• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.233-239
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• 2014

The present study was designed to investigate the effect Hypericum Perforatum (HP), on behavioral changes, corticosterone, TNF-${\alpha}$ levels and tryptophan metabolism and disposition in bilateral ovariectomized rats compared to $17{\alpha}$-ethinylestradiol. Behavioral analysis by measuring immobility time in forced swimming test and open field test, serum and hippocampal corticosterone and TNF-${\alpha}$ along with hippocampal kynurenine/tryptophan ratio were determined in mature ovariectomized rats treated orally either by HP at three different doses 125, 250, and 500 mg/kg/day or by $17{\alpha}$-ethinylestradiol $30{\mu}g/kg/day$ for 30 days. Ovariectomized rats showed significant increase in immobility time in the forced swimming test. Along with elevation in serum and hippocampal TNF-${\alpha}$ and corticosterone levels associated with significant increase in hippocampal kynurenine/tryptophan ratio. Immobility time in the forced swimming test was decreased in rats treated by different doses of HP in a dose dependent manner and $17{\alpha}$-ethinylestradiol with no concomitant changes in the open field test. Only Rats treated with HP exhibited significant decrease in the elevated serum and hippocampal TNF-${\alpha}$ and corticosterone, which couldn't explain the associated insignificant effect on hippocampaus kynurenine/tryptophan ratio in comparison to ovariectomized untreated rats. It is concluded that increased tryptophan metabolism toward kynurenine secondary to elevated corticosterone and TNF-${\alpha}$ might be one of the pathohphysiological mechanisms that could explain depression like state observed in this rat model. Further, the observed attenuating effect of HP on TNF-${\alpha}$ and corticosterone could contribute in its antidepressant effect in this animal model by other ways than their effects on tryptophan-kynurenine metabolism pathway.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.29 no.7
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• pp.771-777
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• 2007

Several endocrine disrupting chemicals(EDCs) were monitored to evaluate the estrogenic activities and the concentrations by yeast two-hybrid assay and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) in sewage treatment plant(STP) which consist of industrial and domestic line. In the influent of domestic line, estrone, 17$\beta$-estradiol, 17$\alpha$-ethinylestradiol and alkylphenolethoxylate(APE) were detected up to 167.1, 39.7, 7.3 and 145.4 ng/L, respectively. The average removal efficiency of 17$\beta$-estradiol after the activated sludge process was 77.5% and further removed to 80.8% after the sand filtration-ozonation step. These results suggests that the activated sludge process has limited potential to remove the estrogenic activity effectively. The contributions of the estrogenic chemicals to the estrogenic activities were 70.7, 23.3, 3.7 and 2.3% for estrone, 17$\beta$-estradiol 17$\alpha$-ethinylestradiol and APE, respectively, in the domestic line effluents. Therefore, 17$\beta$-estradiol and estrone contributed most of the estrogenic activity in the domestic line effluents.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.28-35
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• 2018

$17{\alpha}-ethinylestradiol$ (EE2), a synthetic estrogen which interfere the endocrine and reproductive function in living organisms, has been found extensively to be deposited into municipal wastewater treatment plants and the environment via human excretion. EE2 has long been known to be efficiently cometabolized by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) during ammonia ($NH_3$) oxidation. Current study aims to investigate the effect of culture history on the biotransformation of EE2 by nitrifying sludge which was enriched under different ammonia loading rates in continuous flow reactors. Result showed that past growth condition largely affected not only the metabolic rate of $NH_3$ oxidation but also EE2 cometabolism. Sludge previously acclimated with higher $NH_3$ loads as well as sludge dominated with AOB belong to high growth cluster (Nitrosomonas europaea-Nitrosococcus mobilis) showed higher rate of EE2 biotransformation than those one being acclimated with lower $NH_3$ loads because of its ability to provide more reducing power from $NH_3$ oxidation. Moreover, the correlation between the degradation rates of $NH_3$ and EE2 was higher in sludge being acclimated with higher load of $NH_3$ in comparison with other sludge. Implication of the findings emphasized the role of volumetric $NH_3$ loading rate in determining EE2 removal in wastewater treatment system.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.65-71
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• 2015

The functional utility of a transgenic marine medaka Oryzias dancena strain carrying the red fluorescent protein (RFP) gene driven by an endogenous choriogenin H (chgH) promoter was evaluated for its ability to detect waterborne $17{\alpha}$-ethinylestradiol (EE2), a synthetic estrogen derivative. The chgH:rfp transgenic marine medaka larvae showed an age-dependent tendency in the efficiency of EE2-mediated transgene expression, in which transgenic larvae older than 6 days post-hatching displayed a more effective response in their transgene expression to EE2 than did younger hatchlings. During experimental exposures to high concentrations of EE2 (200 to 1,000 ng/L), the transgenic responses in the hatchlings were broadly dose- and duration-dependent. With exposures using lower doses of EE2 (25, 50 and 100 ng/L), EE2-induced transgenic RFP was also observed in the transgenic larvae, although the lower doses required exposure of longer duration. Under the EE2 exposure and microscope assay conditions used in our study, transgenic marine medaka larvae exhibited a similar degree of EE2-mediated RFP phenotype expression at various salinity levels (0, 15 and 30 ppt).

• Proceedings of the Korea Society of Environmental Toocicology Conference
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• 2001.05a
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• pp.132-132
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• 2001

Vitellogenin은 난황단백질의 전구체로서 생체내 발현은 에스트로젠과 에스트로젠 수용체가 반응함으로써 활성화되는 것으로 알려져 있다. 어류의 경우 간에서의 vitellogenin의 합성 및 분비는 성숙된 암컷에서만 일어날 수 있는 현상이나, 과거 여러 실험 결과를 바탕으로 수컷이나 미성숙한 암컷에서도 에스트로젠성 물질에 의해 합성이 유도되는 것으로 밝혀졌다. 따라서 수컷 또는 치어 plasma에서 vitellogenin의 측정은 외인성에스트로젠에 대한 노출을 평가할 수 있는 좋은 수단이 될 수 있다. (중략)

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.19 no.9
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• pp.41.1-41.7
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• 2016

Background: The transgenic approach using estrogen-responsive regulator in fish has been given much attention as a potential means to detect and/or address estrogen-related aquatic pollutions. In order to address the development stage- and reproduction status-dependent expression patterns of the chgH-rfp transgene (red fluorescent protein transgene driven by choriogenin H promoter) in marine medaka Oryzias dancena, naturally occurring red fluorescent protein (RFP) signals under non-exposed conditions as well as the transgenically induced RFP signals under estrogen-exposed conditions were assayed. Results: Female transgenics begun to show naturally occurring RFP signals from the age of 7 weeks post hatching (WPH) without experimental estrogen exposure. Afterward, these RFP signals in female transgenics became robust with the progress of ovarian maturation. On the other hand, male transgenics did not show any naturally occurring RFP signal under non-exposed conditions irrespective of developmental stages and maturation statue. Upon exposures using estradiol-$17{\beta}$ (E2) and $17{\alpha}$-ethinylestradiol (EE2), RFP signals were significantly induced specifically in the livers of transgenic males. Conclusions: Male chgH-rfp transgenics were able to keep the "off" state of RFP expression during their entire life cycle unless exposed to exogenous estrogens. Owing to their tight regulation capability of estrogen-responsive transgene, transgenesis of chgH-rfp in male marine medaka could offer a useful model system for future ecotoxicogenomic studies regarding estrogenicity-related issues in aquatic and marine environments.