• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제16권3호
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• pp.243-248
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• 2008

In the present study, we investigated activity change of sphingomyelin anabolic enzymes such as sphingomyelin synthase and ceramide synthase. Sprague-Dawley male rats treated with 10 mg/kg of DMN intraperitoneally were used as a hepatic fibrosis model. Sphingomyelin synthase and ceramide synthase activities were measured in 1-week, 2-week, 3-week and 4-week DMN-treated rats along with respective control group rats. We found the increased sphingomyelin synthase activity in 4-week DMN-treated liver but not in kidney. Ceramide synthase activity was significantly increased in DMN-treated kidney after 2-week treatment and in DMN-treated liver after 3-week treatment. Although further investigation is necessary to elucidate meanings of sphingolipid metabolites during the liver fibrosis, activity change of sphingolipid anabolic enzymes may imply that sphingolipid metabolism and sphingolipid metabolites could be involved in liver fibrosis especially under oxidative stress.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제16권1호
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• pp.34-39
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• 2008

Oxidative stress may represent a common link between chronic liver damage and hepatic fibrosis. In the present study, we investigated activity changes of sphingomyelin catabolic enzymes, such as sphingomyelinases and ceramidases by using dimethylnitrosamine (DMN)-treated Sprague-Dawley (SD) male rats hepatic fibrosis model as a hepatic fibrosis model. Twenty rats divided into five groups received: (1) saline; (2) DMN for 1 week, (3) DMN for 2 weeks, (4) DMN for 3 weeks, and (5) DMN for 4 weeks by intraperitoneally 10 mg/kg of body weight for three consecutive days a week. Activities of acidic and neutral sphingomyelinases and acidic, neutral and alkaline ceramidases were measured in the liver and kidney from DMN-treated rats. We found increased ceramidase activities from 2-week and/or 3-week DMN treated rat livers compared to control rat liver. Acidic sphingomyelinase and alkaline ceramidase activities were significantly increased in 3-week DMN-treated rat kidneys compared to control rat kidney. Therefore, sphingolipid metabolizing enzymes and sphingolipid metabolites are supposed to be involved in liver fibrosis, although further investigation is necessary to elucidate meanings of sphingolipids during the liver fibrosis

• 약학회지
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• 제39권6호
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• pp.689-694
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• 1995

Sphingolipids play important roles in cell regulation and signal transduction. Recently, a sphinogomyelin cycle has been described in which activation of neutral sphingomyelinase leads to the breakdown of sphingomyelin and the generation of ceramide. Ceramide, in turn, has emerged as a candidate intracellular mediator for the action of certain cell agonists and has multiple biologic actions. Ceramide is a potent suppressor of cell growth and an inducer of apoptosis. The present studies show that exposure of IM-9 cells to ceramide resulted in internucleosomal cleavage of DNA, yielding laddered patterns of oligonucleosomal fragments characteristic of apoptosis. DNA fragmentation induced by ceramide was also confirmed by diphenylamine assay. The effect of ceramide on cell cycle progression was also studied. The addition of ceramide increase G$_{1}$ phase distribution in cell cycle. Cell cycle-related cyclin D$_{1}$ gene expression was decreased in a time-dependent manner. These results suggest that apoptosis induced by ceramide is related to cell cycle associated with the alteration of cell cycle in IM-9 cells.

• 약학회지
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• 제41권1호
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• pp.94-98
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• 1997

Ceramide. a product of sphingomyelin hydrolysis, has been proposed as a lipid second messenger mediating antiproliferative activation. In this study, we examined the role of the cell cycle-related proteins in the ceramide-mediated growth suppression. Treatment of U-937 cells with C$_2$-ceramide(N-acetylsphingosine) resulted in growth suppression in a time- and concentration dependent manner. Ceramide induced concentration dependent dephosphorylation of retinoblastoma gene product (Rb). Rb remains hypophosphorylated in synchronized cells even after serum stimulation in the presence of ceramide. Ceramide decreased the expression of cyclin D$_1$ and cyclin E levels. These results suggest that antiproliferative effect of ceramide is associated with hypophosphorylation of Rb and decreased expression of cyclin D1 and cyclin E.

• BMB Reports
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• 제31권4호
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• pp.333-338
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• 1998

The sphingomyelin cycle and ceramide generation have been recognized as potential growth suppression signals in mammalian cells. Ceramide has been shown to induce differentiation, cell growth arrest, senescence, and apoptosis. Although the intracelluar target for the action of ceramide remains unknown, recent studies have demonstrated the role of cytosolic ceramideactivated protein phosphatase(CAPP). In this study, the cytotoxic effect of C2-ceramide, a synthetic cellpermeable ceramide analog, on HEp-2 cells and the mechanism by which ceramide induces cell death were investigated. The addition of exogenous C2-ceramide resulted in a concentration dependent cell death. Okadaic acid, a potent inhibitor of CAPP, enhanced ceramide-mediated cell death, which suggests that CAPP is not involved in this process. To understand the mechanism of action of ceramide, we studied the relationship between ceramide and c-Myc and pRb which are defined components of cell growth regulation. Western blot analyses revealed that C2-ceramide (10${\mu}M$) induced c-Myc down-regulation, but there were no significant changes in pRb. However, treatment of okadaic acid (10 nM) enhanced c-Myc and pRb down-regulation. Reduction of the amount of c-Myc and pRb occurred during HEp-2 cell death. These results suggest that the cytotoxic effect of ceramide in HEp-2 cells may not be mediated through the action of CAPP and that the downstream target for ceramide is c-Myc and pRb.

• 한국발생생물학회지:발생과생식
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• 제2권1호
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• pp.1-8
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• 1998

본 연구에서는 자연세포사 (apoptosis)를 유발시키는 것으로 알려진 ceramide를 배양중인 생쥐 과립세포에 처리한 뒤 형광염색, in-situ 3'-end labeling(ISEL), 그리고 flow cytometry 기법을 이용하여, 자연세포사 및 세포주기에 미치는 ceramide의 영향을 조사하였다. Ceramide를 처리하지 않은 대조군에 비하여, ceramide를 처리한 실험군에서 세로의 생존율은 농도에 비레하여 유의하게 감소하였다. 또한 acridine orange에 의한 형광염색 결과, 자연세포사의 양상을 보이는 핵을 갖는 세포의 수가 ceramide의 농도가 증가함에 따라 현저하게 증가되었다. 또한 ISEL을 실시해 본 결과, 자연세포사가 ceramide의 처리농도가 증가됨에 따라 점차적으로 증가되었다. 한편, ceramide를 처리한 과립세포의 세포주기 분석을 위한 flow cytometry 결과도 자연세포사가 일어난 $A_{0}$기에 있는 세포들의 비율이 대조군에 비하여 농도 의존적으로 증가하였으며, $G_{0}$/$G_{1}$ 기에 있는 세포들이 비율은 현저하게 감소됨을 관찰할 수 있었다. 위의 결과로 보아 ceramide는 생쥐 과립세포의 $G_{0}$/$G_{1}$ 기에 특이저긍로 자\ulcorner하여 자연세포사를 유발하며, 난포의 폐쇄시 과립세포의 자연세포사를 유발할 것으로 사료된다.