• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.348-358
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• 1996

Background : Interleukin-5 (IL-5) is responsible for eosinophilia in allergic diseases. In allergic bronchial asthma, there is a correlation between the extent of eosinophil infiltration in bronchial mucosa and IL-5 concentrations. In addition, IL-2 concentration is elevated in the airways and associated with eosinophilia in symptomatic patients with bronchial asthma. In animal studies, IL-2 can induce eosinophilia by increasing the synthesis of IL-5, however, it is still unknown how IL-2 can induce eosinophila in human being. The aim of this study is to evaluation the effect and mechanism of IL-2 on prolongation of eosinophil survival. Methods : After purifiing the eosinophils from the venous blood of allergic patients with eosinophilia, we measured the survival rates of eosinophils using trypan blue dye exclusion test, and the number of eosinophils with Randolp's solution. We compared the survival rates of eosinophils in the presence of IL-2 or IL-5. Neutralizing antibody for IL-5 was added in IL-2 treated eosinophils to reveal whether IL-2 induced prolongation of eosinophil survival was mediated by IL-5. We checked IL-5 m-RNA expression of lymphocytes in the presence of IL-2 by using Reverse transcription-Polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method to revealed the effect of IL-2 on IL-5 m-RNA expression on lymphocyte. $\alpha$ and $\beta$ IL-2 receptors were measured on eosinophils and lymphocytes with flow-cytometer after stimulated with IL-2. Results : 1) Eosinophil survival rates increased dose dependently on IL-5 and IL-2. 2) The eosinophil survival rates increased by IL-2 were not inhibited by the pretreatment with neutralizing antibody for IL-5. 3) IL-5 m-RNA was not expressed on lymphocytes by the treatment with IL-2 up to 96 hours. 4) IL-2 upregulate the expression of IL-$2R{\alpha}$ on eosinophils, instead of no effect on the expression of IL-$2R{\beta}$. Conclusion: Interleukin-2 had the enhancing effect on the survival rates of eosinophils. The mechanism behind IL-2 induced eosinophilia might be the increment of IL-2 receptors on eosinophils rather than IL-5 synthesis by lymphocytes.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.70-77
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• 2002

Background : Asthma is considered to be an inflammatory disease characterized by airway hyperresponsiveness and pulmonary eosinophilia. Production of cytokines by bronchial epithelial cells may contribute to the local accumulation of inflammatory cells in patients with bronchial asthma. In many recent studies molecular biological methods have been used to investigate the role of cytokines in pathogenesis and new therapeutic targets of asthma. Objective : We aimed to identify the effects of Sochongryong-tang on Serum IL-4, IL-5, $IFN-{\gamma}$ in asthmatic patients. Material and Methods: The subjects consisted of 15 patients with asthma who had been treated with Sochongryong-tang for two weeks from February 2001 through June 2001. Sochongryong-tang is an herbal decoction which has traditionally been used as a therapeutic agent for asthma. Results : The serum IL-4 in asthmatic patients was increased significantly compared to the serum IL-4 in the normal control group. However, the serum IL-5, $IFN-{\gamma}$ in asthmatic patients showed no significant difference from the serum IL-5, $IFN-{\gamma}$ in the normal control group. The patients were treated with Sochongryong-tang for two weeks with no significant difference in the serum IL-4, IL-5, and $IFN-{\gamma}$. Conclusion : This study shows that the serum IL-4 may be a new therapeutic target of asthma. Further long-term studies must be made in a larger number of asthmatic patients.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.861-869
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• 1998

Backgrounds: The injury of a tissue results in the infalmmation, and the imflammed tissue is replaced by the normal parenchymal cells during the process of repair. But, constitutional or repetitive damage of a tissue causes the deposition of collagen resulting in the loss of its function. These lesions are found in the lung of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, complicated fibrosis after diffuse alveolar damage (DAD) and inorganic dust-induced lung fibrosis. The tissue from lungs of patients undergoing episodes of active and/or end-stage pulmonary fibrosis shows the accumulation of inflammatory cells, such as mononuclear cells, neutrophils, mast cells and eosinophils, and fibroblast hyperplasia. In this regard, it appears that the inflammation triggers fibroblast activation and proliferation with enhanced matrix synthesis, stimulated by inflammatory mediators such as interleukin-1 (IL-1) and/or tumor necrosis factor (TNF). It has been well known that TGF-$\beta$ enhance the proliferation of fibroblasts and the production of collagen and fibronectin, and inhibit the degradation of collagen. In this regard, It is likely that TGF-$\beta$ undergoes important roles in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis. Nevertheless, this single cytokine is not the sole regulator of the pulmonary fibrotic response. It is likely that the balance of many cytokines including TGF-$\beta$, IL-1, IL-6 and TNF-$\alpha$ regulates the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis. In this study, we investigate the interaction of TGF-$\beta$, IL-1$\beta$, IL-6 and TNF-$\alpha$ and their effect on the proliferation of fibroblasts. Methods: We used a human fibroblast cell line, MRC-5 (ATCC). The culture of MRC-5 was confirmed by immunofluorecent staining. First, we determined the concentration of serum in cuture medium, in which the proliferation of MRC-5 is supressed but the survival of MRC-5 is retained. Second, we measured optical density after staining the cytokine-stimulated cells with 0.5% naphthol blue black in order to detect the effect of cytokines on the proliferation of MRC-5. Result: In the medium containing 0.5% fetal calf serum, the proliferation of MRC-5 increased by 50%, and it was maintained for 6 days. IL-1$\beta$, TNF-$\alpha$ and IL-6 induced the proliferation of MRC-5 by 45%, 160% and 120%, respectively. IL-1$\beta$ and TNF-$\alpha$ enhanced TGF-$\beta$-induced proliferation of MRC-5 by 64% and 159%, but IL-6 did not affect the TGF-$\beta$-induced proliferation. And lNF-$\alpha$-induced proliferation of MRC-5 was reduced by IL-1$\beta$ in 50%. TGF-$\beta$, TNF-$\alpha$ and both induced the proliferation of MRC-5 to 89%, 135% and 222%, respectively. Conclusions: TNF-$\alpha$, TGF-$\beta$ and IL-1$\beta$, in the order of the effectiveness, showed the induction of MRC-5 proliferation of MRC-5. TNF-$\alpha$ and IL-1$\beta$ enhance the TGF-$\beta$-induced proliferation of MRC-5, but IL-6 did not have any effect TNF-$\alpha$-induced proliferation of MRC-5 is diminished by IL-1, and TNF-$\alpha$ and TGF-$\beta$ showed a additive effect.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.367-377
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• 2001

Objectives: We aimed to identify. the effect of Jeongcheon-tang(定喘湯) and Cheongsangboha-tang(淸上補下湯) on the transcriptional activities of cytokine IL-4, IL-5, IL-6 and IL-10 involved in asthma model. Materials and Methods: RBL-2H3 cell lines were used. Cells were stimulated with calcium inophore($2{\mu}M$ : Sample group 1, $4{\mu}M$ : Sample group 2) for maximal gene expression. After 3rd treatment of samples and incubation(per 24hours), total cellular RNAs were collected using Trizol solution method. Then transcriptional activities of IL-4, IL-5, IL-6 and IL-10 were measured by RT-PCR with electrophoresis. Results: In IL-4 study, Jeongcheon-tang treated group showed 82.76%(Sample group 1) of transcriptional activities compared to the control group and Cheongsangboha-tang treated groups showed 85.77% (Sample group 1), 89.42% (Sample group 2) of transcriptional activities compared to the control groups. In IL-5 study, Jeongcheon-tang treated groups showed 88.24%(Sample group 1), 98.83%(Sample group 2) of transcriptional activities compared to the control groups and Cheongsangboha-tang treated group showed 73.66%(Sample group 2) of transcriptional activities compared to the control group. In IL-6 study, Jeongcheon-tang treated group showed 92.95%(Sample group 2) of transcriptional activities compared to the control group and Cheongsangboha-tang treated group showed n.40%(Sample group 2) of transcriptional activities compared to the control group. In IL-10 study, Jeongcheon-tang treated group showed 118.46% (Sample group 2) of transcriptional activities compared to the control group. Conclusions: This study shows that Jeongcheon-tang has the inhibitory effect on the transcription of IL-4, IL-5, IL-6 gene expression and the increasing effect on the transcription of IL-10 gene expression, and Cheongsangboha-tang has the inhibitory effect on the transcription of IL4, IL-5 and IL-6 gene expression in RBL-2H3 cell lines. Advanced studies are required to investigate the mechanisms of inhibition or increase by herbal medicine in asthma model.

• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.169-184
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• 2007

Objetives The late research tendency on atopic dermatitis is mainly focused on the experiment of unbalance of cytokine released from T cell subtype. Merhods As there's no experiment with herbal medicine using Hanghaedan(HHD), we isolated and cultured monocytes of atopic dermatitis pateints (AD) peripheral blood, for knowing the influence of HHD on the secretory function of IL-4, IL-5, $IFN-{\gamma}$. Results 1. In AD group, HHD exhibits statistically significant inhibitory effect on IL-4(p<0.05). 2. In AD group, HHD exhibits statistically significant inhibitory effect on IL-5(p<0.05). 3. In AD group, HHD exhibits statistically significant inhibitory effect on $IFN-{\gamma}$ (p<0.01). 4. Sample group comparing with the cytokine concentration rate value of AD patients and that of NAD patients IL-4 of AD patients exhibits statistically significant decrease(p<0.05). 5. In AD group, there is no significant relation between serum IgE and cytokines. 6. In AD group, there is no significant relation between total eosinophil and IL-5. Conclusions Effects of Hanghaedan on the cytokine(IL-4, IL-5, $IFN-{\gamma}$) secretory function of monocytes of atopic dermatitis patients is recognized.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.9
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• pp.4039-4044
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• 2014

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-cancer effects and mechanisms of immunochemotherapy of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and interleukin-2 (IL-2) on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) A549 cells. Materials and Methods: In order to detect whether 5-FU+IL-2 could effectively inhibit tumor growth in vivo, we established an A549-bearing nude mouse model. The cytotoxicity of natural killer (NK) cells was evaluated using a standard chromium release assay. To evaluate the relevance of NK cells in 5-FU+IL-2-mediated tumor inhibitory effects, we depleted NK cells in A549-bearing mice by injecting anti-asialo-GM-1 antibodies. Effects of 5-FU+IL-2 on the expression and promoter activity of NKG2D ligands (MICA/MICB) in A549 cells in vitro were also assessed. Results: In A549-bearing nude mice, combination therapy significantly inhibited tumor growth in comparison with monotherapy with 5-FU or IL-2 and enhanced the recognition and lysis of tumor cells by NK cells. Further study of mechanisms showed that NK cells played a vital role in the anticancer immune response of 5-FU+IL-2 immunochemotherapy. In addition, the combination therapy synergistically stimulated the expression and promoter activity of MICA/MICB. Conclusions: 5-FU and IL-2 immunochemotherapy significantly inhibited tumor growth and activated NK cytotoxicity in vivo, and these effects were partly impaired after depleting NK cells in tumor-bearing mice. Combination treatment of 5-FU and IL-2 upregulated the expression and the promoter activity of MICA/MICB in A549 cells, which enhanced the recognition of A549 cells by NK cells. All of the data indicated that immunochemotherapy of 5-FU and IL-2 may provide a new treatment option for patients with lung cancer.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.272-276
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• 2017

HOX genes are transcription factors that play important roles in body patterning and cell fate specification during normal development. In previous study, we found aberrant overexpression of HOXB5 in breast cancer tissues and cell lines, and demonstrated that HOXB5 is important in regulation of cell proliferation, tamoxifen resistance, and invasiveness through the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Although the relationship between HOXB5 and phenotypic changes in MCF7 breast cancer cells has been studied, the molecular function of HOXB5 as a transcription factor remains unclear. IL-6 has been reported to be involved in not only inflammation but also cancer progression, which is characterized by the increase of growth speed and invasiveness of tumor cells. In this study, we selected Interleukin-6 (IL-6) as HOXB5 putative downstream target gene and discovered that HOXB5 transcriptionally up-regulated the expression of IL-6 in HOXB5 overexpressing MCF7 cells. The upstream region (~1.2 kb) of IL-6 promoter turned out to contain several putative HOX consensus binding sites. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assay confirmed that HOXB5 directly binds to the promoter region of IL-6 and positively regulated the expression of IL-6. These data all together, indicate that HOXB5 promotes IL-6 transcription by actively binding to the putative binding sites located in the upstream region of IL-6, which enable to increase its promoter activity in MCF7 breast cancer cells.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.33-42
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• 2013

Objective : Morus alba Linne Root Bark (MRAL) is a medicinal herb in Korean Medicine, known for its anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic properties. However, its mechanisms of action and the cellular targets have not yet been found and the study was developed to investigate the allergic suppressive effect of MRAL. The purpose of this study is to investigate the allergic suppressive effects of MRAL on activation of MC/9 mast cells. Methods : Cytotoxic activity of MRAL (50, 100, 200, 400 ${\mu}g/mL$) on MC/9 mast cells measured using EZ-Cytox cell viability assay kit (WST reagent). The levels of interleukin-5 (IL-5), IL-13 and IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-13 mRNA expression were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and real-time PCR respectively. The expression of transcription factors such as GATA-1, GATA-2, NFAT, AP-1 and NF-${\kappa}B$ p65 DNA binding activity were measured by western blot and electrophoresis mobility shift assay (EMSA). Results : Our results indicated that MRAL (50 ${\mu}g/mL$, 100 ${\mu}g/mL$) significantly inhibited PMA/Ionomycin-induced production of IL-5 and IL-13 and the expression of IL-4, IL-5, IL-6 and IL-13 mRNA in MC/9 mast cells. Moreover, MRAL (50 ${\mu}g/mL$, 100 ${\mu}g/mL$) inhibited PMA/Ionomycin-induced GATA-1, GATA-2, NFAT-1, NFAT-2, c-Fos protein expression and NF-${\kappa}B$ p65 DNA binding activity in MC/9 mast cells. Conclusions : In conclusion, we suspect the anti-allergenic activities of MRAL, may be related to the regulation of transcription factors GATA-1, GATA-2, NFAT-1, NFAT-2, c-Fos and NF-${\kappa}B$ p65 DNA binding assay causing inhibition of Th2 cytokines IL-5 and IL-13 in mast cells.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.234-241
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• 2001

The C-terminal 393 bp region of the human interleukin-16 (IL-16) gene was cloned and expressed in E. coli along with mammalian cell lines. Recombinant IL-16 expressed from E. coli was 22 kDa on SDS-PAGE and showed 260% of chemoattractant activity at a concentration of $0.1\;{\mu}g/ml$. HeLa, COS, and Neuro-2a cells were transduced by recombinant retrovirus vector pLNC/IL-16/IRES/TK and the intracellular and secreted amounts of IL-16 produced by HeLa/IL-16/TK, COS/IL-16/TK, and Neuro-2a/IL-16/TK cells were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). HeLa/IL-16/TK $(1{\times}10^5)$ and COS/IL-16/TK $(1{\times}10^5)$ cells secreted 36.1 and 13.3 ng of IL-16 for 48 h, respectively. Forty-nine ng and 86.4 ng of IL-16 remained in the cell lysates of HeLa/IL-16/TK and COS/IL-16/TK. Intracellular and secreted amounts of IL-16 from Neuro-2a/IL-16/TK $(5{\times}10^5)$ cells during 24 h cultivation were 50 ng and 3.3 ng, respectively. Also, HeLa and COS cells wee stably transfected with mammalian expression vector pCRIII/IL-16. Both culture media and cell lysates prepared from HeLa/IL-16 cells and COS/IL-16 cells showed chemoattractant activity ranging from 190% to 460% as compared to the control experiment. Expression of the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSV0tk) gene in pLNC/IL-16/ IRES/TK bicistronic retroviral expression vector was verified by performing a genciclovir (GCV) sensitivity assay. Finally, IL-16 repressed Tat-transactivated human immunodeficiency virus type 1 long terminal repeat (HIV-1 LTR) promoter activity.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.31-38
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• 2000

Background : Nowadays asthma is considered to be the inflammatory disease characterized by airway hyperresponsiveness and pulmonary eosinophilia, and mediated by Th lymphocytes expressing the Th2 cytokine pattern. In many recent studies, molecular biological methods have been used to investigate the role of cytokines in pathogenesis and new therapeutic targets of asthma. Objective : We aimed to identify the effect of Armeniacae Arnarum Semen and Platycodi Radix on the transcriptional activities of cytokine IL-4, IL-5 and IL-6 involved in asthma model. Materials and Methods : RBL-2H3 cell lines were used. Cells were stimulated with calcium inophore for maximal gene expression. After 24 hours of Armeniacae Arnarum Semen and Platycodi Radix-treatment, total cellular RNAs were collected using Trizol solution method. Then transcriptional activities of IL-4, IL-S and IL-6 were measured by RT-PCR with electrophoresis. Results : In IL-4 study, Armeniacae Arnarum Semen treated group showed 48.4% of transcriptional activities compared to the control group and Platycodi Radix treated group showed 45.4% of transcriptional activities compared to the control group. In IL-5 study, Armeniacae Arnarum Semen treated group showed 52.7%of transcriptional activities compared to the control group and Platycodi Radix treated group showed 60.2% of transcriptional activities compared to the control group. In IL-6 study, Armeniacae Amarum Semen treated group showed 42.3% of transcriptional activities compared to the control group and Platycodi Radix treated group showed 69.1% of transcriptional activities compared to the control group. Conclusion : This study shows that Armeniacae Arnarum Semen and Platycodi Radix have the inhibitory effect on the transcription of IL-4, IL-5 and IL-6 gene expression in RBL-2H3 cell lines. Advanced studies are required to investigate the mechanisms of inhibition by herbal medicine in asthma model.