• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제19권6호
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• pp.566-572
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• 2009

Lentinus edodes is a well-known edible and medicinal mushroom used in Oriental cultures. Recently, L. edodes has attracted a lot of attention owing to its antifungal activity, antibacterial activity, antiviral activity, hepatoprotective effect, antitumor activities, and immunomodulatory and cytotoxic effects. In this study, the water-soluble crude polysaccharides, CPF and CPB, which were obtained from the fruiting body and culture cell-free broth of L. edodes by hot-water extraction and ethanol precipitation, were fractionated by DEAE cellulose and Sepharose CL-6B column chromatography, resulting in six polysaccharide fractions, CPFN-G-I, CPFN-G-II, CPFN-G-III, CPFA-G, CPBN-G, and CPBA-G Among these fractions, CPFN-G-I, CPBN-G, and CPBA-G were shown to stimulate the functional activation of macrophages including NO production, cytokine expression, and phagocytosis.

• BMB Reports
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• 제50권5호
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• pp.269-274
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• 2017

The biological activities of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) might be mediated through a classical receptor-mediated or non-classical endocytic pathway. JAB1 (C-Jun activation domain-binding protein-1) promotes the degradation of the tumor suppressor, p53, and the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, p27. When MIF and JAB1 are bound to each other in various intracellular sites, MIF inhibits the positive regulatory effects of JAB1 on the activity of AP-1. The intestinal parasite, Anisakis simplex, has an immunomodulatory effect. The molecular mechanism of action of As-MIF and human JAB1 are poorly understood. In this study, As-MIF and hJAB1 were expressed and purified with high solubility. The structure of As-MIF and hJAB1 interaction was modeled by homology modeling based on the structure of Ace-MIF. This study provides evidence indicating that the MIF domain of As-MIF interacts directly with the MPN domain of hJAB1, and four structure-based mutants of As-MIF and hJAB1 disrupt the As-MIF-hJAB1 interaction.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제42권3호
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• pp.239-247
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• 2018

In recent years, several therapeutic drugs have been rationally designed and synthesized based on the novel knowledge gained from investigating the actions of biologically active chemicals derived from foods, plants, and medicinal herbs. One of the major advantages of these naturalistic chemicals is their ability to interact with multiple targets in the body resulting in a combined beneficial effect. Ginseng is a perennial herb (Araliaceae family), a species within the genus Panax, and a highly valued and popular medicinal plant. Evidence for the medicinal and health benefits of Panax ginseng and its components in preventing neurodegeneration has increased significantly in the past decade. The beneficial effects of P. ginseng on neurodegenerative diseases have been attributed primarily to the antioxidative and immunomodulatory activities of its ginsenoside components. Mechanistic studies on the neuroprotective effects of ginsenosides revealed that they act not only as antioxidants but also as modulators of intracellular neuronal signaling and metabolism, cell survival/death genes, and mitochondrial function. The goal of the present paper is to provide a brief review of recent knowledge and developments concerning the beneficial effects as well as the mechanism of action of P. ginseng and its components in the treatment and prevention of neurodegenerative diseases.

• 약학회지
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• 제36권2호
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• pp.93-109
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• 1992

The purpose of this experiment was to investigate both the immunomodulatory effect of evening primrose(EP) oil and the effects of EP oil on immunoregulation by cyclophosphamide in mice. EP oil at doses of 0.1, 0.2 and 0.4 ml/kg were orally administered to ICR male mice once daily for 28 consecutive days. Cyclophosphamide was injected intraperitoneally to ICR mice with a single dose of 5 mg/kg at 2 days before secondary immunization. Mice were sensitized and challenged with sheep red blood cells(S-RBC). Immnune responses were evaluated by humoral and cellular immune responses and non-specific immune response. The results of this study were summarized as follows; (1) The humoral immune responses such as hemagglutination titer(HA), hemolysin titer(HY), Arthus reaction and plaque forming cell(PFC) were significantly enhanced in the low dose EP oil administered groups(0.1 and 0.2 ml/kg). However, in the high dose EP oil administered group(0.4 ml/kg) the responses were significantly lowered. (2) In the case of cellular immune responses, delayed type hypersensitivity reaction(DTH) was significantly decreased in EP oil whereas rosette forming cell(RFC) was remarkably enhanced. (3) Activities of natural killer cells and phagocyte were generally enhanced in EP oil. In addition, serum albumin and globulin were also increased.

• 생약학회지
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• 제50권3호
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• pp.175-184
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• 2019

Mast cells are crucial as effector cells in the immediate-type allergic reaction. Lentinus edodes has been the popular edible mushroom in oriental countries and reported to have immunomodulatory, anti-tumor, anti-atherogenic, anti-viral, and anti-allergic activities. However, the roles of L. edodes in mast cell-mediated anaphylactic reaction have not been fully elucidated. In this research, we have demonstrated the effects of the methanol extract of L. edodes (MELE) on mast cell-mediated anaphylaxis-like and anaphylactic reactions. MELE suppressed systemic anaphylaxis-like reaction, plasma histamine levels, and ear swelling response in mice treated with compound 48/80. MELE also suppressed passive systemic and cutaneous anaphylaxis mediated by anti-dinitrophenyl IgE. In accordance with these findings, MELE dose-dependently decreased histamine release from RPMC evoked by compound 48/80 or the antigen-antibody reaction. To clarify the mechanism of degranulation system, intracellular cAMP levels as well as calcium influx in RPMC was evaluated. In compound 48/80-treated RPMC, MELE blocked calcium uptake into the cells. In addition, MELE elevated the intracellular cAMP content and significantly attenuated compound 48/80-induced cAMP reduction in RPMC. Taken together, we propose the clinical use of MELE in mast cell-mediated immediate-type allergic diseases.

• 한국식품과학회지
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• 제52권6호
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• pp.622-626
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• 2020

Recent studies have suggested that Canavalia gladiate, a dietary food and traditional folk medicine, has promising pharmaceutical potential, but the effects have mostly been demonstrated using its organo-soluble extract. To date, its immunomodulatory effect depending on the extraction method is unclear. Here, the immune responses of macrophages to C. gladiate and the underlying mechanisms were studied. C. gladiate hot water extract (CGW) induced cytokine production in bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) in a dose-dependent manner, whereas its ethanolic extract (CGE) did not. Immunoblotting analysis also showed that CGW activated nuclear factor (NF)-κB and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). Moreover, an inhibitor assay revealed the involvement of NF-κB, p38, and JNK, but not ERK, in CGW-induced cytokine production. CGE inhibited lipopolysaccharide-stimulated production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and activation of NF-κB and MAPKs in BMDMs. The results suggest that C. gladiate regulates the immune responses of macrophages differently depending on the extraction method.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제33권6호
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• pp.823-830
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• 2023

Lactococcus lactis is a lactic acid bacterium and used in the dairy food industry. The ameliorating effects of Lactobacillus species on atopic dermatitis (AD) have been extensively studied, but the specific effect of L. lactis strains has not yet been investigated. In this study, the efficacy of L. lactis LB 1022, isolated from natural cheese, was evaluated using RAW 264.7, HMC-1 and HaCaT cell lines and an ovalbumin-sensitized AD mouse model. L. lactis LB 1022 exhibited nitric oxide suppression and anti-allergy and anti-inflammatory activity in vitro. Oral administration of L. lactis LB 1022 to AD mice significantly reduced the levels of IgE, mast cells, and eosinophils, and a range of T cell-mediated T helper Th1, Th2, and Th17-type cytokines under interleukin (IL)-10, transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC), and thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP). In addition, L. lactis LB 1022 treatment increased the concentration of short-chain fatty acids. Overall, L. lactis LB 1022 significantly modulated AD-like symptoms by altering metabolites and the immune response, illustrating its potential as candidate for use in functional food supplements to alleviate AD.

• 한국식품저장유통학회지
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• 제30권1호
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• pp.65-77
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• 2023

In this study, we investigated the immunological properties of six strains of Acetobacter pasteurianus through nuclear factor-kappa B/activator protein-1 (NF-κB/AP-1) transcription factor activation and nitric oxide (NO) and cytokine production in macrophages. We found that the six A. pasteurianus strains had no significant inhibitory effect on the cell viability of RAW-Blue^TM cells at the concentration of (25, 50, 100 CFU/macrophage). The production of NO and cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6) showed different abilities of immune activation for each strain, and it was 0.7 to 0.9 times higher than that of the LPS (100 ng/mL, v/v) positive control and 7 to 8 times superior to that of the negative control group. To explore the underlying mechanism, we evaluated the mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory genes. Consequently, we found that inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 expression including genes expression of cytokines were elevated by the six A. pasteurianus treatment. These results suggested that the six strains of A. pasteurianus have an excellent industrial application value as a functional material for the purpose of enhancing immune function.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• 제21권2호
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• pp.15.1-15.10
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• 2021

Abnormal inflammatory responses are closely associated with intestinal microbial dysbiosis. Oral administration of Qmatrix-diabetes-mellitus complex (QDMC), an Aloe gel-based formula, has been reported to improve inflammation in type 2 diabetic mice; however, the role of the gut microbiota in ameliorating efficacy of QDMC remains unclear. We investigated the effect of QDMC on the gut microbiota in a type 2 diabetic aged mouse model that was administered a high-fat diet. Proinflammatory (TNF-α and IL-6) and anti-inflammatory (IL-4 and IL-10) cytokine levels in the fat were normalized via oral administration of QDMC, and relative abundances of Bacteroides, Butyricimonas, Ruminococcus, and Mucispirillum were simultaneously significantly increased. The abundance of these bacteria was correlated to the expression levels of cytokines. Our findings suggest that the immunomodulatory activity of QDMC is partly mediated by the altered gut microbiota composition.

• Journal of Web Engineering
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• 제10권9호
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• pp.1205-1216
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• 2018

Naturally occurring saponins have been reported to have anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects. However, the effects of gracillin, a main saponin component of Dioscorea quinqueloba (D. quinqueloba), on atopic dermatitis (AD), have not been previously studied. The aim of this study was to determine whether gracillin isolated from D. quinqueloba has an anti-AD effect on 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB)-induced AD-like skin lesions in SKH-1 hairless mice. Topical co-treatment of gracillin and DNCB for two weeks markedly reduced symptoms typical of AD (redness, itching, swelling and skin lichenification), decreased transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and increased skin hydration. In addition, gracillin strongly inhibited PI-induced IL-4 expression in RBL-2H3 cells and in the skins of AD mice. Our results suggest gracillin is a potential candidate for the prevention and treatment of AD and other inflammatory skin disorders.