• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.107-114
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• 2012

Objectives : In this study, we investigated the anti-diabetic and anti-inflammatory effects of water extract from leaves of Ligustrum japonicum (WLJ) in db/db mouse. Methods : The db/db mice were treated orally with WLJ (300 mg/kg/day) for 10 weeks to examine the long-term effects on hyperglycemia and glomerular tissue as well as biochemical and functional abnormalities in the kidney. Results : WLJ treatment markedly reduced plasma levels of glucose, triglyceride, creatinine, and systolic blood pressure in diabetic db/db mouse. Treatment of WLJ significantly increased plasma level of high density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol. We also found that overexpressions of vascular cellular adhesion molecule (VCAM)-1 and endothelin (ET)-1 were observed in aortic tissue of db/db mouse, whereas, WLJ suppressed both expression of VCAM-1 and ET-1 in aorta. In renal tissue, overexpressions of ICAM-1 and TGF-${\beta}1$ were found in untreated db/db mouse, however, significantly decreased those levels by WLJ treatment. The insulin immunoreactivity of the pancreatic islets remarkably increased in WLJ treated db/db mouse compared with untreated db/db mouse. Taken together, WLJ treatment ameliorated hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia via improvement of insulin secretion and lipid metabolism, respectively. Furthermore, WLJ treatment also ameliorated hypertension via inhibition of inflammatory process in vascular and renal tissues. Conclusions : Ligustrum japonicum has an anti-diabetic and anti-inflammatory effects in db/db mouse. Thus, these results suggested a beneficial effect of Ligustrum japonicum in treatment with diabetes and diabetic vasculopathy.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.1115-1118
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• 2012

Diallyl sulfide (DAS), a flavoring compound derived from garlic, is considered to have cancer chemopreventive potential in experimental animals and humans. This study was designated to examine possible chemopreventive effects of DAS on colon carcinogenesis using genetically engineered transgenic $Apc^{Min/+}$ mice, a well-established animal model for familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) and sporadic colorectal cancer. Male C57BL/6J-$Apc^{Min/+}$ mice were divided into three groups. Animals of group 1 were placed on the basal diet (AIN-76A) as non-treated controls. Animals of groups 2 and 3 were given DAS-containing diets (in doses of 100 and 300 ppm, respectively). All mice were sacrificed at the end of week 10 of the experiment. Histopathological investigation revealed that the incidence of colonic polyps was decreased dose-dependently by 19% (13/16) in group 2 and by 32% (13/20) in group 3 compared to the 100% incidence (10/10) in group 1. The multiplicity of colonic polyps per mouse was also slightly decreased by DAS treatment ($1.88{\pm}0.35$ in group 2 and $1.63{\pm}0.36$ in group 3) compared to $2.00{\pm}0.39$ in group 1. On the other hand, there were no significant differences in the numbers of total polyps per mouse in the small intestine between the groups. Taken together, we suggest that DAS may exert promising inhibitory effects on colon carcinogenesis in the transgenic $Apc^{Min/+}$ mice.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.147-155
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• 1998

Acupuncture and Radix Astragali aqua-acupuncture stimuli have long been used to cure human diseases. However, it still remains to be unkown on its action mechanism, physiolosical and biochemical aspects. Thus, many attempts were made to show the scientific background covering the above mentioned mechanisms. Most recent studies show that these tests improve blood circulatory system and increase leucocyte counts. In this study, we have applied the acupuncture stimuli to mouse Sinsu(BL-23), which is a stimulative point of oriental medicine, to see if cytokine such as IL-6 can be detected. Mice were treated with lipopolysaccharide(LPS) for inflammation induction, and then reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using each primer set was performed to trace the amounts of mRNA. The results are summarized as follows ; 1. IL-6 was not temporarily expressed in normal mice 15 min after the acupuncture was pulled out. But, it started to show a feeble expression at 30 min after the removal of acupuncture and it started to reduce at 1h. after the acupuncture was pulled out 2. IL-6 was specifically expressed in LPS-treated mouse 30 min after the acupuncture was pulled out. The transcriptional expressions of LPS-treated mice were more effective than those of normal mice at 30 min after the removal of acupuncture 3. IL-6 was not temporarily expressed in normal mice 15 min after Radix Astragali aqua-acupuncture. But it expressed most highly at 30 min, and the transcriptional expressions of IL-6 was continued to 3 h. 4. IL-6 was not expressed in all the time after Radix Astragali aqua-acupuncture in LPS-treated mice. Therefore, a follow-up of cytokine IL-6 can be used not only a basis of the effect of acupuncture and Radix Astragali aqua-acupuncture but a diagnosis giude through the immunological action of thats. And, it is suggested that cytokine's expression by Acupuncture and Radix Astragali aqua-acupuncture stimulation should be continuously elucidated.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.12-16
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• 2004

Recently the measurement of biophoton emission has attracted increasing attention in the study on physiological state of biological systems. We report the measurements of biophoton emission from the mouse fatty liver induced by carbon tetrachloride, CCl$_4$. The hepatotoxin, CCl$_4$ in olive oil, was injected intraperitoneally into two groups of ICR mice which were made of 6 mice in each group. The control groups corresponding to the treated groups were prepared with the injections of olive oil only. After the injections, livers of two groups were extracted and measured biophoton emission in 24 hours and 72 hours later, respectively. We also extracted the plasma in the blood and measured the transaminase activity. Results show that biophoton emission from the livers in 24-hour treated group is 69.3${\pm}$21.2 counts/min/$\textrm{cm}^2$, which is two times more larger than that in 24-hour control group, 29.5${\pm}$5.9 counts/min/$\textrm{cm}^2$ Biophoton emission from the livers in 72-hour treated group is 37.0${\pm}$14.8 counts/min/$\textrm{cm}^2$. These biophoton results correlate with those of the biochemical assays. We conclude that biophoton emission can be used as a biomarker of mouse fatty liver induced by CCl$_4$.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.568-573
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• 2008

The allergenicity of treated chicken egg whites (EW) was evaluated by a passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) test, immunoblot analysis, and a mouse model of food anaphylaxis. The results of the PCA test revealed that treatment with 0.3% NaOH (w/v) decreased the antigenicity of native EW to 1/4. In addition, treatment with heat ($121^{\circ}C$, 30 min) or 1% NaOH (w/v) decreased the antigenicity to 1/8 and combined treatment with 1% NaOH (w/v) and heat ($70^{\circ}C$, 15 min) decreased the antigenicity to 1/32 of that of the native EW. Immunoblot analysis revealed that the density of EW protein bands decreased in response to heat treatment, and were almost not detectable following the combined treatment. Finally, the murine model of EW anaphylaxis revealed that the mean score of systemic anaphylactic symptoms in EW challenged mice was 1.85, while the mean score in mice challenged with EW that that had been subjected to the combined treatment was only 0.20. The results of this study indicate that the most effective method of reducing EW allergenicity is combined treatment with 1% NaOH (w/v) and heat ($70^{\circ}C$, 15 min).

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.131-137
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• 1997

This study was carried out to investigate the in vivo development rates of vitrified-thawed mouse expanding, hatching and hatched blastoc ysts(BL). In vitro fertilization produced blastocysts were vitrified in EFS40(40% ethylene glycol, 30% Ficoll and 0.3 M sucrose in phosphate buffer saline containing 10% FBS). Expanding a and hatching blastocysts were equilibrated in 20% ethylene glyco](EG) for 5 min. before exposure to EFS40 at 25°C for 1 min., they were then vitrified in liquid nitrogen. Hatched blastocysts which cultured in m-CR1 medium supple mented 0.4% bovine serum albumin on day 5. were equilibrated in 10% EG for 5 min. and then vitrified in EFS40 for 30 sec. After thawing, re-expanding blastocysts were transferred to recipients(3 day of pseudopregnant) on one or both uterine horns(6-8 embryos per a horn). Preg¬n nancy rates of recipients and implantation were a assccessed by autopsy on 15 gestation. The res¬u ults obtained in these experiments were summar¬1 ized as follows; 1) The pregnancy and live fetus rates, for vitrified expanding BL(77.8 and 25.0%) and hatching BL(77.8 and 26.4%)n vitro were not significantly difference in those of control BL (66.7 and 42.9%: 83.3 and 40.4%), respectively, 2) in vitro development of vitrified hatched BL was 34.0%. and 3) in vivo developmental rate of vitrified hatched BL was only 33.3%. These results suggested that proposed rapid vitrification p procedures used EFS40 cryoprotectant can be effectively performed in mouse expanding Ihatching blastocysts and that mouse blastocysts a after being hatched from zona pellucida can be successfully cryopreserved.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.16-25
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• 2000

Objective : Acupuncture and Radix Astragali aqua-acupuncture stimuli have long been used to cure human diseases. However, the exact physiological and biochemical mechanisms involved remain undiscovered. Thus, many attempts have been made to show the scientific mechanisms involved. The effects of acupuncture and Radix Astragali aqua-acupuncture, which was known to date, as follow; effective circulation of body blood system and proliferation of leucocytes. Methods : In this study, we have applied acupuncture and Radix Astragali aqua-acupuncture stimuli to mouse on Sinsuhyul, a stimulative point of oriental medicine, to see effects on the expression of cytokine $IL-1{\beta}$. Mice were treated with lipopolysaccharide(LPS) for inflammation induction and then reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using each primer set were performed to trace the amounts of mRNA. Results : 1. $IL-1{\beta}$ was not expressed in LPS-nontreated mice at 15 to 60 min after acupuncture-stimuli. However, expression occurred after 3hrs. 2. $IL-1{\beta}$ was specifically expressed in LPS-treated mice at 30 min after acupuncture-stimuli. 3. $IL-1{\beta}$ was expressed in LPS-nontreated mice at 30 min after Radix Astragali aqua-acupuncture stimuli, however, not expressed at 60, 180 min. 4. $IL-1{\beta}$ was gradually expressed in LPS-treated mice at 15 to 180 min after Radix Astragali aqua-acupuncture stimuli. Conclusions : $IL-1{\beta}$ in LPS-treated mice was more effective than that of LPS-nontreated mice. We are now in the process of elucidating the immunological action mechanism of acupuncture and Radix Astragali aqua-acupuncture stimuli. And cytokine $IL-1{\beta}$ can be used not only as a basis of the effects of acupuncture and Radix Astragali aqua-acupuncture but also as a diagnosis guide through the immunological actions of those.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.93-101
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• 1993

These experiments were carried out to investigate whether zona hardening affect the efficiency of in vitro fertilization in mouse oocytes. The soluble properties for zona pellucida of oocytes matured in vivo, aged oocytes, and ovarian oocytes matured in vitro have been analyzed with proteolytic enzyme, 3mg/ml of $\alpha$-chymotrypsin. The mean solubility(t50) for the zona of unfertilized oocytes, oocytes not fertilized at the first inseminati and in vitro produced zygotes were 10.1, 20.3 and 32.3min., respectively. The t50 for zona lysis of fertilized oocytes was significantly difference than those observed for unfertilized oocytes and oocytes not fertilized at the first insemination(P<0.01). In addition, the t50 of zona in ovulated oocytes with and without cumulus cells incubated for 0, 3, 6, 9 and 12 hr in vitro, t50 were 13.9, 11.1, 20.7 and 28.0min., and 22.3, 21.0, 30.0 and 33.5min., respectively. In these experiments, the zona pellucida showed a gradual increase in resistance to dissolution by $\alpha$-chyjotrypsin with in vitro aging for more than 6 hrs. This effect was greater in cumulus-free as compared to cumulus-intact oocytes. Finally, in cumulus-intact and cumulus-free ovarian oocytes matured for 0, 5, 10 and 15 hr in vitro the t50 of zona pellucida were 3.0, 10.6, 18.4 and 24.5 min., and 3.0, 14.0, 26.2 and 32.0 min., respectively. Clear differences in solubility between the zona pellucida of oocytes matured in vivo and in vitro. This data were found suggest that under in vitro conditions there is a gradual change in the soluble properties of the zona pellucida, particularly in the absence of the cumulus cells.

• 대한핵의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2005.11a
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• pp.322.1-322.1
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• 2005

• 대한한약학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2007.11a
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• pp.173-174
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• 2007