• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.565-583
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• 2011

Objectives : This study investigated the biochemical mechanisms of anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects of the water extract of Dan-Seon-Tang (DST) in human leukemia U937 cells. Methods : U937 cells were exposed to DST and growth inhibition was measured by MTT assay. Results : Exposure of U937 cells to DST resulted in the growth inhibition in a concentration-dependent manner. This inhibitory effect was associated with morphological changes and apoptotic cell death such as formation of apoptotic bodies, increased populations of apoptotic-sub G1 phase and induction of DNA fragmentation. The induction of apoptotic cell death in U937 cells by DST was associated with up-regulation of death receptor 4 (DR4) and down-regulation of Bid, surviving and cellular inhibition of apoptosis protein-2 (cIAP-2) expression. DST treatment also induced the proteolytic activation of caspase-3, caspase-8 and caspase-9, and a concomitant degradation of caspase-3 substrate proteins such as poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), phospholipase (PLC)-${\gamma}1$, ${\beta}$-catenin and DNA fragmentation factor 45/inhibotor of caspase activated DNAse (DFF45/ICAD). Furthermore, apoptotic cell death by DST was significantly inhibited by caspase-3 specific inhibitor z-DEVD-fmk, demonstrating the important role of caspase-3. Conclusions : These findings suggest that herb prescription DST may be a potential chemotherapeutic agent for the control of human leukemia U937 cells; further study is needed to identify the active compounds.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.11
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• pp.5785-5790
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• 2012

The use of chemotherapeutics induces cardiotoxicity and affects immune functions, therefore development of combinatorial agents against cardiotoxicity and immunosuppression needs to be explored. Previous studies of the hexane insoluble fraction (HIF) of an ethanolic extract of Ficus septica leaves showed anticancer effects singly and in combination with doxorubicin on T47D breast cancer cells. In this present study, it was evaluated for its immunomodulatory activities in doxorubicin-treated rats. Thirty male Sprague Dawley rats were divided into five groups consisting of six rats each as follows: Group 1, receiving oral saline 10 ml/kg BW (control group); Group 2, receiving HIF dose 750 mg/kg BW orally, once daily; Group 3, receiving HIF dose 1.500 mg/kg BW orally, once daily; Group 4, given oral saline 10 ml/kg BW (normal group); Group 5, receiving HIF dose 1.500 mg/kg BW orally, once daily. The rats of group 1-3 were intramuscularly administered with doxorubicin at a dose of 4.67 mg/kg BW at the days 1 and 4 to suppress immune functions. Concomitantly, the rats were treated with saline or HIF for seven consecutive days (1 to 7). Treatment of HIF succeeded in reducing side effects of doxorubicin based on increasing lymphocyte density and phagocytosis activity and capacity of macrophages, as well as increasing the CD8+ blood level and decreasing spleen IL-10 expression. Hexane insoluble fraction of of ethanolic extract of Ficus septica leaves has potential as a protective agent combined with doxorubicin.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.50 no.5
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• pp.332-337
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• 2006

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a chronic and hard to control disease. In order to develop the therapeutic agent for type 2 DM, many researchers investigated natural products using an in vitro and in vivo assay. In this study, we tried to explore the anti-diabetic activity and mechanisms of ginsam, which is a vinegar-processed ginseng radix. The db/db mice were randomly divided into four groups. The diabetes control (DC) group was orally administrated with distilled water, ginseng radix (GR) or ginsam (GS) was administrated orally at a dose of 150 mg/kg, and the positive control group was orally injected with metformin (MET) at a dose of 300 mg/kg for 5 weeks in db/db mice and measured body weight and blood glucose level every week. All treatment groups decreased the plasma glucose levels compared with diabetic control and GS group significantly lowered the insulin resistance index. GS group also reduced the plasma lipid levels mainly due to reduce the lipogenesis and increase the lipolysis in the fat tissue. In addition, GS group increased the GLUT4 mRNA expression levels in the fat and muscle tissues by 10 fold probably due to increase a $PPAR_{-\gamma}$ mRNA expression in fat tissue. Taken together, GS showed the anti-hyperglycemic and anti-hyperlipidemic activities and those activities may ascribe to over-expression of GLUT4 mRNA level and decrease the lipogenesis in fat tissue.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.329-335
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• 2018

The objective of this study is to develop a mortar mixture with high workability and adhesive strength for section jacketing in seismic strengthening technology of existing concrete structures. To achieve targeted requirements of the mortars (initial flow exceeding 200 mm, compressive strength of 30MPa, and adhesive strength exceeding 1MPa), step-by-step tests were conducted under the variation of the following mixture parameters: water-to-binder ratio, sand-to-binder ratio, polymer-to-binder ratio, dosage of viscosity agent, and content of ultra-rapid-hardening cement. The adhesive strength of the mortars was also estimated with respect to the various surface treatment states of existing concrete. Based on the test results, the mortar mixture with the polymer-to-binder ratio of 10% and the content of ultra-rapid-hardening cement of 5% can be recommended for the section jacketing materials. The recommended mortar mixture satisfied the targeted requirements as follows: initial flow of 220 mm, high-early strength gain, 28-day compressive strength of 35MPa, and adhesive strength exceeding 1.2MPa.

• Textile Coloration and Finishing
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.20-27
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• 2006

Lyocell is a not only environmentally-friendly but also very advantageous fiber. When Lyocell is soaked in water, its wet tenacity does not decrease and elongation and moisture regain of it are better than cotton. However, one drawback of lyocell is its fibrillation. The fibrills of lyocell were generated during wet process such as scouring and dyeing deteriorates the dyeing color depth and the appearance of fabric. The purpose of this study was to decrease the fibrillation tendency of lyocell fabric using crosslinking agent, epichlorohydrine(ECH). The effects of NaOH scouring and ECH crosslinking were observed. The different types of ECH addition methods to lyocell and the various concentrations of ECH in crosslinking reaction onto dyeing characteristic and fibriallation were investigated. Weight loss and whiteness index of crosslinked lyocell by ECH were examined. K/S values of ECH treated lyocell fabrics dyed with reactive dye were measured and SEM images of untreated and treated lyocells were observed extensively to define the fibrillation tendency. The results were as follows ; 1) ECH treatment showed the effect of weight loss and scouring because ECH crosslinking reaction was conducted in alkaline condition. 2) The increase in ECH concentration from 5 to 30% does not affected K/S value changes. 3) ECH crosslinking can effectively prevent the fibrillation tendency of lyocell.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.13-21
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• 2018

Anthocyanins are naturally occurring water-soluble polyphenolic pigments in plants that have been shown to protect against cardiovascular diseases, and certain cancers, as well as other chronic human disorders. However, the anti-obesity effects of anthocyanins are not fully understood. In this study, we investigated the effects of anthocyanins isolated from the fruit of Vitis coignetiae Pulliat on the adipogenesis of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. Our data indicated that anthocyanins attenuated the terminal differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes, as confirmed by a decrease in the number of lipid droplets, lipid content, and triglyceride production. During this process, anthocyanins effectively enhanced the activation of the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK); however, this phenomenon was inhibited by the co-treatment of compound C, an inhibitor of AMPK. Anthocyanins also inhibited the expression of adipogenic transcription factors, including peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-${\gamma}$, CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein a and b, and sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c. In addition, anthocyanins were found to potently inhibit the expression of adipocyte-specific genes, including adipocyte fatty acid-binding protein, leptin, and fatty acid synthase. These results indicate that anthocyanins have potent anti-obesity effects due to the inhibition of adipocyte differentiation and adipogenesis, and thus may have applications as a potential source for an anti-obesity functional food agent.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.72-76
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• 2000

This study was carried out to evaluate cytotoxic effects of Ajuga multiflora Bunge extracts on murine leukemia tumor $(P388D_1)$ cell lines. Disruptions in cell organelles were determined by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazoliumbromide (MTT) assay. The comparison of $IC_{50}$ values of Ajuga multiflora Bunge extracts in L1210 and $P388D_1$ cell lines showed that their susceptibility to these extracts decreased in the following order: Adriamycin>methanol extract>chloroform extract>ethyl acetate extract>hexane extract>water extract by the MTT assay. In order to develop an antimicrobial agent, dried Ajuga multiflora Bunge was extracted with several solvents, and then antimicrobial activity was investigated. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the extract against microorganisms were also examined. Antimicrobial activities of amocla and ketoconazole as references were compared to those of extracts of $H_2O$, n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol. The antimicrobial activity of all extracts from the sample had growth inhibition activity against gram-negative bacteria, gram-positive bacteria and fungi $(MIC>200\;{\mu}g/ml)$. These results suggest that the methanol soluble extract of Ajuga multiflora Bunge may be a valuable choice for the studies on the treatment of murine leukemia tumor cell lines.

• Journal of Aquaculture
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.285-294
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• 1998

When Cochlodinium polykrikoides came into the culture tanks through influent cultivated water during the red tides, hundred thousands of commercial flounders were concomitantly killed and many culturists suffered from a great deal of financial loss in the east coast of Korea. It is charactrized by high sinking rate after sunset and the formatino of clump which results in oxygen deficiency by its respiration at tank bottom under condition. We investigated the efficacy of hydrogen peroxide and chlorine dioxide, known to form radicals, for extermination of red tide organism C. polykrikoides. When C. polykrikoides seawater with a density of 6,000 cells/$m\ell$ was treated with 14, 28 and $42mg/\ell$ of hydrogen peroxide, its survival rate was markedly decreased to 9.8, 0.8 and 0.3% respectively immediately after 6 hours of treatments whereas when it was treated with 1.5, 2.1 and $3.0mg/\ell$ chlorine dioxide, its survival rate showed 87.7, 81.3 and 80.1 and 80.1% respectively at the same treatment time. Hydrogen peroxide was the effective agent since it has scarcely injured the cultured olive flounder when exposed to the tested concentration range of $14~28mg/\ell$ with the extermination of almost3 C. polykrikoides during the experimental period of 5 days and has shown the oxygen increase of approximately $1.23mg/\ell$ 2 hours immediately after the flounder by C. polykrikoides in the land-based culture tank is assumed to be not by the toxicity of itself but by oxygen dificiency from the rapid respiration of dinoflagellate clump sunken to the tank bottom.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.318-321
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• 2007

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a targeted-tumor treatment system using a photosensitizer, light and oxygen to treat malignant tumor. We have investigated the cytotoxicity of 4 types of phthalocyanine derivative (silver phthalocyanine, iron (III) phthalocyanine, copper (II) phthalocyanine, nickel (II) phthalocyanine) against lung and breast cancers based on photodynamic therapy. As a result, phthalocyanine derivatives indicated a higher anticancer activity on a breast cancer cell line. Among the tested phthalocyanines, silver phthalocyanine (AgPc) showed a lower cytotoxicity against a normal cell line. In addition AgPc gave a good color characteristic when it is solubilized in water. Finally AgPc was selected as a potential antitumor agent for breast cancer.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.1154-1160
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• 2009

Androgen receptors (AR) play a crucial role in the development and progression of prostate cancer. Many studies have suggested that prostate cancer cell proliferation is inhibited by AR downregulation, and it has been reported that Takrisodokyeum (TRSDY) induced apoptotic cell death and suppressed tumorigenesis in human leukemia cells. Therefore, this study was conducted to elucidate the mechanism by which TRSDY affects cell growth and AR expression in androgen-dependent prostate cancer cells (LNCaP cells). We investigated the proliferation and apoptosis of LNCaP cells using MTT and DNA fragmentation assays. In addition, we used western blot analysis to assess the effects of TRSDY on the expression of the AR target gene, prostate-specific antigen (PSA). Furthermore, the mechanism of AR downregulation by TRSDY was investigated using EMSA to analyze the binding activity of AR to androgen response elements (ARE). TRSDY significantly suppressed proliferation and induced apoptosis in LNCaP cells. In addition, TRSDY-induced apoptotic cell death was accompanied by activation of caspase-3 and cleavage of its substrate, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase. TRSDY also inhibited the constitutively expressed- or 5a-dihydrotestosterone (DHT)-induced AR/PSA protein levels. However, these effects were mediated by inhibition of the binding of AR to ARE. TRSDY-mediated AR/PSA downregulation contributes to the inhibition of cell proliferation and the induction of apoptosis in LNCaP human prostate cancer cells. Our findings suggest that TRSDY may be used as a chemopreventive or chemotherapeutic agent for the treatment of prostate cancer.