• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• v.22 no.3
• /
• pp.257-267
• /
• 2018

The present study aimed to evaluate the cinnamic acid effect on memory impairment, oxidative stress, and cholinergic dysfunction in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic model in mice. In this experimental study, 48 male Naval Medical Research Institute (NMRI) mice (30-35 g) were chosen and were randomly divided into six groups: control, cinnamic acid (20 mg/kg day, i.p.), diabetic, and cinnamic acid-treated diabetic (10, 20 and 40 mg/kg day, i.p.). Memory was impaired by administering an intraperitoneal STZ injection of 50 mg/kg. Cinnamic acid was injected for 40 days starting from the 21st day after confirming STZ-induced dementia to observe its therapeutic effect. Memory function was assessed using cross-arm maze, morris water maze and passive avoidance test. After the administration, biochemical parameters of oxidative stress and cholinergic function were estimated in the brain. Present data indicated that inducing STZ caused significant memory impairment, whereas administration of cinnamic acid caused significant and dose-dependent memory improvement. Assessment of brain homogenates indicated cholinergic dysfunction, increase in lipid peroxidation and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, and decrease in glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) activities in the diabetic group compared to the control animals, whereas cinnamic acid administration ameliorated these indices in the diabetic mice. The present study demonstrated that cinnamic acid improves memory by reducing the oxidative stress and cholinergic dysfunction in the brain of diabetic mice.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
• /
• v.37 no.1
• /
• pp.23-39
• /
• 2024

Objectives: Primary dysmenorrhea (PD) is defined as abdominal pain during menstruation period in the absence of an identifiable pathological lesion. Corydalis tuber (CT) is an herbal medicine that has an excellent effect in relieving pain and convulsions. The purpose of this study is to observe the effect of Corydalis tuber aqueous extracts (CTe) on primary dysmenorrhea. Methods: The rats were injected with estradiol benzoate subcutaneously for 10 days (2.5 mg/kg on the first and 10th days, and 1 mg/kg from the 2~9th day). Oxytocin 1 U/kg was treated by peritoneal injection 1 hour after the last 10th injection of estradiol benzoate. CTe 400, 200 and 100 mg/kg were administered orally, once a day for 10 days at 30 minutes after each estradiol benzoate treatment. The results of CTe were compared to those of IND 5 mg/kg orally treated rats. Results: As results of estradiol benzoate and oxytocin administration, noticeable decreases of body weights and gains, uterus weights were observed with congestion and enlargement of the uterus at gross inspections, and increases of abdominal writhing responses, uterus MDA levels, GSH contents, SOD and CAT activities. However, these oxidative stress mediated PD signs were dose-dependently decreased by 10 consecutive days of oral administration of three different doses of CTe 400, 200 and 100 mg/kg as comparable to those of IND 5 mg/kg in CTe 200 mg/kg. Conclusions: CTe had a significant improvement effect on primary dysmenorrhea in the PD rat model induced by estrogen benzoate and oxytocin.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.21-31
• /
• 2004

Construction of highway would influence wildlife habitat being fragmented and deteriorated. It is inevitable to observe the death of animals that are killed by vehicles. Nonetheless the cause and status of animal roadkill have not been studied, and this study first attempted to analyze the roadkill in major highway in Korea. We collected 860 individuals of dead animals in Joongang Highway during 1996-2003. Among them Korean hare(Lepus sinensis) was totaled in 165 individuals(19.2%) with the highest figure; Korean racoon dog(Nyctereutes procyonoides) was 146(17.0%); Korean squirrel(Sciurus vulgaris) 56(6.5%); Korean roe deer(Capreolus capreolus) 26(3.0%). Domestic animals was totaled in 232 individuals(27.0%); domestic dog(Canis familiairis) 25, and domestic cat(Catus felis) 207. This study also categorized habitat as mountain-mountain, mountain-plain, mountain-river, plain-plain, plain-river, river-river in each side of the road. Habitat of mountain-plain was the heightest with 296(38.9%) individuals followed by mountain-mountain with 263(34.6%). This indicates that wild animals associated with mountain habitat was most influenced by the construction of roads. This study implied that we should mitigate the roadkill by designing artificial construction such as eco-bridge, fences along the sideway, and boxes under the highway, underdrain structure, etc. The monitoring and cause of habitat fragmentation with GIS approach should be followed to reduce the roadkill.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
• /
• v.33 no.1
• /
• pp.77-82
• /
• 2018

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of natural Eriobotrya japonica Lindl. vinegar on the liver protective effect of animals exposed to carbon tetrachloride. Eriobotrya japonica Lindl. vinegar (200 mg/kg) was administered at the same time for 28 days, and hepatotoxicity was induced by intraperitoneal injection of carbon tetrachloride on the $29^{th}$ day. The aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase levels were significantly decreased (p < 0.001) and the superoxide dismutase and catalase activities were significantly increased (p < 0.001) in the Eriobotrya japonica Lindl. vinegar group compared to the control group. Histopathological observations showed that the Eriobotrya japonica Lindl. vinegar showed hepatic cell structure similar to normal group, and these results showed that it had an effect of suppressing and protecting the damage of liver cell. Therefore, Eriobotrya japonical Lindl. vinegar is considered to be a healthy functional food of the liver.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.45 no.1 s.141
• /
• pp.45-54
• /
• 2007

Although Vietnam has a high risk of fish borne zoonotic trematode(FZT) infections for humans, little information exists on the epidemiology of these infections in the country's fish. Because of the importance of cultured cat-fish and snakehead production in An Giang province, a major production area in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam, a survey for FZTs was carried out in randomly selected fish farms between June 2005 and March 2006. For comparison, wild fish from the same area were also surveyed. A total of 852 cultured fish from 4 districts were collected and examined by pepsin digestion to determine their FZT infection status. In Tra catfish, the prevalence of all types of metacercariae was 2.6%, of which the prevalence of Haplorchis pumilio was 0.7%. The overall prevalence of metacercariae in wild fish was 30.6%, of which 10.3% harbored zoonotic species: H. pumilio(2.8%) and Procerovum sp.(5.6%). The prevalence of Opisthorchis metacercariae, which were diagnosed as O. viverrini, was 1.9%. No metacercariae were found in cultured snake head fish, although wild-caught snakehead fish had a FZT prevalence of 10.3%: 5.1% were O. viverrini; 2.6% H. pumilio; and 2.6% were Procerovum sp. These are the first reports of H. pumilio, Procerovum sp., and O. viverrini metacercariae in Vietnamese fish. These results indicate that consumption of improperly prepared fish represents a significant risk of acquiring FZTs in this south Vietnam region.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.19 no.3
• /
• pp.257-264
• /
• 2009

A $\beta$-agarase gene, agaB34, was functionally cloned from the genomic DNA of a marine bacterium, Agarivorans albus YKW-34. The open reading frame of agaB34 consisted of 1,362 bp encoding 453 amino acids. The deduced amino acid sequence, consisting of a typical N-terminal signal peptide followed by a catalytic domain of glycoside hydrolase family 16 (GH-16) and a carbohydrate-binding module (CBM), showed 37-86% identity to those of agarases belonging to family GH-16. The recombinant enzyme (rAgaB34) with a molecular mass of 49 kDa was produced extracellularly using Escherichia coli $DH5{\alpha}$ as a host. The purified rAgaB34 was a $\beta$-agarase yielding neoagarotetraose (NA4) as the main product. It acted on neoagarohexaose to produce NA4 and neoagarobiose, but it could not further degrade NA4. The maximal activity of rAgaB34 was observed at $30^{\circ}C$ and pH 7.0. It was stable over pH 5.0-9.0 and at temperatures up to $50^{\circ}C$. Its specific activity and $k_{cat}/K_m$ value for agarose were 242 U/mg and $1.7{\times}10^6/sM$, respectively. The activity of rAgaB34 was not affected by metal ions commonly existing in seawater. It was resistant to chelating reagents (EDTA, EGTA), reducing reagents (DTT, $\beta$-mercaptoethanol), and denaturing reagents (SDS and urea). The E. coli cell harboring the pUC18-derived agarase expression vector was able to efficiently excrete agarase into the culture medium. Hence, this expression system might be used to express secretory proteins.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
• /
• v.31 no.4
• /
• pp.282-287
• /
• 2014

The negative impacts of roads on wildlife mortality have been well documented, and one of the most significant impact is wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVCs) in most countries throughout the world. While road impacts on wildlife are a truly global concern with a large socio-economic cost, few researches in Korea have been quantified road-kill occurrence on highways or identified extensively seasonal and geographic patterns of this phenomenon. Therefore, we analyzed highway mortality of wild mammals in Korea using database from five years of nation-wide data on WVCs, and estimated road-kill density by standardizing on per km and per $10^3$ vehicle basis. During 2008 through 2012, a total of 10,940 wildlifes were reported killed on highways, with an average of 2,188 cases per year. There were 2,376 road-kills in 2012, and this equates to 0.01 road-kills per km per week or one road-kill every 88.5 km per week. For time of day, road-kills occurred more frequently in the early morning (05:00-08:00, 38.3%), and day of week did not have a significant influence in any individual year. The road-kill was highest in the spring (March- May, 33.0%) and least in the winter (December-February, 16.1%), and the most frequently killed native species were of Korean water deer (79.7%), raccoon dog (12.7%), Korean hare (3.1%), and leopard cat (1.2%). The overall standardized kill-rate (number/10 km/1,000 vehicles/month) in 2012 was 0.057 with highest on Dangjinyeongdeok highway (0.476), followed by Yeongdong (0.274), Sooncheonwanju (0.233), Iksanpohang (0.187), and Joongang (0.150). This study highlights that the frequency of WVCs are prevalent throughout the highways in Korea. Further work is needed to determine whether such a level of mortality is sustainable from an ecological point of view.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.28 no.3
• /
• pp.175-182
• /
• 1990

The metacercariae of Pharyngostomum cordatum were found naturally infected in the European grass snake, Rhabdophis tigrina, purchased from a local snake collector in Jinju, Kyongsangnam-do. They were experimentally fed to several kinds of animals such as mice, rats, hamsters, ducklings, a dog, and cats. The adult worms were recovered from the cats 5 weeks after the infection, but none from other animals. The measurements and other morphological characters of the metacercariae and adults were both compatible with those of p. cordatum described by previous authors. The present study confirmed that the snake, Rhabdophis tigrina, serves as a second intermediate (or paratenic) host of p. cordatum in Uorea.

• Journal of Integrative Natural Science
• /
• v.11 no.2
• /
• pp.69-75
• /
• 2018

The red algae Gracilaria vermiculophylla is widely spread around seaside areas across the globe, and has been used as a food resource in Southeast Asian countries. Previous studies have shown that Gracilaria red algae extracts have beneficial antihypercholesterolemic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial effects. In this study, we investigated the antioxidant effects of Gracilaria vermiculophylla extracts (GV-Ex) on human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs). The acetone and DMSO/ethanol solvents of the tested GV contain higher total flavonoid and polyphenolic contents that can strongly scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS). Pre-treatment with GV-Ex protected hBM-MSCs against oxidative stress induced by hydrogen peroxide treatment. The protective effects of GV-Ex treatment were confirmed by MTT assay. The elevated levels of ROS in hBM-MSCs caused by hydrogen peroxide induced oxidative stress were significantly decreased by GV extract treatment. The levels of the antioxidant proteins superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1), superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2), and catalase (CAT) were also restored or protected by GV-Ex treatment, suggesting that GV extracts moderate excess ROS levels and prevent cells from oxidative damage.

• Mycobiology
• /
• v.40 no.3
• /
• pp.173-180
• /
• 2012

A ${\beta}$-glucosidase from Penicillium italicum was purified with a specific activity of 61.8 U/mg, using a chromatography system. The native form of the enzyme was an 88.5-kDa tetramer with a molecular mass of 354 kDa. Optimum activity was observed at pH 4.5 and $60^{\circ}C$, and the half-lives were 1,737, 330, 34, and 1 hr at 50, 55, 60, and $65^{\circ}C$, respectively. Its activity was inhibited by 47% by 5 mM $Ni^{2+}$. The enzyme exhibited hydrolytic activity for p-nitrophenyl-${\beta}$-D-glucopyranoside (pNP-Glu), p-nitrophenyl-${\beta}$-D-cellobioside, p-nitrophenyl-${\beta}$-D-xyloside, and cellobiose, however, no activity was observed for p-nitrophenyl-${\beta}$-D-lactopyranoside, p-nitrophenyl-${\beta}$-D-galactopyranoside, carboxymetyl cellulose, xylan, and cellulose, indicating that the enzyme was a ${\beta}$-glucosidase. The $k_{cat}/K_m\;(s^{-1}mM^{-1})$ values for pNP-Glu and cellobiose were 15,770.4 mM and 6,361.4 mM, respectively. These values were the highest reported for ${\beta}$-glucosidases. Non-competitive inhibition of the enzyme by both glucose ($K_i=8.9mM$) and glucono-${\delta}$-lactone ($K_i=11.3mM$) was observed when pNP-Glu was used as the substrate. This is the first report of non-competitive inhibition of ${\beta}$-glucosidase by glucose and glucono-${\delta}$-lactone.