• Molecules and Cells
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.55-63
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• 2008

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the selective death of motor neurons. Mutations in the SOD1 gene are responsible for a familial form of ALS (FALS). Although many studies suggest that mutant SOD1 proteins are cytotoxic, the mechanism is not fully understood. To investigate the role of mutant SOD1 in FALS, human SOD1 genes were fused with a PEP-1 peptide in a bacterial expression vector to produce in-frame PEP-1-SOD fusion proteins (wild type and mutants). The expressed and purified PEP-1-SOD fusion proteins were efficiently transduced into neuronal cells. Neurones harboring the A4V, G93A, G85R, and D90A mutants of PEP-1-SOD were more vulnerable to oxidative stress induced by paraquat than those harboring wild-type proteins. Moreover, neurones harboring the mutant SOD proteins had lower heat shock protein (Hsp) expression levels than those harboring wild-type SOD. The effects of the transduced SOD1 fusion proteins may provide an explanation for the association of SOD1 with FALS, and Hsps could be candidate agents for the treatment of ALS.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.30 no.4 s.48
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• pp.471-477
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• 2004

Exposure to elevated temperatures, chemical (active oxigen), or physical stress (UV light) induces immediate physiological response, the expression of heat shock proteins in cells. Thus, cells with elevated Heat Shock Protein levels become more tolerant to stress conditions that are otherwise lethal. First, we studied on the new function of glucuronic acid (GA) as preventive material of skin aging. The application of the GA shows significant induction of Heat Shock Protein 70 kDa (HSP 70 kDa) in contrast to cells without it. GA at the concentration which can induce HSP 70 kDa, protects the cell death induced by second stress (heat shock and hydrogen peroxide) in NIH3T3 cells. Second, we studied on in vitro transdermal permeation characteristic of GA through the excised mouse skin. In this study, we compared the skin permeability of GA in water with O/W emulsion. As a result, skin permeation parameters of GA shows lag time 1.2 h, partition coefficient 0.114, permeation flult rate $0.83114 mg/cm^2/h.$ In case of lag time, O/W emulsion containing GA increase 2.48 h. Also, the total accumulation permeation content decreased in contrast to GA solution after 24 h. But it has long-term permeability of glucuronic acid. These results suggest that glucuronic acid could be a good cosmetic active ingredient.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.29-40
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• 2010

This study was aimed at investigating the gene expression profile in basal ganglia of cadmium exposed rat based on cDNA array analysis. For cDNA array analysis, adult Sprague-Dawley male rats (350 ${\pm}$ 25 g) were intraperitoneally injected with 2.0 mg/kg body weight/day of CdCl2 (0.3 ml) for 5 days. For doserelated gene expression analysis rats were intraperitoneally injected with 0.0, 0.1, 0.3, 1.0 mg/kg body weight/day of CdCl$_2$ for 5 days. Control rats were injected with equal volume of saline. Cadmium concentration of brain was analyzed by atomic absorption spectrophotometer. For cDNA array, RNA samples were extracted from basal ganglia and reverse-transcribed in the presence of [${\alpha}$32P]-dATP. Membrane sets of the Atlas Rat 1.2 array II and Toxicology array 1.2 (Clontech, Palo Alto, CA) were hybridized with cDNA probe sets. RT-PCR was employed to validate the relative gene expression patterns obtained from the cDNA array. Northern blot hybridization methods were employed to assess the dose-related gene expression. Among the 2352 cDNAs, 671 genes were detected in both array sets and 63 genes of 38 classes showed significant (more than two fold) changes in expression. Thirty five of these genes were up-regulated and twenty eight were down-regulated in the cadmium exposed group. According to the dose-related gene expression analysis, heat shock 27 kDa protein (HSP27), neurodegeneration-associated protein 1 (Neurodap 1) genes were significantly up-regulated and melatonin receptor 1a (Mel1a), Kinesin family member 3C (KIF3C), novel kinesinrelated protein (KIF1D) genes were significantly downregulated even in the low-dose of cadmium exposed group (0.1 mg/kg body weight/day). Conclusions Sixty three genes detected in this study can give some more useful informations about the cadmium-induced neurotoxicity in the basal ganglia. As well as, HSP27, Neurodap1, Mel1a, KIF3C and KIF1D genes may be useful for the study of the cadmium-induced neurotoxicity because these genes showed dramatic changes of mRNA levels in response to the low dose of cadmium exposure.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.92-100
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• 2013

Purpose: To investigate the clinicopathologic effects of cyclosporine A (CsA) in children with diseases characterized by mesangial immunoglobulin A deposits such as immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) and Henoch-Sch$\ddot{o}$nlein purpura nephritis (HSPN). Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the clinicopathologic outcomes of 54 children (IgAN, 36; HSPN, 18) treated with CsA. The starting dose of CsA was 5 mg/kg per day, and it was administered in 2 divided doses. The degree of proteinuria and pathologic changes in renal biopsies were evaluated before and after CsA treatment. Results: The mean protein to creatinine ratio decreased from $3.7{\pm}1.5$ to $0.6{\pm}0.4$(P <0.001), and 32 (59.2%) children achieved complete remission of proteinuria after 1-year CsA treatment. Among the 54 children, 24 maintained normal renal function and 25 exhibited microscopic hematuria or proteinuria at the end of CsA treatment. In the HSPN group, 3 children whose initial biopsies indicated class IIIb disease showed class II disease on follow-up, and the follow-up biopsies of 2 children who had class II disease indicated the same class II disease. In the IgAN group, cortical tubular atrophy occurred in 1 child, and no child with IgAN had cortical interstitial fibrosis or tubular atrophy after 1-year CsA treatment. No significant complications were found in the children treated with CsA. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that CsA treatment is effective and beneficial in reducing massive proteinuria and preventing progression to end-stage renal failure in children with glomerular diseases characterized by IgA deposits, such as IgAN and HSPN, within 1 year of treatment.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.520-532
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• 2012

Objectives : This study was carried out to investigate the effects of Coicis Semen Extract (CSE) on the experimental colitis induced by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) in mice. Methods : Experimental colitis was induced by daily treatment with 5% DSS in the drinking water for 7 days in 6-week-old male ICR mice. The colitic mice were divided into three groups: the normal (N) group consisted of mice that were not inflammation-induced. The control (C) group was composed of untreated colitis elicited mice. The sample (S) group was administered CSE after colitis elicitation. The effects on colonic mucosal ulcers were evaluated by the morphological, histological and immunohistochemical change of the large intestine. Results : Inhibition of LPS-induced NO decreased in the S group. Inhibition of LPS-induced iNOS and COX-2 mRNA noticeably decreased in the S group from 0.25 mg/ml. In the common morphological and histochemical change, the erosion and the infiltration of inflammatory cells increased in the C group, while they noticeably decreased in the S group. The length of colon was shortened more in the C group than in the S group. The distributions of MUC2 and Hsp70 treated with CSE increased noticeably more in the S group than in the C group (p<0.05). It was confirmed histochemically and immunohistochemically that the distributions of iNOS, COX-2, MAC387, serotonin, apoptosis and PCNA treated with CSE decreased in the S group more than in the C group (p<0.05). Conclusions : It is confirmed that CSE has cytoprotective effect, so can alleviate inflammation process. Therefore, it is expected to have potential protective effect on colitis.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.895-902
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• 2012

The Korean native chickens (Woorimotdak$^{TM}$, KNC) and commercial broilers (Ross, CB) show obvious differences in meat flavor after cooking. To understand the contribution of protein and peptide for meat flavor, 2-dimensional (2-D) gel electrophoresis and matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry was performed. A total of 16 protein spots were differentially expressed in the breast and thigh meat between the two breeds. A total of seven protein spots were represented by different levels between KNC and CB for breast meat. Among them three protein spots (TU39149, TU40162 and TU39598) showed increases in their expressions in KNC while other four protein spots (BU40125, BU40119, BU40029 and BU39904) showed increases in CB. All nine protein spots that were represented by different levels between KNC and CB for thigh meat showed increases in their expression in KNC. Phosphoglucomutase 1 (PGM 1), myosin heavy chain (MyHC), heat shock protein B1 (HSP27), cytochrome c reductase (Enzyme Q), Glyoxylase 1, DNA methyltransferase 3B (DNA MTase 3) were identified as the main protein spots by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. These results can provide valuable basic information for understanding the molecular mechanism responsible for breed specific differences in meat quality, especially the meat flavour.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.10
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• pp.1390-1401
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• 2023

In this study, a 12-week feeding experiment was conducted to characterize the effects of exogenous α-amylase on the growth, feed utilization, digestibility, plasma α-amylase activity, feed degradation rate, and fecal particle size of olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus). Diet was supplemented with 0 (AA₀; control), 100 (AA₁₀₀), 200 (AA₂₀₀), or 400 (AA₄₀₀) mg/kg of α-amylase, respectively. Fish (273.1 ± 2.3 g) were stocked into 12 tanks (25 fish/1,000-L tank) and 3 tanks were randomly selected for each diet group. As a result, α-amylase was found to have no significant effects (p ≥ 0.05) on the growth, feed utilization parameters, and whole-body proximate compositions. α-Amylase-treated fish exhibited only a significant increase in the apparent digestibility coefficient of carbohydrates compared to the controls. In addition, in vitro analyses revealed that α-amylase dose-dependently increased (p < 0.05) the feed degradation rate, while photographs of the intestinal content after 2, 4, and 8 h of feeding demonstrated an improved degradation rate in the α-amylase-treated groups. Plasma α-amylase content was higher in the AA₂₀₀ and AA₄₀₀ groups, whereas the control group produced significantly larger-sized fecal particles (90% size class) than these two groups. In the intestine, no changes were observed in the expression levels of the immune-related TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-2, immunoglobulin-M, HSP-70, lysozyme, and amylase alpha-2A. However, growth-related genes IGF-1, IGF-2, TGF-β3, and growth hormone genes were upregulated in muscle tissues. Collectively, exogenous α-amylase has positive roles in the modulation of the digestibility coefficient, blood α-amylase concentration, growth-related gene expression, and diet degradation for improved digestion in olive flounder.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.295-313
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• 2023

Objectives : While treatments for cancer are advancing, the development of effective treatments for cancer metastasis, the main cause of cancer patient death, remains insufficient. Recent studies on Dichroae Radix have revealed that its active ingredients have the potential to inhibit cancer metastasis. This study aimed to investigate the cancer metastasis inhibitory effect of Dichroae Radix using network pharmacological analysis. Methods : The active compounds of Dichroae Radix have been identified using Traditional Chinese Medicine System Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform. The UniProt database was used to collect each of information of all target proteins associated with the active compounds. To find the bio-metabolic processes associated with each target, the DAVID6.8 Gene Functional classifier tool was used. Compound-Target and Target-Pathway networks were analyzed via Cytoscape 3.40. Results : In total, 25 active compounds and their 62 non-redundant targets were selected through the TCMSP database and analysis platform. The target genes underwent gene ontology and pathway enrichment analysis. The gene list applied to the gene ontology analysis revealed associations with various biological processes, including signal transduction, chemical synaptic transmission, G-protein-coupled receptor signaling pathways, response to xenobiotic stimulus, and response to drugs, among others. A total of eleven genes, including HSP90AB1, CALM1, F2, AR, PAKACA, PTGS2, NOS2, RXRA, ESR1, ESR2, and NCOA1, were found to be associated with biological pathways related to cancer metastasis. Furthermore, nineteen of the active compounds from Dichroae Radix were confirmed to interact with these genes. Conclusions : The results provide valuable insights into the mechanism of action and molecular targets of Dichroae Radix. Notably, Berberine, the main active ingredient of Dichroae Radix, plays a significant role in degrading AR proteins in advanced prostate cancer. Further studies and validations can provide crucial data to advance cancer metastasis prevention and treatment strategies.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.11 no.10
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• pp.3820-3825
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• 2010

The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of acute exercise on antioxidative enzymes in noramal and obese men. The written informed consent was obtained from 16 participants of eight normally healthy persons and eight obesity ones. The baseline level of obesity was determined at 25 % of the body fat. Any subjects had no experiences in participating in exercise and did not take vitamin or mineral supplement. Blood was sampled at five minutes before exercise, at exhaustion, and after 30 minutes of recovery. All statistical analyses and description methods were computed by SPSS window 14.0. Analysis of Covariance(ANCOVA) was performed to know the differences in values between pre- and post- exercise in each group. We found that after exhaustion, the normal group showed higher erythrocyte superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity compared to the obesity group. At exhaustion, the normal group had lower HSP activity compared to the obesity group. Based on the results, an acute exercise of normally healthy people induced an up-regulation of superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. This plays an important role in the protection of extra-cellular fluid components against peroxide-mediated damage.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.171-177
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• 2005

Nutritional compositions and antioxidative activity of Kabocha squash (Cucurvita maxima Duch) as health food were compared with those of pumpkin (Cucurvita moschata Duch). Kabocha squash had higher soluble solids and twofold harder flesh than pumpkin. Crude protein, crude lipid and total amino acid contents of Kabocha squash were higher than those of pumpkin. Major free sugar in Kabocha squash was sucrose, and its content were 2.1 times higher than that of pumpkin. Major organic acids of Kabocha squash and pumpkin were succinic and malic acid, respectively. Kabocha squash had higher amounts of vitamins $A,\;B_1,\;B_2,\;C$ and C than pumpkin, while both showed similar mineral contents except for iron. Contents of Total pectin and hydrochloric acid soluble pectin of Kabocha squash were 17.00 and 7.37 g/100 g AIS, respectively. In pumpkin, total pectin content was 25.14 g/100 g AIS, and water soluble pectin content was higher than those of other pectin fractions. Contents of carotenoid in Kabocha squash and pumpkin were 285.91 and 24,62 mg% d.b., respectively. Kabocha squash had higher electron-donating radical-scavenging activity, SOD-like activity and nitrite-scavenging effect than pumpkin.