Nuruk contributes to the unique characteristics of Korean alcoholic beverages. In this study, the effects of nuruk extracts (NE) on anti-oxidant characters, melanogenesis, and anti-photoaging activity were investigated. NEs were obtained from the 70% ethanol extracts of six types of nuruk, which have been used in brewing of fermented alcohol beverages in Korea. First, various antioxidant charac...

Phospholipase C (PLC) is a putative virulence factor of several pathogenic bacteria. We studied if exogenous PLC would perturb epithelial behavior in infected tissues. Gelatin and casein zymography of cell culture medium indicated that the broad-spectrum PLC of Bacillus cereus induced matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) production in epithelial cells of human skin (NHEK), human gingiva (HGE), and po...

Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) expression and production are associated with advanced-stage tumor and contribute to tumor progression, invasion and metastases. The current study was designed to determine the expression and production of MMP-2 (gelatinase A) and MMP-9 (gelatinase B) by human lymphoid tumor cells. Changes in expression and production were also investigated during tumor progressio...

BACKGROUND Pollens are important triggers for allergic asthma and seasonal rhinitis, and proteases released by major allergenic pollens can injure airway epithelial cells in vitro. Disruption of mucosal epithelial integrity by proteases released by inhaled pollens could promote allergic sensitisation. METHODS Pollen diffusates from Kentucky blue grass (Poa pratensis), rye grass (Lolium perenn...

BACKGROUND The changes occurring in the rodent uterus after parturition can be used as a model of extensive tissue remodeling. As the uterus returns to its prepregnancy state, the involuting uterus undergoes a rapid reduction in size primarily due to the degradation of the extracellular matrix, particularly collagen. Membrane type-I matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP) is one of the major protein...

OBJECTIVE There is a well-documented association between obesity and heart failure although the mechanistic basis for this correlation is unclear. Both extracellular matrix remodeling and left ventricular hypertrophy are well-defined components of remodeling in heart failure, and here we further investigate the role of leptin, the obese gene product, on these parameters. METHODS We used prima...

Post-operative atrial fibrillation (AF) remains a common cause of morbidity. Increasing evidence indicates that inflammation and atrial fibrosis contribute to the pathogenesis of this condition. Interleukin (IL)-17A, a potent pro-inflammatory cytokine, has been implicated in the development of a number of cardiovascular diseases. However, its role in post-operative AF remains unknown. In the pr...

Background: Cysteine proteases of the liver fluke, Fasciola hepatica, participate in catabolism of proteins, migration of the fluke through host tissues and combat host immune system. Objectives: In this study, we evaluated proteolytic activity of F. hepatica recombinant cathepsin L1 (rCL1) against gelatin and collagen as common substrat...

PURPOSE To evaluate the effect of the synthetic matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor, Galardin, on proteases produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) and on a rabbit model of Pseudomonas keratitis. METHODS Protease activities of culture broths from Pseudomonas strains PA-28 and W-186 were characterized in vitro by gelatin zymography and by digestion of Azocasein in the presence and absence of Ga...

Small-cell lung carcinoma releases progalanin. The released progalanin is activated via a nonclassical processing pathway, being processed into an active form of galanin (1-20) by plasmin in extracellular components. Plasmin is produced from plasminogen activators. To clarify the regulation of progalanin via plasminogen activation by urokinase and tissue-plasminogen activator (t-PA), we investi...