• 생약학회지
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• 제39권3호
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• pp.241-245
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• 2008

Quantitative methods for the marker compounds of Cimicifugae Rhizoma, Achyranthis Radix, Artemisiae Capillaris Herba, Moutan Cortex Radicis and Arecae Semen, respectively, were developed using HPLC-DAD. Using the established methods, each extract of the natural medicines were evaluated. In addition, long term and accelerated stability test in the extracts were examined for six months. No significant change in content of the marker compounds of each extract observed during the time of investigation.

• Toxicological Research
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• 제33권2호
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• pp.107-118
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• 2017

Although alternative test methods based on the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement) are being developed to replace animal testing in reproductive and developmental toxicology, they are still in an early stage. Consequently, we aimed to develop alternative test methods in male animals using mouse spermatogonial stem cells (mSSCs). Here, we modified the OECD TG 489 and optimized the in vitro comet assay in our previous study. This study aimed to verify the validity of in vitro tests involving mSSCs by comparing their results with those of in vivo tests using C57BL/6 mice by gavage. We selected hydroxyurea (HU), which is known to chemically induce male reproductive toxicity. The 50% inhibitory concentration ($IC_{50}$) value of HU was 0.9 mM, as determined by the MTT assay. In the in vitro comet assay, % tail DNA and Olive tail moment (OTM) after HU administration increased significantly, compared to the control. Annexin V, PI staining and TUNEL assays showed that HU caused apoptosis in mSSCs. In order to compare in vitro tests with in vivo tests, the same substances were administered to male C57BL/6 mice. Reproductive toxicity was observed at 25, 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg/day as measured by clinical measures of reduction in sperm motility and testicular weight. The comet assay, DCFH-DA assay, H&E staining, and TUNEL assay were also performed. The results of the test with C57BL/6 mice were similar to those with mSSCs for HU treatment. Finally, linear regression analysis showed a strong positive correlation between results of in vitro tests and those of in vivo. In conclusion, the present study is the first to demonstrate the effect of HU-induced DNA damage, ROS formation, and apoptosis in mSSCs. Further, the results of the current study suggest that mSSCs could be a useful model to predict male reproductive toxicity.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제23권5호
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• pp.486-492
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• 2015

Drug metabolism mostly occurs in the liver. Cytochrome P450 (CYP) is a drug-metabolizing enzyme that is responsible for many important drug metabolism reactions. Recently, the US FDA and EU EMA have suggested that CYP enzyme induction can be measured by both enzymatic activity and mRNA expression. However, these experiments are time-consuming and their interassay variability can lead to misinterpretations of the results. To resolve these problems and establish a more powerful method to measure CYP induction, we determined CYP induction by using luminescent assay. Luminescent CYP assays link CYP enzyme activity to firefly luciferase luminescence technology. In this study, we measured the induction of CYP isozymes (1A2, 2B6, 2C9, and 3A4) in cryopreserved human hepatocytes (HMC424, 478, and 493) using a luminometer. We then examined the potential induction abilities (unknown so far) of mesalazine, a drug for colitis, and mosapride citrate, which is used as an antispasmodic drug. The results showed that mesalazine promotes CYP2B6 and 3A4 activities, while mosapride citrate promotes CYP1A2, 2B6, and 3A4 activities. Luminescent CYP assays offer rapid and safe advantages over LC-MS/MS and qRT-PCR methods. Furthermore, luminescent CYP assays decrease the interference between the optical properties of the test compound and the CYP substrates. Therefore, luminescent CYP assays are less labor intensive, rapid, and can be used as robust tools for high-throughput CYP screening during early drug discovery.

• Toxicological Research
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• 제32권3호
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• pp.259-267
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• 2016

Animal testing was used traditionally in the cosmetics industry to confirm product safety, but has begun to be banned; alternative methods to replace animal experiments are either in development, or are being validated, worldwide. Research data related to test substances are critical for developing novel alternative tests. Moreover, safety information on cosmetic materials has neither been collected in a database nor shared among researchers. Therefore, it is imperative to build and share a database of safety information on toxicological mechanisms and pathways collected through in vivo, in vitro, and in silico methods. We developed the CAMSEC database (named after the research team; the Consortium of Alternative Methods for Safety Evaluation of Cosmetics) to fulfill this purpose. On the same website, our aim is to provide updates on current alternative research methods in Korea. The database will not be used directly to conduct safety evaluations, but researchers or regulatory individuals can use it to facilitate their work in formulating safety evaluations for cosmetic materials. We hope this database will help establish new alternative research methods to conduct efficient safety evaluations of cosmetic materials.

• Toxicological Research
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• 제30권3호
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• pp.185-191
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• 2014

Statistical methods are frequently used in toxicology, yet it is not clear whether the methods employed by the studies are used consistently and conducted based on sound statistical grounds. The purpose of this paper is to describe statistical methods used in top toxicology journals. More specifically, we sampled 30 papers published in 2014 from Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology, Archives of Toxicology, and Toxicological Science and described methodologies used to provide descriptive and inferential statistics. One hundred thirteen endpoints were observed in those 30 papers, and most studies had sample size less than 10, with the median and the mode being 6 and 3 & 6, respectively. Mean (105/113, 93%) was dominantly used to measure central tendency, and standard error of the mean (64/113, 57%) and standard deviation (39/113, 34%) were used to measure dispersion, while few studies provide justifications regarding why the methods being selected. Inferential statistics were frequently conducted (93/113, 82%), with one-way ANOVA being most popular (52/93, 56%), yet few studies conducted either normality or equal variance test. These results suggest that more consistent and appropriate use of statistical method is necessary which may enhance the role of toxicology in public health.

• 분석과학
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• 제33권3호
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• pp.125-133
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• 2020

Methylisothiazolinone (MIT) and chloromethylisothiazolinone (CMIT) cause allergic contact dermatitis and are banned cosmetics ingredients, except in rinse-off products. However, their presence has been detected in cosmetics. We report a UPLC-tandem MS/MS screening method for their simultaneous determination in cosmetics. To facilitate extraction from various matrices, pretreatment methods were developed for each sample type. The method was optimized through a series of assessments, including specificity, LOD, LOQ, linearity, recovery, stability, precision, and accuracy. The LODs and LOQs for MIT ranged from 0.054 and 0.163 ㎍ mL^-1 whereas those for CMIT ranged from 0.040 and 0.119 ㎍ mL^-1. The linear correlation coefficients (r²) were higher than 0.999. Relative standard deviations (RSDs) for both intra- and inter-day measurements ranged from 0.3 ~ 13.6 %. Recoveries at three different concentrations were within 87.9 ~ 118.9 %. The RSD for stability measurements of spiked samples was within 7 %. These results confirm the suitability of the developed method for the simultaneous quantitation of MIT and CMIT in cosmetics. Samples of 320 color cosmetics, including eyeshadows, solid lipsticks, liquid lipsticks, and nail polishes were analyzed using the developed method, and two of them were found to contain both MIT and CMIT and one of them was found to contain only MIT. This data and the method will aid the regulation of ingredients used in cosmetics.

• 한국산업보건학회지
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• 제22권4호
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• pp.301-308
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• 2012

Objectives: To evaluate the pulmonary toxicity of 2 Korea asbestos(chrysotile, anthophyllite), Sprague-Dawely rats were exposed to 2 mg domestic asbestos by intratracheal instillation(IT). Methods: Lung function of rats was analyzed by pressure transducer(MAX1320, Buxco Electronics, USA). The effects of 2 mg asbestos(chrysotile ; $8,814,244{\times}10^{6}$ fibers/mg, average diameter 0.08 ${\mu}m$, average length 4.39 ${\mu}m$, anthophyllite ; $5,182{\times}10^{6}$ fibers/mg, average diameter 0.95 ${\mu}m$, average length 7.29 ${\mu}m$) on pulmonary function and pathological changes were evaluated at after a single IT. Lung function and histopathological evaluation were assessed in 5 animals from each group at each time point. Results: Due to differences in fiber numbers, chrysotile induce marked lung pathology and lung function change than anthophyllite at the same mass dose. Chrysotile showed notable thickening of interstitial areas surrounding the alveolar ducts and terminal bronchioles. Conclusions: On a mass dose basis, chrysotile that have 1,700 times numbers of fibers per unit weight than anthophyllite produced a greater persistent lung injury than anthophllite for at least 4 weeks after exposure.

• 한국환경농학회지
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• 제30권2호
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• pp.196-201
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• 2011

BACKGROUND: Bioavailability enhancement by solubilization of lipophilic drugs in nano-emulsion has been reported and it may be useful in pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products. This study was performed to compare in vivo bioavailability of nano-emulsion formulation with that of the general product as control. METHODS AND RESULTS: The pharmacokinetics assessment of Vitamin A, D and E complex of nanoemulsion formulation (LaVita), in comparison to the general product, was performed in the male rat plasma by a single oral dose at 20 mL/kg body weight (n=3/group). For nano-emulsion formulation (LaVita), $C_{max}$ of vitamin A and E in plasma were much higher and the area under the curve (AUC) of vitamin A, D and E were 14-63% higher, and the half-life of vitamin E was 2-fold longer than the general product. According to statistical analysis, each $C_{max}$ of vitamin A, D & E was significantly higher (p<0.01, 0.05 and 0.01, respectively) than that of general product. Half-life of vitamin A was significantly higher (p<0.01) and AUC of vitamin A and D were also significantly higher than the general product. CONCLUSION(s): Considering significant increment of $C_{max}$ and AUC, LaVita made of nano-emulsion could be more effective the absorption rate and extent for bioavailability of vitamin A, D & E than those of general product.

• 한국환경보건학회지
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• 제47권6호
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• pp.505-512
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• 2021

Background: The occurrence of environmental disease is known to be associated with chronic exposure to toxic chemicals, including waterborne contaminants, air/indoor pollutants, asbestos, ingredients in humidifier disinfectants, etc. Objectives: In this study, we reviewed toxicological studies related to environmental disease as defined by the Environmental Health Act in Korea and toxic chemicals. We also suggested a direction for future toxicological research necessary for the prevention and management of environmental disease. Methods: Trends in previous studies related to environmental disease were investigated through PubMed and Web of Science. A detailed review was provided on toxicological studies related to the humidifier disinfectants. We identified adverse outcome pathways (AOPs) that can be linked to the induction of environmental diseases, and proposed a chemical screening system that uses AOP, chemical toxicity big data, and deep learning models to select chemicals that induce environmental disease. Results: Research on chemical toxicity is increasing every year, but there is a limitation to revealing a clear causal relationship between exposure to chemicals and the occurrence of environmental disease. It is necessary to develop various exposure- and effect-biomarkers related to disease occurrence and to conduct toxicokinetic studies. A novel chemical screening system that uses AOP and chemical toxicity big data could be useful for selecting chemicals that cause environmental diseases. Conclusions: From a toxicological point of view, developing AOP related to environmental diseases and a deep learning-based chemical screening system will contribute to the prevention of environmental diseases in advance.

• Toxicological Research
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• 제1권1호
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• pp.17-30
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• 1985

Mycotoxins are a group of toxicants giving a risk potential to human health in connection with the daily food intake. Food commodities once contaminated with mycotoxins can not be detoxified by any economic means and prevention was suggested as the only measure. In order to minimize the economic loss and health hazard posed by mycotoxins and toxicoses, systematic and toxicological studies on the subject should be undertaken. Most reports in Korea were concentrated on the mycological studies of relatively easy techniques and the confirmation or quantitation of mycotoxins was rarely done. Research topics to be undertaken in future may be exemplifid below: (1) Establishing assay methods for individual or multi-residue of mycotoxins (2) Monitoring of mycotoxins for suspicious food or feed samples in Korea (3) Epidemiological survey of mycotoxicoses (4) Etiological survey of disease outbreaks associated with mycotoxins (5) Accumulation of testing method and data on the toxicity of mycotoxins (6) Legal regulation to control mycotoxins and development of their detoxification / elimination methods