• Journal of Life Science
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• v.24 no.8
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• pp.887-894
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• 2014

The screening of the microorganisms degrading chlorinated organic compounds such as PCP (pentachlorophenol) and TCE (trichloroethylene) was conducted with soil and industrial wastewater contaminated with various chlorinated organic compounds. Isolates (GP5, GP19) capable of degrading PCP and isolates (GA6, GA15) capable of degrading TCE were identified as Acetobactor sp., Pseudomonas sp., Arthrobacer sp., Xanthomonas sp. and named Acetobacter sp. GP5, Pseudomonas sp. GP19, Arthrobacer sp. GA6 and Xanthomoas sp. GA15, respectively. The microbial augmentation, OC17 formulated with the mixture of bacteria including isolates (4 strains) degrading chlorinated organic compounds and isolates (Acinetobacter sp. KN11, Neisseria sp. GN13) degrading aromatic hydrocarbons. Characteristics of microbial augmentation OC-17 showed cell mass of $2.8{\times}10^9CFU/g$, bulk density of $0.299g/cm^3$ and water content of 26.8%. In the experiment with an artificial wastewater containing PCP (500 mg/l), degradation efficiency of the microbial augmentation OC17 was 87% during incubation of 65 hours. The degradation efficiency of TCE (300 uM) by microbial augmentation OC17 was 90% during incubation of 50 hours. In a continuous culture experiment, analysis of the biodegradation of organic compounds by microbial augmentation OC17 in industry wastewater containing chlorinated hydrocarbons showed that the removal rate of COD was 91% during incubation of 10 days. These results indicate that it is possible to apply the microbial augmentation OC17 to industrial wastewaters containing chlorinated organic compounds.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.38 no.11
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• pp.991-997
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• 2015

Tristetraprolin (TTP) is an AU-rich elements (AREs)-binding protein, which regulates the decay of ARE-scontaining mRNAs such as proto-oncogenes, anti-apoptotic genes and immune regulatory genes. Despite the low expression of TTP in various human cancers, the mechanism involving suppressed expression of TTP is not fully understood. Here, we demonstrate that Resveratrol (3,5,4'-trihydroxystilbene, Res), a naturally occurring compound, induces glioma cell apoptosis through activation of tristetraprolin (TTP). Res increased TTP expression in U87MG human glioma cells. Res-induced TTP destabilized the urokinase plasminogen activator and urokinase plasminogen activator receptor mRNAs by binding to the ARE regions containing the 3' untranslated regions of their mRNAs. Furthermore, TTP induced by Res suppressed cell growth and induced apoptosis in the human glioma cells. Because of its regulation of TTP expression, these findings suggest that the bioactive dietary compound Res can be used as a novel anti-cancer agent for the treatment of human malignant gliomas.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.174-182
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• 2004

The zinc intake and status of South Koreans from rural, urban and metropolitan areas were compared to evaluate the zinc nutritional status in different regional areas in South Korea. The dietary habits of 721 healthy adult subjects (271 from rural, 240 from urban, 210 from metropolitan city) with an age range 30 ∼ 64 (mean age 54$\pm$18) were assessed using a food frequency questionnaire. Mean daily Zn intake for rural, urban, and metropolitan areas was 6.5 mg, 7.3 mg, and 11.4 mg (p<0.05), respectively, which was 54%,61% and 95% of the Korean RDA for man (12 mg/d). Mean phytate: zinc molar ratios for rural, urban, and metropolitan city were 41, 34, and 30, respectively (p < 0.05), which were higher than the cutoff level of 20 for poor zinc status. The zinc intake and phytate: Zn molar ratio in the rural area were 0.5 and 1.3-fold compared to those of the metropolitan city, which can cause poor zinc nutriture in the rural area. Most of the zinc biomarkers were lower in the rural area than in the metropolitan city (p < 0.05) (mean rural and metropolitan values for plasma Zn: 80.8 $\mu\textrm{g}$/dL and 119.8 $\mu\textrm{g}$/dL, respectively; RBC Zn: 7.8 $\mu\textrm{g}$/dL and 8.8 $\mu\textrm{g}$/dL, respectively; plasma alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity: 87 mU/mL and 100.4 mU/mL, respectively). It seems that a lower zinc intake in the rural area decreased zinc biomarker levels, such as plasma and RBC zinc, and plasma alkaline phosphatase activity, and caused the poor zinc nutritional status in this area. Most of the zinc biomarkers, such as RBC zinc and urinary and plasma zinc levels, in the subjects from the three localities, were within the normal range even when zinc intake of rural and urban subjects was low. The exception was plasma ALP activity in the rural area, which was lower than the reference level. Thus, marked zinc deficiency in these subjects were not observed, however, the potential for marginal zinc deficiency should be considered, especially for the rural area, because of the low zinc intake and the biomarker levels for marginal zinc deficiency.

• Journal of Radiopharmaceuticals and Molecular Probes
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.9-16
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• 2023

Liposomes as drug delivery system have proved useful carrier for various disease, including cancer. In addition, perfluorocarbon cored microbubbles are utilized in conjunction with high-intensity focused-ultrasound (HIFU) to enable simultaneous diagnosis and treatment. However, microbubbles generally exhibit lower drug loading efficiency, so the need for the development of a novel liposome-based drug delivery material that can efficiently load and deliver drugs to targeted areas via HIFU. This study aims to develop a liposome-based drug delivery material by introducing a substance that can burst liposomes using ultrasound energy and confirm the ability to target tumors using PET imaging. Liposomes (Lipo-DOX, Lipo-DOX-Au, Lipo-DOX-Au-RGD) were synthesized with gold nanoparticles using an avidin-biotin bond, and doxorubicin was mounted inside by pH gradient method. The size distribution was measured by DLS, and encapsulation efficiency of doxorubicin was analyzed by UV-vis spectrometer. The target specificity and cytotoxicity of liposomes were assessed in vitro by glioblastoma U87mg cells to HIFU treatment and analyzed using CCK-8 assay, and fluorescence microscopy at 6-hour intervals for up to 24 hours. For the in vivo study, U87mg model mouse were injected intravenously with 1.48 MBq of ⁶⁴Cu-labeled Lipo-DOX-Au and Lipo-DOX-Au-RGD, and PET images were taken at 0, 2, 4, 8, and 24 hours. As a result, the size of liposomes was 108.3 ± 5.0 nm at Lipo-DOX-Au and 94.1 ± 12.2 nm at Lipo-DOX-Au-RGD, and it was observed that doxorubicin was mounted inside the liposome up to 52%. After 6 hours of HIFU treatment, the viability of U87mg cells treated with Lipo-DOX-Au decreased by around 20% compared to Lipo-DOX, and Lipo-DOX-Au-RGD had a higher uptake rate than Lipo-DOX. In vivo study using PET images, it was confirmed that ⁶⁴Cu-Lipo-DOX-Au-RGD was taken up into the tumor immediately after injection and maintained for up to 4 hours. In this study, drugs released from liposomes-gold nanoparticles via ultrasound and RGD targeting were confirmed by non-invasive imaging. In cell-level experiments, HIFU treatment of gold nanoparticle-coupled liposomes significantly decreased tumor survival, while RGD-liposomes exhibited high tumor targeting and rapid release in vivo imaging. It is expected that the combination of these models with ultrasound is served as an effective drug delivery material with therapeutic outcomes.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.238-245
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• 1999

Antioxidative effects of the water or ethanol extracts from Rhus verniciflua Stokes (RVS) were measured by protection against hydroxyl radicals in mouse brain tissue culture. In the water extracts from RVS, cell viabilities were estimated 60.0, 66.0, 72.0, 84.0 and 90.0% at addition of 1, 2, 4, 7 and $10{\mu}L$, respectively, compared with GO (20 mU/mL) alone. The cell viability in the ethanol extracts was similarly with water extracts. In the antitumor effects, the results showed that percentages of the HeLa cell death were approximately 24% for 12 hrs, 57% for 48 hrs at addition of 10%/well ethanol extracts respectively. To know inhibition of tumor growth, in vivo, mice (BALB/c) were inoculated with 0.25 mL CT-26 $(1{\times}10^6\;cells/mL)$ subcutaneously. After the generation of tumor, the results of RVS extracts (ethanol, water) injection showed generally that the tumor size in BALB/c was reduced. For physicochemical characterization of the RVS extracts, purified substances of water or ethanol extracts were analized with SDS-PAGE and ICP spectrometer. In electrophoresis, gel showed 2 bands (210, 230 KDa). The results of ICP verified that RVS extracts contain $Cu^{2+}$ in both samples. Conclusively, this substance might be a laccase which has a biological effective function, as a natural bioactive substance.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.35 no.8
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• pp.2335-2341
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• 2014

Chemical investigation on the methanol extract of the starfish Ctenodiscus crispatus resulted in the isolation of five steroids, (22E,$24{\zeta}$)-26,27-bisnor-24-methyl-$5{\alpha}$-cholest-22-en-$3{\beta}$,5,$6{\beta}$,$15{\alpha}$,25-pentol 25-O-sulfate (1), (22E,24R,25R)-24-methyl-$5{\alpha}$-cholest-22-en-$3{\beta}$,5,$6{\beta}$,$15{\alpha}$,25,26-hexol 26-O-sulfate (2), (28R)-24-ethyl-$5{\alpha}$-cholesta-$3{\beta}$,5,$6{\beta}$,8,$15{\alpha}$,28,29-heptaol-24-sulfate (3), (25S)-$5{\alpha}$-cholestane-$3{\beta}$,5,$6{\beta}$,$15{\alpha}$,$16{\beta}$,26-hexaol (4), and ${\Delta}7$-sitosterol (5). Their structures were identified by extensive spectroscopic analyses, including 1D, 2D NMR and MS and chemical methods. Compound 4 showed cytotoxicity against human hepatoma HepG2 and glioblastoma U87MG cells via inhibition of cell growth and induction of apoptosis. Induction of apoptosis by 4 was demonstrated by cell death, DNA fragmentation, increased Bax/Bcl-2 protein ratio and the activation of caspase-3, caspase-9 and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP).

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.48-55
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• 2010

Neural progenitor cells (NPCs) differentiate into astrocytes, neurons and oligodendrocytes, which is controlled by various factors in brain. Recent evidences suggest that small molecules modulating the proliferation and differentiation of NPCs may have therapeutic value as well as the potential use as chemical probes. Phylligenin is a lignan with anti-inflammatory activity that is isolated from the fruits of Forsythia koreana. We investigated effects of phylligenin on proliferation and differentiation of NPCs. Treatment of phylligenin decreased the number of proliferating NPCs in culture without effects on the differentiation and survival of neural cells such as neurons and astrocytes. To examine the mechanism of the decreased NPCs number, we performed cell cycle analysis. Proliferation of NPCs was decreased via G1-S transition block by phylligenin treatment, and it was mediated by the increase of p21 level. However, phylligenin did not induce apoptosis of NPCs as determined by TUNEL assay and PARP cleavage. We also found that viability of glioma cell lines such as C6 and U87MG glioma cells, but not that of primary neuron and astrocyte, was inhibited by phylligenin. These results suggest that phylligenin selectively inhibits proliferation of rapidly growing cells such as neural stem cells and glioma cells. Given that the possible role of brain tumor stem cells in the pathology of brain cancers, the inhibitory effects of phylligenin might be useful in the development of new therapeutic agents against brain cancers.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.8
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• pp.3495-3501
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• 2014

Melanoma-associated antigen (MAGE) family genes have been considered as potentially promising targets for anticancer immunotherapy. MAGED4 was originally identified as a glioma-specific antigen. Current knowledge about MAGED4 expression in glioma is only based on mRNA analysis and MAGED4 protein expression has not been elucidated. In the present study, we investigated this point and found that MAGED4 mRNA and protein were absent or very lowly expressed in various normal tissues and glioma cell line SHG44, but overexpressed in glioma cell lines A172,U251,U87-MG as well as glioma tissues, with significant heterogeneity. Furthermore, MAGED4 protein expression was positively correlated with the glioma type and grade. We also found that the expression of MAGED4 inversely correlated with the overall methylation status of the MAGED4 promoter CpG island. Furthermore, when SHG44 and A172 with higher methylation were treated with the DNA demethylating agent 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-AZA-CdR) reactivation of MAGED4 mRNA was mediated by significant demethylation in SHG44 instead of A172. However, 5-AZA-CdR treatment had no effect on MAGED4 protein in both SHG44 and A172 cells. In conclusion, MAGED4 is frequently and highly expressed in glioma and is partly regulated by DNA methylation. The results suggest that MAGED4 might be a promising target for glioma immunotherapy combined with 5-AZA-CdR to enhance its expression and eliminate intratumor heterogeneity.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.495-499
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• 2003

Purpose : Eosinophil is one of the important inflammatory cell involved in the airway inflammation in childhood asthma. It has been demonstrated that markers of eosinophil activation, including eosinophil cationic protein or eosinophil protein X(EPX), are increased in childhood asthma. Furthermore, they are related to disease activity and are assumed to be helpful in monitoring the treatment effect as urinary EPX(U-EPX) can be obtained easily and in a noninvasive way in children of all ages. Methods : Twenty-five children(22 male and three female) aged $11.87{\pm}3.82$ years with stable asthma were challenged with methacholine and urine was collected from each child during the following periods; before methacholine challenge test(MCT); 0-3 hr after the end of MCT; 4-7 hr after the end of MCT; and 8-24 hr after the end of MCT. Bronchial reactivity was determined by using Dosimeter( Jeager, Germany) with serially diluted methacholine from 0.05 to 25.0 mg. The $FEV_1$ less than 80% of baseline value were classified into positive MCT. U-EPX was measured with a sensitive and specific radioimmunoassay(Pharmacia & Upjohn AB, Uppsala, Sweden). Results were expressed as ${\mu}gEPX/mmol$ creatinine. Results : An early airway response after MCT was associated with an increase of U-EPX excretion for 0-3 hr after methacholine inhalation in comparison with beseline values. Most subjects showed a small increase in U-EPX excretion during late asthmatic response for 4-7 hr, which then decreased to normal level in 8-24 hr. Also, a tendency for a higher increase of U-EPX was associated with a lower threshold of methacholine challenge and a longer duration of asthma. Conclusion : Measurement of EPX in urine is a noninvasive and easy method to assess the severity of airway inflammation in asthmatic children. It may be a helpful index of the events underlying the airway inflammatory responses during nonspecific bronchial challenge, and in monitoring asthma management.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.69-78
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• 2017

Cordyceps militaris has been used in traditional Chinese medicine owing to its anticancer and immunomodulatory activities. Germanium compounds have also been shown to be associated with many pharmacological functions, such as antimicrobial, antiviral, antitumor, antimutagenic, and immunomodulating effects. In this study, we examined the biological properties of hot water extract from mycelial liquid culture of germanium-enriched C. militaris (CMGe). CMGe displayed a concentration-dependent antiproliferation activity against four human cancer cell lines. The antiproliferative activity of CMGe was 2-4-fold lower than that of hot water extract from mycelial liquid culture in C. militaris (CM). However, CM had a concentration-dependent cytotoxicity to human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Contrastingly, CMGe did not cause any cellular damage to MSCs. MSCs cultured with CMGe displayed an increased proliferative activity with no cytotoxic effect. The oral administration of CMGe inhibited increased tumor volume and weight compared with the control group. CMGe has the potential to be used as an industrial product in medicinal foods as well as in pharmaceutical products.