• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
• /
• v.19 no.3
• /
• pp.705-709
• /
• 2005

The purpose of this research was to investigate the effects of Coix Lachryma-Jobi L. var. Ma-yuen Stapf. on the proliferation of L1210 cells and immune cells. The hexane fraction of Coix Lachryma-Jobi decreased the proliferation of L1210 cells and induced DNA fragmentation of L1210 cells. Also, the fraction decreased the cell viability of murine thymocytes and splenocytes, but increased the phagocytic activity of murine peritoneal macrophages. In addition, fatty acids and fatty acid methyl esters decreased the proliferation of L1210 cells and induced DNA fragmentation of L1210 cells. The main components of the fraction are fatty acid and their derivatives. These results indicate that Coix Lachryma-Jobi has a cytotoxicity on tumor cells and immune cells.

• The Journal of Natural Sciences
• /
• v.8 no.2
• /
• pp.27-34
• /
• 1996

The phagocytosis and chemotaxis of murine macrophages after treated with saponin fractions are investigated. Phagocytic appearance against yeast was photographed by dying with Wright-Giemsa. Phagocytic activity of peritoneal macrophage was invreased in diol saponin treatment by 48% and was decreased in total saponin treatment by 35%. The ingestion of alveolar macrophage was increased by 50% maximally. Peritoneal chemotactic activity was shown in 17% increases and only diol saponin had effect in alveolar macrophage by 16%. According to SDS-PAGE method the contents of actin did not show any alterations.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.47 no.7
• /
• pp.382-387
• /
• 2014

Corn silk (CS) has long been consumed as a traditional herb in Korea. Maysin is a major flavonoid of CS. The effects of maysin on macrophage activation were evaluated, using the murine macrophage RAW 264.7 cells. Maysin was isolated from CS by methanol extraction, and preparative $C_{18}$ reverse phase column chromatography. Maysin was nontoxic up to $100{\mu}g/ml$, and dose-dependently increased TNF-${\alpha}$ secretion and iNOS production by 11.2- and 4.2-fold, respectively, compared to untreated control. The activation and subsequent nuclear translocation of NF-${\kappa}B$ was substantially enhanced upon treatment with maysin ($1-100{\mu}g/ml$). Maysin also stimulated the phosphorylation of Akt and MAPKs (ERK, JNK). These results indicated that maysin activates macrophages to secrete TNF-${\alpha}$ and induce iNOS expression, via the activation of the Akt, NF-${\kappa}B$ and MAPKs signaling pathways. These results suggest for the first time that maysin can be a new immunomodulator, enhancing the early innate immunity.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
• /
• v.20 no.2
• /
• pp.128-137
• /
• 1997

The effects of cylindan, a polysaccharide isolated from the basidiocarps of Agrocybe cylindracea, on murine sarcoma 180 tumor and murine immune cells were examined after intraperitoneal administration. Cylindan exhibited a marked life extension effect in mice against ascite forms of sarcoma 180 and Lewis lung carcinoma at a dose of 50 mg/kg/day, although it did not show any direct cytotoxicity against sarcoma 180, X5563, and MM46 murine tumor cells. Cylindan increased numbers of bone marrow stem cells as well as peritoneal exudate cells in flow cytometry using monoclonal antibodies. The tumor bearing mice group apparently showed the increase of macrophages and cytotoxic T lymphocytes in mouse spleen cells during the early stage of tumor growth. But during the later stage, the control group decreased immune cells and cylindan restored the decreased immune cells in the tumor bearing mice to the normal level. In non-specific immune response, cylindan stimulated the bacterial phagocytosis and acid phosphatase production in macrophages. It also activated components of the alternative complement pathway and natural killer activity against YAC-1 lymphoma. In number of plasma cells as token of stimulation of the differentiation of B lymphocytes. In cellular immunity, cylindan restored the depressed response of delayed type hypersensitivity in the tumor bearing mice to 60% of the normal level and increased the interleukin-2 (IL-2) responsiveness in the IL-2 dependent CTLL-2 cells. These results suggest that cylindan did not show direct cytotoxic effects on tumor cells but restored the decreased immune response of the tumor bearing mice.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
• /
• v.34 no.3
• /
• pp.510-517
• /
• 2002

Effects of wheat arabinoxylan on mouse spleen lymphocytes and peritoneal macrophages were examined in vitro. Among three wheat arabinoxylans (A1: low MW, A2: medium MW, A3: high MW), A3$(50{\sim}100\;{\mu}g/mL)$ increased the viability of spleen lymphocytes up to $114{\sim}125%$ of the control. A1 and A3 $(20\;{\mu}g/mL)$ increased the viability of lipopolysaccharide-treated lymphocytes synergistically. Viability of murine peritoneal macrophages treated with wheat arabinoxylans $(10{\sim}100{\mu}g/mL)$ was increased up to $135{\sim}175%$ of the control. The cytotoxic activity of macrophages against murine lymphocytic leukemic cell increased in the presence of wheat arabinoxylan. Phagocytic index of macrophages treated with wheat arabinozylans $(20\;{\mu}g/mL)$ significantly increased $197{\sim}232%$ compared with the control, and lysosomal phosphatase and myeloperoxidase activities also increased significantly (p<0.05). Treatment of wheat arabinoxylans tended to decrease nitrite production, but significantly stimulated $H_2O_2\;and\;O_2$ productions of macrophages (p<0.05). These results indicate that the immunostimulating effect of wheat arabinoxylan may be closely related with lysosomal enzyme activity and reactive oxygen intermediate production of macrophages.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.47-54
• /
• 1998

Interleukin-10(IL-10) inhibits production of a wide range of cytokines in various cell types and transcriptionally inhibits lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced expression of proinflammatory mediators. Cytokine expression by macrophages is an important aspect to ochestrate inflammatory responses. As an approach to identify mechanistic targets of IL-10, it was examined the time course for expression of KC(murine homologue of Gro) gene in murine peritoneal macrophages stimulated with LPS with or without IL-10. The effect of IL-10 on LPS induced KC mRNA expression was delayed and only seen after 1 hour treatment. Pretreatment with IL-10 did not eliminate the delayed inhibitory response nor increase the magnitude of suppression. These effects did not depend upon time of IL-10 treatment but the time of LPS treatment. LPS-induced KC mRNA expression by inhibitory action of IL-10 was not controlled at the level of transcription. The result indicates that IL-10 acts late in the process of KC gene expression and that the prominant site of action may be mRNA stability or translation.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.42 no.4
• /
• pp.447-454
• /
• 1995

Cytokine release from alveolar macrophages and subsequent interaction of these cytokines with the bronchial epithelium can induce epithelial cells to release inflammatory mediators. Nitric oxide(NO), a highly reactive gas formed from arginine by nitric oxide synthase(NOS), is known to be involved in inflammation and edema formation, and the inducible form of NOS(iNOS) can be increased by cytokines. In this context, we hypothesized that lung epithelial cells could be stimulated by cytokines released by alveolar macrophages to express iNOS. To test this hypothesis, the murine lung epithelial cell line, LA-4, or the human lung epithelial cell line, A549, were stimulated with culture supernatant fluids from alveolar macrophages. NO production was assessed by evaluating the culture supernatant fluids for nitrite and nitrate, the stable end products of NO. Both murine and human cell culture supernatant fluids demonstrated an increase in nitrite and nitrate which were time- and dose-dependent and attenuated by $TNF{\alpha}$ and IL-$1{\beta}$ antibodies(p<0.05, all comparisons). Consistent with these observations, cytomix a combination of $TNF{\alpha}$, IL-$1{\beta}$, and $\gamma$-interferon, stimulated the lung epithelial cell lines as well as primary cultures of human bronchial epithelial cells to increase their NO production as evidenced by an increase in nitrite and nitrate in their culture supernatant fluids, an increase in the iNOS staining by immunocytochemistry, and an increase in iNOS mRNA by Northern blottin(p<0.05, all comparisons). The cytokine effects on iNOS were all attenuated by dexamethasone. To determine if these in vitro observations are reflected in vivo, exhaled NO was measured and found to be increased in asthmatics not receiving corticosteroids. These data demonstrate that alveolar macrophage derived cytokines increase iNOS expression in lung epithelial cells and that these in vitro observations are mirrored by increased exhaled NO levels in asthmatics. Increased NO in the lung may contribute to edema formation and airway narrowing.

• Toxicological Research
• /
• v.33 no.4
• /
• pp.325-332
• /
• 2017

3-Bromo-4,5-dihydroxybenzaldehyde (BDB) is a natural bromophenol compound that is most commonly isolated from red algae. The present study was designed to investigate the anti-inflammatory properties of BDB on atopic dermatitis (AD) in mice induced by 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) and on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated murine macrophages. BDB treatment (100 mg/kg) resulted in suppression of the development of AD symptoms compared with the control treatment (induction-only), as demonstrated by reduced immunoglobulin E levels in serum, smaller lymph nodes with reduced thickness and length, a decrease in ear edema, and reduced levels of inflammatory cell infiltration in the ears. In RAW 264.7 murine macrophages, BDB (12.5, 25, 50, and $100{\mu}M$) suppressed the production of interleukin-6, a proinflammatory cytokine, in a dose-dependent manner. BDB also had an inhibitory effect on the phosphorylation of nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-${\kappa}B$) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1; Tyr 701), two major signaling molecules involved in cellular inflammation. Taken together, the results show that BDB treatment alleviates inflammatory responses in an atopic dermatitis mouse model and RAW 264.7 macrophages. These results suggest that BDB may be a useful therapeutic strategy for treating conditions involving allergic inflammation such as atopic dermatitis.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
• /
• v.45 no.5
• /
• pp.443-451
• /
• 2012

We compared the effects of grapefruit seed extract (GFSE), green tea extract (GT) and their microencapsulated extract on anti-inflammatory activities in murine RAW 264.7 macrophages cell line. In order to protect the bioactive compounds in the extracts, they were microencapsulated with maltodextrin and $H_2O$. Nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ (TNF-${\alpha}$), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) protein expression and thiobarbiturate reactive substances (TBARS) were analyzed in LPS activated RAW 264.7 macrophages. The green tea extract at the range of $100-600{\mu}g/mL$ inhibited NO, PGE2 production and iNOS protein expression without cytotoxicity in a dose-dependent manner. Grapefruit seed extract had strong inhibitory effects on NO and PGE production and iNOS protein expression at the range of $5-20{\mu}g/mL$ without cytotoxicity. Microencapsulation of green tea extract had further inhibitory effects on NO and PGE2 production and on iNOS protein expression, whereas microencapsulated GFSE did not show any further inhibitory effects on these parameters. Taken together, our results suggest that GSFE might be a promising candidate for preventing inflammation related diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer or diabetes, and the microencapsulation of green tea extract could improve its bioactivity.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.40 no.5
• /
• pp.636-643
• /
• 2007

This study was designed to identify and characterize the mechanism of macrophage activation by AAP, an acidic polysaccharide fraction isolated from the roots of Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels. As a result, AAP significantly enhanced nitric oxide (NO) production and cellular lysosomal enzyme activity in murine peritoneal macrophages in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, L-NAME, a specific inhibitor of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), effectively suppressed AAP-induced NO generation in macrophages, indicating that AAP stimulated macrophages to produce NO through the induction of iNOS gene expression and the result was further confirmed by the experiment of the increase of AAP-induced iNOS transcription in a dose-dependent manner. To further investigate, AAP was shown to strongly augment toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) mRNA expression and the pretreatment of macrophages with anti-TLR4 antibody significantly blocked AAP-induced NO release and the increase of iNOS activity, and tumor necrosis factor-$\alpha$ (TNF-$\alpha$) secretion.