• Journal of Dairy Science and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.111-118
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• 2015

Probiotic, prebiotic, and synbiotic substances as well as microorganisms were added to infant formula in an attempt to influence the intestinal microflora with an aim to stimulate the growth of lactic acid bacteria, especially bifidobacteria and lactobacilli. Over the last 10 years, new synbiotic infant formulas containing probiotics and prebiotics have been proposed in order to simulate the effect of breast-feeding on the intestinal microflora. Owing to their synergistic effect, the new synbiotics are expected to be more helpful than using probiotics and prebiotics individually. Maintenance of the viability of the probiotics during food processing and the passage through the gastrointestinal tract should be the most important consideration, since a sufficient number of bacteria ($10^8cfu/g$) should reach the intended location to have a positive effect on the host. Storage conditions and the processing technology used for the manufacture of products such as infant formula adversely affect the viability of the probiotics. When an appropriate and cost-effective microencapsulation methodology using the generally recognized as safe (GRAS) status and substances with high biological value are developed, the quality of infant formulas would improve. The effect of probiotics may be called a double-effect, where one is an immunomodulatory effect, induced by live probiotics that advantageously alter the gastrointestinal microflora, and the other comprises anti-inflammatory responses elicited by dead cells. At present, a new terminology is required to define the dead microorganisms or crude microbial fractions that positively affect health. The term "paraprobiotics" (or ghost probiotics) has been proposed to define dead microbial cells (not damaged or broken) or crude cell extracts (i.e., cell extracts with complex chemical composition) that are beneficial to humans and animals when a sufficient amount is orally or topically administered. The fecal microflora of bottle-fed infants is altered when the milk-based infant formula is supplemented with probiotics or prebiotics. Thus, by increasing the proportion of beneficial bacteria such as bifidobacteria and lactobacilli, prebiotics modify the fecal microbial composition and accordingly regulate the activity of the immune system. Therefore, considerable attention has been focused on the improvement of infant formula quality such that its beneficial effects are comparable to those of human milk, using prebiotics such as inulin and oligosaccharides and potential specific probiotics such as bifidobacteria, which selectively stimulate the proliferation of beneficial bacteria in the microflora and the indigenous intestinal metabolic activity of the microflora.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.571-582
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• 2020

Quorum sensing (QS)-mediated infections cause severe diseases in human beings. The control of infectious diseases by inhibiting QS using antipathogenic drugs is a promising approach as antibiotics are proving inefficient in treating these diseases. Marine fungal (Pestalotiopsis sydowiana PPR) extract was found to possess effective antipathogenic characteristics. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the fungal extract against test pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 was 1,000 ㎍/ml. Sub-MIC concentrations (250 and 500 ㎍/ml) of fungal extract reduced QS-regulated virulence phenotypes such as the production of pyocyanin, chitinase, protease, elastase, and staphylolytic activity in P. aeruginosa PAO1 by 84.15%, 73.15%, 67.37%, 62.37%, and 33.65%, respectively. Moreover, it also reduced the production of exopolysaccharides (74.99%), rhamnolipids (68.01%), and alginate (54.98%), and inhibited the biofilm formation of the bacteria by 90.54%. In silico analysis revealed that the metabolite of P. sydowiana PPR binds to the bacterial QS receptor proteins (LasR and RhlR) similar to their respective natural signaling molecules. Cyclo(-Leu-Pro) (CLP) and 4-Hydroxyphenylacetamide (4-HPA) were identified as potent bioactive compounds among the metabolites of P. sydowiana PPR using in silico approaches. The MIC values of CLP and 4-HPA against P. aeruginosa PAO1 were determined as 250 and 125 ㎍/ml, respectively. All the antivirulence assays were conducted at sub-MIC concentrations of CLP (125 ㎍/ml) and 4-HPA (62.5 ㎍/ml), which resulted in marked reduction in all the investigated virulence factors. This was further supported by gene expression studies. The findings suggest that the metabolites of P. sydowiana PPR can be employed as promising QS inhibitors that target pathogenic bacteria.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.83-89
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• 2012

Medicinal herbs have been shown to have protective functions for skin and hair. We investigated the effects of complex of soluble ${\beta}$-cyclodextrin and phytochemicals on the functions of skin and hair. In previous report, we evaluated the safety of supramolecules and found their anti-microbial effects and anti-fungal effect against Gram (+) and Malassezia furfur which is known to cause dandruff. Here we present that functional supramolecules-containing cream promotes the biological skin activity by inducing the collagen formation. And treatment of supramolecules-containing hair tonic increased the rate of hair growth of mouse. Taken together, supramolecular cosmetic compounds containing water insoluble phytochemicals and water soluble ${\beta}$-cyclodextrin exhibit the potential ability for hair growth promotion and delaying the aging of skin.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.661-668
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• 2001

Anti-P. gingivalis immune sera were obtained from mice immunized with either P. gingivalis alone, or F. nucleaturm followed by P. gingivalis. Two groups of immune sera were examined for binding capacity to P. gingivalis biofilm by confocal laser scanning microscope, Antibody avidity index was also determined for each immune sera. The results indicated that prior immunization of mice with F. nucleaturm impaired P. gingivalis-specific immune sera in binding capacity to biofilm and antibody avidity to P. gingivalis. Elevated antibody responses in patients with destructive periodontal disease has often been related to suboptimal level of protective antibody $(opsonophagocytosis)^{1-3)}$ while post-immune sera obtained with experimental animals using a single periodontal pathogen demonstrated satisfactory levels of protective function against the homologous bacterial $challenge^{4,5)}$.The reason is unclear why elevated IgG responses in periodontal patients to periodontal pathogens do not necessarily reflect their protective function. Such an immune deviation might be derived from the fact that destructive periodontal disease is cumulative result of immunopathologic processes responding to an array of different colonizing microorganisms sequentially infecting in the subgingival environmental niche. Fusobacterium nucleaturm is one of the key pathogens in gingivitis, in the transitional phase of conversion of gingivitis into destructive periodontitk, and in adult $periodontitis^{6-8)}$. It also plays a central role in coaggregation with other important microbial species in subgingival $area^{6,9,10)}$ as well as in $biofilm^{11)}$, especially with Porphyromonas gingjvalis in synergism of virulence in human periodontal disease or in animal $models^{12-14)}$. This organism has also been reported to have immune modulating activity for secondary immune response to Actinobacillus $actinomycetemcomitans^{15)}$. It is presumed that sequential colonization and intermicrobial coaggregation between intermediate and late colonizers could potentially modulate the immune responses and development of specific T cell phenotypes in periodontal lesions. We have recently demonstrated the skewed polarization of P. gingivalis-specific helper T cell clones in mice immunized with F. nucleaturm followed by P. $gingivalis.^{16)}$. Consequently F. nucleaturm may initially prime the immune cells and modify their responses to the successive organism, P. gingivalis. This could explain why one frequently observes non-protective serum antibodies to P. gingivalis in periodontal patients in contrast with those obtained from animals that were immunized with $P.gingivalis\;alone^{17)}$. The present study was performed to investigate the immune modulating effect of F. nucleatum on serum binding to experimental biofilms and the avidity of anti-P. gingivalis antibody.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.135-146
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• 2022

Obesity is closely associated with profound dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, and fatty liver disease. Recent reports have suggested that alterations in gut microbiota can be linked to diet-induced obesity. In this study, the anti-obesity effects of Weissella confusa WIKIM51 isolated from kimchi were investigated, as evidenced by: i) reduced lipid accumulation and downregulated adipogenesis-related genes in 3T3-L1 adipocytes; ii) suppressed gains in body weight and epididymal fat mass; iii) reduced serum lipid levels, for example, triglyceride and total cholesterol; iv) increased serum adiponectin levels and reduced serum leptin levels; v) downregulated lipogenesis and upregulated β-oxidation-related genes in the epididymal fat; and vi) altered microbial communities. The collective evidence indicate the potential value of W. confusa WIKIM51 as a functional food supplement for the prevention and amelioration of obesity.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.119-131
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• 2023

Objectives: Betula Platyphylla(BP) has been used as a analgesic, anti-microbial, anti-oxidant drug in Eastern Asia. However, it is still unknown whether BP ethanol extract could exhibit the inhibitory activities against ultraviolet B(UVB)-induced skin injury on human keratinocytes, HaCaT cells. This study was aimed to investigate the protective activity of BP ethanol extract on UVB-irradiated skin injury in HaCaT cells. Methods: The skin injury model of HaCaT cells was established under UVB stimulation. HaCaT keratinocyte cells were pre-treated with BP ethanol extract for 1 h, and then stimulated with UVB. Then, the cells were harvested to measure the cell viability, production of reactive oxygen species(ROS), pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin(IL) 1-beta, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-𝛼, hyaluronidase, type 1 collagen, matrix metalloproteinase(MMP)s. In addition, we examined the mitogen activated protein kinases(MAPKs) and inhibitory kappa B alpha(I𝜅;-B𝛼) as inhibitory mechanisms of BP ethanol extract. Results: The treatment of BP ethanol extract inhibited the UVBinduced cell death and ROS production in HaCaT cells. BP ethanol extract treatment inhibited the UVB-induced increase of IL-1beta, IL-6, and TNF-𝛼. BP ethanol extract treatment inhibited the increase of hyaluronidase, MMP and decrease of collagen. BP ethanol extract treatment inhibited the activation of MAPKs and the degradation of I𝜅-B𝛼. Conclusions: Our result suggest that treatment of BP ethanol extract could inhibit the UVB-induced skin injury via deactivation of MAPKs and nuclear factor kappa B(NF-𝜅B) in HaCaT cells. This study could suggest that BP ethanol extract could be a beneficial agent to prevent skin damage or inflammation.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.703-715
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• 2023

This study was conducted to investigate the fermentation characteristics and anti-obesity effects of acetic acid fermentation products of coffee wine. The live cell counts, soluble solids, pH and total acidity of the acetic acid unfermented coffee wine (AUFCW; day 0, before fermentation) were 6.35 log CFU/mL, 8.10 °Brix, 3.88, and 1.29%, respectively, while the acetic acid fermented coffee wine (AFCW; day 15, after fermentation) were 4.40 log CFU/mL, 8.57 °Brix, 3.07, and 7.45%, respectively. Pancreatic lipase inhibitory activity tended to increase as the acetic acid fermentation period increased. The anti-obesity effects of AFCW on 3T3-L1 cells, which was induced by MDI, were evaluated based on the lipid accumulation rate, leptin expression, and fat production-related gene expression (PPAR-γ and SREBP-1c) at the mRNA level. In the case of AFCW, the lipid accumulation rate and leptin expression were decreased to 69.37% and 50.20% at a concentration of 200 ㎍/mL, respectively, and the expression levels of PPAR-γ and SREBP-1c at the mRNA level were decreased to 79.89% and 48.81%, respectively. These results indicate that anti-obesity effect of acetic acid fermentation products could be increased by acetic acid fermentation of coffee wine.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2009

Essential oils are mixture of volatile, lipophilic compounds originating from plants. Essential oils have potential biological effects, i.e., antibacterial, antifungal, spasmolytic and antiplasmodial activities and insect-repellent property. In this study, five essential oils, namely R, LG, FR, O, and NM, extracted from various aromatic plants were used to test their antimicrobial activity against the oral microorganisms. The effects of essential oils were investigated against eight important bacteria, Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans), Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), Streptococcus sanguis (S. sanguis), Streptococcus anginosus (S. anginosus), Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans (A. actinomycetemcomitans), Streptococcus sobrinus (S. sobrinus), Staphylococcus epidermidis (S. epidermidis), and Escherichia coli (E. coli). Essential oils, except NM, effectively inhibited the growth of tested oral pathogenic microorganisms dose-dependently. However, the essential oils didn't show a significant inhibitory effect against E. coli and S. epidermidis. Consequently, these results represented that essential oil-mediated anti-microbial activity was prominent against the oral pathogenic bacteria. For example, minimum bactericidal concentration(MBC) of R, LG, FR oil against A. actinomycetemcomitans was very low as 0.078 mg/mL. In addition, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of R, LG, FR, O oil against S. mutans was low as 0.156 mg/mL in vitro.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.42 no.11
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• pp.1864-1871
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• 2013

The effect of additives on the quality of low salted doenjang was investigated during storage. Amylase activity gradually decreased during storage and protease activity decreased after four weeks. The number of yeast was lower in the mustard or ethanol added groups without a difference in bacterial count. The L- and b-values decreased gradually during storage with lower total color difference (${\Delta}E$) in garlic added doenjang. Gas production was reduced in the ethanol or mustard added groups. Titratable acidity and acid values were low in the ethanol and ethanol-garlic added ones. A reducing sugar content was higher in the groups with added additives. Ethanol decreased to the largest extent in mustard added doenjang. Amino-type nitrogen decreased in ethanol added doenjang, whereas ammonia-type nitrogen was low in the ethanol or mustard added groups. The taste, flavor, and overall acceptability of doenjang were significantly higher in the ethanol or garlic added groups than in the other groups.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.218-224
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• 2011

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) OA18 was isolated from yogurt prepared by using Kefir Grain as a starter. The OA18 strain was a Gram-positive, cocci-type bacterium, and able to grow anaerobically with $CO_2$ production. The OA18 strain grew well on MRS broth supplemented with 50 mM arginine at $30-37^{\circ}C$ and pH of 7.0-9.0. The optimum temperature and pH for growth are $37^{\circ}C$ and pH 7.0. The isolate fermented ribose, D-glucose, cellobiose, D-trehalose, but not L-xylose, D-melibiose, and inositol. The 16S rRNA gene sequence of the isolate showed 99.8% homology with the Enterococcus faecalis 16S rRNA gene (Access no. AB012212). Based on the biochemical characteristics and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis data, it was identified and named as E. faecalis OA18. The E. faecalis OA18 strain showed a high ornithine-producing capacity in the presence of arginine and also showed an antimicrobial activity against Streptomyces strains such as Streptomyces coelicolor subsp. Flavus, S. coeruleorubidus, S. coeruleoaurantiacus, S. coelicolor, S. coeruleoprunus. The cell growth of E. faecalis OA18 strain was maintained in MRS broth with a NaCl concentration of 0-7%.