• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.136-148
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• 2010

Cadmium (Cd) is known to exert gonadotoxic and spermiotoxic effects. The present study was performed to investigate the morphological effects and metallothionein (MT) expression by zinc pretreatment in the course of time of cadmium-induced testicular injury in rat. Fifty male Spraque-Dawley rats weighing 160-180 g were divided into two groups: saline-pretreated cadmium group and zinc-pretreated cadmium group. Rats of two groups received subcutaneous injection of saline and 100 mg/kg $ZnSO_4$ at 0, 2, 5 and 8 hrs intervals respectively. Cadmium chloride (4.5 mg/kg $CdCl_2$) was administrated intraperitoneally at 2 hr after zinc injection and rats were killed 0, 12, 24, 48 and 72 hrs later. Testicular tissue damages, Interstitial (Leydig) cells status and MT expression were determined using hematoxylin-eosin stained sections and a computerized image analysis system on sections immunostained with a mouse anti-metallothionein respectively. Zinc pretreatment was significantly reduced testicular damages in five pathological categories after cadmium administation. The number of surviving interstitial cells was significantly higher in the zinc-pretreated group than in the saline-preatreated group at 48 and 72 hrs after cadmium administration. Non-damaged testis showed the positivity of MT staining in spermatogenic cells, Sertoli cells and endothelium of blood vessel, but not in the Leydig cells. The potitivity of MT staining in saline-pretreated group was significantly reduced at 24 hrs after cadmium administration, whereas zinc-pretreated group showed strong MT positive staining similar to the 0 hr by 42 hrs after cadmium administration. In damaged testis, MT positive staining was also observed in the Leydig cells of both groups. These results suggest a major preventive effect of zinc against cadmium-induced testiculat toxicity may be due to its ability to reduce the cytotoxicity of cadmium in spermatogenic cells and Leydig cells by inhibiting the susceptibility of the testis to cadmium but not MT production by cadmium.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.30 no.7
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• pp.751-769
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• 1997

This study was performed to investigate the effect of chitosan and NOCC from different sources and of different molecular weights on cadmium toxicity. Sprague-Dawley rats were blocked into 26 groups according to body weight, and were raised for 4 weeks. Cadmium chloride was given at the level of 0 or 400 ppm in diet. Various forms of chitosan and NOCC were given at the level of 0 or 4%(w/w) of diet. Cd toxicity was alleviated by various chitosan and NOCC supplements. However, the alleviating effects were different with fiber source(crab and shrimp), type(chitosan and NOCC), and molecular weight (low, medium, and high). Molecular weight had no significant effect. Compared with shrimp-source-fiber-fed groups, crab-source-fiber-fed groups showed lower Cd concentrations in blood and kidney, lower kidney metallothionein concentration, and lower liver and kidney MT-Cd contents. Compared with NOCC -fed groups, chitosan-fed groups showed lower intestine and liver Cd concentrations, lower liver and kidney MT concentrations and MT-Cd content, and higher fecal Cd excretion. Among cadmium-exposed group, low molecular weight shrimp chitosan group showed low Cd concentrations of liver and kidney, high fecal Cd excretions, and the lowest intestine and liver MT concentrations and liver MT-Cd content. In summary, a crab source fiber was more effective than shrimp source fiber, chitosan was more effective than NOCC, and the most effective one in alleviating Cd toxicity was low molecular weight shrimp chitosan.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.1-15
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• 1995

Tolerance to toxic effects of cadmium(Cd), including lethality has been shown following pretreatment with cadmium and zinc. This study was designed to determine if tolerance also develops to Cd-induced hepatotoxicity and renal toxicity. Three groups of rats(A, B, C), each consisting of 52 rats, were studied and each group was divided into three subgroups(1,2,3), 28 rats for each subgroup. Rats were subcutaneously pretreated with saline(A), $CdCl_2$(0.5 mg/kg, B), and $ZnCl_2$(13.0 mg/kg, C) during time periods of 5 days. At the end of the period, rats were challenged with $CdCl_2$(3.0 and 6.0 mg/kg) by intraperitoneal injection. As for the cadmium levels in rat tissues after 1,3,5,6 days of pretreatments, it was highest in the liver. Then kidney, heart, blood and muscle followed it in that order. After 24, 48 and 96 hours of intraperitoneal injection by challenge doses the concentration of cadmium in liver and kidney increased proportionally to the increase of challenge dosage. However metallothioneins in liver and kidney were increased by the pretreatment of cadmium and zinc. These data indicate the liver is a major target-organ of acute Cd poisoning, and suggest that cadmium induced hepatic injury, via release of Cd-MT, may play an important role in the nephrotoxicity observed in response to short-term exposure to cadmium. This result suggest that increasing cadmium concentrations, gradually accumulating in liver and kidney as the result of the pretreatment, served to induce the synthesis of metallothionein, thus making them resistant to the challenge from cadmium.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.40 no.6
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• pp.696-701
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• 2008

The objective of this study was to determine whether Codonopsis lanceolata or Platycodon grandiflorum ethyl acetate fraction (CLEA or PGEA) protect cells against sodium nitroprusside (SNP)-induced oxidative stress via the expression of various antioxidant systems. The HepG2 cells exposed for 24 hr to 0.5 mM SNP showed a reduction in the cell viability by an MTT assay. Pretreatment with CLEA and PGEA resulted in an inhibition of SNP-induced cell death. In addition, the effects of CLEA and PGEA on the expression of antioxidant systems via RT-PCR analyses was assessed. The levels of catalase (CAT), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) and metallothionein (MT)-1A mRNA were increased after 24 hr of CLEA exposure. The levels of Mn superoxide dismutase CAT, G6PD, MT-1A, and MT-2A mRNA were increased after PGEA treatment. In conclusion, CLEA and PGEA exert indirect antioxidant effects, perhaps via the induction of a variety of antioxidant systems which, may protect cells against oxidative stress.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.68-74
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• 2009

We have previously demonstrated that overexpression and characterization of Brassica rapa type-l metallothionein gene (BrMT1) in Arabidopsis which showed enhanced resistance to cadmium and ROS. Here, we present the consistent study of our previous report about BrMTs. BrMT3 expressing DTY167 cells showed resistance to Zn and Pb as well as Cd. Thus, we have developed the BrMT3 overexpression Arabidopsis to enhance capacity for metal stresses. Successful expression and localization were achieved using the rubisco transit peptides of RbcS-BrMT3-GFP protein, which was confirmed by western blot analysis with the GFP antibody and green fluorescence signal from the chloroplast. BrMT3 overexpression Arabidopsis plants exhibited a higher resistance to cadmium compared to control plants. This result indicates that BrMT3 would be applicable to the development of plants with enhanced resistance against heavy metal stresses.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.98-105
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• 1994

The search for tumor-avid agents for use in nuclear medicine imaging or therapy is a field of ongoing importance. Metallothionein (MT) is an intracellular protein that binds many metals with isotopes having imaging or radiotherapeutic potential. The purpose of the study was to determine whether uptake of radioisotopes that bind to MT is increased in tumor. We measured the uptake of Cd-109 and Ga-67 in tumor and normal tissues of sarcoma-bearing mice. Tumors were grown subcutaneously in female Balb/C mice from cultured Balb/3T3 cells transformed by the Moloney murine sarcoma virus (MMSV). When the tumors reached about 1 cm in diameter, mice were injected subcutaneously with Cd-109 and Ga-67. Eighteen and seventy-two hours later, the mice were sacrified. Organs and tissues were removed, weighed, and activity per mg tissue determined by gamma well-counting. Uptake of Cd-109 by MMSV tumors exceeded that by normal tissues examined, with the exception of liver and kidney (the organs known to be richest in MT). The tumor-to-tissue ratios of uptake for Cd-109 were far greater than those for Ga-67 for many normal tissues of great importance in terms of background activity (bone, intestine, fat, muscle, and blood). We concluded that metals that bind to MT may be useful for oncologic imaging or rediotherapy of cancer.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Plant Biotechnology Conference
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• 2005.11a
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• pp.177-177
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• 2005

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.59 no.6
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• pp.551-558
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• 2016

Malignant glioma cells invading surrounding normal brain are inoperable and resistant to radio- and chemotherapy, and eventually lead to tumor regrowth. Identification of genes related to motility is important for understanding the molecular biological behavior of invasive gliomas. According to our previous studies, Metallothionein 1E (MT1E) was identified to enhance migration of human malignant glioma cells. The purpose of this study was to confirm that MT1E could modulate glioma invasion in vivo. Firstly we established 2 cell lines; MTS23, overexpressed by MT1E complementary DNA construct and pV12 as control. The expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-2, -9 and a disintegrin and metalloproteinase 17 were increased in MTS23 compared with pV12. Furthermore it was confirmed that MT1E could modulate MMPs secretion and translocation of NFkB p50 and B-cell lymphoma-3 through small interfering ribonucleic acid knocked U87MG cells. Then MTS23 and pV12 were injected into intracranial region of 5 week old male nude mouse. After 4 weeks, for brain tissues of these two groups, histological analysis, and immunohistochemical stain of MMP-2, 9 and Nestin were performed. As results, the group injected with MTS23 showed irregular margin and tumor cells infiltrating the surrounding normal brain, while that of pV12 (control) had round and clear margin. And regrowth of tumor cells in MTS23 group was observed in another site apart from tumor cell inoculation. MT1E could enhance tumor proliferation and invasion of malignant glioma through regulation of activation and expression of MMPs.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2000.11a
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• pp.183-186
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• 2000

Recombinant E. coli JM109(pZH3-5/pMT) harboring manganese transport gene(mntA) and metal sequestering protein, metallothionein(MT), was cultivated to accumulate cadmium in aqueous phase. Bioaccumulation followed Michaelis-Menten type kinetics. Equilibrium isotherm showed Langmuir type isotherm. IPTG induction cell showed fast $Cd^{2+}$ uptake and had higher uptake rate than wild type and no-induced cell. The optimum pH and temperature for $Cd^{2+}$ uptake was 7 and $37^{\circ}C$, respectively. Manganese (0.01M) inhibited the $Cd^{2+}$ accumulation. However, $Cu^{2+}$, $Zn^{2+}$ and $Pb^{2+}$ did not affect the $Cd^{2+}$ bioaccumulation.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.421-427
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• 1993

Some interleukin 6 (IL-60 transcription control factors were resported as the regulator of IL-6 expression. A nuclear protein bound to interleukin 1 (IL-1) responsive element in the IL-6 promoter region was named NF-IL6 (nuclear factor for IL-6). This NF-IL6 was known to be very imporant as a transcription factor for various immuno-protein as well as for IL-6. The human NF-IL6 genes were transfected into the mouse L cells under the metallothionein promoter (MT promoter) to establish a model system for the expression of foreign gene in the mammalian cell line.