• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.169-175
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• 2016

Saccharin (o-benzoic sulfimide) is the first artificial and non-caloric sweetener that was first synthesized in 1879. In this study, we examined the biological activity of saccharin against various human cancer cell lines and human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells. A viability assay based on the conversion of 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) was performed to test for the cytotoxicity of saccharin about the four human cancer cell lines (H460, H157, A549 and SKOV3), one murine cancer cellline (Raw264.7), and MSCs. In order to find the differentially expressed gene in saccharin-treated MSCs against untreated MSCs, we performed annealing control primer (ACP)-based differential display reverse transcriptionp-olymerase chain reaction (DDRT-PCR). All tested cells were treated with saccharin at various concentrations (0.0, 4.8, 7.2, 9.6, 12.0, 14.4 mg/mL) for 48 hr. The number of metabolically active cancer cells decreased when treated with the saccharin at various concentrations for 48 hr as compared with the untreated cells. The decrease in cell survival was more evident with increasing concentrations of saccharin. Moreover, novel candidate genes, which were differentially expressed in MSCs in response to saccharin, were identified in 16 bands on 2% agarose gel. This revealed 16-7 up-regulated and 9 down-regulated-differentially expressed genes indicated by arrows. One of these candidate genes was a FK506-binding protein gene. The functional roles of FK506 binding proteins, with respect to the activities of stem cell proliferation, were not characterized. Further studies are required to get a better understanding of FK506-binding proteins in its roles in increasing stem cell proliferative activities from using saccharin.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.532-539
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• 2011

The physical and chemical properties of the dried low rank coals (LRCs) before and after the surface treatment using ozone and ammonia were characterized in this study. The contents of moisture, volatiles, fixed carbon and ash consisting of dried LRCs before the surface treatment were about 2.0, 44.8, 44.9 and 8.9%, respectively. Also, it was composed of carbon of 62.66%, hydrogen of 4.33%, nitrogen of 0.94%, oxygen of 27.01% and sulfur of 0.09%. The dried LRCs was surface-treated with the various dry methods using gases such as ozone at room temperature, ammonia at $200^{\circ}C$ and then the dried LRCs before and after the surface treatment were characterized by the various analysis methods such as FT-IR, TGA, proximate and elemental analysis, caloric value, ignition test, adsorption of $H_2O$ and $NH_3-TPD$. As a result, the oxygen content increased and the calorific value, ignition temperature and the contents of carbon and hydrogen relatively decreased because the oxygen-contained functional groups were additionally generated by the surface oxidation with ozone which plays a role as an oxidant. Also, its $H_2O$ adsorption ability got higher because the hydrophilic oxygen-contained functional groups were additionally generated by the surface oxidation with ozone. On the other hand, it was confirmed that the dried LRCs after the surface treatment with $NH_3$ at $200^{\circ}C$ have the decreased oxygen content, but the increased calorific value, ignition temperature and contents of carbon and hydrogen because of the decomposition of oxygen-contained functional groups the on the surface. In addition, the $H_2O$ adsorption ability was lowered bucause the surface of the dried LRCs might be hydrophobicized by the loss of the hydrophilic oxygen-contained functional groups. It was concluded that the various physico-chemical properties of the dried LRCs can be changed by the surface treatment.