• Journal of Mushroom
• /
• v.16 no.2
• /
• pp.118-124
• /
• 2018

In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation with fruiting body of Agaricus brasiliensis (AB) mushroom on the lipid profiles of serum and histological patterns of liver of high cholesterol-fed rats. Five-week-old, female Sprague-Dawley albino rats were divided into three groups of 8 rats each, including a normal control-diet (NC) group, a high-cholesterol diet (HC) group, and a group fed high-cholesterol diet supplemented with 5 % powder of Agaricus brasiliensis fruiting bodies (HC+AB). Total serum cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL), and triglyceride (TG) concentrations in the HC+AB group were significantly reduced when compared with those in the HC group. Body weight in the HC+AB group was significantly lower than that in the HC group, whereas no adverse effects were observed on the levels of plasma albumin, creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, uric acid, glucose, and total protein. In the HC+AB group, liver enzyme activities related to liver function, such as GOT and GPT, presented values lower than those in the HC group and were very similar to the ones in the NC group. Excretion of total lipid and cholesterol in feces in the HC+AB group was significantly higher than that in the NC and HC groups, indicating that mushroom feeding inhibits the absorption of lipid cholesterol in the intestine. Liver histopathological analyses revealed that rats fed with HC diet developed fat liver disease, whereas only small amounts of fat were deposited in the livers of the HC+AB group. In conclusion, the results suggest that fruiting body powder of A. brasiliensis provides health benefits to high-cholesterol-fed rats by lowering body weight and the risk of atherogenic lipid profile.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
• /
• v.14 no.10
• /
• pp.515-520
• /
• 2016

This study conducted the research about the positive effects of Gynura Procumbens on preventing dermatitis and infectious diseases the contemporary people have. To do it, this study measured the concentration of NF-kB, the extract of Gynura Procumbens. In this regard, cytosol, the extract of Gynura Procumbens, and nucleus went through the separation process. The concentration of major NF-kB among various factors to control inflammation was measured with the use of HDF cell. Regarding RAW264.7 cell, the amounts of NO to play an important role in reacting the skin immune system as the media of neural transmission were analyzed. The outcome about the extracts of Gynura Procumbens injected show that it can be expected that as the NF-kB protein and mRNA band were reduced, Gynura Procumbens would have anti-inflammatory effects that could contribute to preventing dermatitis and diseases. In addition, the extracts of Gynura Procumbens have significantly reduced NO with their concentration increasing. In other words, Gynura Procumbens are considered to regulate dependently the production of NO in the concentration of extracts. Thus there is an expectation that the more intensive research would be conducted to heal dermatitis. And it is deemed that Gynura Procumbens would be used as materials for cosmetics as well as foods that the contemporary people can widely consume if a more careful research about anti-inflammatory effects would be sustained on a human bodies' clinical level.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
• /
• v.18 no.4
• /
• pp.1055-1060
• /
• 2004

Apoptosis is the ability of cells to self-destruct by the activation of an intrinsic cellular suicide program when the cells are no longer needed or when they are seriously damaged. Morphologically, apoptosis is characterized by the appearance of membrane blebbing, cell shrinkage, chromatin condensation, DNA cleavage, and the fragmentation of the cell membrane-bound apoptotic bodies. Siegesbeckia glabrescens Makino (Siegesbeckiae Herba, SG) has been widely used as treatments for arthritis, and fever, as well as detoxification properties. The present studies were undertaken to evaluate if SG has an anti-apoptotic property. Cell viability was measured by XTT and tryphan blue stain. Morphological characteristic of human aortic smooth muscle cells(HASMC) were visualized with a phase-contrast microscope. SG significantly reduced HASMC, but not human umbilical vein endothelial cell(HUVEC), viability in a dose-dependent manner. Confluent untreated cells at 24hrs showed normal morphology, flat with a uniform polygonal shape. SG-treated cells (0.5㎎/㎖) at 24hrs showed apoptotic morphology. Cells became irregular with elongated lamellipodia, and exhibited condensed chromatin in nuclei with occasional endoucleation. There was an increase in the number of apoptotic cells rounding-up and being detached from the substrate. TUNEL staining of SG-treated cells showed dark-brown stains in nuclei and cytosol. Caspases are central components of the machinery responsible for apoptosis and are generally divided into two categories; the initiator caspases, which include caspases-2,-8,-9, and -10, and the effector caspases, which include caspases-3,-6, and -7. SG decreased anti-caspase-3 protein expression, which means activation of caspases-3 activity. It has been reported that there is a link between NO formation and apoptosis. NO production was accelerated by SG treatment in HASMC. L-NNA, NOS inhibitor, inhibited SG-induced apoptosis. These results, therefore, indicated that both caspases-3 and NO production are involved in apoptosis in smooth muscle cells. According to these results, SG may have a potential effect in the treatment of hypertensive atherosclerosis.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.24 no.4
• /
• pp.402-409
• /
• 2016

It has been found that 4-isopropyl-2,6-bis(1-phenylethyl)phenol (KTH-13), a novel compound isolated from Cordyceps bassiana, is able to suppress tumor cell proliferation by inducing apoptosis. To mass-produce this compound, we established a total synthesis method. Using those conditions, we further synthesized various analogs with structural similarity to KTH-13. In this study, we aimed to test their anti-cancer activity by measuring anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic activities. Of 8 compounds tested, 4-methyl-2,6-bis(1-phenylethyl)phenol (KTH-13-Me) exhibited the strongest anti-proliferative activity toward MDA-MB 231 cells. KTH-13-Me also similarly suppressed the survival of various cancer cell lines, including C6 glioma, HCT-15, and LoVo cells. Treatment of KTH-13-Me induced several apoptotic signs in C6 glioma cells, such as morphological changes, induction of apoptotic bodies, and nuclear fragmentation and chromatin condensation. Concordantly, early-apoptotic cells were also identified by staining with FITC-Annexin V/PI. Moreover, KTH-13-Me highly enhanced the activation of caspase-3 and caspase-9, and decreased the protein level of Bcl-2. In addition, the phosphorylation levels of Src and STAT3 were diminished in KTH-13-Me-treated C6 cells. Therefore, these results suggest that KTH-13-Me can be developed as a novel anti-cancer drug capable of blocking proliferation, inducing apoptosis, and blocking cell survival signaling in cancer cells.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
• /
• v.27 no.2
• /
• pp.20-27
• /
• 1985

This study was carried out to investigate the histological changes after the infection of nuclear and cytoplasmic polyhedrosis viruses(NPV, CPV) and the resistance to the viruses in various varieties of the silkworm fed on artificial diet. The results obtained were as follows; Among four varieties of silkworm tested, Jam 107$\times$Jam 108 was more resistant than the other varieties tested and Jam 119$\times$Jam 120 was the most resistant to CPV. In case of peroral infection with NPV, Jam 107$\times$Jam 108 showed lower mortality than the remained varieties in low concentration (104/ml). However, all varieties showed high mortality as the concentration of viruses was increased. With infection of CPV, the varieties showed high mortality at the concentration of 107 and 108/ml, while Jam 119$\times$Jam 120 showed the lowest mortality at virus concentration of 104/ml. The fat bodies, epidermal cells and tracheal epithelial cells showed high susceptibility to NPV to break the cells completely and liberate the debris to the body cavity. The CPV infected only the cylindrical cells of mid-gut and formed polyhedrons. In some cells, CPV was liberated to gastral cavity. In the electrophoretic pattern of hemolymph protein of silkworm larvae infected with NPV, bands were dimmed and disappeared as symptom aggravated after infection. Electrophoretic pattern of homolymph proteins of silkworm larvae infected with CPV showed no numerical difference at the later stage of infection, and one or two bands was observed along with lowering the concentrations.

• Toxicological Research
• /
• v.31 no.4
• /
• pp.403-414
• /
• 2015

Lithospermum erythrorhizon has long been used as a traditional oriental medicine. In this study, the acute and 28-day subacute oral dose toxicity studies of hexane extracts of the roots of L. erythrorhizon (LEH) were performed in Sprague-Dawley rats. In the acute toxicity study, LEH was administered once orally to 5 male and 5 female rats at dose levels of 500, 1,000, and 2,000 mg/kg. Mortality, clinical signs, and body weight changes were monitored for 14 days. Salivation, soft stool, soiled perineal region, compound-colored stool, chromaturia and a decrease in body weight were observed in the extract-treated groups, and no deaths occurred during the study. Therefore, the approximate lethal dose (ALD) of LEH in male and female rats was higher than 2,000 mg/kg. In the subacute toxicity study, LEH was administered orally to male and female rats for 28 days at dose levels of 25, 100, and 400 mg/kg/day. There was no LEH-related toxic effect in the body weight, food consumption, ophthalmology, hematology, clinical chemistry and organ weights. Compound-colored (black) stool, chromaturia and increased protein, ketone bodies, bilirubin and occult blood in urine were observed in the male and female rats treated with the test substance. In addition, the necropsy revealed dark red discoloration of the kidneys, and the histopathological examination showed presence of red brown pigment or increased hyaline droplets in the renal tubules of the renal cortex. However, there were no test substance-related toxic effects in the hematology and clinical chemistry, and no morphological changes were observed in the histopathological examination of the kidneys. Therefore, it was determined that there was no significant toxicity because the changes observed were caused by the intrinsic color of the test substance. These results suggest that the no-observed-adverse-effect Level (NOAEL) of LEH is greater than 400 mg/kg/day in both sexes.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.23 no.5
• /
• pp.689-698
• /
• 2013

The production and characterization of an active recombinant N-acetylgalactosamine-6-sulfate sulfatase (GALNS) in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) has been previously reported. In this study, the effect of the signal peptide (SP), inducer concentration, process scale, and operational mode (batch and semi-continuous) on GALNS production were evaluated. When native SP was presented, higher enzyme activity levels were observed in both soluble and inclusion bodies fractions, and its removal had a significant impact on enzyme activation. At shake scale, the optimal IPTG concentrations were 0.5 and 1.5 mM for the strains with and without SP, respectively, whereas at bench scale, the highest enzyme activities were observed with 1.5 mM IPTG for both strains. Noteworthy, enzyme activity in the culture media was only detected when SP was presented and the culture was carried out under semi-continuous mode. We showed for the first time that the mechanism that in prokaryotes recognizes the SP to mediate sulfatase activation can also recognize a eukaryotic SP, favoring the activation of the enzyme, and could also favor the secretion of the recombinant protein. These results offer significant information for scaling-up the production of human sulfatases in E. coli.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• v.2 no.5
• /
• pp.617-628
• /
• 1998

In order to understand the pathogenetic mechanism of adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), the role of phospholipase A2 (PLA2) in association with oxidative stress was investigated in rats. $Interleukin-1{\alpha}\;(IL-1,\;50\;{\mu}g/rat)$ was used to induce acute lung injury by neutrophilic respiratory burst. Five hours after IL-1 insufflation into trachea, microvascular integrity was disrupted, and protein leakage into the alveolar lumen was followed. An infiltration of neutrophils was clearly observed after IL-1 treatment. It was the origin of the generation of oxygen radicals causing oxidative stress in the lung. IL-1 increased tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant (CINC) in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, but mepacrine, a PLA2 inhibitor, did not change the levels of these cytokines. Although IL-1 increased PLA2 activity time-dependently, mepacrine inhibited the activity almost completely. Activation of PLA2 elevated leukotriene C4 and B4 (LTC4 and LTB4), and 6-keto-prostaglandin $F2{\alpha}\;(6-keto-PGF2{\alpha})$ was consumed completely by respiratory burst induced by IL-1. Mepacrine did not alter these changes in the contents of lipid mediators. To estimate the functional changes of alveolar barrier during the oxidative stress, quantitative changes of pulmonary surfactant, activity of gamma glutamyltransferase (GGT), and ultrastructural changes were examined. IL-1 increased the level of phospholipid in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid, which seemed to be caused by abnormal, pathological release of lamellar bodies into the alveolar lumen. Mepacrine recovered the amount of surfactant up to control level. IL-1 decreased GGT activity, while mepacrine restored it. In ultrastructural study, when treated with IL-1, marked necroses of endothelial cells and type II pneumocytes were observed, while mepacrine inhibited these pathological changes. In histochemical electron microscopy, increased generation of oxidants was identified around neutrophils and in the cytoplasm of type II pneumocytes. Mepacrine reduced the generation of oxidants in the tissue produced by neutrophilic respiratory burst. In immunoelectron microscopic study, PLA2 was identified in the cytoplasm of the type II pneumocytes after IL-1 treatment, but mepacrine diminished PLA2 particles in the cytoplasm of the type II pneumocyte. Based on these experimental results, it is suggested that PLA2 plays a pivotal role in inducing acute lung injury mediated by IL-1 through the oxidative stress by neutrophils. By causing endothelial damage, functional changes of pulmonary surfactant and alveolar type I pneumocyte, oxidative stress disrupts microvascular integrity and alveolar barrier.

• Mycobiology
• /
• v.40 no.4
• /
• pp.236-243
• /
• 2012

Pleurotus nebrodensis is an edible and commercially available mushroom in Korea. This study was conducted in order to evaluate the anticancer and immunopotentiating activities of crude polysaccharides, extracted in methanol, neutral saline, and hot water (hereafter referred to as Fr. MeOH, Fr. NaCl, and Fr. HW, respectively) from the fruiting bodies of P. nebrodensis. ${\beta}$-Glucan and protein contents in Fr. MeOH, Fr. NaCl, and Fr. HW extracts of P. nebrodensis ranged from 23.79~36.63 g/100 g and 4.45~6.12 g/100 g, respectively. Crude polysaccharides were not cytotoxic against sarcoma 180, HT-29, NIH3T3, and RAW 264.7 cell lines at a range of $10{\sim}2,000{\mu}g/mL$. Intraperitoneal injection with crude polysaccharides resulted in a life prolongation effect of 11.76~27.06% in mice previously inoculated with sarcoma 180. Treatment with Fr. NaCl resulted in an increase in the numbers of spleen cells by 1.49 fold at the concentration of $50{\mu}g/mL$, compared with control. Fr. HW improved the immuno-potentiating activity of B lymphocytes through an increase in alkaline phosphatase activity by 1.65 fold, compared with control at $200{\mu}g/mL$. Maximum production of nitric oxide ($14.3{\mu}M$) was recorded in the Fr. NaCl fraction at $200{\mu}g/mL$. Production of tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ (TNF-${\alpha}$), interleukin-$1{\beta}$ (IL-$1{\beta}$), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) was significantly higher, compared to control, and IL-6 production was highest, in contrast to TNF-${\alpha}$, IL-$1{\beta}$, and positive control, concanavalin at the tested concentration of the various fractions. Results of the current study suggest that polysaccharides extracted from P. nebrodensis have a strong anticancer effect and may be useful as an ingredient of biopharmaceutical products for treatment of cancer.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
• /
• 2018.10a
• /
• pp.103-103
• /
• 2018

Oenothera biennis, commonly known as evening primrose, a potential source of natural bioactive substances: flavonoids, steroids, tannins, fatty acids and terpenoids responsible for a diverse range of pharmacological functions. However, whether extract prepared from aerial part of O. biennis (APOB) protects skin against oxidative stress remains unknown. To investigate the protective effects of APOB against oxidative stress-induced cellular damage and elucidated the underlying mechanisms in the HaCaT human skin keratinocytes. Our results revealed that treatment with APOB prior to hydrogen peroxide ($H_2O_2$) exposure significantly increased viability, and the highest DPPH radical-scavenging activities and reducing power of HaCaT cells. APOB also effectively attenuated H2O2-induced comet tail formation and inhibited the $H_2O_2$-induced phosphorylation levels of the histone ${\gamma}H2AX$, as well as the number of apoptotic bodies and Annexin V-positive cells. In addition, APOB exhibited scavenging activity against intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation and restored the mitochondrial membrane potential loss by $H_2O_2$. Moreover, $H_2O_2$ enhanced the cleavage of caspase-3 and degradation of poly (ADP-ribose)-polymerase (PARP), a typical substrate protein of activated caspase-3, as well as DNA fragmentation; however, these events were almost totally reversed by pretreatment with APOB. Furthermore, APOB increased the levels of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), which is a potent antioxidant enzyme, associated with the induction of nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2). According to our data, APOB is able to protect HaCaT cells from $H_2O_2$-induced DNA damage and cell death through blocking cellular damage related to oxidative stress through a mechanism that would affect ROS elimination and activating the Nri2/HO-1 signaling pathway.