• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.112-120
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• 1999

The protective actions of ambroxol, rutin, glutathione and harmaline on oxidative damages of various tissue components were compared. The mechanisms by which they prevent oxidative tissue damages were explored. Lipid peroxidation of liver microsomes induced by combinations of $Fe^{2+}$ and ascorbate or $Fe^{+3}$, ADP and NADPH was inhibited by $50\; \muM$ of rutin, ambroxol, harmaline and glutathione. Ambroxol ($100\; \muM$) inhibited the degradation of hyaluronic acid by $Fe^{2+}$, $H_2O$_2$ and ascorbate, and it was greater than that of harmaline, whereas hyaluronic acid degradation was not prevented by rutin and glutathione. The compounds used ($100\; \muM$) did not protect the degradation of cartilage collagen by xanthine and xanthine oxidase. Rutin, glutathione and harmaline decreased the degradation of IgG by xanthine and xanthine oxidate, while ambroxol did not attenuate degradation of IgG. Glutathione showed a scavenging action on $H_2O_2$. The compounds all showed scavenging actions on hydroxyl radical. Ambroxol and harmaline exhibited quenching effects en singlet oxygen. In conclusion, ambroxol, rutin, glutathione and harmaline may exert protective effects differently on tissue components against oxidative attack depend on kind of tissue component and free radical.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2018

Objectives : Puerariae Radix extracts are a rich source of isoflavones that affect the activity of hepatic antioxidant enzymes. However, the effect of these extracts on hair growth in human dermal papilla (DP) cells is unknown. The purpose of this study is to compare the effects between juice and water extracts of Puerariae Radix on the mRNA expression levels of hair growth-related genes in dermal papilla (DP) cells. Methods : The antioxidant activity of juice and water extracts of Puerariae Radix was analyzed using an ABTS assay. The cytotoxicity was analyzed using the MTS assay in DP cells. mRNA expression levels of hair growth-related genes in dermal papilla (DP) cells were analyzed using quantitative RT-PCR analysis. Results : Juice and water extracts of Puerariae Radix showed strong antioxidant activity. The cytotoxicity was confirmed to be higher in the juice extract than the water extract, using the MTS assay on DP cells. The mRNA expression levels of CTNNB1, FGF7, and BMP6 were significantly increased after treatment with water extract, whereas the juice extract did not affect the expression of hair growth-related genes. Conclusions : Our study provides evidence that water extract of Puerariae Radix is effective at inducing hair growth, by promoting the mRNA expression levels of hair growth-related genes. Also in the future, studies should be conducted to investigate the effects of Puerariae radix extracts on the various hair growth mechanisms of dermal papilla cells.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.36-41
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• 1996

The suitability of a pressure differential scanning calorimetry (PDSC) in monitoring the quality of synthetic base fluids has been investigated using polyalphaolefin (PAO) oils as an example. Induction period meassured at 170, 180 and 19$0^{\circ}C$, and 3.53 MPa oxygen pressure was applied to characterize their oxidation stability. The PDSC method has proven to be simple and repeatable and requires only small sample size for testing. More importantly, it can be applied in differentiating the oxidation performance quality of PAO oils and is versatile enough for use in studying kinetic aspects of PAO oil oxidation which include the effect of temperature and antioxidant concentration. Additionally, the method appears to correlate well with a rotary bomb oxidation test (RBOT).

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.69-77
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• 2008

Jatropha curcas L. is an oil bearing species with many uses and considerable economic potential as a biofuel crop. Salt stress effect on growth, ion accumulation, contents of protein, proline and antioxidant enzymes activity was determined in callus and seedling to understand the salt tolerance of the species. Exposure of callus and seedling to salt stress reduced growth in a concentration dependent manner. Under salt stress Na content increased significantly in both callus and seedling whereas, differential accumulation in the contents of K, Ca, and Mg was observed in callus and seedling. Soluble protein content differed significantly in callus as compared to seedling, however proline accumulation remained more or less constant with treatments. The proline concentration was ~2 to 3 times more in callus than in seedling. Salt stress induced qualitative and quantitative differences in superoxide dismutase (SOD; E.C. 1.15.1.1) and peroxidase (POX; E.C. 1.11.1.7) in callus and seedling. Salt induced changes of the recorded parameters were discussed in relation to salinity tolerance.

• Mycobiology
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.450-457
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• 2015

Medicinal mushrooms have been used worldwide to treat cancer and modulate the immune system. Over the last several years, there has been increasing interest in isolating bioactive compounds from medicinal mushrooms and evaluating their health beneficial effects. Fomes fomentarius is used in traditional oriental medicine and is known to possess antioxidant, antiinflammatory, antidiabetic, and antitumor effects. In the present study, we isolated fomentariol from Fomes fomentarius and investigated its anti-inflammatory effect in murine macrophages (RAW264.7 cells) stimulated with lipopolysaccharides. Fomentariol inhibited the production of nitric oxide and intracellular reactive oxygen species triggered by lipopolysaccharides. Interestingly, fomentariol differentially regulated cytokine production triggered by lipopolysaccharides. Fomentariol effectively suppressed the production of interleukin-$1{\beta}$ and interleukin-6 but not tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$. The inhibitory effect of fomentariol against nitric oxide, interleukin-$1{\beta}$, and interleukin-6 production was possibly mediated by downregulation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase signaling pathway. Taken together, our results suggest that fomentariol differentially modulated inflammatory responses triggered by lipopolysaccharides in macrophages and is one of the bioactive compounds that mediate the physiological effects of Fomes fomentarius.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.60 no.2
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• pp.133-136
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• 2017

Fermentation plays a vital role in the nutritional enrichment of food. Korea has a long tradition of adding fermented food to the daily diet and jeotgal is one of the common fermented and salted foods in Korean cuisine. In our study, we added soymilk as an additive to squid jeotgal to improve its functionality. We mixed different concentrations of soymilk (2, 5, and 10 mg/g) with squid jeotgal samples, fermented them for one week, and then tested their antioxidant and anticancer activities to compare with those of squid jeotgal samples without soymilk additive. To investigate the anticancer characteristics, glutathione-S-transferase (GST)-pi enzyme assay was used. To test the antioxidant activities, various assays were performed, including 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl free radical scavenging activity, 2,2-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium saltradical cation scavenging assay, and reducing power assay. Samples fermented with a small amount of soymilk showed excellent anticancer activity. The addition of only 2 mg/g of soymilk to squid jeotgal inhibited the activity of GST-pi by almost 50% when compared with the sample with no addition. Moreover, no undesirable bitterness or astringency was noticed. Our results could help to improve the current food status of squid jeotgal and it could be used to reduce the risk of chronic disease along with its basic nutritional function.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.58 no.2
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• pp.65-72
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• 2018

The present study observed the effects of a green tea (Camellia sinensis) flower extract (GTFE) on melanin synthesis in B16-F10 melanoma cells. GTFE exhibited antioxidant activity on 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and inhibited mushroom tyrosinase activity in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, GTFE significantly diminished ${\alpha}-melanocyte$ stimulating hormone (${\alpha}-MSH$) stimulated cellular melanin content and tyrosinase activity throughout the concentration range evaluated. Based on RNA sequencing analysis, differential gene expression patterns observed in ${\alpha}-MSH$ stimulated B16-F10 melanoma cells were normalized by the addition of GTFE. In particular, the expression levels of melanoregulin and tyrosinase genes which are key regulating genes in melanin synthesis were up-regulated by 3.5 and 3 fold respectively by ${\alpha}-MSH$, and were normalized to control levels by the addition of GTFE. The results suggest that GTFE inhibits melanin synthesis in ${\alpha}-MSH$ stimulated B16-F10 melanoma cells by normalizing expression of genes that are essential for melanin synthesis. Overall, the results suggest that GTFE could be applied in the development of a whitening agent for the treatment of dermal hyperpigmentation.

• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.51-57
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• 2009

Quantum Dot (QD) nanoparticles are used in various industrial applications, such as diagnostic, drug delivery, and imaging agents of biomedicine. Although QDs are extensively used in many medical science, several studies have been demonstrated the potential toxicity of nanoparticles. The first objective of this study was to investigate the nanotoxicity of QDs in the HaCaT human keratinocyte cell line by focusing on gene expression pattern. In order to evaluate the effect of QDs on gene expression profile in HaCaT cells, we analyzed the differential genes which related to oxidative stress and antioxidant defense mechanisms by using human cDNA microarray and PCR array. A human cDNA microarray was clone set, which was sorted for a list of genes correlated with cell mechanisms. We tried to confirm results of cDNA microarray by using PCR array, which is pathway-focused gene expression profiling technology using Real-Time PCR. Although we could not find the exactly same genes in both methods, we have screened the effects of QDs on global gene expression profiles in human skin cells. In addition, our results show that QD treatment somehow regulates cellular pathways of oxidative stress and antioxidant defense mechanisms. Therefore, we suggest that this study can enlarge our knowledge of the transcriptional profile and identify new candidate biomarker genes to evaluate the toxicity of nanotoxicology.

• BMB Reports
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.167-176
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• 2005

Nuclear factor-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is known as a key regulator of ARE-mediated gene expression and the induction of Phase II detoxifying enzymes and antioxidant enzymes, which is also a common property of many chemopreventive agents. In the present study, we investigated the regulatory role of different chemopreventive agents including sulforaphane (SUL), allyl isothiocyanate (AITC), indole-3-carbinol (I3C), and parthenolide (PTL), in the expression and degradation of Nrf2 and the induction of the antioxidant enzyme HO-1. SUL strongly induced Nrf2 protein expression and ARE-mediated transcription activation, retarded degradation of Nrf2 through inhibiting Keap1, and thereby activating the transcriptional expression of HO-1. AITC was also a potent inducer of Nrf2 protein expression, ARE-reporter gene and HO-1 but had little effect on delaying the degradation of Nrf2 protein. Although PTL and I3C could induce ARE reporter gene expression and Nrf2 to some extent, they were not as potent as SUL and AITC. However, PTL dramatically induced the HO-1 expression, which was comparable to SUL, while I3C had no effect. In addition, when treated with SUL and PTL, inhibition of proteasome by MG132 did not cause additional accumulation of Nrf2, suggesting the involvement of other degradation mechanism(s) in the presence of these compounds such as SUL and PTL. In summary, the results of our current study indicated that different chemopreventive compounds have different regulatory properties on the accumulation and degradation of Nrf2 as well as the induction of cellular antioxidant enzyme HO-1.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.173-180
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• 2015

Extract from Gryllus bimaculatus crickets inhibits oxidation at the DNA level, with reduced production of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG). Microarray analyses were performed with a rat 28K cDNA clone set array to identify the gene expression profiles of aged (10 months old) Wistar Kyoto rats treated for one month with 100 mg/kg G. bimaculatus ethanol extract to assess the effects. The extract produced a meaningful anti-edema effect, evident by the inhibition of creatinine phosphokinase activity. The weights of abdominal and ovarian adipose tissues were reduced and the proportion of unsaturated fatty acids in adipose tissues was increased in an extract dose-dependent manner. Compared with untreated control rats, rats treated with the extract displayed the upregulation of 1053 genes including Fas (tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily, member 6), Amigo3 (adhesion molecule with an immunoglobulin-like domain), Reticulon 4, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme (Hmgcr; a reductase), related anti-fatigue (enzyme metabolism), and Rtn antioxidant, and the downregulation of 73 genes including Ugt2b (UDP glycosyltransferase 2 family), Early growth response 1, and Glycoprotein m6a. Data suggest that G. bimaculatus extract may have value in lessening the effects of aging, resulting in a differential gene expression pattern indicative of a marked stress response and lower expression of metabolic and biosynthetic genes.