• Animal Bioscience
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• 제34권7호
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• pp.1169-1180
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• 2021

Objective: This research aimed to study the effects of Artemisia argyi flavonoids (AAF) supplemented in diets on the growth performance and immune function of broiler chickens challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Methods: A total of one hundred and ninety-two 1-d-old broiler chicks were assigned into 4 treatment groups, which were, respectively, fed a basal diet (control), fed a diet with 750 mg/kg AAF, fed a basal diet, and challenged with LPS, fed a diet with 750 mg/kg AAF, and challenged with LPS. Each treatment had six pens with 8 chicks per pen. On days 14, 16, 18, 20 (stress phase I) and 28, 30, 32, 34 (stress phase II), broilers were injected with LPS (500 ㎍/kg body weight) or an equivalent amount of saline. Results: The results demonstrated that dietary AAF significantly improved the body weight (d 21) and alleviated the decrease of average daily gain in broilers challenged with LPS on d 21 and d 35 (p<0.05). Dietary AAF increased bursa fabricius index, and dramatically attenuated the elevation of spleen index caused by LPS on d 35 (p<0.05). Furthermore, serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) concentration decreased with AAF supplementation on d 21 (p<0.05). Diet treatment and LPS challenge exhibited a significant interaction for the concentration of IL-1β (d 21) and IL-6 (d 35) in serum (p<0.05). Additionally, AAF supplementation mitigated the increase of IL-1β, IL-6 in liver and spleen induced by LPS on d 21 and 35 (p<0.05). This study also showed that AAF supplementation significantly reduced the expression of IL-1β (d 21) and nuclear transcription factor kappa-B p65 (d 21 and 35) in liver (p<0.05), and dietary AAF and LPS treatment exhibited significant interaction for the gene expression of IL-6 (d 21), toll like receptor 4 (d 35) and myeloid differentiation factor 88 (d 35) in spleen (p<0.05). Conclusion: In conclusion, AAF could be used as a potential natural immunomodulator to improve growth performance and alleviate immune stress in broilers challenged with LPS.

• 한국융합학회논문지
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• 제12권6호
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• pp.65-74
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• 2021

2020년부터 중국 광시 지방정부는 차 산업과 레저 문화 관광, 과학 보급 교육, 양생 양로 등 산업의 심층융합에 주목하고 있다. 또한 차 산업이 빠르게 발전하고 있어 3차 산업 생산 목표치를 250억 위안으로 계획하였다. 본 연구는 세대별 소비자에 대한 설문조사, 현지조사, 전문가 인터뷰 등을 통하여 차에 대한 니즈와 선택의 차이에 대해 분석하여 광시 차 산업 서비스 모델의 변화 패턴을 연구하였다. 연구 결과에 따르면, 소비자는 세대별로 생활방식, 쇼핑 습관, 서비스 디자인, 사용자 경험, 사회적 니즈, 개인적 니즈에서 뚜렷한 차이가 있다. 이에 차 제품에 대한 니즈와 행동 패턴을 분석하고 광시 차 산업 서비스 모델의 패턴 변화에 근거해보면, 세대별 소비자의 차 선택의 차이가 차 제품의 수요, 행동 패턴에 유의미한 차이와 패턴 변화를 발견할 수 있다. 끝으로 차 산업의 발전을 위한 서비스 디자인, 사용자 경험 모델 개발의 필요성을 주목하고 있다.

• Animal Bioscience
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• 제34권4호
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• pp.680-691
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• 2021

Objective: This study was conducted to investigate the effect of fermented cottonseed meal (FCSM) on growth performance, carcass traits, and fat deposition in white-feather broiler chickens. Methods: A total of 480 male one-day-old white-feather broiler chickens were selected randomly and divided into four groups with six replicates of 20 chickens in each. The experimental chickens were fed diets including 3%, 6%, or 9% FCSM fermented by Candida tropicalis until 42 days old. In the experiment, the chickens of the control group were fed soybean meal. Results: FCSM supplementation linearly decreased the feed conversion ratio from d 15 to 21 and d 36 to 42, respectively (p<0.05). The percentage of carcass and semi-eviscerate increased in response to dietary FCSM supplementation at d 21 (p<0.05). The percentage of eviscerated and semi-eviscerate of 3FCSM was higher than that in other groups at d 35 (p<0.05). At the age of 42 d, the percentage of carcass increased in a quadratic way among increasing FCSM in diets (p<0.05). The subcutaneous fat thickness linearly decreased with the increasing levels of FCSM at d 21 (p<0.05). Gompertz and Logistic functions provided a better fit on abdominal fat and subcutaneous fat, respectively. The best fitted equation predicted that the maximum growth rate of abdominal fat weight and subcutaneous fat thickness occurred at d 28. FCSM had no significant effects on the shape of growth curve of abdominal fat weight and subcutaneous fat thickness, but reduced the height of the curve. Birds receiving the 6FCSM diet for 21 d had smaller adipocyte surface and lower serum glucose as well as triglyceride concentration. Conclusion: FCSM is beneficial for broiler chickens as it positively affects their growth and carcass in addition to altering their fat deposition.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제45권2호
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• pp.228-235
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• 2021

Backgroud: Ginsenoside compound K (GK) is a major metabolite of protopanaxadiol-type ginsenosides and has remarkable anticancer activities in vitro and in vivo. This work used an ionic cross-linking method to entrap GK within O-carboxymethyl chitosan (OCMC) nanoparticles (Nps) to form GK-loaded OCMC Nps (GK-OCMC Nps), which enhance the aqueous solubility and stability of GK. Methods: The GK-OCMC Nps were characterized using several physicochemical techniques, including x-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, zeta potential analysis, and particle size analysis via dynamic light scattering. GK was released from GK-OCMC Nps and was conducted using the dialysis bag diffusion method. The effects of GK and GK-OCMC Nps on PC3 cell viability were measured by using the 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide assay. Fluorescent technology based on Cy5.5-labeled probes was used to explore the cellular uptake of GK-OCMC Nps. Results: The GK-OCMC NPs had a suitable particle size and zeta potential; they were spherical with good dispersion. In vitro drug release from GK-OCMC NPs was pH dependent. Moreover, the in vitro cytotoxicity study and cellular uptake assays indicated that the GK-OCMC Nps significantly enhanced the cytotoxicity and cellular uptake of GK toward the PC3 cells. GK-OCMC Nps also significantly promoted the activities of both caspase-3 and caspase-9. Conclusion: GK-OCMC Nps are potential nanocarriers for delivering hydrophobic drugs, thereby enhancing water solubility and permeability and improving the antiproliferative effects of GK.

• 산업진흥연구
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• 제6권3호
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• pp.49-57
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• 2021

이 논문의 목적은 청대와 중화민국, 그리고 현대에 이르기까지 수십 종의 평주와 해석들이 등장하고 있는 명실상부 최고의 명리원전인 『적천수(滴天髓)』의 판본을 고찰해보는 것이다. 『적천수』의 원저자는 송대(宋代)의 경도(京圖)이며, 원말(元末)·명초(明初)의 유기(劉基)가 원주를 달았고, 청대(淸代)의 임철초(任鐵樵)가 증주를 달았다는 것으로 알려져 있다. 그러나 원문의 내용을 살펴보면 원문의 저술 시기가 명대(明代) 중기 이후로 가정하게 하는 준거가 여러 가지 나타나고, 이 저술이 송대의 것일 가능성이 크지 않다면 그 저자 또한 송대의 경도(京圖)일 가능성 또한 높지 않다. 또한, 초기 판본을 출판 간행했던 진소암과 정지운의 진술을 살펴보면 통상적인 저자 인식에 부정적 의견도 크게 자리하고 있다. 이 연구에서는 현존하는 『적천수(滴天髓)』의 판본 4종, 진소암이 편집 출판한 『적천수집요』, 천경당 목각본을 정지운이 보교정한 『명리수지 적천수』, 임철초가 주석하고 손형보가 간행한 『적천수천미』, 임철초 주석 본을 서락오가 편집 간행한 『적천수징의』에 기록되어 전하는 원문을 비교 분석하는 작업을 진행하였다. 이 연구가 『적천수』를 더욱 깊이 이해하고 향후 평주 비교 연구 등 관련 연구에 조금이나마 도움이 되었으면 한다.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제31권11호
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• pp.1583-1590
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• 2021

Studies have demonstrated that PE_PGRS45 is constitutively expressed under various environmental conditions (such as nutrient depletion, hypoxia, and low pH) of the in vitro growth conditions examined, indicating that PE_PGRS45 protein is critical to the basic functions of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. However, there are few reports about the biochemical function and pathogenic mechanism of PE_PGRS45 protein. The fact that this M. tuberculosis gene is not easily expressed in E. coli may be mainly due to the high content of G+C and the use of unique codons. Fusion tags are indispensable tools used to improve the soluble expression of recombinant proteins and accelerate the characterization of protein structure and function. In the present study, His6, Trx, and His6-MBP were used as fusion tags, but only MBP-PE_PGRS45 was expressed solubly. The purification using His6-MBP tag-specific binding to the Ni column was easy to separate after the tag cleavage. We used the purified PE_PGRS45 to immunize New Zealand rabbits and obtained anti-PE_PGRS45 serum. We found that the titer of polyclonal antibodies against PE_PGR45 was higher than 1:256000. The result shows that purified PE_PGRS45 can induce New Zealand rabbits to produce high-titer antibodies. In conclusion, the recombinant protein PE_PGRS45 was successfully expressed in E. coli and specific antiserum was prepared, which will be followed by further evaluation of these specific antigens to develop highly sensitive and specific diagnostic tests for tuberculosis.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제32권3호
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• pp.294-301
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• 2022

In our greenhouse experiment, soil heat treatment groups (50, 80, and 121℃) significantly promoted growth and disease suppression of Panax notoginseng in consecutively cultivated soil (CCS) samples (p < 0.01), and 80℃ worked better than 50℃ and 121℃ (p < 0.01). Furthermore, we found that heat treatment at 80℃ changes the microbial diversity in CCS, and the inhibition ratios of culturable microorganisms, such as fungi and actinomycetes, were nearly 100%. However, the heat-tolerant bacterial community was preserved. The 16S rRNA gene and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequencing analyses indicated that the soil heat treatment had a greater effect on the Chao1 index and Shannon's diversity index of bacteria than fungi, and the relative abundances of Firmicutes and Proteobacteria were significantly higher than without heating (80 and 121℃, p < 0.05). Soil probiotic bacteria, such as Bacillus (67%), Sporosarcina (9%), Paenibacillus (6%), Paenisporosarcina (6%), and Cohnella (4%), remained in the soil after the 80℃ and 121℃ heat treatments. Although steam increased the relative abundances of most of the heat-tolerant microbes before sowing, richness and diversity gradually recovered to the level of CCS, regardless of fungi or bacteria, after replanting. Thus, we added heat-tolerant microbes (such as Bacillus) after steaming, which reduced the relative abundance of pathogens, recruited antagonistic bacteria, and provided a long-term protective effect compared to the steaming and Bacillus alone (p < 0.05). Taken together, the current study provides novel insight into sustainable agriculture in a consecutively cultivated system.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제30권3호
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• pp.246-256
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• 2022

The present study focused on the potential mechanism of betulin (BT), a pentacyclic triterpenoid isolated from the bark of white birch (Betula pubescens), against chronic alcohol-induced lipid accumulation and metaflammation. AML-12 and RAW 264.7 cells were administered ethanol (EtOH), lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or BT. Male C57BL/6 mice were fed Lieber-DeCarli liquid diets containing 5% EtOH for 4 weeks, followed by single EtOH gavage on the last day and simultaneous treatment with BT (20 or 50 mg/kg) by oral gavage once per day. In vitro, MTT showed that 0-25 mM EtOH and 0-25 µM BT had no toxic effect on AML-12 cells. BT could regulate sterolregulatory-element-binding protein 1 (SREBP1), lipin1/2, P2X7 receptor (P2X7r) and NOD-like receptor family, pyrin domains-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) expressions again EtOH-stimulation. Oil Red O staining also indicated that BT significantly reduced lipid accumulation in EtOH-stimulated AML-12 cells. Lipin1/2 deficiency indicated that BT might mediate lipin1/2 to regulate SREBP1 and P2X7r expression and further alleviate lipid accumulation and inflammation. In vivo, BT significantly alleviated histopathological changes, reduced serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and triglyceride (TG) levels, and regulated lipin1/2, SREBP1, peroxisome proliferator activated receptor α/γ (PPARα/γ) and PGC-1α expression compared with the EtOH group. BT reduced the secretion of inflammatory factors and blocked the P2X7r-NLRP3 signaling pathway. Collectively, BT attenuated lipid accumulation and metaflammation by regulating the lipin1/2-mediated P2X7r signaling pathway.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• 제23권4호
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• pp.55.1-55.12
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• 2022

Background: ASF was first reported in Kenya in 1910 in 1921. In China, ASF spread to 31 provinces including Henan and Jiangsu within six months after it was first reported on August 3, 2018. The epidemic almost affected the whole China, causing direct economic losses of tens of billions of yuan. Cause great loss to our pig industry. As ELISA is cheap and easy to operate, OIE regards it as the preferred serological method for ASF detection. P54 protein has good antigenicity and is an ideal antigen for detection. Objective: To identify a conservative site in the African swine fever virus (ASFV) p54 protein and perform a Cloth-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for detecting the ASFV antibody in order to reduce risks posed by using the live virus in diagnostic assays. Method: We used bioinformatics methods to predict the antigen epitope of the ASFV p54 protein in combination with the antigenic index and artificially synthesized the predicted antigen epitope peptides. Using ASFV-positive serum and specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), we performed indirect ELISA and blocking ELISA to verify the immunological properties of the predicted epitope polypeptide. Results: The results of our prediction revealed that the possible antigen epitope regions were A23-29, A36-45, A72-94, A114-120, A124-130, and A137-150. The indirect ELISA showed that the peptides A23-29, A36-45, A72-94, A114-120, and A137-150 have good antigenicity. Moreover, the A36-45 polypeptide can react specifically with the mAb secreted by hybridoma cells, and its binding site contains a minimum number of essential amino acids in the sequence 37DIQFINPY44. Conclusions: Our study confirmed a conservative antigenic site in the ASFV p54 protein and its amino acid sequence. A competitive ELISA method for detecting ASFV antibodies was established based on recombinant p54 and matching mAb. Moreover, testing the protein sequence alignment verified that the method can theoretically detect antibodies produced by pigs affected by nearly all ASFVs worldwide.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제46권5호
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• pp.628-635
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• 2022

Background: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is the large intestine disease that results in chronic inflammation and ulcers in the colon. Rg3-enriched Korean Red Ginseng extract (Rg3-RGE) is known for its pharmacological activities. Persicaria tinctoria (PT) is also used in the treatment of various inflammatory diseases. The aim of this study is to investigate the attenuating effects of Rg3-RGE with PT on oxazolone (OXA)-induced UC in mice. Methods: A total of six groups of mice including control group, OXA (as model group, 1.5%) group, sulfasalazine (75 mg/kg) group, Rg3-RGE (20 mg/kg) group, PT (300 mg/kg) group, and Rg3-RGE (10 mg/kg) with PT (150 mg/kg) group. Data on the colon length, body weight, disease activity index (DAI), histological changes, nitric oxide (NO) assay, Real-time PCR of inflammatory factors, ELISA of inflammatory factors, Western blot, and flow cytometry analysis were obtained. Results: Overall, the combination treatment of Rg3-RGE and PT significantly improved the colon length and body weight and decreased the DAI in mice compared with the treatment with OXA. Additionally, the histological injury was also reduced by the combination treatment. Moreover, the NO production level and inflammatory mediators and cytokines were significantly downregulated in the Rg3-RGE with the PT group compared with the model group. Also, NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-𝛋B) were suppressed in the combination treatment group compared with the OXA group. Furthermore, the number of immune cell subtypes of CD4⁺ T-helper cells, CD19⁺ B-cells, and CD4⁺ and CD25⁺ regulatory T-cells (Tregs) was improved in the Rg3-RGE with the PT group compared with the OXA group. Conclusion: Overall, the mixture of Rg3-RGE and PT is an effective therapeutic treatment for UC.