PharmDB-K: Integrated Bio-Pharmacological Network Database for Traditional Korean Medicine

Despite the growing attention given to Traditional Medicine (TM) worldwide, there is no well-known, publicly available, integrated bio-pharmacological Traditional Korean Medicine (TKM) database for researchers in drug discovery. In this study, we have constructed PharmDB-K, which offers comprehensive information relating to TKM-associated drugs (compound), disease indication, and protein relationships. To explore the underlying molecular interaction of TKM, we integrated fourteen different databases, six Pharmacopoeias, and literature, and established a massive bio-pharmacological network for TKM and experimentally validated some cases predicted from the PharmDB-K analyses. Currently, PharmDB-K contains information about 262 TKMs, 7,815 drugs, 3,721 diseases, 32,373 proteins, and 1,887 side effects. One of the unique sets of information in PharmDB-K includes 400 indicator compounds used for standardization of herbal medicine. Furthermore, we are operating PharmDB-K via phExplorer (a network visualization software) and BioMart (a data federation framework) for convenient search and analysis of the TKM network. Database URL: http://pharmdb-k.org, http://biomart.i-pharm.org.     

Evidence for a defect of holocarboxylase synthetase activity in cultured lymphoblasts from a patient with biotin-responsive multiple carboxylase deficiency.

We report here the expression of biotin-responsive multiple carboxylase deficiency in cultured lymphoblasts of a patient whose fibroblasts belong to the bio genetic complementation group. Cultured lymphoblasts from the patient lost propionyl-CoA carboxylase (PCC) and beta-methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase (MCC) activities at a faster rate than normal cells when grown in biotin-deficient medium. Recovery of normal PCC and MCC activities, which was independent of protein synthesis, required a 2,500-fold higher biotin concentration than that required by normal lymphoblasts. Holocarboxylase synthetase activity was detected in cell-free extracts through the biotinylation of endogenous apo-PCC in the presence of ATP to form active holo-PCC. While the apo-PCC in extracts of normal biotin-starved lymphoblasts could be activated to 28% of maximal activity, extracts of patient lymphoblasts did not exhibit any ATP and biotin-dependent increase in PCC activity. A normal cell extract, cleared of apocarboxylases by immunoprecipitation, stimulated the PCC activity of a patient cell extract 20-fold. These results indicate that the apoenzyme in bio cells is normal and that the defect lies in the holocarboxylase synthetase.     

The lymphopenic environment of CD132 (common gamma-chain)-deficient hosts elicits rapid homeostatic proliferation of naive T cells via IL-15

Homeostatic proliferation for naive T cells is observed readily only under lymphopenic conditions in response to elevated levels of IL-7 and contact with self-MHC/peptide ligands. Homeostatic proliferation occurs at a slow pace and gradually induces the dividing cells to acquire characteristics of memory cells. We describe a novel type of homeostatic proliferation whereby naive T cells proliferate at a significantly faster rate, resembling the proliferation speed induced by foreign Ags, and the expanding cells rapidly differentiate into central memory cells. Remarkably, such rapid homeostatic proliferation is driven by a combination of IL-2 and IL-15, with IL-15 playing a bigger role, and applies for a wide repertoire of CD8(+) naive T cells, including many TCR-transgenic lines, even those that fail to undergo IL-7-driven homeostatic proliferation. Thus, naive T cells can be induced to undergo homeostatic proliferation of variable speed with a few members of the common gamma-chain (CD132) family of cytokines, the speed of proliferation depending on the levels of the particular cytokine involved.     

Kolaviron inhibits dimethyl nitrosamine-induced liver injury by suppressing COX-2 and iNOS expression via NF-κB and AP-1

AimsKolaviron, a bioflavonoid isolated from the seeds of Garcinia kola has been reported to possess anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antigenotoxic and hepatoprotective activities in model systems via multiple biochemical mechanisms. The present study investigated the possible molecular mechanisms underlying the hepatoprotective effects of kolaviron.Main methodsBiomarkers of hepatic oxidative injury, histological and immunohistochemical techniques were used. In addition, the protein expression levels of cyclooxygenase (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) were evaluated by western blotting while DNA-binding activities of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and activator protein-1 (AP-1) were determined by electrophoretic mobility shift assay.Key findingsKolaviron administered orally at doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg for 7 days significantly lowered the activities of serum transaminases and γ-glutamyl tranferase induced by single intraperitoneal administration of dimethyl nitrosamine (DMN) (20 mg/kg) and preserved the integrity of the hepatocytes. Also, kolaviron at both doses reduced the DMN induced elevated hepatic levels of malondialdehyde and reversed DMN mediated decrease in hepatic glutathione. The hepatoprotective effect of kolaviron was compared to that of curcumin, an established hepatoprotective agent. Kolaviron inhibited the DMN induced expression of COX-2 and iNOS. Immunohistochemical staining of rat liver verified the inhibitory effect of kolaviron on DMN-induced hepatic COX-2 expression. Furthermore, kolaviron abrogated DMN induced binding activity of NF-κB as well as AP-1.SignificanceThe ability of kolaviron to inhibit COX-2 and iNOS expression through down regulation of NF-κB and AP-1 DNA binding activities could be a mechanism for the hepatoprotective properties of kolaviron.     

Expression and Functional Role of Sox9 in Human Epidermal Keratinocytes

In this study, we investigated the expression and putative role of Sox9 in epidermal keratinocyte. Immunohistochemical staining showed that Sox9 is predominantly expressed in the basal layer of normal human skin epidermis, and highly expressed in several skin diseases including psoriasis, basal cell carcinoma, keratoacanthoma and squamous cell carcinoma. In calcium-induced keratinocyte differentiation model, the expression of Sox9 was decreased in a time dependent manner. When Sox9 was overexpressed using a recombinant adenovirus, cell growth was enhanced, while the expression of differentiation-related genes such as loricrin and involucrin was markedly decreased. Similarly, when rat skin was intradermally injected with the adenovirus expressing Sox9, the epidermis was thickened with increase of PCNA positive cells, while the epidermal differentiation was decreased. Finally, UVB irradiation induced Sox9 expression in cultured human epidermal keratinocytes, and keratinocytes are protected from UVB-induced apoptosis by Sox9 overexpression. Together, these results suggest that Sox9 is an important regulator of epidermal keratinocytes with putative pro-proliferation and/or pro-survival functions, and may be related to several cutaneous diseases that are characterized by abnormal differentiation and hyperproliferation.