• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.222-229
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• 2012

In order to determine acetylcholine and choline in the biological samples, the specific enzymes of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and choline oxidase (ChO), which utilize acetylcholine and choline as substrates, were employed to convert substrates to $H_2O_2$. The produced $H_2O_2$ was coupled to 4-aminoantipyrine/phenol with peroxidase (PO) yielding quinoneimine dye which was measured at 508 nm. In the present enzymatic spectrophotometric analysis the product at the equilibrium state was measured considering accuracy, precision, time and cost of the analysis. The developed analytical method yielded good linearity (calibration curve; $A_{508}$=9534[acetylcholine]+0.009, correlation coefficient ($R^2$); 0.999) with detection limit of $1.11{\times}10^{-7}M$, reasonable precision (relative standard deviation; 0.10~1.62% at $2.5{\times}10^{-6}M{\sim}1.25{\times}10^{-4}M$) and accuracy (relative error; -0.24~0.97% at $4.13{\times}10^{-6}M{\sim}1.01{\times}10^{-4}M$) for acetylcholine chloride standard solution. The concentrations of acetylcholine and choline in human serum were found as $3.20{\times}10^{-5}M$ and $1.14{\times}10^{-4}M$, respectively. The brain tissues of Sprague-Dawley strain rat contained 9.82${\mu}g/g$ of acetylcholine and 6.53 ${\mu}g/g$ of choline in the cerebrum, while 7.37 ${\mu}g/g$ of acetylcholine and 5.34 ${\mu}g/g$ of choline in the cerebellum.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.642-651
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• 1999

Nonsedating antihistamines do net cause sedation in therapeutic doses because these drugs hardly cross the blood-brain barrier. Since most of the peripheral side dffects of conventional antihistamines are related to their muscarinic receptor blocking action, the present study was performed to investigate whether nonsedating antihistamines interact with the muscarinic receptors and discriminate the muscarinic receptor subtypes in the rat cerebral microsomal fraction which containes both $M_1,{\;}M_2,{\;}M_3{\;}and{\;}M_4$ receptors. Five nonsedating antihistamines at high concentrations inhibited [$^3H$]QNB binding to the muscarinic receptor in a dose-dependent manner. The inhibition curves of these drugs except loratadine which showed positive cooperativity (nH=1.55) were steep (nH=1), indicating interaction with a single homogenous population of the binding sites. Astemizole, clemizole and mequitazine increased the $K_D$ value for [$^3H$]QNB without affecting the binding site concentrations, and this increase in the $K_D$ value resulted from the ability of these drugs to slow [$^3H$]QNB-receptor association. The Ki values of astemizole, clemizole and mequitazine for the inhibition for the inhibition of [$^3H$]QNB binding to muscarinic receptor were 0.58, 5.99 and $0.007{\;}{\mu}M$, respectively. However, loratadine and terfenadine inhibited noncompetitively [$^3H$]QNB binding with the normalized $IC_50$ value of about $2{\;}{\mu}M$. These results demonstrate that; 1) astemizole, clemizole and mequitazine interact directly with the muscarinic receptor at high concentrations; 2) muscarinic receptor blocking potency of these drugs varies widely among drugs; 3) these drugs do not discriminate between muscarinic receptor subtypes.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.5-24
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• 2011

Objective: This study was performed to analyse four weeks repeated -dose toxicity of Sweet Bee Venom (SBV-pure melittin, the major component of honey bee venom) in rats. Methods: All experiments were conducted under the regulations of Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) at Biotoxtech Company, a non-clinical study authorized institution. Male and female rats of 5 weeks old were chosen for the pilot study of four weeks repeated-dose toxicity and was injected at the level of 0.56 mg/kg body weight (eighty times higher than the clinical application dosage as the high dosage), followed by 0.28 and 0.14 mg/kg as midium and low dosage, respectively. Equal amount of normal saline was injected as the control group every day for four weeks. Results: 1. No mortality was witnessed in all of the experiment groups. 2. All experiment groups appealed pain sense in the treating time compared to the control group, and side effects such as hyperemia and movement disorder were observed around the area of injection in all experiment groups, and the higher dosage in treatment, the higher occurrence in side effects. 3. Concerning weight measurement, neither male nor female groups showed significant changes compared to the control group. 4. Concerning to the CBC and biochemistry, all experiment groups didn't show any significant changes compared to the control group. 5. Concerning weight measurement of organs, experiment groups didn't show any significant changes compared to the control group. 6. To verify abnormalities of organs and tissues, those such as cerebellum, cerebrum, liver, lung, kidney, and spinal cords were removed and we conducted histologocal observation with H-E staining. Concerning the histologocal observation of liver tissues, some fatty changes were observed around portal vein in 0.56 mg/kg experiment group. But another organs were not detected in any abnormalities. 7. The proper high dosage of SBV for the thirteen weeks repeated test in rats may be 0.28 mg/kg in one time. Conclusion: Above findings suggest that SBV is relatively safe treatment medium. Further studies on the subject should be conducted to yield more concrete evidences.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 1994

Sprague-Dawley rats were given freely with 15% ethanol (control) and 15% ethanol containing (1) 0.1% ginseng saponin, (2) 0.02% ginsenoside $Rb_1$, and (3) $Rg_1$ (tests) instead of water for 7 days and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) and monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity in different regions of brain were examined. In control group, total ALDH activity with indoleacetaldehyde and acetaldehyde as substrate in all different regions was lower than that of normal group except in the hippocampus. The inhibitory effect on the activity was prominent in the corpus striatum and was not in the hippocampus. However, low-$K_m$ ALDH activity in all different regions was much lower than that of normal group. A considerable decrease in mitochondria ALDH activity in cerebellum and striatum was also observed in control group. In test groups total, low-$K_m$, and mitochondria AkDH activities in all different regions were higher than those in control group. Although ALDH activity in the striatum of test group was higher than control group, it was relatively depressed as compared with normal. There was not found a remarkable difference in extent of stimulating effect on the AkDH activity according to the ginseng saponin components. When biogenic aldehydes were used as substrate, ALDH activity with 3,4-dihydroxy-phenylacetaldehyde (DOPAL) in all brain regions of control group was lower than that using 5-hydroxy-indoleacetaldehyde (HIAL) and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylglycolaldehyde (NORAL) as substrate. In control group, ALDH activity with biogenic aldehydes above mentioned was markedly inhibited in the striatum contrary to other regions. The higher ALDH activity with biogenic aldehydes in test group than in control was found in the striatum, cerebrum, and cerebellum. MAO activity in the cerebellum was inhibited in control group and slightly increased in test group. The results of present study suggest that the corpus striatum is significantly affected by ethanol exposure while the hippocampus is not and that ginseng saponin fraction and ginsenosid es might have a preventive effect against depression of brain ALDH activity by chronic administration of ethanol.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.315-327
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• 1995

Diverse neurotoxic insults result in proliferation and hypertrophy of astrocytes, a subtype of glia in central nervous system. The hallmark of this response, often terms "reactive gliosis", is the enhanced expression of the major intermediate filament protein of castrocytes, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). These changes in the astrocytes suggest that GFAP may be a useful biochemical indicator of neurotoxicity. To investigate this possibility, we administered intra-peritoneally prototype nerotoxicants, metharnphetamine (MAP, 5 mg/kg), cocaine (30 mg/kg), N-buthyl benzenesulfonamide (NBBS, 300 mg/kg) and trimethytin (TMT, 8 mg/kg) to Wistar Rats and then assessed the effects of these agents on content of GFAP, which were determined by Sandwish ELISA and evaluated with neurotoxic symptoms, and quantitative changes of imrnunoreactivity of GFAP by light microscopic image analysis in specific regions. We found that assay of GFAP revealed time- and region-dependant patterns of neurotoxicity. The GFAP immunoreactivity of rat brain was increased in substantia nigra and hippocampus by MAP, NBBS and TMT; in roedial septal nucleus and nucleus accurnbens, it was also increased by RrBBS. Sandwich ELISA showed that GFAP levels of cerebrum in all groups on days 3 and 7 and that of brainstem(including cerebellum) in MAP, NBBS groups on day 1 and 3 were increased. A review of the background, design and results of these experiments are presented in this paper. Our findings indicate that GFAP is a sensitive and specific biomarker of neurotoxicity.otoxicity.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.224-237
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• 1990

A single uniform population of specific, saturable, high affinity binding site of $[^3H]QNB$ guinuclidinyl benzilate(QNB) was identified in the rat cerebral microsomes. The Kd value(37.2 pM) for $[^3H]QNB$ calculated from the kinetically derived rate constants was in agreement with the Kd value(48.9 pM) determined by analysis of saturation isotherms at various receptor concentrations. Dimenhydrinate(DMH), histamine $H_1-blocker$, increased Kd value for $[^3H]QNB$ QNB without affecting the binding site concentrations and this effect resulted from the ability of DMH to slow $[^3H]QNB-receptor$ association. Pirenzepine inhibition curve of $[^3H]QNB$ binding was shallow(nH = 0.52) indicating the presence of two receptor subtypes with high ($M_1-site$) and low($M_2-site$) affinity for pirenzepine. Analysis of these inhibition curves yielded that 68% of the total receptor populations were of the $M_1-subtype$ and the remaining 32% of the $M_2-subtype$. Ki values for the $M_1-$ and $M_2-subtypes$ were 2.42 nM and 629.3 nM, respectively. Ki values for $H_1-blockers$ that inhibited $[^3H]QNB$ binding varied with a wide range ($0.02-2.5\;{\mu}M$). The Pseudo-Hill coefficients for inhibition of $[^3H]QNB$ binding by most of $H_1-blockers$ examined except for oxomemazine inhibition of $[^3H]QNB$ binding were close to one. The inhibition curve for oxomemazine in competition with $[^3H]QNB$ was shallow(nH = 0.74) indicating the presence of two receptor populations with different affinities for this drug. The proportion of high and low affinity was 33:67. The Ki values for oxomemazine were $0.045{\pm}0.016\;{\mu}M$ for high affinity and $1.145{\pm}0.232\;{\mu}M$ for low affinity sites. These data indicate that muscarinic receptor blocking potency of $H_1-blockers$ varies widely between different drugs and that most of $H_1-blockers$ examined are nonselective antagonist for the muscarinic receptor subtypes, whereas oxomemazine might be capable of distinguishing between subclasses of muscarinic receptor.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.11-24
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• 2003

This experimental studies was to investigate the location of PNS and CNS labeled neurons following injection of 2% WGA-HRP and pseudorabies virus (PRY), Bartha strain, into the ductus deferens of rats. After survival times 4-5 days following injection of 2% WGA-HRP and PRV, the rats were perfused, and their brain, spinal cord, sympathetic ganglia and spinal ganglia were frozen sectioned ($30{\mu}m$). These sections were stained by HRP histochemical and PRY inummohistochemical staining methods, and observed with light microscope. The results were as follows ; 1. The location of sympathetic ganglia projecting to the ductus deferens were observed in pelvic ganglion, inferior mesenteric ganglion and L1-6 lwnbar sympathetic ganglia. 2. The location of spinal ganglia projecting to the ductus deferens were observed in T13-L6 spinal ganglia. 3. The PRY labeled neurons projecting to the ductus deferens were observed in lateral spinal nucleus, lamina I, II and X of cervical segments. In thoracic segments, PRY labeled neurons were observed in dorsomedial part of lamina I, II and III, and dorsolateral part of lamina IV and V. Densely labeled neurons were observed in intermediolateral nucleus. In first lumbar segment, labeled neurons were observed in intermediolateral nucleus and dorsal commisural nucleus. In sixth lumbar segment and sacral segments, dense labeled neurons were observed in sacral parasympathetic nuc., lamina IX and X. 4. In the medulla oblongata, PRV labeled neurons projecting to the ductus deferens were observed in the trigeminal spinal nuc., A1 noradrenalin cells/C1 adrenalin cells/caudoventrolateral reticular nuc., rostroventrolateral reticular nuc., area postrema, nuc. tractus solitarius, raphe obscurus nuc., raphe pallidus nuc., raphe magnus nuc., parapyramidal nuc., lateral reticular nuc., gigantocellular reticular nuc.. 5. In the pons, PRV labeled neurons projecting to the ductus deferens were ohserved in parabrachial nuc., Kolliker-Fuse nuc., locus cooruleus, subcooruleus nuc. and AS noradrenalin cells. 6. In midbrain, PRV labeled neurons projecting to the ductus deferens were observed in periaqueductal gray substance, substantia nigra and dorsal raphe nuc.. 7. In the diencephalon, PRV labeled neurons projecting to the ductus deferens were observed in paraventricular hypahalamic nuc., lateral hypothalamic nuc., retrochiasmatic nuc. and ventromedial hypothalamic nuc.. 8. In cerebrum, PRV labeled neurons projecting to the ductus deferens were observed in area 1 of parietal cortex. These results suggest that WGA-HRP labeled neurons of the spinal cord projecting to the rat ductus deferens might be the first-order neurons related to the viscero-somatic sensory and sympathetic postganglionic neurons, and PRV labeled neurons of the brain and spinal cord may be the second and third-order neurons response to the movement of smooth muscles in ductus deferens. These PRV labeled neurons may be central autonomic center related to the integration and modulation of reflex control linked to the sensory and motor system monitaing the internal environment. These observations provide evidence for previously unknown projections from ductus deferens to spinal cord and brain which may be play an important neuroanatornical basic evidence in the regulation of ductus deferens function.