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Sangeun Lee

Yonsei University · Medicine

About the Lab

Professor Sangeun Lee's research lab focuses on dermatological and biomedical applications of natural compounds and smart drug delivery systems. The lab investigates the molecular mechanisms of skin barrier function, pigmentation disorders, and inflammatory skin diseases such as atopic dermatitis, with an emphasis on protease signaling and oxidative stress. A key research direction involves developing stimuli-responsive nanoparticles—particularly ROS- and pH-sensitive systems—for targeted delivery of anti-inflammatory and tyrosinase-inhibiting agents to enhance therapeutic precision. The lab also explores bioactive phytochemicals from plants like *Morus alba* for their potential in treating hyperpigmentation and oxidative damage.

skin barrierinflammatory skin diseasestimuli-responsive nanoparticlestyrosinase inhibitionROS-responsive drug delivery

Research Overview

Papers
433
Total Citations
14,452
Papers (5y)
72
Primary Field
Medicine

Research Output Trend

Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.

Publications per year (5y)
72total
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
Citations per year (5y)
1,459total
20212022202320242025

Selected Papers

15
1
Article|509 citations·2018
Effects of Statins on Coronary Atherosclerotic Plaques
Sang‐Eun Lee, Hyuk‐Jae Chang, Ji Min Sung, Hyung‐Bok Park, Ran Heo, Asim Rizvi, Fay Y. Lin, Amit Kumar, Martin Hadamitzky, Yong Jin Kim, Edoardo Conte, Daniele Andreini
SJR Q1JACC. Cardiovascular imagingOA
SurgeryMedicine
2
Article|192 citations·2002
Mulberroside F Isolated from the Leaves of Morus alba Inhibits Melanin Biosynthesis.
Sang Eun Lee, Sang Yoon Choi, Hocheol Kim, Jae Sung Hwang, Byeong Gon Lee, Jian Gao, Sun Yeou Kim
SJR Q2Biological and Pharmaceutical BulletinOA

The current study was carried out to investigate the in vitro effects of an 85% methanol extract of dried Morus alba leaves on melanin biosynthesis, which is closely related to hyperpigmentation. These extracts inhibited the tyrosinase activity that converts dopa to dopachrome in the biosynthetic process of melanin. Mulberroside F (moracin M-6, 3'-di-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside), which was obtained after the bioactivity-guided fractionation of the extracts, showed inhibitory effects on tyrosinase a

Cell BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
3
Review|166 citations·2018
Skin Barrier and Calcium
Sang Eun Lee, Seung Hun Lee
SJR Q3Annals of DermatologyOA

influx mechanisms are important in skin barrier. In addition, growing evidences identified the functional existence and the role of many types of calcium channels which mediate calcium flux in keratinocytes. In this review, the origin of epidermal calcium gradient and their role in the formation and regulation of skin barrier are focused. We also focus on the role of ER calcium homeostasis in skin barrier. Furthermore, the distribution and role of epidermal calcium channels, including transient

Sensory SystemsNeuroscience
4
Review|146 citations·2010
Protease and Protease-Activated Receptor-2 Signaling in the Pathogenesis of Atopic Dermatitis
Sang Eun Lee, Se Kyoo Jeong, Seung Hun Lee
SJR Q2Yonsei Medical JournalOA

Proteases in the skin are essential to epidermal permeability barrier homeostasis. In addition to their direct proteolytic effects, certain proteases signal to cells by activating protease-activated receptors (PARs), the G-protein-coupled receptors. The expression of functional PAR-2 on human skin and its role in inflammation, pruritus, and skin barrier homeostasis have been demonstrated. Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a multifactorial inflammatory skin disease characterized by genetic barrier defect

DermatologyMedicine
5
Article|122 citations·1988
Flow Cytometric Determination of Ploidy in Prostatic Adenocarcinoma: A Comparison with Seminal Vesicle Involvement and Histopáthglogicál Grading as a Predictor of Clinical Recurrence
Sang Eun Lee, Samuel M. Currin, David F. Paulson, Philip Walther
SJR Q1The Journal of Urology

Flow cytometry was used to evaluate 88 deparaffinized radical prostatectomy specimens to compare deoxyribonucleic acid ploidy in prostatic adenocarcinoma as a predictor of disease progression with other well documented predictors of clinical recurrence. Aneuploidy, Gleason grade and seminal vesicle involvement were nonindependent variables, and all correlated to statistical significance with disease recurrence. The incidence of aneuploidy in the total population was 51 of 88 (58 per cent). Aneup

RheumatologyMedicine
6
Article|120 citations·2018
Inflammation-Responsive Drug-Conjugated Dextran Nanoparticles Enhance Anti-Inflammatory Drug Efficacy
Sang Eun Lee, Alexandra Stubelius, Naomi M. Hamelmann, Vincent Tran, Adah Almutairi
SJR Q1ACS Applied Materials & InterfacesOA

Stimuli-responsive nanoparticles (NPs) are especially interesting to enhance the drug delivery specificity for biomedical applications. With the aim to achieve a highly stable and inflammation-specific drug release, we designed a reactive oxygen species (ROS)-responsive dextran-drug conjugate (Nap-Dex). By blending Nap-Dex with the acid-sensitive acetalated dextran polymer, we achieved a dual-responsive NP with high specificity toward the inflammatory environment. The inflammatory environment no

BiomaterialsMaterials Science
7
Article|118 citations·2018
Quantification of Coronary Atherosclerosis in the Assessment of Coronary Artery Disease
Sang‐Eun Lee, Ji Min Sung, Asim Rizvi, Fay Y. Lin, Amit Kumar, Martin Hadamitzky, Yong‐Jin Kim, Edoardo Conte, Daniele Andreini, Gianluca Pontone, Matthew J. Budoff, Ilan Gottlieb
SJR Q1Circulation Cardiovascular ImagingOA

Background: Diagnosis of coronary artery disease and management strategies have relied solely on the presence of diameter stenosis ≥50%. We assessed whether direct quantification of plaque burden (PB) and plaque characteristics assessed by coronary computed tomography angiography could provide additional value in terms of predicting rapid plaque progression. Methods and Results: From a 13-center, 7-country prospective observational registry, 1345 patients (60.4±9.4 years old; 57.1% male) who und

Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and ImagingMedicine
8
Article|114 citations·2010
Protease-activated receptor-2 mediates the expression of inflammatory cytokines, antimicrobial peptides, and matrix metalloproteinases in keratinocytes in response to Propionibacterium acnes
Sang Eun Lee, Jimin Kim, Se Kyoo Jeong, Jeong Eun Jeon, Hyun-Ju Yoon, Min-Kyung Jeong, Seung Hun Lee, Seung Hun Lee, Seung Hun Lee
SJR Q1Archives of Dermatological ResearchOA

Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes) has been known to produce various exogenous proteases, however, their role in acne pathogenesis remains largely unknown. Proteases elicit cellular responses, at least in part, via proteinase-activated receptor-2 (PAR-2), which is known to mediate inflammation and immune response. In this study, we investigated whether proteases from P. acnes could activate PAR-2 on keratinocytes and induce pro-inflammatory cytokines, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), and matrix me

DermatologyMedicine
9
Article|102 citations·2016
Rationale and design of the Progression of AtheRosclerotic PlAque DetermIned by Computed TomoGraphic Angiography IMaging (PARADIGM) registry: A comprehensive exploration of plaque progression and its impact on clinical outcomes from a multicenter serial coronary computed tomographic angiography study
Sang‐Eun Lee, Hyuk‐Jae Chang, Asim Rizvi, Martin Hadamitzky, Yong‐Jin Kim, Edoardo Conte, Daniele Andreini, Gianluca Pontone, Valentina Volpato, Matthew J. Budoff, Ilan Gottlieb, Byoung Kwon Lee
SJR Q1American Heart JournalOA
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and ImagingMedicine
10
Article|100 citations·2019
Differential association between the progression of coronary artery calcium score and coronary plaque volume progression according to statins: the Progression of AtheRosclerotic PlAque DetermIned by Computed TomoGraphic Angiography Imaging (PARADIGM) study
Sang‐Eun Lee, Ji Min Sung, Daniele Andreini, Matthew J. Budoff, Filippo Cademartiri, Kavitha M. Chinnaiyan, Jung Hyun Choi, Eun Ju Chun, Edoardo Conte, Ilan Gottlieb, Martin Hadamitzky, Yong Jin Kim
SJR Q1European Heart Journal - Cardiovascular ImagingOA

AIMS: Coronary artery calcium score (CACS) is a strong predictor of major adverse cardiac events (MACE). Conversely, statins, which markedly reduce MACE risk, increase CACS. We explored whether CACS progression represents compositional plaque volume (PV) progression differently according to statin use. METHODS AND RESULTS: From a prospective multinational registry of consecutive patients (n = 2252) who underwent serial coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) at a ≥ 2-year interval, 654 p

Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and ImagingMedicine
11
Article|97 citations·2010
Treatment of Striae Distensae Using an Ablative 10,600-nm Carbon Dioxide Fractional Laser
Sang Eun Lee, Jong Hoon Kim, Sang Ju Lee, Jung Eun Lee, Jin Moon Kang, Young Koo Kim, Dongsik Bang, Sung Bin Cho
SJR Q2Dermatologic SurgeryOA

Our observations demonstrated that the use of CO₂ FS can have a positive therapeutic effect on late-stage striae distensae.

DermatologyMedicine
12
Article|94 citations·2010
Asthma, mast cells, mediators, allergy
이상은, 정세규, 이승헌

Proteases in the skin are essential to epidermal permeability barrier homeostasis. In addition to their direct proteolytic effects, certain proteases signal to cells by activating protease-activated receptors (PARs), the G-protein-coupled receptors. The expression of functional PAR-2 on human skin and its role in inflammation,pruritus, and skin barrier homeostasis have been demonstrated. Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a multifactorial inflammatory skin disease characterized by genetic barrier defects

13
Article|90 citations·2015
Gastric Cancer Screening Uptake Trends in Korea
Sang Eun Lee, Jae Kwan Jun, Mina Suh, Boyoung Park, Dai Keun Noh, Kyu‐Won Jung, Kui Son Choi
SJR Q3MedicineOA

Although the effectiveness of mass screening for gastric cancer remains controversial, several countries with a high prevalence of gastric cancer have implemented nationwide gastric cancer screening programs. This study was conducted to assess trends in the use of either upper gastrointestinal series (UGIS) or endoscopy to screen for gastric cancer, as well as to assess factors strongly associated with changes therein, over a 10-year period. Data were obtained from the National Cancer Screening

Pulmonary and Respiratory MedicineMedicine
14
Article|90 citations·2018
Skin Barrier and Calcium
이상은, 이승헌

Epidermal barrier formation and the maintenance of barrier homeostasis are essential to protect us from the external environments and organisms. Moreover, impaired keratinocytes differentiation and dysfunctional skin barrier can be the primary causes or aggravating factors for many inflammatory skin diseases including atopic dermatitis and psoriasis. Therefore, understanding the regulation mechanisms of keratinocytes differentiation and skin barrier homeostasis is important to understand many sk

15
Article|89 citations·2019
Differences in Progression to Obstructive Lesions per High-Risk Plaque Features and Plaque Volumes With CCTA
Sang‐Eun Lee, Ji Min Sung, Daniele Andreini, Mouaz H. Al‐Mallah, Matthew J. Budoff, Filippo Cademartiri, Kavitha M. Chinnaiyan, Jung Hyun Choi, Eun Ju Chun, Edoardo Conte, Ilan Gottlieb, Martin Hadamitzky
SJR Q1JACC. Cardiovascular imagingOA
Pulmonary and Respiratory MedicineMedicine

Research Areas

Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and ImagingPulmonary and Respiratory MedicineDermatologySurgeryCardiology and Cardiovascular MedicinePathology and Forensic Medicine

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