• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• 제15권1호
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• pp.3-8
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• 1981

Studies have been conducted to test the effect of Ginseng alcohol extract on the membrane potentials of frog skeletal muscle. The gastrocnemius muscle was isolated and placed in a chamber containing the Clark-frog Ringer solution. Membrane potentials were recorded using microelectrodes filled with 3 M KCI and muscle was electrically stimulated to obtain action potential. Changes in both the action potential and the resting membrane potential were observed after adding an appropriate amount of Ginseng alcohol extract in the perfusing Ringer solution. The results obtained from 346 muscle cells are summarized as follows : 1) The average resting membrane potential of the normal frog gastrocnemius muscle cell was -92.8 mV and the peak of the action potential reached at 29.8 mV. 2) Both the resting membrane potential and the peak of the action potential decreased by Ginseng alcohol extract, the effect being proportional to the dose of Ginseng alcohol extract. 3) The resting membrane potential and the peak of the action potential continuously decreased until about 40 min after Ginseng addition and leveled off thereafter. The potentials recovered to its original value after Ginseng was washed out. 4) The resting membrane potential was more sensitive to the Ginseng alcohol extract than was the action potential. These results strongly suggest that Ginseng alcohol extract increases both the $Na^+$ and $K^+$ permeability in the skeletal muscle cell membrane.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• 제3권5호
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• pp.471-479
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• 1999

The Kv channel activity in vascular smooth muscle cell plays an important role in the regulation of membrane potential and blood vessel tone. It was postulated that increased blood vessel tone in hypertension was associated with alteration of Kv channel and membrane potential. Therefore, using whole cell mode of patch-clamp technique, the membrane potential and the 4-AP-sensitive Kv current in cerebral arterial smooth muscle cells were compared between normotensive rat and one-kidney, one-clip Goldblatt hypertensive rat (lK,lC-GBH rat). Cell capacitance of hypertensive rat was similar to that of normotensive rat. Cell capacitance of normotensive rat and 1K,lC-GBH rat were $20.8{\pm}2.3$ and $19.5{\pm}1.4$ pF, respectively. The resting membrane potentials measured in current clamp mode from normotensive rat and 1K,lC-GBH rat were $-45.9{\pm}1.7$ and $-38.5{\pm}1.6$ mV, respectively. 4-AP (5 mM) caused the resting membrane potential hypopolarize but charybdotoxin $(0.1\;{\mu}M)$ did not cause any change of membrane potential. Component of 4-AP-sensitive Kv current was smaller in 1K,lC-GBH rat than in normotensive rat. The voltage dependence of steady-state activation and inactivation of Kv channel determined by using double-pulse protocol showed no significant difference. These results suggest that 4-AP-sensitive Kv channels playa major role in the regulation of membrane potential in cerebral arterial smooth muscle cells and alterations of 4-AP-sensitive Kv channels would contribute to hypopolarization of membrane potential in 1K,lC-GBH rat.

• Applied Microscopy
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• 제44권2호
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• pp.68-73
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• 2014

With wide use of nano-materials, it is increasingly important to address their potential toxicity to mammalian cells. However, toxic effects of these materials have been mainly assessed by the cell survival assays. Considering that mitochondrial morphology and quality are highly sensitive to the condition of the cells, and the impairment of mitochondrial function greatly affect the survival of cells, here we tested the impact of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNT) on the survival, mitochondrial morphology, and their membrane potential in HeLa cells. Interestingly, although MWNT did not induce cell death until 24 hours as assessed by pyknotic cell assay, mitochondrial length was elongated and the mitochondrial membrane potential was significantly reduced by exposure of HeLa cells to MWNT. These results suggest that MWNT exposure is potentially harmful to the cell, and the mechanism how MWNT alters mitochondrial quality should be further explored to assess the safety of MWNT use.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• 제1권1호
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• pp.143-150
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• 1996

The membrane fatty acid composition of tumor cell can be modified either in cell by altering the lipid composition of the medium of during growth in animals by changing the dietaty fat composition. These modifications are associated with changes in membrane physical properties and certain cellular functions, including carrier-mediated transport and enzyme contained within the membrane. Such effects influence the transport of nutrients and chemotherapeutic agents in cancer cells .Fatty acid modification also can enhance the sensitivity of the neoplastic cell to chemotherapy. The alteration in plasma membrane composition will be affected through dietary supplementations and the potential value to cancer patients could be a better understanding of the effects of diet on responsiveness of neoplasms to chemotherapy, i.e. cancer patients' chances for a "cure" can be improved by diet changes prior to treatment.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국신재생에너지학회 2008년도 춘계학술대회 논문집
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• pp.21-24
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• 2008

Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) is an attractive candidate for residential power generator due to fast start-up and stop, high efficiency, low emission, and high power density. In this study, we employ short module stack to understand the performance of the unit cell of the stack in terms of operating temperatures. To simulate the practical fuel cell stack of residential power generator, the structure and active area of the short module stack is kept the same as that of the practical fuel cell. The results shows that the electric potential of short module stack is different from the number of cells times the potential of unit cell because of cell-to-cell variation.

• 동의생리병리학회지
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• 제27권5호
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• pp.563-569
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• 2013

This study was undertaken to apply the yin-yang theory in action potential. In order to apply the yin-yang theory in action potential, nature of yin and yang, interrelation of yin and yang and action potential in cell were reviewed. According to the yin-yang theory, inner cellular space corresponds to yin, but outer cellular space corresponds to yang. If we classify ions in intracellular fluid or extracellular fluid by nature of yin and yang, potassium(K+) corresponds to yang within yin(陰中之陽), protein(Pr-) corresponds to yin within yin(陰中之陰) in intracellular fluid, and sodium(Na+) corresponds to yang within yang(陽中之陽), chloride(Cl-) corresponds to yin within yang(陽中之陰) in extracellular fluid. Double donnan equilibrium and equilibrium potential were caused by intracellular anion(Pr-) and extracellular cation(Na+) are related with mutual rooting of yin and yang(陰陽互根) and opposition of yin and yang(陰陽對立). The influx and efflux of ion through cell membrane means waxing and waning of yin and yang(陰陽消長), the change of membrane potential means yin-yang conversion(陰陽轉化) during action potential.

• 한국막학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국막학회 1998년도 춘계 총회 및 학술발표회
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• pp.31-35
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• 1998

1. INTRODUCTION : Recognition and binding of organic substrates by biological molecules are of vital importance in biophysics and biophysical chemistry. Most studies of the application focused on the development of biosensors, which detected reaction products generated by the binding between enzymes and substrates. Other types of biosensors in which membrane proteins (e.g., nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, auxin receptor ATPase, maltose bining protein, and glutmate receptor) were utilized as a receptor function were also developed. In the previous study[1], the shifts in membrane potential, caused by the injection of substrates into a permeation cell, were measured using immobilized glucose oxidase membranes. It was suggested that the reaction product was not the origin of the potential shifts, but the changes in the charge density in the membrane due to the binding between the enzyme and the substrates generated the potential shifts. In this study, $\gamma$-globulin was immobilized (entrapped) in a poly($\gamma$-amino acid) network, and the shifts in the membrane potential caused by the injection of some amino acids were investigated.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제27권2호
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• pp.395-404
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• 2017

Fungal cell walls and cell membranes are the main targets of antifungals. In this study, we report on the antifungal activity of an ethanol extract from Paeonia lactiflora against Candida albicans, showing that the antifungal activity is associated with the synergistic actions of preventing cell wall synthesis, enabling membrane depolarization, and compromising permeability. First, it was shown that the ethanol extract from P. lactiflora was involved in damaging the integrity of cell walls in C. albicans. In isotonic media, cell bursts of C. albicans by the P. lactiflora ethanol extract could be restored, and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the P. lactiflora ethanol extract against C. albicans cells increased 4-fold. In addition, synthesis of $(1,3)-{\beta}-{\small{D}}-glucan$ polymer was inhibited by 87% and 83% following treatment of C. albicans microsomes with the P. lactiflora ethanol extract at their $1{\times}MIC$ and $2{\times}MIC$, respectively. Second, the ethanol extract from P. lactiflora influenced the function of C. albicans cell membranes. C. albicans cells treated with the P. lactiflora ethanol extract formed red aggregates by staining with a membrane-impermeable dye, propidium iodide. Membrane depolarization manifested as increased fluorescence intensity by staining P. lactiflora-treated C. albicans cells with a membrane-potential marker, $DiBAC_4(3)$ ((bis-1,3-dibutylbarbituric acid) trimethine oxonol). Membrane permeability was assessed by crystal violet assay, and C. albicans cells treated with the P. lactiflora ethanol extract exhibited significant uptake of crystal violet in a concentration-dependent manner. The findings suggest that P. lactiflora ethanol extract is a viable and effective candidate for the development of new antifungal agents to treat Candida-associated diseases.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제23권1호
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• pp.36-39
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• 2013

We introduce a high-performance microbial fuel cell (MFC) that was operated using a 0.1M bicarbonate buffer as the cathodic electrolyte. The MFC had a 136.42 $mW/m^2$ maximum power density under continuous feeding of 5 mM acetate as fuel. Results of the electrode potential measurements showed that the cathode potential of the bicarbonate-buffered condition was higher than the phosphate-buffered condition, although the phosphate condition had less interfacial resistance between the membrane and electrolyte. Therefore, we posit here that the increased power of the bicarbonate-buffered MFC may be caused by the higher cathode potential rather than by the interfacial membrane-electrolyte resistance.

• 한국수소및신에너지학회논문집
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• 제12권4호
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• pp.257-265
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• 2001

Placing a hydrogen conducting, methanol impermeable metallic barrier like palladium (Pd) is a well-known method for preventing methanol crossover through solid polymer electrolyte for direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC). Applying a bias potential between the anode and the barrier can further develop this concept so that the hydrogen transfer rate is enhanced. Since hydrogen diffuses in Pd as atomic form while it moves through nafion electrolyte as ion, it has to be reduced or oxidized whenever it passes the interface formed by Pd and the electrolyte. We performed experiments to measure the hydrogen transport through the Pd membrane placed in Nafion electrolyte of hydrogen/oxygen fuel cell (PEMFC). Applying a bias potential between the hydrogen electrode of the cell and the Pd membrane facilitated the hydrogen passage through the Pd membrane. The results show that the cell current measured with the Pd membrane placed reached almost 40 % the value measured with the cell without Pd membrane. It was found that the current flown through the bias path is only a few percent of the cell current.