• Journal of Life Science
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.293-298
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• 2015

Muscle atrophy, known as a sarcopenia, is defined as a loss of muscle mass resulting from a reduction in the muscle fiber area or density due to a decrease in muscle protein synthesis and an increase in protein breakdown. Schisandrae fructus (SF) extract of the fruits of Schisandra chinensis (Turcz) Baillon has been used as a tonic in traditional medicine for thousands of years. Although a great deal of work has been carried out on the therapeutic potential of SF, its pharmacological mechanisms of action in muscle diseases actions remain unclear. In the present study, we investigated the inhibitory effects of SF ethanol extracts on the production of muscle atrophy factors in C2C12 myotubes stimulated with 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-ribonucleotide (AICAR), an AMP-activated kinase (AMPK) activator, and sought to determine the underlying mechanisms of action. AICAR upregulated atrophy-related ubiquitin ligase muscle RING finger-1 (MuRF-1) and stimulated the levels of the forkhead box O3a (FoxO3a) transcription factor in the C2C12 myotubes. SF supplementation effectively and concentration- dependently counteracted AICAR-induced muscle cell atrophy and reversed the increased expression of MuRF-1 and FoxO3a. Our study demonstrates that SF can reverse the muscle cell atrophy caused by AICAR through regulation of the AMPK and FoxO3a signaling pathways, followed by inhibition of MuRF-1.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.19 no.11
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• pp.1581-1590
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• 2009

Hizikia fusiforme is a kind of brown edible seaweed that mainly grows in the temperate seaside areas of the northwest pacific, including Korea, Japan and China, and has been widely used as a health food for hundreds of years. Recently, H. fusiforme has been known to exert pharmacological activities including antioxidant, antimutagenic and anticoagulant activities. However, the molecular mechanisms of H. fusiforme in malignant cells have not been clearly elucidated yet. In this study, the effects of ethyl alcohol extract of H. fusiforme (EAHF) on the anti-proliferative effects of MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 human breast cancer cells were investigated. EAHF treatment resulted in a concentration-dependent growth inhibition by including apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 cells and G1 phase arrest in MCF-7 cells, which could be proved by MTT assay, DAPI staining, agarose gel electrophoresis and flow cytometry analysis. In MDA-MB-231 cells, the increase in apoptosis induced by EAHF treatment correlated with up-regulation of pro-apoptotic Bax expression. EAHF treatment induced the proteolytic activation of caspase-3 and caspase-9, and a concomitant inhibition of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase, $\beta$-catenin, phospholipase-${\gamma}1$ protein and DNA fragmentation factor 45/inhibitor of caspase-activated DNase. Taken together, these findings provide important new insights into the possible molecular mechanisms of the anti-cancer activity of H. fusiforme.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.63 no.3
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• pp.211-219
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• 2020

Quercetin is a polyphenol compound with excellent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. However, little has been reported about the efficacy of quercetin to control psoriasis. Thus, we aimed to investigate the effect of quercetin to regulate psoriatic dermatitis with HaCaT cell lines activated by TNF-α and IL-17A, which are in vitro psoriasis skin models. When quercetin was treated with TNF-α-activated HaCaT cell line, inflammatory cytokine expressions such as IL-1α, IL-1β and IL-6 were reduced by 49.1±7.14, 42.8±8.16, and 34.5±2.52%, respectively. In addition, mRNA expression levels of IL-8 and CCL20 the chemokines that attract immune cells such as Th17 cells and dendritic cells to the inflammatory reaction site, were also reduced by 38.4±5.83 and 52.9±4.59% compared to the TNF-α treatment group. The expression of proteins KRT6A and KRT16, which was nonspecifically increased in psoriatic skin was also significantly suppressed. Moreover, phosphorylation of IκBα and STAT3 proteins activated by TNF-α was also significantly inhibited. After stimulating the HaCaT with IL-17A, known as another psoriasis-inducing cytokine, it was observed that IκBα mRNA expression decreased by 55.8±5.28%, and STAT3 phosphorylation was downregulated by 36.3±6.81%. Finally, after co-activation by TNF-α/IL-17A, quercetin inhibited all of IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α and CCL20 gene expression. The above results strongly suggest that quercetin is a material that has not only anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, but also has an activity in improving psoriasis.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.40 no.9
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• pp.1215-1226
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• 2011

The objective of this study was to investigate the anti-obesity and lipid-lowering effects of extracts of persimmon leaf (PWE), buckwheat leaf (BWE), and chinese matrimony vine leaf (LWE) in rats fed a high-fat diet (HFD). Male Sprague-Dawley rats (n=40) were divided into four groups: HFD (35% fat, w/w), HFD (38.5% fat, w/w) supplemented with PWE (10%, w/w), BWE (10%, w/w), and LWE (10%, w/w) groups. The epididymal, perirenal, and interscapular white adipose tissue (WAT) weights as well as plasma leptin level were lowest in the LWE group. Supplementation with PWE and BWE also tended to lower the perirenal and retroperitonal WAT weights compared to the HFD control group, and there was a significant decrease in plasma leptin concentration. Furthermore, plasma triglyceride concentration, hepatic cholesterol content, and hepatic lipid droplet accumulation were significantly lower in the PWE, BWE, and LWE groups than in the HFD group. BWE supplementation markedly lowered plasma total cholesterol concentration, although there were no significant differences in plasma HDL-cholesterol concentration and ratio of HDL-cholesterol/total cholesterol among the groups. Hepatic HMG-CoA reductase activity was significantly higher in the PWE and LWE groups than in the HFD group, and hepatic ACAT was not changed by extract supplementation. However, supplementation with PWE, BWE, and LWE significantly increased fecal acidic sterol content in rats fed a HFD. These results suggest that supplementation with PWE, BWE, and LWE may be an effective anti-obesity strategy by lowering body fat weight and improving plasma and hepatic lipid profiles in HFD-fed rats.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.65-72
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• 2009

Skin aging appears to be principally attributed to a decrease in both levels of Type I collagen and regeneration ability of dermal fibroblasts. It is important to introduce an efficient and safe agent for effective management of skin aging. To this end, we performed screening for anti-ageing agents and then found that vegetable peptones (pea and wheat) promoted cell proliferation of adult stem cells. Vegetable peptones may be considered as useful medium additives because it can supply nutrients, peptides, amino acids or growth factor analogues. This study was designed to investigate effects of vegetable peptones on cell proliferation/collagen production and their possible mechanisms in human dermal fibroblasts. In cell proliferation assay, vegetable peptones significantly promoted cell proliferation in a concentration-dependent manner. In addition, human COL1A2 promoter luciferase and type I procollagen synthesis assays showed that vegetable peptones induce type I procollagen production through the activation of COLlA2 promoter. In both TGF-${\beta}1$ luciferase reporter and ELISA assays, vegetable peptones was found to induce TGF-${\beta}1$ production, suggesting that vegetable peptones induce type I procollagen production through the activation of TGF-${\beta}1$. When applied topically in a human skin twice a day for an 4-week period of time, vegetable peptones did not induce any adverse reactions. Theretore, based on these results, we suggest the possibility that vegetable peptones may be considered as an attractive, wrinkle-reducing candidate for topical application.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.18-28
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• 1991

The optimal pH of the extraction buffer was 7.5 considiering AChE stability and its buffer capacity when AChE was isolated and extracted from the housefly(Musca domesitca L.)and three other insect species with 0.01 M sodium phosphate buffer. Also, the optimal pH of the reaction buffer was 7.5 considering enzyme activity and its buffer capacity when AChE activity was measured with the substrate in 0.1 M sodium phosphate buffer. The Potter Elvehjem type homogenizer with Teflon pestle was used to homgenize the tissues. When preparing a AChE suspension by centrifuging the homogenate, 700 g supernatant of adult head for the housefly, 700 g supernatnat of 5th instar nymphal whole body for the brown planthopper, lipid-eliminated 10,000 g supernatant of 5th instar larval whole body for the diamondback moth, and 700 g supernatant of 4th instar larval head for the tobacco cutworm were considered satisfactory as enzyme sources in view of mass preparation, extraction efficiency and stability of enzyme activity during evaluation. When AChE suspensions of 4 insect species were stored at $-18^{\circ}C$, more than 90% of activity was maintained up to 3 weeks. Km values of AChEs of the housefly, the brown planthopper, and the diamondback moth were 0.042, 0.037 and 0.043 mM, respectively and AChE-specific substrate inhibition was observed at high concentration. Km value of the tobacco cutworm ChE was 1.15 mM and BuChE characteristics was observed, though further study is needed. The optimal substrate concentration for the AChE inhibition tests was 0.5 mM for the housfly, the brown planthopper, and the diamondback moth and 12 mM for the tobacco cutworm.

• Spatial Information Research
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.133-152
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• 1998

This article considers the experimental foundations of geographical phenomena for the distribution of lodging houses and the development of lodging Information Systems in Shin-Chon Area. This system allows the rural students to find their lodging houses conveniently. We examine the geographical reality of lodging houses in Shin-chon area and explores the lodging information system, reflecting how students select the lodging houses. Criteria for selection of lodging houses are travel time to school, interior facilities, rent fee, members, owners of lodging houses, which are collected by field swvey. The lodging information system is built in integration of Visual Basic with spatial data which are created in Mapinfo and Arcview through MapObject, component GIS software. This system provide query tools to efficiently investigate data as well as interactive map display. Also it displays the characteristics of a selected lodging houses using the identify tool on the map.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.37-51
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• 2005

Mast cell is a cell that functions mainly in our body with a respect to inflammation and allergic response. Bee venom has been progressed in a study as a model related to mechanism in alleviation of pain until now, but it is being progressed in a study relevant to immunocyte in anti-inflammation or anti-allergic response. The present study is aimed to present the basis related to a future study of gene, by researching the influence of melittin and MCD Peptide, which are major ingredients in Bee venom, upon the expression of gene in the mast cell strain. In this study, it dealt with melittin and MCD Peptide respectively, in the effective concentration after passing though the experiment of cytotoxicity by using human mast cell strain. Also, with the respect in the aspect of expression in gene that changes at this time, information was obtained through the technique of analyzing microarray. Through experimental statistics, when regarding a case that global M is significant in more than 1 or -1, in melittin, all 7 genes were accelerated, and 8 inhibited. In MCDP, 7 genes were accelerated and 17 genes inhibited. The function in the body to which these genes are related, was associated with the protein binding within a cell, the activation in the function of lymphocyte, the acceptor related to macrophage antigen. In cell nucleus, substance related to GABA A receptor, protein associated with cAMP reactive element, substance related to complement system No.8 and to B-cell, protein substance related to polycystic kidney disease, substance related to inflammation, and the protein substance of influencing coagulation of blood. Through these results of analysis, it could obtain more useful materials in clarifying the mechanism of action in melittin and MCD peptide, which are in charge of mainly medical action in the abdomen. Also, it is thought that an in-depth study on the influence of main ingredients in Bee venom, the wholly honey bee venom aqua upon anti-allergic response or anti-inflammation are further required.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.116-122
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• 2010

A $Cu_3Si$ film electrode is obtained by Si deposition on a Cu foil using DC magnetron sputtering, which is followed by annealing at $800^{\circ}C$ for 10 h. The Si component in $Cu_3Si$ is inactive for lithiation at ambient temperature. The linear sweep thermammetry (LSTA) and galvano-static charge/discharge cycling, however, consistently illustrate that $Cu_3Si$ becomes active for the conversion-type lithiation reaction at elevated temperatures (> $85^{\circ}C$). The $Cu_3Si$ electrode that is short-circuited with Li metal for one week is converted to a mixture of $Li_{21}Si_5$ and metallic Cu, implying that the Li-Si alloy phase generated at 0.0 V (vs. Li/$Li^+$) at the quasi-equilibrium condition is the most Li-rich $Li_{21}Si_5$. However, the lithiation is not extended to this phase in the constant-current charging (transient or dynamic condition). Upon de-lithiation, the metallic Cu and Si react to be restored back to $Cu_3Si$. The $Cu_3Si$ electrode shows a better cycle performance than an amorphous Si electrode at $120^{\circ}C$, which can be ascribed to the favorable roles provided by the Cu component in $Cu_3Si$. The inactive element (Cu) plays as a buffer against the volume change of Si component, which can minimize the electrode failure by suppressing the detachment of Si from the Cu substrate.

• The korean journal of orthodontics
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• v.27 no.4 s.63
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• pp.559-568
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• 1997

For orthodontic tooth movement, optimal orthodontic force should be maintained without periodontal breakdown and alveolar bone should be remodeled physiologically Therefore, To obtain proper occlusion through tooth movement within alveolar bone, we should know the biomechanics of teeth and supporting 4issues. The present study was performed to observe histologic changes of periodontal tissue immediately after application of orthodontic force and during the retention period in growing young adult dogs. In this study, experimental group contained between mandibular left canine and 1st molar and control group contained contralateral teeth of same animal. The .018'x.022' stainless steel closed coil spring(Dentaurum Co.) was ligated on the experimental teeth at initial 200gm-force from mandibular canine to 1st molar The animals(4 to 6 months aged young adult dogs) were sacrificed on 0, 14, 28 days after the finish of appliance activation, and then tissue samples were divided into hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining section, ground section, alkaline phosphatase(ALP) staining section, and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase(TRAP) staining section. Thereafter, the preparations were examined under light microscopy The following results were obtained: 1. Immediately after the finish of appliance activation, the periodontal space was increased in tension side, but decreased in pressure side compared to that of control. The hyalinized zone was also observed in the periodontium. 2. After the 14-day retention, peridontal space was decreased in tension side and slightly increased in pressure side compared to that of immediately after the finish of appliance activation. The hyalinized zone was repaired and a few osteoblasts showing slightly new bone formation were seen. Osteoblasts were scarcely observed along the alveolar bone. 3. Aftter the 28-day retention, the periodontal fibers are normally repaired. A lot of TRAP(+) osteoclasts md increased alveolar bone resorption were observed in pressure side, and AP(+) osteoblast and increased new bone formation were observed in tension side.