• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.221-224
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• 1997

Effects of melatonin on hepatic glutathione-peroxidase (GSH-Px) and glutathione-reductase (GSH-reductase) activities were studied in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats administered i.p. (10 mg/kg body weight) with melatonin during 15 days. The activity of cytosolic GSH-reductase in the liver was not changed by melatonin. However, melatonin injection increased significantly the activity of liver cytosolic GSH-Px activity compared with those in saline-treated rats. At the same time, plasma GSH-Px was also increased significantly in melatonin-treated rats. Since GSH-Px, a major antioxidative enzyme, removes $H_2O_2$ and lipid peroxides which are formed during lipid peroxidation from cellular membrane, such elevation of heptatic GSH-Px activity may contribute to the improvement of antioxidative effects under oxidative damage in the liver.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.28 no.9
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• pp.1065-1072
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• 2005

The nascent thyroglobulin (Tg) multimer molecule, which is generated during the initial fate of Tg in ER, undergoes the rapid reductive depolymerization. In an attempt to determine the depolymerization process, various types of Tg multimers, which were generated from deoxy­cholate-treated/reduced Tg, partially unfolded Tg or partially unfolded/reduced Tg, were subjected to various GSH (reduced glutathione) reducing systems using protein disulfide isomerase (PDI), glutathione reductase (GR), glutaredoxin or thioredoxin reductase. The Tg multimers generated from deoxycholate-treated/reduced Tg were depolymerized readily by the PDI/GSH system, which is consistent with the reductase activity of PDI. The PDI/GSH-induced depolymerization of the Tg multimers, which were generated from either partially unfolded Tg or partially unfolded/reduced Tg, required the simultaneous inclusion of glutathione reductase, which is capable of reducing glutathionylated mixed disulfide (PSSG). This suggests that PSSG was generated during the Tg multimerization stage or its depolymerization stage. In particular, the thioredoxin/thioredoxin reductase system or glutaredoxin system was also effective in depolymerizing the Tg multimers generated from the unfolded Tg. Overall, under the net GSH condition, the depolymerization of Tg multimers might be mediated by PDI, which is assisted by other reductive enzymes, and the mechanism for depolymerizing the Tg multimers differs according to the type of Tg multimer containing different degrees and types of disulfide linkages.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.262-269
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• 1994

Glutathione (GSH) is a well-known antioxidative cellular component which is ubiquitous in nature. Several enzymes involved in GSH metabolism and recycling have been found to play important roles in detoxification of xenobiotics and free radicals. In this study, total GSH content, activity of GSH peroxidase and GSH reductase were measured in liver and kidney of cisplatin treated rats. Total GSH content (mM/g protein) of liver was higher in cisplatin treated rats ($1.51{\pm}0.28$) than of nontreated control ($0.95{\pm}0.28$), and in kidney, it was also higher in cisplatin treated rats ($0.87{\pm}0.20$) than that of control ($0.68{\pm}0.14$). The activity of GSH peroxidase (${\mu}M/mg$ protein/min) was lower in liver of cisplatin treated rats ($348.0{\pm}18.54$) than that of control ($415.5{\pm}53.15$), in kidney it was increase din cisplatin treated rats ($380.5{\pm}51.86$) compared to control ($327.3{\pm}20.36$). The activity of GSH reductase (${\mu}M/mg$ protein/min) was higher in liver of cisplatin treated rats ($3.09{\pm}0.88$) than that of control ($2.28{\pm}0.61$), in kidney it was also higher in cisplatin treated rats ($8.50{\pm}2.62$) than that of control ($3.30{\pm}1.10$). In summary, detoxification of ciplatin was revealed lesser effect in kidney as show increasion of GSH peroxidase and reductase and detoxification of cisplatin was expressed effectively in liver by increasing of GSH content and decreasing GSH peroxidase.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.48-55
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• 1996

Oxygen free radicals are highly reactive molecules with unpaired electrons, which are produced with in aerobic cells in the course of normal metabolic events. Normally, aerobic cells are protected from the damage of free radicals by antioxidative enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, glutathione (GSH) peroxidase, GSH S-transferase and GSH reductase which scabvenge free radicals as well as nonenzymatic antioxidants such as ceruloplasmin, albumin and nontioxidants in order to elucidate antioxidative mechanisms of red ginseng. The treatment with total saponin of red ginseng significantly devreased the contents of malondialdehyde and total free radicals in the liver. On the other hand, total saponin of red ginseng significantly increased the activities of SOD, catalase and GSH reductase and nonprotein-SH level. These results suggest that total saponin of red ginseng exerts an antioxidative effect by increasing endogenous antioxidants.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.39-43
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• 2003

Sophorae Flos aqua-acupuncture solution(SFAS) was prepared and tested for the induction of quinone reductase and glutathione S-transferase activities and glutathione. SFAS significantly induced QR activity at the concentrations of $0.5{\times},\;1{\times}\;and\;3{\times}$ in cell culture. However, GST activity in murine Hepa 1c1c7 cells was slightly increased with SFAS. SFAS increased GSH levels.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.32 no.4 s.127
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• pp.269-273
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• 2001

Ethanol extracts from Xanthii Fructus (XFE) and Prunellae Spica (PSE) were investigated for the effects on the induction of cancer chemoprevention-associated enzymes. The following effects were measured: (a) induction of quinone reductase (QR) (b) induction of glutathione S-transferase (GST) (c) reduced glutathione (GSH) level. XFE and PSE were potent inducers of quinone reductase activity in Hepa1c1c7 murine hepatoma cells. Glutathione levels were increased with XFE and PSE. In addition, glutathione S-transferase activity was increased with XFE. However, GST activity was not increased with PSE. These results suggest that XFE and PSE have chemopreventive potentials by inducing quinone reductase and increasing GSH levels.

• Proceedings of the Korean Biophysical Society Conference
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• 2003.06a
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• pp.61-61
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• 2003

We have cloned the CGR1 gene encoding glutathione reductase (GR) which catalyzes the reduction of oxidized glutathione (GSSG) to reduced glutathione (GSH) from Candida albicans. The cgr1/cgr1 mutants were not viable when CaMAL2 promoter repressed the CGR1 expression. The growth of the mutants could be partially overcome by thiol compounds such as GSH, dithiothreitol, cysteine, N-acetylcysteine and GSSG. Interestingly, C. albicans with CGR1 overexpressed showed defective hyphal growth on solid medium and attenuated virulence. We have also cloned the GCS1 gene encoding ${\gamma}$-glutamylcysteine synthetase which catalyzes the first step of glutathione biosynthesis. The gcs1/gcs1 mutants were nonviable in minimal defined medium. The growth of the mutants could be resumed by supplementing with GSH, GSSG and ${\gamma}$-glutamylcysteine in the medium. The mutants had increased intracellular D-erythroascorbic acid level up to 2.25-fold when transferred to GSH-free medium. When the mutants were depleted of GSH, they showed typical markers of apoptosis. In conclusion, these results suggest that glutathione is an essential metabolite, and involved in hyphal growth, virulence and apoptosis in C. albicans.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.21-26
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• 2001

Induction of phase II enzymes such as quinone reductase (QR) or glutathione S-transferase (GST) is considered a major mechanism of protection against initiation of carcingenesis. This study was desinged to investigate the potential of Astragali Radix Aqua-acupuncture Solution (ARAS) to induce phase II enzymes and glutathione (GSH) in murine hepatoma cells grown in microtiter plate wells. ARAS was potent inducers of QR activity. ARAS was induced about 2.6-fold at concentration of $5{\times}$. In addition, GST activity was increased with ARAS. GSH levels were increased about 1.2-fold with ARAS at concentration of $0.1{\times}$. These results suggested that ARAS may act as blocking agents against carcinogenesis by induction of phase II marker enzymes.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.261-268
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• 1999

Lonicerae flos aqua-acupuncture solution (LFAS) and Lonicerae flos water-extracted solution (LFWS) were prepared and tested for chemopreventive potentials. Three biomarkers [quinone reductase (QR), ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), glutathione(GSH)] were used to test chemopreventive potential of LFAS. LFAS was potent inducer of QR activity in Hepa1c1c7 murine hepatoma cells, whereas LFWS is less potent. LFAS and LFWS were also induced QR activities in cultured human hepatoma Hep3B cells. The effect of LFAS and LFWS were tested on the growth of Acanthamoeba castellanii. Proliferation of Acanthamoeba castellanii was inhibited by LFAS and LFWS at concentrations of $0.1{\times},\;0.5{\times}\;1{\times},\;and\;3{\times}.$ In addition, GSH levels were increased about 2-fold with LFAS and 1.5-fold with LFWS in cultured murine hepa1c1c7 cells. LFAS and LFWS were also shown to increase GSH levels in human Hep3B cells. These results suggest that LFAS has chemopreventive potential by inducing QR activity, inhibition of ODC activity and increasing GSH levels.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.218-223
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• 2003

Effect of taurine treatment on metabolism of glutathione (GSH) was studied in adult male ICR mice. An acute injection of taurine (250 mg/kg, ip) resulted in a significant decline of hepatic GSH level at t = 6 hr, but plasma GSH level was not altered. The activity of GSH-related enzyme in liver, such as GSH peroxidase, GSSG reductase, GSH S-transferases, ${\gamma}$-glutamylcysteine synthetase or ${\gamma}$-glutamyltranspeptidase, was not affected by taurine at t = 2.5 or 6 hr. Plasma cysteine and cystine levels were elevated rapidly following taurine treatment. Hepatic cysteine level was decreased by taurine, reaching a level approximately 70％ of control at t = 4 and 6 hr. In conclusion, the results indicate that an acute dose of taurine decreases hepatic GSH level by reducing the availability of cysteine, an essential substrate for synthesis of this tripeptide in liver. It is also suggested that taurine may decrease the cysteine uptake by competing with this S-amino acid for a non-specific amino acid transporter.