• Toxicological Research
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• 제22권4호
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• pp.375-380
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• 2006

Microcystin-LR (MC-LR) is a cyanobacterial hepatotoxin mainly produced by Microcystis aeruginosa. The current study examined the effects of a single intraperitoneal dose of MC-LR in rats. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were intraperitoneally injected with MC-LR ($100{\mu}g/kg$ body weight) and they were sacrificed at 0, 20, 40, 80, 160 min, or 12 h after injection. Clinically, animals showed lethargy and had ruffled hair beginning at 40 min post injection. In the gross findings, liver was enlarged and its color was changed into dark red beginning at 40 min post injection. Microscopically, dissociation of centrilobular hepatocytes and hemorrhage was observed in the hepatic central legions and such pathological changes were then extended to the portal regions of liver by time course manner. Interestingly at 80 min after MC-LR injection, the entrapped eosinophilic materials that may be necrotic fragments of dissociated hepatocytes were found in the capillaries of lung and renal glomerulus. Ultrastructurally, microvilli of the hepatocytes were disrupted or lost at all time points. Furthermore, the Disse space and gap junctions were widened beginning at 40 min post injection. These results suggest that liver is the major target organ of MC-LR and isolated hepatocytes by the effects of such hepatotoxin may secondarily reduce the physiological function of lung and kidney.

• BMB Reports
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• 제54권9호
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• pp.476-481
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• 2021

Liver receptor homolog-1 (LRH-1) has emerged as a regulator of hepatic glucose, bile acid, and mitochondrial metabolism. However, the functional mechanism underlying the effect of LRH-1 on lipid mobilization has not been addressed. This study investigated the regulatory function of LRH-1 in lipid metabolism in maintaining a normal liver physiological state during fasting. The Lrh-1^f/f and LRH-1 liver-specific knockout (Lrh-1^LKO) mice were either fed or fasted for 24 h, and the liver and serum were isolated. The livers were used for qPCR, western blot, and histological analysis. Primary hepatocytes were isolated for immunocytochemistry assessments of lipids. During fasting, the Lrh-1^LKO mice showed increased accumulation of triglycerides in the liver compared to that in Lrh-1^f/f mice. Interestingly, in the Lrh-1^LKO liver, decreases in perilipin 5 (PLIN5) expression and genes involved in β-oxidation were observed. In addition, the LRH-1 agonist dialauroylphosphatidylcholine also enhanced PLIN5 expression in human cultured HepG2 cells. To identify new target genes of LRH-1, these findings directed us to analyze the Plin5 promoter sequence, which revealed -1620/-1614 to be a putative binding site for LRH-1. This was confirmed by promoter activity and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays. Additionally, fasted Lrh-1^f/f primary hepatocytes showed increased co-localization of PLIN5 in lipid droplets (LDs) compared to that in fasted Lrh-1^LKO primary hepatocytes. Overall, these findings suggest that PLIN5 might be a novel target of LRH-1 to mobilize LDs, protect the liver from lipid overload, and manage the cellular needs during fasting.

• 약학회지
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• 제46권6호
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• pp.466-471
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• 2002

Oxidative stress is considered to be associated with many diseases, such as inflammatory and cardiovascular diseases, aging and cancer. An important etiological mechanism of these diseases may be a causal relationship between the presence of oxidants and the generation of lipid hydroperoxides derived from enzymatic reactions or xenobiotic metabolism. The hydroperoxides can be decomposed to alkoxy- (ROㆍ) and peroxy- (ROOㆍ) free radicals that can oxidize other cell components, resulting in changes in enzyme activity or the generation of mediators, which can cause further cell damage. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of aqueous extract from the roots of Platycodon grandiflorum A. DC (Campanulaceae), Changkil (CK), to affect cellular response in primary cultures of rat hepatocytes to t-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BHP) induced oxidative stress and hepatotoxicity. CK-treated cells showed an increased resistance to oxidative challenge, as revealed by a higher percent of survival capacity in respect to control cells. CK reduced t-BHP-enhanced lipid peroxidation measured as production of malondialdehyde and enhanced intracellular reduced glutathione depletion by t-BHP. Furthermore, CK protected from the t-BHP-induced intracellular generation of reactive oxygen species assessed by monitoring dichlorodihydrofluorescein fluorescence. It can be concluded that CK exerts an antioxidant action inside the cell, responsible for the observed modulation of the cellular response to oxidative challenge, and CK have a marked antioxidative and hepatoprotective potency.

• 한국수정란이식학회지
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• 제31권3호
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• pp.169-177
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• 2016

There is a growing interest in the application of primary hepatocytes for treatment of liver diseases in humans and for drug development. Several studies have focused on long-term survival and di-differentiation blocking of primary hepatocytes in an in vitro culture system. Therefore, the present study also aimed to optimize an in vitro culture system using primary rat hepatocytes. Primary rat hepatocytes from 6-week-old male Crl:CD rats were isolated using a modified two-step collagenase perfusion. Healthy $3.5{\times}10^6$ primary rat hepatocytes were seeded into a 2 dimensional (2D) culture in a 25T culture flask coated with collagen type I or into a 3D culture in a 125-ml spinner flask for 7 days. Production of plasma protein (ALB and TF), apoptosis (BAX and BCL2), and CYP (CYP3A1) related genes were compared between the 2D and 3D culture systems. The 3D culture system had an advantage over the 2D system because of the relatively high expression of ALB and low expression of BAX in the 3D system. However, the level of CYP3A1 did not improve in the 3D culture with and without the presence of a dexamethasone inducer. Therefore, 3D culture has an advantage for albumin production and primary rat hepatocyte survivability, but a low expression of CYP3A1 indicated that primary rat hepatocytes require a high-density culture for stress reduction by continuous flow.

• 약학회지
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• 제32권6호
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• pp.428-434
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• 1988

The effects of calcium and calcium antagonist, nifedipine on the adrenergic receptor-stimulated glycogenolysis were investigated in isolated rat hepatocytes. The hepatic glycogenolysis induced by alpha-adrenergic receptor stimulation depended on calcium ions, and beta-adrenergic activation was unrelated to calcium ions. Nifedipine decreased the alpha-adrenergic agonist-induced glucose release significantly and the decrease was depended on calcium ions. The glucose release induced by beta-adrenergic agonist was not inhibited by nifedipine.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제27권2호
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• pp.52-55
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• 2003

The present experiment was perf'3rmed to investigate the protective effects of ginseng total saponin (GTS) and possible mechanisms on the hepatocytotoxicity induced by tert-butylhydroperoxide (t-BuOOH), 4-Bromo-calciumu ionophore A23187 (Br-A23187) and KCN. Hepatocytes were isolated by collagenase perfusion of livers from fasted male Sprague Dawley rats and cultured overnight. After various treatments in Krebs-Ringer-HEPES buffer at pH 7.4, cell viability was determined by propidium iodide using fluorocytometry. GTS (5-20 ${\mu}$M) inhibited cell killing induced by t-BuOOH, and KCN, dose-dependently. However, GTS did not inhibit Br-A23187-induced cell killing. These findings support that GTS could protect the hepatocytoxicity induced by some toxic chemicals. The mechanisms of these protective effects by GTS seem to be associated with antioxidant activity and increase of cellular ATP.

• 대한약학회:학술대회논문집
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• 대한약학회 2002년도 Proceedings of the Convention of the Pharmaceutical Society of Korea Vol.2
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• pp.288.1-288.1
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• 2002

Herbal medicines are increasingly being utilized to treat a wide variety of disease processes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of aqueous extract from the roots of Platycodon grandiflorum A. DC (Campanulaceae). Changkil (CK). to affect cellular response in primary cultures of rat hepatocytes to t-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BHP) induced oxidative stress and hepatotoxicity. CK-treated cells showed an increased resistance to oxidative challenge. as revealed by a higher percent of survival capacity in respect to control cells. CK added prior or simultaneously with I-BHP reduced enganced lipid peroxidation measured as production of malondialdehyde and enhnaced intracellular reduced glutathinoe depletion by t-BHP. Furhtermore. CK protected from the t-BHP-induced intracellular generation of reactive oxygen species assessde by montioting dichlorodihydrofluorescein fluorescence. it can be concluded that CK exerts an antioxidant action insice the cell. responsible for the abserved modulation of the cellular response to oxidative challenge. and CK have a marked anitioxdative and hepatoprotective potency.

• Toxicological Research
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• 제3권1호
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• pp.1-8
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• 1987

In vitro induction of cytochrome 450 associated monooxygenase activities by phenobarbital (PB) and 3-methylcholanthrene (MC) was investigated in primary cultures of adult rat hepatocytes. PB and MC were added to the culture 24 hr after the initial plating of hepatocytes. A signiftcant increase of the activities of 7-ethoxycoumarin 0-deethylase and aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase were observed in MC and PB treated culture. MC caused about 500% induction of the initial oxidation rates of both enzymes in 48 hr. However the PB maintained both enzyme activities close to the level of freshly isolated hepatocytes. Biphenyl 4-hydroxylase and aminopyrine N-demethylase activities were also induced by MC and PB. But the level of induction was less than that occuring with 7-ethoxycoumarin 0-deethylase and aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase. When aflatoxin $B_1$ was added to the hepatocyte cultures which have been treated with MC or PB, it caused a significant increase of the unscheduled DNA synthesis at higher dose of aflatoxin $B_1$ as compared to those of untreated control hepatocyte cultures. The results suggest that microsomal enzyme activities can be selectively controlled preferably in hepatocyte cultures by the in vitro induction method. This principle may be useful for studying the metabolism and other toxicological studies.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• 제26권1호
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• pp.33-41
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• 1996

In order to study the effect of phenobarbital(PB) on the hepatic transport of diltiazem(DTZ), $Ca^{2+}$ channel blocker, we used isolated hepatocytes of rat which was intraperitoneally pretreated with phenobarbital sodium(75 mg/kg) for four days once a day. For the isolation of rat liver cells, a modification of the two step procedure of Seglen was used. DTZ was dissolved in incubation buffer to the final DTZ concentrations of 200, 400, 600, 800 and 1000 ng/ml in order to elucidate the uptake characteristics of DTZ by hepatocytes. Reactions were stopped at 10, 20, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120 and 300 sec. The initial velocity was determined by disappearance of diltiazem in the hepatocyte suspension. On the other hand, to determine the effect of PB on the in vitro hepatic intrinsic clearance of DTZ we obtained the metabolism rates of DTZ in the control and the PB-pretreated rat hepatocyte at various time intervals. According to pretreatment with PB, the size of hepatocyte and the amount of protein per $10^6$ cells were significantly (p<0.01) increased from $26.92{\pm}0.1364\;m$ to $35.31{\pm}1.00\;m$ and from $468{\pm}6.5\;{\mu}g/10^6$ cells to $628.8{\pm}12.1{\mu}g/10^6$ cells, respectively. In the case or hepatic uptake of diltiazem, $K_m$ was not different in the normalization by cell numbers and increased from $2.90\;{\mu}M\;to\;13.89\;{\mu}M$ in the normalization by protein amount. $V_max$ was increased regardless of normalization by protein amount and cell numbers, from $1.21\;{\mu}mole/min \;{\cdot}\;mg\;protein\;to\;3.96\;{\mu}mole/min\;{\cdot}\;mg\;protein\;and\;from\;2.38\;{\mu}mole/min\;{\cdot}\;10^6\;cells\;to\;2.83\;{\mu}mole/min\;{\cdot}\;10^6\;cells$, respectively. The in vitro hepatic intrinsic clearance of DTZ was significantly (p<0.01) increased from $0.640{\pm}0.038\;ml/mim\;{\cdot}\;10^6\;cells\;to\;2.385{\pm}0.212\;ml/min\;{\cdot}\;10^6\;cells$ due to PB-pretreatment. These results suggest that the uptake of DTZ by hepatocyte is extremely fast and PB enhances the hepatic intrinsic metabolic clearance of DTZ.

• 고려인삼학회:학술대회논문집
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• 고려인삼학회 1990년도 Proceedings of International Symposium on Korean Ginseng, 1990, Seoul, Korea
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• pp.45-48
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• 1990

Maltol(2-methyl-3-hydroxy-r-pyrone), a component known to be present in Korean Ginseng root showed an antioxidant action but its potency as an antioxidant was low; about 1150th that of other antioxidants such as p-phenylenediamine , BHA and BHT. However, maltol was able to protect the oxidation adamants in biological systems such as adriamycin-induced membrane damage in isolated cardiomyocytes, parquet-induced toxicities in isolated hepatocytes and repercussion injury in isolated hearts. The antioxidant action of maltol was also shown to be effective in vivo. The antioxidant action of this compound was probably due to the removal of hydroxyl radicals. In view of the roles of oxygen radical in various pathological processes, Korean Ginseng root, which contains several antioxidants including maltol, is expected to have beneficial efforts on the oxygen radical-involved processes. Keywords Maltol, Oxygen free radicals, Lipid preoccupation, Repercussion injury and Korean ginseng