Kyung Hee University · Medicine
Professor Young Pyo Jang's research lab specializes in natural product chemistry and neuroprotective pharmacology, focusing on bioactive compounds derived from medicinal plants and their applications in treating neurodegenerative and ocular diseases. The lab investigates the molecular mechanisms of plant-derived compounds—such as lignans, anthocyanins, and triterpenoids—in protecting retinal and neuronal cells from oxidative stress, excitotoxicity, and lipofuscin-induced damage. Key research directions include the development of analytical methods for natural product profiling and the identification of novel neuroprotective and anti-aging agents from traditional medicinal plants.
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
The nondegradable pigments that accumulate in retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells as lipofuscin constituents are considered to be responsible for the loss of RPE cells in recessive Stargardt disease, a blindness macular disorder of juvenile onset. This autofluorescent material may also contribute to the etiology of age-related macular degeneration. The best characterized of these fluorophores is A2E, a compound consisting of two retinoid-derived side arms extending from a pyridinium ring. Evi
A simple chemical profiling and semi-quantitative method for natural products using DART-MS might be applied to diverse field related quality control of medicinal plants or food ingredients.
Abstract The pyridinium bisretinoid A2E, an autofluorescent pigment that accumulates in retinal pigment epithelial cells with age and in some retinal disorders, can mediate a detergent-like perturbation of cell membranes and light-induced damage to the cell. The photodynamic events initiated by the sensitization of A2E include the generation of singlet oxygen and the oxidation of A2E at carbon–carbon double bonds. To assess the ability of plant-derived anthocyanins to modulate adverse effects of
We previously reported that arctigenin, a lignan isolated from the bark of Torreya nucifera, showed significant neuroprotective activity against glutamate-induced toxicity in primary cultured rat cortical cells. In this study, the mode of action of arctigenin was investigated using primary cultures of rat cortical cells as an in vitro system. Arctigenin significantly attenuated glutamate-induced neurotoxicity when added prior to or after an excitotoxic glutamate challenge. The lignan protected c
The methanolic extract of the bark of Torreya nucifera Sieb. et Zucc. (Taxaceae) significantly protected primary cultures of rat cortical cells exposed to the excitotoxic amino acid, L-glutamate. (-)-Arctigenin (1), (-)-traxillagenin (2), arctiin (4), traxillaside (5), and a newly-reported compound 3 (-)-4'-demethyltraxillagenin [(2R,3R)-2-(4''-hydroxy-3''-methoxybenzyl)-3-(4'-hydroxy-3',5'-dimethoxybenzyl)-butyrolactone] were isolated by bioactivity-guided fractionation and further separation u
The chemical components and biological activity of <i>Camellia</i> mistletoe, <i>Korthalsella japonica</i> (Loranthaceae) are relatively unknown compared to other mistletoe species. Therefore, we investigated the phytochemical properties and biological activity of this parasitic plant to provide essential preliminary scientific evidence to support and encourage its further pharmaceutical research and development. The major plant components were chromatographically isolated using high-performance
ABSTRACT The pyridinium bisretinoid A2E, an autofluorescent pigment that accumulates in retinal pigment epithelial cells with age and in some retinal disorders, can mediate a detergent‐like perturbation of cell membranes and light‐induced damage to the cell. The photodynamic events initiated by the sensitization of A2E include the generation of singlet oxygen and the oxidation of A2E at carbon‐carbon double bonds. To assess the ability of plant‐derived anthocyanins to modulate adverse effects of
Elaborating with chemoinformatics, DART-TOF-MS fingerprinting with chemoinformatic tools results in a powerful method for the classification of morphologically similar Umbelliferae medicinal herbs and quality control of medicinal herbal products, including the extracts of these crude drugs.
A hyphenated system for the quantitation of phytochemicals from crude herbal drugs was successfully established. This system was shown to have a powerful analytical capacity for the prompt and efficient quantitation of natural products from crude drugs.
Curcuma longa L. extract and its curcuminoids provided significant protection against photooxidative damage and apoptosis in the RPE cells. Our results suggest that curcuminoids may show potential in the treatment of AMD.
Scientific regulatory systems with suitable analytical methods for monitoring quality, safety, and efficacy are essential in medicinal plant drug discovery. There have been only few attempts to adopt the analytical quality by design (AQbD) strategy in medicinal plants analysis over the last few years. AQbD is a holistic method and development approach that understands analytical procedure, from risk assessment to lifecycle management. The enhanced AQbD approach reduces the time and effort necess
Mass spectrometry-based molecular imaging has been utilized to map the spatial distribution of target metabolites in various matrixes. Among the diverse mass spectrometry techniques, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) is the most popular for molecular imaging due to its powerful spatial resolution. This unparalleled high resolution, however, can paradoxically act as a bottleneck when the bio-imaging of large areas, such as a whole plant, is required. To addr
Topical retinoids inhibit matrix metalloproteinases and accelerate collagen synthesis, thereby triggering antiaging effects in the skin. However, topical retinoids can cause severe skin reactions, including scaling, erythema, papules, and inflammation. The present study demonstrates that the ethanolic bark extract of Alstonia scholaris R. Br. can significantly inhibit all-trans retinoic acid-induced inflammation in human HaCat keratinocyte cells. Furthermore, two representative retinoid-induced
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