KMCRIC

장재환 학술연구교수 Jae-Hwan Jang, Ph.D.

침구경락융합연구센터, 경희대학교

Acupuncture and Meridian Science Research Center (AMSRC), Kyung Hee University

26 Kyungheedae-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea

email: jjh2392@khu.ac.kr

00:00:17 Q1. 자기 소개

00:01:00 Q2. 최신 연구 소개

00:04:22 Q3. 연구할 때 제일 보람있는 순간은?

00:05:02 Q4. 현재 소속 연구실 소개

00:05:56 Q5. 후배들에게 남기고 싶은 말

[A representative study]

Jang JH, Song EM, Do YH, Ahn S, Oh JY, Hwang TY, Ryu Y, Jeon S, Song MY, Park HJ. Acupuncture alleviates chronic pain and comorbid conditions in a mouse model of neuropathic pain: the involvement of DNA methylation in the prefrontal cortex. Pain. 2021 Feb 1;162(2):514-530. doi: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002031.

[Abstract]

Chronic pain reduces life quality and is an important clinical problem associated with emotional and cognitive dysfunction. Epigenetic regulation of DNA methylation is involved in the induction of abnormal behaviors and pathological gene expression. We examined whether acupuncture can restore epigenetic changes caused by chronic pain, and identified the underlying mechanisms in neuropathic pain mice. Acupuncture treatment for 6 months (3 days/week) improved mechanical/cold allodynia and the emotional/cognitive dysfunction caused by left partial sciatic nerve ligation (PSNL)-induced neuropathic pain. The effects of acupuncture were associated with global DNA methylation recovery in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Analysis of DNA methylation patterns in PFC indicated that 1364 overlapping genes among 4442 and 4416 methylated genes in the PSNL vs sham and PSNL vs acupuncture points groups, respectively, were highly associated with the DNA methylation process. Acupuncture restored the reduced expression of 5-methylcytosine, methyl-cytosine-phospho-guanine binding protein 2, and DNA methyltransferase family enzymes induced by PSNL in PFC. Methylation levels of Nr4a1 and Chkb associated with mitochondrial dysfunction were decreased in PFC of the PSNL mice, and increased by acupuncture. By contrast, high expression of Nr4a1 and Chkb mRNA in PSNL mice decreased after acupuncture. We also found that acupuncture inhibited the expression of Ras pathway-related genes such as Rasgrp1 and Rassf1. Finally, the expression of Nr4a1, Rasgrp1, Rassf1, and Chkb mRNA increased in the neuronal cells treated with Mecp2 small interfering RNA. These results suggest that acupuncture can relieve chronic pain-induced comorbid conditions by altering DNA methylation of Nr4a1, Rasgrp1, Rassf1, and Chkb in the PFC.

Copyright © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of the International Association for the Study of Pain.

[A brief introduction]

저는 뇌를 포함한 중추신경계 질환 (파킨슨병 또는 만성 통증)에서 침 및 약물의 효과와 기전을 규명하기 위해 western blot, immune staining, PCR 등 다양한 생물학적 분석기술을 수행해 왔으며, 최근엔 후성유전학 및 장내 미생물의 분석과 해석에 많은 관심을 가지고 있습니다.

침 치료의 과학적 근거 구축 마련과 한의 치료 연구를 중심으로 최근 5년간 11편의 논문을 게재했습니다. 대표적으로, 2020년 Brain Behavior and Immunity (IF=19.227, 상위 2.1%)저널에 장내미생물의 변화를 기반한 파킨슨병에서 침 치료 효과 및 기전을 규명한 연구를 제1저자로 게재하였고, 2021년 PAIN (IF=7.926, 상위 9.9%)에 후성유전학적 변화 기반 신경병증성 통증 모델에서 침 치료 효과 및 기전 연구, 2019년 Frontiers in Neuroscience (IF=5.152)에 해마에서의 시냅스 가소성에 대한 침 치료 효과 및 기전 연구를 각각 제1저자로 게재하였습니다. 

침 치료의 과학적 근거 구축 마련과 한의 치료 연구를 중심으로 최근 5년간 11편의 논문을 게재하였습니다. 또한 경락경혈학회 하계 학술대회(2017, 2019)에서 각각 우수연구자상과 우수논문상을 수상하였으며, 경희대학교 BK21PLUS 한의과학사업단(2018)에서 우수논문상 수상, 2021년 한국뇌신경과학회(KSBNS)에서 우수상을 수상하였습니다.

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