• Journal of Life Science
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.183-190
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• 2023

Red yeast rice, also known as Hong Qu and red Koji, has been used for a long time in Asian functional food and traditional medicine. It consists of multiple bioactive substances, which can potentially be used as nutraceuticals. Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) can range from simple steatosis or inflammation to fibrosis and cirrhosis, possibly through leaky gut and systemic endotoxemia. This study examined the liver and gut effects of red yeast rice (RYR) (Monascus purpureus) ethanol extract against binge ethanol-induced liver injury in mice. RYR extract was orally administered to C57BL/6N mice at a concentration of 200 mg/kg body weight per day for 10 days. Then, mice were administered binge alcohol (5 g/kg/dose) three times at 12 hr intervals. Binge alcohol exposure significantly elevated the endotoxin, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alanine transaminase (ALT) activity of plasma, as well as hepatic triglyceride levels; however, RYR treatments reduced these levels. In addition, RYR pretreatment significantly reduced the alcohol-induced oxidative maker protein and apoptosis maker in binge alcohol-induced gut and liver injuries. These results suggest that RYR may prevent alcohol-induced acute leaky gut and liver damage.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.112 no.4
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• pp.554-560
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• 2023

To prevent illegal timber distribution, DNA markers have been used to identify the species and origin. However, extracting high-quality DNA from timber is difficult because of its physical and chemical properties. In this study, we investigated whether the age of timber tissue influences the yield of DNA extraction and the success rate of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to understand the relationship between the establishment time of the wood annual ring and the extracted DNA concentration (ng/μl), purity (A260/A280), and PCR success rate (%) from pinewood, a major Korean domestic species. According to the results, it was observed that as the distance from the cambium increased, indicating that the tissue was older, the concentration and purity of the extracted DNA decreased significantly. For the trnM-trnV (285 bp) and rpoC1 (298 bp) regions, the PCR success rate was 100%. However, for the rbcL (1.3 kb) region, the PCR success rate was 66.67%. Moreover, PCR amplification of the rbcL region failed at all points older than 30 years. Thus, it is deduced that as time passes, along with the decay of timber cells, DNA is degraded, leading to a decrease in DNA concentration, purity, and PCR success rate. The results of this study are expected to be beneficial for future applications, such as the species identification of timber, providing valuable insights and potential utilization in this field.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.52-58
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• 2024

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) activates intracellular oxygen using a photosensitizer activated by light of a specific wavelength and is a potential means of treating wound infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) is typically non-pathogenic in healthy individuals but can induce severe illnesses like sepsis in the immunocompromised. Antibiotics have been conventionally used to treat P. aeruginosa infections, but increasing antibiotic resistance caused by drug misuse poses a growing challenge to the management of these infections. This study aimed to investigate the ability of PDT using photosensitizers (PhotoMed, Methyl pheophorbide A, or Radachlorin^®) and a diode laser to inhibit P. aeruginosa. Suspensions of P. aeruginosa and a photosensitizer were inoculated into Petri dishes and incubated for 30 minutes. Samples were then irradiated with the laser at 3 J/cm², and after incubation, colony areas were measured. P. aeruginosa killing rates were 79.65% for PhotoMed, 47.36% for Methyl pheophorbide A, and 40.91% for Radachlorin^®. This study shows that PDT using a diode laser and a photosensitizer constitutes an effective practical therapeutic approach for inhibiting P. aeruginosa.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.25 no.10
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• pp.1156-1163
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• 2015

The present study investigated the immunomodulatory properties of four different medicinal plants in a cyclophosphamide-treated Balb/c mouse model. One of the four plants, Ulmus macrocarpa, showed partial resistance against immune suppression induced by cyclophosphamide. The bark of U. macrocarpa, commonly known as the Chinese elm, has been used as a pharmaceutical material in Korean traditional medicine to treat bacterial inflammation and induce wound healing. In this study, water extract of U. macrocarpa, named DEU-7, was used for its immunomodulating functional activity. DEU-7 increased the weight of the spleen and the number of splenocytes but did not significantly affect the liver, kidney, and thymus in vivo. A splenocyte viability assay confirmed that DEU-7 influenced ex vivo splenocyte survival. DEU-7 also increased the levels of cytokines, such as IL-2 and IL-4, and immunoglobulins, such as IgM, IgG, and IgA. These results indicated that DEU-7 is involved in the activation of T and B lymphocytes. In addition, DEU-7 was able to maintain the production of cytokines, such as TNF-α, IL-12, and IFN-γ, in the condition of cyclophosphamide-induced immune suppression, suggesting that DEU-7 activated innate immune cells, even under immune suppression. We concluded that DEU-7 aids immunological homeostasis, thereby preventing immune suppression, and aids both innate and adaptive immune response by maintaining the levels of various cytokines and immunoglobulins. Consequently, it is worth investigating the potential of DEU-7 as a supplemental source for immune-enhancing agents.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.483-494
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• 1993

Cell surface antigenic relationships between pathogenic mycobacteria have been investigated by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using phenolkilled cells and their rabbits antisera. Homologous and heterologous reactions of Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare antisera before and after homologous and heterologous absorption revealed a close antigenic relationship between strains of the same species and between species if they were members of M. avium(MA)-intracellulare(MI)-scrofulaceum(MG) complex. MAI sera showed a considerable reaction with M. kansasii(MK) and tuberculosis(MTB), but not with the other species. MA(K40004) antiserum reacted with other mycobacteria except few strains of MI and 50~89% of homologous reaction was reduced by heterologous absorption with cells of MI or MS. Intraspecific reaction of MI antisera was natural1y stronger than interspecific reaction and different in extent due to a magnitude of antigenic sharing. Antigenic relationships between N-260D, N-260R, N-260T, and K41014 was somewhat closer than that with N-242D, N-257T, N-28ID, and N-275T. M. nonchromogenicum(MNC) antisera showed a strong interspecific reaction with exception of M. chelonei(MC) and triviale(MTV) to which they reacted weakly or none. Antigenic sharing with M. terrae(MTR) and MG(K30003) was next to intraspecific sharing. NC-3 shared antigens considerably with MA, MC, and M. fortuitum(MF) while NC-11 did not. MTR antisera showed a strong cross-reaction with MI but their homologous reaction was not reduced by MI absorption indicating a paucity of shared antigen of MTR surface. Intraspecific antigenic sharing of course was large with on exception between T-8 and T-13. A considerable amount of antigenic sharing was also found with MNC, MC and MF. Unlike T-8 serum, T-13 antiserum strongly cross-reacted with MA, MG, MK, and MTB. In general, antigenic relationships of mycobacteria, that have been elucidated in this study, well conformed to taxons delineated by the various biological and biochemical means.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.73-88
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• 2009

Objectives : Neuronal changes that result from treadmill exercise for patients with Parkinson's disease(PD) have not been well documented, although some clinical and laboratory reports suggest that regular exercise may produce a neuroprotective effect and restore dopaminergic and motor functions. However, it is not clear if the improvements are due to neuronal alterations within the affected nigrostriatal region or result from a more general effect of exercise on affect areas and motivation. In this study, we demonstrate that motorized treadmill exercise improves the neuronal outcomes in rodent models of PD. Methods : We used a chronic mouse model of parkinsonism, which was induced by injecting male C57BL/6 mice with 10 doses(Every 12 hour) of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (30 mg/kg) and probenecid (20 mg/kg) over 5 days. These mice were able to sustain an exercise training program on a motorized rodent treadmill at a speed of 18 m/min, $0^{\circ}$ of inclination, 40 min/day, 5 days/week for 4 weeks. At the end of exercise training, we extracted the brain and compared their neuronal and neurochemical changes with the control(saline and sedentary) mice groups. Synphilin protein is the substance that manifestly reacts with ${\alpha}$-synuclein. In this study, we used Synphilin as a manifest sign of recovery from neurodegeneration. We analyze the brain stems of the substantia nigra and striatum region using the western blotting technique. Results : There were no expression of synphilin in the saline-induced groups. The addition of MPTP(1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine) greatly accelerated synphilin expression which meant an aggregation of ${\alpha}$-synuclein. But, the MPTP-induced treadmill exercise group showed significantly lower expression than the MPTP-induced sedentary group. This means treadmill exercise has a definite effect on the decrease of ${\alpha}$-synuclein aggregation. Conclusions : In this study, our results suggest that treadmill exercise promoted the removal of the aggregation of ${\alpha}$-synuclein, resulting in protection against disease development and blocks the apoptotic process in the chronic parkinsonian mice brain with severe neurodegeneration.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.238-245
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• 1999

Antioxidative effects of the water or ethanol extracts from Rhus verniciflua Stokes (RVS) were measured by protection against hydroxyl radicals in mouse brain tissue culture. In the water extracts from RVS, cell viabilities were estimated 60.0, 66.0, 72.0, 84.0 and 90.0% at addition of 1, 2, 4, 7 and $10{\mu}L$, respectively, compared with GO (20 mU/mL) alone. The cell viability in the ethanol extracts was similarly with water extracts. In the antitumor effects, the results showed that percentages of the HeLa cell death were approximately 24% for 12 hrs, 57% for 48 hrs at addition of 10%/well ethanol extracts respectively. To know inhibition of tumor growth, in vivo, mice (BALB/c) were inoculated with 0.25 mL CT-26 $(1{\times}10^6\;cells/mL)$ subcutaneously. After the generation of tumor, the results of RVS extracts (ethanol, water) injection showed generally that the tumor size in BALB/c was reduced. For physicochemical characterization of the RVS extracts, purified substances of water or ethanol extracts were analized with SDS-PAGE and ICP spectrometer. In electrophoresis, gel showed 2 bands (210, 230 KDa). The results of ICP verified that RVS extracts contain $Cu^{2+}$ in both samples. Conclusively, this substance might be a laccase which has a biological effective function, as a natural bioactive substance.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.233-239
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• 2010

This study was conducted to examine the anticancer activities of Berberis koreana extracts according to different extraction processes. The highest extraction yield obtained was 8.26% following extraction by ultrasonification at 60 kHz and $60^{\circ}C$ followed by high pressure at 500MPa. Generally, the extracts from the ultrasonification process showed relatively low cytotoxicities against the human normal cell line, HEK293 showing as low as 15%. This extract inhibited the growth of the digestive related organs cell lines, human stomach adenocarcimoma cell and human epithelial adenocarcinoma cell by up to 80% when administered at 1.0 mg/mL, and showed 2.5-3.5 of selectivity. It was also found that this extract induced the production of nitric oxide levels as high $37.87\;{\mu}M$ from macrophages. For the in vivo experiment using ICR mice, the total serum IgG levels of mice treated with B. koreana extracts from ultrasonification extraction were increased by up to 57 ng/mL. The survival time of this group was longer than that of the other group after the injection of Sarcoma-180 and the increment of their body weights was also greatly suppressed. In addition, the extract showed the highest tumor inhibition activities, leading to a reduction of 78.47%. These results indicate that the highest activities of B. koreana associated with this extraction process can be significantly improved.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.57-63
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• 2010

To develop natural therapeutic agents for acne vulgaris, we investigated antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects of various medicinal plant extracts. Among candidate extracts, we selected Psoralea corylifolia L. extract (AC-1) and Magnoliae officinalis extract (AC-2) which showed the relatively high antibacterial effects, and Inula helenium L. extract (ACF-1) and Chrysanthemum zawadskii var. latilobum extract (ACF-2) which showed the relatively high anti-inflammatory effects for further investigations. All of them did not show cytotoxic effects below the concentration of $50{\mu}g/mL$. The antibacterial effects of AC-1, AC-2 and extract complex (AC) against P. acnes were 2.8, 2.5 and 3.2 times higher than that of 10 % salicylic acid respectively. And the antibacterial effect of AC-2 and extract complex against S. aureus were 1.4 and 1.5 times higher than that of 10 % methylparaben respectively. Also, it was shown that ACF-1, ACF-2 and extract complex had anti-inflammatory effects. All of them exhibited inhibitory effects for the secretion of IL-8 and TNF-$\alpha$ from THP-1 cells activated by heat-killed P. acnes. They reduced about 27 %, 38 %, 44 % of IL-8 secretion and 90 %, 88 %, 90 % of TNF-$\alpha$ secretion at concentration of $50{\mu}g/mL$ respectively. These results showed that the complex of medicinal plant extracts, AC-1. AC-2, ACF-1, and ACF-2, had therapeutic effects to acne vulgaris through antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects. Therefore, we suggest that extract complex of AC-1, AC-2, ACF-1 and ACF-2 may be used as a useful agent for development of natural cosmetics which have therapeutic effects to acne vulgaris.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.60 no.4
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• pp.451-463
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• 2006

Background : Reactive oxygen species (ROS) take center stage as executers in ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI). The protein with DNA-damage scanning activity, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP1), signals DNA rupture and participates in base-excision repair. Paradoxically,overactivation of PARP1 in response to massive genotoxic injury such as ROS can induce cell death through ${\beta}$ -nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide ($NAD^+$) depletion, resulting in inflammation. The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of PARP1 and the effect of its inhibitor in VILI. Methods : Forty-eight male C57BL/6 mice were divided into sham, lung protective ventilation(LPV), VILI, and PARP1 inhibitor (PJ34)+VILI (PJ34+VILI) groups. Mechanical ventilator setting for the LPV group was $PIP\;15cmH_2O$ + $PEEP\;3cmH_2O$ + RR 90/min + 2 hours. The VILI and PJ34+VILI groups were ventilated on a setting of $PIP\;40cmH_2O$ + $PEEP\;0cmH_2O$ + RR 90/min + 2 hours. As a PARP1 inhibitor for the PJ34+VILI group, 20 mg/Kg of PJ34 was treated intraperitoneally 2 hours before mechanical ventilation. Wet-to-dry weight ratio and acute lung injury (ALI) score were measured to determine the degree of VILI. PARP1 activity was evaluated by using an immunohistochemical method utilizing biotinylated NAD. Myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity and the concentration of inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor $(TNF)-{\alpha}$, interleukin $(IL)-1{\beta}$, and IL-6 were measured in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Results : In the PJ34+VILI group, PJ34 pretreatment significantly reduced the degree of lung injury, compared with the VILI group (p<0.05). The number of cells expressing PARP1 activity was significantly increased in the VILI group, but significantly decreased in the PJ34+VILI group (p=0.001). In BALF, MPO activity, $TNF-{\alpha}$, $IL-1{\beta}$, and IL-6 were also significantly lower in the PJ34+VILI group (all, p<0.05). Conclusion : PARP1 overactivation plays a major role in the mechanism of VILI. PARP1 inhibitor prevents VILI, and decreases MPO activity and inflammatory cytokines.