• Korean Journal of Korean Medical Institute of Dermatology and Aesthetics
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.127-144
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• 2005

This study compared the activity of the aerial part of P. japonicum with its root in order to examine the possibility of the medicinal use of the aerial part, which has not been used as medicine, in substitute for the root that has traditionally been used as medicine. For this purpose, the author measured the proliferation of Human $CD4^-$ T cells, which are related to immunity, the differentiation of HL-60 cells, and the contents of IL-6, IgE and $TNF-{\alpha}$ and compared their anti-cancer effect on Hep3B and A549 cells. The results of this study are as follows: 1. As for Human $CD4^-$ T cells, $1.0\;g/{\ell}$ methanol extract from the aerial part promoted the proliferation of the cells 1.8 times higher while $1.0\;g/{\ell}$ methanol extract from the root did by 1.76 times higher compared to the control group. 2. As for HL-60 cells, methanol extract and water extract from the aerial part showed differentiation 1.14 times higher and 1.12 times higher respectively while methanol extract and water extract from the root did 1.14 times higher and 1.07 times higher compared to tile control group. 3. Cell density was highest on Day 4 of culture in all samples, Methanol extracts from the aerial part and the root showed activities of $7.9{\times}10^3\;cells/m{\ell}$ and $7.5{\times}10^3\;cells/m{\ell}$ respectively, and water extracts from the aerial part and the root did activities of $5.3{\times}10^3\;cells/m{\ell}$ and $6.1{\times}10^3\;cells/m{\ell}$. 4. The secretion of IL-6 was highest on Day 4 of culture. Methanol extracts from the aerial part and the root showed secretions of $6.7{\times}10^{-3}\;pg/cells/m{\ell}$ and $7.2{\times}10^{-3}\;pg/cells/m{\ell}$ respectively, and water extracts from the aerial part and the root did secretions of as high as $7.0{\times}10^{-3}\;pg/cells/m{\ell}$ and $6.0{\times}10^{-3}\;pg/cells/m{\ell}$. 5. As for the production of IgE, water extract from the root effectively inhibited the product at $1,000\;{\mu}g/m{\ell}$, methanol extract from the root at $10\;{\mu}g/m{\ell}$ and $100\;{\mu}g/m{\ell}$, water extract from the aerial at $1,000\;{\mu}g/m{\ell}$, and methanol extract from the aerial part at $1,000\;{\mu}g/m{\ell}$. 6. According to the result of measuring the content of $TNF-{\alpha}$, methanol extracts from the root and the aerial part showed inhibition effect at $10\;{\mu}g/m{\ell}$, $100\;{\mu}g/m{\ell}$ and $1,000\;{\mu}g/m{\ell}$. 7. As for liver cancer cell Hep3B, $1.0\;g/{\ell}$ methanol extracts from the root and the aerial part showed inhibition effects of 78% and 70% respectively, and $1.0\;g/{\ell}$ water extracts from the root and the aerial part did inhibition effects of 56% and 59%. 8. As for lung cancer cell A549, $1.0\;g/{\ell}$ methanol extracts from the root and the aerial part showed inhibition effects of 75% and 70% respectively, and $1.0\;g/{\ell}$ water extracts from the root and the aerial part did inhibition effects of 48% and 45%. The results of this study presented above show that the aerial part of P. japonicum has immunizing and anti-cancer effects as high as its root, which has commonly been used as medicine. There should be more in-depth research on the aerial part of P. japonicum in the future.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.861-869
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• 1998

Backgrounds: The injury of a tissue results in the infalmmation, and the imflammed tissue is replaced by the normal parenchymal cells during the process of repair. But, constitutional or repetitive damage of a tissue causes the deposition of collagen resulting in the loss of its function. These lesions are found in the lung of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, complicated fibrosis after diffuse alveolar damage (DAD) and inorganic dust-induced lung fibrosis. The tissue from lungs of patients undergoing episodes of active and/or end-stage pulmonary fibrosis shows the accumulation of inflammatory cells, such as mononuclear cells, neutrophils, mast cells and eosinophils, and fibroblast hyperplasia. In this regard, it appears that the inflammation triggers fibroblast activation and proliferation with enhanced matrix synthesis, stimulated by inflammatory mediators such as interleukin-1 (IL-1) and/or tumor necrosis factor (TNF). It has been well known that TGF-$\beta$ enhance the proliferation of fibroblasts and the production of collagen and fibronectin, and inhibit the degradation of collagen. In this regard, It is likely that TGF-$\beta$ undergoes important roles in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis. Nevertheless, this single cytokine is not the sole regulator of the pulmonary fibrotic response. It is likely that the balance of many cytokines including TGF-$\beta$, IL-1, IL-6 and TNF-$\alpha$ regulates the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis. In this study, we investigate the interaction of TGF-$\beta$, IL-1$\beta$, IL-6 and TNF-$\alpha$ and their effect on the proliferation of fibroblasts. Methods: We used a human fibroblast cell line, MRC-5 (ATCC). The culture of MRC-5 was confirmed by immunofluorecent staining. First, we determined the concentration of serum in cuture medium, in which the proliferation of MRC-5 is supressed but the survival of MRC-5 is retained. Second, we measured optical density after staining the cytokine-stimulated cells with 0.5% naphthol blue black in order to detect the effect of cytokines on the proliferation of MRC-5. Result: In the medium containing 0.5% fetal calf serum, the proliferation of MRC-5 increased by 50%, and it was maintained for 6 days. IL-1$\beta$, TNF-$\alpha$ and IL-6 induced the proliferation of MRC-5 by 45%, 160% and 120%, respectively. IL-1$\beta$ and TNF-$\alpha$ enhanced TGF-$\beta$-induced proliferation of MRC-5 by 64% and 159%, but IL-6 did not affect the TGF-$\beta$-induced proliferation. And lNF-$\alpha$-induced proliferation of MRC-5 was reduced by IL-1$\beta$ in 50%. TGF-$\beta$, TNF-$\alpha$ and both induced the proliferation of MRC-5 to 89%, 135% and 222%, respectively. Conclusions: TNF-$\alpha$, TGF-$\beta$ and IL-1$\beta$, in the order of the effectiveness, showed the induction of MRC-5 proliferation of MRC-5. TNF-$\alpha$ and IL-1$\beta$ enhance the TGF-$\beta$-induced proliferation of MRC-5, but IL-6 did not have any effect TNF-$\alpha$-induced proliferation of MRC-5 is diminished by IL-1, and TNF-$\alpha$ and TGF-$\beta$ showed a additive effect.