• Development and Reproduction
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.197-205
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• 2016

Adipose tissue is one of the major endocrine gland. More recently, local production of steroids in adipocytes differentiated from mouse 3T3-L1 cell-line was reported. We hypothesized that rat adipocytes have steroidogenic machinery and the expression patterns of the components might be differentially regulated, depending on the distribution and sex. To verify this hypothesis, we collected the adipose tissues depot-and sex-specifically at postnatal day (PND) 30, and performed quantitative RT-PCRs. In overall aspects, the abundances of the transcripts were lower in the brown adipose of both sexes. $3{\beta}-HSD$ transcript levels in female abdominal and reproductive adipose, CYP17 transcript levels in female reproductive adipose, $17{\beta}-HSD$ transcript levels in female abdominal and reproductive adipose, and CYP19 transcript levels in female abdominal adipose were significantly lower than those of male counterparts. Similar to steroidogenic factors, the abundance of the $ER-{\alpha}$ transcripts were generally lower in the brown adipose of both sexes. $ER-{\beta}$ transcripts were more abundant in male white adipose depots than their female counterparts. The levels of LHR transcripts in female reproductive adipose were significantly higher than those of male counterpart. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that the expressions of steroidogenesis-related genes were depot- and sex-specifically occurred in the immature male and female rat adipose tissues. Our study suggested that the adipose tissues are not only targets but de novo synthesizing sites of sex steroid(s), though the synthesizing activities could be much less than in gonads. Further researches in this field will be helpful for understanding the adipose physiology and for medical application such as sex-specific steroid supplement therapies for older populations.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.35-41
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• 2010

Mammalian reproduction is regulated by a feedback circuit of the key reproductive hormones such as GnRH, gonadotropin and sex steroids on the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. In particular, the onset of female puberty is triggered by gain of a pulsatile pattern and increment of GnRH secretion from hypothalamus. Previous studies including our own clearly demonstrated that genistein (GS), a phytoestrogenic isoflavone, altered the timing of puberty onset in female rats. However, the brain-specific actions of GS in female rats has not been explored yet. The present study was performed to examine the changes in the activities of GnRH neurons and their neural circuits by GS in female rats. Concerning the drug delivery route, intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection technique was employed to eliminate the unwanted actions on the extrabrain tissues which can be occurred if the testing drug is systemically administered. Adult female rats (PND 100, 210-230 g BW) were anaesthetized, treated with single dose of GS ($3.4{\mu}g$/animal), and sacrificed at 3 hrs post-injection. To determine the transcriptional changes of reproductive hormone-related genes in hypothalamus, total RNAs were extracted and applied to the semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). ICV infusion of GS significantly raised the transcriptional activities of enhanced at puberty1 (EAP-1, p<0.05), glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD67, p<0.01) which are known to modulate GnRH secretion in the hypothalamus. However, GS infusion could not change the mRNA level of nitric oxide synthase 2 (NOS-2). GS administration significantly increased the mRNA levels of KiSS-1 (p<0.001), GPR54 (p<0.001), and GnRH (p<0.01) in the hypothalami, but decreased the mRNA levels of LH-$\beta$ (p<0.01) and FSH-$\beta$ (p<0.05) in the pituitaries. Taken together, the present study indicated that the acute exposure to GS could directly activate the hypothalamic GnRH modulating system, suggesting the GS's disrupting effects such as the early onset of puberty in immature female rats might be derived from premature activation of key reproduction related genes in hypothalamus-pituitary neuroendocrine circuit.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.30 no.9
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• pp.1120-1126
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• 2001

Objective : The development of magnetic resonance neurography(MRN) has made it possible to produce highresolution images of peripheral nerves themselves, as well as associated intraneural and extraneural lesions. We evaluated the clinical application and utility of high-resolution MRN techniques for the diagnosis and treatment of a variety of peripheral nerve disorder(PND)s. Material and Method : MRN images were obtained using T1-weighted spin echo, T2-weighted fast spin echo with fat suppression, and short tau inversion recovery(STIR) fast spin-echo pulse sequences. Fifteen patients were studied, three with brachial plexus tumors, five with chronic entrapment syndromes, and seven with traumatic peripheral lesions. Ten patients underwent surgery. Results : In MRN with STIR sequences of axial and coronal imagings, signals of the peripheral nerves with various lesions were detected as fairly bright signals and were discerned from signals of the uninvolved nerves. Increased signal with proximal swelling and distal flattening of the median nerve were seen in all patients of carpal tunnel syndrome. Among the eight patients with brachial plexus injury or tumors, T2-weighted MRN showed increased signal intensity in involved roots in five, enhanced mass lesions in three, and traumatic pseudomeningocele in three. Other associated MRI findings were adjacent bony signal change, neuroma, root adhesion and denervated muscle atophy with signal change. Conclusion : MRN with high-resolution imaging can be useful in the preoperative evaluation and surgical planning in patients with peripheral nerve lesions.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.267-275
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• 2003

The purpose of our study was to evaluate the toxicity of the thimerosal in embryos and neonates. Thimerosal (also known as mercurothiolate) is a mercury-containing compound used in trace amounts to prevent bacteria and other organisms from contaminating vaccines, especially in opened multi-dose vials. The toxicity of mercury is well known and those most at risk occurrs in unborn babies and newborn babies. Test methods included in vitro whole embryo culture (WEC) system and in vivo test of neonatal toxicity in Wistar rats. Ethylmercury and methylmercury were used as positive controls for the evaluating of toxic effects of mercury. In WEC assay, treated concentrations of thimerosal, ethylmercury and methylmercury were up to 0.01, 0.025, 0.05, 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2.5 and 5 $\mu\textrm{g}$/$\textrm{m}{\ell}$, respectively. All compounds didn't show any morphological abnormalities, but showed retardation of growth and development in dose dependent manner (> 0.5 $\mu\textrm{g}$/$\textrm{m}{\ell}$). These data indicated that thimerosal showed developmental toxicity in vitro. In vivo neonatal toxicity, Wistar rats were administered subcutaneously with thimerosal, ethyl mercury, or methylmercury (5, 25, 50, 250, and 500 $\mu\textrm{g}$/kg) during from postnatal day (PND) 4 to 25. Significant effects of these compounds on relative organ weights and organ morphology were not observed in this experiment. However, accumulation of mercury was detected in the kidney and testis when treated with thimerosal, ethylmercury, or methylmercury. These results suggest that thimerosal may be a harmful compound to embryo and neonate, but used concentration of thimerosal in these experiments is much higher than that of clinical application. Further investigation is needed on the safety of vaccine components, i.e. a thimerosal using in vitro and in vivo tests in the future.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.113-119
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• 2007

Developmental disability shows life-long behavioral abnormality with no significant physical malformation. This study was undertaken to develop an animal model for developmental disability by using two-factor approach. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a bacterial toxin, and NAN-190, a $5-HT_{1A}$ receptor antagonist, were administered to Sprague-Dawley rats on postnatal day (PND) 5 to induce inflammation and an altered 5-HT system, respectively. Long-term alteration of behavior occurred in the drug-treated groups. The LPS-treated group showed impaired motor coordination in the Rota-rod test. The LPS- treated or both LPS and NAN-190-treated groups showed impaired fore-paw muscle power in the wire maneuver test. These groups also showed decreased white matter volume and increased serotonergic fibers. The LPS and NAN-190-treated group also exhibited neurologic deficit in the placing reaction test and impaired equilibrium function in the tilt table test. The results showed that a variety of altered behaviors can be generated by two factor model, and suggested that combination of important etiologic factors and possible underlying defects is a promising strategy of establishing an animal model for developmental disabilities.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.270-276
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• 2016

Extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs), particularly those of the CTX-M types, are the predominant resistance determinants of Escherichia coli that are rapidly spreading worldwide. To determine CTX-M types, E. coli isolates were collected from retail chickens (n = 390) and environmental samples from chicken farms (n = 32) and slaughterhouses (n = 67) in Korea. Fifteen strains harboring bla_CTX-M genes were isolated from 358 E. coli isolates. The most common CTX-M type was eight of CTX-M-15, followed by six of CTX-M-1 and one of CTX-M-14. The bla_CTX-M genes were identified in the isolates from retail chickens (n = 9), followed by feces, water pipes, floors, and walls. Conjugations confirmed the transferability of the plasmids carrying bla_CTX-M genes to the recipient E. coli J53 strain. Furthermore, eight addiction systems carried by the replicons in CTX-M types were confirmed. The dominant system was identified as ccdAB, vagCD, and pndAC in donor strains and transconjugants. The clonal relationship between the two strains carrying bla_CTX-M genes indicates that E. coli may transmit from the farm to retail chickens, suggesting a possible public health risk. Our findings demonstrate that the detection of CTX-M types in E. coli isolates is important for tracking ESBL production in animals, and suggest linkage of multiple addiction systems in plasmids bearing bla_CTX-M genes.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.179-185
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• 2011

Some phytoestrogens in soy and red wine, for example, might have beneficiary rather than adverse effects. In particular, dietary soy intake seems to be highly correlated with protection of breast cancer, osteoporosis and cardiovascular disorders. However, questions persist on the potential adverse effects of the main soy constituent genistein (GS) on female reproductive physiology. Previously we found that prepubertal exposure to GS could activate the reproductive system of immature female rats leading to precocious puberty onset, and intracerebroventricularly (ICV) injected GS could directly activate hypothalamic kisspeptin-GnRH neuronal circuits in adult female rats. The present study was performed to examine the hypothalamus-specific GS effects in prepubertal female rats and which subtype of estrogen receptor is mediated in this GS effect. Prepubertal female rats (PND 30) were anaesthetized, treated with single dose of GS (3.4 ${\mu}g$/animal), and sacrificed at 2 hrs post-injection. To determine the transcriptional changes of reproductive hormone-related genes in hypothalamus, total RNAs were extracted and applied to the semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). ICV infusion of GS significantly lowered the transcriptional activities of mTOR (1:$0.361{\pm}0.058$ AU, p<0.001) but increased that of GAD67 (1:$1.285{\pm}0.099$ AU, p<0.05), which are known to act as an upstream modulator of kisspeptin and GnRH neuronal activities in the hypothalamus, respectively. GS administration enhanced significantly the mRNA levels of KiSS-1(1:$1.458{\pm}0.078$ AU, p<0.001), and exerted no effect on the mRNA level of kisspeptin receptor GPR-54 (1:$1.29{\pm}0.08$ AU). GnRH gene expression was significantly decreased in GS-treated group compared to control group (1:$0.379{\pm}0.196$ AU, p<0.05). There was no difference in the mRNA level of $ER{\alpha}$ in the GS-treated group compare to control group (1:$1.180{\pm}0.390$ AU, Fig. 3A). However, icv infusion of GS significantly increased the transcriptional activities of $ER{\beta}$ (1:$4.209{\pm}0.796$ AU, p<0.01, Fig. 3B). Taken together, the present study indicated that the acute exposure to GS could directly alter the hypothalamic GnRH modulating system in prepubertal female rats. Our study strongly suggested the involvement of $ER{\beta}$ pathway in GS's hypothalamus-specific action, and this idea is consistent with the GS's well-known $ER{\beta}$-mediated protective action in breast cancer.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.137-146
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• 2002

The immunohistochemical localization of the nerve growth factor (NGF), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNIF) in the developing Mongolian gerbil forebrain was investigated by the immunohistochemical and electron microscopy methods. Generally, the NGF specifically recognizes the neurons, the GFAP does the glia, and the CNIF does the motor neurons. This study demonstrates the location of the NGF, GFAP and CNTF in the developing Mongolian gerbil from the embryonic days 17 (E17) to the postnatal weeks 3 (PNW 3). The NGF was localized at E19 in the olfactocy bulb and the cerebral cortex, expanded to the hippocampus, and the diagonal bond from the late prenatal period to PNW 3. GFAP was observed in the lateral ventricle and the third ventricle at E17, projected into the cerebral cortex at E19. The GFAP was observed to have the largest numbers in several parts of the forebrain at the postnatal days 2 (PND2), while the most numerous CNTF was observed at PNW 2. The CNTF-IR cells were observed only in the postnatal days and were found in the olfactory bulb, cerebral cortex both neuron and neuroglia at PND3. Electron microscopy showed that the NGF, GFAP and CNTF were not related to any connections with any particular subcellular structure. These results suggest that NGF, GFAP and CNTF be related to the neuron and neuroglia at the prenatal and postnatal stages in the developing Mongolian gerbil.

• Journal of Marine Bioscience and Biotechnology
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.102-107
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• 2007

Environmental contamination becomes a great public concern as our society gets industrialized rapidly. The present study examine the role of chitosan in a effort to intervene the environmental pollutant-induced toxicity. PCB-induced neurotoxicity with respect to the PKC signaling was examined. Since the developing neuron is particularly sensitive to PCB-induced neurotoxicity, we isolated cerebellar granule cells derived from 7-day old SD rats and grew cells in culture for additional 7 days to mimic PND-14 conditions. PCB showed the alteration of PKC signaling pathway. The alteration was structure-dependent. Mono-ortho-substituted congeners at a high dose showed a significant increase of total PKC activity at [$^3H$]PDBu binding assay, indicating that mono-ortho-substituted congeners are more neuroactive than non-ortho-substituted congeners in neuronal cells. PKC isoforms were immunoblotted with respective monoclonal antibodies. PKC-beta II and -epsilon were activated with mono-ortho-substituted congeners exposure. The result suggests that the position with ortho has a higher potential of altering the signaling pathway. Alteration of PKC was blocked with treatment of high molecular weight of chitosan. The study demonstrated that the ortho position in PCBs are important in assessing the structure-activity relationship. The results suggest a potential use of marine bioactive materials as a means of nutritional intervention to prevent the harmful effects of pollutant-derived toxicity.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.39-48
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• 2018

The coffee silver skin is a part of coffee beans. We report that the coffee sliver skin extracts exhibited cosmetic properties of antioxidant, anti-winkle and whitening effects. The ethanol extracts of silver skin showed free radical scavenging activity up to 92.26% in $50{\mu}g/mL$, especially against DPPH radical and ABTS radical cation. The silver skin extracts showed inhibitory effects for tyrosinase activity and DOPA oxidation in a dose-dependent manner, suggesting the extracts retain for the whitening property in cosmetics. The coffee silver skin extracts effectively inhibited the elastase and collagenase. Cytotoxicity of the coffee silver skin extracts was measured by the colorimetric MTS assay. The viability of the human keratinocytes (HaCaT) treated with the coffee silver skin extracts was same as that of untreated cells, indicating the extracts are safe to human cells. Here, we suggest that the silver skin extracts of coffee bean could be a potential natural substance for anti-winkle, whitening, antioxidant properties for cosmetics.