• Molecules and Cells
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.114-123
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• 2005

Nitropyrene, the predominant nitropolycyclic hydrocarbon found in diesel exhaust, is a mutagenic and tumorigenic environmental pollutant that requires metabolic activation via nitroreduction and ring oxidation. In order to determine the role of ring oxidation in the mutagenicity of 1-nitropyrene, its oxidative metabolites, 1-nitropyrene 4,5-oxide and 1-nitropyrene 9,10-oxide, were synthesized and their mutation spectra were determined in the coding region of hprt gene of CHO cells by a PCR amplification of reverse-transcribed hprt mRNA, followed by a DNA sequence analysis. A comparison of the two metabolites for mutation frequencies showed that 1-nitropyrene 9,10-oxide was 2-times higher than 1-nitropyrene 4,5-oxide. The mutation spectrum for 1-nitropyrene 4,5-oxide was base substitutions (33/49), one base deletions (11/49) and exon deletions (5/49). In the case of 1-nitropyrene 9,10-oxide, base substitutions (27/50), one base deletions (15/50), and exon deletions (8/50) were observed. Base substitutions were distributed randomly throughout the hprt gene. The majority of the base substitutions in mutant from 1-nitropyrene 4,5-oxide treated cells were $A{\rightarrow}G$ transition (15/33) and $G{\rightarrow}A$ transition (8/33). The predominant base substitution, $A{\rightarrow}G$ transition (11/27) and $G{\rightarrow}A$ transition (8/27), were also observed in mutant from 1-nitropyrene 9,10-oxide treated cells. The mutation at the site of adenine and guanine was consistent with the previous results, where the sites of DNA adduct formed by these compounds were predominant at the sites of purines. A comparison of the mutational patterns between 1-nitropyrene 4,5-oxide and 1-nitropyrene 9,10-oxide showed that there were no significant differences in the overall mutational spectrum. These results indicate that each oxidative metabolite exhibits an equal contribution to the mutagenicity of 1-nitropyrene, and ring oxidation of 1-nitropyrene is an important metabolic pathway to the formation of significant lethal DNA lesions.

• BMB Reports
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• v.41 no.8
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• pp.604-608
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• 2008

1-Nitropyrene 4,5-oxide and 1-nitropyrene 9,10-oxide are oxidative metabolites that are responsible for the mutagenicity of 1-nitropyrene. In this study, the mutation spectra induced by oxidative metabolites in human cells were determined using a shuttle vector assay. The mutation frequencies induced by 1-nitropyrene 9,10-oxide were 2-3 times higher than those induced by 1-nitropyrene 4,5-oxide. The base substitutions induced by 1-nitropyrene 4,5-oxide were $G{\rightarrow}A$ transitions, $G{\rightarrow}C$ transversions, and $G{\rightarrow}T$ transversions. In the case of 1-nitropyrene 9,10-oxide, $G{\rightarrow}A$ transitions, $G{\rightarrow}T$ transversions, $A{\rightarrow}G$ transitions and $G{\rightarrow}C$ transversions were observed. Most base substitution mutations induced by oxidative metabolites occurred at the guanine sites in the supF gene. These sequence-specific hot spots were commonly identified as 5'-GA sequences for both metabolites. On the other hand, the sequence-specific hot spots at the adenine sites were identified as 5'-CAC sequences for 1-nitropyrene 9,10-oxide. These results suggest that the oxidative metabolites of 1-nitropyrene induce sequence-specific DNA mutations at the guanine and adenine sites at high frequency.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.241-245
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• 1998

Two oxidation states of chromium commonly occur in natural soil/water systems, Cr(III) and Cr(VI). The oxidized form, Cr(VI), exists as the chromate ion and is more mobile and toxic than Cr(III). Therefore oxidation of Cr(III) by various Mn-oxides in natural systems is a very important environmental concern. Organic substances can inhibit the Cr(III) oxidation by binding, Cr(III) strongly and also by dissolving Mn-oxides. Most of Cr(III) oxidation studies were carried out using in vitro systems without organic substances which exist in natural soil/water systems. In this study effect of organic acids - oxalate and pyruvate - on Cr(III) oxidation by $birnessite({\delta}-MnO_2)$ was examined. The two organic acids significantly inhibited Cr(III) oxidation by birnessite. Oxalate showed more significant inhibition than pyruvate. As solution pH was lowered in the range of 3.0 to 5.0, the Cr(III) oxidation was more strongly depressed. Addition of more organic acids reduced the Cr(III) oxidation mare extensively. Different inhibition effects by the organic acids could be due to their ability of reductive dissolution of Mn-oxides and/or Cr(III) binding. Organic acids dissolved Mn-oxide during the Cr(III) oxidation by the oxide, Dissolution by oxalic acid was much greater than that by pyruvate, and the dissolution was more extensive at lower pH. Inhibition of Cr(III) oxidation was parallel to the dissolution of Mn-oxide by organic acids. Although the effect of Cr(III) binding by organic acids on Cr(III) oxidation is not known yet, Mn-oxide dissolution by organic acids could be a main reason for the inhibition of Cr(III) oxidation by Mn-oxide in presence of organic acids. Thus oxidation of Cr(III) to Cr(VI) by various Mn-oxides in natural systems could be much less than the oxidation estimated by in vitro studies with only Cr(III) and Mn-oxides.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.341-342
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• 2004

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.123-129
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• 2008

Transdermal therapeutic system(TTS) is often used as the method of drug dosage into the epidermic skin. Natural polymer were selected as ointment material of TTS. We investigated the permeation of natural polymer ointment containing drug in rat skin using horizontal membrane cell model. Permeation properties of materials were investigated for water-soluble drug such as Nicotinic acid N-oxide in vitro. These results showed that skin permeation rate of drug across the composite was mainly dependent on the property of ointment base and drug. Proper selection of the polymeric materials which resemble and enhance properties of the delivering drug was found to be important in controlling the skin permeation rate. This result suggests a possible use of natural polymer ointment base as TTS of antihyperlipoproteinemic agent.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.375-382
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• 2003

Effects of ginsenosides on nitric oxide (NO) production induced by lipopolysaccharide plus TNF-$\alpha$ (LNT) were examined in C6 rat glioma cells. Among several ginsenosides, ginsenoside Rd showed a complete inhibition against LNT-induced NO production. Ginsenoside Rd attenuated LNT-induced increased phosphorylation of ERK. Among several immediate early gene products, only Jun Band Fra-1 protein levels were increased by LNT, and ginsenoside Rd attenuated Jun Band Fra-1 protein levels induced by LNT. Furthermore, LNT increased AP-1 DNA binding activities, which were partially inhibited by ginsenoside Rd. Our results suggest that ginsenoside Rd exerts an inhibitory action against NO production via blocking phosphorylation of ERK, in turn, suppressing immediate early gene products such as Jun Band Fra-1 in C6 glioma cells.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.466-470
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• 2009

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.744-746
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• 2006

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.64-73
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• 2013

Korean red ginseng water extract (KG-WE) has known beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system via inducting nitric oxide (NO) production in endothelium. Endothelial arginase inhibits the activity of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) by substrate depletion, thereby reducing NO bioavailability and contributing to vascular diseases including hypertension, aging, and atherosclerosis. In the present study, we demonstrate that KG-WE inhibits arginase activity and negatively regulates NO production and reactive oxygen species generation in endothelium. This is associated with increased dimerization of eNOS without affecting the protein expression levels of either arginase or eNOS. In a vascular tension assay, when aortas isolated from wild type mice were incubated with KG-WE, NO-dependent enhanced vasorelaxation was observed. Furthermore, KG-WE administered via by drinking water to atherogenic model mice being fed high cholesterol diet improved impaired vascular function. Taken together, these results suggest that KG-WE may exert vasoprotective effects through augmentation of NO signaling by inhibiting arginase. Therefore, KG-WE may be useful in the treatment of vascular diseases derived from endothelial dysfunction, such as atherosclerosis.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.1060-1062
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• 2007