• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.12
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• pp.1321-1328
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• 2019

Intermediate-wavelength solar radiation, also known as ultraviolet B (UVB: 290-320 nm) radiation, may cause premature aging and oxidative damage-dependent skin cancer in humans. UVB-induced formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS)-often a consequence of excessive exposure to these rays-could activate matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) such as MMP-1 and MMP-3. These enzymes break down type I collagen in human fibroblasts. In this study, we assessed the antioxidant and anti-aging effects of ethyl acetate extract of blueberry (EEB). An antioxidant test in blueberries evaluated ROS production using CCD-986sk cells and DPPH assay. In order to evaluate the anti-wrinkle efficacy of blueberries, the MMP-1 production and type 1 procollagen synthesis evaluated and the expression of MMP 1, 3 were tested through Western blot and RT- PCR. EEB exhibited 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity and reduced the production of UVB-induced ROS. Also, EEB inhibited UVB-induced processes associated with photoaging and skin cancer, such as reduction in procollagen production and increase in MMP-1 production. More precisely, EEB (50 ㎍/ml) markedly suppressed mRNA and protein levels of MMP-1 and -3. The anti-aging effects are attributable to the antioxidant activity of EEB. These findings indicate that EEB has a protective effect against UVB-induced aging in human fibroblast cells by regulating the levels of type-1 procollagen, MMP-1, and MMP-3.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2011

This study was conducted to evaluate the antioxidant activity of liquid beni-koji (LBK), 70% ethanol extracts of beni-koji (EEB) and water extract of Hwangki (WEH). The yields of freeze dried powder of LBK, EEB and WEH were 32.17 g/L, 23.61 g/kg and 196.33 g/kg, respectively. Electron donating ability at 1% (w/v) of LBK, EEB and WEH were 82.67%, 15.71% and 8.60%; reducing power (OD700) were 2.06, 1.64 and 0.45, respectively. SOD-like activities were 24.32%, 11.11%, and 17.94%; nitrite scavenging activities were 74.92%, 72.31% and 31.83%, respectively. TBARS (%) were in order of LBK (69.65%)> EEB (67.32%)> WEH (4.42%). Electron donating ability at 1% (w/v) of EEB : WEH (1:1, w/w. EW), LBK : WEH (1:1, w/w. LW), EEB : LBK: WEH (1:1:1, w/w. ELW) were 14.58%, 60.66% and 20.42%; reducing power ($OD_{700}$) were 1.06, 2.01 and 1.71; SOD-like activities were 18.50%, 26.94% and 18.25%, respectively. While nitrite scavenging activities and TBARS (%) of ELW was higher than those of other materials. Total polyphenol content of LBK, EEB, WEH, EW, LW, ELW were 3.98%, 3.61%, 3.02%, 3.23%, 3.46% and 3.38%; total flavonoid content were 0.89%, 3.91%, 0.30%, 2.59%, 0.46% and 2.33%, respectively. In conclusion, this study provides experimental evidence that mixture of LBK, EEB and WEH could be used as a source of antioxidant ingredients in the food industry.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.761-767
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• 2022

EHT1 and EEB1 are the key Saccharomyces cerevisiae genes involved in the synthesis of ethyl esters during wine fermentation. We constructed single (Δeht1, Δeeb1) and double (Δeht1Δeeb1) heterogenous mutant strains of the industrial diploid wine yeast EC1118 by disrupting one allele of EHT1 and/or EEB1. In addition, the aromatic profile of wine produced during fermentation of simulated grape juice by these mutant strains was also analyzed. The expression levels of EHT1 and/or EEB1 in the relevant mutants were less than 50% of the wild-type strain when grown in YPD medium and simulated grape juice medium. Compared to the wild-type strain, all mutants produced lower amounts of ethyl esters in the fermented grape juice and also resulted in distinct ethyl ester profiles. ATF2, a gene involved in acetate ester synthesis, was expressed at higher levels in the EEB1 downregulation mutants compared to the wild-type and Δeht1 strains during fermentation, which was consistent with the content of acetate esters. In addition, the production of higher alcohols was also markedly affected by the decrease in EEB1 levels. Compared to EHT1, EEB1 downregulation had a greater impact on the production of acetate esters and higher alcohols, suggesting that controlling EEB1 expression could be an effective means to regulate the content of these aromatic metabolites in wine. Taken together, the synthesis of ethyl esters can be decreased by deleting one allele of EHT1 and EEB1 in the diploid EC1118 strain, which may modify the ester profile of wine more subtly compared to the complete deletion of target genes.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.828-836
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• 2012

The objective of the current study was to determine the effects of the extracts isolated from the fruit body of Flammulina velutipes cultivated with oriental herbal plants on mouse splenocytes, B cells, and macrophages in vitro. The ethanol extracts B (EEB) directly induced the proliferation of spleen cells in a dose-dependent manner and increased IL-6, TNF-${\alpha}$, and IFN-${\gamma}$ synthesis. The EEB also increased the proliferation of B cells in a dose-dependent manner. The production of immunoglobulin M, G1, G2a, G2b, and IgG3 in the presence of the EEB increased progressively in the culture supernatant. When the EEB were used in macrophage cell line (RAW264.7) stimulation, there was a marked induction of NO synthesis in a dose-dependent manner and an increased IL-6, TNF-${\alpha}$, and GM-CSF synthesis. Intraperitoneal injection with EBB showed life prolongation effect of 16.1% in mice previously inoculated with sarcoma-180, respectively. These results suggest that the capacity of the EEB isolated from the fruit body of Flammulina velutipes cultivated with oriental herbal plants seems to act as a potent immunomodulator causing augmentation of immune cell activity, and with the absence of notable side-effects, Flammulina velutipes EEB could be used as a biological response modifier having possible therapeutic effects against immunological disorders. This study also showed that functional components of Flammulina velutipes were possibly improved by incorporating oriental herbal plants in a growth medium.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.145-153
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• 1999

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of vitrification solution and developmental stage on the survival rate of vitrified-thawed human blastocyst embryos. Human blastocyst embryos were cryopreserved by vitrification using EFS and GE solution, and their survival rates were examined after thawing and further culture. EFS solution was consisted of 40% ethylene glycol, 18% Ficoll 70 and 0.3M sucrose. GE solution was consisted of 25% glycerol and 25% ethylene glycol. Embryos were exposed to EFS and GE solution by 2 steps and 3 steps, respectively, and plunged into liquid nitrogen after loading into 0.25ml plastic straws. Blastocysts were classified into 4 groups in accordance with their developmental stage: into 1) EEB, 2) MEB and 3) EdB, of blastocysts developed on day 5, and 4) 6d-Bla(the blastocysts which formed on day 6). The blastocysts at each stage were vitrified by GE solution and cryopreserved in LN2. After thawing them, we examined their survival rates, respectively. The resulted of this study were as follows: 1. The survival rate of blastocysts vitrified by GE solution was 64.4%, significantly higher than that (5.7%) vitrified by EFS solution (P<0.001). 2. When the blastocysts were vitrified by GE solution according to each developmental stage, the survival rates of EEB, MEB, EdB and 6d-Bla were 65.9%, 65.9%, 73.2% and 58.1%, respectively. In conclusion, the cryopreservation of human blastocysts by vitrification is likely to have a marked advantage in terms of cost, work and time as compared to the conventional slow freezing in IVF-ET programs.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.35-41
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• 1998

This study was carried out to investigate the development rates of human embryos co-cultured with cumulus cells to each blastocyst stage. Human zygotes were co-cultured on cumulus cell monolayer in YS medium supplemented with 20% hFF. On day 2, if patient had four or more "good" embryos (regular blastomeres without fragmentation), embryos were further cultured for 72hrs. Blastocysts on day 5 were classified into early blastocyst (ErB), early expanding blastocyst (EEB), middle expanding Blastocyst (MEB), and expanded blastocyst (EdB) on the basis of their morphological aspects of trophectoderm cells and blastocoele. Subsequently, maximum 3 of best blastocysts were transferred in 486 cycles. The results in this study were as follows: Patients who had four or more "good" embryos on day 2 were 498 persons, but patients whose embryos could not be transferred due to failure in development to the blastocyst stage on day 5 were 12 persons (2.4%). The development rate of embryos to the blastocyst stage was 58.2% (2,885/4,957) on day 5, and the rates that developed to the ErB, EEB, MEB, and EdB stage were 15.0% (743/4,957), 14.9% (739/4,957), 14.4% (714/ 4,957), and 13.9% (689/4,957), respectively. Total 1366 blastocysts were transferred in 486 cycles (mean number=2.81). The implantation rate and the ongoing implantation rate obtained by observing the number of G-sac and FHB were 29.9% (409/1,366) and 22.5% (308/1,366), respectively. The clinical pregnancy rate was 51.2% (249/486), and the ongoing pregnancy rate' was 39.1% (190/486). Among women showing ongoing pregnancy, women with singleton were 50% (95/190), women with twin were 37.9% (72/190), and women with triplet were 12.1% (23/190). Although triplet pregnancy rate in this study was high such as 12.1%, because many blastocysts with high viability were produced in our co-culture system using cumulus cells on day 5, we really believe that a multiple pregnancy except twin should not occur by selecting good embryos for maximum two blastocyst transfer. These results demonstrate that autologous cumulus cells may be used for the production of blastocysts with high developmental competence, and the use of autologous cumulus cells to be collected easily, and to be treated conveniently at OPU must be an effective means for obtaining high implantation and pregnancy rate.

• Proceedings of the Korean Environmental Health Society Conference
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• 2005.06a
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• pp.306-310
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• 2005

Exposure to UVB radiation can cause diverse biological photodamage to skin. Eeb 761 and Korean red ginseng are the major and most effective natural drug against a variety of oxidative damage. But, the protective effects against UVB radiation have not been clearly identified. In this study, we investigated the protective effect of topical EGb 761 and Korean red ginseng on pigmentation by UVB radiation. Pro-inflammatory cytokines($IL-l{\beta}$, IL-6 and $TNF-{\alpha}$) and melanogenesis proteins(tyrosinase, TRP-1 and TRP-2) mRNA were measured by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) analysis. The in vivo protection against pigmentation was calculated using chromameter. The mRNA level of IL-lf and TNF-a were increased by UVB irradiation in treated and non-treated group, while no significant changes were observed in IL-6 level. Topical treatment with EGb 761 and Korean red ginseng remarkably reduced expression of tyrosinase, TRP-1 and TRP-2 in the non-irradiated and irradiated skin. Application of EGb 761 and Korean red ginseng significantly protected the WB-induced skin pigmentation and Korean red ginseng was more effective. Our study suggests that topical ECb761 and Korean red ginseng can regulate melanogenic proteins and protect UVB radiation on skin pigmentation.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.319-326
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• 1996

The objective of this study was to investigate correlation between the morphology by microscopic assessments of surplus blastocysts produced in human IVF program and their cell number obtained by differential labelling method. For these experiments, 76 surplus human blastocysts were obtained from 36 patients on day 5 after IVF, the embryos were classified to early (ErB), early expanding (EEB), middle expanding (MEB), expanded blastocyst (EdB) according to their blastocoel expansion and zona thickness. When the ovum size and zona thickness of the classified blastocysts were measured using micrometer, although the embryos were produced in the same culture condition, there were significant variances in ovum size ($148.8 217.6{\mu}m$) and zona thickness ($1.2-14.4{\mu}m$). Total blastomere cell number counted after hoechst staining was increased by two to three fold during the transition period from ErB ($39.1{\pm}3.6$) to EdB ($(89.6{\pm}3.3)$) stage on day 5 after IVF. ICM ($11.9{\pm}1.8-22.2{\pm}4.3$) and TE ($24.5{\pm}3.6-70.0{\pm}7.7$) cell numbers using differential labelling were also showed the increased pattern according to the developmental level. Especially, EdB which showed poor ICM morphologically also indicated the low ICM cell number after differential labelling. This demonstrated that there is good correlation between the morphological assessment and the cell number. The count of ICM and TE nuclei using differential labelling can be used as an important criterion, if it is accompanied with morphological assessments, in selecting the better embryos for improving the pregnancy rates in human blastocyst transfer program.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.39 no.9
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• pp.1270-1278
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• 2010

Dietary effects of chicken treated with Hwangki-Beni Koji sauces (HBS) on serum and hepatic lipid profiles in rats fed high a fat and high cholesterol diet were investigated. Experimental plots (5 rats per each group) were divided into normal control diet group (NC), high fat and high cholesterol diet group (HFC), HFC plus 15% base sauce treated chicken supplemented diet group (HFC-BS), HFC plus 15% HBS-treated chicken supplemented diet group (HFC-HBS), and fed for 5 weeks. Feed intakes in HFC-HBS group were higher than those of HFC and HFC-BS groups, whereas body weight gain and feed efficiency ratio of the HFC-HBS group were lower than those of the HFC and HFC-BS groups. Serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase activities of HFC-HBS group were significantly lower than those of HFC and HFC-BS groups. Level of serum triglyceride, total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol in HFC-HBS group were 34.06%, 6.28% and 31.00% lower than those of HFC-BS group, respectively, whereas HDL-cholesterol level and atherogenic index in HFC-HBS group were 1.72-fold higher and 2.52-fold lower, respectively, than those of HFC-BS group. Level of hepatic total lipid, triglyceride and total cholesterol in HFC-HBS group were 9.53%, 5.25% and 22.20% lower than those of HFC-BS group, respectively. In the morphological results of liver, the hepatocytes of central vein lesion and intact hepatic cell plate are preserved well from steatosis in HFC-HBS group, whereas the hepatocytes in HFC and HFC-BS groups are distended by accumulation of multiple fat droplets, and sinusoids are occluded. In the above results, we expected that chicken treated with Hwangki-Beni Koji sauce may have functionalities of anti-obesity, anti-cholesterol and also, lowering anti-atherogenic index in high fat and high cholesterol diets.