• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.157-164
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• 2022

Disulfiram (DSF) is an aldehyde dehydrogenase inhibitor. DSF has potent anti-cancer activity for solid and hematological malignancies. Although the effects on cancer cells have been proven, there have been few studies on DSF toxicity in bone marrow cells (BMs). DSF reduces the metabolic activity and the mitochondrial membrane potential of BMs. In subset analyses, we confirmed that DSF does not affect the proportion of BMs. In addition, DSF significantly impaired the metabolic activity and differentiation of BMs treated with granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor, an essential growth and differentiation factor for BMs. To measure DSF toxicity in BMs in vivo, mice were injected with 50 mg/kg, a dose used for anti-cancer effects. DSF did not significantly induce BM toxicity in mice and may be tolerated by antioxidant defense mechanisms. This is the first study on the effects of DSF on BMs in vitro and in vivo. DSF has been widely studied as an anti-cancer drug candidate, and many anti-cancer drugs lead to myelosuppression. In this regard, this study can provide useful information to basic science and clinical researchers.

• BMB Reports
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.445-453
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• 2004

We identified apoptosis as being a significant mechanism of toxicity following the exposure of HeLa cell cultures to abrin holotoxin, which is in addition to its inhibition of protein biosynthesis by N-glycosidase activity. The treatment of HeLa cell cultures with abrin resulted in apoptotic cell death, as characterized by morphological and biochemical changes, i.e., cell shrinkage, internucleosomal DNA fragmentation, the occurrence of hypodiploid DNA, chromatin condensation, nuclear breakdown, DNA single strand breaks by TUNEL assay, and phosphatidylserine (PS) externalization. This apoptotic cell death was accompanied by caspase-9 and caspase-3 activation, as indicated by the cleavage of caspase substrates, which was preceded by mitochondrial cytochrome c release. The broad-spectrum caspase inhibitor, benzyloxycarbonyl-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethyl ketone (zVAD-fmk), prevented abrin-triggered caspase activation and partially abolished apoptotic cell death, but did not affect mitochondrial cytochrome c release. These results suggest that the release of mitochondrial cytochrome c, and the sequential caspase-9 and caspase-3 activations are important events in the signal transduction pathway of abrin-induced apoptotic cell death in the HeLa cell line.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.415-422
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• 2023

In veterinary medicine for mammals, studies are being conducted to confirm the effects of antioxidants using pathological toxicity model studies, and are also used to confirm the effect of mitigating liver or kidney toxicity of specific substances. It was considered necessary to study such a toxicity model for domestic farmed fish, so thioacetamide (TAA), a toxic substance that causes tissue damage by mitochondrial dysfunction, was injected into rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), a major farmed freshwater fish species in Korea. The experiment was conducted with 40 rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) weighting 53 ± 0.6 g divided into two groups. Thioacetamide(TAA) 300mg/kg of body weight was intraperitoneally injected into rainbow trout and samples were taken 1, 3, 5, 7 days after peritoneal injection. As a result, in serum biochemical analysis, AST levels related to liver function decreased 3 and 5 days after intraperitoneal injection and increased after 7 days, and ALT levels also increased after 7 days. In addition, creatinine related to renal malfunction increased 3 and 5 days after TAA injection. In histopathological analysis, pericholangitis and local lymphocyte infiltration were observed in the liver from 1 day after intraperitoneal injection of TAA, and hepatic parenchymal cell necrosis was also observed from 3 days after intraperitoneal injection. Hyaline droplet in renal tubular epithelial cell was observed from 1 day after TAA injection, and acute tubular damage such as tubular epithelial cell necrosis appeared from 3 days after TAA injection. Accordingly, it is thought that it will be able to contribute to studies that require a toxicity model.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nutrition Society Conference
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• 1999.05b
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• pp.45-45
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• 1999

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.388-395
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• 2017

We investigated the toxicity of zinc and aluminum hot-dip galvanized sheet steel to abalone Haliotis discus hannai via changes in the gill and hepatopancreas using histological and transmission electron microscopy analysis. Experimental groups were composed of one control and four exposure conditions (direct or indirect exposure to zinc and aluminum hot-dip galvanized sheet steel). In the control group, aluminum exposure groups (direct and indirect), and indirect zinc exposure group, abalone mortality was not observed until the end of the experiment, and no histopathological changes were observed in the gill and hepatopancreas. However, the direct zinc exposure group exhibited 100% mortality. Ultrastructural analysis of the cytoplasm of ciliated and microvilli-bearing epithelial cells from gill filaments revealed electron-dense vesicles near the cell membrane and disruption of the nuclear membrane. We also observed swollen mitochondria and a loss of mitochondrial cristae. The hepatopancreas showed similar changes, and we detected highly electron-dense particles within the vesicles. These results suggest that abalone exposed directly to zinc hot-dip galvanized sheet steel experience acute toxicity, causing damage to cell organelles in the gill and hepatopancreas and, finally, inducing mortality.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.25-40
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• 1991

Four root canal sealers, Apatite Root Sealer I and II composed mainly of hydroxyapatite/tricalciumphosphate, Sealapex containing calcium hydroxide, and Roth Sealer composed of zinc oxide - eugenol were compared on the culture of L929 fibroblasts. MIT (Methyl Thiazole Tetrazolium Bromide) colorimetric technique was used to measure the mitochondrial dehydrogenase activity. Results were as follows: 1. Hydroxyapatite/tricalcium phosphate mixed sealers were significantly less toxic compared with calcium hydroxide and zinc oxide - eugenol type sealers. High pH of the calcium hydroxide sealer and release of eugenol component from the zinc oxide - eugenol type sealer were presumed to be the cause of the toxicity of these two sealers. In no cases, there were more cytoblastic effects in hydroxyapatite/tricalcium phosphate mixed sealers compared to the control groups. 2. In all experimental groups, toxicity was decreased as dilutions were increased. However in zinc oxide-eugenol type sealer the cell activity was weakened for all dilution groups. 3. Regarding the effect of setting time, Apatite I and Sealapex were less toxic as the setting progressed. Apatite II kept constant regardless of the different time ellapsed after setting but Roth sealer revealed significantly higher toxicity for all experimental groups. 4. Comparing two different culture periods of 24 hours and 72 hours, Apatite I showed higher cell activities in longer period(72 hours) while Apatite II did not. Sealapex and Roth sealer, however, showed significantly lower cell activities in longer period.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.764-770
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• 2013

Stevia rebaudiana is a traditional herb used as a sweetener in Brazil and Paraguay as well as Korea and China. This study investigated the efficacy of Stevia rebaudiana methanol extract (SRE) to protect cells against the mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis in hepatocyte. To determine the effects of SRE on oxidative stress, we used the human derived hepatocyte cell line, HepG2 cell. Treatment of arachidonic acid (AA)+iron in HepG2 cells synergistically amplified cytotoxicity, as indicated by the excess reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial permeability transition by fluorescence activated cell sorter (FACS) and immunoblot analysis. Treatment with SRE protected hepatocytes from AA+iron-induced cellular toxicity, as shown by alterations in the protein levels related with cell viability such as procaspase-3. SRE also prevented the mitochondrial dysfunction induced by AA+iron, and showed anti-oxidant effects as inhibition of $H_2O_2$ production and GSH depletion. Moreover, we measured the effects of SRE on AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a key regulator in determining cell survival or death. Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase (ACC), a direct downstream target of AMPK. SRE increased phosphorylation of ACC, and prevented the inhibition of ACC phosphorylation by AA+iron. These results indicated that SRE has the ability to protect cells against AA+iron-induced $H_2O_2$ production and mitochondrial impairment, which may be mediated with AMPK-ACC pathway.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.97-107
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• 2023

Aristolochic acid (AA), extracted from Aristolochiaceae plants, plays an essential role in traditional herbal medicines and is used for different diseases. However, AA has been found to be nephrotoxic and is known to cause aristolochic acid nephropathy (AAN). AA-induced acute kidney injury (AKI) is a syndrome in AAN with a high morbidity that manifests mitochondrial damage as a key part of its pathological progression. Melatonin primarily serves as a mitochondria-targeted antioxidant. However, its mitochondrial protective role in AA-induced AKI is barely reported. In this study, mice were administrated 2.5 mg/kg AA to induce AKI. Melatonin reduced the increase in Upro and Scr and attenuated the necrosis and atrophy of renal proximal tubules in mice exposed to AA. Melatonin suppressed ROS generation, MDA levels and iNOS expression and increased SOD activities in vivo and in vitro. Intriguingly, the in vivo study revealed that melatonin decreased mitochondrial fragmentation in renal proximal tubular cells and increased ATP levels in kidney tissues in response to AA. In vitro, melatonin restored the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) in NRK-52E and HK-2 cells and led to an elevation in ATP levels. Confocal immunofluorescence data showed that puncta containing Mito-tracker and GFP-LC3A/B were reduced, thereby impeding the mitophagy of tubular epithelial cells. Furthermore, melatonin decreased LC3A/B-II expression and increased p62 expression. The apoptosis of tubular epithelial cells induced by AA was decreased. Therefore, our findings revealed that melatonin could prevent AA-induced AKI by attenuating mitochondrial damage, which may provide a potential therapeutic method for renal AA toxicity.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.1423-1430
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• 2008

The water extract of Sopung-tang(SPT) has been traditionally used for treatment of psycologic disease and brain damage in oriental medicine. However, little is known about the mechanism by which the water extract of SPT rescues cells from these disease. Therefore, this study was designed to investigate the effect of SPT on the glutamate-induced toxicity of rat C6 glial cells. SPT have protective effects in glutamate-induced toxicity, which was revealed as apoptosis characterized by chromatic condensation and fragmentation and the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential in C6 glial cells. Also, SPT have inhibited the active form of caspase-3 and PARP and significantly protected the apoptotic phenomena by glutamate toxicity in C6 glial cells. However, SPT significantly recovered the depletion of GSH and inhibited the generation of ROS by glutamate in C6 glial cells. In addition, both SPT and antioxidants such as GSH and NAC protected the glutamate-induced cytotoxicity in C6 glial cells, indicating that SPT possibly have antioxidative effect. Specially, SPT were showed transcriptional factor significantly increased the activation of NF-${\kappa}B$ using the analysis of NF-${\kappa}B$ luciferase reporter system in C6 glial cells. These NF-${\kappa}B$ activation protected cells from glutamate-induced toxicity to generate the heme oxygenase-1(HO-1). Taken together, we suggest that SPT have protective effects in glutamate-induced toxicity via a antioxidative mechanism.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.85-91
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• 2019

Oxidative stress is considered a major contributor in the pathogenesis of diabetic neuropathy and in diabetes complications, such as nephropathy and cardiovascular diseases. Diabetic neuropathy, which is the most frequent complications of diabetes, affect sensory, motor, and autonomic nerves. This study aimed to investigate whether 7,8-dihydroxyflavone (7,8-DHF) protects SH-SY5Y neuronal cells against high glucose-induced toxicity. In the current study, we found that diabetic patients exhibited higher lipid peroxidation caused by oxidative stress than healthy subjects. 7,8-DHF exhibits superoxide anion and hydroxyl radical scavenging activities. High glucose-induced toxicity severely damaged SH-SY5Y neuronal cells, causing mitochondrial depolarization; however, 7,8-DHF recovered mitochondrial polarization. Furthermore, 7,8-DHF effectively modulated the expression of pro-apoptotic protein (Bax) and anti-apoptotic protein (Bcl-2) under high glucose, thus inhibiting the activation of caspase signaling pathways. These results indicate that 7,8-DHF has antioxidant effects and protects cells from apoptotic cell death induced by high glucose. Thus, 7,8-DHF may be developed into a promising candidate for the treatment of diabetic neuropathy.