Kok Yong Chin

National University of Malaysia | ukm ·  Department of Pharmacology

Background/Objectives: Metabolic syndrome (MS) is diagnosed when at least three out of five key risk factors are present: obesity, high blood pressure, insulin resistance, high triglycerides (TG) and low high-density lipoprotein (HDL). MS is often associated with chronic low-grade inflammation. Recent studies have shown that raw stingless bee honey...

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a distinct malignancy of the nasopharynx and is consistently associated with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection. Its unique anatomical location and complex aetiology often result in advanced-stage disease at first diagnosis. While radiotherapy (RT) and chemotherapy have been the mainstays of treatment, they oft...

Osteoporosis, a metabolic bone disorder characterized by decreased bone mass per unit volume, poses a significant global health burden due to its association with heightened fracture risk and adverse impacts on patients’ quality of life. This review synthesizes the current understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying osteoporosis,...

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a prevalent and deadly malignancy of the digestive tract. Recent research has identified long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) as crucial regulators in the pathogenesis of ESCC. These lncRNAs, typically exceeding 200 nucleotides, modulate gene expression through various mechanisms, including the competing endog...

Background and objective Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common age-related disease of joints with increasing global prevalence. Persistent inflammation within the joint space is speculated to be the cause of OA. Resveratrol is an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compound which can influence cartilage metabolism through multiple signalling pathway...

Osteoporosis and osteoarthritis continue to pose significant challenges to the aging population, with limited preventive options and pharmacological treatments often accompanied by side effects. Amidst ongoing efforts to discover new therapeutic agents, tocotrienols (TTs) have emerged as potential candidates. Derived from annatto bean and palm oil,...

Background Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a significant epidemiological problem worldwide. It is a pre-morbid, chronic and low-grade inflammatory disorder that precedes many chronic diseases. Wharton’s jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells (WJ-MSCs) could be used to treat MetS because they express high regenerative capacity, strong immunomodulatory pr...

Osteoporosis, a degenerative skeletal disease that leads to fragility fractures, is becoming increasingly prevalent in our aging society. The ongoing search for a therapeutic agent with superior performance and fewer adverse effects has led to the discovery of tocotrienol (T3), a type of vitamin E with unique biological properties, as a promising c...

Background Tocotrienol, a naturally occurring form of vitamin E, has been extensively studied for its potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immune-stimulating properties. However, the clinical impact of tocotrienol supplementation on older adults' overall health and well-being remains relatively unexplored. This research aims to investigate th...

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are environmental pollutants. Since EDCs are present in various consumer products, contamination of human beings is very common. EDCs have deleterious effects on various systems of the body, especially the endocrine and reproductive systems. EDCs interfere with the synthesis, metabolism, binding, or cellular re...

Functional Bio-based Materials for Regenerative Medicine: From Bench to Bedside explores the use of bio-based materials for the regeneration of tissues and organs. The book presents an edited collection of 28 topics in 2 parts focused on the translation of these materials from laboratory research (the bench) to practical applications in clinical se...

Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) is a widely used pharmacological agent for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus infection. While prolonged exposure to TDF has been associated with a decrease in bone mineral density (BMD) and increased fracture risk, limited discussion exists on its effects on various aspects of bone quality. This scopi...

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint condition with limited disease-modifying treatments currently. Palm tocotrienol-rich fraction (TRF) has been previously shown to be effective against OA, but its mechanism of action remains elusive. This study aims to compare serum metabolomic alteration in Sprague–Dawley rats with monosodium iodoacetate...

Musculoskeletal health is paramount in an ageing population susceptible to conditions such as osteoporosis, arthritis and fractures. Age-related changes in bone, muscle, and joint function result in declining musculoskeletal health, reduced mobility, increased risk of falls, and persistent discomfort. Preserving musculoskeletal wellbeing is essenti...

Myopathy is the most common side effect of statins, but it has not been addressed effectively. In anticipation of its wider use as a small molecule to complement the current COVID-19 management, a pharmacological solution to statin-associated muscle symptoms (SAMS) is warranted. Statins act by suppressing the mevalonate pathway, which in turn affec...

The incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been increasing in Southeast Asia (SEA) in tandem with its economic growth and urbanization over the past 2 decades. Specific characteristics of IBD in SEA are similar to East Asia and the West, such as the declining ratio of ulcerative colitis to Crohn’s disease. However, exceptionally low fami...

Background: Menopause is accompanied by increased oxidative stress, partly contributing to weight gain and bone marrow adiposity. Traditional Chinese medication, E'Jiao, has been demonstrated to reduce excessive bone remodelling during oestrogen deprivation, but its effects on body composition and bone marrow adiposity during menopause remain elusi...

Chronic inflammation is the underlying mechanism for many diseases. Thus, inflammatory signaling pathways are valuable targets for new treatment modalities. Natural products have gained interest as a potential source of bioactive compounds which provide health benefits in combating inflammatory-related diseases. Recent reports have linked the medic...

Gut dysbiosis has been associated with many chronic diseases, such as obesity, inflammatory bowel disease, and cancer. Gut dysbiosis triggers these diseases through the activation of the immune system by the endotoxins produced by gut microbiota, which leads to systemic inflammation. In addition to pre-/pro-/postbiotics, many natural products can r...

Pancreatic cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. Research investigating effective management strategies for pancreatic cancer is ongoing. Vitamin E, consisting of both tocopherol and tocotrienol, has demonstrated debatable effects on pancreatic cancer cells. Therefore, this scoping review aims to summarize the effects of vitami...

Background: Patients with plaque psoriasis have an increased risk of metabolic syndrome. However, no studies have assessed the nutritional status or screening methods of this population. Aims: This review aimed to identify and summarise metabolic syndrome screening criteria and the tools/methods used in nutrition assessment in patients with plaque...

Sarcopenia is the progressive loss of muscle mass, strength, and functions as we age. The pathogenesis of sarcopenia is underlined by oxidative stress and inflammation. As such, it is reasonable to suggest that a natural compound with both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities could prevent sarcopenia. Curcumin, a natural compound derived fr...

The management of bone defects is complicated by the presence of clinical conditions, such as critical-sized defects created by high-energy trauma, tumour resection, infection, and skeletal abnormalities, whereby the bone regeneration capacity is compromised. A bone scaffold is a three-dimensional structure matrix serving as a template to be implan...

Globally, coronary artery disease (CAD) is the primary cause of death in both younger and older individuals. However, the differences in cardiovascular risk between younger and older patients based on geographical regions were lacking. Hence, this review discusses the unique cardiovascular profiles between younger and older patients with CAD in the...

Bone grafting is commonly used as a treatment to repair bone defects. However, its use is challenged by the presence of medical conditions that weaken the bone, like osteoporosis. Calcium phosphate cement (CPC) is used to restore bone defects, and it is commonly available as a bioabsorbable cement paste. However, its use in clinical settings is lim...

Background: Tocotrienol, a type of vitamin E, is well known for its anti-cancer and other biological activities. This systematic review aims to summarize the involvement of endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) and subsequent unfolded protein response (UPR) as the underlying molecular mechanisms for the anticancer properties of tocotrienol. Method:...

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is composed of central obesity, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia and hypertension that increase an individual’s tendency to develop type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases. Kelulut honey (KH) produced by stingless bee species has a rich phenolic profile. Recent studies have demonstrated that KH could suppress compo...

Arthritis is a cluster of diseases impacting joint health and causing immobility and morbidity in the elderly. Among the various forms of arthritis, osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are the most common. Currently, satisfying disease-modifying agents for arthritis are not available. Given the pro-inflammatory and oxidative stress co...

E’Jiao is a traditional Chinese medicine derived from donkey skin. E’Jiao is reported to suppress elevated bone remodelling in ovariectomised rats but its mechanism of action is not known. To bridge this research gap, the current study aims to investigate the effects of E’Jiao on skeletal mineralisation, osteocyte and WNT signalling inhibitors in o...

The increasing burden of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) requires innovative management strategies, but an effective pharmacological agent has yet to be found. Apart from weight loss and lifestyle adjustments, one isomer of the vitamin E family—alpha-tocopherol—is currently recommended for nondiabetic steatohepatitis patients. Another memb...

The immunomodulatory effects of plants have been utilised to enhance the immunity of humans against infections. However, evidence of such effects of agarwood leaves is very limited despite the long tradition of consuming the leaves as tea. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the immuno-modulatory effects of agarwood leaf extract (ALE) deri...

The spreading of infectious diseases caused by the emergence of Multidrug-Resistant (MDR) pathogens is a global threat that has led to numerous deaths annually. In view of this, there is an overwhelming need to discover new bioactive compounds with effective antimicrobial properties. Concurrently, the genus Streptomyces has a growing reputation as...

Background: Piper sarmentosum (PS) is a traditional herb used by Southeast Asian communities to treat various illnesses. Recent pharmacological studies have discovered that PS possesses antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Since oxidative stress and inflammation are two important processes driving the pathogenesis of bone loss, PS may hav...

Background: Osteoporosis is caused by the deterioration of bone density and microstructure, resulting in increased fracture risk. It transpires due to an imbalanced skeletal remodelling process favouring bone resorption. Various natural compounds can positively influence the skeletal remodelling process, of which naringenin is a candidate. Naringe...

Background Body mass index (BMI) is a widely used surrogate tool to screen for obesity/adiposity, but it can not differentiate between lean and fat mass. Thus, alternative tools to detect excess adiposity should be identified. Aim This study aimed to compare the performance of BMI, waist circumference (WC) and waist-to-height ratio (WtHR) in predi...

Background Chronic low-grade inflammation is involved in the pathogenesis of postmenopausal osteoporosis, but the cytokines implicated remain elusive. Objective This study aimed to compare the difference in cytokine profile between postmenopausal women with and without osteoporosis in Klang Valley, Malaysia. Methods Postmenopausal women with (n=2...

Osteoporosis refers to excessive bone loss as reflected by the deterioration of bone mass and microarchitecture, which compromises bone strength. It is a complex multifactorial endocrine disease. Its pathogenesis relies on the presence of several endogenous and exogenous risk factors, which skew the physiological bone remodelling to a more cataboli...

Stingless bee honey (SLBH) has a high moisture content, making it more prone to fermentation and leading to honey spoilage. Dehydration of SLBH after harvest is needed to reduce the moisture content. This review compiles the available data on the dehydration methods for SLBH and their effect on its physicochemical properties. This review discovered...

The greatest significant influence on human life span and health is inevitable ageing. One of the distinguishing characteristics of ageing is the gradual decrease of muscle mass and physical function. There has been growing evidence that tocotrienol can guard against age-associated chronic diseases and metabolic disorders. This study aimed to eluci...

Previous studies have demonstrated the anticancer activities of tocotrienol on several types of cancer, but its effects on chondrosarcoma have never been investigated. Therefore, this study aims to determine the anticancer properties of annatto tocotrienol (AnTT), γ-tocotrienol (γ-T3) and δ-tocotrienol (δ-T3) on human chondrosarcoma SW1353 cells. F...

The skin is the largest organ of the body that protects from mechanical, thermal, and physical injury. However, the function and appearance of skin visibly degenerates with age due to its frequent exposure to harmful effects of the environment, including ultraviolet irradiation and hazardous substances, in addition to the progression of oxidative s...

Postmenopausal osteoporosis transpires due to excessive osteoclastic bone resorption and insufficient osteoblastic bone formation in the presence of oestrogen insufficiency. Kang Shuai Lao Pian (KSLP) is a red ginseng-based traditional Chinese medicine known for its anti-ageing properties. However, studies on its effect on bone loss are lacking. Th...

Glucocorticoid-induced osteogenic dysfunction is the main pathologyical mechanism underlying the development of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis. Glucocorticoids promote adipogenic differentiation and osteoblast apoptosis through various pathways. Various ongoing studies are exploring the potential of natural products in preventing glucocorticoi...

The potential of osteocyte-mediated phosphate homeostasis as a molecular link between metabolic syndrome and osteoporosis remains to be elucidated. This study investigated the osteocyte lacunar network, levels of osteocyte-specific molecules and phosphate in high-carbohydrate high-fat (HCHF) diet-fed osteoporotic rats with/without treatment of toco...

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease, in which the inflammatory processes involve the skeletal system and there is marked destruction of the bones and the surrounding structures. In this review, we discuss the current concepts of osteoimmunology in RA, which represent the molecular crosstalk between the immune and skeletal systems, re...

The current prevention options for postmenopausal osteoporosis are very limited. E’Jiao is a collagen-rich traditional Chinese medicine with the potential to prevent osteoporosis but more comprehensive investigations are lacking. This study aimed to investigate the skeletal protective effects of E’Jiao in a rat model of osteoporosis caused by ovari...

Background: The uptake of human papillomavirus vaccines (HPVV) among men who have sex with men (MSM) remains unsatisfactory. Healthcare providers play a crucial role in improving HPVV acceptability and uptake among MSM. This scoping review aims to provide an overview of (1) the perceived role of healthcare providers by MSM, and (2) the knowledge,...

Prostate cancer is frequently characterized as a multifocal disease with great intratumoral heterogeneity as well as a high propensity to metastasize to bone. Consequently, modeling prostate tumor has remained a challenging task for researchers in this field. In the past decades, genomic advances have led to the identification of key molecular alte...

Vitamin K is essential for the carboxylation of the vitamin K-dependent proteins that are responsible for the suppression of matrix calcification. The use of vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) in patients with cardiovascular diseases could affect protein carboxylation and lead to the development of osteoarthritis (OA). This review aims to summarise the c...

Background: Osteoporosis is an emerging geriatric condition with high morbidity and healthcare cost in developing nations experiencing rapid population ageing. Thus, identifying strategies to prevent osteoporosis is critical in safeguarding skeletal health. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a bone health screening and education programme...

Medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) is a rare but significant adverse side effect of antiresorptive drugs. Bisphosphonate-related ONJ (BRONJ) is the most prevalent condition due to the extensive use of the drug in cancer and osteoporosis treatment. Nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates suppress osteoclastic resorption by inhibiting farn...

Wnt signalling plays an important role in bone and cartilage metabolism. Activation of Wnt signalling promotes bone formation but cartilage degradation. Sclerostin (SOST) can inhibit Wnt signalling. It is expressed by chondrocytes in the articular cartilage and osteocytes in the subchondral bone. Since osteoarthritis (OA) is a joint degenerative di...

Intravenous (IV) infusion of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from nascent tissues like Wharton's Jelly of the umbilical cord is reported to offer therapeutic effects against chronic diseases. However, toxicological data essential for the clinical application of these cells are limited. Thus, this study aimed to determine the safety of IV infusion of...

The pathophysiology of pre-eclampsia involves two major pathways, namely systemic oxidative stress and subsequent generalised inflammatory response, which eventually culminates in endothelial cell injury and the syndrome of pre-eclampsia with multi-organ dysfunction. Aspirin has been used to reduce the risk of pre-eclampsia, but it only possesses a...

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease affecting articular cartilage among the elderly. The intra-articular monoiodoacetate injection is one of the most widely used methods to induce osteoarthritis in animals. While the effects of monoiodoacetate on cartilage are well-characterized, its effects on subchondral bone remodeling are less studied. The...

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is known as one of the driving sources of end-stage renal disease (ESRD). DN prevalence continues to increase in every corner of the world andthat has been a major concern to healthcare professionals as DN is the key driver of diabetes mellitus (DM) morbidity and mortality. Hyperglycaemia is closely connected with the prod...

Andrographolide is the major compound found in the medicinal plant, Andrographis paniculata (Burm.f.) Nees, which accounts for its medicinal properties. Both the plant extract and compound have been reported to exhibit potential cardiovascular activities. This review summarises related studies describing the biological activities and target mechani...

Diabetes cardiomyopathy is one of the key factors of mortality among diabetic patients around the globe. One of the prior contributors to the progression of diabetic cardiomyopathy is cardiac mitochondrial dysfunction. The cardiac mitochondrial dysfunction can induce oxidative stress in cardiomyocytes and was found to be the cause of majority of th...

Piper sarmentosum (PS) is a traditional medicinal herb used by South East Asians. It demonstrates promising properties against various non-communicable diseases and infectious agents due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Given that oxidative stress and inflammation are involved in developing and exacerbating metabolic syndrome (M...

Background: This study aimed to compare the chondroprotective efficacy and mechanism of annatto tocotrienol (AnTT) and palm tocotrienol-rich fraction (PT3) using SW1353 chondrocytes treated with monosodium iodoacetate (MIA). Methods: The chondrocytes were incubated with AnTT or PT3 in advance or concurrently with MIA for 24 h. The viability of the...

Background: Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease lacking disease-modifying therapeutic agents. This study aimed to compare the effects of palm tocotrienol-rich fraction (TRF), glucosamine sulphate, and both agents combined in rats with osteoarthritis induced by monosodium iodoacetate (MIA). Methods: Thirty adult male rats were randomized...

Calcium phosphate cement (CPC) is a promising material used in the treatment of bone defects due to its profitable features of self-setting capability, osteoconductivity, injectability, mouldability, and biocompatibility. However, the major limitations of CPC, such as the brittleness, lack of osteogenic property, and poor washout resistance, remain...

Menopause is the leading cause of osteoporosis for elderly women due to imbalanced bone remodelling in the absence of oestrogen. The ability of tocotrienol in reversing established bone loss due to oestrogen deficiency remains unclear despite the plenitude of evidence showcasing its preventive effects. This study aimed to investigate the effects of...

Tocotrienol mixtures have been shown to exert anabolic actions on the skeletal system in animal studies, but it is unclear which tocotrienol isomer shows the most prominent effects. This study aims to investigate the most active tocotrienol isomers using hFOB 1.19 human osteoblasts cultured on a bovine bone scaffold. The bovine trabecular bone was...

Background The currently available bone turnover markers are mostly derived from osteoblasts or osteoclasts. Protein markers derived from osteocytes, the most abundant bone cells that can regulate bone turnover activities by other cells, are less explored. Objective This study aimed to compare the circulating markers of osteocytes and calcium home...

Studies investigating the effects of tocotrienols on inflammation and oxidative stress have yielded inconsistent results. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effects of tocotrienols supplementation on inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers. We searched PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Tria...