• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.455-460
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• 2009

Foods of plant origin, especially fruits and vegetables, have attracted attention because of their potential benefits to human health. In this report, Rubi Fructus (RF), the dried unripe fruit of Rubus coreanus Miq (Rosaceae) and ellagic acid (EA) purified from RF were used to test their potential hepatoprotective effect against acetaminophen (AAP)-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. RF extract (RFext) and EA reduced the elevated levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in serum and the content of lipid peroxide in liver by AAP administration, while the increment of the cellular glutathione (GSH) content and the induction of glutathione S-transferase (GST) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) which were decreased by AAP administration. RFext and EA from RFext did not affect the two major form of cytochrome P450s, cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) and cytochrome P450 1A2 (CYP1A2), but downregulated the cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) related to the conversion of AAP to N-acetyl-P-benzoquinone imine (NAPQI). These results suggest that RFext and EA from RF exhibit a hepatoprotective effect not only by increasing antioxidant activities but also by down-regulating CYP3A4 in the AAP-intoxicated rat.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.202-210
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• 2003

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of dietary purple sweet potato(Ipomoea batatas) powder on serum lipid levels and antioxidative enzymes in normal and pretective effect on hepatotoxicity rats induced by carbon tetrachlolide. Four groups of rats (3-week-old inbred Sprague-Dawley male rats) were normal rats fed control diet(C), induced hepatotoxicity rats fed control diet(EC), normal rats fed purple sweet potato diet(P), and induced hepatotoxicity rats fed purple potato sweet diet(EP). Rats were induced by single injection of 50% carbon tetrachlolide(0.1 mL/100 g B.W., i.p.). The rats were fed ad libitum each of the experimental diet for 5 weeks. After 5 weeks the rats were sacrificed and activities of antioxidant enzymes and lipid peroxidation products were determined in their liver homogenates. But serum concentrations of lipid was not significant in all groups. Serum alanine aminotransferase(ALT/GPT) and aspartate aminotransferase(AST/GOT) of the EC and EP groups were heigher than the C and P groups. The hepatic glucose 6-phosphatase(G6Pase) activity of the group fed purple potato diet(P) was lower than the other groups(p<0.05). However, The glutathione peroxidase(GPx) activities was not statistically different between the groups. Renal glutathione S-transferase(GST) activity of the EC and EP groups were lower than the C and P groups(p<0.05). In conclusion, these results suggest that purple sweet potato is believed to be possible protective effect on hepatotoxicity rats induced by carbon tetrachlolide.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.17 no.8
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• pp.1062-1068
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• 2004

Leptin has a major role in the regulation of food intake and energy homeostasis. In addition, leptin participates in many physiological functions including regulation of lipid metabolism. Bovine recombinant leptin protein was produced in E. coli cells in order to understand function of leptin in the regulation of lipid metabolism. The leptin expression vector was constructed in pGEX-4T-3 vector and transformed into E. coli BL21 cells. Expression of the GST-leptin fusion protein was induced with IPTG. The fusion protein was purified using glutathione sepharose 4B batch method, and the recombinant leptin was eluted after thrombin protease digestion. The effect of leptin on glucose transport was examined in the differentiated adipocytes of 3T3-L1 cells. Leptin had no effect on basal and insulin-stimulated glucose transport in 3T3-L1 cells (p>0.05). Effect of recombinant leptin on glucose and acetate transport was examined in adipose tissues of Korean cattle (Hanwoo). Insulin stimulated glucose transport in both intramuscular and subcutaneous adipose tissues (p<0.05), but leptin did not affect glucose transport in both adipose tissues (p>0.05). Insulin stimulated acetate transport in bovine adipose tissues (p<0.05), but leptin did not affect acetate transport (p>0.05). Northern and RT-PCR analyses showed that mRNA levels of uncoupling protein-2 were increased by leptin treatment in 3T3-L1 cells without statistical difference (p>0.05). In conclusion, bovine recombinant leptin did not affect glucose and acetate transport in both 3T3-L1 adipocytes and bovine adipose tissues, while it stimulates UCP-2 mRNA expression in 3T3-L1 cells.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.11
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• pp.5619-5625
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• 2012

Gastric carcinoma is a leading cause of cancer death in the world and multi-drug resistance (MDR) is an essential aspect of gastric carcinoma chemotherapy failure. Recent studies have shown that integrin-linked kinase (ILK) is involved in metastasis of human tumors, expression silencing of ILK inhibiting the metastasis of several types of cultured human cancer cells. However, the role and potential mechanism of ILK to reverse the multi-drug resistance in human gastric carcinoma is not fully clear. In this report, we focused on roles of expression silencing of ILK in multi-drug resistance reversal of human gastric carcinoma SGC7901/DDP cells, including increased drug sensitivity to cisplatin, cell apoptosis rates, and intracellular accumulation of Rhodamine-123, and decreased mRNA and protein expression of multi-drug resistance gene (MDR1), multi-drug resistance-associated protein (MRP1), excision repair cross-complementing gene 1 (ERCC1), glutathione S-transferase -${\pi}$ (GST-${\pi}$) and RhoE, and transcriptional activation of AP-1 and NF-${\kappa}B$ in ILK silenced SGC7901/DDP cells. We also found that there was a decreased level of p-Akt and p-ERK. The results indicated that ILK might be used as a potential therapeutic strategy to combat multi-drug resistance through blocking PI3K-Akt and MAPK-ERK pathways in human gastric carcinoma.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.7
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• pp.1163-1168
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• 2006

The recombinant plasmid pLEX2FP complements the mutation in Zoogloea ramigera 115MM1, and the complemented mutant produces an exopolysaccharide that shows higher affinity for the calcofluor dye than the exopolysaccharide from Z. ramigera 115SLR, resulting in higher fluorescence intensity under UV light. A compositional and structural analysis of the exopolysaccharide from Z. ramigera 115MM1 showed that the different fluorescent properties were due to a lower content of acetyl groups when compared with Z. ramigera 115SLR exopolysaccharide. These results were in agreement with a sequence analysis of the gene carried in the plasmid pLEX2FP, which appeared to encode an O-acyltransferase highly homologous to the 3-O-acyltransferase of Streptomyces mycarofaciens. The gene encoding the acyltransferase from Z. ramigera 115SLR was expressed as a GST-fusion protein with 70,000 daltons in E. coli.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.2563-2569
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• 2012

Oxidative stress is a common mechanism contributing to initiation and progression of hepatic damage in a variety of liver disorders. Hence there is a great demand for the development of agents with potent antioxidant effect. The aim of the present investigation is to evaluate the efficacy of Moringa oleifera as a hepatoprotective and an antioxidant against 7, 12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene induced hepatocellular damage. Single oral administration of DMBA (15 mg/kg) to mice resulted in significantly (p<0.001) depleted levels of xenobiotic enzymes like, cytochrome P450 and b5. DMBA induced oxidative stress was confirmed by decreased levels of reduced glutathione (GSH) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) in the liver tissue. The status of hepatic aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) which is indicative of hepatocellular damage were also found to be decreased in DMBA administered mice. Pretreatment with the Moringa oleifera (200 and 400 mg/kg) orally for 14 days significantly reversed the DMBA induced alterations in the liver tissue and offered almost complete protection. The results from the present study indicate that Moringa oleifera exhibits good hepatoprotective and antioxidant potential against DMBA induced hepatocellular damage in mice that might be due to decreased free radical generation.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.157-167
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• 2005

The extraction yield of Corni fructus was about 47.5% by extract apparatus. This study was done to investigate the antidiabetic and antioxidative effects of Corni fructus in Streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. The contents of serum glucose, total cholesterol and hepatic lipid peroxide, glutathione were significantly decreaed (p<0.05) in Corni fructus treated group compared to the those of STZ-control group, also content of triglyceride (TG), atherogenic index (AI) and activity of catalase were decreased, but not statistically significant. High density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol/total cholesterol ratio (HTR) were increased in Corni fructus treated group compared to the those of STZ-control group. The activities of glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were significantly decreaed (p<0.05) in Corni fructus treated group compared to the those of STZ-control group. The content of hepatic glycogen and activities of glucose-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6 PDH), glucokin-ase were significantly increased, but activity of glucose-Grphosphatase (G-6 Pase)was decreased in Corni fructus treated group compared to the those of STZ-control group. Therefore, these results indicated that ethanol extract of Corni fructus would have antidiabetic and antioxidative effects in STZ-induced diabetic rats.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.59-64
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• 2002

An angiotensin I-converting enzyme (EC 3.4.15.1) (ACE), which can convert inactive angiotensin I into angiotensin II, a vasoconstrictor, is one of the key enzymes in controlling hypertension. It is suggested that the inhibition of ACE prevents hypertension, and many inhibitory peptides have already been reported. In the current study, oligonucleotides encoding ACE inhibitory peptides (IY, VKY) were chemically synthesized and designed to be multimerised due to isoschizomer sites (BamHI, BglII). The cloned gene named AP3 was multimerised up to 6 times in pBluescript and expressed in BL2l containing pGEX-KG. The fusion protein (GST-AP3) was easily purified with a high recovery by an affinity resin, yielding 38 mg of synthetic AP3 from a 1-1 culture. The digestion of AP3 by chymotrypsin exhibited an $IC_50$ value of $18.53{\mu}M$. In conclusion, the present experiment indicated that AP3 could be used as a dietary antihypertensive drug, since the potent ACE inhibitory activity of AP3 could be activated by chymotrypsin in human intestine.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.51-59
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• 2005

Genetic diversity within and between populations of Antheraea mylitta Drury was studied using thirty individuals from three ecoraces using 12 ISSR and 10 RAPD primers. Rally, Daba and Modal ecoraces were collected from Chattisgarh, Jharkhand and Orissa states of India respectively. The ISSR and RAPD primers generated $94.7\%$ and $95.6\%$ polymorphism among the 30 individuals. The cluster analysis grouped these individuals according to their ecorace. The intra-ecoracial heterozygosity estimated with ISSR markers were $0.123{\pm}0.18,\;0.169{\pm}0.17\;and\;0.214{\pm}0.17$ respectively for Modal, Raily and Daba ecoraces. Like wise, with RAPD markers the intraecoracial heterozygosity was $0.17{\pm}0.22$ in Modal, $0.229{\pm}0.17$ in Raily and $0.23{\pm}0.19$ in Daba ecoraces. However, the significantly low genetic differentiation (GST) (0.182 for ISSR and 0.161 for RAPD) and the high gene flow (Nm) (2.249 for ISSR and 2.60 for RAPD markers) among the ecoraces revealed that the amount of genetic diversity present among the ecoraces is not significant enough to make drastic genetic drifts among these ecoraces in the near future.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.19 no.11
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• pp.1447-1455
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• 2009

Two novel avian $\beta$-defensins (AvBDs) isolated from duck liver were characterized and their homologies with other AvBDs were analyzed. They were shown to be duck AvBD9 and AvBD10. The mRNA expression of the two genes was analyzed in 17 different tissues from 1-28-day-old ducks. AvBD9 was differentially expressed in the tissues, with especially high levels of expression in liver, kidney, crop, and trachea, whereas AvBD10 was only expressed in the liver and kidney of ducks at all the ages investigated. We produced and purified GST-tagged recombinant AvBD9 and AvBDI0 by expressing the two genes in Escherichia coli. Both recombinant proteins exhibited antimicrobial activity against several bacterial strains. The results revealed that both recombinant proteins retained their antimicrobial activities against Staphylococcus aureus under a range of different temperatures ($-70^{\circ}C-100^{\circ}C$) and pH values (pH 3-12).