Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is considered the major cause of mortality in the world. Tremendous animal studies are performed to develop novel therapeutics, and this study aimed to induce porcine myocardial infarction model by using polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Coronary guidewire was placed in left anterior descending artery (LAD). The balloon angioplasty catheter was inserted at the back of the PET. The balloon catheter was carefully pushed forward, until the balloon marker was located in mid-LAD. Coronary angiography was performed pre- and post-occlusion at 28 days by C-arm. Histologic analysis of heart tissue was performed 28 days after inducing AMI. Thirty three pigs were anesthetized and underwent percutaneous coronary catheterization. All pigs were successfully embolized in mid-LAD by PET. Fifteen pigs died due to ventricular fibrillation during post-anesthetic recovery time, and overall experiment mortality was 45.5%. In 2,3,5- triphenyl tetrazolium chloride staining, gross finding of the ischemic heart lesion showed firm and white area of infarction associated with the apex and left ventricular posterior wall. Infarct on H&E-stained sections demonstrated a region without myocytes and rich with cardiomyocyte with atypical nuclei. Successful induction of AMI by using PET may provide the pathophysiological information of ischemic heart disease and improvement of therapy development for AMI.

Cynanchum wilfordii Radix (CWR), Arctium lappa L (ALL), and Dioscorea opposite (DO) have been known to improve blood lipid profile, blood pressure, and inflammation. To find the optimal combination ratio of CWR, ALL, and DO in terms of vascular health improvement, we compared the effects of various combinations on gene expression of Vascular cell adhesion protein 1 (VCAM-1) in human aortic smooth muscle cells (HASMC). VCAM-1 mediates endothelial leukocyte adhesion and is upregulated in atherosclerosis. Cells was stimulated by TNF-α (10 ng/㎖, 2h) and treated with various combinations for 24 h. A combination (CADM5, CWR:ALL:DO = 2:1:1) showed the strongest suppression of VCAM-1 so that CADM5 was chosen for further experiments. We performed cell viability test with CADM5 (0, 3.125, 12.5, 25, 50, and 100 ㎍/㎖) and no cytotoxicity was found. We also investigated the effect of CADM5 on protein expression of VCAM-1, ICAM-1, Nrf-2, and HO-1 using western blotting. We found that CADM5 diminished the expression of VCAM-1 and increased the expression of Nrf-2 and HO-1. Therefore, we concluded that CADM5 (CWR:ALL:DO = 2:1:1) effectively improves vascular health by regulating the expression of VCAM-1.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a kind of liver inflammation caused by an accumulation of fat in the liver. Patients with NAFLD have an increased risk to develop liver fibrosis, which leads to cirrhosis. To investigate hepatoprotective effects of Agrimonia eupatoria L (A. eupatoria), oleic acid-induced NAFLD in HepG2 cells was used and A. eupatoria was fractionated with ethanol (EtOH), n-hexane, dichloromethane (CH2Cl2), ethyl acetate (EtOAc), n-butanol (BuOH), and H2O. Cells treated with the EtOAc fraction showed the highest lipid accumulation inhibiting effect. A. eupatoria also suppressed triglyceride accumulation and inhibited expression of lipid marker gene, such as a peroxisome proliferator activated receptor γ (PPAR-γ). Moreover, another marker, mRNA expression level of peroxisome proliferator activated receptor α (PPAR-α) was significantly increased by in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggest that A. eupatoria is a potent agent for the treatment of NAFLD.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease characterized by the progressive degradation of joint cartilage and is accompanied by secondary inflammation of synovial membranes. The purpose of this study describes a preliminary evaluation of the anti-inflammatory activity on test material of Litsea japonica. fruit (LJTM) Also, this study was to evaluate the effects of LJTM on the joint cartilage of rat with OA induced by monosodium iodoacetate (MIA). To study for anti-inflammatory agents effectively, we first examined the inhibitory effect of the LJTM on the production of pro-inflammatory factors and cytokines stimulated with lipopolysaccharide. We identified anti-nociceptive effects of the LJTM by using in vivo peripheral and central nervous pain models. In addition, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects on mRNA expression of MMP-2, -3, -7, -9, -13, TIMP-1 and –2 in cartilage of OA. In the LJTM inhibited production of pro-inflammatory mediators (NO and PGE2) and pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-6). In cartilage, Expression of MMPs and TIMPs mRNA was suppressed in LJTM treatment group than in the control group. This study suggests that LJTM are potential candidates as anti-inflammation and anti-osteoarthritis agents (painkillers) for the treatment of OA.

본 연구에서는 까마귀쪽나무 잎과 열매 추출물의 항염증 활 성을 비교하고자 마우스 대식세포주인 RAW 264.7 cell에서 LPS에 의해 유도된 COX-2/PGE2와 iNOS/NO 및 염증성 cytokine 인 TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6의 생성 억제 정도를 확인하였다. 그 결 과, 동일한 농도 조건(10 ㎍/㎖)에서 까마귀쪽나무의 열매 추출 물이 잎 추출물에 비해 NO, PGE2, iNOS, 염증성 cytokine인 TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6의 생성량 모두에서 억제 효능이 우수하게 나타났다. 따라서 까마귀쪽나무가 보여주는 항염증 효과적 측 면과 안전성의 두가지 측면을 고려할 때, 까마귀쪽나무의 열매 추출물이 저농도에서 잎 추출물보다 항염증 효과가 우수하거나 동등하며, 그 안전성이 크다고 판단됨으로 까마귀쪽나무의 열 매추출물이 항염증 효능을 가진 기능성 식품 소재로써 개발 가 능성이 있음을 제시한다.