• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.23 no.8
• /
• pp.1041-1049
• /
• 2013

The root of Polygala radix has been widely known as an oriental traditional medicinal stuff that improves memory. However, its mechanism of action remains unclear. In this study, the effect of Polygala radix hot water extracts (PRHWE) on cognitive function related to the activity of acetylcholinesterase (AchE) derived from neural cells (PC12) in addition to antioxidant activity was examined both in a cell-free system and live cells. First, in the study on cell viability using an MTT assay, PRHWE did not exhibit any cell toxicity at 0.1% (w/v) or below. It also was observed that PRHWE increased the scavenging activity of DPPH radical, hydrogen peroxide and superoxide, reducing power in a dose-dependent manner. In particular, PRHWE had a protective effect on DNA oxidation induced by hydroxyl radicals. Additionally, it inhibited the production of inducible nitric oxide in neuronal cells. Furthermore, the AchE activity decreased with increasing concentrations. In addition, PRHWE increased the expression level of SOD-1 and NOS-2 in PC12 cells. Moreover, the transcriptional activities of p53 and NF-${\kappa}B$ were reduced in the presence of PRHWE in an experiment using a reporter gene assay. Therefore, these results prove that PRHE has antioxidative and protective effects on neuronal cells, suggesting that it may have great potential as a therapeutic agent for human health.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
• /
• v.31 no.1
• /
• pp.59-66
• /
• 2016

It has been generally accepted that obesity and overweight are associated with metabolic diseases and cancer incidence. In fact, obesity increased risks of cancers i.e. breast, liver, pancreatic and prostate. Celastrol is a pentacyclic triterpenoid isolated from Thunder god vine, was used as a Chinese traditional medicine for treatment of inflammatory disorders such as arthritis, lupus erythematosus and Alzheimer's disease. Also, celastrol has various biological properties of chemo-preventive, neuro-protective, and anti-oxidant effects. Recent studies demonstrated that celastrol has anti-proliferation effects in different type of obesity-related cancers and suppresses tumor progression and metastasis. Anticancer effects of celastrol include regulation of $NF-{\kappa}B$, heat shock protein, JNK, VEGF, CXCR4, Akt/mTOR, MMP-9 and so on. For these reasons, celastrol has shown to be a promising anti-tumor agent. In this review, we will address the anticancer activities and multiple mechanisms of celastrol in obesity-related cancers.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
• /
• v.44 no.3
• /
• pp.331-336
• /
• 2012

In this study, we selected Gardeniae fructus (GF) as an anti-inflammatory functional material and improved the biological activity of GF through the treatment of ${\beta}$-glucosidase. For the simple evaluation of anti-inflammatory activity, the inhibitory activity of GF extract (GFE) on the production of NO by RAW264.7 cells in the presence of LPS was examined. ${\beta}$-glucosidase originating from Aspergillus niger or Aspergillus fumigatus has effectively improved the anti-inflammatory activity of GFE. The enzyme treatment raised the activity of GFE by more than 10 times. The optimum conditions for the enzyme reaction were at pH 4.6, $45^{\circ}C$, and 20 U/mL for 24 h with agitation. In addition, in vitro production of cytokines (IL-$1{\beta}$, IL-6, TNF-${\alpha}$), COX-2, and the NF-${\kappa}B$ activation of RAW264.7 cells decreased more in the presence of GFE treated with ${\beta}$-glucosidase originating from Aspergillus niger (GFAN) than in the presence of GFE. These results suggest that enzyme-treated GFE might be a potential candidate for natural anti-inflammatory food materials.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.24 no.7
• /
• pp.713-720
• /
• 2014

In this study, the antioxidative and anti-inflammatory activities of Ardisia arborescens ethanol extract (AAEE) were evaluated using in vitro assays and a cell culture model system. AAEE exhibited potent scavenging activity against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH), similar to ascorbic acid, which was used as a positive control. Moreover, AAEE effectively suppressed lipopolysaccharide (LPS)- and hydrogen peroxide ($H_2O_2$)-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) in RAW 264.7 cells. Furthermore, AAEE induced the expression of antioxidative enzymes, heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1), and thioredoxin reductase 1 (TrxR1), in addition to their upstream transcription factor, nuclear factor-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), in a dose-dependent manner. The upstream signaling pathways of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) might regulate the modulation of HO-1, TrxR1, and Nrf2 expression. On the other hand, AAEE inhibited LPS-induced nitric oxide (NO) formation, without cytotoxicity. Suppression of NO formation was the result of AEEE-induced down-regulation of inducible NO synthase (iNOS). The suppression of NO and iNOS by AAEE might be modulated by their upstream transcription factor, nuclear factor (NF)-${\kappa}B$, and activator protein (AP)-1 pathways. Taken together, these results provide important new insights into the antioxidative and anti-inflammatory activities of A. arborescens. AAAEE might represent a promising material in the field of nutraceuticals.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.17 no.7 s.87
• /
• pp.896-904
• /
• 2007

Regulation mechanism of apoptosis has been known to be important for understanding the pathogenesis of a number of human diseases including cancers. The effects of $RRR-{\alpha}-tocopheryl$ succinate(vitamin E succinate, VES) on the cell viability, generation of ROS, expression of proteins involved in apoptosis, and growth of human chronic myelogenous leukemia K562 cells were analyzed in this study. VES treatment not only induced the generation of the ROS but also increased the levels of $NF-{\kappa}B$, COX-2, and $p21^{WAF1/CIP1}$ in K562 cells. It modulates the levels of pro-apoptotic proteins such as Bax provoking the apoptosis in K562 cells. The cleavage of PARP into 89 kDa was also increased upon VES treatment in a dosage-dependent manner. Induction of an apoptosis was evident by the increase of sub-Gl peak and cell shrinkage condensed chromatin in K562 cells treated with VES. It also resulted in an inhibition of tumor growth by 50% and prolonged survival of the Iymphoma-induced mice. This potentiation of VES obtained in vitro and in vivo may indicate the feasibility of more effective chemotherapy in chronic myelogenous leukemia.

• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
• /
• v.28 no.2
• /
• pp.23-39
• /
• 2014

Objectives PRAL (Prunus armniaca Linne Var) is a herbal formula in Oriental Medicine, known for its anti-inflammatory and anti-allergenic properties. However, its mechanism of action and the cellular targets have not yet been found enough. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of PRAL on Th2 cytokines expression in MC/9 mast cells. Methods The effect of PRAL was analyzed by ELISA, Real-time PCR, Western blot in MC/9 mast cells. mRNA levels of GM-CSF, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-13, TNF-${\alpha}$ were analyzed with Real-time PCR. Levels of IL-13, MIP-$1{\alpha}$ were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). NFAT, AP-1 and NF-${\kappa}B$ p65 were examined by Western blot analysis. Results PRAL inhibited GM-CSF, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-13, TNF-${\alpha}$ mRNA expression in a dose dependent manner. GM-CSF, IL-4, IL-5 mRNA expression were inhibited significantly in comparison to DNP-IgE control group at concentration of 100 ${\mu}g/ml$ and IL-6, IL-13, TNF-${\alpha}$ mRNA expression were inhibited at concentration of 50 ${\mu}g/ml$, 100 ${\mu}g/ml$. PRAL also inhibited the IL-13, MIP-$1{\alpha}$ production significantly in comparison to DNP-IgE control group in a dose dependent manner. IL-13 production was inhibited at a concentration of 200 ${\mu}g/ml$, 400 ${\mu}g/ml$ and MIP-$1{\alpha}$ was inhibited at a concentration of 100 ${\mu}g/ml$, 200 ${\mu}g/ml$, 400 ${\mu}g/ml$. Western blot analysis of transcription factors involving Th2 cytokines expression revealed prominent decrease of the mast cell specific transcription factors including NFAT-1, c-Jun as well as NF-${\kappa}B$ p65 but not NFAT-2 and c-Fos. Conclusion These results indicate that PRAL has the effect of suppressing Th2 cytokines production in the MC/9 mast cells. These data represent that PRAL potentiates therapeutic activities to the allergic disease by regulating Th2 cytokines in the MC/9 mast cells.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
• /
• v.11 no.1
• /
• pp.3-10
• /
• 2017

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Sargassum horneri is an edible brown alga that grows in the subtidal zone as an annual species along the coasts of South Korea, China, and Japan. Recently, an extreme amount of S. horneri moved into the coasts of Jeju Island from the east coast of China, which made huge economic and environmental loss to the Jeju Island. Thus, utilization of this biomass becomes a big issue with the local authorities. Therefore, the present study was performed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory potential of crude polysaccharides (CPs) extracted from S. horneri China strain in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. MATERIALS/METHODS: CPs were precipitated from S. horneri digests prepared by enzyme assistant extraction using four food-grade enzymes (AMG, Celluclast, Viscozyme, and Alcalase). The production levels of nitric oxide (NO) and pro-inflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-${\alpha}$ and interleukin (IL)-$1{\beta}$ were measured by Griess assay and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. The levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), nuclear factor (NF)-${\kappa}B$, and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) were measured by using western blot. The IR spectrums of the CPs were recorded using a fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) spectrometer. RESULTS: The polysaccharides from the Celluclast enzyme digest (CCP) showed the highest inhibition of NO production in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells ($IC_{50}$ value: $95.7{\mu}g/mL$). Also, CCP dose-dependently down-regulated the protein expression levels of iNOS and COX-2 as well as the production of inflammatory cytokines, including TNF-${\alpha}$ and IL-$1{\beta}$, compared to the only LPS-treated cells. In addition, CCP inhibited the activation of NF-${\kappa}B$ p50 and p65 and the phosphorylation of MAPKs, including p38 and extracellular signal-regulated kinase, in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. Furthermore, FT-IR analysis showed that the FT-IR spectrum of CCP is similar to that of commercial fucoidan. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that CCP has anti-inflammatory activities and is a potential candidate for the formulation of a functional food ingredient or/and drug to treat inflammatory diseases.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.54 no.1
• /
• pp.38-45
• /
• 2018

Acne is an inflammatory skin disease that occurs in puberty and young people. Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes) is known to be a major cause of inflammation in acne. P. acnes proliferates within hair follicles blocked by overproduced sebum in the skin, and thereby activates monocytic cells to promote the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines. In this study, we investigated the possibility of Cnestis palala (Lour.) Merr. extract to diminish P. acnes-mediated inflammatory responses. We found that C. palala extract significantly attenuated P. acnes-induced pro-inflammatory cytokine expressions, such as $IL-1{\beta}$, IL-6, $TNF-{\alpha}$, iNOS, and COX-2 in mouse macrophage RAW264.7 cells. Moreover, we observed that C. palala extract inhibited $NF-{\kappa}B$ transcriptional activation, which is the major transcription factor of inflammatory cytokine expression. Therefore, it is expected that C. palala extract has a potential as a therapeutic agent or supplement for the treatment P. acnes-induced inflammatory responses.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.27 no.6
• /
• pp.522-529
• /
• 2019

M1/M2 polarization of immune cells including microglia has been well characterized. It mediates detrimental or beneficial roles in neuroinflammatory disorders including cerebral ischemia. We have previously found that sphingosine 1-phospate receptor subtype 1 ($S1P_1$) in post-ischemic brain following transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) can trigger microglial activation, leading to brain damage. Although the link between $S1P_1$ and microglial activation as a pathogenesis in cerebral ischemia had been clearly demonstrated, whether the pathogenic role of $S1P_1$ is associated with its regulation of M1/M2 polarization remains unclear. Thus, this study aimed to determine whether $S1P_1$ was associated with regulation of M1/M2 polarization in post-ischemic brain. Suppressing $S1P_1$ activity with its functional antagonist, AUY954 (5 mg/kg, p.o.), attenuated mRNA upregulation of M1 polarization markers in post-ischemic brain at 1 day and 3 days after tMCAO challenge. Similarly, suppressing $S1P_1$ activity with AUY954 administration inhibited M1-polarizatioin-relevant $NF-{\kappa}B$ activation in post-ischemic brain. Particularly, $NF-{\kappa}B$ activation was observed in activated microglia of post-ischemic brain and markedly attenuated by AUY954, indicating that M1 polarization through $S1P_1$ in post-ischemic brain mainly occurred in activated microglia. Suppressing $S1P_1$ activity with AUY954 also increased mRNA expression levels of M2 polarization markers in post-ischemic brain, further indicating that $S1P_1$ could also influence M2 polarization in post-ischemic brain. Finally, suppressing $S1P_1$ activity decreased phosphorylation of M1-relevant ERK1/2, p38, and JNK MAPKs, but increased phosphorylation of M2-relevant Akt, all of which were downstream pathways following $S1P_1$ activation. Overall, these results revealed $S1P_1$-regulated M1/M2 polarization toward brain damage as a pathogenesis of cerebral ischemia.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.22 no.4
• /
• pp.295-300
• /
• 2014

The actin cytoskeleton plays an important role in macrophage-mediated inflammatory responses by modulating the activation of Src and subsequently inducing nuclear factor (NF)-${\kappa}B$ translocation. In spite of its critical functions, few papers have examined how the actin cytoskeleton can be regulated by the activation of toll-like receptor (TLR). Therefore, in this study, we further characterized the biological value of the actin cytoskeleton in the functional activation of macrophages using an actin cytoskeleton disruptor, cytochalasin B (Cyto B), and explored the actin cytoskeleton's involvement in morphological changes, cellular attachment, and signaling events. Cyto B strongly suppressed the TLR4-mediated mRNA expression of inflammatory genes such as cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-${\alpha}$, and inducible nitric oxide (iNOS), without altering cell viability. This compound also strongly suppressed the morphological changes induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a TLR4 ligand. Cyto B also remarkably suppressed NO production under non-adherent conditions but not in an adherent environment. Cyto B did not block the co-localization between surface glycoprotein myeloid differentiation protein-2 (MD2), a LPS signaling glycoprotein, and the actin cytoskeleton under LPS conditions. Interestingly, Cyto B and PP2, a Src inhibitor, enhanced the phagocytic uptake of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-dextran. Finally, it was found that Cyto B blocked the phosphorylation of vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP) at 1 min and the phosphorylation of heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) at 5 min. Therefore, our data suggest that the actin cytoskeleton may be one of the key components involved in the control of TLR4-mediated inflammatory responses in macrophages.