• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.59-68
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• 2010

목적 : 최근 한의학에서 널리 사용되며, 신경계 질환에도 응용되고 있는 봉약침의 농도의존적 효과를 알아보기 위하여, 대표적인 신경 퇴행성 질환인 파킨슨병의 동물모델을 통해 세포보호효과와 세포사멸 및 신경염증 기전을 관찰하였다. 방법 : C57BL/6 mice에 신경독소인 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1, 2, 3, 6-tetrahydropyridine(MPTP)를 4번 복강내 주입하여 중뇌의 흑질 도파민 신경세포를 파괴하여 Parkinson 질병동물 모델을 만든 후, 2개의 군에는 마지막 MPTP 투여 2시간 후에 1차, 그 후로 48시간이 지날 때마다 양측 신수에 각각 0.06mg/kg 농도와 0.6mg/kg 농도의 봉약침을 시행하여 총 4회 시술한 후, 도파민 세포를 측정하는 TH 면역조직 화학법을 통해 세포의 보존 정도를 관찰하고, 세포사멸과 관련된 양상을 확인하기 위하여 Caspase 3, 신경염증과 관련된 양상을 확인하기 위하여 iNOS의 발현여부를 면역 조직화학법을 이용하여 관찰하였다. 결과 : 관찰결과 MPTP 투여 후 MPTP 투여군의 흑질의 도파민 세포 수는 감소하였으나 0.6mg/kg 봉약침을 투여한 경우에는 유의성 있게 세포 수가 유지되었다. Caspase-3와 iNOS 발현억제 실험에서 0.6mg/kg 봉약침군은 MPTP 투여군과 0.06mg/kg의 봉약침군과 비교하여 Caspase-3, iNOS 발현을 유의하게 억제하였다. 결론 : 봉약침은 MPTP 투여로 인한 신경세포 손상에 대하여 농도에 따라 세포사멸 기전과 신경염증 기전을 억제함으로 신경세포를 보호하는 것으로 추정되며, 추후 적절한 경혈점 및 최적의 봉약침 농도를 찾는데 지속적인 연구가 필요할 것이다.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.63 no.6
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• pp.689-697
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• 2020

Objective : Cerebral edema is the predominant mechanism of secondary inflammation after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Pioglitazone, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma agonist has been shown to play a role in regulation of central nervous system inflammation. Here, we examined the pharmacological effects of pioglitazone in an ICH mouse model and investigated its regulation on NLRP3 inflammasome and glucose metabolism. Methods : The ICH model was established in C57 BL/6 mice by the stereotactical inoculation of blood (30 µL) into the right frontal lobe. The treatment group was administered i.p. pioglitazone (20 mg/kg) for 1, 3, and 6 days. The control group was administered i.p. phosphate-buffered saline for 1, 3, and 6 days. We investigated brain water contents, NLRP3 expression, and changes in the metabolites in the ICH model using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Results : On day 3, brain edema in the mice treated with pioglitazone was decreased more than that in the control group. Expression levels of NLRP3 in the ICH model treated with pioglitazone were decreased more than those of the control mice on days 3 and 7. The pioglitazone group showed higher levels of glycolytic metabolites than those in the ICH mice. Lactate production was increased in the ICH mice treated with pioglitazone. Conclusion : Our results demonstrated less brain swelling following ICH in mice treated with pioglitazone. Pioglitazone decreased NLRP3-related brain edema and increased anaerobic glycolysis, resulting in the production of lactate in the ICH mice model. NLRP3 might be a therapeutic target for ICH recovery.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.79-92
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• 2009

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to explore the neuroprotective effect and the possible mechanism of the PD-1 extracts on 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydrophridine (MPTP)-lesioned C57BL/6 mouse model of Parkinson's disease (PD). Methods: The mice were supplemented (or not) with 50 or 100 mg/kg/day of PD-1 for 2 weeks, after which MPTP was injected intraperitoneally. We observed that daily administration of PD-1 prevented MPTP-induced depletion of striatal DA, and maintained striatal and nigral tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) protein levels. Results: Our results demonstrated that mice treated with PD-1 prior to MPTP administration showed more abundant TH-immunopositive (TH-ir) fibers and neurons than mice given only MPTP, indicating that PD-1 protects dopaminergic striatal fibers and nigral neurons from MPTP insults. Possible neuroprotective effect of PD-1 was further studied by the detection of antiapoptotic protein (bcl-2) and proapoptotic protein (Bax). In this assay, MPTP elevated the Bax protein and decreased the bcl-2 protein, while these expressions were prevented by PD-1 pre-treatment. Conclusions: The present results suggest that PD-1 is able to protect dopaminergic neurons from MPTP-induced neuronal injury with anti-apoptotic activity being one of the possible mechanisms.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.23-32
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• 2006

In order to investigate the molecular basis of the aging process in brain, we have employed high-density oligonucleotide microarrays providing data on 10,108 gene clusters to define transcriptional patterns in three brain regions, cerebral cortex, cerebellum, and hippocampus. Comparison of the expression patterns between young (6-week-old) and aged (17-month-old) C57BL/6 male micerevealed that about ten percent (1098) of the genes showed a significant change in the expression level in at least one of the three tissues. Among them, 23 genes were upregulated and 62 genes were downregulated in all three tissues of the old mice. The number of genes upregulated exclusively in hippocampus (337) was much larger compared to other tissues. Gene ontology-based analysis showed the genes related with signal transduction or molecular transports are more likely to be upregulated than downregulated in the aging process of hippocampus. These data may provide some useful means for elucidating the molecular aspect of aging in hippocampus and other regions in brain.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.107-110
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• 2000

We investigated the role of recombinant Toxoplasma gondii heat shock protein (rT.g.HSP) 70-full length, rT.g. HSP70-NH2-terminal region, or rT.g. HSP70-carboxy-terminal region in prophylactic immunity in C57BL/6 mice perorally infected with Fukaya cysts of T. gondii. At 3, 4, 5, and 6 weeks after infection, the number of T gondii in the brain tissue of each mouse was measured by quantitative competitive-polymerase chain reaction (QC-PCR) targeting the surface antigen (SAG) 1 gene. Immunization with rT.g.HSP70-full length or rT.g.HSP70-carboxy-terminal region increased the number of T. gondii in the brain tissue after T. gondii infection, whereas immunization with rT.g.HSP70-NHa-terminal region did not. These results suggest that T.g. HSP70-carboxy-terminal region as well as T.g.HSP70-full length may induce deleterious effects on the protective immunity of mice infected with a cyst-forming T. gondii strain, Fukaya.

• Environmental Mutagens and Carcinogens
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.266-273
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• 2002

The dose dependence of the severity of radiation-induced thymic lymphoma in C57BL/6J mice was studied. Mice were exposed to fractionated irradiation at the total doses of 4.0, 6.0 and 8.0 Gy (four irradiations at 8-day intervals) starting from 33 days after birth. Pathological and histological changes of each mouse were observed after periodical sacrifice at day 75, 100, 125, 150, 175, 200, 250, 300 after the first irradiation. The severity of cancers were classified into 4 stages by clinical signs with respect to the enlargement of the thymus, spleen, liver, the progression of the cancer in the thymus, and the metastasis to the spleen, liver, lung and the lymphatic nodes. Among the 490 mice observed, 146 mice had thymic lymphoma. A clear dose-effect relationship was observed as well as the dose-response relationship. Also, periodical observation showed that thymic lymphoma was first induced in mice sacrificed at day 100 (130days old), and metastasize in the order of spleen, lung, liver and then the lymphatic nodes. The results suggest that radiation may be involved not only as a tumor initiator but also as a tumor promoter, and a tumor progression-enhancing agent.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.324-332
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• 2022

The incidence of stress-related type 2 diabetes (stress-T2D), which is aggravated by physiological stress, is increasing annually. The effects of Lactobacillus, a key component of probiotics, have been widely studied in diabetes; however, studies on the effects of postbiotics are still limited. Here, we aimed to examine the mechanism through which heat-killed Lactiplantibacillus plantarum LRCC5314 (HK-LRCC5314) alleviates stress-T2D in a cold-induced stress-T2D C57BL/6 mouse model. HK-LRCC5314 markedly decreased body weight gain, adipose tissue (neck, subcutaneous, and epididymal) weight, and fasting glucose levels. In the adipose tissue, mRNA expression levels of stress-T2D associated factors (NPY, Y2R, GLUT4, adiponectin, and leptin) and pro-inflammatory factors (TNF-α, IL-6, and CCL-2) were also altered. Furthermore, HK-LRCC5314 increased the abundance of Barnesiella, Alistipes, and butyrate-producing bacteria, including Akkermansia, in feces and decreased the abundance of Ruminococcus, Dorea, and Clostridium. Thus, these findings suggest that HK-LRCC5314 exerts protective effects against stress-T2D via gut microbiome modulation, suggesting its potential as a supplement for managing stress-T2D.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.235-246
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• 2020

This study aimed to evaluate the inhibitory effect of micro-current stimulation(MCS) on adipogenesis regarding with Wnt/β-catenin pathway using the ob/ob mouse and 3T3-L1 cell line. 6-week old ob/ob male mice were equally assigned to four groups: obese group(ob), obese with MCS groups(50 μA, 200 μA, and 400 μA). 6-week old C57BL/6J male mice were assigned to the control group(CON). We analyzed abdominal adipose tissue volume by using in vivo micro-CT and measured the body weight, feed intake, liver weight and triglycerides in serum. All the MCS groups showed that significantly reduced body weight and triglycerides in serum. In the case of liver weight and abdominal adipose tissue volume, the inhibitory effect of adipogenesis was shown in the 200 μA and 400 μA groups. To elucidate the anti-obesity effect of MCS, β-catenin, C/EBPα and FAS protein expressions were analyzed by western blotting. β-catenin expression was upregulated, C/EBPα and FAS expression were down-regulated in the relatively high-intensity groups(200 μA and 400 μA). Thus, the 200 μA and 400 μA for the intensity of MCS were chosen for cell experiments. In the 3T3-L1 cell line, Wnt/β-catenin pathway including Wnt10b, Wnt3a, β-catenin and Cyclin D1 was activated in all MCS groups. Accordingly, the expression level of C/EBPα was decreased during the differentiation and lipid droplet was significantly reduced in Oil red O staining results. These results suggest that the Wnt/β-catenin signaling might be activated by MCS with current intensities between 200-400 μA and it may lead to anti-obesity effects.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.81-88
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• 2020

Regulator of calcineurin 1 (RCAN1) can be induced by an intracellular calcium increase and oxidative stress, which are characteristic features of temporal lobe epilepsy. Thus, we investigated the spatiotemporal expression and cellular localization of RCAN1 protein and mRNA in the mouse hippocampus after pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus (SE). Male C57BL/6 mice were given pilocarpine hydrochloride (280 mg/kg, i.p.) and allowed to develop 2 h of SE. Then the animals were given diazepam (10 mg/kg, i.p.) to stop the seizures and sacrificed at 1, 3, 7, 14, or 28 day after SE. Cresyl violet staining showed that pilocarpine-induced SE resulted in cell death in the CA1 and CA3 subfields of the hippocampus from 3 day after SE. RCAN1 immunoreactivity showed that RCAN1 was mainly expressed in neurons in the shammanipulated hippocampi. At 1 day after SE, RCAN1 expression became detected in hippocampal neuropils. However, RCAN1 signals were markedly enhanced in cells with stellate morphology at 3 and 7 day after SE, which were confirmed to be reactive astrocytes, but not microglia by double immunofluorescence. In addition, realtime reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction showed a significant upregulation of RCAN1 isoform 4 (RCAN1-4) mRNA in the SE-induced hippocampi. Finally, in situ hybridization with immunohistochemistry revealed astrocytic expression of RCAN1-4 after SE. These results demonstrate astrocytic upregulation of RCAN1 and RCAN1-4 in the mouse hippocampus in the acute and subacute phases of epileptogenesis, providing foundational information for the potential role of RCAN1 in reactive astrocytes during epileptogenesis.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.36-44
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• 2005

Background: The anti-tumor therapeutic effect of autologous tumor cell lysate pulseddendritic cells (DCs) was studied for non-immunogenic and immune suppressive lung cancer model. To test the possibility as an adjuvant therapy, minimal residual disease model was considered in mouse in vivo experiments. Methods: Syngeneic 3LL lung cancer cells were inoculated intravenously into the C57BL/6 mouse. Autologous tumor cell (3LL) or allogeneic leukemia cell (WEHI-3) lysate pulsed-DCs were injected twice in two weeks. Intraperitoneal DC injection was started one day (MRD model) after tumor cell inoculation. Two weeks after the final DC injection, tumor formation in the lung and the tumor-specific systemic immunity were observed. Tumor-specific lymphocyte proliferation and the IFN-${\gamma}$ secretion were analyzed for the immune monitoring. Therapeutic DCs were cultured from the bone marrow myeloid lineage cells with GM-CSF and IL-4 for 7 days and pulsed with tumor cell lysate for 18 hrs. Results: Compared to the saline treated group, tumor formation was suppressed in 3LL tumor cell lysate pulsed-DC treated group, while 3LL-specific immune stimulation was minimum. WEHI-3-specific immune stimulation occurred in WEHI-3 lysate-pulsed DC treated group, which had no correlation with tumor regression. Conclusion: The data suggest the possible anti-tumor effect of cultured DCs as an adjuvant therapy for minimal residual disease state of lung cancer. The significance of immune modulation in DC therapy including the possible involvement of NK cell as well as antigen-specific cytotoxic T cell activity induction was discussed.