• Journal of Life Science
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• v.20 no.12
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• pp.1872-1881
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• 2010

Extracts of soybeans fermented by Bacillus subtilis have a wide variety of functions, such as enhancing the body's immune function, fibrinolysis activity, anti-inflammation, anti-cancer, estrogen function and anti-infection effects. Recently, it was reported that the extracts of fermented beans exhibit strong anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties by suppressing the transcription of pro-inflammatory cytokine genes and induction of apoptosis, respectively. However, the mechanisms of their cytotoxicity in human gastric cancer cells are poorly understood. In the present study, we investigated the effects of ethyl alcohol extracts from fermented soybean (FS) and yellow agabean (FYA) on cell growth and apoptosis in AGS human gastric cancer cells. A treatment of FS and FYA inhibited the growth of AGS cells in a concentration-dependent manner by inducing apoptosis. FS- and FYA-induced apoptosis were associated with down-regulation of XIAP and cIAP-2, and up-regulation of pro-apoptotic Bax expression. Moreover, a treatment of FS and FYA not only triggered an increase in the levels of death receptor (DR)4, DR5, Fas and FasL, but also induced the activation of casepase-3, -8 and -9. These findings illustrate that FS and FYA may have a therapeutic potential in human gastric AGS cells and as a functional food.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.309-316
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• 2021

Sepsis is a physiological response to a source of infection that triggers mechanisms that compromise organ function, leading to death if not treated early. Biomarkers with high sensitivity, specificity, speed, and accuracy that could differentiate sepsis from non-infectious systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) could bring about a revolution in sepsis treatment. Given the limitations and time required for microbial verification of pathogens, the accurate diagnosis of infection before employing antibiotic therapy is important and clinically necessary. Procalcitonin (PCT), lactate, C-reactive protein (CRP), cytokines, and proadrenomedullin (ProADM) are the common biomarkers used for diagnosis. The procalcitonin (PCT)-guided antibiotic treatment in patients with acute respiratory infections effectively reduces antibiotic exposure and side effects while improving survival rates. The evidence regarding sepsis screening in hospitalized patients is limited. Clinicians, researchers, and healthcare decision-makers should consider these findings and limitations when implementing screening tools, future research, or policy on sepsis recognition in hospitalized patients. The use of biomarkers in pediatric sepsis is promising, although such use should always be correlated with clinical evaluation. Biomarkers may also improve the prediction of mortality, especially in the early phase of sepsis, when the levels of certain pro-inflammatory cytokines and proteins are elevated.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.183-191
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• 2021

Euglena gracilis is a microalga of great biotechnological interest that can create high levels of bioactive compounds, such as tocopherol, paramylon, and folic acid. The objective of this study was to investigate the biological activities of extracts from E. gracilis, especially those focused on immunological activity. E. gracilis biomass was extracted with hot water (HWE) and the remaining pellet was continuously extracted with methanol (HWME). First, we examined the effect of two extracts from E. gracilis on the production of nitric oxide (NO) and the expression of pro-inflammation cytokines, including IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α in murine macrophage RAW 264.7 cells. HWE treatment dose-dependently increased the production of IL-1β and TNF-α. On the other hand, treatment with HWME significantly decreased the generation of NO and pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and TNF-α) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated macrophage cells. In addition, other biological activities of the extracts were further analyzed: α-glucosidase inhibition, protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP1B) inhibition, tyrosinase inhibition, xanthine oxidase (XO) inhibition, and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition. Analysis of these biological activities showed that HWE has more inhibitory effects than HWME against α-glucosidase, tyrosinase, and XO agents. However, the inhibition of PTP1B and ACE with HWME were higher than with HWE. Taken together, the results suggested that E. gracilis possesses various biological activities―especially immunological capabilities―through regulation of cytokine production. Therefore, E. gracilis extract may be potentially useful for food material with immune-regulating effects.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.1341-1348
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• 2009

Hoechunyanggyeok-san (HYS) is a traditional oriental herbal medicine widely used for treating inflammatory disorders. Although there are numerous clinical results of HYS reported in the literature of oriental hebal medicine, it has been rarely conducted to evaluate the immuno-biological activity. The present study was conducted to examine the anti-inflammatory effects of HYS extract (HYSE) in vivo and in vitro. To determine the cytotoxic concentration of HYSE, cell viability was tested by MTT assay. All four doses of HYSE (0.01, 0.03, 0.10 and 0.30 mg/ml) had no significant cytotoxicity during the entire experimental period. In order to measure NO levels in culture medium, the cells were treated with $1\;{\mu}g/ml$ of LPS 1h before adding HYSE for 24 h and then culture medium were reacted with Griess reagent. Increased NO production and iNOS expression were detected in LPS-activated cells compared to control. However, these increases were dose-dependently attenuated by treatment with HYSE. LPS plays a key role in leading to the massive production of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-$\alpha$, IL-$1{\beta}$ and IL-6 in macrophages. Thus, we next determined the levels of these cytokines. HYSE reduced the elevated production of TNF-$\alpha$, IL-$1{\beta}$ and IL-6 by LPS. Moreover, the effects of HYSE were in a dose-dependent manner. In vivo, histopathological study, HYSE effectively inheefed the increases of hind paw skin thicknesses and inflammatory cell infiltrations induced by carrageenan treatment. It, therefore, considered that HYSE will be favorably inheefed the acute edematous inanner. In s. These findings showed that HYSE could have anti-inflammatory effects through the reduction of NO and inflammatory cytokines in macrophage. Furthermore, the reduction of carrageenan-induced paw oedema by HYSE helps to understand its actions on inflammatory conditions.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.43-53
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• 2022

Objectives : Paeonia lactiflora Pallas (PLP) have been reported to have pharmacological effects such as anti-inflammatory and analgesic. However, it is not yet known whether PLP extract has anti-inflammatory effect on HaCaT cells, human keratinocyte. Methods : To confirm the anti-inflammatory effect of PLP on keratinocyte, TNF-𝛼/IFN-𝛾-stimulated HaCaT cells were used. HaCaT cells were pre-treated with PLP for 1h before stimulation with TNF-𝛼/IFN-𝛾. Then HaCaT cells were stimulated with TNF-𝛼/IFN-𝛾 for 24 h, the cells and media were harvested to measure the inflammatory cytokines levels. Granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), interleukin 1 beta (IL-1𝛽), and TNF-𝛼 were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the mRNA expression of thymus and activation-regulated chemokines (TARC), IL-6, and IL-8 were measured by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). We also investigated the inhibitory mechanism of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPKs) including ERK, JNK, and p38 and nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-𝜅B) by PLP using western blot. Results : PLP did not show cytotoxicity in HaCaT cells. In TNF-𝛼/IFN-𝛾-stimulated HaCaT cells, PLP significantly inhibited the expression of GM-CSF, MCP-1 IL-1𝛽, TNF-𝛼, TARC and IL-6. PLP inhibited the phosphorylation of ERK and translocation of NF-𝜅B into the nucleus. Conclusions : These results indicate that PLP could ameliorate the TNF-𝛼/IFN-𝛾-stimulated inflammatory response through inhibition of MAPK and NF-kB signal pathway. This suggests that PLP could be used beneficial agent to improve skin inflammation.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.63 no.3
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• pp.27.1-27.9
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• 2023

Lespedeza cuneata (LC) is a perennial plant used in herbal medicine to treat numerous diseases, including prostatic hyperplasia, diabetes, early atherosclerosis, and hematuria. Reference collections of bioactive compounds of LC are crucial for the determination of their pharmacological properties. However, little is known regarding its anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects in alveolar macrophage (MH-S) cells. This study examined whether LC can inhibit reactive oxygen species and Coal fly ash (CFA) induced inflammation in MH-S cells. The anti-oxidative effects of LC were evaluated using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) assays, anti-inflammatory effects were examined using nitric oxide (NO) assay, and cytotoxicity was analyzed using methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium assay. The expression of inflammatory cytokine genes was assessed through a reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. Our results revealed that LC exhibited high radical scavenging activity and a dose-dependent (7.8-1,000 ㎍/mL) inhibition of oxidation as compared to ascorbic acid and Trolox. It also inhibited CFA-induced NO production in MH-S cells. Moreover, it suppressed the CFA exposure-mediated expression of pro-inflammatory mediators and cytokines, including inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α. These results suggest that LC is a potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent that can be useful as a nutraceutical product.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.40 no.6
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• pp.1268-1277
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• 2023

In this study, to evaluate the possibility of utilizing Chamaecyparis obtusa (Siebold & Zucc.) Endl. (C. obtusa) leaf fractions as anti-inflammatory functional materials, C. obtusa extract extracted with 99% ethanol (CO99EL) was fractionated with hexane (CO99EL-H), chloroform (CO99EL-C), ethyl acetate (CO99EL-E), butanol (CO99EL-B) and distilled water (CO99EL-W). The anti-inflammatory effects of each fraction was performed using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW264.7 mouse macrophages. Cytotoxicity was highest in CO99EL-H and CO99EL-C and lowest in CO99EL-W. Interestingly, LPS-induced iNOS expression and NO production were significantly reduced by CO99EL-H and CO99EL-E, and COX-2 expression was significantly reduced by CO99EL-B and CO99EL-W. In addition, interleukin (IL)-1𝛽, an inflammatory cytokine increased by LPS, was significantly reduced by CO99EL-C, CO99EL-E, CO99EL-B and CO99EL-W, and IL-6 was significantly reduced by CO99EL-B and CO99EL-W. Therefore, the janus kinase (JAK)/signaling transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) signaling pathway activated by LPS was significantly reduced by CO99EL-H and CO99EL-C, and the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway was slightly reduced by CO99EL-H and CO99EL-C. However, nuclear factor (NF)-𝜅B activity was not reduced by any fractions. Based on the results of this study, it was confirmed that CO99EL fractions have different anti-inflammatory mechanisms depending on the solvent used for fractionation.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.60 no.3
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• pp.191-198
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• 2017

Hyaluronidase inhibitory activity as inflammatory factor of Koreinsis chinensis leaf ethanol extract was showed higher inhibitory activity than water extract. 29.5% inhibitory activity was shown at concentration of $200{\mu}g/mL$ phenolics. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated Raw 264.7 cells were treated with different concentrations ($5-25{\mu}g/mL$) of Koreinsis chinensis leaf extract and the amount of nitric oxide (NO) was determined; LPS-treated cells produced 3 times more NO than non-LPS treated cells. Moreover, the NO production in cells treated with Koreinsis chinensis leaf extract showed inhibitory effect in a concentration-dependent manner. Due to the stimulant-induced NO production is regulated by the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), we determined the iNOS protein level to elucidate the mechanism by which the NO production was inhibited. It was reduced by 40% with a Koreinsis chinensis leaf extract concentration of $25{\mu}g/mL$ and identified iNOS inhibition in dose-dependent manner. The prostaglandin $E_2$ production in cells treated with Koreinsis chinensis leaf extract was reduced by 26.2% at concentration of $25{\mu}g/mL$. The protein expression of cyclooxygenase-2 in LPS-treated Raw 264.7 cells was inhibited by 64% at $25{\mu}g/mL$ of Koreinsis chinensis leaf extract. Koreinsis chinensis leaf extract had a concentration-dependent inhibitory effect on the production of tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ and interleukin-6 as pro-inflammatory cytokine in LPS-treated Raw 264.7 cells at $25{\mu}g/mL$ of Koreinsis chinensis leaf extract. Their levels were decreased by 61.7 and 62% respectively.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.388-395
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• 2010

Cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 is generally known as an inducible enzyme, and it produces arachidonic acid to prostaglandin $E_2$ ($PGE_2$), which has been demonstrated to play a critical role in inflammation. In the present study, we investigated the effects of the extracts of fermented beans including soybean (FS), black agabean (FBA) and yellow agabean (FYA), on the expression of COXs and production of $PGE_2$ in U937 human promonocytic cells. Treatment of phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) significantly induced pro-inflammatory mediators such as COX-2 expression and $PGE_2$ production, whereas the levels of COX-1 remained unchanged. However, pre-treatment with FS, FBA and FYA significantly decreased PMA-induced COX-2 protein as well as mRNA, which is associated with inhibition of $PGE_2$ production. Moreover, FS, FBA and FYA markedly prevented the increase of nuclear translocation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-${\kappa}B$) p65 by PMA. Our data indicate that the extracts of fermented beans exhibits anti-inflammatory properties by suppressing the transcription of pro-inflammatory cytokine genes through the NF-${\kappa}B$ signaling pathway.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.206-214
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• 2018

Background: Immune responses appear to be affected by anesthetics and analgesics. We investigated the effects of caudal tramadol on the postoperative immune response and pain management in pediatric patients. Methods: Sixty ASA-I pediatric patients aged 3-10 years undergoing lower abdominal surgery. Patients were randomly assigned either to a caudal bupivacaine (0.25%) group (group B), or a group that received caudal tramadol (1 mg/kg) added to the bupivacaine (0.25%) (group T). Both were diluted in a 0.9% NaCl solution to a total volume of 1ml/ kg. The systemic immune response was measured by collecting blood samples preoperatively, at the end of anesthesia, and at 24 and 72 hours postoperatively, and studied for interleukin IL-6, C-reactive proteins (CRP) cortisol levels, and leucocytes with its differential count. Postoperative pain was assessed along with sedation scales. Results: Postoperative production of IL-6 was significantly higher in group B at the end of anesthesia, than at the $24^{th}$ hour, and at the $72^{nd}$ hour in group B and group T, respectively. The immune response showed leukocytosis with increased percentages of neutrophil and monocytes, and a decreased lymphocyte response rate within both groups with no significant differences between the groups. Cortisol and CRP were significantly higher in group B. Conclusions: Adding tramadol to a caudal bupivacaine block can attenuate the pro-inflammatory cytokine response, Cortisol, and CRP in children undergoing lower abdominal surgery.