• The Korean Journal of Ecology
• /
• v.22 no.1
• /
• pp.39-43
• /
• 1999

Serratia marcescens, an enterobacterium of gram-negative bacteria, is characterized by resistance of the admium. Cadmium sensitive PM strain did not grow in the medium at cadmium concentration of 50 ppm. PA strain was induced to accommodate to cadmium by cultivating the mother strain (PC strain) in the medium with 50 ppm cadmium. As compared with PC and PM strains, PA strain revealed the excellent growth in cadmium media and accumulated four to five times higher cadmium concentration in cell than other strains. PA strain accumulated 23% of cadmium in cells when cultured in medium treated with 100 ppm cadmium and this cadmium was more accumulated in cytosol fractions than membrane fractions. Analysis by TEM indicated that cadmium was concentrated as a form of granule in cytosol. In protein patterns of cell after the treatment of cadmium, two inducible proteins (28 KDa and 64 KDa) and one reducible protein (45 KDa) were detected by SDS-PAGE. By Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer, the amounts of cadmium attached to inducible proteins of 28 KDa and 64 KDa were 318.28 ㎍ and 325.37 ㎍ per gram of protein, respectively. It is assumed that these inducible proteins play an important role in the mechanism of cadmium accumulation in cells. A plasmid of 23Kbp was found in S. marcescens. The ability of resistance to cadmium in plasmid was confirmed by curing experiments.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
• /
• v.21 no.4
• /
• pp.49-65
• /
• 2011

Objectives: This study was performed to investigate the effects of Gagamsosokmyeong-tang(Jiajianxiaoxuming-tang) on the monosodium iodoacetate(MIA) induced early state osteoarthritis in rats. Methods: Osteoarthritis was induced by injection of MIA(0.25 mg) into knee joints of rats. Osteoarthritis rats were divided into control(n=8) and treated=8 group respectively, Control group was taken distilled water and treated group was taken extracts of Gagamsosokmyeong-tang(Jiajianxiaoxuming-tang) by orally for 20 days. Body weight was measured at 0, 5, 10, 15, 20 days after MIA injection. At the end of experiment, gross and histopathological examination on the articular cartilages of the knee joints were performed. Proteoglycan(PG) content of articular cartilages were analysed by safranine O staining method. The content of tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}(TNF-{\alpha})$, $interleukin-1{\beta}(IL-1{\beta})$ in synovial fluids were analysed by enzyme-inked inmunosorbent assay(ELISA) method. And also cycloxygenase-2(COX-2), matrix metalloproteinase 3(MMP-3), inducible nitric oxide synthase(iNOS), calpain immunochistochemical examination on the knee joints were performed. Results: PG content in articular cartilages of the treated group was significantly increased compared with control group. Histopathological osteoarthritic score of the treated group was significantly decreased compared with control group. $TNF-{\alpha}$ content in synovial fluids, expression of iNOS and calpain in synovial membrane of the treated group were significantly decreased compared with control group. But body weight, $1L-1{\beta}$ content in synovial fluids, expression of iNOS and MMP-3 of the treated group were not significantly changed compared with control group. Conclusions: On the basis of these results, we conclude that Gagamsosokmyeong-tang(Jiajianxiaoxuming-tang) has anti-arthritic effects on the MIA induced early stage osteoarthritis in rats.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
• /
• v.28 no.2
• /
• pp.235-247
• /
• 1998

Calcium sulfate has a long history of medical use as an implant material. The biocompatibiliry of the material has been clearly established. Bone ingrowth concomitant with resorption occurs rapidly with efficient conduction of bone from particle to particle. Calcium sulfate also has a potential for functioning as a good bamer membrane. The purpose of this study was to compare the biocompatibility of different types of calcium sulfate grafting materials including an expelimental calcium sulfate compound on periodontal ligament cells in vitro as a preliminary test towards the development of a more convenient and useful form of grafting material which could promote regeneration of periodontal tissue. Human periodontal ligament cells were collected from the premolar teeth extracted for orthodontic treatment. cells were cultured in a.MEM culture medium containing 20% FBS, at $37^{\circ}C$ and 100% humidity, in a 5% CO2 incubator. Cells were cultured into 96 well culture plate $1{\times}104$ cells per well with $\alpha$-MEM and incubated for 24 hours. After discarding the medium, those cells were cultured in $\alpha$-MEM contained with 10% FBS alone (control group), in medcal-grade calcium sulfate(MGCS group), in plaster(plaster group), experimental calcium sulfate paste(CS paste group) for 1, 2, 3 day respectively. And then each group was characterized by examining of the cell counting, MTI assay, collagen synthesis. The results \vere as follows. 1. In the analysis of cell proliferation by cell counting, both medical-grdde calcium sulfate group and plaster group showed no stastically significant difference at day 1, 2, 3 accept for plaster group at day 1 compared to control group, but there was stastically significant difference between CS paste group and all other groups at day 1, 2, 3(P<0.05). 2. In the analysis of cytotoxicity by MIT assay, both medical-grade calcium sJlfate group and plaster group showed no stastically significant difference compared to control group at day 1, 2, 3 but there was stastically significant difference between CS paste group and all other groups at day 1, 2, 3(P<0.OS). 3. In the analysis of collagen synthesis by immunoblotting assay, high level was detected for medical-grade calcium sulfate group and plaster group at day 1, 2, 3 compared to CS paste group. On the basis of these results, medical-grade calcium sulfate and plaster was shown to possess biocompatibility whereas the CS paste had unfavourable outcome. This observation shows a need for modification of the materials contained in calcium sulfate paste.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
• /
• v.38 no.2
• /
• pp.125-134
• /
• 2008

Purpose: Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) is a potent differentiating agent for cells of the osteoblastic lineage. It has been used in the oral cavity under a variety of indications and with different carriers. However, the optimal carrier for each indication is not known. This study evaluated the bone regenerative effect of rhBMP-2 delivered with different carrier systems. Materials and Methods: 8 mm critical-sized rat calvarial defects were used in 60 male Sprague-Dawley rats. The animals were divided into 6 groups containing 10 animals each. Two groups were controls that had no treatment and absorbable collagen membrane only. 4 groups were experimentals that contained rhBMP-2 only and applied with absorbable collagen sponge($Collatape^{(R)}$), $MBCP^{(R)}$, Bio-$Oss^{(R)}$ each. The histological and histometric parameters were used to evaluate the defects after 2- or 8-week healing period. The shape and total augmented area were stable in all groups over the healing time. Results: New bone formation was significantly greater in the rhBMP-2 with carrier group than control group. rhBMP-2/ACS was the highest in bone density but gained less new bone area than rhBMP-2/$MBCP^{(R)}$ and rhBMP-2/Bio-$Oss^{(R)}$. The bone density after 8 weeks was greater than that after 2 weeks in all groups. However, rhBMP-2 alone failed to show the statistically significant difference in new bone area and bone density compared to control group. Also $MBCP^{(R)}$ and Bio-$Oss^{(R)}$ particles remained after 8 weeks healing period. Conclusion: These results suggest that rhBMP-2 with carrier system is an excellent inductive agent for bone formation and we can use it as the predictable bone tissue engieering technique. Future study will likely focus on the kinetics of BMP release and development of carriers that is ideal for it.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.37 no.3
• /
• pp.288-293
• /
• 2008

In this study, we investigated the anticancer activity of Makgeoly (MG). MG was fractionated into four fractions by using solvent partition method, affording hexane (MGH), methanol (MGM), butanol (MGB) and aquous (MGA) soluble fractions. We determined the cytotoxicity of these four fractions in four kinds of cancer cell lines, such as HepG2, MCF-7, B16-F10 and HT29 by MTT assay. Among the various fractions, the MGM showed the strongest cytotoxic effects on all cancer cell lines. The morphological changes such as membrane shrinking and blebbing of cells were also observed by MGM treatment in HepG2 cell. In addition, we observed quinone reductase (QR) activity stimulating effects in all fraction layers of MG on HepG2 cells. QR activity increased approximately 2.6 and 2.1 times in MGM and MGH treated HepG2 cell at $100{\mu}g/mL$, respectively, compared to that in control value. Although further studies are needed, the present work could suggest that the fin of MG has a potential to be used as a chemopreventive agent against cancer.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
• /
• v.22 no.1
• /
• pp.109-119
• /
• 2012

This study analyzed the antibacterial activity of the ethanol extract of Schizandra chinensis Baillon against food pathogenic microorganisms to determine its capabilities as a natural antimicrobial agent. A paper disc diffusion test, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) determination, and time-kill assay showed that the ethanol extract strongly inhibits the growth of Listeria monocytogenes, Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Release of cytoplasmic ${\beta}$-galactosidase was detected in E. coli, E. coli O157:H7, S. aureus, and P. aeruginosa treated with the ethanol extract. An increase of outer membrane permeability caused by the ethanol extract was also observed. An outward flow of cell constituents was detected in the Gram negative strains treated with the ethanol extract. These results imply that the inner and outer membranes of cells were partially destroyed and cell constituents were released by the treatment of the S. chinensis Baillon ethanol extract. The results of this study indicate that ethanol extract of S. chinensis Baillon evidences a fairly good antibacterial effect.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
• /
• v.30 no.3 s.47
• /
• pp.419-426
• /
• 2004

The nano-ceramide capsulation is a technique that capsulates ceramide III and tocopheryl linoleate at the mono-vesicle to act on the horny layer in skin. In this technique, $0.5{\~}5.0\;wt\%$ of hydrogenated lecithin and $0.01{\~}2.00\;wt\%$ of lysolecithin are used as the membrane-strengthen agents of the mono-vesicle and $5.0{\~}10.0\;wt\%$ of propylene glycol and $5.0{\~}10.0\;wt\%$ of ethyl alcohol are used as solvents. Active ingredients such ceramide III and tocopheryl linoleate are utilized to enhance the moisturizing efficacy and treat atopy skin. These materials do not contain synthetic emulsifiers. The optimal conditions or nano-ceramide capsulation are such that particles pass Microfludizdizer 3 times at 1,000 bar and $60{\~}70^{\circ}C$ and pH of nano capsules is $5.8{\pm}0.5.$ The average size of particles is $63.1{\pm}7.34\;nm$ showing lucid state like water by the laser light scattering. A zeta potential value is $-55.1\pm0.84\;mV.$ Through clinical tests, the moisturizing effect (in-vivo, n=8, p-value<0.05) showed $21.15\%$ of improvement comparison to comparison-samples and $36.31\%$ of improvement compared to the state before treatment. Moreover, the effectiveness of atopy skin showed positive reaction from 10 volunteers.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
• /
• v.30 no.6
• /
• pp.7-15
• /
• 2015

Objectives : Rosa laevigata Michx. has been used for the treatment of renal disease in traditional Korean medicine. In this study, we investigated cytoprotective effect of R. laevigata water extract (RLE) against oxidative stress induced by arachidonic acid (AA) + iron.Methods : To evaluate the protective effects of RLE against AA + iron-induced oxidative stress in HepG2 cell, cell viability and changes on apoptosis-related proteins were assessed by MTT and immunoblot analyses. The effects of RLE on reduced glutathione level, production of reactive oxygen species and mitochondrial membrane potential were also monitored. Furthermore, to verify underlying molecular mechanism, NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) was examined by immunoblot analysis. Additionally, Nrf2 transactivation and its downstream target genes expression were also determined by reporter gene and realtime RT-PCR analyses.Results : RLE pretreatment (30-300 μg/ml) prevented cells from AA + iron-mediated cell death in a concentration dependent manner. In addition, 100 μg/ml RLE inhibited AA + iron-induced glutathione depletion, reactive oxygen species production and mitochondrial dysfunction. RLE accumulated nuclear Nrf2 and also transactivated Nrf2, which was evidenced by antioxidant response element- and glutathione S-transferase A2-driven luciferase activities and mRNA level of glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit, NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 and sestrin 2. Moreover, protective effect of RLE against AA + iron was abolished in Nrf2 knockout cells.Conclusions : These results indicate that RLE has the ability to protect hepatocyte against oxidative stress through Nrf2 activation.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
• /
• v.41 no.3
• /
• pp.392-402
• /
• 2017

Background: Previously, we reported that Korean Red Ginseng inhibited liver fibrosis in mice and reduced the expressions of fibrogenic genes in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). The present study was undertaken to identify the major ginsenoside responsible for reducing the numbers of HSCs and the underlying mechanism involved. Methods: Using LX-2 cells (a human immortalized HSC line) and primary activated HSCs, MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide) assays were conducted to examine the cytotoxic effects of ginsenosides. $H_2O_2$ productions, glutathione contents, lactate dehydrogenase activities, mitochondrial membrane permeabilities, apoptotic cell subpopulations, caspase-3/-7 activities, transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining, and immunoblot analysis were performed to elucidate the molecular mechanism responsible for ginsenoside-mediated cytotoxicity. Involvement of the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)-related signaling pathway was examined using a chemical inhibitor and small interfering RNA (siRNA) transfection. Results and conclusion: Of the 11 ginsenosides tested, 20S-protopanaxadiol (PPD) showed the most potent cytotoxic activity in both LX-2 cells and primary activated HSCs. Oxidative stress-mediated apoptosis induced by 20S-PPD was blocked by N-acetyl-$\text\tiny L$-cysteine pretreatment. In addition, 20S-PPD concentration-dependently increased the phosphorylation of AMPK, and compound C prevented 20S-PPD-induced cytotoxicity and mitochondrial dysfunction. Moreover, 20S-PPD increased the phosphorylation of liver kinase B1 (LKB1), an upstream kinase of AMPK. Likewise, transfection of LX-2 cells with LKB1 siRNA reduced the cytotoxic effect of 20S-PPD. Thus, 20S-PPD appears to induce HSC apoptosis by activating LKB1-AMPK and to be a therapeutic candidate for the prevention or treatment of liver fibrosis.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.41 no.5
• /
• pp.413-422
• /
• 2018

Soybean transgenic plants with ectopically expressed AtABF3 were produced by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation and investigated the effects of AtABF3 expression on drought and salt tolerance. Stable Agrobacterium-mediated soybean transformation was carried based on the half-seed method (Paz et al. 2006). The integration of the transgene was confirmed from the genomic DNA of transformed soybean plants using PCR and the copy number of transgene was determined by Southern blotting using leaf samples from $T_2$ seedlings. In addition to genomic integration, the expression of the transgenes was analyzed by RT-PCR and most of the transgenic lines expressed the transgenes introduced. The chosen two transgenic lines (line #2 and #9) for further experiment showed the substantial drought stress tolerance by surviving even at the end of the 20-day of drought treatment. And the positive relationship between the levels of AtABF3 gene expression and drought-tolerance was confirmed by qRT-PCR and drought tolerance test. The stronger drought tolerance of transgenic lines seemed to be resulted from physiological changes. Transgenic lines #2 and #9 showed ion leakage at a significantly lower level (P < 0.01) than ${\underline{n}}on-{\underline{t}}ransgenic$ (NT) control. In addition, the chlorophyll contents of the leaves of transgenic lines were significantly higher (P < 0.01). The results indicated that their enhanced drought tolerance was due to the prevention of cell membrane damage and maintenance of chlorophyll content. Water loss by transpiration also slowly proceeded in transgenic plants. In microscopic observation, higher stomata closure was confirmed in transgenic lines. Especially, line #9 had 56% of completely closed stomata whereas only 16% were completely open. In subsequent salt tolerance test, the apparently enhanced salt tolerance of transgenic lines was measured in ion leakage rate and chlorophyll contents. Finally, the agronomic characteristics of ectopically expressed AtABF3 transgenic plants ($T_2$) compared to NT plants under regular watering (every 4 days) or low rate of watering condition (every 10 days) was investigated. When watered regularly, the plant height of drought-tolerant line (#9) was shorter than NT plants. However, under the drought condition, total seed weight of line #9 was significantly higher than in NT plants (P < 0.01). Moreover, the pods of NT plants showed severe withering, and most of the pods failed to set normal seeds. All the evidences in the study clearly suggested that overexpression of the AtABF3 gene conferred drought and salt tolerance in major crop soybean, especially under the growth condition of low watering.