• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.459-471
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• 2019

Several species of Aquilaria and Gyrinops are native to Indonesia and well known as agarwood-producing trees with a high economic value. Their bioactive compounds have a wide spectrum of uses, such as in medicine and cosmetics. These genera have undergone extensive search for novel bioactive compounds. The purpose of this study was to isolate, identify, and characterize the endophytic fungi community associated with Aquilaria malaccensis, A. microcarpa, Gyrinops versteegii, and A. crassna trees and investigate their bioactive properties as antioxidant agents and antagonists. A total of 50 fungi were successfully isolated from different tissues of the four species of agarwood-producing trees. Two isolates exhibited strong antioxidant activity, namely, Apodus oryzae (R2MC3A, $IC_{50}$ 60.92 mg/mL) and Diaporthe sp. (P1DS1[C], $IC_{50}$ 76.65 mg/mL). Two isolates, Pestalotiopsis theae (P3BS3[B]) and Curvularia sp. (P2CD3A), showed >75% antifungal activity against pathogenic Fusarium solani. The results revealed that endophytic fungi associated with the studied agarwood-producing trees had potential antioxidant and antifungal activities for further applications in biotechnology.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.1152-1159
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• 1998

In order to develop more rapid and reproducible analysis of biotin known as vitamin H, attempts were made to establish the condition for enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) compared with traditional microbiological assay(MBA). Antibiotin and antiserum were obtained from the immunized rabbits injected with emulsion of biotin KLH conjugate and Freund's adjuvant. The antiserum showed cross reactivity on biocytin, a derivative of biotin, which is converted to biotin in intestine, at the rate of 177%(median inhibitory concentration(IC50)=12.58ppb), but not on other derivatives such as desthiobiotin, diaminobiotin and 2 imino biotin. Specific antibody for biotin was purified from the antiserum through protein A column and desalting column. The conditions of competitive direct ELISA (cdELISA) were established. Detection range of biotin concentration by cdELISA was 0.01∼300ng/ ml(ppb). In the spike test with milk, fruit flake and pine carrot juice, the correlation coefficient between two methods of MBA and ELISA was reliably consistent at the value of r=0.992. But detection of biotin by microbiological assay(MBA) was rather restricted in range and nonspecific. Detection range of biotin by MBA was 0.1∼0.5ng/ml(ppb). It showed cross reactivities on biocytin and desthiobiotin at the rate of 80.1% and 66.7%, respectively. In conclusion, ELISA revealed a significant improvement compared with MBA for the biotin detection in terms of sensitivity, detection range and cross reactivity. In addition, a variety of samples could be analyzed rapidly and conveniently at one time by using ELISA. These results strongly suggest that the ELISA is very promising for the practical application to detect biotin contents in a wide range of food stuffs.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.86-92
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• 2012

The glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common malignant brain tumor in adults. Despite combination treatments of radiation and chemotherapy, the survival periods are very short. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the potential of ginsenoside $F_2$ (F2) to treat GBM. In in vitro experiments with glioblastoma cells U373MG, F2 showed the cytotoxic effect with $IC_{50}$ of 50 ${\mu}g/mL$ through apoptosis, confirmed by DNA condensation and fragmentation. The cell population of cell cycle sub-G1 as indicative of apoptosis was also increased. In xenograft model in SD rats, F2 at dosage of 35 mg/kg weight was intravenously injected every two days. This reduced the tumor growth in magnetic resonance imaging images. The immunohistochemistry revealed that the anticancer activity might be mediated through inhibition of proliferation judged by Ki67 and apoptosis induced by activation of caspase-3 and -8. And the lowered expression of CD31 showed the reduction in blood vessel densities. The expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 for invasion of cancer was also inhibited. The cell populations with cancer stem cell markers of CD133 and nestin were reduced. The results of this study suggested that F2 could be a new potential chemotherapeutic drug for GBM treatment by inhibiting the growth and invasion of cancer.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.35-43
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• 2007

To investigate the immunomodulatory roles of cyclic AMP (CAMP) on macrophage- and T lymphocyte-mediated immune responses, CAMP elevating agents were employed and carefully re-examined under the activation conditions of the cells. Various inhibitors tested dose-dependently blocked tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-${\alpha}$ production with IC$_{50}$ values ranged from 0.04 to 300 ${\mu}$M. Of the inhibitors, cAMP-elevating agents showed lower cytotoxicity assessed by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, suggesting less toxic and more selective. In particular co-treatment of dbcAMP with a protein kinase C inhibitor staurosporine displayed the synergistic inhibition of TNF-${\alpha}$ production. The modulatory effect of dbcAMP on TNF-${\alpha}$ and nitric oxide (NO) was significantly affected by treatment time of dbcAMP. Thus, post-treatment of dbcAMP (three hours before LPS) abrogated dbcAMP's inhibitory activity and rather enhanced TNF-${\alpha}$ level up to 60%. In contrast, additional NO production was shown at the co-treatment of dbcAMP with LPS. Unlike simultaneous treatment of phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) and interferon (IFN)-${\gamma}$co-treatment, the combination of dbcAMP with other NO-inducing stimuli did not show drastic overproduction of NO. cAMP elevating agents also diminished splenocyte proliferation stimulated by concanavalin (Con) A, phytohemaglutinin A (PHA) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS). In addition, dbcAMP but not rolipram strongly suppressed CD8$^+$ T cells (CTLL-2). Finally, cAMP elevating agents were differentially involved in regulating CD98-mediated cell-cell adhesion. Thus, dbcAMP and rolipram significantly enhanced the cell-cell adhesion, whereas forskolin blocked. Therefore, our results suggest that CAMP elevating agents participate in various immune responses mediated by macrophages and T cells with a different fashion depending on cellular environments and activation signals.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.20-31
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• 1998

Adsorption of metal elements onto illite and halloysite was investigated at $25^{\circ}C$ using pollutant water collected from the gold-bearing metal mine. Incipient solution of pH 3.19 was reacted with clay minerals as a function of time: 10 minute, 30 minute, 1 hour, 12 hour, 24 hour, 1 day, 2 day, 1 week, and 2 week. Twenty-seven cations and six anions from solutions were analyzed by AAs (atomic absorption spectrometer), ICP(induced-coupled plasma), and IC (ion chromatography). Speciation and saturation index of solutions were calculated by WATEQ4F and MINTEQA2 codes, indicating that most of metal ions exist as free ions and that there is little difference in chemical species and relative abundances between initial solution and reacted solutions. The adsorption results showed that the adsorption extent of elements varies depending on mineral types and reaction time. As for illite, adsorption after 1 hour-reaction occurs in the order of As>Pb>Ge>Li>Co, Pb, Cr, Ba>Cs for trace elements and Fe>K>Na>Mn>Al>Ca>Si for major elements, respectively. As for halloysite, adsorption after 1 hour-reaction occurs in the order of Cu>Pb>Li>Ge>Cr>Zn>As>Ba>Ti>Cd>Co for trace elements and Fe>K>Mn>Ca>Al>Na>Si for major elements, respectively. After 2 week-reaction, the adsorption occurs in the order of Cu>As>Zn>Li>Ge>Co>Ti>Ba>Ni>Pb>Cr>Cd>Se for trace elements and Fe>K>Mn>Al, Mg>Ca>Na, Si for major elements, respectively. No significant adsorption as well as selectivity was found for anions. Although halloysite has a 1:1 layer structure, its capacity of adsorption is greater than that of illite with 2:1 structure, probably due to its peculiar mineralogical characteristics. According to FTIR (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy) results, there was no shift in the OH-stretching bond for illite, but the ν1 bond at 3695 cm-1 for halloysite was found to be stronger. In the viewpoint of adsorption, illite is characterized by an inner-sphere complex, whereas halloysite by an outer-sphere complex, respectively. Initial ion activity and dissociation constant of metal elements are regarded as the main factors that control the adsorption behaviors in a natural system containing multicomponents at the acidic condition.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.665-676
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• 2003

To investigate the chemical characteristics of PM$\_$2.5/ in Seoul, Korea, atmospheric particulate matters were collected using a PM$\_$10/ dichotomous sampler including PM$\_$10/ and PM$\_$2.5/ inlet during the period of October 2000 to September 2001. The Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectromety (ICP-MS), ion Chromatography (IC) methods were used to determine the concentration of both metal and ionic species. A statistical analysis was performed for the heavy metals data set using a principal component analysis (PCA) to derived important factors inherent in the interactions among the variables. The mean concentrations of ambient PM$\_$2.5/ and PM/sub10/ were 24.47 and 45.27 $\mu\textrm{g}$/㎥, respectively. PM$\_$2.5/ masses also showed temporal variations both yearly and seasonally. The ratios of PM$\_$2.5/PM$\_$10/ was 0.54, which similar to the value of 0.60 in North America. Soil-related chemical components (such as Al, Ca, Fe, Si, and Mn) were abundant in PM$\_$10/, while anthropogenic components (such as As, Cd, Cr, V, Zn and Pb) were abundant in PM2s. Total water soluble ions constituted 30∼50 % of PM$\_$2.5/ mass, and sulfate, nitrate and ammonium were main components in water soluble ions. Reactive farms of NH$_4$$\^$+/were considered as NH$_4$NO$_3$ and (NH$_4$)$_2$SO$_4$ during the sampling periods. In the results of PCA for PM$\_$2.5/, we identified three principal components. Major contribution to PM$\_$2.5/ seemed to be soil, oil combustion, unidentified source. Further study, the detailed interpretation of these data will need efforts in order to identify emission sources.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.215-224
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• 1994

The presence of a calcium current $(i_{Ca^{2+}})$ passed via a specific channel was examined in the unfertilized hamster egg using the whole-cell voltage clamp technique. Pure inward current was isolated using a $Ca^{2+}-rich$ pipette solution containing 10 mM TEA. This current was independent of external $Na^+$ and was highly sensitive to the $Ca^{2+}$ concentration in the bathing solution, indicating that the inward current is carried by $Ca^{2+}$. The maximal amplitude was $-4.12{\pm}0.58nA\;(n=12)$ with 10mM $Ca^{2+}$ at -3OmV from a holding potential of -8OmV. This current reached its maximum within 20ms beyond -3OmV and decayed rapidly with an inactivation time constant $({\tau})$ of 15ms. Activation and inactivation of this $i_{Ca^{2+}}$ was steeply dependent on the membrane potential. The $i_{Ca^{2+}}$ began to activate at the lower voltage of -55 mV and reached its peak at -35 mV, being completely inactivated at potentials more positive than -40 mV. These result suggest that $i_{Ca^{2+}}$ in hamster eggs passes through channels with electrical properties similar to low voltage-activated T-type channels. Other results from the present study support this suggestion; First, the inhibitory effect of $Ni^{2+}\;(IC_{50}=13.7\;{\mu}M)$ was more potent than $Cd^{2+}\;(IC_{50}=123\;{\mu}M)$. Second, $Ba^{2+}$ conductance was equal to or below that of $Ca^{2+}$. Third, $i_{Ca^{2+}}$ in hamster eggs was relatively insensitive to nifedipine $(IC_{50}=96.6\;{\mu}M)$, known to be a specific t-type blocker. The physiological role of $i_{Ca^{2+}}$ in the unfertilized hamster eggs remains unclear. Analysis from steady-state inactivation activation curves reveals that only a small amount of this current will pass in the voltage range $(-70{\sim}-30\;mV)$ which partially overlaps with the resting membrane potential. This current has the property that it can be easily activated by a weak depolarization, thus it may trigger a certain kind of a intracellular event following fertilization which may cause oscillations in the membrane potential.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.217-227
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• 2015

Objectives: The primary aim of this study was to identify bioactive compounds in Dangnyo-hwan, a Korean herbal medicine, through instrumental analysis using LC-MS/MS and ICP, and investigate its potential use in diabetes treatment. Methods: The extract of Dangnyo-hwan has 12 medicinal herbs; these were compared with 18 marker substances selected from literature survey. Results: LC-MS/MS analysis could detect 9 of the 18 bioactive compounds: citruline, catalpol, berberine, ginsenoside Rb1, ginsenoside Rg1, oleanolic acid, β-sitosterol, mangiferin, and schizandrin. While harmful heavy metals such as As, Pb, Cd, Hg, Ni, and Cu were not present in high concentrations, Zn concentration was 4.2 mg in 100 g Dangnyo-hwan. Conclusions: Instrumental analysis such as LC-MS/MS and ICP was successfully used to identify bioactive compounds in Dangnyo-hwan. Detection of 9 bioactive substances and Zn from the herb medicine is a valuable finding, and suggests that Dangnyo-hwan is a candidate medicine for diabetes. Further investigations like in vitro assay, percent GPR 119 activity, and percent human DGAT-1 inhibition are underway.

• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.231-237
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• 2007

Exposure to DNA-damaging agents can elicit a variety of stress-related responses that may alter the expression of genes associated with numerous biological pathways. We used 19 k whole human genome chip to detect gene expression profiles and potential signature genes in human normal hepatocytes (THLE-3) by treatment of five direct acting mutagens, furylfuramide (AF-2), N-nitroso-N-methylurea (MNU), methylmethanesulfonate (MMS), 4-nitroquinoline-N-oxide (4-NQO) and 2-nitrofluorene (2NF) of the $IC_{20}$ concentration for 3 h. Fifty one up-regulated common genes and 45 down-regulated common genes above 1.5-fold by five direct-acting mutagens were identified by clustering analysis. Many of these changed genes have some association with apoptosis, control of cell cycle, regulation of transcription and signal transduction. Genes related to these functions, as TP73L, E2F5, MST016, SOX5, MAFB, LIF, SII3, TFIIS, EMR1, CYTL1, CX3CR1 and RHOH are up-regulated. Down-regulated genes are ALOX15B, xs155, IFITM1, BATF, VAV2, CD79A, DCDC2, TNFSF8 and KOX8. We suggest that gene expression profiling on mutagens by toxicogenomic analysis affords promising opportunities to reveal potential new mechanistic markers of genotoxicity.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.385-394
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• 2007

To study long-term characteristics of the heavy metal contamination, soil and sediment samples were collected at 14 sites in highway roadside during 6 years. The total concentrations of metals including Zn, Ni, Cu. Pb, Cr, Cd, and As in those samples were investigated. The results indicate that concentrations of Zn, Ni, and Cu in highway roadside soils are much higher than the metal concentrations in background soils and appear to be increased gradually. Strong linear relationships between the cumulative traffic and the contents of the metals in highway roadside soils were obtained. Therefore, they might be used to predict the heavy metal concentrations in the future highway roadside soils for establishing the countermeasure of soil and sediment contamination.