• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.761-767
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• 2007

This study was conducted to determine the effects of exogenous zinc-metallothionein (Zn-MT) on anti-oxidative function and pork quality. After feeding a corn-soybean meal-based diet for two weeks, 48 pigs ($Duroc{\times}Landrace{\times}Chinese\;Black Pig$) were assigned randomly to four groups. Pigs in Group 1 were maintained under non-stress conditions, whereas pigs in Groups 2, 3 and 4 were aggressively handled for 25 min to produce stress. Pigs in Groups 1, 2, 3, and 4 received intramuscular administration of saline (control group; CON), 0 (negative control group; NCON), 0.8 (low dose group; LOW), and 1.6 (high dose group; HIGH) mg rabbit liver Zn-MT per kg body weight, respectively. Pigs were slaughtered at 3 and 6 h post-injection. Zn-MT treatment increased (p<0.05) the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione-peroxidase (GSH-PX) while decreasing the concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA) in liver. These responses were greater (p<0.05) at 6 h than at 3 h post Zn-MT injection. Zn-MT treatment increased (p<0.05) hepatic SOD mRNA levels in a time and dose-dependent manner and decreased (p<0.05) serum glutamate-pyruvate transaminase and lactate dehydrogenase activities (indicators of tissue integrity). Zn-MT administration decreased (p<0.05) lactate concentration and increased (p<0.05) pH and water-holding capacity in the longissimus thorasis meat. Collectively, our results indicate that intramuscular administration of Zn-MT to pre-slaughter stressed pigs improved tissue anti-oxidative ability and meat quality.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.36 no.7
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• pp.691-698
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• 2003

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of vitamin E on the cadmium accumulation in body, cadmium excretion and detoxification functions in chronic cadmium poisoned rats. Sprague-Dawley male rats weighing 100$\pm$10 g were randomly assigned to one normal group and three cadmium poisoned groups. Cadmium poisoned groups were classified to vitamin E free diet (Cd-0E group), vitamin E 40 mg/kg diet (Cd-400E group) and 400 mg/kg diet (Cd-400E group) according to the levels of vitamin E supplement. Animals were maintained on 0, 40 mg and 400 mg vitamin E/kg diets for 20 weeks and simultaneously administered 50 ppm Cd$^{2+}$ dissolved in the drinking water. Body weight, food intakes and food efficiency ratio were significantly decreased in all cadmium groups, compared with those of normal group. The accumulation of cadmium in rat liver, kidney and blood was reduced by sufficient vitamin E supplementation. The metallothionein (MT) content in liver and kidney were increased in all cadmium groups compared with that of normal group. The ratio of cadmium absorption and retention were significantly decreased in vitamin E supplementation groups. Accordingly, vitamin E supplementation resulted in an excretion of cadmium in urine and feces and a lowered accumulation of cadmium in liver and kidney. It can be suggested that increased MT synthesis lead to the significant decrease in cadmium absorption and retention ratios.s.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2021.04a
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• pp.60-60
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• 2021

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), especially including non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is one of the common diseases with 25% of prevalence globally, but there is no thera-peutic access available. Amomum villosum var. xanthioides (Wall. ex Baker) T.L.Wu & S.J.Chen (AX), which is a medicinal herb and traditionally used for treating digestive tract disorders in Asia countries. We aimed to examine pharmacological effects of ethyl acetate fraction of AX (AXEF) against ER stress-induced NASH mice model using C57/BL6J male mice by tunicamycin (TM, 2 mg/kg) injection focusing on the oxidative stress. Mice were orally administrated AXEF (12.5, 25, or 50 mg/kg), silymarin (50 mg/kg) or distilled water daily for 5 days, and outcomes for fatty liver, inflammation, and oxidative stress were measured in serum or liver tissue levels. AXEF drastically attenuated hepatic ER stress-induced NASH which were evidenced by decreases of li-pid droplet accumulations, serum liver enzymes, hepatic inflammations, and cell death signals in the hepatic tissue or serum levels. Interestingly, AXEF showed potent antioxidant effects by quenching of reactive oxidative stress and its final product of lipid peroxide in the hepatic tissue, specifically increase of metallothionein (MT). To confirm underlying actions of AXEF, we ob-served that AXEF increase MT1gene promoter activities in the physiological levels. Collectively, AXEF showed antioxidant properties on TM-induced ER stress of NASH by enhancement of MTs.

• The Korean Journal of Malacology
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.263-268
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• 2016

Metallothionein (MT) family of metal-binding proteins are involved in maintaining homeostasis and heavy metal poisoning. Recently, MT has been considered as a biomarker that can identify a particular species, very similar to the use of cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene. Satsuma myomphala species of land snails have been reported from North-East Asia, including South Korea and Japan. In particular, the land snail species have been known from only a limited area of Geoje Island, Gyeongsangnam-do province of South Korea. Genetic studies of S. myomphala has been limited with only 6 nucleotide, 2 protein registered on the NCBI server. For elucidating the genetic information of S. myomphala, we conducted RNA sequencing analysis using Illumina HiSeq 2500 next-generation platform. We screened the MT gene from the RNA-Seq database to confirm the molecular phylogenetic relationship. After sequencing, the de novo analysis and clustering generated 103,774 unigenes. After annotation against PANM database using BLAST program, we obtained MT sequence of 74 amino acid residues containing the coding region of 222 bp. Based on this sequence, we found about 53 sequences using the BLAST program in NCBI nr database. Using ClustalX alignment, Maximum-Likehood Tree of MEGA program, we confirmed the molecular phylogenetic relationships that showed similarity with mollusks such as Helix pomatia and H. aspersa, Megathura crenulata.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2003

Transgenic rabbits were produced by DNA microinjection using growth hormone receptor (GHR) and IGF-1 receptor (IGF-1R) genes fused to metallothionein(MT) promoter. The overall efficiencies for production of transgenic rabbits were 3.2% and 3.1% for GHR and IGF-lR genes, respectively. Founder rabbits transmitted transgenes to their progenies through medelian fashion. Growth rate of GHR and IGF-lR transgenic rabbits was significantly faster than that of non-transgenic rabbits. Transgenic rabbits grew large. (25% and 15% increase in body weight of GHR and IGF-lR transgenic rabbits, respectively) than non-transgenic rabbits and organ weight of transgenic rabbits increased, suggesting that GHR and IGF-1R genes affects growth rates in transgenic rabbits.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.19.1-19.7
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• 2016

A laboratory experiment was conducted to determine hexavalent chromium ($Cr^{6+}$) accumulation in the mullet and investigate $Cr^{6+}$ toxicity using a panel of biomarkers including metallothioneins (MTs), glutathione (GSH), glutathione S-transferase (GST), and superoxide dismutases (SODs) for 4 weeks. $Cr^{6+}$ bioaccumulation in all tissues, except muscle, was consistently time- and dose-dependent. The accumulation of $Cr^{6+}$ for 4-week exposures was in the following order: $kidney{\approx}liver$ > $intestine{\approx}gill$ > spleen > muscle. Compared with the control, $Cr^{6+}$ bioaccumulation was increased in ${\geq}200{\mu}g\;L^{-1}$ groups (P < 0.05). An independent relation was observed between accumulation factors (AFs) and exposure concentration. But AFs increased with exposure time. In the liver and gill, GST and SOD differed from the control at a high $Cr^{6+}$ concentration at 2 and 4 weeks (P < 0.05). This study indicated that the gills were as sensitive as the liver to $Cr^{6+}$ toxicity. However, the latter appeared to influence largely on the organism's adaptive response to $Cr^{6+}$, since $Cr^{6+}$ may elevate GSH and MT levels by enhancing the hepatic uptake of metal in the mullet.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.64-72
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• 1994

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 108 rats, were studied and each group was divided into three subgroups (1, 2, 3), 12 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 CdCIa (3.0 and 6.0 mg/kg) by intraperitoneal injection. As for the cadmium levels in rat tissues after 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 and important role in the nephrotoxicity observed in response to short-term exposure to cadmium. This result suggests that increasing cadmium concentrations, gradually accumulating in liver and kidney as the result of the pretteatmerit, served to induced the synthesis of metallothionein, thus making them resistant to the challenge from cadmium.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.17 no.12
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• pp.1717-1724
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• 2004

The study was conducted to determine the effect of Salmonella typhymurium lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge on egg-laying performance, inflammatory response, zinc metabolism in layer fed diets supplemented with organic or inorganic zinc since 3-wk-old. The three dietary treatments were corn-soybean meal basal diet without supplemental zinc or with supplemental zinc at 60 mg/kg zinc from $ZnSO_4$ or zinc amino acid complex (ZnAA). At the age of 58 wk-old, twelve hens from each dietary treatment were allotted into two sub-groups. On day 1, 3, 5, 7 of the $58^{th}$ week of age, six birds of one sub-group were injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) with 2 ml LPS (1.0 $\ell$/ml) or sterile saline. Neither zinc source ${\times}$ immune challenge interaction nor zinc source effect on egg production performance was observed (p>0.05), LPS-challenge decreased egg production (p<0.04) and increased percentage of cracked eggs (p <0.01). With LPS challenged, the fever response of hens fed ZnAA peaked and subsided earlier than in hens fed $ZnSO_4$ or basal diet. Serum IL-1$\beta$ at 3 h was higher (p<0.01), but lower (p<0.001) at 12 h post-challenge with LPS in hens fed ZnAA than $ZnSO_4$. In salinetreated groups, serum IL 1$\beta$ was higher in hens fed ZnAA than the basal diet at 3 h post-injection (p<0.01). LPS-challenged birds had lower serum zinc and higher zinc sequestered in liver and spleen (p<0.001). In saline-treated birds, there was no difference in zinc concentration of serum, liver and spleen among different dietary treatments (p>0.05). Supplementation of 60 mg/kg zinc from either ZnAA or $ZnSO_4$ significantly (p<0.05) elevated metallothionein (MT) concentration in liver and spleen. MT concentration in liver of birds fed ZnAA diet was higher than in those fed $ZnSO_4$ diet (p<0.05). The magnitude of increase of hepatic and splenic MT due to LPS challenge was higher by supplementation of ZnAA than $ZnSO_4$. The results suggest that zinc amino acid complex enhanceed MT synthesis and zinc sequestered in liver and spleen and increased the sensitivity to immune response due to LPS challenge.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.79-89
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• 1999

This study was conducted to investigate the antitoxic component in aqueous extract of Houttuynia cordata $T_{HUNB}$. The results were as follows: Generally, detoxication effects by Houttuynia cordata $T_{HUNB}$ extract increased in proportion to the extract concentrations. When 40mg/kg dosage of Houttuynia cordata $T_{HUNB}$ extract was administered, it showed the highest antitoxic effects in metallothionein induction. After the extract treatment, body weights increased in proportion to the extract concentration. However, after 3 weeks, the body weight decreased insignificantly. From the above results, Houttuynia cordata $T_{HUNB}$ extract increased metallothionein concentration and decreased the toxicity of cadmium in rats.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.81-94
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• 1997

The concentrations of cadmium, metallothionein(MT), superoxide dismutase(SOD), and lactate dehydrogenase(LDH) were investigated in liver and kidney of rats which were fed the water containing 50 or 100ppm cadmium chloride with basal diet(group A), 5% horsetail diet(group, B), 5% mugwort diet(group C) and 5% champignon diet(group D) for weeks. Cadmium in liver decreased for the first 12 weeks of treatment, but thereafter increased, and was lower in experimental group B,C,D than in control group A. Cadmium in kidney increased linearly during the 16 weeks of treatment, and was lower in group B than in group A. MT in liver decreased for the first 12 weeks of treatment in group A, but increased linearly during the 16 weeks in group B,C,D, higher in group B than in group A. There were significantly higher accumulation of cadmium and MT in liver than in kidney in the beginning of cadmium treatment, but reversed in the ending of treatment. The SOD and LDH activities were not affected during the 16 weeks treatment, and there was no significant difference between groups. Histologic examination revealed moderate to severe hepatic and renal injury in group A compared to horsetail diet group B. These results indicate that the kidney is a major target organ of chronic cadmium poisoning, and suggest that Cd-induced hepatic injury, via release of Cd-MT, may play an important role in the nephrotoxicity. In addition, higher MT concentrations in liver and kidney in the group B constitute a plausible explanation of the protective effects of horsetail diet against the cadmium toxicity in relation to histologic findings.