• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.11
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• pp.1208-1217
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• 2019

Saposhnikovia has been used as a traditional medicinal herb in Asia because of the reported anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic rhinitis, pro-whitening, anti-atopy, anti-allergy, and anti-dermatopathy effects of the phytochemical compounds it contains. In this study, we investigated the antioxidant effects of a Saposhnikovia extract after fermentation by Lactobacillus plantarum BHN-LAB 33. Saposhnikovia powder was inoculated with L. plantarum BHN-LAB 33 and fermented at $37^{\circ}C$ for 72 hr. After fermentation, the total polyphenol content of the Saposhnikovia extract increased by about 14%, and the total flavonoid content increased by about 9%. The superoxide dismutase-like activities, DPPH radical scavenging, ABTS radical scavenging, reducing power activity, and tyrosinase inhibition activity also increased after fermentation by approximately 70%, 80%, 45%, 39%, and 44%, respectively. The results confirmed that fermentation of a Saposhnikovia extract by L. plantarum BHN-LAB 33 is an effective way to increase the antioxidant effects of the extract. The bioconversion process investigated in this study may have the potential to produce phytochemical-enriched natural antioxidant agents with high added value from Saposhnikovia matrices. These results can also be applied to the development of improved foods and cosmetic materials.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.255-263
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• 2019

Glycyrrhizae radix is one of the most frequently prescribed ingredients in Oriental medicine, and Glycyrrhizae radix extract has been shown to exert anti-cancer effects. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms of programed cell death (apoptosis) by Glycyrrhizae radix are poorly defined. In the present study, it was examined the molecular mechanisms of apoptosis by water extracts of Glycyrrhizae radix (GRW) in human bladder T24 cancer cells. It was found that GRW could inhibit the cell growth of T24 cells in a concentration-dependent manner, which was associated with the induction of apoptotic cell death, as evidenced by the formation of apoptotic bodies, DNA fragmentation and increased populations of annexin-V positive cells. The induction of apoptotic cell death by GRW was connected with an up-regulation of pro-apoptotic Bax protein expression and down-regulation of anti-apoptotic proteins (Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL), and inhibition of apoptosis family proteins (XIAP, cIAP-1 and cIAP-2). In addition, apoptosis-inducing concentrations of GRW induced the activation of caspase-9, an initiator caspase of the mitochondrial-mediated intrinsic pathway, and caspase-3, accompanied by proteolytic degradation of PARP. GRW also induced apoptosis via a death receptor-mediated extrinsic pathway by caspase-8 activation, resulting in the down-regulation of total Bid and suggesting the existence of cross-talk between the extrinsic and intrinsic pathways. Taken together, the present results suggest that GRW may be a potential chemotherapeutic agent for the control of human bladder cancer cells.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.287-297
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• 2021

Cornus officinalis Siebold & Zucc. is traditionally used as an edible and medicinal plant in many countries in East Asia. Previous studies have shown the pharmacological potential of extracts and components of C. officinalis, but comparative analysis of the composition of the leaf, stem, and fruit extracts has been insufficient to date. In the present study, the content of active antioxidant and anti-inflammatory ingredients was verified in different C. officinalis parts (under-ripe sansuyu, ripe sansuyu, seed, leaf, stem, and dried sansuyu). One active component, morroniside, was high in fruit (under-ripe and ripe sansuyu), while loganin was high in fruit (under-ripe sansuyu) and cornin was high in seeds. Total polyphenol contents were highest in fruit (ripe sansuyu) and flavonoids were highest in leaves. DPPH radical scavenging activity was highest in leaves, followed by seeds and then ripe sansuyu extract. The anti-inflammatory efficacy of leaf extracts of C. officinalis (LCO) was further investigated by measuring their effects on levels of nitric oxide (NO) and the pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6 in RAW 264.7 macrophages. Non-cytotoxic concentrations of LCO effectively decreased the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced expression of inducible NO synthase, resulting in decreased NO production. LCO also significantly suppressed LPS-induced production and expression of IL-1β and IL-6. Taken together, the present findings suggest that C. officinalis leaves have potential as natural materials for the development of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.209-218
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• 2021

This study aimed to evaluate the anti-obesity effects of Cudrania tricuspidata leaf extract in the order of leaf development on the shoot (L0, L1, L2, L3, L4, and L5). The leaves at the apex of a Cudrania tricuspidata shoot were classified as L0; the next leaves of the apex were classified as L1, L2, L3, and L4 from highest to lowest; and the lowest leaf was classified as L5. A series of 70% ethyl alcohol leaf extracts were screened for the inhibitory effects of adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. We found that the apical leaf extract of Cudrania tricuspidata (CTL0) was the most effective. Next, a study was conducted on the inhibitory action mechanism of CTL0. Treatment with CTL0 significantly suppressed the differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes in a dose-dependent manner, as confirmed by the decrease in lipid droplet content observed with Oil Red O staining. Treatment with 12.5 ㎍/ml, 25 ㎍/ml, and 50 ㎍/ml of CTL0 significantly reduced the lipid droplet content. Glucose and cellular triglyceride concentrations were reduced in the 3T3-L1 cells on the CTL0-treated medium compared to the differentiation medium (DM control, DMEM + insulin + dexamethasone + rosiglitazone). Compared with DM, CTL0 significantly inhibited the expression of key pro-adipogenic transcription factors, including peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ), LPL, A-FABP, and Glut4. These findings show that CTL0 extract has potent anti-obesity effects.

• (The) Research of the performance art and culture
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• no.34
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• pp.133-172
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• 2017

Mansuseongjeol was originally a term that referred to the birthday of Chinese emperors. In October 1897, when Emperor Gojong ascended the throne, his birthday could be called mansuseongjeol. The celebratory events for mansuseongjeol took place throughout various levels of society and regions. Various places and classes including government officials, foreigners, students, religious people, journalists, merchants, civic groups, and nation-wide open ports celebrated the birth of Emperor Gojong, and the classes celebrating the day became stronger and wider. In other words, in the sense that the celebration had the nature of being universal, national, and global in terms of classes, regions, and races, the event was distinguished. Due to such nature, celebrating culture proceeded in various ways and the imperial family provided donation. Celebration on mansuseongjeol extended to respect toward the emperor and patriotism so it contributed to strengthening the emperor's power and solidifying the unity of the people. Also, such an event was reported around the world through diplomats and reporters living in Korea, raising the national status of Korea in the world. However, after the breakout of Russo-Japanese War, Japan controlled the finance of the royal family, reduced the power of the emperor, and the celebration of mansuseongjeol was also reduced. Due to the suspension of royal family's financial support, crackdown from Japan, and the dethronement of Emperor Gojong, events for mansuseongjeol disappeared and only inside the palace, did formal celebrations continue centering on pro-Japan officials and Japanese people. The abdication of Emperor Gojong came with the collapse of Korean Empire and along with that, celebration of mansuseongjeol came to an end. In the circumstances, the culture of court banquet disintegrated, and the best performers of Korean Empire degenerated into mere entertainers. Though mansuseongjeol, the medium of expressing respect toward the emperor and patriotism, lost its status, it is significant that the cultural achievements, which were created during the process established with the support of the financial power of the royal family, serve as internal power that drove Korea's modern and contemporary cultural history.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.23-30
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• 2021

Hemistepta lyrata Bunge (HL) has been used as a folk remedy to treat cancer, inflammation, bleeding, hemorrhoids and fever, and leaves and young shoots have been used as famine food. Nevertheless, the biological activities and underlying mechanisms of the anti-inflammatory effects remain unclear. In this study, it was undertaken to explore the functions of the aerial part of HL as a suppressor of inflammation by using RAW 264.7 cells. As immune response parameters, the productions of as nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), cytokines such tumor necrotic factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-6 were evaluated. Although the release of TNF-α remained unchanged in HL-treated RAW 264.7 cells, the productions of NO, PGE2 and IL-6 were significantly increased at concentrations with no cytotoxicity. Furthermore, HL significantly attenuated the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) pathway including decreasing the phosphorylation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases. Collectively, this study provides evidence that HL inhibits the production of major pro-inflammatory molecules in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells via suppression of ERK and P38 MAPK signaling pathways. These findings suggest that the beneficial therapeutic effects of HL may be attributed partly to its ability to modulate immune functions in macrophages.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.36
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• pp.117-152
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• 2020

In Daesoon Thought, Matteo Ricci is regarded highly as a Jongjang, 'religious leader,' (of Christianity). This paper deals with the life and philosophical/theological thought of Matteo Ricci as homo-religiosus from the perspective of phenomenology of religion. Examining his historical background and biographical sketch, I will analyze Ricci's understanding of God, humanity, and salvation and re-evaluate his relationship with Daesoon Thought. Matteo Ricci, born in Italy, became a Jesuit missionary to China and transmitted various products of western civilization. Accepting the pro-cultural approach of Jesuit mission, he applied it to Chinese culture and language by learning the Chinese language and regarding Chinese people as his friends. This was a sympathetic way to transmit Western religion and culture while on Chinese soil. He suggested eight reasons to look towards the future of China with optimism and taught Chinese people his Christian message through his indirect means of understanding and persuasion. In China, Jesuit missionaries called the Christian God 'Tianzhu (Cheonju in Sino-Korean),' meaning Lord of Heaven. Ricci identified the Confucian notion of 'Shangdi (Sangje in Sino-Korean),' meaning Supreme Emperor (or God) with Tianzhu. While translating Confucian scriptures, he found the common ground between Confucianism and Christianity to be the monotheism of ancient Confucianism. He criticized the concepts of God in Buddhism and Daoism, and justified the Christian doctrine of God by way of a Confucian understanding of deity. Ricci's understanding of humanity was based on his Christian faith in creation, and he criticized the Buddhist concept of transmigration. He proposed Christian ethics and doctrine of salvation by using discourse on the afterlife and in particular, the concepts of heaven and hell. Concerning the relationship between Daesoon Thought and Ricci, the following aspects should be examined: 1.) Ricci's contribution to the cultural exchanges between East and West, 2.) his peaceful approach to his mission based on dialogue and persuasion, 3.) the various activities conducted by Ricci as a Christian leader, and 4.) his belief in miraculous healings. His influence on Korea will likewise be explored. Ricci's ultimate aim was to communicate with Asian people and unify East and West under a singular worldview by emphasizing the similarities between the Christian and Confucian concepts of God.

• Journal of Korea Entertainment Industry Association
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.139-150
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• 2020

The data processing of this study focuses on the textom and social media words about three areas: 'Corona 19 and professional baseball', 'Corona 19 and professional baseball', and 'Corona 19 and professional sports' The data was collected and refined in a web environment and then processed in batch, and the Ucinet6 program was used to visualize it. Specifically, the web environment was collected using Naver, Daum, and Google's channels, and was summarized into 30 words through expert meetings among the extracted words and used in the final study. 30 extracted words were visualized through a matrix, and a CONCOR analysis was performed to identify clusters of similarity and commonality of words. As a result of analysis, the clusters related to Corona 19 and Pro Baseball were composed of one central cluster and five peripheral clusters, and it was found that the contents related to the opening of professional baseball according to the corona 19 wave were mainly searched. The cluster related to Corona 19 and unrelated to professional baseball consisted of one central cluster and five peripheral clusters, and it was found that the keyword of the position of professional baseball related to the professional baseball game according to Corona 19 was mainly searched. Corona 19 and the cluster related to professional sports consisted of one central cluster and five peripheral clusters, and it was found that the keywords related to the start of professional sports according to the aftermath of Corona 19 were mainly searched.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.12
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• pp.1110-1119
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• 2021

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the inflammatory response in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated RAW 264.7 macrophages could be promoted by particulate matter 2.5 (PM_2.5) stimulation. To this end, the levels of inflammatory parameters, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inflammation-regulating genes were investigated in RAW 264.7 cells treated with PM_2.5 in the presence or absence of LPS. Our results showed that the production levels of pro-inflammatory mediators (nitric oxide and prostaglandin E₂) and cytokines (interleukin-6 and -1β) were significantly increased by PM_2.5 stimulation in LPS-treated RAW 264.7 cells, which was correlated with increased expression genes involved in their production. In addition, when LPS-treated RAW 264.7 cells were exposed to PM_2.5, nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) expression was further increased in the nucleus, and the expression of inhibitor of NF-κB as well as NF-κB in the cytoplasm was decreased. These results suggest that the co-treatment of PM_2.5 and LPS further increases the activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway compared to each treatment alone, thereby contributing to the promotion of transcriptional activity of inflammatory genes. Furthermore, although the generation of ROS was greatly increased by PM_2.5 in LPS-treated RAW 264.7 cells, the NF-κB inhibitor did not reduce the generation of ROS. In addition, when the generation of ROS was artificially suppressed, the production of inflammatory mediators and the activation of NF-κB were both abolished. Therefore, our results suggest that the increase in the NF-κB-mediated inflammatory response induced by PM_2.5 in LPS-treated RAW 264.7 macrophages was a ROS generation-dependent phenomenon.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.11
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• pp.987-994
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• 2021

Our previous studies have reported that antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) derived from the larvae of white-spotted flower chafer (Protaetia brevitarsis seulensis) exert anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective activities. This study explored the anti-inflammatory effects of protaetiamycine 9 (CVLKKAYFLTNLKLRG-NH₂), a novel AMP, derived from P. b. seulensis against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-mediated inflammatory response in RAW264.7 macrophage cells. Protaetiamycine 9 (25, 50, 75, and 100 ㎍/ml) did not cause cytotoxic effects against RAW264.7 cells. The RAW264.7 cells were pre-treated with various concentrations of protaetiamycine 9 (25-100 ㎍/ml) for 1 hr and then exposed to LPS (100 ng/ml) for 24 hr. Protaetiamycine 9 treatments decreased the LPS-induced secretion of inflammatory mediators, such as nitric oxide (NO), in a dose-dependent manner. Protaetiamycine 9 (25-100 ㎍/ml) effectively downregulated the LPS-induced increase in mRNA and the protein expression of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), which are involved in the production of inflammatory mediators. Protaetiamycine 9 also suppressed the production and gene expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-1β, compared to the presence of LPS alone. Furthermore, protaetiamycine 9 inhibited the degradation of inhibitory kappa B alpha (IκB-α) and the phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), such as extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and p38. In conclusion, these results suggest that protaetiamycine 9 exhibits LPS-mediated inflammatory responses by blocking IκB-α degradation and MAPK phosphorylation.