• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제23권6호
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• pp.750-756
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• 2010

Two trials were conducted to study the effects of two Chinese herbal polysaccharides, Astragalus polysaccharides (APS) and Achyranthes bidentata polysaccharides (ABPS), and one Chinese herbal saponin, Acantbepanax senticosus saponin (ASS), on the immunity and growth performance of weaned pigs. Experiment 1 was a 14-day growth assay, in which 32 weaned pigs were randomly allocated to one of four dietary treatments: i) 0.05% talcum powder control; ii) 0.05% APS; iii) 0.05% mixture of APS and ASS in a 1:1 ratio by weight; and iv) 0.05% mixture of APS, ASS, and ABPS in a ratio of 1:1:1 by weight. Blood samples were collected on day 14 to determine plasma parameters. Feed intake, body weight gain, and feed efficiency were also determined. Experiment 2 was a 21-day immunity assay, in which 16 weaned pigs were randomly allotted to one of two dietary treatments: i) 0.05% talcum powder control; and ii) 0.05% mixture of APS and ASS in a 1:1 ratio by weight. On day 21, pigs were challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and 3 h later blood samples were collected and analyzed for lymphocyte proliferation as well as interleukin 6 (IL-6), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), growth hormone (GH), and cortisol levels. In Experiment 1, feeding Chinese herbal polysaccharides and saponin increased growth performance of the pigs. The effects of the mixture of APS and ASS were especially notable, as there was a significant improvement in growth performance compared with the control (p<0.05). The plasma concentration of immunoglobulin G (IgG), nitric oxide (NO), and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) were increased in all treatments groups, with the mixture of APS and ASS increasing the level of IgG and NOS significantly (p<0.05), compared with the control. There was no difference in the NO level between the control and treatment groups (p>0.05). In Experiment 2, Chinese herbal polysaccharides and saponin showed immunostimulating effects. The level of cortisol, GH, and IGF-I were significantly increased (p>0.05), and the level of IL-6 showed a significant decrease (p<0.05) in the APS and ASS treatment after the LPS challenge. The mixture of APS and ASS could stimulate the blood lymphocyte proliferation significantly whether the LPS was injected or not (p<0.05). These results show that Chinese herbal extracts can improve growth performance and stimulate immunity of weaned pigs. A mixture of APS and ASS, compared with APS alone, could be a new kind of immunostimulant for weaned pigs, which could result in greater positive effects on their growth performance and immunity.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제24권3호
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• pp.399-405
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• 1997

Progesterone is necessary for successful pregnancy and had immunosuppressive properties. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from many women with unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion responded to trophoblast extract in vitro by prolifertion and releasing soluble, heat-labile factors that are toxic to mouse embryos (embryotoxic factors). Accumulating evidence suggests that T Helper (Th)-1 type immunity to trophoblast is correlated with embryotoxic factor production and is associated with pregnancy loss, while Th2-type immunity is associated with successful gestation. The objective of this study was to determine whether progesterone can inhibit Th1-type cytokine secretion (IFN-${\gamma}$, TNF-${\alpha}$) by trophoblast-activated peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 23 nonpregnant women (age 25-35) with unexplained recurrent abortion (median 5, range 3 to 15)who otherwise produce embryotoxic factors in response to trophoblast. We also determined whether progesterone affected Th2-type cytokines (IL-4, IL-10) in this system in vitro and if IL-10 (1,500 pg/mL) could inhibit Th1-type immunity to trophoblast. IFN-${\gamma}$ was detected in 17 of 23 (74%) trophoblast stimulated PBMC culture supernatants ($77.94{\pm}23.79$ pg/mL) containing embryotoxic activity. TNF-${\alpha}$ was detected in 19 (83%) of these same supernatants ($703.15{\pm}131.36$ pg/mL). In contrast, none of the supernatants contained detectable levels of IL-4 or IL-10. Progesterone ($10^{-5}$, $10^{-7}$, $10^{-9}$M) inhibited Th1-type immunity in a dose dependent manner, but had no effect on Th2-type cytokine secretion. The inhibitory effects of progesterone were abrogated with RU486, but did not affect Th2-type cytokine secretion in trophoblast-activated cell cultures. IL-10, like progesterone also inhibited Th1-type cytokine secretion but had no effect on Th2-type cytokines. These data suggest that therapies designed to suppress Th1-type cytokine secretion in women with recurrent abortion who have evidence of Th1-type immunity to trophoblast may be efficacious in preventing pregnancy loss and should be tested in appropriately designed clinical trials.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제13권2호
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• pp.248-254
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• 2022

Background: Occupational hazards in crop farms vary diversely based on different field operations as soil management, harvesting processes, pesticide, or fertilizer application. We aimed at evaluating the immunological status of crop farmers, as limited systematic investigations on immune alteration involved with crop farming have been reported yet. Methods: Immunological parameters including plasma immunoglobulin level, major peripheral immune cells distribution, and level of cytokine production from activated T cell were conducted. Nineteen grape orchard, 48 onion open-field, and 21 rose greenhouse farmers were participated. Results: Significantly low proportion of natural killer (NK) cell, a core cell for innate immunity, was revealed in the grape farmers (19.8±3.3%) in comparison to the onion farmers (26.4±3.1%) and the rose farmers (26.9±2.5%), whereas cytotoxic T lymphocyte proportion was lower in the grape and the onion farmers than the rose farmers. The proportion of NKT cell, an immune cell implicated with allergic response, was significantly higher in the grape (2.3±0.3%) and the onion (1.6±0.8%) farmers compared with the rose farmers (1.0±0.4%). A significantly decreased interferon-gamma:interleukin-13 ratio was observed from ex vivo stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells of grape farmers compared with the other two groups. The grape farmers revealed the lowest levels of plasma IgG1 and IgG4, and their plasma IgE level was not significantly different from that of the onion or the rose farmers. Conclusion: Our finding suggests the high vulnerability of workplace-mediated allergic immunity in grape orchard farmers followed by open-field onion farmers and then the rose greenhouse farmers.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제30권10호
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• pp.1478-1485
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• 2017

Objective: The effects of vaccinating 18-day-old chicken embryos with the combination of recombinant Eimeria profilin plus Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens) NetB proteins mixed in the Montanide IMS adjuvant on the chicken immune response to necrotic enteritis (NE) were investigated using an Eimeria maxima (E. maxima)/C. perfringens co-infection NE disease model that we previously developed. Methods: Eighteen-day-old broiler embryos were injected with $100{\mu}L$ of phosphate-buffered saline, profilin, profilin plus necrotic enteritis B-like (NetB), profilin plus NetB/Montanide adjuvant (IMS 106), and profilin plus Net-B/Montanide adjuvant (IMS 101). After post-hatch birds were challenged with our NE experimental disease model, body weights, intestinal lesions, serum antibody levels to NetB, and proinflammatory cytokine and chemokine mRNA levels in intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes were measured. Results: Chickens in ovo vaccinated with recombinant profilin plus NetB proteins/IMS106 and recombinant profilin plus NetB proteins/IMS101 showed significantly increased body weight gains and reduced gut damages compared with the profilin-only group, respectively. Greater antibody response to NetB toxin were observed in the profilin plus NetB/IMS 106, and profilin plus NetB/IMS 101 groups compared with the other three vaccine/adjuvant groups. Finally, diminished levels of transcripts encoding for proinflammatory cytokines such as lipopolysaccharide-induced tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}$ factor, tumor necrosis factor superfamily 15, and interleukin-8 were observed in the intestinal lymphocytes of chickens in ovo injected with profilin plus NetB toxin in combination with IMS 106, and profilin plus NetB toxin in combination with IMS 101 compared with profilin protein alone bird. Conclusion: These results suggest that the Montanide IMS adjuvants potentiate host immunity to experimentally-induced avian NE when administered in ovo in conjunction with the profilin and NetB proteins, and may reduce disease pathology by attenuating the expression of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines implicated in disease pathogenesis.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• 제43권2호
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• pp.152-160
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• 2010

본 연구에서는 노화에 따른 영양 태와 면역지표의 변화를 알아보기 위해 연령대가 다른 성인 여성 총 54명을 대상으로 실시하였다. 연령 이외의 환경적 유전적 차이를 최소화하기 위하여 대부분이 한 가족 내 3세대, 즉 20대인 딸, 40~50대인 어머니, 60세 이상의 할머니들로 구성시켰다. 대상자들의 신체 계측, 식이 섭취 조사, 생화학적 검사를 통해 영양상태를 판정하였고, 면역지표를 평가하기 위해 총 백혈구 수 및 백혈구 백분율을 측정하였다. 또한 세포매개성 면역능력을 측정하기 위해 T ltmphocyte과 CD4 +, CD8 + 그리고 NK cells의 수와 비율을 측정하였으며 체액성 면역지표를 알아보기 위해 면역 글로불린 G, A, M의 농도를 측정하였다. 신체 계측 결과 연령이 증가됨에 따라 평균 체지방 함량은 증가하였고 체내 총 수분량과 근육의 양은 줄어드는 경향을 나타냈다. 각 연령별 영양 섭취 상태를 조사한 결과 20대 여대생군의 경우 열량과 철분을 제외한 다른 영양소의 영양상태는 비교적 양호하였으나 3대 영양소의 열량 섭취 비율 또한 한국인 영양섭취기준과 거의 일치하는 것으로 나타났다. 40~50대 어머니군에서도 철분의 영양 상태가 권장량에 비해 부족하였고, 할머니군에서는 에너지 섭취량은 권장량에 비해 낮은 반면 단백질과 철분의 섭취량은 양호한 것으로 나타났다. 총 백혈구 수 및 백혈구 백분율은 조사 대상자 대부분이 정상 범위에 속해 연령 증가에 따른 유의성이 없었으며, T lymphocyte 및 CD4 +, CD8 +와 NK cells을 조사한 결과 T lymphocyte과 CD4 + T cells은 연령 증가에 따라 유의적 차를 보이지 않는 반면 CD8 + T cells은 연령이 증가할수록 유의적으로 감소하여 CD4 +：CD8 +의 비율이 노화됨에 따라 증가하는 경향을 나타냈고, 전체 lymphocyte 중에서 NK cells과 B lymphocyte 수는 유의적 차를 보이지 않았으나 면역 글로불린 M은 노화에 따라 그 농도가 감소하는데 비해 면역 글로불린 A는 각 군별 유의성이 없었고, 면역 글로불린 G는 어머니군에서 유의적으로 높았다. 영양 면역학은 비교적 최근의 관심 분야이고 더욱이 국내에서 이 분야의 연구는 매우 미흡한 실정이다. 그러므로 급속히 발달하고 있는 면역학 이론의 올바른 이해와 새로운 연구 방법의 신속한 적용, 정확한 연구 결과의 해석으로 좀더 구체적이고 체계적인 연구를 통해 각 영양소가 인체 면역지표에 미치는 구체적 메커니즘을 밝히고 면역능 증진을 위한 생리적 활성을 줄 수 있는 각 영양소의 권장량에 대한 연구가 앞으로 이루어져야 할 것으로 보인다.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제17권10호
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• pp.1447-1451
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• 2004

An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of different dietary crude protein (CP) levels on growth performance, nutrient utilization, small intestine protease activity and immunity index of weaner to 2 month-old New Zealand rabbits. Eighty weaner rabbits were allocated in individual cages to five treatments in which they were fed diets with CP at 14%, 16%, 18%, 20% and 22%, respectively. The growth performance and nutrient digestibility of rabbits increased firstly when dietary CP increased, then decreased. The average daily gain was the highest and feed conversion rate was the lowest when dietary CP reached 20%, namely 34.9 g/d and 2.74:1, respectively. Maximum CP digestibility was 72.1% in the 18% CP group, maximum crude fiber digestibility of 28.4% occurred in the 16% CP group and was significantly different from other treatments (p<0.01), apparent digestibility of Lys and Val followed the same trend as CP digestibility, and reached their maximum when dietary CP was 18%. Apparent digestibility of Cys, Tyr, Leu and Thr also had a similar trend to CP digestibility. Nitrogen retention (RN) increased with CP level (p>0.05), and was highest for 20% CP treatment (1.5 g/d). The effect of CP level on the rate of digestible nitrogen (DN) converted RN was small. The spleen index, thymus index, chymotrypsin and trypsin activities in small intestine were highest when dietary CP was 16%, which were 1.0, 2.8, 15.7 U/g and 125.7 U/g, respectively. There was no significant difference among treatments (p>0.05). According to the above results, the appropriate dietary CP level from weaner to 2 month-old meat rabbits was 18-20%.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• 제32권3호
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• pp.103-107
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• 2007

We hypothesized that plaque-associated bacteria may have a role in maintenance of alveolar bone. To test it, immortalized gingival epithelial HOK-16B cells were co-cultured with live or lysed eight plaque bacterial species and the expression levels of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-2 and -4 were examined by real time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Un-stimulated HOK-16B cells expressed both BMP-2 and -4. Co-culture with plaque bacterial lysates had significant effects on the level of BMP-2 but not on that of BMP-4. Five species including Streptococcus sanguinis, S. gordonii, Veillonella atypica, Porphyromonas gingivalis, and Treponema denticola substantially up-regulated the level of BMP-2. In contrary to the upregulatory effect of lysate, live T. denticola suppressed the expression of BMP-2. In addition, in vitro osteoblastic differentiation assay using C2C12 cells and the conditioned medium of HOK-16B cells confirmed the production of BMPs by gingival epithelial cells and the modulation of BMP expression by the lysates of S. sanguinis and T. denticola. In conclusion, we have shown that plaque bacteria can regulate the expression of BMP-2 by gingival epithelial cells, the physiologic meaning of which needs further investigation.

• 한국수산과학회지
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• 제53권2호
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• pp.191-202
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• 2020

We evaluated the effects of dietary supplementation of phytosterol on the growth, feed utilization, immunity, digestibility, wound healing ability and disease resistance of olive flounder Paralichthys olivaceus. We conducted two consecutive feeding trials at different growth stages of the fish: EXP-1 (68.9 g) and EXP-2 (16.5 g). The experimental diets were supplemented with graded levels of phytosterol (1% ecdysteroid extracted from Achyranthis radix) at 0, 0.025, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.4% (designated as Con, PHY0.025, PHY0.05, PHY0.1, PHY0.2 and PHY0.4, respectively). Dietary phytosterol did not significantly affect growth and cholesterol concentration. Feed utilization was higher in fish fed phytosterol-supplemented diets than in fish fed the control diet. Dietary phytosterol increased innate immunity and digestibility of protein and dry matter. Wound healing ability was also increased by the phytosterol supplementation. The survival against Edwardsiella tarda challenge was higher in fish fed low-phytosterol diets than in fish fed the control diet. The optimum dietary level of phytosterol seems to be approximately 0.05%. The results in this study indicate that the phytosterol could be used as a functional supplement in diets to improve feed utilization, immunity, digestibility and wound healing ability of olive flounder.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제18권4호
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• pp.516-523
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• 2005

The experiment was conducted to study the effect of dietary combinations of vitamin A (VA), vitamin E (VE) and methionine (Met) on growth performance, meat quality and immunity in commercial broilers. Ross chicks (n=3,630) were allocated to five experimental treatments with three replicates per diet. The dietary treatments were: VA 8,000 IU, VE 10 IU (diet 1); VA 12,000 IU, VE 10 IU (diet 2); VA 8,000 IU, VE 100 IU (diet 3); VA 12,000 IU, VE 100 IU (diet 4) and; VA 12,000 IU, VE 100 IU/kg diet and 20% Met higher than other groups (diet 5). The Met content in diet 1 to diet 4 were as per the requirement suggested by NRC. Separate vitamin premixes were prepared for each treatment diet as per the requirement of study. The 35 d study revealed significantly (p<0.0001) higher weight gains in broilers fed diet 3 and diet 5, than in the rest of the groups during starter phase (0-3 weeks) only. The feed intake did not vary significantly at all phases of study, but feed efficiency was significantly (p<0.05) lower in diet 1 during starter and overall phase (4-5 weeks). The bone strength and bone composition, except bone calcium, remained unaffected due to experimental diets studied after 35 d of experimental feeding. The thio-barbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) were significantly (p=0.0013) lower in the breast meat in group 5, followed by group 3, than in the rest of the groups. The immune studies conducted, antibody titers to sheep red blood cells, thickness index to phytohaemagglutinin-P, and heterophil: lymphocyte ratio, did not show any significant difference among treatments. It could be concluded that supplementation of VA, VE and Met at higher levels could be beneficial to broilers only during the starter phase.

• 한국식품영양학회지
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• 제31권2호
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• pp.252-257
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• 2018

It is noted that Dioscorea quinqueloba is a medicinal herb that is widely used to treat cardiovascular disease and is assessed as useful to treat other various medical conditions. The immunopotentiating effects of the protein extract (DQP-1) from Dioscorea quinqueloba were thus formally investigated in vivo under incident of cold stress. In this case study, the spleen and thymus weight in mice was shown to have decreased after a measured exposure to cold stress, while the adrenal gland weight in the mice was shown to have increased. The systematic oral administration of DQP-1 significantly recovered the weight loss of the spleen and suppressed the adrenal gland hypertrophy during the association with cold stress. Additionally, the DQP-1 also restored the ascorbic acid level in the adrenal gland reduced after cold stress. The cold stress exposure lowered the percentage of $CD4^+$ and $CD8^+$ cells in the mouse thymus as determined by the flow cytometric analysis, as well as the levels of some serum immunological cytokines(interleukin-2, interleukin-12, and interferon-${\gamma}$) in the studied mice. The resulting identified weakened immunity caused by cold stress was also recovered by a treatment with DQP-1. The DQP-1 significantly suppressed the formation of serum enzymes of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and lactate dehydrogenase, which were systematically elevated during the cold stress episode. These results indicate that DQP-1 can improve immunity in mice that are characteristically weakened under stress.