• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.173-179
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• 2014

Asian sand dust is known to promote various respiratory symptoms or disorders. For the prevention of harmful health effects by Asian sand dust, the best strategy is known to avoid or reduce exposure to the Asian sand dust. Several studies have shown that Korean red ginseng (RG) has anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effects. The study aimed to clarify the effect of Korean red ginseng intake on lung inflammation responses to artificial sand dust (ASD) similar to Asian sand dust. BALB/c mice were divided into five groups (n=12) of control (saline), ovalbumin (OVA), OVA with ASD, OVA plus RG with ASD, and OVA plus dexamethasone (DEXA) with ASD. Histopathologic evaluation of lung was conducted. Interleukin (IL)-5, IL-12, interferon (IFN)-${\gamma}$, IL-13, monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP)-1, and eotaxin within bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid were measured by ELISA. OVA+ASD group significantly increased concentrations of IL-5, IL-13, MCP-1, and eotaxin (P<0.01) compared to the control. OVA+ASD+RG group showed significant decreased levels of IL-2, IL-13, MCP-1 and eotaxin (P<0.01) compared with OVA+ASD. Between RG and DEXA treatment groups, there was no significant difference in all cytokines and chemokines. The inflammatory cells were significantly decreased in treatment groups with RG or DEXA compared to OVA+ASD group. This study suggests a beneficial effect of Korean RG administration in preventing inflammation of lung resulting from Asian sand dust.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.136-142
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• 2006

New herbal formula (NHF) is the ethanol extract mixture of Puerariae radix, Artemisia capillaries and Perilla frutescens. We have Investigated the effects on anti-inflammation by NHF and attempted acetic acid induced writhing to verify the analgesic effect. Macrophages and chondrocytes were obtained from mouse and rabbit. Inflammation was induced bγ interleukin-1, tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}$, $interferon-{\gamma}$, and lipopolysaccharide. NHF showed strong inhibitory efficacy against cytokine-induced proteoglycan degradation, $PGE_2$ production, NO production, and MMP-9 expression in rabbit articular chondrocyte. In the writhing test, NHF exhibited a dose-dependent inhibition of writhing. Futhermore, NHF increased the activity of SOD. NHF have anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities, and could be a good herbal medicine candidate for curing of osteoarthritis.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.89-97
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• 2012

Mycobacterial cell-wall skeleton (CWS) is an immunoactive and biodegradable particulate adjuvant and has been tried to use for immunotherapy. The CWS of Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG-CWS) was studied as an universal vaccine vehicle for antigen conjugation, to develop potentially effective and safe vaccine. Although a variety of biological activities of BCG-CWS have been studied, the effects of BCG-CWS on spleen cells are not fully elucidated. Using MTT assay and trypan blue exclusion test, we found that BCG-CWS significantly enhanced the viability and proliferation of cells. Multiple clusters, indicating proliferation, were observed in BCG-CWS-treated spleen cells and surface marker staining assay revealed that BCG-CWS promoted the proliferation of $CD19^+$ B lymphocyte rather than $CD4^+$ or $CD8^+$ T lymphocyte. In addition, BCG-CWS up-regulated the expression of anti-apoptotic molecules such as bcl-2, bcl-xL. BCG-CWS increased the surface expression of CD25 and CD69 as well as IL-2 production of spleen cells, suggesting increased activation. Furthermore, BCG-CWS enhanced the antigen-specific cell proliferation and interferon-gamma production of spleen cells. Taken together, these results demonstrate the immunostimulatory effects of BCG-CWS on spleen cells via multiple mechanisms, providing valuable information to broaden the use of BCG-CWS in clinical and research settings.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.252-257
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• 2018

It is noted that Dioscorea quinqueloba is a medicinal herb that is widely used to treat cardiovascular disease and is assessed as useful to treat other various medical conditions. The immunopotentiating effects of the protein extract (DQP-1) from Dioscorea quinqueloba were thus formally investigated in vivo under incident of cold stress. In this case study, the spleen and thymus weight in mice was shown to have decreased after a measured exposure to cold stress, while the adrenal gland weight in the mice was shown to have increased. The systematic oral administration of DQP-1 significantly recovered the weight loss of the spleen and suppressed the adrenal gland hypertrophy during the association with cold stress. Additionally, the DQP-1 also restored the ascorbic acid level in the adrenal gland reduced after cold stress. The cold stress exposure lowered the percentage of $CD4^+$ and $CD8^+$ cells in the mouse thymus as determined by the flow cytometric analysis, as well as the levels of some serum immunological cytokines(interleukin-2, interleukin-12, and interferon-${\gamma}$) in the studied mice. The resulting identified weakened immunity caused by cold stress was also recovered by a treatment with DQP-1. The DQP-1 significantly suppressed the formation of serum enzymes of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and lactate dehydrogenase, which were systematically elevated during the cold stress episode. These results indicate that DQP-1 can improve immunity in mice that are characteristically weakened under stress.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.60 no.5
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• pp.309-315
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• 2022

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic and recurrent illness of the gastrointestinal tract. Treatment of IBD traditionally involves the use of aminosalicylic acid and steroids, while these drugs has been associated with untoward effects and refractoriness. The absence of effective treatment regimen against IBD has led to the exploration of new targets. Parasites are promising as an alternative therapy for IBD. Recent studies have highlighted the use of parasite-derived substances, such as excretory secretory products, extracellular vesicles (EVs), and exosomes, for the treatment of IBD. In this report, we examined whether EVs secreted by Giardia lamblia could prevent colitis in a mouse model. G. lamblia EVs (GlEVs) were prepared from in vitro cultures of Giardia trophozoites. Clinical signs, microscopic colon tissue inflammation, and cytokine expression levels were detected to assess the effect of GlEV treatment on dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced experimental murine colitis. The administration of GlEVs prior to DSS challenge reduced the expression levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin 1 beta, and interferon gamma. Our results indicate that GlEV can exert preventive effects and possess therapeutic properties against DSS-induced colitis.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.1299-1306
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• 2024

Antibiotics are used to control infectious diseases. However, adverse effects of antibiotics, such as devastation of the gut microbiota and enhancement of the inflammatory response, have been reported. Health benefits of fermented milk are established and can be enhanced by the addition of probiotic strains. In this study, we evaluated effects of fermented milk containing Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus (L. rhamnosus) SNUG50430 in a mouse model with antibiotic treatment. Fermented milk containing 2 × 10⁵ colony-forming units of L. rhamnosus SNUG50430 was administered to six week-old female BALB/c mice for 1 week. Interleukin (IL)-10 levels in colon samples were significantly increased (P < 0.05) compared to water-treated mice, whereas interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) were decreased, of mice treated with fermented milk containing L. rhamnosus SNUG50430-antibiotics-treated (FM+LR+Abx-treated) mice. Phylum Firmicutes composition in the gut was restored and the relative abundances of several bacteria, including the genera Coprococcus and Lactobacillus, were increased in FM+LR+Abx-treated mice compared to PBS+Abx-treated mice. Interestingly, abundances of genus Coprococcus and Lactobacillus were positively correlated with IL-5 and IL-10 levels (P < 0.05) in colon samples and negative correlated with IFN-γ and TNF-α levels in serum samples (P < 0.001). Acetate and butyrate were increased in mice with fermented milk and fecal microbiota of FM+LR+Abx-treated mice were highly enriched with butyrate metabolism pathway compared to water-treated mice (P < 0.05). Thus, fermented milk containing L. rhamnosus SNUG50430 was shown to ameliorate adverse health effects caused by antibiotics through modulating immune responses and the gut microbiota.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.182-190
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• 2015

This present study demonstrates the immunological synergistic effects of herbal preparation (HemoHIM) and red ginseng powder granule in various immune cell models (bone marrow-derived macrophages, dendritic cells, and mouse splenocytes) from mice. Both herbal preparation and red ginseng extracts were treated to bone-marrow derived macrophages, dendritic cells, and mouse splenocytes, and there was no cytotoxicity at a dose below $200{\mu}g/mL$. Cell proliferation and cytokine [tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-${\alpha}$, interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-12] production tested in bone marrow-derived macrophages and dendritic cells significantly increased upon combined treatment. Cell surface marker (CD 80/86, MHC class I/II)-mediated immune cell activation was highly elevated by combined treatment. For cytokine production in splenocytes, combined treatment significantly increased production of Th 1 type cytokines [IL-2 and interferon (IFN)-${\gamma}$] but not Th 2 type cytokines (IL-4 and IL-10). Therefore, combined treatment with HemoHIM and red ginseng extracts is an effective method to establish powerful immunological synergy in immune cells.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.701-709
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• 2011

This study was performed to establish an effective extraction method of pig placenta extract that could be used for a putative functional food supplement with immunomodulatory effects. In the present study, we used different temperatures (4, 37, 60, 80, and $100^{\circ}C$) and different solvents (chloroform, NaOH, and phosphate buffered saline [PBS]) to extract the pig placenta. Among the different placenta extracts yielded by the different extraction methods, placenta extract (PE) in PBS at $80^{\circ}C$ for 30 min (referred to as PE-PBS80) showed a significant increase of nitric oxide production of up to 22.97 ${\mu}M/10^5$ cells at a 1 mg/mL dose (p<0.05 ) in J774A.1 cells than other extracts and control tested. Using PE-PBS80, further animal challenges were performed to identify the immune-enhanced effects. As a result, orally administered PE-PBS80 showed a significant increase in blood T and B cell activities and immunoglobulin (IgG and IgM) production. IgG and IgM levels increased to 41.53 mg/mL at a 20 mg dose on day 7 and to 27.38 mg/mL at a 10 mg dose on day 14, respectively (p<0.05). Furthermore, PE-PBS80 was also able to significantly enhance the immune modulator cytokine levels (p<0.05) compared to the control and vehicle treatments. Among the evaluated cytokines, the tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ (TNF-${\alpha}$) level increased to 28.89 pg/mL at extract doses of 20 and 50 mg, the interleukin-$1{\beta}$ (IL-$1{\beta}$) level increased to 21.52 pg/mL at extract doses of 10, 20, 50 and 75 mg and the interferon (IFN)-${\gamma}$ level increased to 18.24 pg/mL at extract doses of 10, 20, and 50 mg. Therefore, this study presents an effective method for extracting pig placenta extracts and also demonstrates that pig placenta extracts had significant immunomodulatory effects not only at the cellular level but also in a mouse model, suggesting that this material could be used as an excellent candidate functional food supplement.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.81 no.1
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• pp.80-87
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• 2018

Background: Asthma is a disease of chronic airway inflammation with heterogeneous features. Neutrophilic asthma is corticosteroid-insensitive asthma related to absence or suppression of $T_H2$ process and increased $T_H1$ and/or $T_H17$ process. Macrolides are immunomodulatory drug that reduce airway inflammation, but their role in asthma is not fully known. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of macrolides in neutrophilic asthma and compare their effects with those of corticosteroids. Methods: C57BL/6 female mice were sensitized with ovalbumin (OVA) and lipopolysaccharides (LPS). Clarithromycin (CAM) and/or dexamethasone (DXM) were administered at days 14, 15, 21, 22, and 23. At day 24, the mice were sacrificed. Results: Airway resistance in the OVA+LPS exposed mice was elevated but was more attenuated after treatment with CAM+DXM compared with the monotherapy group (p<0.05 and p<0.01). In bronchoalveolar lavage fluid study, total cells and neutrophil counts in OVA+LPS mice were elevated but decreased after CAM+DXM treatment. In hematoxylin and eosin stain, the CAM+DXM-treated group showed less inflammation additively than the monotherapy group. There was less total protein, interleukin 17 (IL-17), interferon ${\gamma}$, and tumor necrosis factor ${\alpha}$ in the CAM+DXM group than in the monotherapy group (p<0.001, p<0.05, and p<0.001). More histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2) activity was recovered in the DXM and CAM+DXM challenged groups than in the control group (p<0.05). Conclusion: Decreased IL-17 and recovered relative HDAC2 activity correlated with airway resistance and inflammation in a neutrophilic asthma mouse model. This result suggests macrolides as a potential corticosteroid-sparing agent in neutrophilic asthma.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.221-250
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• 2000

In order to investigate experimentally that the effect of aqua-acupuncture solution of Paeonia lactiflora on arthritis of mice induced by collagenII, the author performed several experimental items : that is increase, paw thickness, DTH, weight of spleen, hematological change, expression of $CD4^+$, $CD8^+$, $CD19^+$, gene expression of IL-1, IL-6, IL-12, IFN-${\gamma}$, TNF, proliferation of synovial cells and cytotoxicity. The results were obtained as follows; 1. Inhibitory effects of aqua-acupuncture solution of Paeonia lactiflora on arthritis induced by collgenII. 1) In incidence, paw edema, AI and DTH were inhibited as compared with control group. 2) The splenic weight was increased and the number of leukocytes was decreased as compared with control group. 3) The number of $CD4^+$, $CD8^+$ activated cells and surface-receptor expression were increased as compared with control group. 4) In hematological change, total protein, creatinine and LDH were decreased significantiy as compared with control group. 2. FACS analysis on normal BABL/c of spenic cells treated with aqua-acupuncture solution of Paeonia lactiflora. 1) Aqua-acupuncture solution of Paeonia lactiflora activated adhesive splenic cells of mice morphologically in vitro. 2) Aqua-acupuncture solution of Paeonia dactiflora enhanced the gene expression of IL-12 and also enhanced that of interferon-${\gamma}$ remarkably. 3) Aqua-acupuncture solution of Paeonia lactiflora reduced the number of $CD4^+$, $CD8^+$, $CD19^+$ activated cells and their surface-receptor expression as compared with control group. 3. Effects of aqua-acupuncture solution of Paeonia lactiflora on human synovial cells. 1) In cytotoxicity against synovial cells, aqua-acupuncture solution of Paeonia lactiflora didn't show cytotoxicity at concentration of $10-100{\mu}g/m{\ell}$ but showed significantly at concentration of $200-400{\mu}g/m{\ell}$ as compared with control group. 2) Aqua-acupuncture solution of Paeonia lactiflora reduced the gene expression of IL-6, IL-$1{\beta}$ and TNF-${\alpha}$. 3) Aqua-acupuncture solution of Paeonia lactiflora inhibited proliferation of synovial cells at concentration of 100 and $200{\mu}g/m{\ell}$.