Publications by authors named "Sung-Won Kwon"

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the lungs that results in airway inflammation and narrowing. BS012 is an herbal remedy containing , , and extracts. To elucidate the anti-asthma effect of BS012, this study analyzed the immune response, respiratory protection, and changes in metabolic mechanisms in an ovalbumin-induced allergic asthma mouse model.

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Background: L, widely recognized for its valuable contributions to medicine, has aroused considerable attention globally. Different from the extensive research has been dedicated to the root of , its berry has received relatively scant focus. Given its promising medicinal properties, this study was focused on the structural characterizations and anti-inflammatory potential of acidic polysaccharides from the berry.

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Introduction: The low sensitivity of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) renders it unsuitable as a stand-alone marker for early hepatocellular carcinoma (eHCC) surveillance. Therefore, additional blood-based biomarkers with enhanced sensitivities are required.

Objectives: In light of the metabolic changes that are distinctive to eHCC development, the current study presents a panel of serum metabolites that may serve as noninvasive diagnostic indicators for patients with eHCC.

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Immunoregulatory mechanisms established in the lymphoid organs are vital for preventing autoimmunity. However, the presence of similar mechanisms in non-lymphoid tissues remains unclear. Through transcriptomic and lipidomic analyses, we find a negative association between psoriasis and fatty acid metabolism, as well as Th2 signature.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study focused on analyzing polysaccharides from American ginseng berries harvested in August, aiming to demonstrate their anti-inflammatory properties using various tests.
  • - A specific polysaccharide called AGBP-A was isolated, characterized by its molecular weight and unique structure, and shown to significantly reduce inflammation in cell and zebrafish models.
  • - The findings suggest that AGBP-A could be a promising natural remedy for inflammation, highlighting its potential as a safe anti-inflammatory agent.
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Seven unknown compounds 1-7, including four sesquiterpenoids, one azulene-type, one indene-type, and one rare hexanorcucurbitacin, together with eleven knowns ones (8-16), were isolated from the agarwood chips of . The structures of the isolated compounds were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic methods such as mass spectrometry, UV, IR, NMR spectroscopy. The precise stereo-chemical configurations of new compounds were determined by calculated ECD spectra data, as well as a single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis.

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The role of the serine/glycine metabolic pathway (SGP) has recently been demonstrated in tumors; however, the pathological relevance of the SGP in thyroid cancer remains unexplored. Here, we perform metabolomic profiling of 17 tumor-normal pairs; bulk transcriptomics of 263 normal thyroid, 348 papillary, and 21 undifferentiated thyroid cancer samples; and single-cell transcriptomes from 15 cases, showing the impact of mitochondrial one-carbon metabolism in thyroid tumors. High expression of serine hydroxymethyltransferase-2 (SHMT2) and methylenetetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase 2 (MTHFD2) is associated with low thyroid differentiation scores and poor clinical features.

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Article Synopsis
  • EBV has a lifelong latency but can switch to a lytic cycle under specific stimuli, leading to the production of new viruses.
  • Treatments with ceramide compounds influence this lytic switch, with C-ceramide increasing the expression of the viral BZLF1 gene and enhancing viral production.
  • The findings suggest the possibility of using drugs that target sphingolipid metabolism as a therapeutic approach for EBV-positive gastric cancer.
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  • The study investigates how the metabolic characteristics of thyroid cancer vary based on molecular subtypes determined by mutations, specifically BRAF-like, RAS-like, and ATC-like cancers.
  • Using multi-omics analysis, researchers found that metabolic properties differ between differentiated thyroid cancers (PTC-B and FTC-R) but are similar in dedifferentiated types (ATC-B/R).
  • The results highlight specific metabolic pathways and vulnerabilities, suggesting potential targeted therapies for advanced thyroid cancer based on these metabolic differences.
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Agarperoxinols A and B (), two naturally occurring humulene-type sesquiterpenoids with an unprecedented tricyclic 6/6/7 ring, were discovered from the agarwood of . Their structures were unambiguously determined by various spectroscopic data, experimental ECD calculations, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Agarperoxinol B showed significant and dose-dependent neuroinflammatory inhibitory effects on various proinflammatory mediators, including NO, TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β, and suppressed iNOS and COX-2 enzymes in LPS-activated microglial cells.

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Identifying and translating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) biomarkers from bench to bedside using mass spectrometry-based metabolomics and lipidomics is hampered by inconsistent findings. Here, we investigated HCC at systemic and metabolism-centric multiomics levels by conducting a meta-analysis of quantitative evidence from 68 cohorts. Blood transcript biomarkers linked to the HCC metabolic phenotype were externally validated and prioritized.

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The adverse effects of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been studied in various models. However, there has been discordance between molecular responses across the literature, attributed to methodological biases and the physicochemical variability of AgNPs. In this study, a gene pathway meta-analysis was conducted to identify convergent and divergent key events (KEs) associated with AgNPs and explore common patterns of these KEs across species.

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Article Synopsis
  • The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and mitochondria interact to create mitochondria-associated ER membranes (MAMs), which are crucial for calcium (Ca) balance in neurons.
  • Casein kinase 2 alpha 1 (CK2A1) plays a key role in regulating the structure and Ca transport of MAMs through its effect on PACS2 phosphorylation.
  • Mutations in PACS2 linked to a specific form of epilepsy disrupt MAM integrity and disturb Ca transport, leading to increased cytosolic Ca levels and enhanced neurotransmitter release in certain brain neurons.
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Aim: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS), a cluster of serious medical conditions that raise the risk of lung cancer, has increased worldwide. Tobacco smoking (TS) potentially increases the risk of developing MetS. Despite the potential association of MetS with lung cancer, preclinical models that mimic human diseases, including TS-induced MetS, are limited.

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Current cancer immunotherapeutic strategies mainly focus on remodeling the tumor microenvironment (TME) to make it favorable for antitumor immunity. Increasing attention has been paid to developing innovative immunomodulatory adjuvants that can restore weakened antitumor immunity by conferring immunogenicity to inflamed tumor tissues. Here, a galactan-enriched nanocomposite (Gal-NC) is developed from native carbohydrate structures through an optimized enzymatic transformation for effective, stable, and biosafe innate immunomodulation.

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Complex pectin, originating from terrestrial plant cell walls has been attracting research attention as a promising source of a new innate immune modulator. Numerous bioactive polysaccharides associated with pectin are newly reported every year, but the general mechanism of their immunological action remains unclear owing to the complexity and heterogeneity of pectin. Herein, we systematically investigated the interactions in pattern-recognition for common glycostructures of pectic heteropolysaccharides (HPSs) by Toll-like receptors (TLRs).

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Lipidomics coverage improvement is essential for functional lipid and pathway construction. A powerful approach to discovering organism lipidome is to combine various data acquisitions, such as full scan mass spectrometry (full MS), data-dependent acquisition (DDA), and data-independent acquisition (DIA). () is a useful model for discovering toxic-induced metabolism, high-throughput drug screening, and a variety of human disease pathways.

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Polygonatum odoratum is a perennial rhizomatous medicinal plant and different plant parts have been used in the treatment of various ailments. Herein, we have investigated the structural compositions of rhizome, leaf, and stem cell walls. We found 30-44% of polysaccharides in these wall preparations were cyclohexanediaminetetraacetic acid (CDTA) extractable, the proportion of heteromannans (HMs) in the rhizome is nearly three-fold compared to that of the leave and stem.

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Etretinate, an acitretin metabolite, has a long retention duration in adipose tissues with a teratogenic potential. FDA advises a contraceptive period of at least three years after discontinuing acitretin. However, the effect of accumulated etretinate in adipose tissues on fetus is unknown.

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Dysregulation of adipose tissue plasmalogen metabolism is associated with obesity-related metabolic diseases. We report that feeding mice a high-fat diet reduces adipose tissue lysoplasmalogen levels and increases transmembrane protein 86 A (TMEM86A), a putative lysoplasmalogenase. Untargeted lipidomic analysis demonstrates that adipocyte-specific TMEM86A-knockout (AKO) increases lysoplasmalogen content in adipose tissue, including plasmenyl lysophosphatidylethanolamine 18:0 (LPE P-18:0).

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Purpose: Saeu-jeot, or shrimp paste, is a traditional Korean high-salt fermented seafood. This study elucidated the effects of saeu-jeot extract (SJE) on NLRP3 inflammasome activation and radiation-induced micronucleus formation.

Method: We treated lipopolysaccharide-primed mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages with the NLRP3 inflammasome activators ATP and nigericin.

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Background: Ginseng, officially known as Meyer, has been traditionally used as a medicinal herb, particularly in Asia. Ginseng is propagated from seeds; however, seed germination is challenging, especially in its natural environment on farms. The seeds typically exhibit morphophysiological dormancy and require release from both morphological and physiological dormancy before germination.

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Background: Quantitative evidence of the metabolic and cardiovascular effects of apples () is lacking in interventional studies. This study aimed to summarize the available evidence of the beneficial effects of apples and apple-derived products (ADPs) on metabolic and cardiovascular markers.

Methods: Peer-reviewed randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were identified from four databases on May 3, 2021 and regularly updated until the end of May 2021.

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Lipid mediators are crucial for the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA); however, global analyses have not been undertaken to systematically define the lipidome underlying the dynamics of disease evolution, activation, and resolution. Here, we performed untargeted lipidomics analysis of synovial fluid and serum from RA patients at different disease activities and clinical phases (preclinical phase to active phase to sustained remission). We found that the lipidome profile in RA joint fluid was severely perturbed and that this correlated with the extent of inflammation and severity of synovitis on ultrasonography.

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Testosterone is a hormone essential for male reproductive function. It is produced primarily by Leydig cells in the testicle through activation of steroidogenic acute regulatory protein and a series of steroidogenic enzymes, including a cytochrome P450 side-chain cleavage enzyme (cytochome P450 family 11 subfamily A member 1), 17α-hydroxylase (cytochrome P450 family 17 subfamily A member 1), and 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase. These steroidogenic enzymes are mainly regulated at the transcriptional level, and their expression is increased by the nuclear receptor 4A1.

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