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Ryu Hye-jin

Korea University · Medicine

About the Lab

Professor Ryu Hye-jin's research lab focuses on the pathophysiological roles of adipokines and hepatokines in metabolic and cardiovascular diseases, particularly in the context of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and atherosclerosis. The lab investigates how bioactive molecules derived from adipose tissue and the liver contribute to systemic inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, and arterial stiffness, with an emphasis on identifying novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Their work integrates clinical studies with molecular mechanisms, including the role of omentin-1 and other metabolic regulators in vascular health.

adipokineshepatokinesmetabolic syndromecardiovascular diseasearterial stiffness

Research Overview

Papers
341
Total Citations
10,646
Papers (5y)
71
Primary Field
Medicine

Research Output Trend

Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.

Publications per year (5y)
71total
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
Citations per year (5y)
463total
20222023202420252026

Selected Papers

15
1
Review|216 citations·2016
Review on a Traditional Herbal Medicine, Eurycoma longifolia Jack (Tongkat Ali): Its Traditional Uses, Chemistry, Evidence-Based Pharmacology and Toxicology
Shaheed Ur Rehman, Kevin Choe, Hye Jin Yoo
SJR Q1MoleculesOA

Eurycoma longifolia Jack (known as tongkat ali), a popular traditional herbal medicine, is a flowering plant of the family Simaroubaceae, native to Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and also Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Thailand. E. longifolia, is one of the well-known folk medicines for aphrodisiac effects as well as intermittent fever (malaria) in Asia. Decoctions of E. longifolia leaves are used for washing itches, while its fruits are used in curing dysentery. Its bark is mostly used as a vermifug

Molecular BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
2
Article|139 citations·2011
Association of circulating omentin-1 level with arterial stiffness and carotid plaque in type 2 diabetes
Hye Jin Yoo, Soon Young Hwang, Ho Cheol Hong, Hae Yoon Choi, Sae Jeong Yang, Ji A Seo, Sin Gon Kim, Nan Hee Kim, Kyung Mook Choi, Dong Seop Choi, Sei Hyun Baik
SJR Q1Cardiovascular DiabetologyOA

BACKGROUND: Adipokines contribute directly to the atherosclerotic process, connecting metabolic disorders such as obesity and diabetes to cardiovascular disease. Omentin-1 is a recently discovered novel adipokine, so data about the relationship of this adipokine to vascular health in type 2 diabetes is limited. METHODS: We enrolled 60 people with type 2 diabetes, with or without carotid plaque, and 30 participants with normal glucose tolerance. We measured serum omentin-1, high-sensitivity C-rea

EpidemiologyMedicine
3
Review|96 citations·2015
Hepatokines as a Link between Obesity and Cardiovascular Diseases
Hye Jin Yoo, Kyung Mook Choi
SJR Q1Diabetes & Metabolism JournalOA

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which is considered a hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome, independently increases the risks of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Recent emerging evidence suggests that a group of predominantly liver-derived proteins called hepatokines directly affect the progression of atherosclerosis by modulating endothelial dysfunction and infiltration of inflammatory cells into vessel walls. Here, we summarize the role of the rep

Molecular BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
4
Article|90 citations·2020
Triglyceride and glucose index and the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus: A nationwide population-based cohort study
Jung A Kim, Jinsil Kim, Eun Roh, So‐hyeon Hong, You‐Bin Lee, Sei Hyun Baik, Kyung Mook Choi, Eunjin Noh, Soon Young Hwang, Geum Joon Cho, Hye Jin Yoo
SJR Q1Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice
Obstetrics and GynecologyMedicine
5
Article|88 citations·2013
Implication of Progranulin and C1q/TNF-Related Protein-3 (CTRP3) on Inflammation and Atherosclerosis in Subjects with or without Metabolic Syndrome
Hye Jin Yoo, Soon Young Hwang, Ho Cheol Hong, Hae Yoon Choi, Sae Jeong Yang, Dong Seop Choi, Sei Hyun Baik, Matthias Blüher, Byung‐Soo Youn, Kyung Mook Choi
SJR Q1PLoS ONEOA

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01668888.

Pulmonary and Respiratory MedicineMedicine
6
Article|86 citations·2011
The differential relationship between fat mass and bone mineral density by gender and menopausal status
Hye Jin Yoo, Man Sik Park, Sae Jeong Yang, Tae Nyun Kim, Kang Il Lim, Hyun Joo Kang, Wook Song, Sei Hyun Baik, Dong Seop Choi, Kyung Mook Choi
SJR Q2Journal of Bone and Mineral Metabolism
Orthopedics and Sports MedicineMedicine
7
Article|81 citations·2014
Association of metabolically abnormal but normal weight (MANW) and metabolically healthy but obese (MHO) individuals with arterial stiffness and carotid atherosclerosis
Hye Jin Yoo, Soon Young Hwang, Ho Cheol Hong, Hae Yoon Choi, Ji A Seo, Sin Gon Kim, Nan Hee Kim, Dong Seop Choi, Sei Hyun Baik, Kyung Mook Choi
SJR Q1Atherosclerosis
Cardiology and Cardiovascular MedicineMedicine
8
Article|72 citations·2017
Association of leukocyte cell-derived chemotaxin 2 (LECT2) with NAFLD, metabolic syndrome, and atherosclerosis
Hye Jin Yoo, Soon Young Hwang, Ju-Hee Choi, Hyun Jung Lee, Hye Soo Chung, Ji A Seo, Sin Gon Kim, Nan Hee Kim, Sei Hyun Baik, Dong Seop Choi, Kyung Mook Choi
SJR Q1PLoS ONEOA

Clinicaltrials.gov NCT01594710.

EpidemiologyMedicine
9
Article|72 citations·2015
A dipeptidyl peptidase-IV inhibitor improves hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance by AMPK-dependent and JNK-dependent inhibition of LECT2 expression
Hwan‐Jin Hwang, Tae Woo Jung, Baek‐hui Kim, Ho Cheol Hong, Ji A Seo, Sin Gon Kim, Nan Hee Kim, Kyung Mook Choi, Dong Seop Choi, Sei Hyun Baik, Hye Jin Yoo
SJR Q1Biochemical Pharmacology
Endocrinology, Diabetes and MetabolismMedicine
10
Review|70 citations·2014
Adipokines as a novel link between obesity and atherosclerosis
Hye Jin Yoo
World Journal of DiabetesOA

The traditional perception of adipose tissue as a storage organ of fatty acids has been replaced by the notion that adipose tissue is an active endocrine organ, releasing various adipokines that are involved in the pathogenesis of obesity-related metabolic disturbances. Obesity is a well-known risk factor for atherosclerosis, and accelerates atherosclerosis by many mechanisms such as increase in blood pressure and glucose level, abnormal lipid profiles, and systemic inflammation. Furthermore, gr

EpidemiologyMedicine
11
Article|67 citations·2011
Circulating Chemerin Level is Independently Correlated with Arterial Stiffness
Hye Jin Yoo, Hae Yoon Choi, Sae Jeong Yang, Hee Young Kim, Ji A Seo, Sin Gon Kim, Nan Hee Kim, Kyung Mook Choi, Dong Seop Choi, Sei Hyun Baik
SJR Q2Journal of Atherosclerosis and ThrombosisOA

AIM: Adipokines have been implicated in the pathogenesis of obesity and obesity-related disorders, including atherosclerosis. Chemerin is a recently discovered adipokine which is closely correlated with various metabolic phenotypes in humans. We examined the association between circulating chemerin levels and arterial stiffness, as represented by the brachial ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV). METHODS: Fifty-eight obese and 62 non-obese individuals participated in the study. We measured the seru

EpidemiologyMedicine
12
Article|66 citations·2017
Knockdown of sestrin2 increases pro-inflammatory reactions and ER stress in the endothelium via an AMPK dependent mechanism
Hwan‐Jin Hwang, Tae Woo Jung, Ju-Hee Choi, Hyun Jung Lee, Hye Soo Chung, Ji A Seo, Sin Gon Kim, Nan Hee Kim, Kyung Mook Choi, Dong Seop Choi, Sei Hyun Baik, Hye Jin Yoo
SJR Q1Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Molecular Basis of Disease
Molecular BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
13
Article|64 citations·2013
Progranulin Protects Vascular Endothelium against Atherosclerotic Inflammatory Reaction via Akt/eNOS and Nuclear Factor-κB Pathways
Hwan‐Jin Hwang, Tae Woo Jung, Ho Cheol Hong, Hae Yoon Choi, Ji A Seo, Sin Gon Kim, Nan Hee Kim, Kyung Mook Choi, Dong Seop Choi, Sei Hyun Baik, Hye Jin Yoo
SJR Q1PLoS ONEOA

Progranulin efficiently inhibited LPS-mediated pro-inflammatory signaling in endothelial cells through activation of the Akt/eNOS pathway and attenuation of the NF-κB pathway, suggesting its protective roles in vascular endothelium against inflammatory reaction underlying atherosclerosis.

NeurologyNeuroscience
14
Article|59 citations·2015
Hepatokines as a Link between Obesity and Cardiovascular Diseases
류혜진, 최경묵
Diabetes and Metabolism Journal

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which is considered a hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome, independently increases the risks of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Recent emerging evidence suggests that a group of predominantly liver-derived proteins called hepatokines directly affect the progression of atherosclerosis by modulating endothelial dysfunction and infiltration of inflammatory cells into vessel walls. Here, we summarize the role of the rep

15
Article|55 citations·2010
Cutoff points of abdominal obesity indices in screening for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in Asians
Hye Jin Yoo, Man Sik Park, Chang Hee Lee, Sae Jeong Yang, Tae Nyun Kim, Kang Il Lim, Hyun Joo Kang, Wook Song, Jong Eun Yeon, Sei Hyun Baik, Dong Seop Choi, Kyung Mook Choi
SJR Q1Liver International

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Abdominal obesity is associated with metabolic syndrome and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Although there have been many studies to determine the optimal cutoff points of waist circumference or visceral fat area in screening for metabolic syndrome, there have been no reports to establish adequate cutoff points of abdominal obesity indices in screening for NAFLD. Therefore, we examined the appropriate cutoff points of abdominal obesity indices associated with NAFLD in

EpidemiologyMedicine

Research Areas

Endocrinology, Diabetes and MetabolismEpidemiologyPhysiologyMolecular BiologyCardiology and Cardiovascular MedicineNutrition and Dietetics

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