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Kwang‐Won Lee

Korea University · Medicine

About the Lab

Professor Kwang-Won Lee's research lab focuses on bioactive natural compounds and their therapeutic potential in disease prevention and treatment, particularly in the context of oxidative stress, cancer, and metabolic disorders. The lab investigates immunomodulatory effects of marine polysaccharides like fucoidan, the hepatoprotective and antioxidant activities of phytochemicals such as caffeic acid and plant-derived extracts, and the cholesterol-lowering properties of bioactive fatty acids like pinolenic acid. A central theme is understanding molecular mechanisms underlying cytoprotection, glycation inhibition, and apoptosis regulation in liver cell models. The lab integrates in vitro cell culture studies with biochemical and molecular analyses to identify and validate natural products with clinical relevance.

fucoidanhepatoprotectionoxidative stressglycation inhibitorspinolenic acid

Research Overview

Papers
438
Total Citations
8,155
Papers (5y)
42
Primary Field
Medicine

Research Output Trend

Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.

Publications per year (5y)
42total
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
Citations per year (5y)
296total
20222023202420252026

Selected Papers

15
1
Article|189 citations·2006
Isolation of chebulic acid from Terminalia chebula Retz. and its antioxidant effect in isolated rat hepatocytes
Hyun-Sun Lee, Sung-Hoon Jung, Bong-Sik Yun, Kwang‐Won Lee
SJR Q1Archives of Toxicology
Complementary and alternative medicineMedicine
2
Article|150 citations·2013
The hepatoprotection of caffeic acid and rosmarinic acid, major compounds of Perilla frutescens, against t-BHP-induced oxidative liver damage
Sung-Yong Yang, Chung-Oui Hong, Gung Pyo Lee, Cheong-Tae Kim, Kwang‐Won Lee
SJR Q1Food and Chemical Toxicology
SurgeryMedicine
3
Article|88 citations·2019
Characterization and Immunomodulatory Effects of High Molecular Weight Fucoidan Fraction from the Sporophyll of Undaria pinnatifida in Cyclophosphamide-Induced Immunosuppressed Mice
Hee Joon Yoo, Dong‐Ju You, Kwang‐Won Lee
SJR Q1Marine DrugsOA

Immunomodulation involves two mechanisms, immunostimulation and immunosuppression. It is a complex mechanism that regulates the pathophysiology and pathogenesis of various diseases affecting the immune system. Immunomodulators can be used as immunostimulators to reduce the side effects of drugs that induce immunosuppression. In this study, we characterized the chemical composition of high molecular weight fucoidan (HMWF) and low molecular weight fucoidan and compared their functions as natural k

Aquatic ScienceAgricultural and Biological Sciences
4
Article|83 citations·2012
Achievable Degrees of Freedom on K-user Y Channels
Kwang‐Won Lee, Namyoon Lee, Inkyu Lee
SJR Q1IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications

In this paper, we consider K-user Y channels where K users simultaneously exchange messages with each other via an intermediate relay. Degrees of freedom (DOF) of Y channels with multiple antennas is not known in general. Investigation of the feasibility conditions of signal space alignment for network coding is an initial step for addressing this open problem. We verify that when user i with M-i antennas sends K-1 independent messages to the other users through a relay with N antennas and each

Computer Networks and CommunicationsComputer Science
5
Article|79 citations·2007
Protective effect of aqueous extract of Perilla frutescens on tert-butyl hydroperoxide-induced oxidative hepatotoxicity in rats
Minkyung Kim, Huyn-Sun Lee, Eun‐jin Kim, Nam-Hee Won, Young‐Min Chi, Byoung-Chul Kim, Kwang‐Won Lee
SJR Q1Food and Chemical Toxicology
PharmacologyPharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics
6
Article|77 citations·2010
Preventive effects of chebulic acid isolated from Terminalia chebula on advanced glycation endproduct-induced endothelial cell dysfunction
Hyun-Sun Lee, Yoon-Chang Koo, Hyung Joo Suh, Kyung-Yong Kim, Kwang‐Won Lee
SJR Q1Journal of Ethnopharmacology
Clinical BiochemistryBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
7
Article|76 citations·2019
ERK/Nrf2 pathway activation by caffeic acid in HepG2 cells alleviates its hepatocellular damage caused by t-butylhydroperoxide-induced oxidative stress
Sung-Yong Yang, Min Cheol Pyo, Mi-Hyun Nam, Kwang‐Won Lee
BMC Complementary and Alternative MedicineOA

BACKGROUND: Several studies have found that caffeic acid (CA), a well-known phytochemical, displays important antioxidant and anti-cancer activities. However, no evidence exists on the protective effect and its mechanisms that CA treatment alone has against oxidative stress induced by tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BHP) in HepG2 cells. METHODS: Hepatoprotective activities such as cell viability, mRNA expression, and report gene assay were measured using HepG2 cell. Three types of genes and proteins

Insect ScienceAgricultural and Biological Sciences
8
Article|72 citations·1998
The Relative Ability of Glucose and Ascorbate to Glycate and Crosslink Lens Proteins In Vitro
Kwang‐Won Lee, Valeri V. Mossine, B.J. Ortwerth
SJR Q1Experimental Eye Research
Clinical BiochemistryBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
9
Article|68 citations·2007
Morphological changes in dendritic spines of Purkinje cells associated with motor learning
Kwang‐Won Lee, J. Jung, Tatsuo Arii, Keiji Imoto, Im Joo Rhyu
SJR Q2Neurobiology of Learning and Memory
Cellular and Molecular NeuroscienceNeuroscience
10
Article|65 citations·2018
Renal toxicity through AhR, PXR, and Nrf2 signaling pathway activation of ochratoxin A-induced oxidative stress in kidney cells
Hyun Jung Lee, Min Cheol Pyo, Hye Soo Shin, Dojin Ryu, Kwang‐Won Lee
SJR Q1Food and Chemical Toxicology
Molecular BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
11
Article|59 citations·2019
Ochratoxin A-Induced Hepatotoxicity through Phase I and Phase II Reactions Regulated by AhR in Liver Cells
Hye Soo Shin, Hyun Jung Lee, Min Cheol Pyo, Dojin Ryu, Kwang‐Won Lee
SJR Q1ToxinsOA

. OTA exists in a variety of foods, including rice, oats, and coffee and is hepatotoxic, with a similar mode of action as aflatoxin B1. The precise mechanism of cytotoxicity is not yet known, but oxidative damage is suspected to contribute to its cytotoxic effects. In this study, human hepatocyte HepG2 cells were treated with various concentrations of OTA (5-500 nM) for 48 h. OTA triggered oxidative stress as demonstrated by glutathione depletion and increased reactive oxygen species, malondiald

Plant ScienceAgricultural and Biological Sciences
12
Article|57 citations·2007
Glycation inhibitory activity and the identification of an active compound in Plantago asiatica extract
Soo‐Youn Choi, Sung‐Hoon Jung, Hyun‐Sun Lee, Kwen‐Woo Park, Bong‐Sik Yun, Kwang‐Won Lee
SJR Q1Phytotherapy Research

The glycation reaction involves a series of non-enzymatic reactions between the carbonyl group on reducing sugars and the amino group on proteins leading to the formation of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs), which are acknowledged to be involved in the pathogenesis of diabetic and aging-related complications. Consequently, the development of AGE inhibitors is considered to have therapeutic potential in patients with diabetes or age-related diseases. The preliminary results showed that a me

Clinical BiochemistryBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
13
Article|47 citations·2004
Selective increase in pinolenic acid (all‐cis‐5,9,12–18∶3) in Korean pine nut oil by crystallization and its effect on LDL‐receptor activity
Jin‐Won Lee, Kwang‐Won Lee, Seog‐Won Lee, In‐Hwan Kim, Chul Rhee
SJR Q2Lipids

The aims of this study were to obtain concentrated pinolenic acid (5,9,12-18:3) from dietary Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis) nut oil by urea complexation and to investigate its cholesterol-lowering effect on the LDL-receptor activity of human hepatoma HepG2 cells. Pine nut oil was hydrolyzed to provide a low-pinolenic acid-containing FA extract (LPAFAE), followed by crystallization with different ratios of urea in ethanol (EtOH) or methanol (MeOH) as a solvent to produce a high-pinolenic acid-con

Molecular BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
14
Article|44 citations·1999
A systematic approach to evaluate the modification of lens proteins by glycation-induced crosslinking
Kwang‐Won Lee, Gregory Simpson, B.J. Ortwerth
SJR Q1Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Molecular Basis of Disease
Clinical BiochemistryBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
15
Article|43 citations·2015
Chemical characteristics and enhanced hepatoprotective activities of Maillard reaction products derived from milk protein-sugar system
Nam Su Oh, Ji Young Lee, Hyun Ah Lee, Jae Yeon Joung, Yong Kook Shin, Sae Hun Kim, Younghoon Kim, Kwang‐Won Lee
SJR Q1Journal of Dairy ScienceOA

The objective of this study was to investigate the characteristics, antioxidative properties, and hepatoprotective effects of Maillard reaction products (MRP) from milk protein reacted with sugars. The MRP were obtained from milk protein, whey protein concentrates and sodium caseinate, using 2 types of sugars, lactose and glucose, by heating the mixture at 55°C for 7d in a sodium phosphate buffer (pH 7.4). Changes in the chemical modification of the milk protein were monitored by measuring the p

Molecular BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Research Areas

Clinical BiochemistryMolecular BiologySurgeryFood SciencePlant ScienceOrthodontics

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