• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.173-179
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• 2004

Amyloid ${\beta}-peptide\;(A{\beta})$ contributes to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD), causing neuronal death through apoptosis. In this study, the neuroprotective role of BF-7, extracted form sericultural product, was examined against $A{\beta}-induced$ toxicity in cultured human neuronal cell SKN-SH. In order to know if the BF-7 has positive role on the cognition and memory in human, the mixture of BF-7, DHA and EPA (BDE) was examined using Rey Kim and K-WAIS test with 50 healthy high school student. We report here that BDE significantly attenuated $A{\beta}-induced$ apoptosis through the reduction of ROS accumulation, and diminished caspase-like protease activity. Moreover, the memory index and memory preservation, and attentative concentration of BDE treated group for 1 month were significantly improved, in contrast to the case of placebo control treated with DHA and EPA. This result represent that the BF-7 play significant positive role on learning memory. Taken together, our result suggested the natural product BF-7 is a good substance for the brain functionally and physiologically.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.116-123
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• 2001

This study was undertaken to find out the effect of Korean safflower seed powder on histopathological changes of cadmium toxicity in mice. Fifty BALB/c mice were divided into a control group(A) and four experimental groups(B, C, D, E) : group A received tap water and basal diet, group B received tap water and diet supplemented with 3% Korean safflower seed powder alone, group C received basal diet and 300 $\mu\textrm{g}$/g of cadmium, group D and E received basal diet supplemented with 3% and 10% Korean safflower seed powder and 300$\mu\textrm{g}$/g of cadmium respectively. Cadmium dissolved in tap water was used, and the Korean safflower seed powder were mixed with feed. All mice were dissected on the 56th day. Histopathological changes in liver, kidney, lung, cortical osseous tissue of femoral shaft, bone trabecular of femur, and epiphyseal cartilage plate of femur were observed. Group B showed no significant changes compared with the control group. But group C showed the unclearness of specific cells in liver, the loss of architecture and focal necrosis of hepatocyte, the glomerular swelling, degeneration and necrosis of convoluted tubules, desquamation and vacuolization of the greater part of the renal tubular epithelium, the marked congestion and thickness of the wall of alveolus in lung, slightly thinning of the cortical osseous tissue in femoral shaft, reduction of cancellous bone volume and marked narrowness of bone trabecular, marked thinning of epiphyseal cartilage plate and irregular arrangement of columnar structure of cartilage cells. On the other hand, Korean safflower seed powder-treated group showed a little convalescent changes and maintained their normal architectures in liner, kidney, lung, cortical osseous tissue of femoral shaft, bone trabecular of femur and epiphyseal cartilage plate of femur.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.100-105
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• 2005

Mancozeb (MCZ) is known to have detrimental effects on the reproductive system, but the toxicity of MCZ on immune responses has not been systematically investigated. We investigated the effects of MCZ exposure on the activities of murine peritoneal macrophages through evaluation of MCZ-induced alteration of nitric oxide (NO) production and tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}(TNF-\alpha)$ synthesis. Macrophages were examined ex vivo from mice orally treated with various doses of MCZ for 5 consecutive days per week for 4 weeks (subacute exposure, 250, 1000, 1500 mg/kg/day) followed by culture for 2 $(TNF-{\alpha})$ or 3 days (NO) in the presence of LPS plus $IFN-{\gamma}$. Macrophages from naive mice were also cultured with various concentrations of MCZ (0.05, 0.25, 0.5, 1 and 2 ${\mu}g//mIL$ in the presence of LPS plus $IFN-{\gamma}$ for 2 $(TNF-{\alpha})$ or 3 days (NO) in vitro. NO production was decreased with the in vitro exposure to all concentrations of MCZ. However, the amount of NO production by peritoneal macrophages from MCZ-subacutely exposed mice was increased in comparision with that of control group. In vitro, MCZ suppressed $(TNF-\alpha)$ secretion with significant reduction at 2 ${\mu}g/mL$ MCZ. Conversely, $(TNF-{\alpha})$ release was enhanced ex vivo. This study provides the substantial evidence on MCZ-induced alternation in macrophage activity. In order to clearly understand the contrasting effect of MCZ on peritoneal macrophage activity, it is necessary to further investigate the influence of major metabolite of MCZ (ETU) exposure on the NO production and $(TNF-{\alpha})$ synthesis.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.67-79
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• 2016

Cyanotoxins in aquatic ecosystems have been investigated by many researchers worldwide. Cyanotoxins can be classified according to toxicity as neurotoxins (anatoxin-a, anatoxin-a(s), saxitoxins) or hepatotoxins (microcystins, nodularin, cylindrospermopsin). Microcystins are generally present within cyanobacterial cells and are released by damage to the cell membrane. Cyanotoxins have been reported to cause adverse effects and to accumulate in aquatic organisms in lakes, rivers and oceans. Possible pathways of microcystins in Lake Suwa, Japan, have been investigated from five perspectives: production, adsorption, physiochemical decomposition, bioaccumulation and biodegradation. In this study, temporal variability in microcystins in Lake Suwa were investigated over 25 years (1991~2015). In nature, microcystins are removed by biodegradation of microorganisms and/or feeding of predators. However, during water treatment, the use of copper sulfate to remove algal cells causes extraction of a mess of microcystins. Cyanotoxins are removed by physical, chemical and biological methods, and the reduction of nutrients inflow is a basic method to prevent cyanobacterial bloom formation. However, this method is not effective for eutrophic lakes because nutrients are already present. The presence of a cyanotoxins can be a potential threat and therefore must be considered during water treatment. A complete understanding of the mechanism of cyanotoxins degradation in the ecosystem requires more intensive study, including a quantitative enumeration of cyanotoxin degrading microbes. This should be done in conjunction with an investigation of the microbial ecological mechanism of cyanobacteria degradation.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.84-101
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• 1996

To minimize the use of animals in toxicity testing, and to reduce the cost in vivo test, more rational test method was described which determines, in the same animal, photoxic and photoallergic potential of a substance, and is daptable to routine testing. The other purpose of this study was to investigate the usefulness of in vivo alternatives ; photostability and spectrophotometric carbonyl assay. In this modified photosensitization model, animal numbers and resting periods, the number and method of topical application were simplified. Two positive photoreactive agents, Benzocaine and 6-methyl coumarine, showed a similar photoallergic potential to that of Ichikawa's method. Two sunscreens, Octyl methoxy cinnamate, Butyl methoxyl dibenzoyl methane, hardly showed photoallergic potentials. The photostability test could be used in the step of prescreening of photosensitization potential because most of the photoreactive agents represented the reduction of more than 20% in the absorbance. And photoreactive agents have a high potential of photosensitization in the sddessment of spectrophotometric carbonyl level although two sunscreens have a low possibility of photosensitization. Therefore this method was assumed as a valuable in vivo alternatives in the respect even in the very low concentrations which phototoxicity test using almonella showed no phototoxic potential.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.133-140
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• 2004

The histopathologieal effects of his(tri-n-butyltin)oxide (TBTO) on the flounder, Paralichthys otivaceus were examined by means of histological methods. The experimental fishes were exposed to 0.17, 0.36, 0.60, 3.20, 6.30, 12.50 ${\mu}g \;L^{-1}$TBTO concentrations for 42 days. Histopathological change of the fish exposed to TBTO is dependent on the exposure duration and concentration. In the lower concentrations early histological changes included activated mucous cells and chloride cells, capillary hyperemia and epithelial hyperplasia in the gill; hepatocyte activation, degeneration of bile duct and pancyeatic zymogen reduction in the hepatopancreas; and capillary hyperemia, appearance of eosinophilic cell and melano-macrophagocytes in the kidney. At the higher concentrations histological changes of dysfunctionality included epithelial lifting and deformation of the lamellae in the gill; pycnosis and cytoplasmic degeneration of hepatocyte; pycnosis of haemopoietic cell and deformation of renal tubules and glomerulus in the kidney. It is indicated that TBTO induced histopathological changes in the fish as other aquatic pollutants.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.13
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• pp.5343-5348
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• 2014

Background: A meta-analysis was performed to examine the benefit/risk ratio for the addition of anti- HER MoAbs to chemotherapy in patients with advanced gastric and gastroesophageal cancer from six randomized phase II/III trials. Materials and Methods: We searched relative trials from Pubmed, EMBASE, Cochrane library databases, China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases, Google Scholar and the NIH ClinicalTrials. Primary outcomes were overall response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS). Secondary outcomes were toxicities. All analyses were performed using STATA 12.0. Results: This meta-analysis included six randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with 2, 297 patients and we demonstrated that the anti-HER MoAbs arm did have a positive effect on ORR in the anti-HER MoAbs arm (OR 1.28, 95% CI 1.00-1.64, p=0.01). There was an increasing benefit regarding OS (HR 0.74, 95% CI 0.60-0.88, p<0.05) and PFS (HR 0.72, 95% CI 0.60-0.84, p<0.05) in the anti-HER2 subgroup, but a reduction of OS (HR 1.11, 95% CI 0.87-1.36, p<0.05) and PFS (HR 1.13, 95% CI 0.98 -1.28, P<0.05) in anti-EGFR subgroup. Some grade 3-4 toxicity had a significantly higher incidence in the anti-HER MoAbs arm. There was no significant publication bias for all endpoints. Conclusions: The addition of trstuzumab MoAb to chemotherapy for gastric and gastroesophageal cancer significantly improved outcome of OS and PFS endpoints, while other MoAbs led to no improvement in results. Some adverse events were increased in anti-HER MoAbs arm compared with the control.

• BMB Reports
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.373-378
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• 2003

Effects of L-arginine and NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) on the renal dysfunction that is induced by cisplatin (CDDP) were investigated. A single dose of CDDP (7.5 mg/kg i.p.) induced renotoxicity, which was manifested by increasing the sensitivity of isolated urinary bladder rings to acetylcholine (ACh), together with a significant elevation of serum urea and creatinine, and a severe decrease in serum albumin. Moreover, renal dysfunction was further confirmed by a significant decrease of enzyme activities, such as glutathione peroxidase, GSH-Px (E.C 1.11.1.9), catalase (E.C 1.11.1.6), as well as a significant increase in lipid peroxides that were measured as malondialdhyde (MDA) in kidney tissue homogenates. The administration of L-arginine (70 mg/kg/d p.o in drinking water 5 d before and 5 d after the CDDP injection) significantly ameliorated the renotoxic effects of CDDP, as judged by restoring the normal responses of isolated bladder rings to Ach, and also by an improvement in a range of renal function indices, which included serum urea and creatinine concentrations and kidney weight. In addition, L-arginine prevents the rise of MDA, as well as a reduction of GSH-Px and catalase activities in kidney tissues homogenates. On the other hand, the administration of L-NAME (4 mg/kg/d p.o) resulted in no protection against renal dysfunction that was induced by CDDP treatment. The findings of this study suggest that L-arginine can attenuate kidney injury that is produced by CDDP treatment. In addition, L-arginine may be a beneficial remedy for CDDP-induced renal toxicity, and could be used to improve the therapeutic index of CDDP.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.23 no.8
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• pp.23.1-23.10
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• 2020

This study was conducted to evaluate the acute effects of waterborne cadmium exposure on bioaccumulation and antioxidant enzymes in eels (Anguilla japonica) and to determine the median lethal concentration (LC₅₀). Fish were exposed to different cadmium concentrations (0, 0.15, 0.30, 0.61, 1.83, 3.08, 3.67, 4.29, and 5.51 mg L^-1) for 96 h. The LC₅₀ of A. japonica to cadmium was 3.61 mg L^-1. Cadmium accumulation generally increased in tissues with increasing waterborne cadmium concentrations. At ≥ 1.83 mg L^-1 exposure, all tissues accumulated significant cadmium concentrations compared with the control group, in the order of kidney > liver > gill > spleen > muscle. Measurements of variation in actual cadmium concentrations showed that a reduction of the metal in experimental water was related to cadmium accumulation in tissues. As activity alteration of antioxidant enzymes for reactive oxygen species, superoxide dismutase and catalase activities increased at ≥ 0.61 mg L^-1 significantly, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione S-transferase activities were not significantly changed. The results of this study suggest that acute exposure to waterborne cadmium is potentially fatal to A. japonica due to the metal's major accumulation in various tissues and the effect of antioxidant enzyme activity.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.13 no.9
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• pp.1290-1295
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• 2000

The present study was conducted to evaluate effects of the increased dietary vitamin A supplementation on the vitamin A, vitamin E and ascorbic acid concentrations in the plasma and liver and activities of some enzymes in the liver of the growing chicken. One hundred and twenty female chickens at 4 weeks of age were divided in 6 equal groups in accordance with their body weight. They were housed in cages and fed on standard wheat-barley-based broiler diet balanced in the major nutrients. Vitamin A was supplemented in the form of retinyl acetate. Control diet was supplemented with 10 IU/g and experimental feeds were supplemented with 50, 100, 500, 1000 and 2000 IU/g. At days 42 and 56 of the development 8 chickens from each group were killed, plasma and liver were collected for vitamin and enzyme analyses. The increased vitamin A supplementation was associated with its increased accumulation in the liver and with a reduction of ${\alpha}-tocopherol$ concentrations in the plasma and liver. The blood plasma was more resistant to vitamin A concentration changes and the retinol level was elevated only when the vitamin A dose exceeded 100 IU/g feed. Ascorbic acid concentration in the liver was elevated when moderately high vitamin A supplementation was used but significantly decreased at the highest vitamin A dose. Similar changes were observed with glycogen concentration in the liver. Activities of hexokinase, glucose-6-phosphatase and lactate dehydrogenase in the chicken liver were also dependent on vitamin A supplementation, decreasing with highest vitamin A doses. Therefore the observations showed that the vitamin A excess compromises antioxidant system of the growing chickens suggesting that prooxidant activity may be responsible for at least part of the toxicity of vitamin A.