Publications by authors named "Eun-Kyung Min"

Article Synopsis
  • The study highlights the importance of crosstalk among lung cell types for proper lung function and illustrates the inadequacies of traditional 2D and 3D lung models in mimicking this complexity.
  • An advanced multicellular 3D lung-on-a-chip system was developed using natural polymers and blood coagulation factors to accurately represent the dynamic microenvironment of lung tissue.
  • This new system allows for quick and sensitive toxicity detection in lung cells, identifying SERPINB2 as a key biomarker for lung toxicity while incorporating a fluorescence-based screening platform for evaluating drug candidates.
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Article Synopsis
  • The interactions between different cell types in the oral cavity are vital for oral health, influencing tooth support and defense against pathogens.
  • Conventional 2D and 3D models do not accurately represent the complexity of these interactions, leading to the development of a new 3D oral-on-a-chip system using natural polymers.
  • This system highlights that tonsil-resident stem cells are more vulnerable to toxins and identifies SERPINB2 as a key toxicity biomarker, which has led to the creation of a fluorescence-linked detection system for assessing oral toxicity in drug candidates.
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Adapted immune cells are known to develop memory functions that increase resistance to subsequent infections after initial pathogen exposure, however, it is unclear whether non-immune cells, like tissue-resident stem cells, have similar memory functions. Here, it is found that tissue-resident stem cells crucial for tissue regeneration show diminished adverse effects on diverse stem cell functions against successive exposure to foreign antigen (β-glucan) to maintain tissue homeostasis and stability both in vitro and in vivo. These data suggest that endometrial stem cells may possess a robust memory function, in contrast, fully differentiated cells like fibroblasts and vesicular cells do not show these memory mechanisms upon consecutive antigen exposure.

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Although memory functions of immune cells characterized by increased resistance to subsequent infections after initial pathogen exposure are well-established, it remains unclear whether non-immune cells, especially tissue-resident stem cells, exhibit similar memory mechanisms. The present study revealed that detrimental effects of initial viral antigen exposure (human papillomavirus [HPV]) on diverse stem cell functions were significantly exacerbated upon subsequent secondary exposure both in vitro and in vivo. Importantly, endometrial stem cells exhibited robust memory functions following consecutive HPV antigen exposures, whereas fully differentiated cells such as fibroblasts and vesicular cells did not show corresponding changes in response to the same antigen exposures.

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Background: Although acetylsalicylic acid has been widely used for decades to treat and prevent various diseases, its potential effects on endometrial receptivity and subsequent pregnancy rates are still controversial due to conflicting data: many reports have shown positive effects of acetylsalicylic acid, whereas others have found that it has no effect. Furthermore, the direct effects of acetylsalicylic acid on various functions of normal endometrial cells, especially endometrial stem cells, and their underlying molecular mechanisms have not yet been proven. Recently, studies have revealed that a reduced number of active stem/progenitor cells within endometrial tissue limits cyclic endometrial regeneration and subsequently decreases pregnancy success rates, suggesting that endometrial stem cells play a critical role in endometrial regeneration and subsequent endometrial receptivity.

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