• 생명과학회지
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• 제19권2호
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• pp.249-255
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• 2009

Esculetin, a coumarin compound, has been known to inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis in several types of human cancer cells. However, the molecular mechanisms involved in esculetin-induced apoptosis are still uncharacterized in human leukemia cells. In this study, we have investigated whether esculetin exerts anti-proliferative and apoptotic effects on human leukemia U937 cells. It was found that esculetin could inhibit cell viability in a time-dependent manner, which was associated with the induction of apoptotic cell death such as increased populations of apoptotic- sub G1 phase. Apoptosis of U937 cells by esculetin was associated with an inhibition of Bcl-2/Bax binding activity, formation of tBid, down-regulation of X-linked inhibitor of apoptotic protein (XIAP) expression, and up-regulation of death receptor 4 (DR4) and FasL expression. Esculetin treatment also induced the degradation of ${\beta}$-catenin and DNA fragmentation factor 45/inhibitor of caspase-activated DNase (DFF45/ICAD). Furthermore, a caspase-3 specific inhibitor, z-DEVD-fmk, significantly inhibited sub-G1 phase DNA content, morphological changes and degradation of ${\beta}$-catenin and DEE45/ICAD. These results indicated that a key regulator in esculetin-induced apoptosis was caspase-3 in human leukemia U937 cells.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• 제9권2호
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• pp.137-143
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• 2015

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Mulberry leaves contain quercetin derivatives, which have the effects of reducing obesity and improving lipid and glucose metabolism in mice with obesity. It is not clear whether or not mulberry leaves can directly affect metabolic disorders, in the presence of obesity, because of the interaction between obesity and metabolic disorders. The aim of the current study was to assess the direct action of quercetin derivatives on metabolic disorders in non-obese conditions in short-term high-fat diet fed mice. MATERIALS/METHODS: C57BL/6N mice were fed a high-fat diet, supplemented with either 0% (control), 1%, or 3% mulberry leaf powder (Mul) or 1% catechin powder for five days. Anthropometric parameters and blood biochemistry were determined, and hepatic gene expression associated with lipid and glucose metabolism was analyzed. RESULTS: Body and white fat weights did not differ among the four groups. Plasma triglycerides, total cholesterol, and free fatty acids in the 1%, 3% Mul and catechin groups did not differ significantly from those of the controls, however, plasma glucose and 8-isoprostane levels were significantly reduced. Liver gene expression of gp91phox, a main component of NADPH oxidase, was significantly down-regulated, and PPAR-${\alpha}$, related to ${\beta}$-oxidation, was significantly up-regulated. FAS and GPAT, involved in lipid metabolism, were significantly down-regulated, and Ehhadh was significantly up-regulated. Glucose-metabolism related genes, L-PK and G6Pase, were significantly down-regulated, while GK was significantly up-regulated in the two Mul groups compared to the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the Mul quercetin derivatives can directly improve lipid and glucose metabolism by reducing oxidative stress and enhancing ${\beta}$-oxidation. The 1% Mul and 1% catechin groups had similar levels of polyphenol compound intake ($0.4{\times}10^{-5}$ vs $0.4{\times}10^{-5}$ mole/5 days) and exhibited similar effects, but neither showed dose-dependent effects on lipid and glucose metabolism or oxidative stress.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제18권5호
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• pp.671-676
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• 2005

A total of 50 individual catfish, the Tra (Pangasius hypophthalmus) cultivated in either floating cages (Tra-c) or in ponds (Tra-p) and the Basa (Pangasius bocourti) raised in three floating cages, were collected in two of the Mekong Delta provinces. The caudal fin of each individual fish was used for protein electrophoresis employing the SDS-PAGE method. The one fillet sides were used as a representative sample to determine the dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE) and amino acids (AAs). The catfish oil was extracted from the belly fats, and the fatty acid (FA) composition was analyzed. There were 21 bands of the Tra and the Basa. Protein bands of the two varieties were 28.6-33.3% polymorphic, while polymorphic individuals of the Tra ranged from 80.0 to 100.0%, and the Basa was 90.0% polymorphic. The phenotypic diversity (Ho) of the Tra ranged from 1.71 to 1.80, while the Basa ranged as high as 2.14%. Diversity values (H$_{EP}$) for genetic diversity markers were equal in the Tra and the Basa. The sum of the effective number of alleles (SENA) of both varieties ranged from 3.40 to 3.83 for the Basa and the Tra, respectively. The lower values of Ho and SENA, as compared with those of the fresh water prawn (Macrobrachium equidens) in the area, would suggest that the species with the low values will become extinct due to inbreeding; the gene pools of each observed population were below a suitable threshold. Many of the differences in the nutritional values of the Tra-c, the Tra-p and the Basa were measured; their nutrient values were comparable to fishmeal or fish oil. Most of the DM, CP, and EE were higher in the Tra, especially in the Tra-c. The essential AA content, especially that of lysine, was highest in the Tra-c, next highest in the Tra-p, and lowest in the Basa. Therefore, the amino acid patterns were closer to the ideal patterns in the same sequences. In contrast, the essential FAs were concentrated in the Basa fish oil. It was found that suitable selection of parents for seed production is required to avoid inbreeding. Catfish may be valuable sources of nutrition for both humans and animals, and the differences in their nutritional values by variety and/or management must be taken into account.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• 제13권4호
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• pp.300-307
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• 2010

This study examined the effects of the dietary inclusion of various concentrations of red ginseng byproduct (RB) and a mixture containing red ginseng byproduct, garlic extract, yeast and filler (CR) on the growth, body composition, serum chemistry, and lysozyme activity of juvenile olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus). Juvenile fish (n= 630) weighing 5.0 g were randomly distributed into 21 180 L flow-through tanks (30 fish/tank). Seven experimental diets were prepared in triplicate: a control diet without additive, and diets containing 0.5, 1 and 2% concentrations of RB (RB-0.5, RB-1, RB-2) and CR (CR-0.5, CR-1, CR-2) at the expense of wheat flour. After an 8-week feeding trial, serum chemistry and lysozyme activity of fish were measured. Mean weight gain was significantly higher in fish fed the control diet than in fish fed the RB and CR diets. The dietary inclusion of RB and CR reduced feed utilization. Mean serum glucose and triglyceride (TG) levels were higher in fish fed the control diet than in fish fed the other diets. Mean glutamate pyruvate transaminase (GPT) levels of fish fed the control and RB-2 diets were higher than those of fish fed the RB-0.5, RB-1, CR-1, and CR-2 diets. Mean lysozyme activity levels of fish fed the RB-0.5 and RB-1 diets were higher than those of fish fed the control and CR diets. The results of this study indicate that red ginseng byproduct may be utilized as an immunostimulant rather than as a growth promoter for juvenile olive flounder. Dietary inclusion of 0.5% red ginseng byproduct effectively improved serum glucose, GPT, TG, and lysozyme activity of the fish in this study.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• 제13권4호
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• pp.294-299
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• 2010

The effects of dietary nutrient composition on compensatory growth of grower olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) under different feeding regimes at suboptimal temperature were determined. Four hundred five fish weighing 271.2 g were distributed into 27 300 L flow-through tanks (15 fish per tank). Nine treatments were prepared in triplicate: fish were hand-fed with control (C) diet for 12 weeks (12WF-C); four groups of fish were starved for 1 week and then fed C, high-protein (HP), high-lipid (HL), or combined high-protein and high-lipid (HPL) diets for 11 weeks; these groups are referred to as 11WF-C, 11WF-HP, 11WF-HL, and 11WF-HPL, respectively. Four other groups of fish were starved for 2 weeks and then fed C, HP, HL, and HPL diets for 10 weeks; these groups are referred to as 10WF-C, 10WF-HP, 10WF-HL, and 10WF-HPL, respectively. Weight gain and specific growth rate of fish from 12WF-C group were greater than those of fish from 11WF-C, 11WF-HP, 11WF-HL, 10WF-C, 10WFHP, and 10WF-HL groups, but not different from those of fish from 11WF-HPL and 10WF-HPL groups. Feed-efficiency ratio of fish from 12WF-C, 11WF-HP, 11WF-HPL, 10WF-HL, and 10WF-HPL groups was higher than that of fish in 11WF-C, 11WF-HL, 10WF-C, and 10WF-HP groups. The results of this study demonstrated that grower olive flounder subjected to 1- or 2-week feed deprivation were able to achieve full compensatory growth at suboptimal temperature only when fed HPL diet.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• 제8권3호
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• pp.142-150
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• 2005

The effects of photoperiod, temperature, and fish size on oxygen consumption (OC) in the black porgy Acanthopagrus schlegeli, a euryhaline marine teleost, were studied using a closed recirculating seawater system with a respiratory chamber. Fish reared in indoor recirculating seawater tanks were divided into two groups: small (15.7-55.8 g, mean 38.1$\pm$15.9 g) and large (108.7-238.8 g, mean 181.8$\pm$54.9 g) fish. The OC of the fish showed a clear diel rhythm, with higher values in the daytime and lower values at night, in accordance with light (09:00-20:59 h) and dark (21:00-08:59 h) cycles. The OC of the fish increased linearly with the water temperature. The OC was the highest at 10:00 h, one hour after the onset of daylight and was the lowest at 03:00 h, six hours after dusk. The average OC at $20^{\circ}C$ during the light period was as high as 219.8 mg $O_2$/kg/h in the small fish and 156.3 mg $O_2$/kg/h in the large fish, while during the dark period it was as low as 130.5 and 110.4 mg $O_2$/kg/h, respectively. The OC during the dark period, which showed limited variation, could be regarded as the resting OC, and was 107.6, 130.5, and 219.8 mg $O_2$/kg/h at 15, 20, and $25^{\circ}C$, respectively, in small fish, and 52.3, 110.4, and 171.0 mg $O_2$/kg/h in large fish. As the body weight of black porgy increased, the OC decreased exponentially and the relationship was expressed as OC=1,222.8$BW^{-0.567}$, OC=1,113.2$BW^{-0.448}$, and OC=1,495.3$BW^{-0.468}$ at 15, 20, and $25^{\circ}C$, respectively. At a fish density of 14.5 g/L at $20^{\circ}C$, black porgy had the highest OC per breath compared to fish at the same density at 15 or $25^{\circ}C$. This suggests that the black porgy responds to the stocking density (15 kg/$m^3$) and water temperature ($20^{\circ}C$) conditions commonly observed in intensive aquaculture with the deepest breath and the highest metabolic activity.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• 제8권3호
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• pp.138-141
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• 2005

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of partially substituting meat meal for fish meal on the growth and body composition of juvenile olive flounder Paralichthys olivaceus during the winter season. Twenty-five fish (initial body weight, 23 g) were distributed into twelve 250 L flow-through tanks. Four experimental diets were prepared in triplicate: the control, MM20, MM40, and MM60 diets. Sixty percent mackerel meal was used as the primary protein source in the control diet. Meat meal was substituted for 20, 40, and 60$\%$ of the mackerel meal in the MM20, MM40, and MM60 diets, respectively. Survival was not significantly affected by the experimental diets. However, the weight gain and specific growth rate of fish fed the control, MM20, and MM40 diets were significantly higher than those of fish fed the MM60 diet (P<0.05). The feed efficiency ratio of fish fed the control, MM20, and MM40 diets was significantly higher than that of fish fed the MM60 diet (P<0.05). The protein efficiency ratio for fish fed the control diet was significantly higher than that for fish fed the MM40 and MM60 diets (P$\%$ substitution of meat meal for fish meal in the diet could be implemented without a reduction in growth or deterioration of the feed efficiency of juvenile olive flounder during the winter season.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• 제15권3호
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• pp.197-202
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• 2012

This study examined and compared the exopeptidase and endoprotease activities of the hepatopancreas (HP) of cuttlefish, squid, and octopus species. The protein concentration in crude extract (CE) from octopus HP was 3,940 mg/100 g, lower than those in CEs from squid HP (4,157 mg/100 g) and cuttlefish HP (5,940 mg/100 g). With azocasein of pH 6 as a substrate, the total activity in HP CE of octopus was 31,000 U, lower than the values for cuttlefish (57,000 U) and squid (69,000 U). Regardless of sample type, the total activities of the CEs with azocasein as the substrate were higher at pH 6 (31,000-69,000 U) than at pH 9 (19,000-34,000 U). With L-leucine-p-nitroanilide (LeuPNA) of pH 6 as the substrate, the total activity of the HP CE from octopus was 138,000 U, higher than values from both cuttlefish HP (72,000 U) and squid HP (63,000 U). Regardless of sample type, the total activities of the CEs with LeuPNA as the substrate were higher at pH 6 (63,000-138,000 U) than at pH 9 (41,000-122,000 U). With LeuPNA as the substrate, the total activities of the CEs from octopus HP and cuttlefish HP were higher at pH 6 than at pH 9. However, there was no difference in total activity between pH 6 and 9 for squid HP CE with LeuPNA as the substrate. These results suggest that the octopus HP is superior to the cuttlefish HP and squid HP as a potential resource for extracting exopeptidases. Exopeptidases from octopus HP have potential industrial applications and their use might aid in reducing pollution related to the octopus industry.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• 제26권3호
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• pp.204-215
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• 2023

The thermolabile haemolysin (tlh) of Vibrio parahaemolyticus (Vptlh) from V. parahaemolyticus is a multiple-function enzyme, initially describes as a haemolytic factor activated by lecithin and phospholipase A2 enzymatic activity (Shinoda, 1991; Vazquez-Morado, 2021; Yanagase et al., 1970). Until now, the tlh structure has hypothesized including N-terminal and C-terminal domain, but what domain of the Vptlh structure does the haemolytic activity has not been refined yet. In this study, a 450-bp VpTLH nucleotide sequence of the entire Vptlh gene encoded the C-terminal domain cloned firstly to examine its responsibility in the activity of the Vptlh. The C-terminal domain fused with a 6-His-tag named the His-tag-VpC-terminal domain was expressed successfully in soluble form in the BL21 (DE3) PlysS cell. Remarkably, both expression and purification results confirmed a high agreement in the molecular weight of the His-tag-VpC-terminal domain was 47 kDa. This work showed the His-tag-VpC-terminal domain lysed the erythrocyte membranes in the blood agar and the phosphate buffered saline (0.9%) media without adding the lecithin substrate of the phospholipase enzyme. Haemolysis occurred at all tested diluted concentrations of His-tag-VpC-terminal domain (p < 0.05), providing evidence for the independent haemolytic activity of the His-tag-VpC-terminal domain. The content of 100 ㎍ of the His-tag-VpC-terminal domain brought the highest haemolytic activity of 80% compared to that in the three remaining contents. Significantly, the His-tag-VpC-terminal domain demonstrated not to involve the phospholipase activity in Luria-Bertani agar supplemented with 1% (vol/vol) egg yolk emulsion. All results proved the vital responsibility of the His-tag-VpC-terminal domain in causing the haemolytic activity without the required activation by the phospholipase enzyme. Raw extracts of Phellinus igniarus and Phellinus pipi at 10^-1 mg/mL inhibited the haemolytic activity of the His-tag-VpC-terminal domain from 67.7% to 87.42%, respectively. Hence applying the His-tag-VpC-terminal domain as a simple biological material to evaluate quickly potential derivatives against the Vptlh in vivo conditions will accessible and more advantageous than using the whole of the Vptlh.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• 제26권12호
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• pp.726-737
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• 2023

Piperine, the main bioactive component of black pepper (Piper nigrum Linn.), has anti-inflammatory, antifungal, and antibacterial properties. This study evaluated the supplemental effects of piperine or black pepper on innate immunity, growth, feed utilization efficiency, and intestinal morphology in red seabream (Pagrus major). Six experimental diets were formulated, supplementing piperine at 0.0, 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 g/kg levels (Con, P25, P50, P100, and P200) or 1.0 g/kg black pepper (BP100). Juvenile fish (7.6 ± 0.1 g) were randomly stocked into 18 circular tanks (220 L), including 30 fish per tank. Each diet was randomly assigned to triplicate groups, and the feeding trial was conducted for 8 weeks. The results showed that final body weight, specific growth rate, weight gain, and feed utilization efficiency were significantly improved (p < 0.05) when piperine was supplemented into diets at 0.25-2.0 g/kg levels compared to the Con group. Compared to the Con diet, condition factor was significantly increased (p < 0.05) in fish fed with dietary piperine at 0.25-2.0 g/kg or BP100 diet. Serum myeloperoxidase activity was increased (p < 0.05) in P25 and P100 groups and antiprotease activity was increased (p < 0.05) in P100 group compared to the Con group. Significantly higher (p < 0.05) lysozyme activity was observed in P50, P100, P200 and BP100 groups, while total immunoglobulin level was increased in P50, P100 and BP100 groups than Con group. Superoxide dismutase activity was increased (p < 0.05) by dietary piperine at 0.25-2.0 g/kg levels and BP100 diet compared to Con diet. Plasma cholesterol was significantly lower (p < 0.05) in fish fed with piperine (0.5-2.0 g/kg) or BP100 compared to the Con diet. Compared to the Con diet significantly longer (p < 0.05) intestinal villi were observed in fish fed with piperine at 0.25-1.0 g/kg levels, and higher goblet cell count was observed in P25 and BP100 groups. Dietary inclusion of piperine would be a potent immunostimulant in fish diet and the optimum supplementation level would be 0.25-1.0 g/kg.