• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.178-188
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• 2018

The aim of this study was to assess the in vitro potential of water extract from torrefied oak wood as a natural antioxidant. The antioxidant potential of the extracts was assessed by employing different in vitro assays, including reducing power, DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl), ABTS [2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid)], and FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant potential) assays. The DPPH activity of the extract was increased in a dose-dependent manner. Measurement of total flavonoid content of water extract from torrefied oak wood was achieved using an aluminum chloride colorimetric assay; the extract contained 192.12 mg/g flavonoid, which was significantly high when compared with standard quercetin. The results obtained in this study indicate that water extract from torrefied oak wood has significant potential for use as a natural antioxidant agent.

• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.257-264
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• 2009

Gardenia yellow, extracted from gardenia fruit, has been widely used as a coloring agent for foods, and thus, safety of its usage is of prime importance. In the current study, short-term genotoxicity assays were conducted to evaluate the potential genotoxic effects of gardenia yellow. The gardenia yellow used was found to contain 0.057 mg/g of genipin, a known biologically active compound of the gardenia fruit extract. Ames test did not reveal any positive results. No clastogenicity was detected by a chromosomal aberration test, even on evaluation at the highest feasible concentration of gardenia yellow. Gardenia yellow was also shown to be non-genotoxic using an in vitro comet assay and a micronucleus test with L5178Y cells, although a marginal increase in DNA damage and micronuclei frequency was reported in the respective assays. Additionally, in vivo micronucleus test results clearly demonstrated that oral administration of gardenia yellow did not induce micronuclei formation in the bone marrow cells of male ICR mice. Taken together, our results indicate that gardenia yellow is not mutagenic to bacterial cells, and that it does not cause chromosomal damage in mammalian cells, either in vitro or in vivo.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.33 no.9
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• pp.1486-1491
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• 2004

The estrogenicities of six heavy metal compounds, which contaminate frequently in foods, were assayed using a combination of in vitro and in vivo assays. The assays were 1) estrogen receptor dependent transcriptional expression assay, 2) E-screen assay and, 3) the uterotropic assay in mice. The chemicals studied were 17$\beta$ -estradiol, diethylstilbestrol (DES), arsenic oxide, bis(tri-n-butyltin), cadmium chloride, chromium chloride, lead acetate, and mercuric chloride. Using the estrogen receptor dependent transcriptional expression assay, the following estrogenicity ranking was measured: bis(tri-n-butyltin) > cadmium chloride > chromium chloride >> mercuric chloride >lead acetate = arsenic oxide. Using E-screen test, the following estrogenicity ranking was measured: bis(tri-n-butyltin) > cadmium chloride > chromium chloride >> mercuric chloride > lead acetate = arsenic oxide. Results from the uterotropic assay showed that bis(tri-n-butyltin), cadmium chloride, chromium chloride caused an increase in uterine wet weight, while lead acetate, mercuric chloride, and arsenic oxide failed to do so. Bis(tri-n-butyltin), cadmium chloride and chromium chloride showed the highest estrogenicity in three assay systems. Recent studies suggesting that bis(tri-n-butyltin), cadmium chloride have estrogenicities are compatible with the present finding. Furthermore, our study is suggesting that chromium chloride may be estrogenic. The results demonstrate that this three level-assay combination (transcriptional activation, cell proliferation, and an in vivo effect in an estrogen-responsive tissue) could serve as a useful method to assess the estrogenicity of heavy metals.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.190-195
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• 2003

To assess the genotoxicity of AS6, several classical toxicological tests were performed. In Ames test, AS6 did not show any transformation of revertant with or without S-9 metabolic activating system, indicating the lack of mutagenic effect of the compound. To assess clastogenic effect, in vivo micronucleus and in vitro chromosomal aberration assays were performed using male ICR mice and Chinese hamster lung (CHL) fibroblast cells, respectively. Chromosomal aberration was not induced regardless of the presence of S-9 metabolic activating system. In addition, AS6 did not cause any increase in the incidence of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes at any of the dose levels, suggesting little clastogenicity in vitro or in vivo. Taken together, these results demonstrate that AS-6 has no mutagenic effect in our test system.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.58 no.2
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• pp.113-116
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• 2015

Silver materials may be toxic in humans because they can enter the body and accumulate, typically in the lungs. We hypothesized that the cytotoxicity of naive silver materials is affected by their size and shape. Our in vitro assays revealed that the overall toxicity was in the following order: submicro-particles>wires>micro-particles. These results contrast with previous studies, which showed that silver wires are the most toxic among the three tested materials, possibly due to differences in cell lines. Evaluations of in vivo pulmonary toxicity revealed eryptosis in the cavity lining of the lung sections. The observed eryptosis was consistent with the in vitro results. Our results indicate that silver materialinduced cytotoxicity must be measured and compared using various methods.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.491-496
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• 1996

This experiment was performed to determine the safety of the Korean red ginseng irradiated with gamma rays with respect to genotoxicity. Ethanol extracts of the 5 and 10 kGy gamma-irradiated red ginseng were examined in two short-term in vitro tests : (1) Salmonella typhimurium reversion assay(Ames test) in strain TA 98, TA 100 and TA 102 (2) Micronucleus test in cultured Chinese hamster ovary(CHO) cells. No mutagenicity was detected in the two assays with or without metabolic activation. It was suggested that the Korean red ginseng irradiated with gamma rays did not cause genotoxicity in vitro. Further tests of genotoxicity in vivo, chronic and reproductive toxicity should be carried out to determine whether it is safe to irradiate Korean red ginseng with practical doses of gamma rays.

• CELLMED
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.6.1-6.6
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• 2013

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the lungs, characterized by increased sensitivity to bronchoconstriction associated with infiltration of immune cells and mucus hyper secretion. In South Africa, the indigenous plant Siphonochilus aethiopicus, is used by traditional health practitioners to treat colds and flu, wheezing of the chest, coughs, influenza, sinus problems and mild asthma. In this study we aimed to investigate the potential anti-inflammatory and immune-modulating properties of S. aethiopicus in vitro. The dried and powdered S. aethiopicus plant material was extracted with organic solvents. The dried extracts were screened in vitro in the transcription response, NF-${\kappa}B$ and a cytokine assay. Significant activity was observed for organic extracts of the plant in these assays. This study provides evidence that S. aethiopicus has anti-inflammatory and immune-suppressing properties in vitro. These findings may support anecdotal accounts of its effectiveness against allergic asthma.

• Ceramist
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.204-215
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• 2018

Proteases are one of the most abundant classes of enzymes in living organisms and have been considered major targets for drug development. However, despite the ability to specifically cleave their substrates, many attempts to assay protease activity have generally relied upon the use of gel zymography or fluorophore-labeled peptide substrates, which is limited in rapid and multiplex analysis. Here we review the recent advances in nanoparticle (NP)-utilized assays of protease activity focused on in vitro and cell imaging-based approaches. Owing to large surface area and unprecedented physical properties of NPs, these approaches are anticipated to facilitate many applications related to protease activity-based disease diagnosis and drug discovery.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.475-479
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• 2006

Gentisyl alcohol isolated from Penicillium sp. has an antioxidative activity, protecting cells from oxidative stresses. From our in vitro angiogenesis assays with bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAECs), gentisyl alcohol was newly identified as a pro-angiogenic small molecule that induces new blood vessel formation of the cells. Gentisyl alcohol stimulated the proliferation of BAECs in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, it induced in vitro angiogenesis of BAECs such as invasiveness, migration, and tube formation of the endothelial cells. Effects of gentisyl alcohol on invasion and tube formation were also dose-dependent. These results demonstrate that gentisyl alcohol could affect the angiogenic phenotypes of endothelial cells and be developed as a new small molecule with pro-angiogenic activity.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.2555-2559
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• 2015

Purpose: To investigate effects of the TESTIN (TES) gene on proliferation and migration of highly metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell line 5-8F and the related mechanisms. Materials and Methods: The target gene of human nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell line 5-8F was amplified by PCR and cloned into the empty plasmid pEGFP-N1 to construct a eukaryotic expression vector pEGFP-N1-TES. This was then transfected into 5-8F cells. MTT assays, flow cytometry and scratch wound tests were used to detect the proliferation and migration of transfected 5-8F cells. Results: A cell model with stable and high expression of TES gene was successfully established. MTT assays showed that the OD value of 5-8F/TES cells was markedly lower than that of 5-8F/GFP cells and 5-8F cells (p<0.05). Flow cytometry showed that the apoptosis rate of 5-8F/TES cells was prominently increased compared with 5-8F/GFP cells and 5-8F cells (p<0.05). In vitro scratch wound assays showed that, the width of the wound area of 5-8F/TES cells narrowed slightly, while the width of the wound area of 5-8F/ GFP cells and 5-8F cells narrowed sharply, suggesting that the TES overexpression could inhibit the migration ability. Conclusions: TES gene expression remarkably inhibits the proliferation of human nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell line 5-8F and reduces its migration in vitro. Thus, it may be a potential tumor suppressor gene for nasopharyngeal carcinoma.