Chonbuk National University

About: Chonbuk National University is a education organization based out in Jeonju, South Korea. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Apoptosis & Nanofiber. The organization has 14820 authors who have published 28884 publications receiving 554131 citations.

Cisplatin cytotoxicity of auditory cells requires secretions of proinflammatory cytokines via activation of ERK and NF-κB

Abstract: The ototoxicity of cisplatin, a widely used chemotherapeutic agent, involves a number of mechanisms, including perturbation of redox status, increase in lipid peroxidation, and formation of DNA adducts. In this study, we demonstrate that cisplatin increased the early immediate release and de novo synthesis of proinflammatory cytokines, including TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6, through the activation of ERK and NF-κB in HEI-OC1 cells, which are conditionally immortalized cochlear cells that express hair cell markers. Both neutralization of proinflammatory cytokines and pharmacologic inhibition of ERK significantly attenuated the death of HEI-OC1 auditory cells caused by cisplatin and proinflammatory cytokines. We also observed a significant increase in the protein and mRNA levels of proinflammatory cytokines in both serum and cochleae of cisplatin-injected rats, which was suppressed by intraperitoneal injection of etanercept, an inhibitor of TNF-α. Immunohistochemical studies revealed that TNF-α expression was mainly located in the spiral ligament, spiral limbus, and the organ of Corti in the cochleae of cisplatin-injected rats. NF-κB protein expression, which overlapped with terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end-labeling-positive signal, was very strong in specific regions of the cochleae, including the organ of Corti, spiral ligament, and stria vascularis. These results indicate that proinflammatory cytokines, especially TNF-α, play a central role in the pathophysiology of sensory hair cell damage caused by cisplatin.

Role of electronic perturbation in stability and activity of Pt-based alloy nanocatalysts for oxygen reduction.

Abstract: The design of electrocatalysts for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells must satsify two equally important fundamental principles: optimization of electrocatalytic activity and long-term stability in acid media (pH <1) at high potential (0.8 V). We report here a solution-based approach to the preparation of Pt-based alloy with early transition metals and realistic parameters for the stability and activity of Pt(3)M (M = Y, Zr, Ti, Ni, and Co) nanocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The enhanced stability and activity of Pt-based alloy nanocatalysts in ORR and the relationship between electronic structure modification and stability were studied by experiment and DFT calculations. Stability correlates with the d-band fillings and the heat of alloy formation of Pt(3)M alloys, which in turn depends on the degree of the electronic perturbation due to alloying. This concept provides realistic parameters for rational catalyst design in Pt-based alloy systems.