• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.16-21
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• 2012

Although there are many potential cytotoxic molecules released from bacteria, the role of these molecules on the apoptosis of various cancer cells is not well understood. Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) is a Gram-negative, aerobic and rod-shaped bacterium, and has a number of virulence factors. To understand the cytotoxic effect of bacterial extracts on the colorectal cancer cell line, HCT 116 cells, we examined alteration of the cell viability, proliferation, cell cycle and apoptosis of HCT 116 cells after treatment with extract of P. aeruginosa (PaE). These cytotoxicity of PaE occurred in a time- and a dose-dependent manners. In addition, PaE arrested the cell cycle of HCT 116 cell in a time-dependent manner. PaE inhibited the protein levels of Bcl-2 and induced the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria of HCT 116 cells. The decrease of procaspase-3 was induced by the treatment of PaE. These results indicate that PaE has a cytotoxicity in HCT 116 cells via the induction of apoptosis associated with mitochondrial pathway. Therefore, PaE may used as the potential target for the treatment of colorectal cancer.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.32 no.12
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• pp.956-961
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• 2022

Plant Chloroplast have several advantages as an expression platform of biopharmaceuticals over conventional expression platforms such as mammalian cells, yeast and bacteria. First, plants do not serve as a host for mammalian infectious virus and have endotoxin like bacteria which can cause anaphylactic shock. In addition, high copy number of chloroplast genome allows for chloroplast transformants to reach the high level of expression of heterologous genes. Moreover, the integration of transgenes into specific region of chloroplast genomes makes chloroplast transformants unaffected by positional effect which can be frequently observed from nuclear transformants, resulting in loss of transgene expressions. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a kind of innate immunity which is found from bacteria to humans. Unlike conventional antibiotics, very less dosage of AMPs can have catastrophic effect on bacterial survival. Further, the repeated use of AMPs does not trigger the development of bacterial resistance. Moricin, one of the AMPs, was isolated from Bombyx mori, a silkworm moth. The C-terminal of moricin consists largely of basic amino acids, and the N-terminal has an α-helix structure. Moricin was chosen and expressed in a SUMO/SUMOase without leaving any unwanted amino acids which could potentially affect the anti-bacterial activity of the moricin. The transformation vector used in this study has already been created in this lab for the expression in both prokaryotic systems such as E. coli and chloroplast. The expressed moricin was purified using Ni columns and SUMOase, and the antibacterial activity of the purified moricin was confirmed using an agar diffusion assay.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2006

This experimental study was performed to investigate the effect of herbal eye drops, Tangpo-san and Coptidis rhizoma on Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa keratitis. The following results were obtained by using Minimum inhibition Concentration(MIC) and inhibition Zone. 1. MIC on Staphylococcus aureus in Tangpo-san was 100%, in Coptidis rhizoma was 100% and in Cravit was 0.1% 2. MIC on Staphylococcus epidermidis in Tangpo-san was 100%, in Coptidis rhizoma was 10% and in Cravit was 0.1%. 3. MIC on Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Tangpo-san, Coptidis rhizoma was not showing and in Cravit was 0.1%. 4. The size of inhibition zone on Staphylococcus aureus for Tangpo-san was 13.3mm in $50{\mu}{\ell}$, for Coptidis rhizoma was 26mm in $50{\mu}{\ell}$ and for Cravit was 31mm in $50{\mu}{\ell}$, showing the highest antibacterial effect. 5. The size of inhibition zone on Staphylococcus epidermidis for Tangpo-san was 16mm in $50{\mu}{\ell}$, for Coptidis rhizoma was 25mm in $40{\mu}{\ell}$ and for Cravit was 34mm in $50{\mu}{\ell}$, showing the highest antibacterial effect. 6. The size of inhibition zone on Pseudomonas aeruginosa for Tangpo-san, Coptidis rhizoma was not and for Cravit was 24.7mm in $50{\mu}l$, showing the antibacterial effect. In addition, the results shows that the herbal eye drops, Tangpo-san and Coptidis rhizoma can be used to cure Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis keratitis and if further study is performed, the use of herbal eye drops will be valuable and beneficial in the clinical medicines.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.880-886
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• 2004

Phellinus igniarius has been clinically used for the treatment of hemorrhoidal fistula, dysmenorrhea and the prevention of cancer in traditional oriental medicine. Recent studies showed that Phellinus igniarius produced anti-cancer, anti-metastasis and immuno-modulatory effects, There is lack of studies regarding the effects of Phellinus igniarius on the immunological activities. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of Phellinus igniarius on the regulatory mechanism of cytokines and nitric oxide (NO) for the immunological activities in Raw 264,7 cells. After the treatment of Phellinus igniarius water extract, cell viability was measured by MTT assay, NO production was monitored by measuring the nitrite content in culture medium. COX-2 and iNOS were determined by Immunoblot analysis, and levels of cytokine were analyzed by sandwich immunoassays. Results provided evidence that Phellinus igniarius inhibited the production of nitrite and nitrate (NO), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), and the activation of phospholylation of inhibitor κBα (p-IκBα) in Raw 264.7 cells activated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). These findings suggest that Phellinus igniarius can produce anti-inflammatory effect, which may play a role in adjunctive therapy in Gram-negative bacterial infections.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.902-908
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• 2006

Tetrandra is the root of Stephania tetrandra 5. Moore (family Menispermaceae), or of Aristolochia frangchi Wu (family Aristolochiaceae). It is a Differ-flavored and cold-property herb acting on the urinary bladder, kidney and spleen meridiands. Known biological effects of this herb are expelling wind to relieve pain and inducing diuresis to alleviate edema. This herb also has anti-inflammatory and anti-hypersensitivity actions. Recent studies have shown that Stephanniae Tetrandrae Radix has antimicrobial effects, namely, a protective effect on acute renal failure induce by gentamicin sulfate and a suppressive effect against clostridium perfringes. However, there is a lack of studies concerning the immunological activities of this herb. The present study was conducted to evaluate the immunological activities of Stephanniae Tetrandrae Radix on the regulatory mechanisms of cytokines and nitric oxide (NO) in Raw 264.7 cells. Cell viability was measured by MTT assay after the treatment of Stephanniae Tetrandrae Radix extract (STRE) and NO production was monitored by measuring the nitrite content in culture medium. COX-2 and iNOS were determined by immunoblot analysis, and levels of cytokine were analyzed by sandwich immunoassays. Results provided evidences that STRE inhibited the production of nitrite and nitrate (NO), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}\;(TNF-{\alpha})$, $interleukin-1{\beta}(IL-1{\beta})$ and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in Raw 264.7 cells activated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). These findings showed that STRE could produce some anti-inflammatory effects which might play a role in adjunctive therapy in Gram-negative bacterial infections.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.136-142
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• 2019

Background: Agrimonia pilosa Ledeb has been used as a traditional medicine for the treatment of hematuresis and uterine bleeding in Korea. It has been reported to have anti-obesity, anti-diabetes and anti-inflammaotry effect by regulating the inflammatory signaling pathway. However, the preventive effect of Agrimonia pilosa Ledeb on gastritis has not been elucidated. Thus, in the present study, we evaluated the effects of the water extract of Agrimonia pilosa Ledeb (APW) using HCl/EtOH-induced gastritis rat models. Method and Results: Gastritis was induced in rats by HCl/EtOH administration. The rats in each group were orally administered with two doses of APW (100 and 500 mg/kg). Omeprazole was used as a positive control drug. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure the prostaglandin $E_2$ ($PGE_2$) levels in stomach. The treatment with 500 mg/kg APW reduced the gastric ulcer area. The APW treatment prevented a decreased in $PGE_2$ concentration induced by HCl/EtOH in rats. In the micronucleus test, the ratio of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes to polychromatic erythrocytes showed no significant change in the APW-treated group compared with the control group. Conclusions: These results indicate that APW could be used to prevent the gastritis caused by the HCl/EtOH-induced damage to stomach lining. In addition, the APW treatment showed no significant change in results of the micronucleus test. However, further experiments are required to determine how APW influenced the secretion of mucus and gastric acid using the chromosome aberration test and bacterial reverse mutation assay.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.109-114
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• 2014

Objectives: Recurrent caries was partly ascribed to lack of antibacterial properties in composite resin. Silver and zinc nanoparticles are considered to be broad-spectrum antibacterial agents. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the antibacterial properties of composite resins containing 1% silver and zinc-oxide nanoparticles on Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus. Materials and Methods: Ninety discoid tablets containing 0%, 1% nano-silver and 1% nano zinc-oxide particles were prepared from flowable composite resin (n = 30). The antibacterial properties of composite resin discs were evaluated by direct contact test. Diluted solutions of Streptococcus mutans (PTCC 1683) and Lactobacillus (PTCC 1643) were prepared. 0.01 mL of each bacterial species was separately placed on the discs. The discs were transferred to liquid culture media and were incubated at $37^{\circ}C$ for 8 hr. 0.01 mL of each solution was cultured on blood agar and the colonies were counted. Data was analyzed with Kruskall-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests. Results: Composites containing nano zinc-oxide particles or silver nanoparticles exhibited higher antibacterial activity against Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus compared to the control group (p < 0.05). The effect of zinc-oxide on Streptococcus mutans was significantly higher than that of silver (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences in the antibacterial activity against Lactobacillus between composites containing silver nanoparticles and those containing zinc-oxide nanoparticles. Conclusions: Composite resins containing silver or zinc-oxide nanoparticles exhibited antibacterial activity against Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.58 no.4
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• pp.283-289
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• 2019

Overuse of antibiotics has significantly contributed to an increase in microbial antibiotic resistance, causing difficulties in the suppression of microbe-borne infectious diseases. In this study, we determined the anti-Klebsiella pneumoniae effect in the kidneys of mice induced by peptides isolated from H. illucens larvae. Mice were intranasally infected with a high dose of K. pneumoniae and 1 day later, peptides were introduced through the intramuscular route. Mice were sacrificed on day 10 upon K. pneumoniae infection to determine the bacterial loads in the kidneys. Mice receiving peptide treatment demonstrated significantly reduced bacterial loads, reduced bodyweight loss, and higher survival in a dose-dependent manner compared to control. These results indicate that peptide isolated from H. illucens larva inhibits K. pneumoniae infection in the kidney. The peptide from H. illucens larva could be a potential candidate for the development of an effective antibacterial drug.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.744-756
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory effect and the antimicrobial activity to skin flora of essential oil from rosemary that naturally grown in Jeju. rosemary essential oil was extracted by water distillation essential oil extraction method. In order to confirm the anti-inflammatory activity of rosemary essential oil, it was confirmed that the production of NO and $PGE_2$ induced by LPS in RAW 264.7 cells was inhibited in a concentration-dependent manner. Western blot analysis showed that the expression of iNOS and COX-2, which are biosynthetic enzymes, decreased in a concentration-dependent manner. In addition, production of $TNF-{\alpha}$ and IL-6 the pro-inflammatory cytokines were inhibited. Antimicrobial activities of three S. epidermidis and three P. acnes strains including two antibiotic resistant strains were observed in paper disc method and MIC and MBC tests showed inhibition of bacterial growth and death. From the results of the experiment, we confirmed that rosemary essential oil has the anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial efficacy and it could be used as a cosmetic and skin care material in the future.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.193-203
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• 2014

Natural Monument is a designated cultural property as part of the country. According to Article 2 of the Cultural Properties Protection Act, a national, ethnic and global heritage artificially or naturally formed, with a great historical, artistic, scientific and landscape significance is defined as a cultural heritage. Animals, plants, topography, geology, minerals, caves, biological products and special natural phenomena, having a great of historic, scenic and scientific value, are defined as the monument. According to Article 3 of Cultural Properties Protection Act, the conservation, management and utilization of National Heritage should be kept intact in its original form. So, Natural monuments are managing as retained its original form under the Basic Principles of current law. The highest population of coniferous tree in natural monument plant is ginkgo tree including 22 objects, followed by pines, junipers that order. And in case of broadleaf tree, there are zelkova trees, retusa fringe trees, pagoda trees, cork oaks, silver magnolias and etc. There are many of reported efficacy in available natural monument plants. The efficacy of plant species on pharmaceutical like anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, anti-obesity, antioxidant activity, neuroprotective, improves cholesterol, anti-inflammatory, liver protection and anti-bacterial efficacy, on cosmetics and beauty like the inhibiting formation of skin wrinkles, whitening effect, variety of materials and the efficacy of the proposed utilization of its various papers and etc have been widely reported. Before the Nagoya Protocol enters into force, the future role of the National Research Institute for Cultural Properties Administration of Cultural Heritage should be obtain a legal right to manage the social, cultural and national natural monument with emotional value to the plant genetic resource as a natural monument efficient ways to study and preserve traditional knowledge biological resources by securing a claim to the sovereignty of the material will be ready.