• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.93-116
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• 2006

Purpose : This study is to examine the effects of Hwaganjeon water extract(HGJ) on immobilization-stress or cold-stress in BALB/C mice. Methods : We have Hwaganjeon water extract(HGJ) by freeze-dryer & melt it by a saline solution. We feed HGJ 500mg/Kg to 5mice, and add immobilization-stress by putting mice in plastic cylinder 10 hours, and add cold-stress by putting mice in $4^{\circ}C$ cold room 6 hours. Results : 1. HGJ decreased the serum level of histamine and corticosterone increased by immobilization-stress or cold-stress. HGJ inhibited the release of histamine from mast cells at the concentration of 1 mg/ml. 2. HGJ did not affect the cell viability of thymocytes decreased by immobilization-stress or cold-stress, but increased the cell viability of splenocytes decreased by immobilization-stress or cold-stress. 3. HGJ decreased the population of splenic $CD4^{+}$ and $CD8^{+}$cells increased by immobolization-stress or cold-stress. 4. HGJ enhanced the production of ${\gamma}$-interferon(IFN) and interleukin(IL)-2 decreased by immobilization-stress or cold-stress. Conclusion : These results indicate that HGJ may be useful for the prevention and treatment of stress via suppression of serum histamine and corticosterone level and enhancement of immune response.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.149-158
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• 2016

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease with a complex etiology that encompasses immunologic responses. AD is frequently associated with elevated immunoglobulin (Ig) E levels, and common environmental factors contribute to its pathogenesis. Several recent studies have documented the role of specific lactic acid bacteria in the treatment and prevention of AD in humans and mice. In this study, the efficacy of Duolac ATP, a probiotic preparation, was determined in a mouse model with AD-like skin lesions. Alterations in the cytokine levels and histological staining suggested the alleviation of AD. The in vivo test showed that T helper (Th)2 cytokines, IgE, interleukin (IL)-4, and IL-5, were significantly downregulated, whereas Th1 cytokines, IL-12p40 and interferon (IFN)-${\gamma}$, were upregulated in all groups of mice treated with Duolac ATP compared to that observed in the group of mice treated with 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (DNCB) alone. Moreover, the scratch score decreased in all mice treated with Duolac ATP. Staining of the dorsal area of the mice in each group with hematoxylin and eosin and toluidine blue further confirmed the alleviation of AD in mice orally treated with Duolac ATP. These results suggest that Duolac ATP inhibits the development of AD-like skin lesions in NC/Nga mice by suppressing the Th2 cell response and increasing the Th1 cell response. Thus, Duolac ATP is beneficial and effective for the treatment of AD-like skin lesions.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.63-77
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• 2013

The object of this study was to observe anticancer and related immunomodulatory and anticachexic effects of Insamyangyoung-tang aqueous extracts (ISYYTe) on non-small cell lung carcinoma (squamous epithelial carcinoma), NCI-H520, xenograft Balb/c nu-nu nude mice. Changes on the tumor volume and weights, lymphatic organ(spleen and popliteal lymph node), serum interferon (IFN)-${\gamma}$ levels, splenocytes and peritoneal macrophage activities (NK cell activity), splenic tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-${\alpha}$, interleukin (IL)-$1{\beta}$ and IL-10 contents, splenic T-lymphocyte subsets (CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+) and TNF-${\alpha}+$ cells were observed with tumor mass and lymphatic organ histopathology to detect anticancer and immunomodulatory effects. In addition, changes on the body weights, epididymal fat weights and serum IL-6 levels were also detected with the thicknesses of deposited cervical brown adipose tissue and their mean diameters to monitor the tumor-related anticachexic effects. The results obtained in this study suggest that over 50 mg/kg of ISYYTe showed favorable anticancer effects on the NCI-H520 cell xenograft with immunomodulatory and anticachexic effects. However, detail mechanism studies should be conducted in future with the screening of the biological active compounds in this herb.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.335-343
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• 2017

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is an inflammatory skin condition accompanied by symptoms such as edema and hemorrhage. Kimchi is a traditional fermented Korean dish consisting of various probiotics. In this study, the therapeutic effect of Lactobacillus plantarum CJLP55 isolated from Kimchi was studied in AD-induced mice. Orally administered Lactobacillus strain, CJLP55, suppressed AD symptoms and high serum IgE levels. CJLP55 administration reduced the thickness of the epidermis, infiltration of mast cells and eosinophils into the skin lesion, enlargement of axillary lymph nodes, and increase in cell population in axillary lymph nodes. CJLP55 treatment decreased the production of type 2 cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5, IL-10, IL-12, interferon (IFN)-${\gamma}$, and IL-6,which were stimulated by house dust mite extracts, in the axillary lymph node cells. Orally administered CJLP55 exhibited a therapeutic effect on house dust mite-induced AD in NC/Nga mice after onset of the disease by altering immune cell activation. The Lactobacillus strain, CJLP55, isolated from Kimchi, suppressed AD. Our results suggest its possible use as a potential candidate for management of AD.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2018.10a
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• pp.128-128
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• 2018

Nypa fruticans wurmb (NF) has been used as traditional medicinal food in Asian countries. Especially, NF has been used for conventional medicine to treat inflammatory periodontal diseases. Previous studies have been shown that NF has large amount of useful constituents such as phenolic acids, polyphenols and flavonoids. Also, NF is known as having medicinal effects such as anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and cholesterol-lowering effects. NF has recently been attracted to use complementary medicinal food on inflammatory diseases in Korea. However, there are no obvious effects in inflammatory and metabolic diseases also mechanisms has been studied yet. The purpose of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of NF and steamed-NF (SNF), which recently has been used as health food, using Human keratinocyte cell line (HaCaT) and Human mast cell line (HMC-1). The cytotoxicities of NF and SNF were measured by using MTT assays in HaCaT cells and HMC-1 cell. To evaluate anti-inflammatory effects of NF and SNF, HaCaT cells were stimulated with tumor necrosis factor $(TNF)-{\alpha}$ and Interferon $(IFN)-{\gamma}$. Also, HMC-1 cells were stimulated with phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) and A23187 calcium ionophore (A23187) to induce allergic inflammation. Inflammatory cytokine were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In this result, the extract of NF and SNF (0.01 - 1mg/ml) did not show cytotoxicity in HaCaT cells and HMC-1 cells. In addition, the NF and SNF suppressed the production of interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8 in HaCaT cells at highest concentration. Furthermore, the treatment of SNF significantly inhibited the secretion level of IL-8 in PMA plus A23187-stimulated HMC-1 cells compared with NF treatment group. These results suggest that the extract of NF and SNF may serve as a potential therapy for skin inflammatory diseases.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.173-179
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• 2014

Asian sand dust is known to promote various respiratory symptoms or disorders. For the prevention of harmful health effects by Asian sand dust, the best strategy is known to avoid or reduce exposure to the Asian sand dust. Several studies have shown that Korean red ginseng (RG) has anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effects. The study aimed to clarify the effect of Korean red ginseng intake on lung inflammation responses to artificial sand dust (ASD) similar to Asian sand dust. BALB/c mice were divided into five groups (n=12) of control (saline), ovalbumin (OVA), OVA with ASD, OVA plus RG with ASD, and OVA plus dexamethasone (DEXA) with ASD. Histopathologic evaluation of lung was conducted. Interleukin (IL)-5, IL-12, interferon (IFN)-${\gamma}$, IL-13, monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP)-1, and eotaxin within bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid were measured by ELISA. OVA+ASD group significantly increased concentrations of IL-5, IL-13, MCP-1, and eotaxin (P<0.01) compared to the control. OVA+ASD+RG group showed significant decreased levels of IL-2, IL-13, MCP-1 and eotaxin (P<0.01) compared with OVA+ASD. Between RG and DEXA treatment groups, there was no significant difference in all cytokines and chemokines. The inflammatory cells were significantly decreased in treatment groups with RG or DEXA compared to OVA+ASD group. This study suggests a beneficial effect of Korean RG administration in preventing inflammation of lung resulting from Asian sand dust.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.1316-1321
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• 2009

Multiple beneficial properties of Opuntia ficus indica (OPF) are well established. In the present study, we have investigated the immunological role of OPF extract (OPFE) on murine splenocytes. OPFE dose- and time-dependently enhanced the proliferation of splenocytes without cytotoxicity. Our results also showed that the number of $CD4^+$ helper T cells and CD45R/$B220^+$ pan B cells increased markedly, but not $CD8^+$ cytotoxic T cells or $CD11b^+$ granulocytes/macrophages. In addition, OPFE significantly decreased the production levels of T helper (Th) 1 type cytokines, interferon (IFN)-$\gamma$, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-$\alpha$, although had no significantly differences in those of interleukin (IL)-4, a Th2 type cytokine in concanavalin A (Con A)-stimulated blastogenic cells. Furthermore, OPFE alone strongly increased IL-4 production and decreased TNF-$\alpha$ production even in the absence of Con A. On the basis of these results, this study suggests that OPFE enhances immunity by regulating the pro- and anti-inflammatory response, indicating that this extract exerts a marked immunomodulatory effect, confirming its usefulness as therapy for immune-related diseases.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.593-602
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• 2020

Background: Heat stress orchestrates neurodegenerative disorders and results in the formation of reactive oxygen species that leads to cell death. Although the immunomodulatory effects of ginseng are well studied, the mechanism by which ginseng alleviates heat stress in the brain remains elusive. Methods: Rats were exposed to intermittent heat stress for 6 months, and brain samples were examined to elucidate survival and antiinflammatory effect after Korean Red Ginseng (KRG) treatment. Results: Intermittent long-term heat stress (ILTHS) upregulated the expression of cyclooxygenase 2 and inducible nitric oxide synthase, increasing infiltration of inflammatory cells (hematoxylin and eosin staining) and the level of proinflammatory cytokines [tumor necrosis factor α, interferon gamma (IFN-γ), interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6], leading to cell death (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling assay) and elevated markers of oxidative stress damage (myeloperoxidase and malondialdehyde), resulting in the downregulation of antiapoptotic markers (Bcl-2 and Bcl-x_L) and expression of estrogen receptor beta and brain-derived neurotrophic factor, key factors in regulating neuronal cell survival. In contrast, KRG mitigated ILTHS-induced release of proinflammatory mediators, upregulated the mRNA level of the antiinflammatory cytokine IL-10, and increased myeloperoxidase and malondialdehyde levels. In addition, KRG significantly decreased the expression of the proapoptotic marker (Bax), did not affect caspase-3 expression, but increased the expression of antiapoptotic markers (Bcl-2 and Bcl-x_L). Furthermore, KRG significantly activated the expression of both estrogen receptor beta and brain-derived neurotrophic factor. Conclusion: ILTHS induced oxidative stress responses and inflammatory molecules, which can lead to impaired neurogenesis and ultimately neuronal death, whereas, KRG, being the antioxidant, inhibited neuronal damage and increased cell viability.

• 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.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.273-280
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• 2013

Bamboo salt, a Korean folk medicine, is prepared with solar salt (sea salt) and baked several times at high temperatures in a bamboo case. In this study, we compared the preventive effects of bamboo salt and purified and solar salts on hepatic damage induced by carbon tetrachloride in Sprague-Dawley rats. Compared with purified and solar salts, bamboo salts prevented hepatic damage in rats, as evidenced by significantly reduced serum levels of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and lactate dehydrogenase (P < 0.05). Bamboo salt (baked $9{\times}$) triggered the greatest reduction in these enzyme levels. In addition, it also reduced the levels of the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-6, interferon (IFN)-${\gamma}$, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-${\alpha}$. Histopathological sections of liver tissue demonstrated the protective effect of bamboo salt, whereas sections from animals treated with the other salt groups showed a greater degree of necrosis. We also performed reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and western blot analyses of the inflammation-related genes iNOS, COX-2, TNF-${\alpha}$, and IL-$1{\beta}$ in rat liver tissues. Bamboo salt induced a significant decrease (~80%) in mRNA and protein expression levels of COX-2, iNOS, TNF-${\alpha}$, and IL-$1{\beta}$, compared with the other salts. Thus, we found that baked bamboo salt preparations could prevent $CCl_4$-induced hepatic damage in vivo.