• Journal of environmental and Sanitary engineering
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.88-96
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• 1999

The effect of acute cadmium-neuropathy on phospholipid metabolism in rat sciatic nerve was investigated. An animal model of cadmium neuropathy was induced by feeding diet containing cadmium to Sprague-Dawley rat for two weeks. Four weeks aged Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups : normal control group, 10ppm-cadmium treated group, 100ppm-cadmium treated group, 1000ppm-cadmium treated group, reference drug, myo-inositol-treated group. All rats were sacrificed at the end of two weeks. The rate of incorporation of 2-[3H]myo-inositol into polyphosphinositide was significantly decreased while the rates of incorporation into phospholipid of titratedserine, ethanolamine and choline were unchanged in sciatic nerve obtained from cadmium-treated rat. Continuously the activities of three enzymes concerned with inositol phospholiped metabolism were measured in homogenates of rat sciatic nerves. Cystidine diglyceride transferase and phophatidylinositol kinase showed significantly decreased activities while phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate kinase did not show any significant change in activity by cadmium treatment. However these deficits of inositol phospholipid metabolism were ameliorated by myo-inositol administration and these effectiveness were more potent in lower dose cadmiumtreated rats than higher dose cadmium-treated rats. These results suggest that cadmium intoxicated peripheral nerve with perturbation of the ployphosphoinositide metabolism and alteration of the enzyme activity which concerned with myo-inositol metabolism.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.678-682
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• 2010

The deletion of sti from the Streptomyces plasmid pIJ101 made its derivative pHZ1358 an efficient vector for gene disruption and replacement. Here, pHZ1358 was further optimized by the construction of a derivative plasmid pJTU1278, in which a cassette carrying multiple cloning sites and a lacZ selection marker were introduced for convenient plasmid construction in E. coli. In addition, the oriT region of pJTU1278 was also deleted, generating a vector (pJTU1289) that can be used specifically for PCR-targeting. The efficient usage of these vectors was demonstrated by the deletion of the gene involved in avermectin biosynthesis in S. avermitilis.

• Journal of Korean Traditional Oncology
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.81-88
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• 2015

Generally, normal cells synthesize adenosine triphosphate (ATP) through oxidative phosphorylation in the mitochondria. However, they produce ATP through lactic acid fermentation on hypoxic condition. Interestingly, many cancer cells rely on aerobic glycolysis for ATP generation instead of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, which is termed as "Warburg effect". According to results from recent researches on differences of cancer cell metabolism from normal cell metabolism and because chemotherapy to suppress rapidly growing cells, as a side effect of cancer treatment, can still target healthy cells, there is merit in the development of small-molecule inhibitors targeting metabolic enzymes such as pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDHK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and monocarboxylate transporter (MCT). For new anticancer therapy, in this review, we show recent advances in study on cancer cell metabolism and molecules targeting metabolic enzymes which are importantly associated with cancer metabolism for cancer therapy. Furthermore, we would also like to emphasize the necessity of development of molecules targeting metabolic enzymes using herbal medicines and their constituents for anticancer drugs.

• BMB Reports
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• v.51 no.7
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• pp.319-326
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• 2018

Increasing evidence suggests that cancer stem cell (CSC) theory represents an important mechanism underlying the observed failure of existing therapeutic modalities to fully eradicate cancers. In addition to their more established role in maintaining minimal residual disease after treatment and forming the new bulk of the tumor, CSCs might also critically contribute to tumor recurrence and metastasis. For this reason, specific elimination of CSCs may thus represent one of the most important treatment strategies. Emerging evidence has shown that CSCs have a different metabolic phenotype to that of differentiated bulk tumor cells, and these specific metabolic activities directly participate in the process of CSC transformation or support the biological processes that enable tumor progression. Exploring the role of CSC metabolism and the mechanism of the metabolic plasticity of CSCs has become a major focus in current cancer research. The targeting of CSC metabolism may provide new effective therapies to reduce the risk of recurrence and metastasis. In this review, we summarize the most significant discoveries regarding the metabolism of CSCs and highlight recent approaches in targeting CSC metabolism.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.23 no.11
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• pp.1544-1553
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• 2013

Despite the importance of acetate kinase in the metabolism of bacteria, limited structural studies have been carried out on this enzyme. In this study, a three-dimensional structure of the Escherichia coli acetate kinase was constructed by use of molecular modeling methods. In the next stage, by considering the structure of the catalytic intermediate, trifluoroethanol (TFE) and trifluoroethyl butyrate were proposed as potential inhibitors of the enzyme. The putative binding mode of these compounds was studied with the use of a docking program, which revealed that they can fit well into the enzyme. To study the role of these potential enzyme inhibitors in the metabolic pathway of E. coli, their effects on the growth of this bacterium were studied. The results showed that growth was considerably reduced in the presence of these inhibitors. Changes in the profile of the metabolic products were studied by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Remarkable changes were observed in the quantity of acetate, but other products were less altered. In this study, inhibition of growth by the two inhibitors as reflected by a change in the metabolism of E. coli suggests the potential use of these compounds (particularly TFE) as bacteriostatic agents.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.341-348
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• 2008

Cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) catalyzes the acylation of cholesterol to cholesteryl ester with long chain fatty acids and ACAT inhibition is a useful strategy for treating hypercholesterolemia or atherosclerosis. Inhibitory effects on ACAT of the MeOH extracts prepared from 163 edible plants were evaluated. 15 species out of 163 species exhibited higher than 50% of inhibition on the hACAT-1 and 9 species exhibited higher than 50% of inhibition on the hACAT-2 activity at their concentration of $100\;{\mu}g/mL$.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.59-61
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• 2003

Petiole explants from 20 cultivars of Catharanthus roseus were cultured on various shoot-inducing media to assess their competence for adventitious shoot formation. After eight weeks of culture on Murashige and Skoog' s medium supplemented with 4.4 $\mu\textrm{m}$6-benzyladenine and 0.5 $\mu\textrm{m}$ $\alpha$-naphthaleneacetic acid, petiole explants from 'Cooler Icy Pink' exhibited the greatest frequency of adventitious shoot formation at 40%, which was followed by 'Little Bright Eye'. By comparing with a previous study on assessment of competence for adventitious shoot formation in hypocotyl explant cultures of various cultures, it is indicated that the relative degree of their competence among cultivars varies to the organ used for the source of explant. Excised adventitious shoots were readily rooted on half-strength MS basal medium. Regenerated plantlets were successfully transplanted to potting soil and grown to maturity in a greenhouse.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.259-263
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• 2007

Trapa pseudoincisa Nakai, an aquatic plant, was extracted with 80% aqueous MeOH, and the concentrated extract was successively partitioned with EtOAc, n-BuOH, and $H_2O$. The EtOAc fraction gave three compounds, which were isolated through the repeated silica gel and ODS column chromatographies. Based on the spectroscopic data obtained from NMR, MS, and IR, the chemical structures of the compounds were determined as cycloeucalenol (1), ursolic acid (2), and 2${\beta}$,3${\alpha}$,23-trihydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic acid (3). These triterpenoids were isolated for the first time from Hydrocaryaceae plants including T. pseudoincisa NAKAI.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.249-253
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• 2007

Thirteen edible plants previously reported to show inhibitory activities on farnesyl protein transferase (FPTase) and phosphatase of the regenerating liver-3 (PRL-3) were evaluated for inhibitory activity on the proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Four plant extracts, Oenothera erythrosepala, Perilla frutescens, Panicum miliaceum, and Quercus acutissima, significantly inhibited the proliferation of HUVECs induced by the basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) without cytotoxicity at 100 ${\mu}g/mL$. Myristica fragrans, Rosmarinus officinalis, and Syringa patula also showed inhibitory activity on the proliferation with only mild cytotoxicity.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.144-147
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• 2007

Dried, unripe fruits of Cornus kousa Burg. were extracted with 80% aqueous MeOH and the concentrated extracts were partitioned between EtOAc and $H_2O$. From the EtOAc fraction, four flavonoids were isolated through repeated silica gel, ODS and Sephadex LH-20 column chromatographies followed by a preparative HPLC. Based on the spectroscopic data including NMR, MS and IR, the chemical structures of the compounds were determined as kaempferol (1), astragalin (2), hyperin (3) and isoquercitrin (4). These compounds were isolated for the first time from the fruits of this plant.