Deug-Chan Lee

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Polydeoxyribonucleotide (PDRN) activates the adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR), triggering anti-inflammatory signaling and providing essential nucleotides for the salvage pathway, thereby helping bypass metabolic bottlenecks and promoting tissue repair. Combining PDRN with biochemical agents and physical stimuli represents a significant shift in medical treatment, moving from monotherapy to an integrated, multi-target regenerative approach. These combinatorial strategies effectively address the limitations of PDRN, such as its rapid degradation and diffusion, by simultaneously meeting the structural, metabolic, and signaling needs of injured tissues. The mechanism of action for PDRN involves a synergistic effect with hyaluronic acid, amplification of growth factors (e.g., Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP), Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF), Platelet-Derived Growth Factor (PDGF)), and enhancements from extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) and lasers. This results in a notable acceleration of the repair process for chronic wounds, musculoskeletal disorders, and neurological injuries. As intelligent delivery systems like responsive hydrogels and sustainable L-PDRN production continue to advance, these synergistic protocols are poised to redefine global standards of care in regenerative medicine and esthetic dermatology. Future clinical success will hinge on the standardization of sequence-specific protocols and large-scale validation to ensure long-term safety and efficacy.

This study investigated the anti-periodontitis effects of MENP (mixed extracts from multiple natural plants with a certain percentage). Lipopolysaccharide from Porphyromonas gingivalis (LPS-PG) was used to stimulate Raw 264.7 and human gingival fibroblast-1 cells. The lower molars of rats were li-gated and injected with LPS-PG to induce periodontitis. The induced periodontitis increased nitric oxide production and pro-inflammatory cytokine levels. The levels of matrix metallopro-teinases-3, -8, and -9, the enzymes for protein degradation in the extracellular matrix, and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1, an inhibitory factor, increased. MENP exhibited an effective inhibitory activity. Histological analysis using micro-CT and H&E staining revealed gingival recession and alveolar bone loss. The likelihood of recovery from these conditions is positively correlated with MENP concentration. In addition, inflammatory cell infiltration due to the induced periodontitis was remarkably reduced. These findings suggest that MENP efficiently protects periodontal tissue from damage by inhibiting inflammatory responses.

Polyamines have been reported to have cell proliferative and anti-inflammatory effects on normal metabolism in the body. This study aimed to investigate polyamine content of AIG01 pepper and the anti-inflammatory effect of AIG01 pepper extract (PAE) in mice. Polyamine content was analyzed by HPLC after acid hydrolysis of peppers with different acidic solvents. AIG01 pepper has the highest total polyamine content at about 1.5 mg/g. In LPS-stimulated RAW264.7, PAE inhibits nitric oxide production in a concentration-dependent manner and decreased the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. PAE has been shown to inhibit phosphorylation of MAPK/ERK. In TPA-stimulated Balb/C, PAE treatment showed tissue-level reductions in pro-inflammatory cytokines, reductions in ear thickness, and inhibition of neutrophil invasion. The polyamine content, polyamine extraction efficiency and anti-inflammatory effect of AIG01 obtained in this study suggest that it is useful as a raw material for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.

This study examines the possibility of directly producing and utilizing useful substances in the intestines of animals using anaerobic bacteria that can grow in the intestines of animals. A facultative anaerobe producing a large amount of α-glucosidase inhibitor was isolated from hay and identified and named Bacillus coagulans CC. The main compound of α-glucosidase inhibitor produced by Bacillus coagulans CC was identified as 1-deoxynojirimycin. α-glucosidase inhibitor activity was confirmed in the intestinal contents and feces of mice orally administered with spores of this strain, and it was confirmed that this strain could efficiently reach the intestines, proliferate, and produce α-glucosidase inhibitors. As a result of administering Bacillus coagulans CC to mice at 10⁹ cells per 1 kg body weight of spores for 8 weeks, the high-carbohydrate diet and the high-fat diet showed a 5% lower weight gain compared to the non-administrated group. At this point, in the spore-administered group, a decrease was observed in both the visceral and subcutaneous fat layers of the abdomen and thorax in both high-carbohydrate and high-fat diet groups compared to the non-administered group on computed tomography. The results of this study show that α-glucosidase inhibitors produced in the intestine by specific strains can work efficiently.

Growth and maintenance of skeletal muscle is essential for athletic performance and a healthy life. Stimulating the proliferation and differentiation of muscle cells may help prevent loss of muscle mass. To discover effective natural substances enabling to mitigate muscle loss without side effects, we evaluated muscle growth with several compounds extracted from Catalpa bignonioides Walt. Among these compounds, pinoresinol and vanillic acid increased C2C12, a mouse myoblast cell line, proliferation being the most without cytotoxicity. These substances activated the Akt/mammalian target of the rapamycin (mTOR) pathway, which positively regulates the proliferation of muscle cells. In addition, the results of in silico molecular docking study showed that they may bind to the active site of insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R), which is an upstream of the Akt/mTOR pathway, indicating that both pinoresinol and vanillic acid stimulate myoblast proliferation through direct interaction with IGF-1R. These results suggest that pinoresinol and vanillic acid may be a natural supplement to improve the proliferation of skeletal muscle via IGF-1R/Akt/mTOR signaling and thus strengthen muscles.

Resistant starch (RS) is the starch that is not digested by enzymes in the body and is highly valuable in food. RS functions similar to dietary fiber and is being studied actively as a raw material for functional health foods. Various methods have been proposed for the quantification of RS including the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC) and Englyst methods. However, these methods remain to be optimized as their performance depends on the type and source of the RS being tested. In this study, we used a modified AOAC method to analyze the RS contents in different food materials. The RS contents was measured indirectly by both the existing and modified AOAC methods using glucose from the supernatant and not RS pellets. In addition, we evaluated the modified method using soybean samples dried in hot air. The modified AOAC and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance assays indicated that the soybean samples had a high RS content and showed a low degree of lipid peroxidation. Based on these results, the modified AOAC method can be considered a simple and accurate method for analyzing food materials with high RS contents.

Kim JT, et al. Allergy Asthma Immunol Res. 2021 Jul;13(4):665-667. https://doi.org/10.4168/aair.2021.13.4.665

Kim JT, et al. Yonsei Med J. 2021 Jan;62(1):86-90. https://doi.org/10.3349/ymj.2021.62.1.86