• Animal Bioscience
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• v.35 no.10
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• pp.1606-1615
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• 2022

Objective: The present study was conducted to investigate the potential effects of dietary supplemented propolis in two growing rabbit breeds on growth performance, immune response, blood parameters, carcass characteristics, and cecal microflora composition. Methods: A total of 90 growing rabbits aged 6 weeks from two breeds (V-line and Jabali) were randomly allocated to 3 dietary propolis experimental treatments. The experimental treatments consisted of a 2×3 factorial arrangement with two rabbit breeds and three levels of dietary propolis supplementation (0, 250 mg/kg, and 500 mg/kg). Each sub-treatment has 15 rabbits. The experimental period lasted six weeks. Results: There were no significant differences in growth performance and carcass characteristics due to propolis administration. Propolis supplementation at a high level significantly increased (linear; p<0.05) cellular-mediated immunity compared with the unsupplemented group. Furthermore, the rabbits receiving propolis exhibited a significant increase (linear and quadratic; p<0.03) in IgM immunoglobulins compared to the control. The current study provides further evidence that the dietary inclusion of propolis can significantly reduce pathogenic bacterial colonization in growing rabbits. The total count of microflora, E. coli, and Salmonella spp. was significantly lower (linear; p<0.01) in supplemented rabbit groups compared to the control group according to the microbiological analysis of cecal digesta. Based on breed effect, the results indicated that Jabali rabbits (local) performed better than V-line rabbits (foreign) in the majority of the studied traits. Conclusion: Dietary propolis is promising for further investigation into improving intestinal health and enhancing immunity in growing rabbits.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Crop Science Conference
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• 2022.10a
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• pp.330-330
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• 2022

In recent studies, cold plasma has been used to induce exudation of polyphenols and flavonoids from food materials, leading to enhancement of functional properties. And it is known that polyphenols interact with inflammation related metabolism. The objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of cold plasma treatments on the increase of total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and anti-inflammatory activities of 'Sinpalkwang' peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) hull. Plasma treatments were carried out using a dielectric barrier discharge gas exchange system at different radicals and temperatures (O₃-25℃, O₃-150℃, NO_x-150℃). Significant differences in TPC, TFC, and inflammatory mediator such as nitric oxide (NO) and tumor necrosis factor a (TNF-α) in lipopolysaccharide stimulated Raw 264.7 macrophages were observed between treated and non-treated peanut hull samples (p < 0.001). Cold plasma treated samples showed higher content (TPC: 2.87-2.93 mg/g sample, TFC: 0.96-0.98 mg/g sample) than non-treated sample (TPC: 2.47 mg/g sample, TFC: 0.78 mg/g sample). Cold plasma treated samples showed lower content of NO (3.3-5.0 uM) and TNF-α (141.4-162.2 ng/mL) than non-treated sample (NO: 11.1 uM, TNF-α: 210.2 ng/mL). This study suggests that cold plasma has potential to improve functionalities of food materials and that cold plasma treated peanut hull can be used as immune enhancing materials.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2023.04a
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• pp.61-61
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• 2023

Zanthoxylum piperitum has been used as a spice or various folk remedies since ancient times, and studies on antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects have been reported. In this study, a raw material standardization study was conducted for the industrialization of Z. piperitum. First, optimal conditions for drying methods were established for the standardization of raw materials for Z. piperitum, and optimal conditions were established through content analysis using quercitrin, an marker compound, by obtaining samples every month. As for the drying method of Z. piperitum, it was confirmed that cold air drying was the best. It was analyzed that the marker compound content was highest in July. Next, for functional and toxicity evaluation of Z. piperitum, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and immune enhancing efficacy and cytotoxicity were evaluated. Cytotoxicity of Z. piperitum was not observed, and it was confirmed that although it had an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect, it had no immuneenhancing effects. In addition, a study was conducted on the change in the efficacy of Z. piperitum using lava seawater, and as a result of the study, it was confirmed that the efficacy was superior when lava seawater was simultaneously treated. In conclusion, this study suggested the standardization of raw materials through the analysis of the marker compounds and the functional evaluation of Z. piperitum, and it can be used as basic data for future industrialization.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.13.1-13.19
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• 2021

Macrophages are important for the first line of defense against microbial pathogens. Integrin CD11b, which is encoded by Itgam, is expressed on the surface of macrophages and has been implicated in adhesion, migration, and cell-mediated cytotoxicity. However, the functional impact of CD11b on the inflammatory responses of macrophages upon microbial infection remains unclear. Here, we show that CD11b deficiency resulted in increased susceptibility to sepsis induced by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection by enhancing the pro-inflammatory activities of macrophages. Upon infection with MRSA, the mortality of Itgam knockout mice was significantly higher than that of control mice, which is associated with increased production of TNF-α and IL-6. In response to MRSA, both bone marrow-derived macrophages and peritoneal macrophages lacking CD11b produced elevated amounts of pro-inflammatory cytokines and nitric oxide. Moreover, CD11b deficiency upregulated IL-4-induced expression of anti-inflammatory mediators such as IL-10 and arginase-1, and an immunomodulatory function of macrophages to restrain T cell activation. Biochemical and confocal microscopy data revealed that CD11b deficiency augmented the activation of NF-κB signaling and phosphorylation of Akt, which promotes the functional activation of macrophages with pro-inflammatory and immunoregulatory phenotypes, respectively. Overall, our experimental evidence suggests that CD11b is a critical modulator of macrophages in response to microbial infection.

• Annals of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.342-349
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• 2023

Backgrounds/Aims: Liver organoids have emerged as a powerful tool for studying liver biology and disease and for developing new therapies and regenerative medicine approaches. For organoid culture, Matrigel, a type of extracellular matrix, is the most commonly used material. However, Matrigel cannot be used for clinical applications due to the presence of unknown proteins that can cause immune rejection, batch-to-batch variability, and angiogenesis. Methods: To obtain human primary hepatocytes (hPHs), we performed 2 steps collagenase liver perfusion protocol. We treated three small molecules cocktails (A83-01, CHIR99021, and HGF) for reprogramming the hPHs into human chemically derived hepatic progenitors (hCdHs) and used hCdHs to generate liver organoids. Results: In this study, we report the generation of liver organoids in a collagen scaffold using hCdHs. In comparison with adult liver (or primary hepatocyte)-derived organoids with collagen scaffold (hALO_C), hCdH-derived organoids in a collagen scaffold (hCdHO_C) showed a 10-fold increase in organoid generation efficiency with higher expression of liver- or liver progenitor-specific markers. Moreover, we demonstrated that hCdHO_C could differentiate into hepatic organoids (hCdHO_C_DM), indicating the potential of these organoids as a platform for drug screening. Conclusions: Overall, our study highlights the potential of hCdHO_C as a tool for liver research and presents a new approach for generating liver organoids using hCdHs with a collagen scaffold.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.323-333
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• 2024

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were once used throughout various industries; however, because of their persistence in the environment, exposure remains a global threat to the environment and human health. The Kv1.3 and Kv1.5 channels have been implicated in the immunotoxicity and cardiotoxicity of PCBs, respectively. We determined whether 3,3',4,4'-tetrachlorobiphenyl (PCB77), a dioxin-like PCB, alters human Kv1.3 and Kv1.5 currents using the Xenopus oocyte expression system. Exposure to 10 nM PCB77 for 15 min enhanced the Kv1.3 current by approximately 30.6%, whereas PCB77 did not affect the Kv1.5 current at concentrations up to 10 nM. This increase in the Kv1.3 current was associated with slower activation and inactivation kinetics as well as right-shifting of the steady-state activation curve. Pretreatment with PCB77 significantly suppressed tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-10 production in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated Raw264.7 macrophages. Overall, these data suggest that acute exposure to trace concentrations of PCB77 impairs immune function, possibly by enhancing Kv1.3 currents.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.51-57
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• 2002

The biological activities of immune modulating activities of the extracts from Echinacea purpurea, Chrysanthmum indicum L. and Circium japonicum var. ussuriense KITAMURA were compared. About 70% of the growth of human hepatocarcinoma and 80% of human gastric cancer cell was inhibited in adding 0.5mg/ml of the ethanol extracts of Echinacea purpurea, Chrysanthmum indicum L. and Circium japonicum var. ussuriense KITAMURA, respectively. The growth of human breast cancer cells was also inhibited in adding 0.5mg/ml of the extracts as well as 60% of the human cancer cells. It was proved that the growth of human normal lung cell, scored as 15% for the extracts. Overall selectivity of the extracts on several human cancer cell line was over 3, which is higher than those from the conventional herbs. The growth of both human immune B and T cells was enhanced up to 1.4 to 2.0 times by adding the extracts, compared to the controls. The secretion of tumor necrosis $factor-alpha(TNF-{\alpha})$ from T cell was also increased up to 94 pg/ml in adding the Echinacea purpurea ethanol extract (0.5mg/ml). Circium japonicum var. ethanol extract also increased up to about 96 pg/ml of interleukin-6(IL-6) from B cell.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.158-168
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• 2023

Natural products have been used to mitigate the effects of cancer and infectious diseases, as they feature diverse bioactivities, such as antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory effects. Here, we chose 10 natural products that are well-known as pulmonary enhancers and investigated their bactericidal effects on Streptococcus pneumoniae. In the disk diffusion assay, the growth of S. pneumoniae was significantly regulated by G. fructus treatment regardless of extraction method used. We first adopted spraying as a novel delivery method for G. fructus. Interestingly, mice exposed to G. fructus three times a day for 2 weeks were resistant to S. pneumoniae intranasal infection (shown both through body weight loss and survival rates compared to the control group). Moreover, we confirmed that exposure to G. fructus regulated the colonization of the bacteria despite the sustained inflammation in the lung after exposure to S. pneumoniae, indicating that migrated inflammatory immune cells may involve a host defense mechanism against pulmonary infectious diseases. While a similar number of granulocytes (CD11b⁺Ly6C⁺Ly6G⁺), neutrophils (CD11b⁺Ly6C^intLy6G⁺), and monocytes (CD11b⁺Ly6C^intLy6G^-) were found between groups, a significantly increased number of alveolar macrophages (CD11b⁺CD11c^hiF4/80⁺) was detected in BAL fluids of mice pre-exposed to G. fructus at 5 days after S. pneumonia infection. Taken together, our data suggest that this usage of G. fructus can induce protective immunity against bacterial infection, indicating that facial spray may be helpful in enhancing the defense mechanism against pulmonary inflammation and in evaluating the efficacy of natural products as immune enhancers against respiratory diseases.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.46 no.8
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• pp.919-928
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• 2017

The immuno-enhancing effects of alginate oligosaccharides from Sargassum coreanum were investigated. The alginate oligosaccharides were produced by an alginate-degrading enzyme from S. oneidensis PKA 1008. The degraded alginate oligosaccharides were visualized by thin-layer chromatography developed using a solvent system of 1-butanol/methanol/water, 4:1:2 (v/v/v). Alginate was degraded into dimmers at 60 h. As a result, the levels of Th1 cytokine [interferon $(IFN)-{\gamma}$ and interleukin (IL)-2] and Th2 cytokine (IL-6 and IL-10) increased with increasing incubation time compared to the control in vitro. Enzymatic extract treatment promoted proliferation of splenocytes at concentrations of 100 and 200 mg/kg at 24 h in vivo. Secretion of $IFN-{\gamma}$ and IL-2 significantly increased in a dose-dependent manner at 24 h as well as induced higher production of IgG2a in serum. Natural killer cell activity was measured and tended to increase. In addition, complete blood cell counts increased in a dose-dependent manner. These results indicate that alginate oligosaccharides produced by crude enzyme from S. oneidensis PKA 1008 may have significant immune activities.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.21 no.7
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• pp.1027-1032
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• 2008

A study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary yeast derived ${\beta}$-glucan and single-strain probiotics on the growth performance and antibody response in broiler chicks. Six hundred and thirty 1-d-old male broiler chicks were divided into seven groups, placed into three pens per group (30 birds per pen) and fed one of seven non-medicated corn-SBM based experimental diets containing 0.025, 0.05 or 0.1% Saccharomyces cerevisiae ${\beta}$-glucan and 0.05, 0.1 or 0.2% Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (BA-pro, $1.3{\times}10^9/g$) or devoid of them for 5 wk. The body weight gains in groups fed diets containing 0.025 or 0.1% ${\beta}$-glucan, 0.1% or 0.2% BA-pro were significantly higher (p<0.05) than the control over 1-35 d. Feed conversion rates of groups fed ${\beta}$-glucan and BA-pro tended to be improved compared to the control group. There were no significant differences in the relative weights of liver, abdominal fat and breast muscle. No significant differences were observed in the activities of serum enzymes and concentrations of various cholesterol fractions. The antibody titers against Newcastle disease or infectious bronchitis virus in the chicks fed diets containing ${\beta}$-glucan and BA-pro were significantly higher (p<0.05) than in the control. The concentrations of cecal lactic acid bacteria in all groups fed BA-pro were significantly increased (p<0.05) compared to the control. These results indicated that dietary yeast derived ${\beta}$-glucan and BA-pro exerted growth-promoting and immune-enhancing effects in broiler chickens. In addition, BA-pro added to the diets modulated the profiles of cecal microflora, reflecting a potential to be beneficial microorganisms in chickens.