or JNK. Inhibition of Erk(1/2) activation by PD98059, a MEK inihibitor, prevented lead-induced expression of MMP-9. The results of the present study suggest that lead intoxication may adversely affect brain function at least in part by inducing MMP-9 expression through Erk(1/2) activation in primary glial cells.

• BMB Reports
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.531-536
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• 2001

Three zymographic techniques using casein, fibrin, and gelatin as substrates in SDS-PAGE were compared based on three aspects: (1) The proteolytic pattern of extracellular enzymes from the three bacterial strains, Bacillus sp. DJ-1, DJ-2, and DJ-3. (2) The enzymatic sensitivity of their activity on zymogram gels. (3) The stability of stained zymogram gels with Coomassie brilliant blue in the destaining solution. There was no significant difference on the pattern of extracellular enzymes from the three strains. The bands in the fibrin gel were clearer and more distinct from the extensive destaining process. It was also shown that the gelatin gel revealed the highest enzymatic sensitivity among the three gels, based on the densitometric analysis. In the casein gel, a trace that could be mistaken as a proteolytic band appeared around 40-50 kDa.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.127-132
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• 2006

Bacillus sp. strain K-l, which produces a strong fibrinolytic enzyme, was isolated from chongkukjang, a traditional Korean fermented soybean paste. The fibrinolytic enzyme was purified from chongkukjang base by using ammonium sulfate fractionation and chromatographic techniques. Purified enzyme, CK K-1 was demonstrated to be homogeneous by SDS-PAGE and isoelectric focusing electrophoresis, and has molecular mass of a 12.4 kDa and a pI of 8.0. The optimal reaction pH value and temperature were 8.0 and $40^{\circ}C$, respectively. Phenyl-methyl-sulfonyl-fluoride (PMSF; serine protease inhibitor), ethylene-diamine-tetra-acetic acid (EDTA; metallo protease inhibitor), copper ion, ferric ion and lead ion inhibited the enzyme activity. These results indicated that the fibrinolytic enzyme is a metallo-serine protease and different from nattokinase and chongkukjangkinase.

• BMB Reports
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.62-68
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• 2010

Matrix Metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a family of zinc-endopeptidases which can degrade extracellular matrix (ECM) components and play important roles in a variety of biological and pathological processes. 6,6'-bieckol isolated and characterized from an edible marine brown alga Ecklonia cava (EC), according to the comprehensive spectral analysis of MS and NMR data. Here the influence of 6,6'-bieckol on expressions of MMPs was examined by zymography and western blot analysis via human fibrosarcoma cell line (HT1080). It is shown that 6,6'-bieckol significantly down regulated the expressions of MMP-2 and -9 in dose-dependent manner. The influence of 6,6'-bieckol on the cell viability and cell behavior of HT1080 cells were also investigated, our dates shown that it suppressed the migration and 3D culture in HT1080 cells. Meanwhile, we explored several signal pathways which may contribute to this process, and found the suppressing of MMPs expressions in HT1080 cells might be due to the suppression of NF-${\kappa}B$ signal pathway.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.349-356
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• 2006

Diallyl disulfide (DADS), an oil-soluble organosulfur compound in garlic has been reported to suppress tumor growth and to induce apoptosis in cancer. In the present study, we investigated the effects of DADS on pulmonary metastasis of B16-F10 murine melanoma cells. DADS (i.p. 40 mg/kg) significantly (p<0.05) reduced the number of pulmonary metastatic nodules (48%) in experimental pulmonary metastasis assay. We also found that DADS inhibited adhesion, invasion and migration of B16-F10 melanoma cells in a dose-dependent manner. To study the antimetastatic potential of DADS, we performed the effects of DADS on matrix metalloproteinase activity. DADS significantly inhibited the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-2 activity in B16-F10 cells by gelatin zymography. These results suggest that DADS prevent metastasis in part through suppression of migration of B16-F10 melanoma cells by Inhibiting matrix metalloproteirase-2 responsible for degradation of extracellar matrix.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.259-267
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• 2005

The present study was conducted to investigate gelatinolytic activities in HAM and to determine whether there are any changes in gelatinolytic activity profiles when the cells are cultured in hepatogenic medium. Placenta was obtained during caesarean section of the volunteers, with informed consent. HAM were isolated from amniotic membrane using collagenase type A HAM were cultured in hepatogenic medium for 3 weeks and the conditioned media were obtained at day 7, 14 and 21. The zymographic pattern of gelatinolytic activity of the HAM did not undergo a change during passages. When the HAM were cultured in a fibronectin-coated dishes in a hepatogenic medium, there was no significant difference of the gelatinase pattern between before and after culture. However, when bFGF was added to the culture, a dramatic increase of 62kDa and 59kDa gelatinases was observed. Interestingly, when ITS instead of FN was present, HAM-conditioned medium also showed a similar increase of both gelatinases. Immunoblotting analysis demonstrated that both 62kDa and 59kDa gelatinases were the active form of MMP-2 resulting from the turnover of MMP-2 proform. Futher study will be necessary to determine the relationship between bFGF and active MMP-2 during hepatogenesis of HAM.