• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.101 no.3
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• pp.517-525
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• 2012

In this study, a 4-year-old mountain ginseng was mixed and ripened with 4-year-matured persimmon vinegar, and then it was diluted 5 times and orally administerd to rats. Afterwards, by analyzing the protein expression rate which affects both the carbohydrate metabolism and the lipid metabolism, this study examined the anti-obesity effect of the fusion material. The rats were divided into a control group (CON), a persimmon vinegar group (PV) and a mountain ginseng+persimmon vinegar fusion material group (MPV). The weight gain rate was found to be low in PV and MPV, and the concentration of glucose was also low in PV and MPV. However, GLUT-2 was found to be significantly high in these two groups on the contrary. Both the concentration of free fatty acid and CPT-1 protein expression rate were high in PV and MVP, but MVP was higher than PV. Cytochrome C oxidase was found to be higher in MPV than in CON. AMPK, $PPAR-{\gamma}$ and $PGC1-{\alpha}$ were all high in PV and MPV, but MPV was higher than PV. All the results above verified the thermogenesis effect of the fusion material, leading to an increase of energy metabolism, and it was thought that the fusion material could be effectively used for anti-obesity. However, it seems necessary to verify the anti-obesity effect through various further studies.

• Korean Journal of Weed Science
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.224-231
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• 1995

Paraquat, the representative bipyridilium herbicide, has high phytotoxic activity through generating toxic oxygen species such as superoxide, hydrogen peroxide and hydroxy radical. The response patterns of plants to paraquat were various. It was assumed that the different response was derived from different antioxidative mechanisms including antioxidative enzymes and antioxidant. Paraquat treatment increased reducing sugar content and malondialdehyde formation at 35 days after treatment in a dose-dependent manner but chlorophyll content decreased. Glutathione content increased by paraquat treatment and tolerant species showed more glutathione content than susceptible species. Superoxide dismutase activity increased with the increase in paraquat concentration and that was higher in tolerant species than susceptible species. Photosynthetic activity(PSII activity) was affected by paraquat, so the susceptible species showed more reduced oxygen evolving capacity than tolerant species. Catalse, NADPH-cytochrome C reductase, and malate dehydrogenase, the enzymes tested in this study, showed that the activities decreased by paraquat treatment. Further studies are necessary to determine whether antioxidative system cause the tolerance to paraquat.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.54 no.5
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• pp.532-541
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• 2003

Background : Phospholipase $A_2$ ($PLA_2$) has been known to be involved in the pathogenesis of acute lung injury (ALI) including ARDS. Since doxycycline has the property of inhibiting secretory group II $PLA_2$, the therapeutic effect of doxycycline hyclate was investigated for gut ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-induced ALI in Sprague-Dawley rats. Methods : ALI was induced in Sprague-Dawley rats by clamping of the superior mesenteric artery for 60 min, followed by 120 min of reperfusion. To confirm the pathogenetic mechanisms of this ALI associated with neutrophilic oxidative stress, we measured bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) protein content and lung MPO, and performed cyto-chemical electron microscopy for detection of free radicals, assay of $PLA_2$ activity and cytochrome-c reduction assay. Results : In gut I/R-induced ALI rats, protein leakage, pulmonary neutrophil accumulation, free radical production and lung $PLA_2$ activity were all increased. These effects were reversed by doxycycline hyclate. Conclusion : Doxycycline appears to be effective in ameliorating the gut I/R-induced ALI by inhibiting $PLA_2$, thereby decreasing the production of free radicals from neutrophils.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.574-580
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• 2020

In this study we sought to determine the food fraud by discriminating species of commercial seafood product such as Larimichthys polyactis, Larimichthys crocea, Pennahia argentatus, and Miichthys miiuy, which are difficult to morphologically discriminate. After amplifying the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene of the reference fish, the DNA sequences of the amplified PCR products were analyzed. As a result, a 655 bp sequence for species identification was selected for use as DNA barcodes. To confirm the DNA data and primer set, the DNA barcode sequence of each fish was compared to that in that in the NCBI. All of the DNA barcode data were matched with the gene sequence of each fish in the NCBI. A total of 32 processed seafood products (8 L. polyactis, 12 L. crocea, 3 Pennahia argentatus, and 9 Miichthys miiuy) were investigated. Homology of 97% or more in DNA sequences was judged as the same species. As a result of the monitoring, there were no discovered cases of forgery or alteration. However, the use of a raw material name having no matching standard name in the Korea Food Code may cause consumer confusion. Therefore, it is suggested that the standard name or scientific name be co-labeled with the raw material name on seafood products to prevent consumer confusion.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.9-17
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• 2024

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the main global health problems. Chronic exposure to hyperglycemia can lead to cellular dysfunction that may become irreversible over time, a process that is termed glucose toxicity. Our perspective about glucose toxicity as it pertains to the pancreatic β-cell is that the characteristic decreases in insulin secretion are caused by regulated apoptotic gene expression. In this study, we examined whether ferulic acid protects INS-1 pancreatic cells against high glucose-induced apoptosis. High glucose concentration (30 mM) induced glucotoxicity and death of INS-1 pancreatic β cells. However, treatment with 1, 5, 10, or 20 μM ferulic acid increased the cell viability in a concentration-dependent manner. Treatment with ferulic acid dose-dependently decreased the intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, and nitric oxide in INS-1 pancreatic β cells pretreated with high glucose. These effects influence the apoptotic pathway, increasing the expression of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 and reducing the levels of pro-apoptotic proteins, including Bax, cytochrome C, and caspase 9. Annexin V/propidium iodide staining indicated that ferulic acid significantly reduced high glucose-induced apoptosis. These results demonstrate that ferulic acid is a potential therapeutic agent to protect INS-1 pancreatic β cells against high glucose-induced apoptosis.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.200-230
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• 2012

Objectives: Ginseng, Panax ginseng C. A., white ginseng, has been used for thousands of years in Traditional Korean Medicine. Red ginseng can be made by a steaming process of white ginseng changing a variety of ginsenosides and ingredients such as dencichine. This article reviews red ginseng for mechanisms for pharmacodynamics and toxicity based on the content of ginseng's active ingredients, ginsenoside changed by steaming. Methods: The following electronic databases were searched: PubMed, Science Direct and Chinese Scientific Journals full text database (CQVIP), and KSI (Korean Studies Information) from their respective inceptions to June 2012. Results: Compared with unsteamed ginseng, the content of ginsenosides Rg2, Rg3, Rg5, Rh1, Rh2 and Rk1 called red ginseng-specific ginsenosides increased after the steaming process. Different ginsenosides have shown a wide variety of effects such as lowering or raising blood sugar and blood pressure or stimulating or sedating the nervous system. Especially, the levels of Rg2, Rg3, Rg5, Rh1, Rh2 and Rk1 were increased by the steaming process, showing a variety of pharmacodynamics in biological systems. Also, various processing methods such as puffing and fermentation have been developed in processing crude ginseng or red ginseng, affecting the content of ginseng's ingredients. The safety issue could be the most critical, specifically, on changed ginseng's ingredients such as dencichine. The level of dencichine was significantly reduced in red ginseng by the steaming process. In addition, the possible toxicity for red ginseng was affected by cytochrome P450, a herbal-drug interaction. Conclusions: The variety of pharmacological and toxicological properties should be changed by steaming process of Panax ginseng C. A., white ginseng. Even if it is not sure whether the steaming process of white ginseng would be better pharmacologically, it is sure that steaming reduces the level of dencichine causing a lower toxicity to the nervous system.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.26 no.9
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• pp.1007-1014
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• 2016

A highly efficient, rapid, and reliable multiplex polymerase chain reaction based method for distinguishing ten species of genus Cynoglossus (C. senegalensis, C. abbreviates, C. macrolepidotus, C. arel, C. semilaevis, C. interruptus, C. joyneri, C. lingua, C. robustus, and C. monodi) is described. The species-specific primer sets were designed base on the cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene (1,500 bp). The optimal PCR conditions and primers were selected for ten of Cynoglossus species to determine target base sequences using single PCR. Multiplex PCR using the ten pairs of primers either specifically amplified a DNA fragment of a unique size or failed, depending on each species DNA. The length of amplification fragment of 208 bp for C. senegalensis, 322 bp for C. abbreviates, 493 bp for C. macrolepidotus, 754 bp for C. arel, 874 bp for C. semilaevis, 952 bp for C. interruptus, 1,084 bp for C. joyneri, 1,198 bp for C. lingua, 1,307 bp for C. robustus, and 1,483 bp for C. monodi with the species-specific primers, visualized by agarose gel electrophoresis, allowed perfectly distinction of the Cynoglossus species. The multiplex PCR assay can be easily performed on multiple samples and attain final results in less than 6 hours. This technique should be a useful addition to the molecular typing tools for the tentative identification of Cynoglossus species.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.73-79
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• 2009

This study was undertaken to investigate the effects of single and combined exposure of toluene (T) and xylene (X) on the cytochrome-450(CYP)-mediated metabolizing capacity, induction of CYP isozymes and the excretion of their metabolites in urine. Animal were adults male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats and divided into 4 groups such as control, T (treated with 63.7 mg/body kg), X (treated with 65.9 mg/body kg) and TX(T=X). Organic solvents was administrated by intraperitoneal injection for 3 days. The contents of protein and CYP in liver microsomes of control group were $16.48{\pm}0.56 mg/m{\ell}$ and $0.744{\pm}0.025$ nmol/mg protein, respectively, and they contents were significantly lower than in derived from treated groups (p<0.01). The activities of PROD and ${\rho}NPH$ were significantly higher in single treated groups than in control and combined group (TX). When Western immunoblotting were carried out with two monoclonal antibodies (MAb 1-98-1 and MAb 2-66-3) which were specific against CYP2B1/2 and CYP2E1, respectively, a strong signal corresponding to CYP2B1/2 was observed in microsomes obtained from rats treated with X and TX. The color density against CYP2E1 was slightly increased in T and TX groups compared with C and X groups. The amounts of urinary hippuric acid in T single treated group was $3.29{\pm}1.97$ g/g creatinine and TX combined group was $2.91{\pm}1.76$ g/g creatinine, but was not significant. However, amount of urinary methy hippuric acid in X single treated group ($1.62{\pm}0.72$ g/g creatinine) was significantly higher than TX combined group ($0.93{\pm} 0.63$ g/g creatinine)(p<0.01). These results suggested that CYP2E1 isozyme might be responsible for the metabolism of T, and CYP2B1/2 isozyme is for X. And also, difference of metabolites level between single and combined group may be speculated that the intermediates of T and X interacted each other in the process of their metabolite formation reaction.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.13
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• pp.5557-5563
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• 2015

Background: Cholelithiasis is associated in 54%-98% of patients with carcinoma of the gallbladder, and a high incidence among females suggests a role of female hormones in the etiology of the disease. Cytochrome $P450C17{\alpha}$ (CYP-17) is a key enzyme involved in estrogen metabolism and polymorphisms in CYP-17 are associated with altered serum levels of estrogens. Thus, we investigated whether the CYP-17 MspA1 gene polymorphism might impact on risk of gall bladder cancers or gallstones, as well as to determine if this gene polymorphism might be linked with estrogen serum levels and lipid profile among the North Indian gall bladder cancer or gallstone patients. Materials and Methods: CYP-17 gene polymorphisms (MspA1) were genotyped with PCR-RFLP in cancer patients (n=96), stone patients (n=102), cancer + stone patients (n=52) and age/sex matched control subjects (n= 256). Lipid profile was estimated using a commercial kit and serum estrogen was measured using ELISA. Results: The majority of the patients in all groups were females. The lipid profile and estrogen level were significantly higher among the study as compared to control groups. The frequency of mutant allele A2 of CYP17 MspA1 gene polymorphism was higher among cancer (OR=5.13, 95% CI+3.10-8.51, p=0.0001), stone (OR=5.69, 95%CI=3.46-9.37, p=0.0001) and cancer + stone (OR=3.54, 95%CI=1.90-6.60, p=0.0001) when compared with the control group. However there was no significant association between genotypes of CYP17 MspA1 gene polymorphism and circulating serum level of estrogen and lipid profile. Conclusions: A higher frequency of mutant genotype A1A2 as well as mutant allele A2 of CYP-17 gene polymorphism is significantly associated with risk of gallbladder cancer and stones. Elevated levels of estrogen and an altered lipid profile can be used as predictors ofgall bladder stones and cancer in post menopausal females in India.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.486-492
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• 2015

Drug metabolism mostly occurs in the liver. Cytochrome P450 (CYP) is a drug-metabolizing enzyme that is responsible for many important drug metabolism reactions. Recently, the US FDA and EU EMA have suggested that CYP enzyme induction can be measured by both enzymatic activity and mRNA expression. However, these experiments are time-consuming and their interassay variability can lead to misinterpretations of the results. To resolve these problems and establish a more powerful method to measure CYP induction, we determined CYP induction by using luminescent assay. Luminescent CYP assays link CYP enzyme activity to firefly luciferase luminescence technology. In this study, we measured the induction of CYP isozymes (1A2, 2B6, 2C9, and 3A4) in cryopreserved human hepatocytes (HMC424, 478, and 493) using a luminometer. We then examined the potential induction abilities (unknown so far) of mesalazine, a drug for colitis, and mosapride citrate, which is used as an antispasmodic drug. The results showed that mesalazine promotes CYP2B6 and 3A4 activities, while mosapride citrate promotes CYP1A2, 2B6, and 3A4 activities. Luminescent CYP assays offer rapid and safe advantages over LC-MS/MS and qRT-PCR methods. Furthermore, luminescent CYP assays decrease the interference between the optical properties of the test compound and the CYP substrates. Therefore, luminescent CYP assays are less labor intensive, rapid, and can be used as robust tools for high-throughput CYP screening during early drug discovery.