Laboratory of
Cellular Energy Sensor
Professor Joohun Ha
Tel: 82-2-961-0921
Seoul, Korea
Dnagdaemung, Kyungheedaero 26
Medical Building Rm 428
AMP-activated protein kinase
Cellular Energy Sensor & Drug Targets for Meabolic Diseases and Cancer
AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) recognizes the cellular energy level under various conditions and regulates energy homeostasis. Thus, AMPK plays a central role in the regulation of energy homeostasis by activating ATP-generating pathways and inhibiting ATP-consuming pathways.
In response to cellular energy level, AMPK inhibits anabolic pathways such as fatty acid synthesis and gluconeogenesis whereas it stimulates glucose uptake, fatty acid oxidation, mitochondrial biogenesis.
As a result, AMPK is considered a novel drug target for diabetes and obesity.
AMPK also regulates autophagy, which plays a central role in a various cellular processes.
Exercise shows beneficial effects for preventing obesity, diabetes, cancer, aging through regulation of energy metabolic pathways. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) mediates the beneficial effects of exercise and is known to be a target for drug development for obesity and diabetes.
It is a critical work to understand cellular energy metabolisms and identify novel cellular mediator that mediates the beneficial effects of exercise.
Discovery of small molecules that regulate a cellular mediator can lead to development of anti-obesity, anti-diabetes, anti-cancer drugs.
Administration of cryptotanshinon (cry) into fat animals , which activates AMPK, reduced the body weight ~30 %, showing excellent anti-obesity effect.
Cryptotanshinon (cry) also significantly reduced the blood glucose level in three different diabetes animal models.
Cryptotanshinon (cry) effectively reduced the tumor volume in xenograft model. This compound has potential as a drug candidate for treatment of obesity, diabetes, and cancer.
Functional Materials for Cosmetics
Discovery of materials with whitening effect, anti-aging effect, hair growth effect is another task in the laboratory. These materials can be developed into cosmetics.
whitening effect
Anti-aging effect
anti-oxidant
effect
hair growth effect
Whitening effect of CES201
Functional Materials for Cosmetics
AMPK plays a significant role in skin development and hair growth. We are developing AMPK-activating materials (CES201, CES301), which can regulate melanogenesis, skin aging, and hair growth. Based on the knowledge obtained, discovery of materials with whitening effect, anti-aging effect, hair growth effect is another task in the laboratory. These materials can be developed into cosmetics.
whitening effect
Anti-aging effect
anti-oxidant
effect
hair growth effect
Whitening effect of CES201
Melanocyte-stimulating hormone (a-MSH) induced melanin synthesis ~2 fold in melanomas. CES201 treatment resulted in a significant suppression of melanin synthesis. As a positive control, arbutin was used. This result shows that this compound has skin whitening effect and can be used as a functional material for cosmetics.
Hair growth-promoting effect of CES301 in vitro
Dermal papilia cells were treated with CES 301 and various growth factors including IGF-1, KGF, VEGF, HGF were highly induced. These data highlights the potential of CES301 as hair growth-promoting agent.
Hair growth-promoting effect of CES301 in vivo
5 week-old mice were shaved at the back and then treated with a diet containing CES301 for 2 weeks. Compared to the positive control, minoxidil, a medication used for the treatment pattern hair loss. CES301 show potent hair-growth effects
_tif.png)
Anti-aging effects of CES201
Treatment of keratinocytes (skin cells) with H2O2 induced population of aging cells, but CES201 significantly blocked these effects, suggesting the potential of CES201 as anti-aging agent.