• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.1-22
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• 1998

During the last few years, nitric oxide(NO) as a potent macrophage-derived effector molecule against a variety of bacteria, parasites, and tumors has received increasing attention. More recent studies suggest that NO also has antiviral effects in both murine and human cells. The objective of the current study was to determine the effect of Yongdamsagantang(YST) on the production of NO. Stimulation of mouse peritoneal macrophages with YST after the treatment of recombinant $interferon-{\gammer}(rlFN-{\gammer})$ resulted in the increased NO synthesis. YST had no effect on NO synthesis by itself. When YST was used in combination with $rIFN-{\gammer}$, there was a marked cooperative induction of NO synthesis in a dose-dependent manner. The optimal effect of YST on NO synthesis was shown 6 hour after treatment with $rIFN-{\gammer}$. This increase in NO synthesis was reflected as increased amount of inducible NO synthase(iNOS) protein. NO production was inhibited by $N^G-monomethyl-L-arginine$. The increased production of NO from $rIFN-{\gammer}$ plus YST-stimulated cells was decreased by the treatment with staurosporin. In addition, synergy between $rIFN-{\gammer}$ and YST was mainly dependent on YST-induced tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}(TNF-{\alpha})$ secretion. These results suggest that the capacity of YST to increase NO production from $rIFN-{\alpha}-primed$ mouse peritoneal macrophages is the result of YST-induced $TNF-{\alpha}$ secretion.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.281-290
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• 2014

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant potential, and total phenolic content (TPC) of green and red kohlrabi cultivars. Anti-diabetic and anti-inflammatory activities were evaluated via protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP1B) and rat lens aldose reductase inhibitory assays and cell-based lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitric oxide (NO) inhibitory assays in RAW 264.7 murine macrophages. In addition, scavenging assays using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical, 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS) radical, and peroxynitrite ($ONOO^-$) were used to evaluate antioxidant potential and TPC was selected to assess phytochemical characteristics. Between the two kohlrabi cultivars, red kohlrabi (RK) had two times more TPC than green kohlrabi (GK) and showed significant antioxidant effects in DPPH, ABTS, and $ONOO^-$ scavenging assays. Likewise, methanol (MeOH) extracts of RK and GK inhibited LPS-induced NO production in a dose dependent manner that was further clarified by suppression of iNOS and COX-2 protein production. The MeOH extracts of RK and GK exhibited potent inhibitory activities against PTP1B with the corresponding $IC_{50}$ values of $207{\pm}3.48$ and $287{\pm}3.22{\mu}g/mL$, respectively. Interestingly, the RK MeOH extract exhibited significantly stronger anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, and antioxidant effects than that of GK MeOH extract. As a result, our study establishes that RK extract with a higher TPC might be useful as a potent anti-diabetic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory agent.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.907-915
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• 2007

In this study the effect of water extract of Sophora tonkinensis Gapnep (RST) was investigated on the growth of human lung carcinoma A549 cells. Exposure of A549 cells to RST resulted in the growth inhibition in a dose-dependent manner as measured by MTT assay. The antiproliferative effect by RST treatment in A549 cells was associated with morphological changes such as membrane shrinking and cell rounding up. RST treatment did not induce the cell cycle arrest and the levels of tumor suppressor p53 as well as cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21(WAF1/CIP1). It was found that RST treatment decreased the levels of cyclooxygenase (COX) -2 mRNA and protein expression without significant changes in the expression of COX-1 and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), which was correlated with a decrease in prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) synthesis. RST treatment also slightly inhibited the levels of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) mRNA and protein expression, and the activity of telomerase. Taken together, these findings suggested that RST-induced inhibition of human lung carcinoma A549 cell growth was aoosciated with the inhibition of COX-2 expression and PGE2 production. These results provided important new insights into the possible molecular mechanisms of the anti-cancer activity of RST.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.1437-1449
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• 2007

In this study, the effect of extract of Corydalis yanhusuo (ECT) used in Oriental medicine therapy was investigated on the cell growth and apoptosis of HepG2 human hepatoma cells. It was found that ECT could inhibit the cell growth effectively in a dose-dependent manner, which was associated with morphological change and apoptotic cell death such as formation of apoptotic bodies, DNA fragmentation and increased populations of apoptotic-sub G1 phase. And we observed the effects of ECT on loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), using the JC-1 probe by DNA flow cytometric analysis. Apoptosis of HepG2 cells by ECT was associated with a down-regulation of anti apoptotic Bcl-2 expression, inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs) expression and proteolytic activation of caspase-3 and caspase-9. However, ECT did not affect the pro-apoptotic Bax expression and activity of caspase-8. ECT treatment also concomitant degradation and /or inhibition of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), phospholipase C-1 ($PLC{\gamma}1$). Furthermore, ECT treatment caused a dose-dependent inhibition of iNOS and cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2). Additionally ECT have been implicated in the regulation of telomerase expression. ECT treatment induced the down-regulation of telomerase reverse transcriptase mRNA (hTERT) expression of HepG2 cells. Taken together, these findings suggest that ECT may be a potential chemotherapeutic agent for the control of HepG2 human hepatoma cells.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.10
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• pp.1656-1659
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• 2006

Natural surfactins are a mixture of isoforms that differ slightly in their physiological properties. In previous research, we obtained surfactin A, B, C, and D from the Bacillus subtilis complex BC1212. We found that surfactin C inhibited nitric oxide (NO)-production and suppressed the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokine mRNA, which was stimulated by $1{\mu}g/ml$ of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in murine RAW264.7 cells. In order to compare the anti-inflammatory effects of surf actin isoforms, we examined the inhibition of LPS-induced NO production and the pro-inflammatory cytokine expression level. Surfactin C inhibited the LPS-induced NO production in murine macrophage RAW264.7 cells the most. In addition, surf actin C was superior to other surfactin's subtypes regarding inhibiting the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1). Finally, the anti-inflammatory activity of surf actin C is the most potent, compared with surfactin A, B, and D.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.274-280
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• 2008

Platycosides are the saponins in Platycodi Radix and they have several beneficial effects such as antiinflammatory and anti-obesity activities. This study was designed to determine the changes in the saponin composition in Platycodi Radix (platycosides) after being processed under steam and pressure and to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of their extracts. The change of the platycoside compositions was investigated after 1, 2, 3, 6 and 9h heat processing of Platycodi Radices by using HPLC coupled with an evaporative light scattering detection (ELSD) system. After heat treatment ($125^{\circ}C$, 1, 2, 3, 6 and 9 h), the contents of several platycosides such as platycoside E, platycodin $D_3$, platycodin D, polygalacin D, and platycodin A decreased as the processing time was longer. While the total contents of the saponins decreased, the contents of deapi-forms of deapiplatycoside E, deapi-platycodin $D_3$, and deapi-platycodin D increased relatively. These results indicate that the linkage between apiose and xylose located at C-28 is labile to heat and pressure. The LPS-induced iNOS inhibitory activities of the samples treated for 1 and 2 hours were enhanced and after then, the activities were reduced. These results suggested that heat treatment of the samples affect the content of the total saponins and the saponin content may be the important criteria representing the anti-inflammatory activity.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.291-297
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• 2013

Sophorae Flos (SF), a composite of flowers and flower-buds of Sophora japonica, has long been used in traditional Korean and Chinese medicines for the treatment of hemostasis and inflammation. In this study, we investigated anti-inflammatory effect of four EtOH extracts at the difference in blooming stages of flowers on LPS-induced inflammation in RAW264.7 cells. We classified the flowers of Sophora japonica with SF-1 (length of flower is shorter than calyx), SF-2 (length of calyx is shorter than flower), SF-3 (full bloom), and SF-4 (not blooming at all). We examined HPLC analysis, whether quercetin and rutin are major component of these Sophorae Flos extracts or not. As a result, SF-1 contained quercetin, but the others did not. In addition, quercetin, SF-1, and SF-4 act on the suppression of pro-inflammatory mediators including inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin E2 ($PGE_2$) against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced activation in RAW264.7 cells. Of these, SF-1 showed the best anti-inflammatory effect. These results suggest that Sophorae Flos with the highest content of quercetin would be used for the treatment of various inflammation diseases.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.966-972
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• 2006

The effect of water extract of Chungjogupae-tang (CJGPT) was investigated _on the growth of human lung carcinoma A549 cells. Methods: MTT assay and fluorescent microscope peformed to compare and examine the efficacy of CJGPT treatment on the cytostaticity of lung cancer cells in proportion to time and doses, and DAPI staining and Western blot analysis were used to examine their effect on apoptosis. In addition, the quantitative RT-PCR was used to examine to lung cancer cells growth, and Prostaglandin E2 activity were measured. Results: Exposure of A549 cells to CJGPT respited in the growth inhibition and apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner as measured by MTT assay and fluorescent microscope. The antiproliferative effect by CJGPT treatment in A549 cells was associated with morphological changes such as membrane shrinking and cell rounding up. CJGPT treatment resulted in an up-regulation of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21 (WAFl/CIPl) in a p53-independent fashion. We found that CJGPT treatment decreased the levels of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and inducible nitric oxide synthease (iNOS) expression without significant changes in the expression of COX-1 , which was correlated with a decrease in prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) synthesis. Conclusion: These findings suggested that CJGPT-induced inhibition of human lung carcinoma A549 cell growth was connected with the induction of apoptotic cell death and the results provided important new insights into the possible molecular mechanisms of the anti-cancer activity of CJGPT.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.423-434
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• 2014

Objectives: Activated microglia cells play an important role in inflammatory responses in the central nervous system (CNS) which are involved in neurodegenerative diseases. We attempted to determine the anti-inflammatory effects of Cheongnoimyungshin-hwan (CNMSH) in microglia cells. Methods: We examined the effect of CNMSH on the inflammatory responses in BV2 microglia cells induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and explored the mechanism underlying the action of CNMSH. Results: BV2 cells treated with LPS showed an up-regulation of nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin $PGE_2(PGE_2)$ and interleukin $1{\beta}(IL-1{\beta})$ release, whereas CNMSH suppressed this up-regulation. CNMSH inhibited the induction of COX-2, iNOS and $IL-1{\beta}$ proteins in LPS-treated BV2 cells and blocked the LPS-induced phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of nuclear factor ${\kappa}B(NF-{\kappa}B$). Furthermore, CNMSH attenuated the LPS-induced phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase and p38 mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK), as well as the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling pathway, but did not inhibit the LPS-induced phosphorylation of c-Jun amino terminal kinase. Conclusions: These results suggest that the inhibitory effect of CNMSH on the LPS-induced production of inflammatory mediators and cytokines in BV2 cells is associated with the suppression of the $NF-{\kappa}B$ and PI3KAkt signaling pathways.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.95-108
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• 2005

Objective : In the present study, the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) applied to several acupoints and non-acupoint in CFA-induced knee arthritis was examined. Methods : A common source of persistent pain in humans is arthritis. Arthritis was induced by injection of CFA $125\;{\mu}l$ into knee joint cavity under enflurane anesthesia. The rat subsequently showed swelling of the ankle and a reduced stepping force of the affected limb for the next several days. The reduced stepping force of the limb was presumably due to a painful knee. EA was applied to either of $LR_2,\;LI_4$, or non-acupoint on the contralateral forelimb for 30 min under gaseous anesthesia. After the termination of EA, behavioral tests measuring stepping force were periodically conducted during the next 4 h. Results : EA applied to $LR_2$ point produced a significant improvement of stepping force of the affected foot lasting for at least 2 h. However, neigher $LI_4$ point nor non-point produced any significant increase of weight bearing force. The improvement of stepping pressure was interpreted as an analgesic effect. The analgesic effect was specific to the acupuncture point since the analgesic effect on CFA-induced knee arthritic pain model could not be mimicked by EA applied to a point, $LI_4$ or non-acupoint. In addition, both NO production and iNOS protein expression increased by arthritis were suppressed by EA applied to $LR_2$ point. Conclusion : These data suggest that EA produces a potent analgesic effect in the rat model of CFA-induced knee arthritis. This analgesic effect is produced by applying EA to an acupoint at opposite side from the painful area in a stimulus point-specific way.