• Journal of Life Science
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• v.32 no.7
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• pp.491-500
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• 2022

HK shiitake mushroom mycelium (HKSMM), containing 14% β-glucan, is a health functional food ingredient individually approved by the Korea Ministry of Food and Drug Safety for liver health. The anti-inflammatory effect of a 50% aqueous ethanol extract of HKSMM (designated HKSMM50) was studied in RAW 264.7 macrophage cells treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). An active hexose correlated compound (AHCC) was used as a positive control. LPS-activated RAW 264.7 cells were treated with HKSMM50 and AHCC (0, 20, 100, 500 ㎍/ml) and cultured for 24 hr. Inflammation-related elements in the supernatant were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits, and the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) proteins in the cells was analyzed by Western blotting. The HKSMM50 lowered iNOS and COX-2 protein expressions, and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂) contents in a concentration-dependent manner as compared to LPS treatment. Similarly, the HKSMM50 lowered the content of pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) contents and increased the activity of antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT). The efficacy of the AHCC treatment was similar to that of the HKSSM50 treatments. These results indicate that HKSMM50 showed an anti-inflammatory effect in LPS-treated RAW 264.7 cells by down-regulation of NF-κB signaling and suggest that HKSMM could be used as a health functional food ingredient to help improve immune function.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.35-44
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• 2020

Objectives : The objective of this study was to investigate the therapeutic effect of Corni Fructus 30% ethanol extract (CFE) on the monosodium iodoacetate (MIA)-induced osteoarthritis rats. Methods : The subjects were divided into 4 groups ; Normal group (N, n=10), MIA-induced osteoarthritis control group (Con, n=10), indomethacin 5 mg/kg treated group (INDO, n=10), CFE 200 mg/kg treated group (CFE, n=10). Blood and articulation tissues were collected after two weeks of drug administration. Oxidative stress was analyzed with reactive oxygen species (ROS), peroxynitrite (ONOO-). And the Nuclear factor erythroid-2 (Nrf2), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, glutathione peroxidase-1/2 (GPx-1/2), Nuclear Factor Kappa B p65 (NF-κBp65), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα), interleukin-6 (IL-6), Interleukin 1β (IL-1β), matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1), and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1) were investigated by western blot. Results : The administration of CFE showed a significant reduction of changes in relative hind paw weight distribution. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and peroxy nitrite (ONOO-) levels of articulation tissues were significantly decreased in CFE compared to the control group. Western blot measurements of Nrf2, HO-1, SOD, catalase, GPx-1/2 showed that the CFE group was increased compared to the Con group. And western blot measurements of NF-κBp65, COX-2, iNOS, TNFα, IL-6, IL-1β showed that the CFE group was reduced compared to the Con group. Also CFE group decreased MMP-1 and increased TIMP-1. Conclusion : Based on the above results, it can be seen that osteoarthritis is improved when Corni Fructus 30% ethanol extract treated.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.11
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• pp.1004-1009
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• 2021

Angelica gigas Nakai (AGN) has been used in Korean herbal medicine for various pharmacological activities, such as to create antioxidant and skin whitening effects. Decursin and decursinol angelate of AGN extracts can be used as potential active drugs and cosmetic ingredients. This study investigated the possibility of topical delivery of AGN extracts using a manufactured emulsion system. Lotion was formulated by using Tefose^® and paraffin for the oil phase, Kolliphor RH 40 for the surfactant and solubilizing agent-which showed high solubility in water (0.82 mg/ml)-and a water phase with a carbomer. In vitro skin permeation of decursin and decursinol angelate was determined using a Strat-M^® membrane in Franz diffusion cells. Lotion samples as the experimental group (248.08±19.72 ug/cm²) significantly increased the permeation of decursin and decursinol angelate for up to 24 hr compared to the control group (119.18±19.23 ug/cm²). The permeability was also characterized by the flux (penetration rates) and Kp (permeability coefficient) values. The experimental group (17.20±1.23 ug/h/cm² and 5.73±1.39 cm/h^*10^-3) had higher flux and Kp than the control group (8.22±1.24 ug/h/cm² and 2.74±0.51 cm/h^*10^-3). Lotion with decursin and decursinol angelate of AGN extracts could be used for the topical application of drug and cosmetic products.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.60 no.1
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• pp.39-43
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• 2022

Plasmodium vivax exhibits dormant liver-stage parasites, called hypnozoites, which can cause relapse of malaria. The only drug currently used for eliminating hypnozoites is primaquine. The antimalarial properties of primaquine are dependent on the production of oxidized metabolites by the cytochrome P450 isoenzyme 2D6 (CYP2D6). Reduced primaquine metabolism may be related to P. vivax relapses. We describe a case of 4 episodes of recurrence of vivax malaria in a patient with decreased CYP2D6 function. The patient was 52-year-old male with body weight of 52 kg. He received total gastrectomy and splenectomy 7 months before the first episode and was under chemotherapy for the gastric cancer. The first episode occurred in March 2019 and each episode had intervals of 34, 41, and 97 days, respectively. At the first and second episodes, primaquine was administered as 15 mg for 14 days. The primaquine dose was increased with 30 mg for 14 days at the third and fourth episodes. Seven gene sequences of P. vivax were analyzed and revealed totally identical for all the 4 samples. The CYP2D6 genotype was analyzed and intermediate metabolizer phenotype with decreased function was identified.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.32 no.9
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• pp.678-689
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• 2022

HK shiitake mushroom mycelium (HKSMM), containing 14% β-glucan, is a health functional food ingredient approved individually for liver health by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. The immune-enhancing efficacy of a 50% aqueous ethanol extract of HKSMM (designated HKSMM50) was studied in Jurkat cells activated with concanavalin A (ConA). Active hexose correlated compound (AHCC) was used as a positive control. ConA-activated Jurkat cells were treated with HKSMM50 (0, 25, 50, 100 ㎍ g/ml) or AHCC (100 ㎍ g/ml), and cultured for 3 and 6 hours. The nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) protein content in the cytosol and the nucleus was measured by Western blotting. Interleukin-2 (IL-2), interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. HKSMM50 lowered NFAT content in the cytosol, but elevated NFAT content in the nucleus. The IL-2 and IFN-γ productions were elevated. Meanwhile, both COX-2 activity and apoptosis were suppressed. The efficacy of the AHCC treatment showed similar to those of HKSMM50 treatments. These results indicate that the HKSMM50 exhibited immune-enhancing effects in ConA-treated Jurkat cells by activation of NFAT protein, and suggest that HKSMM could be used as a health functional food ingredient to improve immune functions in humans.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.32 no.8
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• pp.589-594
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• 2022

The objective of this study was to investigate whether betulinic acid can inhibit the activities of carbohydrate-digesting enzymes and reduce postprandial hyperglycemia in mice with streptozotocin-induced diabetes. Our results revealed that betulinic acid has potent inhibitory effects on α-glucosidase and α-amylase activities. The half-maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC₅₀) of betulinic acid were 12.83±6.81 and 18.32±3.24 μM for α-glucosidase and α-amylase, respectively. This result indicates lower IC₅₀ values and higher inhibitory activities than those of acarbose, an oral hypoglycemic drug. The increase in postprandial blood glucose levels was significantly suppressed in the betulinic acid group than in the control group of diabetic and normal mice. Postprandial blood glucose levels were 23.22±1.1, 24.38±1.31, and 21.05±1.36 μM in the betulinic acid group compared to 24.64±1.7, 27.22±1.58, and 26.36±1.40 μM in the control group of diabetic mice at 30, 60 and 120 min, respectively. The area under the curve also significantly decreased with the administration of betulinic acid in diabetic mice, however, it did not decrease more than that after acarbose administration. Our results showed that betulinic acid may be a potent inhibitor of carbohydrate-digesting enzymes and ameliorate postprandial hyperglycemia in diabetic mice.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.179-189
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• 2009

Objectives : Coptidis Rhizoma (Coptis japonica MAKINO; CR) is a well known crude drug as antimicrobial, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant activity. However, there is no study of the effect of CR on brain infarction and it's mechanism. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects on ischemic stroke induced by photothrombotic infarction by evaluating the functional & neuronal recovery after brain infarction. Materials & Methods : Male Sprague-Dawley rats (250-300 g) were induced photothrombotic brain infarction on sensorimotor cortex, and brain infarction volume by image J software (NIH, USA) after Nissl stain, also single pellet reaching task as a functional motor recovery were observed. After orally pretreated by CR (500 mg/kg) or normal saline as a sham control before 7 days from the time of photothrombotic infarction, rats were sacrificed. After then we analysed anti-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-$\alpha$, IL-6, IL-1$\beta$), by RT-PCR and ELISA method, and immunohistochemistry (GFAP, connexin-43) as a marker of neural plasticity. Results : CR (100, 250, 500 mg/kg) decreased the infarction volume dose-dependently, however the effect of 500mg/kg of CR (CR 500) showed the best (P=0.051). Also, CR 500 decreased the infarction volume time-dependently, the most effective time was 3-7 days after stroke. Photothrombosis increased inflammatory cytokines after infarction, CR 500 suppressed significantly mRNA expression of IL-1$\beta$, IL-6 and TNF-$\alpha$. In serum, CR 500 decreased the amount of IL-1$\beta$, 12h, 24h and 48h respectively (p < 0.05), also decreased that of IL-6 and TNF-$\alpha$, 12h respectively (p < 0.05) after infarction. The more astrocytes were observed and neural plasticity was facilitated in the rat brain of CR 500 than that of sham control in immunohistochemistry. Conclusions : This results suggest that CR decrease infarction volume and improve functional motor recovery in acute stage in photothrombotic ischemic infarction model in the mechanism of anti-inflammation and promoting neural plasticity.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.363-376
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• 2023

According to the COVID-19, development of various medical software based on IoT(Internet of Things) was accelerated. Especially, interest in a central software system that can remotely monitor and control ventilators is increasing to solve problems related to the continuous increase in severe COVID-19 patients. Since medical device software is closely related to human life, this study aims to develop central monitoring system that can remotely monitor and control multiple ventilators in compliance with medical device software development standards and to verify performance of system. In addition, to ensure the safety and reliability of this central monitoring system, this study also specifies risk management requirements that can identify hazardous situations and evaluate potential hazards and confirms the implementation of cybersecurity to protect against potential cyber threats, which can have serious consequences for patient safety. As a result, we obtained medical device software manufacturing certificates from MFDS(Ministry of Food and Drug Safety) through technical documents about performance verification, risk management and cybersecurity application.The purpose of this study is to conduct a usability assessment to ensure that ergonomic design has been applied so that the ventilator central monitoring system can improve user satisfaction, efficiency, and safety. The rapid spread of COVID-19, which began in 2019, caused significant damage global medical system. In this situation, the need for a system to monitor multiple patients with ventilators was highlighted as a solution for various problems. Since medical device software is closely related to human life, ensuring their safety and satisfaction is important before their actual deployment in the field. In this study, a total of 21 participants consisting of respiratory staffs conducted usability test according to the use scenarios in the simulated use environment. Nine use scenarios were conducted to derive an average task success rate and opinions on user interface were collected through five-point Likert scale satisfaction evaluation and questionnaire. Participants conducted a total of nine use scenario tasks with an average success rate of 93% and five-point Likert scale satisfaction survey showed a high satisfaction result of 4.7 points on average. Users evaluated that the device would be useful for effectively managing multiple patients with ventilators. However, improvements are required for interfaces associated with task that do not exceed the threshold for task success rate. In addition, even medical devices with sufficient safety and efficiency cannot guarantee absolute safety, so it is suggested to continuously evaluate user feedback even after introducing them to the actual site.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.408-417
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• 2024

It was confirmed whether PB-81, a 50% ethanol extract of Daphne genkwa (Siebold & Zucc), had an inhibitory effect on virus proliferation in bovine rotavirus and a therapeutic effect on bovine diarrhea disease. The results showed that PB-81 induced the interferon beta in A549 cells, an epithelial cell line and interferon gamma in NK92 cells, a blood cell line. Furthermore, to confirm the viral proliferation inhibitory effect of PB-81, PB-81 was administered to MBDK cell line before, during, and after infection. Result shows that the virus was suppressed in all cases where PB-81 was administered, and the best virus suppression effect was achieved when PB-81 was administered before virus infection. In the toxicity test in mice, no side effects due to toxicity were observed, even at a maximum dose of 20 mg/mL. To verify the therapeutic effect on 16 cattle with bovine rotavirus diarrhea and 4 cattle in the control group, PB-81 was administered at a dose of 20 mg/5 mL, and No fatality was observed during the treatment. The average recovery duration from the initial administration of PB-81 was 2.25 days in the PB-81 administration group and 6.5 days in the control group without PB-81 administration. No side effects were observed from the tested cattle with rotavirus diarrhea.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.31-38
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• 2024

Objectives : Ulcerative colitis is a chronic recurrent inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract. However, there are some drawbacks to long-term drug therapy such as the risk of opportunistic infections. Recently, there was an increasing interest on the use of khorasan Kamut wheat because of their higher value of selenium and fiber than modern wheat. The present study was aimed to investigate the effect of Kamut brand wheat enzyme (Kamut WE) diet on colon health in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis mice. Methods : Female C57BL/6J mice were divided into 6 groups. (1) normal (Water and AIN-93G diet), (2) control (1.25% DSS and AIN-93G diet), (3) Kamut WE (1.25% DSS and Kamut WE diet), (4) normal (Water and AIN-93G diet), (5) control (2.50% DSS and AIN-93G diet), (6) Kamut WE (2.50% DSS and Kamut WE diet). Dietary intake, body weight change, disease activity index (DAI), colon length and spleen weight were monitored. Results : Kamut WE group alleviated colitis symptom, including dietary intake loss, DAI (weight loss, loose stools, bleeding), colon length shortening and spleen swelling. Further, Kamut WE diets showed a significant effect against pathological damage by the increased colon length, decreased DAI and spleen weight in DSS 1.25% as well as DSS 2.50%. Conclusions : Our study provides evidence that Kamut WE diet increased colon length, decreased DAI and spleen weight in intestinal inflammation.