• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.394-404
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• 2007

Oral squamous cell carcinoma is the most prevalent oral cancer, which is characterized by its high metastasis and recurrent rates and poor prognosis. Taxol is an anticancer agent which is microbial products extracted from jew tree. It combines with the tubulin and induces apoptosis by inhibiting mitosis of cell with microtubule stabilization. Recently, it was reported to be effective in various solid tumors, but only very slight effect has been seen in oral squamous cell carcinomas due to its cell-specific potencies. Cyclosporin A is used as immune suppressant and is being applied in anticancer therapy as its mechanism of induction of change of apoptotic process in various cells have been known. In this study, oral squamous cell carcinoma HN22 cell line was used for in vitro experiment and as for the experimental group taxol and cyclosporin A were applied alone and to observe the synergistic effect of apoptosis, Taxol and cyclosporin A were coadministered with different concentration of taxol for comparison. The results were obtained as follow: 1. There was no difference in Bcl-2, Bax, caspase 3, 8, 9 mRNA expression when cyclosprin A or taxol was applied alone to HN 22 cell line. 2. Caspase 3, 9 mRNA expression was prominently increased when cyclosprin A and taxol were applied together to cancer cell. 3. No significant difference was observed when cyclosporin A and taxol($1{\mu}g/ml$ and $3{\mu}g/ml$) were applied together to cancer cell line. 4. No significant difference was seen in Bcl-2, Bax, and caspase 8 mRNA expression in all the groups of in vitro experiments. 5. When cyclosporin A was applied alone in vivo study on the nude mice, histopathologi cal findings was similar to those of the control group. Oral squamous cell carcinoma induced by inoculation of HN 22 cell line was not reduced after treatment of cyclosporin A. 6. When taxol was applied alone, the islands of squamous cell carcinoma still remained, which meant insignificant healing effect. There was a lesser volume increase compared with the cyclosporin A alone. 7. When taxol and cyclosporin A were applied together, the connective tissue and calcification were seen in the histopathologic findings. Oral squamous cell carcinoma was decreased and cancer cell was disappeared. In observing the tumor mass change with time, there was a gradual decreased size and healing features. As the results of the in vitro experiment, it could conclud that only when the two agents are applied together, mitochondria-mediated apoptosis occurred by considerable increase of caspase 3, 9 mRNA expression, irrespectable of the concentration of taxol. In vivo experiment, there was a discrete synergistic effect when the two agents were applied together. But single use of cyclosporin A was not effective in this study. Based on the results of this experiment, if further clinical studies are done, taxol and cyclosporin A could be effectively used in treatment of oral squamous cell carcinomas.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.205-212
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• 2002

This study was conducted to develop a method for direct determination of phagocytic activities in human circulatic systems and to measure the phagocytic activities in human leukocytes from the alcoholics, since phagocytic activity was considered to be very important in human immune mechanism at early stage for the health care of the alcoholics. The subjects for this study were 130 among which 95 males and 3 females were diagnosed as alcoholism and 32 was healthy blood donors. A thin layer of heat-killed Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I was placed on a plastic dish and reacted with whole blood to measure the phagocytic plaque formation by human leukocytes. In order to determine the health conditions of the subjects, some clinical laboratory tests, such as white blood cell counts, hemoglobin contents (Hgb), mean corpuscular volume of red blood cells(MCV), serum electrophoresis, B and T-lymphocytes, T-lymphocyte subtypes and phytohemagglutination test were also implemented. Compared to the non-alcoholism, new and old alcoholic inpatients showed statistically significant differences on levels of Hgb and MCV (p<0.05), but showed that T and B-lymphocyte numbers decreased and Helper T cell/Suppressor T cell ratio ($1.6{\pm}0.8$%) increased. Compared to non-alcoholism, phagocytic plaque activities of leukocytes from alcoholic patients decreased significantly and an unusual pattern in phagocytic plaque was observed, showing a strange body and chain shaped phagocytosis. Based upon these results, it is concluded that a phagocytic-plaques of Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I by leukocytes was very simple and useful method for the early immunological determination of phagocytic activities in alcoholic patients without requiring any special equipments.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.37-42
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• 2006

Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) is considered to be an important component in the progression of inflammation. Monocytes/macrophages are prominent at inflammation sites, and activation of these cells by stimulants such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS) leads to the production of significant amounts of MMP-9. Here, we show that LPS-induced MMP-9 production and activation was inhibited by the water extract from the fruit of Chaenomeles sinensis (CS), the root of Polygonum cuspidatum (PC), but increased by the extract from Boswellia carterii (BC). To investigate the mechanism by which those extracts inhibits MMP-9 activation, we examined the level of MMP-9 mRNA expression. We observed a significant change in the MMP-9 expression between LPS alone and LPS plus Chaenomeles sinensis and Polygonum cuspidatum extracts-treated cells. In addition, LPS significantly up-regulated MMP-9 promoter activity in Raw 264.7 cells, which was attenuated by the CS and PS extracts. However, water extracts from Boswellia carterii increased MMP-9 expression and MMP-9 promoter activity which were induced by LPS treatment in Raw 264.7 cells. These data suggest that water extracts from Chaenomeles sinensis and Polygonum cuspidatum can modulate anti-inflammatory immune response, which may be in part associated with the regulation of MMP-9 production and/or activation through the regulation of MMP-9 expression in mouse macrophage cells.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.32-41
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• 2010

Purpose : Glomerulonephropathy (GN) often manifests as proteinuria and progresses to chronic renal failure without specific therapy. Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) has been tried as a therapeutic agent in experimental GN, and previous studies showed that administration of MSC concomitantly to the insult inducing GN or via intra-renal administration ameliorated proteinuria. The purpose of this study was to test the therapeutic potential of MSC administered via intravenous route at the time of clinically evident proteinuria. Methods : MSCs were administered intravenously via tail vain into the mice with adriamycin (ADR) induced nephropathy (ADR-GN), two weeks after ADR injection when massive proteinuria was evident. To test the capacity of MSC modulate the cytokine production in the inflammatory milieu, the concentrations of IFN-$\gamma$ and IL-10 were measured in the supernatant of in vitro mixed lymphocyte culture (MLC) with or without additional MSC. Results : MSCs administered intravenously into the proteinuric mice with ADR-GN accelerated the recovery of this experimental GN with disappearance of proteinuria in two weeks when the saline treated (control) mice still showed significant proteinuria. The mice treated with MSC also had a tendency of better survival. Addition of MSC decreased IFN-$\gamma$ and increased IL-10 in the supernatant of MLC. Conclusion : This study showed that MSC had a therapeutic potential even when administered in a more clinically relevant setting into a proteinuric glomerulonephropathy model. Further study to verify the mechanism and long-term safety of this phenomenon is required.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.12
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• pp.1709-1716
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• 2007

The health benefits of garlic (Allium sativum L.) are derived from a wide variety of components and from the different ways it is administered. The known health benefits of garlic include cardiovascular protective effects, stimulation of immune function, reduction of blood glucose level, protection against microbial, viral and fungal infections, as well as anticancer effects. In the present study, it was examined the effects of water extract of A. sativum (WEAS) on the growth of cultured human tumor cells in order to investigate its anti-proliferative mechanism. Treatment of WEAS to tumor cells resulted in the growth inhibition, especially in leukemia cells, which was associated with induction of G2/M arrest of the cell cycle and apoptosis. In order to further explore the critical events leading to apoptosis in WEAS-treated U937 human leukemia cells, the following effects of WEAS on components of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway were examined: generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), alteration of the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and the expression changes of Bcl-2 and IAP family proteins. The cytotoxic effect of WEAS was mediated by its induction of apoptosis as characterized by the occurrence of DNA ladders, apoptotic bodies and chromosome condensation in U937 cells. The WEAS-induced apoptosis in U937 cells was correlated with the generation of intracellular ROS, collapse of MMP, activation of caspase-3 and down-regulation of anti-apoptotic proteins. The quenching of ROS generation with antioxidant N-acetyl-L-cysteine conferred significant protection against WEAS-elicited ROS generation, caspase-3 activation, G2/M arrest and apoptosis. In conclusion, the present study reveals that the cellular ROS generation plays a pivotal role in the initiation of WEAS-triggered apoptotic death in U937 cells.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.39.18-39.18
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• 2021

Background: Interferon lambda receptor 1 (IFNLR1) is a type II cytokine receptor that clings to interleukins IL-28A, IL29B, and IL-29 referred to as type III IFNs (IFN-λs). IFN-λs act through the JAK-STAT signaling pathway to exert antiviral effects related to preventing and curing an infection. Although the immune function of IFN-λs in virus invasion has been described, the molecular mechanism of IFNLR1 in that process is unclear. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to elucidate the role of IFNLR1 in the pathogenesis and treatment of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV). Methods: The effects of IFNLR1 on the proliferation of porcine alveolar macrophages (PAMs) during PRRSV infection were investigated using interference and overexpression methods. Results: In this study, the expressions of the IFNLR1 gene in the liver, large intestine, small intestine, kidney, and lung tissues of Dapulian pigs were significantly higher than those in Landrace pigs. It was determined that porcine IFNLR1 overexpression suppresses PRRSV replication. The qRT-PCR results revealed that overexpression of IFNLR1 upregulated antiviral and IFN-stimulated genes. IFNLR1 overexpression inhibits the proliferation of PAMs and upregulation of p-STAT1. By contrast, knockdown of IFNLR1 expression promotes PAMs proliferation. The G0/G1 phase proportion in IFNLR1-overexpressing cells increased, and the opposite change was observed in IFNLR1-underexpressing cells. After inhibition of the JAK/STAT signaling pathway, the G2/M phase proportion in the IFNLR1-overexpressing cells showed a significant increasing trend. In conclusion, overexpression of IFNLR1 induces activation of the JAK/STAT pathway, thereby inhibiting the proliferation of PAMs infected with PRRSV. Conclusion: Expression of the IFNLR1 gene has an important regulatory role in PRRSV-infected PAMs, indicating it has potential as a molecular target in developing a new strategy for the treatment of PRRSV.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.64 no.1
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• pp.100-109
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• 2021

Objective : Diffuse astrocytic tumour (DAT) is a diffuse infiltrative astrocytoma tumour accompanied by molecular parameters such as the presence or absence of isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) gene mutations. Ki-67 is a marker for DAT proliferation, while programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) indicates an immune evasion mechanism. This study aimed to analyze the correlation among mutant IDH1 R132H, Ki-67, and PD-L1 immunoexpression in the DAT. Methods : A cross-sectional study was carried out on 30 paraffin blocks of DAT cases. Paraffin block samples consist of grade II (n=14), grade III (n=8), and grade IV (n=8). In this study, the immunohistochemistry-staining of mutant IDH1 R132H, Ki-67, and PD-L1 were carried out to determine the frequency of DAT with IDH1 mutations. Results : Our study shown the frequency of IDH1 mutations in grade II 50.0% (7/14), grade III 37.5% (3/8), and grade IV 12.5% (1/8). Our study also showed a difference in Ki-67 and PD-L1 expression between each the degree of DAT histopathology (p=0.0001 and p=0.002, respectively). There was an association between both mutant IDH1 R132H, and Ki-67 with PD-L1 expression in DAT (p=0.0087 and p=0.0049, respectively). Conclusion : DAT with the mutant IDH1 is frequently observed in grade II and small number of grade III. The expression of wild type IDH1, Ki-67, and PD-L1 were found to be higher in high grade DAT (grade III and grade IV). There is a correlation between each of mutant IDH1 status and Ki-67 with PD-L1 expression in DAT.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.38-49
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• 2021

Airway mucus secretion is an essential innate immune response for host protection. However, overproduction and hypersecretion of mucus, mainly composed of the gel-forming MUC5AC protein, are significant risk factors for patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) signaling pathway negatively regulates MUC5AC expression; however, the underlying molecular mechanism is not fully understood. Here, we showed that TGFβ significantly reduces the expression of MUC5AC mRNA and its protein in NCI-H292 cells, a human mucoepidermoid carcinoma cell line. This reduced MUC5AC expression was restored by a TGFβ receptor inhibitor (SB431542), but not by the inhibition of NF-κB (BAY11-7082 or Triptolide) or PI3K (LY294002) activities. TGFβ-activated Smad3 dose-dependently bound to MUC5AC promoter. Notably, TGFβ-activated Smad3 recruited HDAC2 and facilitated nuclear translocation of HDAC2, thereby inducing the deacetylation of NF-κB at K310, which is essential for a reduction in NF-κB transcriptional activity. Both TGFβ-induced nuclear translocation of Smad3/HDAC2 and deacetylation of NF-κB at K310 were suppressed by a Smad3 inhibitor (SIS3). These results suggest that the TGFβ-activated Smad3/HDAC2 complex is an essential negative regulator for MUC5AC expression and an epigenetic regulator for NF-κB acetylation. Therefore, these results collectively suggest that modulation of the TGFβ1/Smad3/HDAC2/NF-κB pathway axis can be a promising way to improve lung function as a treatment strategy for asthma and COPD.

• Food Engineering Progress
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.337-343
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• 2018

Coffee is a commonly consumed beverage that contains anti-inflammatory compounds such as caffeine, chlorogenic acid, cafestol, trigonelline, and kahweol. Lactobacillus plantarum is a lactic acid bacterium most frequently used in the fermentation of food products of plant origin. L. plantarum is able to degrade some food phenolic compounds and provide high value-added compounds such as powerful antioxidants or food additives approved as flavouring agents. In this study, we investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of coffee extract fermented by L. plantarum on RAW264.7 macrophages. In lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW264.7 cells, these coffee extracts exhibited anti-inflammatory activities through the reduction of nitric oxide (NO) production and inducible NO synthase expression. Fermented coffee extracts significantly decreased the expression of inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor ${\alpha}$, interleukin $1{\beta}$, interleukin 6, and interferon ${\gamma}$. Cyclooxygenase-2, which is one of the key biomarkers for inflammation, was significantly suppressed. These results might be helpful for understanding the anti-inflammatory mechanism of fermented coffee extract on immune cells and, moreover, suggest that fermented coffee extract may be a beneficial anti-inflammatory agent.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.685-699
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• 2022

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Platycodon grandiflorum (PG) has long been known as a medicinal herb effective in various diseases, including bronchitis and asthma, but is still more widely used for food. Fermentation methods are being applied to increase the pharmacological composition of PG extracts and commercialize them with high added value. This study examines the hydrolyzed and fermented PG extract (HFPGE) fermented with Lactobacillus casei in RAW 264.7 cells, and investigates the effect of amplifying the immune and the probable molecular mechanism. MATERIALS/METHODS: HFPGE's total phenolic, flavonoid, saponin, and platycodin D contents were analyzed by colorimetric analysis or high-performance liquid chromatography. Cell viability was measured by the MTT assay. Phagocytic activity was analyzed by a phagocytosis assay kit, nitric oxide (NO) production by a Griess reagent system, and cytokines by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. The mRNA expressions of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cytokines were analyzed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, whereas MAPK and nuclear factor (NF)-κB activation were analyzed by Western blots. RESULTS: Compared to PGE, HFPGE was determined to contain 13.76 times and 6.69 times higher contents of crude saponin and platycodin D, respectively. HFPGE promoted cell proliferation and phagocytosis in RAW 264.7 cells and regulated the NO production and iNOS expression. Treatment with HFPGE also resulted in increased production of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, C-X-C motif chemokine ligand10, granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, and the mRNA expressions of these cytokines. HFPGE also resulted in significantly increasing the phosphorylation of NF-κB p65, extracellular signal-regulated kinase, and c-Jun N-terminal kinase. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our results imply that fermentation and hydrolysis result in the extraction of more active ingredients of PG. Furthermore, we determined that HFPGE exerts immunostimulatory activity via the MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways.