• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.23 no.3
• /
• pp.448-461
• /
• 2013

Inflammatory bowel disease, known as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, is an unexplained disease characterized by chronic inflammation that repeats a cycle of relapse, improvement, and complications. The cause of inflammatory bowel disease is not clearly known, but it is predicted that a complex of various factors precipitate its occurrence. In particular, inflammatory mediators, such as cytokine, induce an increase in cell-mediated inflammatory responses. Focal tissue damage then occurs in the intestinal mucosa because of the weakening of the immune-modulating functions of cotton. Immune and inflammatory responses do not decrease appropriately but continue until they lead to chronic inflammation. Current research has focused on the cytokine genes, which have important roles in these inflammatory responses. Cytokine is a glycoprotein that is produced mostly in activated immune cells. It connects the activation, multiplication, and differentiation between immune cells, which causes focal tissue damage and inflammatory response. Moreover, butyrate, which originates in dietary fiber and plays an important role in the structure and function of the intestinal area, shows control functions in the intestinal immune system by decreasing the proinflammatory cytokine and increasing the anti-inflammatory cytokine. Therefore, this research investigated the molecular mechanism of the anti-inflammatory effects of butyrate to comprehend the cytokine controlling abilities of butyrate in the immune cells. Butyrate is expected to have potential in new treatment strategies for inflammatory bowel disease.

• KSBB Journal
• /
• v.24 no.3
• /
• pp.312-320
• /
• 2009

Stable cell preservation is an essential factor in the regenerative medicine for cell therapies and transplantation of biologic materials. In this study, we studied to provide more stable hypothermic preservation by protection of cell damage during the preservation at $4^{\circ}C$. The result of searching for key components that have excellent efficacy in hypothermic preservation of cells, we have identified the fact that the hypothermic preservation adding protein hydrolysates such as yeast hydrolysate is far superior to others. All protein hydrolysates that are derived from animal, plant and microbe sources have superior efficacy, especially the peptides which have molecular weights under 10 kDa have the best efficacy among the components of protein hydrolysate. The protein hydrolysates prevented the decrease of ATP level in the cells caused by hypothermic environment and they inhibited the generation of ROS. Adding antioxidants and control agents of osmotic pressure were showed to have more superior efficacy in hypothermic preservation. Finally, KUL261 solution (DMEM/F12 1 : 1 medium, yeastolate 1%, $\alpha$-tocopherol $100{\mu}M$, dextran 2.5%), the preservation solution developed in this study, showed the best efficacy in both cell viability and cell growth more than other conventional preservation solutions. In conclusion, the improved hypothermic preservation solution that contains the protein hydrolysates as a key component provide the best preservation efficacy. It provides better efficacy than other preservation solutions and will contribute to both the development of regenerative medicine and global commercialization in this therapeutic field.

• Journal of the Korean Recycled Construction Resources Institute
• /
• v.11 no.2
• /
• pp.120-129
• /
• 2023

Marine structures are subject to damage not only from sea salt but also from the adhesion of marine microorganisms and suspended particles, which cause additional damages. In order to prevent this, periodic coating is employed in the case of vessels to maintain the necessary performance. However, it is true that periodic coating is difficult for concrete or steel support structures, and there is a risk of marine environmental pollution. In this study, authors developed an anti-fouling coating agent using eco-friendly materials that possess hydrophilic cellulose nanofibers and AKD(alkyl ketene dimer). To achieve a homogeneous mixture, the content of cellulose nanofibers was fixed at 1 %, and AKD, distilled water, and waste glass were mixed using a digital mixer and homogenizer. The contact angle of the prepared coated surface was observed to be over 130°, indicating sufficient performance even in a water droplet flow test with a 15° slope, suggesting self-cleaning capability. Furthermore, through the analysis of viscosity characteristics at different temperatures, it was confirmed that the application is feasible at room temperature. Microstructure analysis also verified that the coating agent is uniformly applied to the concrete surface.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
• /
• v.41 no.4
• /
• pp.341-350
• /
• 2015

Skin carrys out protective role against harmful outer environment assaults including ultraviolet radiation, heavy metals and oxides. Especially, ultraviolet-B (UVB) light causes inflammatory reactions in skin such as sun burn and erythma and stimulates melanin pigmentation. Furthermore, the influx of UVB into skin cells causes DNA damage in keratinocytes and dermal fibroblasts, inhibition of extracellular matrix (ECM) synthesis which leads to a decrease in elasticity of skin and wrinkle formation. It also damages dermal connective tissue and disrupts the skin barrier function. Prolonged exposure of human skin to UVB light is well known to trigger severe skin lesions such as cell death and carcinogenesis. Haloarcula vallismortis is a halophilic microorganism isolated from the Dead Sea, Its growth characteristics have not been studied in detail yet. It generally grows at salinity more than 10%, but the actual growth salinity usually ranges between 20 to 25%. Because H. vallismortis is found mainly in saltern or salt lakes, there could exist defense mechanisms against strong sunlight. One of them is generation of additional ATP using halorhodopsin which absorbs photons and produces energy by potential difference formed by opening the chloride ion channel. It often shows a color of pink or red because of their high content of carotenoid pigments and it is considered to act as a defense mechanism against intense UV irradiation. In this study, the anti-inflammatory effect of the halophilic microorganism, H. vallismortis, extract was investigated. It was found that H. vallismortis extract had protective effect on DNA damage induced by UV irradiation. These results suggest that the extract of halophilic bacterium, H. vallismortis could be used as a bio-sunscreen or natural sunscreen which ameliorate the harmful effects of UV light with its anti-inflammatory and DNA protective properties.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.46 no.2
• /
• pp.122-126
• /
• 2010

RAD53 functions as an effector kinase of checkpoint pathways in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which plays a central role to regulate many downstream cellular processes in response to DNA damage. It also involves in transcriptional activation of various genes including RNR genes which encode the key enzyme required for dNTP synthesis. In this study, we identified CYC8 as a suppressor for the hydroxyurea sensitivity of $rad53{\Delta}$ mutation. $Rad53{\Delta}$ mutant transformed with a multi-copy plasmid containing CYC8 showed increased hydroxyurea resistance. In contrast, TUP1 which forms a complex with CYC8 did not function as a suppressor. In the case of mutations, both $cyc8{\Delta}$ and $tup1{\Delta}$ suppressed hydroxyurea sensitivity of $rad53{\Delta}$. Since CYC8 can propagate as a prion in yeast, overexpression of CYC8 induced misfolding of the normal CYC8 proteins, resulting in dominant cyc8-phenotype. Therefore, it is suggested that CYC8 can act as a multi-copy suppressor due to its prion property. It was observed that the levels of RNR transcription were increased in the yeast strains containing either multi-copies of CYC8 gene or $cyc8{\Delta}$ mutation, suggesting that the increased level of RNR will elevate the intracellular pools of dNTPs, which, in turn, suppress the phenotype of $rad53{\Delta}$ mutation.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.55 no.3
• /
• pp.206-212
• /
• 2019

Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes) lives in the hair follicles and pores, and it uses cell debris, sebum and metabolic byproducts of surrounding skin tissues as energy and nutrients. Increased production of sebum due to sebaceous hyperplasia or blockage of the follicle can cause growth and proliferation of P. acnes. The rapid growth of P. acnes in follicles produces cell damage, metabolic byproducts and bacterial chips, which can cause inflammation. In this study, we examined the possibility of Senecio iscoensis Hieron. (S. iscoensis) extract to regulate P. acnes-induced inflammatory signaling pathways. We observed that S. iscoensis extract effectively inhibited P. acnes-induced pro-inflammatory cytokine expressions such as IL-$1{\beta}$, TNF-${\alpha}$, and iNOS in mouse macrophage cell line Raw 264.7. The inhibitory effect of S. iscoensis in pro-inflammatory cytokine levels was accompanied by the inhibition of the transcription factors NF-${\kappa}B$ and NF-AT. However, S. iscoensis did not alter the P. acnes-induced MAPK signaling pathways. This study first suggests the potential of using S. iscoensis extract as an alternative agent for the treatment of acne.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.54 no.4
• /
• pp.343-353
• /
• 2018

Our previous research demonstrated the essential role of the xenB gene in stress response to RDX by using Pseudomonas sp. HK-6 xenB knockout. We have extended this work to examine the cellular responses and altered proteomic profiles of the HK-6 xenA knockout mutant under RDX stress. The xenA mutant degraded RDX about 2-fold more slowly and its growth and survival rates were several-fold lower than the wild-type HK-6 strain. SEM revealed more severe morphological damages on the surface of the xenA mutant cells under RDX stress. The wild-type cells expressed proportionally-increased two stress shock proteins, DnaK and GroEL from the initial incubation time point or the relatively low RDX concentrations, but slightly less expressed at prolonged incubation period or higher RDX. However the xenA mutant did not produced DnaK and GroEL as RDX concentrations were gradually increased. The wild-type cells well maintained transcription levels of dnaA and groEL under increased RDX stress while those in the xenA mutant were decreased and eventually disappeared. The altered proteome profiles of xenA mutant cells under RDX stress also observed so that the 27 down-regulated plus the 3 up-regulated expression proteins were detected in 2-DE PAGE. These all results indicated that the intact xenA gene is necessary for maintaining cell integrity under the xenobiotic stress as well as performing an efficient RDX degradation process.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
• /
• v.31 no.2
• /
• pp.368-374
• /
• 1999

This study was designed to investigate effects of pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment on physiological changes of microbial cells, using domestically fabricated pilot scale PEF device. The effect of non-thermal PEF treatment on physiological characteristics of microorganisms was determined by salt resistance, the amount of UV absorbents, cell staining, recovery rate of defected cells, and changes in structure of cell membrane. Salt resistance of Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis and Rhodotorula minuta was examined after PEF treatment at 40 kV/cm, 84 pulse, $10{\mu}s$ pulse duration. Approximately $1\;log_{10}$ cell number of viable microorganisms was decreased by addition of salt. PEF treatment significantly increased the amount of UV absorbents at 260 and 280 nm because of leakage from damaged cell membrane by PEF treatment. Although three kinds of microorganisms treated by PEF were difficult to be observed due to their cell membrane damage, untreated cells were clearly observed by a microscope. PEF-treated R. minuta was not stained by methylene blue due to cell membrane defect. When E. coli, B. subtilis and R. minuta were cultured after PEF treatment, they showed 5, 4, and 8 hr longer lag phase, respectively, compared to control, but growth rates were not affected.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.29 no.6
• /
• pp.747-753
• /
• 2019

Cognitive decline is characterized by reduced long-/short-term memory and attention span, and increased depression and anxiety. Such decline is associated with various degenerative brain disorders, especially Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). The increases in elderly populations suffering from cognitive decline create social problems and impose economic burdens, and also pose safety threats; all of these problems have been extensively researched over the past several decades. Possible causes of cognitive decline include metabolic and hormone imbalance, infection, medication abuse, and neuronal changes associated with aging. However, no treatment for cognitive decline is available. In neurodegenerative diseases, changes in the gut microbiota and gut metabolites can alter molecular expression and neurobehavioral symptoms. Changes in the gut microbiota affect memory loss in AD via the downregulation of NMDA receptor expression and increased glutamate levels. Furthermore, the use of probiotics resulted in neurological improvement in an AD model. PD and gut microbiota dysbiosis are linked directly. This interrelationship affected the development of constipation, a secondary symptom in PD. In a PD model, the administration of probiotics prevented neuron death by increasing butyrate levels. Dysfunction of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) has been identified in AD and PD. Increased BBB permeability is also associated with gut microbiota dysbiosis, which led to the destruction of microtubules via systemic inflammation. Notably, metabolites of the gut microbiota may trigger either the development or attenuation of neurodegenerative disease. Here, we discuss the correlation between cognitive decline and the gut microbiota.

• Journal of Conservation Science
• /
• v.19
• /
• pp.85-98
• /
• 2006

Rock property of the Seosan Maaesamjonbulsang is composed of biotite granite with medium grained texture. The triad Buddha is highly deteriorated by the joint, fracture, break-out, exfoliation, dew condensation of the surface and discoloration of the secondary pollutant. Host rock of the triad Buddha is divided dozens of rock blocks with various shape, and developed irregular discontinuity planes. Besides, the host rock is promoted biological pollution due to the surrounding crowded vegetation and high humidity environment. As the results of structural stability, it is confirmed that developed discontinuity system in the host rock is exposed instability sloping environment. Therefore, the host rock and surroundings are required maintenance, and required preservation by continuance monitoring for understand behavior of discontinuity system.