Goo-tae Oh

Reactive oxygen species (ROS), which include superoxide anions and peroxides, induce oxidative stress, contributing to the initiation and progression of cardiovascular diseases involving atherosclerosis. The endogenous and exogenous factors hypercholesterolemia, hyperglycemia, hypertension, and shear stress induce various enzyme systems such as nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (phosphate) oxidase, xanthine oxidase, and lipoxygenase in vascular and immune cells,which generate ROS. Besides induci

Korean red ginseng water extract (KG-WE) has known beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system via inducting nitricoxide (NO) production in endothelium. Endothelial arginase inhibits the activity of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) bysubstrate depletion, thereby reducing NO bioavailability and contributing to vascular diseases including hypertension, aging,and atherosclerosis. In the present study, we demonstrate that KG-WE inhibits arginase activity and negatively regulates NOproduc

Background Obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus are world-wide health problems, and lack of understanding of their linking mechanism is one reason for limited treatment options. We determined if genetic deletion of vimentin, a type 3 intermediate filament, affects obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods We fed vimentin-null (Vim−/−) mice and wild-type mice a high-fat diet (HFD) for 10 weeks and measured weight change, adiposity, blood lipids, and glucose. We performed intraperitoneal gluco

N-α-acetyltransferase 10 (NAA10) is a subunit of Nα-terminal protein acetyltransferase that plays a role in many biological processes. Among the six N-α-acetyltransferases (NATs) in eukaryotes, the biological significance of the Nterminal acetyl-activity of Naa10 has been the most studied. Recent findings in a few species, including humans, indicate that loss of N-terminal acetylation by NAA10 is associated with developmental defects. However, very little is known about the role of NAA10, and mo

Monocyte chemotactic protein-3 (MCP-3), a chemokine that is in a superfamily of structurally related small chemotactic cytokines involved in leukocyte trafficking, is regarded as a key factor in atherogenesis. In this study, we examined the changes in atherogenic parameters including hepatic lipid accumulation and oxidative balance in MCP-3-overexpressing transgenic mice (MCP-3 mice) under atherogenic conditions. To induce an extreme atherogenic condition, mice were fed a high-fat, high-choleste

Angiotensinogen (AGT), the precursor of angiotensin I, is known to be involved in tumor angiogenesis and associated with the pathogenesis of coronary atherosclerosis. This study was undertaken to determine the role played by AGT in endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in tumor progression and metastasis. It was found that the number of EPC colonies formed by AGT heterozygous knockout (AGT+/-) cells was less than that formed by wild-type (WT) cells, and that the migration and tube formation abilit

In this study, the synergistic effect of 6-[4-(1-cyclohexyl-1H-tetrazol-5-yl) butoxy]-3,4-dihydro-2(1H )-quinolinone (cilostazol) and Ginkgo biloba extract (GbE)was examined in apolipoprotein E (ApoE) null mice. Co-treatment with GbE and cilostazol synergistically decreased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in ApoE null mice fed a high-fat diet. Co-treatment resulted in a significantly decreased atherosclerotic lesion area compared to untreated ApoE mice. The inflammatory cytokines and ad

Rhus verniciflua stokes (RVS) is a popularmedicinal plant in oriental medicines which is commonlyused to resolve extravasated blood. To elucidate themolecular mechanism of the role of RVS extracts on theregulation of lipid and cholesterol biosynthesis, we investigatedwhether RVS extract protect the hyperlipidemia inwestern diet-induced C57BL6/J mice. Mice fed a westerndiet and additionally RVS extracts was administered orallyat a dose of 0.1 or 1 g/kg/day for 2 weeks respectively. Group with hig

A variety of benzylidenethiazole analogs have been demonstrated to inhibit 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX). Here we report the anti-atherogenic potential of 5-(4-hydroxy-2,3,5-trimethylbenzylidene) thiazolidin-2,4-dione (HMB-TZD), a benzylidenethiazole analog, and its potential mechanism of action in LDL receptor-deficient (Ldlr-/-) mice. HMB-TZD Treatment reduced leukotriene B4 (LTB4) production significantly in RAW264.7macrophages and SVEC4-10 endothelial cells. Macrophages or endothelial cells pre-inc

We investigated the effect of tilianin upon inducible nitric oxide synthesis in the plasma of low-density lipoprotein receptor knock-out (Ldlr-/-) mice fed with high cholesterol diet and in primary peritoneal macrophages of Ldlr-/- mice. High cholesterol diet induced nitric oxide production in the plasma of Ldlr-/- mice. Tilianin reduced the level of nitric oxide (NO) in plasma from Ldlr-/- mice induced by the high cholesterol diet. Tilianin also inhibited the NO production from the primary cult

Embryonic stem (ES) cells may be used as an alternative source of functionally intact cardiomyocytes for ischemic heart disease. Several natural and synthetic small molecules have been identified as useful tools for controlling and manipulating stem cell renewal and differentiation. Currently, there is an urgent requirement for novel small molecules that specifically induce differentiation of stem cells into cardiomyocytes. To identify compounds that promote cardiomyogenesis of stem cells, cell-

The maintenance of balance between nitric oxide (NO) and the superoxide anion is required for proper functioning of the endothelium. To investigate the relationship between genetic factors associated with endothelial function and the development of coronary artery disease (CAD), endothelial nitric oxide synthase (ecNOS) gene a/b polymorphism and NADH/NADPH oxidase p22 phox gene C242T polymorphism were examined in 305 Korean male CAD patients and 215 healthy male control subjects. The β-fibrinoge

Osteoclasts (OCs) are bone-resorbing cells that originate from hematopoietic stem cells and develop through the fusion of mononuclear myeloid precursors. Dysregulation of OC development causes bone disorders such as osteopetrosis, osteoporosis, and rheumatoid arthritis. Although the molecular mechanisms underlying osteoclastogenesis have been well established, the means by which OCs maintain their survival during OC development remain unknown. We found that Ninjurin1 (Ninj1) expression is dynami

The tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily (TNFRSF), which includes CD40, LIGHT, and OX40, plays important roles in the initiation and progression of cardiovascular diseases, involving atherosclerosis. CD137, a member of TNFRSF, is a well-known activation-induced T cell co-stimulatory molecule and has been reported to be expressed in human atherosclerotic plaque lesions, and plays pivotal roles in mediating disease processes. In this review, we focus on and summarize recent advances in mouse

We have developed a method for rapid activity staining of proteins with glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity after 2-D gel electrophoresis. After separating proteins extracted from yeast, or mouse red blood cells, by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, SDS was removed and the gel was submerged in a Tris-HCl buffer containing glutathione and hydrogen peroxide, followed by incubation with 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)- 2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and phenazine methosulfate (PMS). After