Publications by authors named "Jae Heun Lee"

We synthesized phenylboronic acid pinacol ester (PBPE)-conjugated hyaluronic acid (HA) via thiobis(ethylamine) (TbEA) linkage (abbreviated as HAsPBPE conjugates) to fabricate the radiosensitive delivery of caffeic acid phenetyl ester (CAPE) and for application in radioprotection. PBPE was primarily conjugated with TbEA and then PBPE-TbEA conjugates were conjugated again with hyaluronic acid using carbodiimide chemistry. CAPE-incorporated nanoparticles of HAsPBPE were fabricated by the nanoprecipitation method and then the organic solvent was removed by dialysis.

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  • Extracellular nucleotides, particularly ATP and UTP, play a significant role in activating the P2Y2 receptor, which is involved in inflammatory responses such as cell migration and proliferation; the study focuses on understanding its role in cancer metastasis, especially in highly metastatic breast cancer cells like MDA-MB-231.
  • The research compared the activity of P2Y2R and ATP release levels between highly metastatic MDA-MB-231 cells and low metastatic MCF-7 cells, investigating the interaction between these cancer cells and endothelial cells (ECs) both in vitro and in vivo.
  • Results showed that MDA-MB-231 cells had increased ATP release, P2Y2R activity, and
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  • P2Y2 receptor (P2Y2 R) is activated in response to tissue stress, aiding in tissue regeneration and wound healing by initiating various signaling pathways.
  • In experiments with wildtype (WT) and P2Y2 R-deficient mice, WT mice displayed more effective wound healing and higher levels of important proteins compared to those lacking P2Y2 R.
  • Activation of P2Y2 R through ATP or UTP stimulated fibroblast proliferation and migration, suggesting it could be a promising target for therapies in managing chronic wounds.
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  • Lipoprotein oxidation and immune responses involving the endothelium play a key role in developing atherosclerosis; specifically, the P2Y2 receptor (P2Y2R) is implicated in promoting inflammation and monocyte infiltration in blood vessels.
  • In experiments with human endothelial cells (ECs), exposure to oxidized LDL (oxLDL) led to a rapid release of ATP and significant production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), with this process being dependent on P2Y2R activation and RAGE expression.
  • The study also found that oxLDL-treated monocytes showed increased migration toward ECs, influenced by P2Y2R activity, and that inhibiting the ROS pathway reduced this migration, highlighting P
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  • Sepsis is a serious condition characterized by widespread inflammation, leading to high rates of illness and death, with the P2Y(2) receptor (P2Y(2)R) playing a crucial role in how the body responds to this condition.
  • A study using RAW264.7 macrophage cells showed that treatment with LPS (a component of bacteria) increases the expression of P2Y(2)R and boosts inflammatory responses such as HMGB1 secretion and production of COX-2 and iNOS.
  • The enhanced inflammatory responses are mediated through specific cellular pathways (JNK, PKC, and PDK), and silencing the P2Y(2)R reduces these effects, highlighting its importance
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  • Glioblastoma is a highly aggressive brain tumor with no effective treatment, making it one of the deadliest cancers.
  • Honokiol, a compound from Magnolia officinalis, shows promise in treating glioblastoma as it can penetrate the blood-brain barrier and induce cancer cell death.
  • The study found that honokiol inhibits tumor cell invasion and metastasis by decreasing adhesion to blood vessel cells and altering cellular markers involved in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT).
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The nuclear DNA binding protein high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) has recently been suggested to act as a late mediator of septic shock. The effect of ((S)-6,7-dihydroxy-1-(4-hydroxynaphthylmethyl)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloid, also known as THI-56, in an experimental model of sepsis was investigated. THI-56 exhibited potent anti-inflammatory properties in response to LPS in RAW 264.

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High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) plays a crucial mediator in the pathogenesis of many inflammatory diseases. We recently proposed that heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) negatively regulates HMGB1 in inflammatory conditions. We investigated whether ethanol extract of Inula helenium L.

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Background And Purpose: Given the importance of VEGF and haem oxygenase (HO)-1 in wound healing, the present study tested the hypothesis that CKD712, a synthetic tetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloid, activated VEGF production through the induction of HO-1 in human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) and in mouse skin to stimulate wound healing.

Experimental Approach: Using HDFs, the effects of CKD712 on the production of VEGF and migration were evaluated. The mechanisms responsible were investigated using various signal inhibitors and small interfering RNA techniques.

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The goal of this study was to investigate the differential effect of tanshinone IIA on the induction of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) by TNF-α and the possible molecular mechanisms by which it regulates ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 expression differentially. Stimulation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) with TNF-α increased ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 expressions, and the pretreatment with tanshinone IIA concentration dependently inhibited VCAM-1 expression but not ICAM-1 expression. In previous study, PI3K/Akt, PKC and Jak/STAT-3 pathways were involved in the TNF-α-mediated induction of VCAM-1 but not ICAM-1.

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Glioblastoma is one of the most lethal and common malignant human brain tumors, with aggressive proliferation and highly invasive properties. Honokiol derived from Magnolia officinalis is able to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier (BCSFB), suggesting a strong possibility that it could be an effective drug for the treatment of brain tumors, including glioblastoma. Thus, we investigated the effects of honokiol on the expression of adhesion molecules in TNF-α-stimulated endothelial cells, and cancer growth and invasion were determined in T98G human glioblastoma cells.

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Aims: We investigated the molecular mechanism by which ethyl pyruvate (EP) induces heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in RAW 264.7 cells and its effect on survival rate in cecal ligation and puncture (CLP)-induced wild-type (WT) and HO-1 knockout (HO-1(-/-)) septic mice.

Results: EP induced HO-1 in a dose- and time-dependent manner, which was mediated through p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) signaling cascade in RAW 264.

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Growing lines of evidence suggests that high mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) plays an important role for promoting inflammation and apoptosis in brain ischemia. Previously, we demonstrated that inducers of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) significantly reduce HMGB1 release in inflammatory conditions in vitro and in vivo. Thus, we tested our hypothesis that higenamine protects brain injury by inhibition of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO)-mediated HMGB1 release in vivo, and glucose/glucose oxidase (GOX)-induced apoptosis in C6 cells in vitro due to HO-1 induction.

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Cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) are involved in a variety of pathologies including cancer, inflammation, pathogenic infections and autoimmune disease. In particular, VCAM-1, rather than ICAM-1, plays a major role in the initiation of atherosclerosis and tumor progression. Therefore, we attempted to elucidate differential mechanisms that regulate VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 expressions.

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Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Cinnamomum cassia Blume has been used as a traditional Chinese herbal medicine for alleviation of fever, inflammation, chronic bronchitis, and to improve blood circulation.

Aim Of The Study: We addressed whether 2-methoxycinnamaldehyde (2-MCA), one of active ingredients of Cinnamomum cassia, reduces vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) expression in tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α)-activated endothelial cells and protects ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-injury due to heme oxygenase (HO)-1 induction.

Materials And Methods: Adult male rats were subjected to 30 min of ischemia by occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery followed by 24h of reperfusion.

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Vascular inflammation process has been suggested to be an important risk factor in the development of atherosclerosis. Recently we reported that induction of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) selectively inhibits vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) but not intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α-activated human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). In this study, we investigated whether genipin inhibits expression of cellular adhesion molecules, which is relevant to inflammation.

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Ethnopharmacological Relevance: The rhizomes of Cyperus rotundus have been used as traditional folk medicine for the treatment of inflammatory diseases. However, the mechanism by which extract of rhizomes of Cyperus rotundus (ECR) elicits anti-inflammation has not been extensively investigated so far. The aim of the present study was to test whether heme oxygenase (HO)-1 induction is involved in the anti-inflammatory action of ECR.

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Activation of the NF-κB and mitogen activated protein (MAP) kinases plays an important role in the expression of inflammatory genes such as adhesion molecules. Although compound C is known as an AMPK inhibitor, AMPK-independent action of it has been recognized. Effects on the expression of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 by compound C were investigated in TNF-α-activated human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in vitro and in thoracic aorta of rats treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in vivo.

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High mobility group box (HMGB)-1 plays an important role in sepsis-associated death in experimental studies. Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) inducers were reported to reduce HMGB1 release in experimental sepsis. Previously, we reported on the importance of the β₁-adrenergic receptor and protein kinase A pathway in the regulation of HO-1 expression by isoproterenol (ISO) in RAW 264.

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Apoptosis is a highly conserved genetic process leading to death in mammalian cells. A critical step in apoptosis is mitochondrial membrane permeabilization, which results in the release of proteins critical to downstream events. Transmembrane protein 14A (TMEM14A) was identified as a novel suppressor of Bax using yeast-based functional screening.

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This study evaluated peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) δ as a potential target for therapeutic intervention in Ang II-induced senescence in human vascular smooth muscle cells (hVSMCs). Activation of PPARδ by GW501516, a specific agonist of PPARδ, significantly inhibited the Ang II-induced premature senescence of hVSMCs. Agonist-activated PPARδ suppressed the generation of Ang II-triggered reactive oxygen species (ROS) with a concomitant reduction in DNA damage.

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Although aldose reductase (AR) has been implicated in the cellular response to oxidative stress, the role of AR in ultraviolet-B (UVB)-induced cellular injury has not been investigated. Here, we show that an increased expression of AR in human keratinocytes modulates UVB-induced apoptotic cell death and senescence. Overexpression of AR in HaCaT cells significantly attenuated UVB-induced cellular damage and apoptosis, with a decreased generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and aldehydes.

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Background And Purpose: Recently, metformin, a well-known anti-diabetic drug, has been shown to possess anti-inflammatory activities. This study investigated the effect of metformin on the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines including high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated animals and cells.

Experimental Approach: We investigated whether metformin inhibits the release of HMGB1 in LPS-treated RAW 264.

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Activation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor alpha7 subunit (α7nAChR) by nicotine leads to the improved survival rate in experimental model of sepsis. Previously, we demonstrated that heme oxygenase (HO)-1 inducers or carbon monoxide significantly increased survival of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced and cecal ligation and puncture-induced septic mice by reduction of high mobility group box 1 release, a late mediator of sepsis. However, that activation of α7nAChR by nicotine provides anti-inflammatory action through HO-1 upregulation has not been elucidated.

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