Joon Ha Lee

A novel role for earthworm peptide Lumbricusin as a regulator of neuroinflammation

Recently, we reported that Lumbricusin, an antimicrobial peptide isolated from earthworm Lumbricus terrestris, enhanced neuronal proliferation and ameliorated motor dysfunction and dopaminergic neurodegeneration. Accumulating evidence suggests that neurodegeneration is the primary pathological feature of acute or chronic inflammation mediated by microglia, the resident macrophage of the central nervous system. Therefore, microglial activation inhibitors may be useful as therapeutic agents for neurodegenerative diseases. To determine whether Lumbricusin ameliorates neuroinflammation through inhibition of microglial activation by lipopolysaccharides (LPS), we newly synthesized 9-mer Lumbricusin analogues based on the amino acid sequence of Lumbricusin. One of these, Lumbricusin Analogue 5 (LumA5; QLICWRRFR-NH2), markedly reduced expression of enzymes (COX-2, iNOS), cytokines (IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α), and signal transduction factors (AKT, MAPKs, NF-κB) involved in inflammation triggered by LPS inxa0vitro and inxa0vivo. In addition, LumA5 inhibited the cytotoxicity of conditioned medium prepared by LPS-activated BV-2 microglia to neuronal SH-SY5Y cells and improved cell viability. These results indicate that LumA5 may be a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of various neuroinflammatory conditions.

Pharmaco-medical Application of Antimicrobial Peptides Derived from Insect

현재까지 곤충 항균 펩티드는 1980년에 세크로피아나방(Hyalophora cecropia) 번데기의 혈림프로부터 세크로핀(cecropin)이 처음으로 정제된 이후로 150개 이상의 펩티드가 분리되어 특성들이 보고되어 왔다. 그러므로 곤충은 항균 펩티드 선발을 위한 좋은 재료로서 고려되어 왔다. 곤충 항균 펩티드는 분자량이 작으며 양...