• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.319-336
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• 2015

Objectives: The object of this study was to evaluate the cognition and motor function recovery effects of Sungshim-san (SSS), a traditional Korean cardio-protective polyherbal formula in the severe rat stroke, permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (pMCAO) model. Methods: The experimental animals were divided into 6 groups. SSS aqueous extracts (yield=16.82%; 400, 200 and 100 mg/kg) were administered orally by using Sonde, once daily, for 28 continuous days from 24 hrs post-pMCAO. Donepezil 10 mg/kg, a representative drug for dementia, was used as a reference drug. The body weight changes, infarct/defect sizes, sensorimotor function and cognitive motor behavior were serially monitored. Limb placing and body-swing test for sensorimotor functions were conducted at 1 day before operation (base line), and 1, 3, 7, 14, 21 and 28 days post-pMCAO; and water maze test for the cognitive motor behavior was conducted at 14 and 28 days post-pMCAO, respectively. Results: Focal cerebral cortex infarct and defects due to pMCAO resulted in marked decreases of body weight, disorders of sensorimotor functions and cognitive motor behaviors. However, the pMCAO-related ischemic damages were markedly and dose-dependently inhibited by treatment with SSS 400 and 200 mg/kg, respectively. Donepezil markedly decreased the body weight and gains, as compared with pMCAO control rats; however, SSS 400 and 200 mg/kg favorably ameliorated the pMCAO-induced decreases in body weight and gains. SSS 100 mg/kg treated rats did not show any favorable effects on the pMCAO-related ischemic damages, as compared with pMCAO control rats. Conclusions: The results of the study indicated that oral administration of SSS 400 and 200 mg/kg accelerated cognition and motor function recovery in the rat pMCAO model. The treatment effect was potentially mediated by neuroprotection via the known augmentation of cerebral antioxidant defense system of SSS itself or its individual herbal components. Especially, the overall effects of SSS 200 mg/kg were similar to those of donepezil 10 mg/kg, but less toxic.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Tobacco Science
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.3-14
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• 1993

Oxidants in environment or cigarette smoke are known to be implicated in the oxidative damages of pulmonary system. Such cellular damages are prevented by the presence of adequate levels of antioxidants in the tissue. In the present study, we investigated the influences of smoking duration and concentration of smoke on lung antioxidant defense in rats. Subchronic exposure of rats to smoke generated from 6 cigarettes per day for 90 days caused the activities of catalase and superoxide dismutase (SOD) to increase. However, glutathione peroxidase (GP-Xase) was not significantly changed. Total sulfhydryl compounds (Total-SH) in the lung homogenates from the rats inhaled with cigarette smoke for 15 days was decreased by 44% , thereafter it was returned to the level of normal rats. On the contrary, when rats were daily exposed to a different concentration of smoke generated from 1 to 20 cigarettes per day for 15 days, the activity of catalase was increased gradually with dose, but total SOD activity was increased only in the rats of low dose groups less than 5 cigarettes. Three types of SOD (one Cu, Zn-SOD with pI 4.9, and two Zn-SOD with pI 4.7 and 7.9)were detected in the lung homogenates and Zn-SOD with pI 4.7 was the major and cigarette-smoke inducible form. These results indicate that the protection of lung against oxidants from cigarette smoke seems to be accomplished by the induction of catalase and SOD, especially a cyanide resistant Zn-SOD with pI 4.f, following the consumption of antioxidants such as GSH in the beginning of inhalation period.

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.171-185
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• 2017

${\gamma}$-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a non-proteinogenic amino acid biosynthesized through decarboxylation of L-glutamic acid by glutamic acid decarboxylase. GABA is believed to play a role in defense against stress in plants. In humans, it is known as one of the major inhibitory neurotransmitters in the central nervous system, exerting anti-hypertensive and anti-diabetic effects. In this report, we wanted to enhance the GABA production from the barley leaf and corn silk by culturing them with lactic acid bacteria (LAB). The barley leaf and corn silk were mixed with various weight combinations and were fermented with Lactobacillus plantarum in an incubator at $30^{\circ}C$ for 48 h. After extracting the fermented mixture with hot water, we evaluated the GABA production by thin layer chromatography and GABase assay. We found that the fermented mixture of the barley leaf and corn silk in a nine to one ratio contained a higher level of GABA than other ratios, meaning that the intermixture and fermentation technique was effective in increasing the GABA content. We also tested several biological activities of the fermented extracts and found that the extracts of the fermented mixture showed improved antioxidant activities than the non-fermented extracts and no indication of cytotoxicity. These results suggest that our approach on combining the barley leaf and corn silk and its fermentation with LAB could lead to the possibility of the development of functional foods with high levels of GABA content and improved biological activities.

• Journal of Chitin and Chitosan
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.267-276
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• 2018

This study was performed to investigate the ameliorating effect of a hangover beverage mixture (SBJ) that contains Dendropanax morbifera Lev. and several medicinal plant extracts, on hepatoprotection and alcohol-metabolizing enzymes in alcohol-induced hangover in both in vitro and in vivo models. In human hepatoma cell line, HepG2, 300 mM of ethanol-induced hepatotoxicity was significantly improved by pretreatment of SBJ by dose-dependent manner. In the in vivo study, administration of alcohol to rats raised to the concentration of blood alcohol and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Blood alcohol and LDH levels in SBJ-treated rats significantly decreased at 0.5 h and 8 h after acute ethanol administration (40%, 4.6 g/kg body weight) as compared to alcohol-treated rats. Hepatic alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activity were significantly higher in SBJ-treated rats than in alcohol-treated rats. SBJ supplementation reduced formation of malondialdehyde (MDA), and inhibited reductions of hepatic superoxide dismutase (SOD), hepatic glutathione (GSH), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), glutathione reductase (GR) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) levels, compared with rats administered alcohol. Plasma catalase (CAT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels showed unaltered resulted in all experimental groups compared with the control group. These results suggest that SBJ exhibit hepatoprotective properties by enhancing ADH, ALDH activity and stimulating the antioxidant defense system in alcohol-induced hangover.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.40 no.8
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• pp.529-535
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• 2007

Background: An imbalance between oxidants and antioxidants leads to oxidative stress, and this has been proposed to play an important role in the pathogenesis of lung neoplasm. Apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease-1/redox factor-1 (APE/ref-1) is a multifunctional protein involved in DNA base excision repair and the redox regulation of many transcription factors. However, the alteration of the expressed levels of APE/ref-1 in non-small cell lung cancer is unknown. Material and Method: Forty-nine patients with surgically resected non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were included in this study. Immunohistochemical staining with APE/ref-1 antibodies was performed, and their expressions were analyzed via Western blotting for specific antibodies. Result: APE/ref-1 was localized at the nucleus and mainly in the non-tumor region of the NSCLC tissue specimens; it was expressed in the cytoplasm and nucleus of the NSCLC. The nuclear and cytoplasmic expressions of APE/ref-1 in lung cancers were markedly up-regulated in the NSCLC, and this was correlated with the clinical stage. Catalase, as first-line antioxidant defense, was dramatically decreased in the NSCLC. Conclusion: Taken together, our results suggest that APE/ref-1, and especially cytoplasmic APE/ref-1, was upregulated in the lung cancer regions, and this may contribute to the compensatory defense system against oxidative stress. A low expression of catalase might have fundamental effects on the extracellular redox state of lung tumors, along with the potential consequences for the tumors.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.95-118
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• 2020

Objectives: The objective of this in vivo study is to observe the analgesic effects or improvements of Gyejibokryeong-hwan aqueous extracts (GJBRHe) on the Primary dysmenorrhea (PD) in rats as compared to those of Indomethacin (IND). Methods: The rats were administered with estradiol benzoate for 10 days and oxytocin 1 hour after the last 10th administration of estradiol benzoate to make the primary dysmenorrhea rat model. Gyejibokryeong-hwan aqueous extracts 500, 250 and 125 mg/kg were orally administrated, for 10 days once a day. Then the changes on the body weights and gains during experimental periods, uterine weights and gross inspections, abdominal writhing response for analgesic activities, uterus lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde (MDA) levels), antioxidant defense system - glutathione (GSH) contents, activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), Nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and Cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 mRNA expressions, were monitored with uterus histopathology and immunohistochemistry for tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). The results of Gyejibokryeong-hwan aqueous extracts were compared to those of Indomethacin adminstered rats. Results: As results of estradiol benzoate and oxytocin treatment, noticeable decreases of body weights and gains, uterus GSH contents, SOD and CAT activities, increases of abdominal writhing responses, uterus lipid peroxidation (MDA level), uterus weights, NF-κB and COX-2 mRNA expressions were observed with increases of TNF-α and iNOS immunolabeled cells, inflammatory cell infiltrations, congestion and enlargement of the uterus at gross and histopathological inspections. These means classic inflammatory and oxidative stress mediated primary dysmenorrhea are relatively well induced. However, these signs were favorably and dose-dependently inhibited by administration of three different dosages of Gyejibokryeong-hwan aqueous extracts, but lesser than those of Indomethacin. Conclusions: The results obtained in this study suggest that Gyejibokryeong-hwan aqueous extracts has favorable analgesic and refinement activities dose-dependently on the estradiol benzoate and oxytocin treatment-induced primary dysmenorrhea signs.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.24 no.12
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• pp.1371-1377
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• 2014

Superoxide dismutase is a family of important antioxidant metalloenzymes and catalyzes the dismutation of toxic superoxide anions into dioxygen and hydrogen peroxide. A recent study identified the partial superoxide dismutase (SOD) gene in olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus). The same study reported that it strongly induced benzo[a]pyrene and that it was an indicator of aquatic oxidative stress responses. However, its transcriptional response against viral infection has not been investigated. In the present study, the spatial and temporal expression profiles were analyzed to investigate the function of Of-SOD in the antiviral response. The Of-SOD transcripts were ubiquitously detected at various levels in diverse tissues in a real-time PCR. The expression of Of-SOD was significantly higher in the muscles, liver, and brain but extremely low in the stomach and spleen. Following a VHSV challenge, the expression of Of-SOD increased within 3 h in the kidneys and decreased to the original level 2 days postchallenge. In muscle, liver, and brain, Of-SOD mRNA was similarly up-regulated at 3-6 h postchallenge and then decreased to the basal level. Although the expression pattern and induction time differed slightly depending on the tissue, the transcript of Of-SOD consistently increased in the acute infection response, but the expression was low in the chronic response. The expression of Of-SOD was induced after the VHSV infection, and Of-SOD was probably involved in the immune response against the viral challenge. These results suggest that SOD may play important roles in the immune defense system of P. olivaceus and perhaps contribute to the protective effects against oxidative stress in olive flounder.