• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.26 no.8
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• pp.1080-1088
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• 2013

Our previous results showed that kisspeptin-10 (Kp-10) injections via intraperitoneal (i.p.) once daily for three weeks notably promoted the egg laying rate in quails. In order to investigate the mechanism behind the effects of Kp-10 on enhancing the egg laying rate in birds, this study focused on the alternations of lipids synthesis in liver after Kp-10 injections. 75 female quails (22 d of age) were allocated to three groups randomly, and subjected to 0 (control, Con), 10 nmol (low dosage, L) and 100 nmol (high dosage, H) Kp-10 injections via i.p. once daily for three weeks, respectively. At d 52, quails were sacrificed and sampled for further analyses. Serum $E_2$ concentration was increased by Kp-10 injections, and reached statistical significance in H group. Serum triglyceride (TG) concentrations were increased by 46.7% in L group and 36.8% in H group, respectively, but did not reach statistical significance, and TG contents in liver were significantly elevated by Kp-10 injections in a dose-dependent manner. Serum total cholesterol (Tch) concentrations significantly decreased in H group, while in H group the hepatic Tch content was markedly increased. The level of non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA), apolipoprotein A1 and B (apoA1 and apoB) were not altered by Kp-10 injections. The genes expression of sterol regulatory element binding protein-1 (SREBP-1), fatty acid synthetase (FAS), apolipoprotein VLDL-II (apoVLDL-II), cholesterol $7{\alpha}$-hydroxylase (CYP7A1) and vitellogenin II (VTG-II) were significantly up-regulated by high but not low dosage of Kp-10 injection compared to the control group. However, the expression of SREBP-2, acetyl-CoA carboxylase ($ACC_{\alpha}$), malic enzyme (ME), stearoyl-CoA (${\Delta}9$) desaturase 1 (SCD1), apolipoprotein A1 (apoA1), fatty acid binding protein 2 (FABP2), 3-hydroxyl-3-methyl glutaryl-coenzyme A reductases (HMGCR), estrogen receptor ${\alpha}$, ${\beta}$($ER{\alpha}$ and ${\beta}$) mRNA were not affected by Kp-10 treatment. In line with hepatic mRNA abundance, hepatic SREBP1 protein content was significantly higher in H group. Although the mRNA expression was not altered, the content of $ER{\alpha}$ protein in liver was also significantly increased in H group. However, SREBP-2 protein content in liver was not changed by Kp-10 treatment. In conclusion, exogenous Kp-10 consecutive injections during juvenile stage significantly advanced the tempo of egg laying in quails, which was associated with the significant elevation in hepatic lipids synthesis and transport.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.840-846
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• 2002

Male Sprague-Bawler rats were blocked into four groups which were normal rats fed control diet (NC) diabetic rats fed control diet (DC), normal rats fed Hamcho powder diet (NH), and diabetic rats fed Hamcho powder diet (DH). Diabetes was induced by single injection of streptozotocin (60 mg/kg B.W. i.p.). The animals were fed ad libitum for 5 weeks. Malondialdehyde (MDA), glucose 6-phosphtase (Gspase), glutathione S-transferase (GST) glutathione Peroxidase (GPx), and glutathione reductase (GR) activities were measured in the homogenates of liver and kidney, and total lipid, total cholesterol, triglyceride, and HDL-cholesterol concentrations in the blood serum. Food and water intakes were markedly higher in diabetic groups than those of normal groups and were not significantly decreased by Hamcho powder supplementation, But, FER (Feed efficiency ratio) of DH Brood was higher than that of U group. Total cholesterol level of DH group was decreased in the second and third week, and the weekly change of blood sugar was also decreased in the 5th week. Dietary Hamcho intake showed 41.2% of hypoglycemic effect in diabetics rats. Levels of total lipid and triglycerides of DH group were lower than those of DC group. Hepatic GR activity of DH group was higher than those of other groups. However, renal GR activity was lower than those of other groups. Hepatic G6Pase activity was significantly high in DH group and reduced by Hamcho powder supplementation. GST was reduced by Hancho diet in diabetic rats. In conclusion Hamcho supplementation decreased serum lipid and glucose concentration in STZ-induced diabetic rats and this effects of Hamcho might exert antidiabetic effect of Hamcho powder diet.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.204-208
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• 1992

This study was carried out to develop a practical enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) for the determination of soy protein in processed meat products as a preliminary study. The titer of antiserum raised in rabbit by injection of SDS-treated whole buffer extract(WBE) from isolates soy protein(ISP) was above 1:10,000 in indirect ELISA. When the SDS concentration was higher than 0.03% the antibody-antigen reaction was inhibited significantly. However, the antibody-antigen reaction inhibition was not observed when the SDS concentration was less than 0.02%. The antibodies used in this experiment also reacted with renatured antigen after removing SDS by dialysis, though not better than with SDS-denatured antigen(immunogen). The calibration curve with $100\;{\mu}g/100\;ml$ of sensitivity was obtained in indirect competitive ELISA.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.1081-1086
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• 2007

This study was performed to investigate the medicinal effects of the herbal combination extracts-2 (HCE-2), consisting of Artemisia capillaris Thunb., Lonicera japonica Thunb., Prunella vulgaris var. lilacina, and Hovenia dulcis Thunb. on the alcohol-induced liver injury in rats. The rats were randomly divided into four groups: normal group (n =6), non-treated control group (n =6), saline-treated group (n =6) and the herbal combination extract (HCE-2)-treated group (n =6). The rats in the alcohol-loaded groups were orally administered with ethanol at a daily dose of 4 g/kg-body weight for 5 weeks. Thirty minutes before the ethanol injection, saline or herbal combination extracts was administered by using a gastrogavage. Blood and liver tissue samples were taken out from the hearts and livers of the rats, respectively, on 15th and 38th days. The activities of serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). We also investigated the protective effect of the herbal combination extracts by Hematoxylin-Eosin staining on histological sections of rat liver. In this study, the oral administration of the herbal combination extracts significantly reduced the serum levels of AST and ALT, which had been raised by alcohol-induced liver injury. Histological analysis and apparent observation of liver also showed the preventive effect of the herbal combination extracts in a chronic alcohol-induced rat model. Theses results revealed that the herbal combination extracts effectively prevented hepatic damage consequent to the chronic exposure to repetitive administration of ethanol and could be used as a primary resource of a health beverage or herbal medicine, alleviating the alcohol-induced hepatic injury and hangover symptoms.

• BMB Reports
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.105-110
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• 1996

Polyclonal antiserum R101 against aflatoxin $B_1$ ($AFB_1$) was raised in New Zealand white rabbits after injection of bovine serum albumin-$AFB_1$ conjugate. Competitive ELISA (enzyme linked immuno-sorbent assay) demonstrated that antiserum R101 has the highest binding for $AFB_1$ (50% inhibition at 170 fmol) and aflatoxicol II (50% inhibition at 112 fmol). It also reacts with other aflatoxins such as $AFB_2$, $AFG_1$, $AFG_2$, and aflatoxin metabolites ($AFM_1$, $AFM_2$, $AFP_1$, and $AFQ_1$), but it does not cross-react with $AFG_2a$. Using this antiserum, aflatoxins were quantitated in 100 urine samples of undergraduate students at the College of Pharmacy, Sung Kyun Kwan University, Republic of Korea. By ELISA, $AFB_1$ and its metabolites were detected in human urine samples (N=100, male=89, female=11, ages=20~31 yrs) with a range of 1.4~200.6 ng/kg/day (mean$\pm$SD=$18.11{\pm}33.01\;ng\;AFB_1/kg/day$ in males, $3.82{\pm}2.65\;ng/kg/day$ in females). Assuming that urinary excretion is about 7.6% of $AFB_1$ intake (Groopman et al., 1992), we estimated that Koreans were daily exposed to a total dietary $AFB_1$ of $240.20{\pm}438.67\;ng/kg/day$ in males and $50.35{\pm}29.88\;ng/kg/day$ in females, respectively. When the human monitoring data was applied to a linear regression model of Y=21.67X-10.04 {Y=liver cancer incidence per 100,000, X=Log $AFB_1$ intake (ng/kg/day), r=0.99} developed from previously reported epidemiological data, calculated liver cancer incidences attributed to $AFB_1$ exposure were 41.56/100,000 in males and 26.84/100,000 in females. The incidences were similarly correlated with liver cancer mortality rates of 43.43/100,000 in males and 11.23/100,000 in females in Korea. These results suggest that aflatoxin exposure may be an important risk factor for the high incidence of liver cancer in Korea.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.337-345
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• 2014

The present study examined the effects of soybean-derived phosphatidylserine (SB-PS) on the learning and memory function and the neural activity in rats with trimethyltin (TMT)-induced memory deficits. The cognitive improving efficacy of SB-PS on the amnesic rats, which was induced by TMT, was investigated by assessing the Morris water maze test and by performing cholineacetyl transferase (ChAT), acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and cAMP responsive element binding protein (CREB) immunohistochemistry. A positron emission tomography (PET) scanning the rat brain was by performed administer 18F-Fluorodeoxy-glucose (18F-FDG). The rats with TMT injection showed impaired learning and memory of the tasks and treatment with SB-PS produced a significant improvement of the escape latency to find the platform in the Morris water maze at the 2nd day compared to that of the MCT group. In the retention test, the SB-PS group showed increased time spent around the platform compared to that of the MCT group. Consistent with the behavioral data, SB-PS 50 group significantly alleviated the loss of acetyl cholinergic neurons in the hippocampus compared to that of the MCT group. Treatment with SB-PS significantly increased the CREB positive neurons in the hippocampus as compared to that of the MCT group. In addition, SB-PS groups increased the glucose uptake in the hippocampus and SB-PS 50 group increased the glucose uptake in the frontal lobe, as compared to that of the MCT group. These results suggest that SB-PS may be useful for improving the cognitive function via regulation of cholinergic marker enzyme activity and neural activity.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.157-162
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• 2013

Methoxychlor (MXC) was developed to be a replacement for the banned pesticide DDT. HPTE [2,2-bis (p-hydroxyphenyl)-1,1,1-trichloroethane], which is an in vivo metabolite of MXC, has strong oestrogenic and anti-androgenic effects. MXC and HPTE are thought to produce potentially adverse effects by acting through oestrogen and androgen receptors. Of the two, HPTE binds to sex-steroid receptors with greater affinity, and it inhibits testosterone biosynthesis in Leydig cells by inhibiting cholesterol side-chain cleavage enzyme activity and cholesterol utilisation. In a previous study, MXC was shown to induce Leydig cell apoptosis by decreasing testosterone concentrations. I focused on the effects of MXC on male mice that resulted from interactions with sex-steroid hormone receptors. Sex-steroid hormones affect other organs including the kidney and liver. Accordingly, I hypothesised that MXC can act through sex-steroid receptors to produce adverse effects on the testis, kidney and liver, and I designed our experiments to confirm the different effects of MXC exposure on the male reproductive system, kidney and liver. In these experiments, I used pre-pubescent ICR mice; the puberty period in ICR mice is from postnatal day (PND) 45 to PND60. I treated the experimental group with 0, 100, 200, 400 mg MXC/kg b.w. delivered by an intra-peritoneal injection with sesame oil used as vehicle for 4 weeks. At the end of the experiment, the mice were sacrificed under anaesthesia. The testes and accessory reproductive organs were collected, weighed and prepared for histological investigation. I performed a chemiluminescence immune assay to observe the serum levels of testosterone, LH and FSH. Blood biochemical determination was also performed to check for other effects. There were no significant differences in our histological observations or relative organ weights. Serum testosterone levels were decreased in a dose-dependent manner; a greater dose resulted in the production of less testosterone. Compared to the control group, testosterone concentrations differed in the 200 and 400 mg/kg dosage groups. In conclusion, I observed markedly negative effects of MXC exposure on testosterone concentrations in pre-pubescent male mice. From our biochemical determinations, I observed some changes that indicate renal and hepatic failure. Together, these data suggest that MXC produces adverse effects on the reproductive system, kidney and liver.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.377-386
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• 2002

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of dietary Indongcho(L. japonica Thunb) powder on blood glucose, serum lipid levels and antioxidative enzymes in normal and streptozotocin(STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Four groups of rats(3-week-old inbred Sprague-Dawley male rats) were normal rats fed control diet(NC), diabetic rats fed control diet(DC), normal rats fed Indongcho powder diet(NI), and diabetic rats fed Indongcho powder diet(DI). Diabetes was induced by single injection of streptozotocin(60mg/kg B.W., i.p.). The animals were fed ad libium each of the experimental diet for 5 weeks. Food and water intakes were determined everyday. Blood glucose and serum total cholesterol levels were determined every week. After 5 weeks the animals were sacrificed and activities of antioxidant enzymes and lipid peroxidation products were determined in their liver and kidney homogenates. We also determined serum concentrations of total lipid(TL), total cholesterol(TC), triglycerides(TG) and HDL-cholesterol(HDL-C). Blood sugar and water intake were higher in diabetic group(DC and DI group) than normal group(NC and NI group) and were not significantly decreased by dietary Indongcho intake. Body weight gain and FER(feed efficiency ratio) were reduced by STZ treatment. But, Final body weight was recovered by Indongcho-contained diet. LHR(LDL-cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol) of the DI g re up was significantly lower than the other experimental groups(NC, NI and DC groups). The hepatic glucose 6-phosphatase(G6Pase) activity of the groups fed Indongcho diet(NI and DI group) was lower than the groups fed control diet(NC and DC group) and the G6Pase activity of NI group was recovered to the normal levels(p<0.05). However, The glutathione peroxidase(GPx) and glutathione reductase(GR) activities in liver and G6Pase activity in kidney were not statistically different between the control and diabetic control groups. Renal GST activity of the DI group was recovered by Indongcho intake. In conclusion, these results confirm oxidative stress in the liver and kidney of rats with STZ diabetes and antioxidative effect of Indongcho.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.27-33
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• 2016

Chlorine dioxide has been used as a disinfectant against microbial pathogens. Recently, its insecticidal activity has been known against stored insect pests by oxidative stress. However, any molecular target of the oxidative stress induced by chlorine dioxide has been not known in insects. This study assessed an enzyme activity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) as a molecular target of chlorine dioxide in the Indianmeal moth, Plodia interpunctella. AChE activities were varied among developmental stages of P. interpunctella. Injection of chlorine dioxide with lethality-causing doses significantly increased AChE activity of the fifth instar larvae of P. interpunctella. Exposure of the larvae to chlorine dioxide fumigant also significantly increased AChE activity. The fifth instar larvae of P. interpunctella exhibited a negative phototaxis. However, chlorine dioxide treatment significantly interrupted the innate behavior. These results suggest that AChE is one of molecular targets of oxidative stress due to chlorine dioxide in P. interpunctella.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.263-271
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• 2008

Recently we reported that 2-bromopropane (2-BP) has maternal toxicity, embryotoxicity, and teratogenicity in Sprague-Dawley rats. The aims of this study are to examine the potential effects of 2-BP administration on pregnant dams and embryo-fetal development, and to investigate the effects of metabolic activation induced by phenobarbital (PB) on developmental toxicities of 2-BP. Pregnant rats received 1000 mg/kg/day subcutaneous 2-BP injections on gestational days (GD) 6 through 10 (Group II and Group IIII) or 11 through 15 (Group IV). Pregnant rats in Group III received an intraperitoneal PB injection once daily at 80 mg/kg/day on GD 3 through 5 for induction of the liver metabolic enzyme system. Control rats received vehicle injections only on GD 6 through 15. All dams underwent caesarean sections on GD 20 and their fetuses were examined for external, visceral, and skeletal abnormalities. Significant adverse effects on pregnant dams and embryo-fetal development were observed in all the treatment groups, and the maternal and embryo-fetal effects of 2-BP observed in Group II were higher than those seen in Group IV. Conversely, maternal and embryo-fetal developmental toxicities observed in Group III were comparable to those seen in Group II. These results suggest that the potential effects of 2-BP on pregnant dams and embryo-fetal development are more likely in the first half of organogenesis (days $6{\sim}10$ of pregnancy) than in the second half and that the metabolic activation induced by PB pre-treatment did not modify the developmental toxic effects of 2-BP in rats.