• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.242-248
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• 2013

Our objectives in this experiment were to study the effects of oils that are high in contents of unsaturated fatty acids (olive, flaxseed, and perilla oils) and pyroligneous liquor on plasma lipid concentrations in mice. Male ICR-mouse (n=10 per group) were fed powdered form diets containing oil and pyroligneous liquor for 60 days. The cholesterol level of the PP group ($96.71{\pm}25.75$ $mg/d{\ell}$) was lower than that of the COW group ($133.56{\pm}21.53$ $mg/d{\ell}$). Levels of triglyceride of COP, CFP, and CPP groups were $121.10{\pm}50.79$ $mg/d{\ell}$, $77.80{\pm}38.58$ $mg/d{\ell}$, and $92.40{\pm}33.04$ $mg/d{\ell}$, respectively (p<0.05). The dietary addition of olive oil increased the plasma lsevels of cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol. On the other hand, the dietary addition of flaxseed oil and pyroligneous liquor increased the plasma level of HDL-cholesterol and decreased the plasma levels of LDL-cholesterol and triglyceride compared with those of the control group. Further, the dietary addition of perilla oil decreased plasma triglyceride but increased HDL-cholesterol. The decrease in the cholesterol level was much higher in the CFP group. In conclusion, the dietary addition of long-term pyroligneous liquor effectively decreased the plasma levels of cholesterol and triglyceride and increased the plasma level of HDL-cholesterol. The additional dietary administration of flaxseed and perilla oils increased the effect of pyroligneous liquor.

• BMB Reports
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.532-538
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• 2007

Mouse ficolin A is a plasma protein with lectin activity, and plays a role in host defense by binding carbohydrates, especially GlcNAc, on microorganisms. The ficolin A subunit consists of an N-terminal signal peptide, a collagen-like domain, and a C-terminal fibrinogen-like domain. In this study, we show that ficolin A can be synthesized and oligomerized in a cell and secreted into culture medium. We also identify a functionally relevant signal peptide of ficolin A by using MS/MS analysis to determine the N-terminal sequence of secreted ficolin A. When the signal peptide of mouse ficolin A was fused with enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP), EGFP was released into HEK 293 cell medium, suggesting that the signal peptide can efficiently direct ficolin A secretion. Moreover, our results suggest that the signal peptide of ficolin A has potential application for the production of useful secretory proteins.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.125-138
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• 1993

This study was carried out to investigate the effects of cadmium chloride on the spermatogenesis of male mouse. Cadmium chloride was administered as a single dose of 5mg/kg body weight by intraperitoneal injection. The testes were isolated from the experimental animals at 3 hours, 8 hours, 12 hours, and 24 hours respectively after administration of cadmium chloride. The major changes in ultrastructures of the seminiferous tubules observed after cadmium chloride administration include dilation of smooth endoplasmic reticulum, swelling of mitochondria and vacuolation in cytoplasm of the germ cells. Especially, cadmium chloride caused direct damages to spermatogonia such as degeneration of nuclei, nuclear membrane and plasma membrane. In addition, necrotic changes were observed in most germ cells at 24 hours after cadmium chloride administration. Therefore, it seems clear from these results that cadmium chloride induces acute irreversible degenerative changes in the seminiferous tubules of the mouse testis, so that the cadmium chloride ultimately causes necrosis in germ cells at all stages of the spermatogenesis.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2007

Objectives : The purpose of this study is that the protective effects of habmayou on acetaminophen (AP)-induced hepatotoxicity were investigated in mice. Methods : Before administering AP mice supplied with only water were left alone for 18 hours. after concentration and dissolution in poly ethylglycol AP 400mg per 1kg of mouse weight, we injected AP titrated density with a physiological saline solution into the abdominal cavity of mouse to induce hepatotoxicity. we researched mortality rate and the shape of liver tissue of mouse. Results : Treatment with habmayou (250 mg/kg, p.o.) 0.5 h after AP administration significantly prevented an increase in plasma alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase activities and AP-induced hepatic necrosis, and also reduced AP-induced mortality from 46% to 0%. In addition, oral treatment with habmayou significantly prevented AP-induced depletion of glutathione (GSH) contents. However, habmayou treatment, by itself, did not affect hepatic GSH contents. Conclusion : These results show that the hepatoprotective effects of habmayou against AP overdose may be due to its ability to block the bioactivation of AP by regeneration of hepatonecrotic cells.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.32-40
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• 2013

Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) have enormous potential in the biomedical sciences because they can grow continuously and differentiate into any kind of cell in the body. However, for future application in regenerative medicine, it is still a challenge to control the differentiation of PSCs without using genetic materials. To control the differentiation of PSCs, small molecules might be the best substitute for genetic materials considering the following advantages: small size, which enables penetration of plasma membrane; easy-to-modify structure; and low chance of genetic recombination in treated cells. Herein, we introduce small molecules that induce the neuroectodermal differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs). The small molecules were identified via ESC-based consecutive screenings of small-molecule libraries composed of 324 natural compounds or 93 selected drugs. The natural compounds discovered in the first screening were used to select 93 structurally similar drugs out of 1,200 approved drugs. In the second screening, among the 93 compounds, we found 4 drugs that induced the neuroectodermal differentiation of ESCs. These drugs were progesteroneor corticoid-derivatives. Our results suggest that small molecules targeting the progesterone receptor or glucocorticoid receptor could be used as chemical tools to induce the differentiation of PSCs into a specific germ lineage.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.102-108
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• 1996

Inhibitory effects of tannic acid on the lipid peroxidation induced by UVB were investigated. Tannic acid was administered either topically or orally for 3 days to hairless mice, which were previously irradiated with UVB, and inhibitory effects of tannic acid were measured. The UVB was found to cause skin erythema and hemolysis. When tannic acid was administered either topically or orally, hemolysis was decreased. After the skin was irradiated by UVB, the production of malondialdehyde was significantly decreased in erythrocyte and skin tissue, and the activities of SOD and catalase were significantly increased in plasma and skin tissue. In case of oral treatment, catalase activity was not significantly increased. The inhibitory effects of tannic acid on malondialdehyde production, SOD inhibition and catalase inhibition were more prominent in orally administerd groups than in topically administerri groups. However, the difference between two groups was not statistically significant. In conclusion, tannic acid decreased lipid peroxidation possibly by free radical scavenger action. The route of administrations, topical or oral, did not affect the antioxidative activity of tannic acid.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.973-979
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• 2006

Cordyceps sinensis has been clinically used for the treatment of recovering fatigue, promoting the production of body fluid and qi, resolving sputum and arresting cough. Recent studies showed that Cordyceps sinensis produced immune-modulatory, anticarcinogenic and antioxidative effects. But, there are lack of studies regarding the effects of Cordyceps sinensis on the asthma. So, this study was performed to investigate the oral administrated effects of this herb against the disease. Asthma was induced to Balb/c mouse by i.p. injection and aerosol immunization with ovalbumin, and the change of the eosinophil number in the bronchoalveolar avage fluid(BALF) was observed. Concentrations of Interleukine-4(IL-4), Interleukine-5(IL-5) in BALF and splenocyte were assessed by ELISA, ImmunoglobinG(IgG) and ImmunoglobinE(IgE) from serum were calculated by same method. We found that the effects of Cordyceps sinensis in asthma mouse was implicated in reductions of IL-4, IL-S released from type2 T helper (Th2) cell, and decreases of IgE from plasma cell. These findings suggest that Cordyceps sinensis can produce anti-asthmatic effect, which may play a role in allergen-induced asthma therapy.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.21-26
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• 2015

Plasma is an ionized gas mixture, consisting of neutral particles, positive ions, negative electrons, electronically excited atoms and molecules, radicals, UV photons, and various reactive species. Also, plasma has unique physical properties distinct from gases, liquids, and solids. Until now, non-thermal plasmas have been widely utilized in bio-medical applications (called bio-plasma) and have been developed for the plasma-related devices that are used in the medical field. Although numerous bio-plasma studies have been performed in biomedicine, there is no confirmation of the nonthermal effect induced by bio-plasma. Standardization of the biological application of plasma has not been evaluated at the molecular level in living cells. In this context, we investigated the biological effect of bio-plasma on living cells. Hence, we treated the fibroblasts with Dielectric Bauvier Discharge bio-plasma (DBD), and assessed the characteristic change at the molecular level, one of the typical cellular responses. Heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) regulates its own protein level in response to stimuli. HSP70 responds to heat shock by increasing its own expression at the molecular level in cells. Hence, we confirmed the level of HSP70 after treatment of mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) with DBD. Interestingly, DBD-plasma induced cell death, but there was no difference in the level of HSP70, which is induced by heat shock stimuli, in DBD-treated MEFs. Our data provide the basic information on the interaction between MEFs and DBD, and can help to design a molecular approach in this field.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.44 no.8
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• pp.1105-1113
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• 2015

Bokbunja (Rubus coreanus) is a Korean fruit and wild black raspberry that has antioxidant, anticancer, and beauty effects due to its abundant polyphenols and anthocyanins. The purpose of this study was to investigate the blood flow improvement effect of Bokbunja seed oil (BSO) in a high-fat diet-fed mouse model. We examined improvement of blood flow and its related biomarkers in vivo. Mice were divided into four groups; Control, high fat diet control (negative control, HFD), salmon oil control (positive control, HFD+commercial n-3 fatty acid), and BSO experiment groups (HFD+2 g/2,000 kcal, HFD+4 g/2,000 kcal). After the mice were sacrificed, plasma triglyceride, cholesterol, and blood flow-related biomarkers (coagulation factor 7, 12, serotonin, TXB2, PT, and aPTT) were measured in mouse blood and organs. BSO reduced blood viscosity through improvement of blood lipids (cholesterol and plasma triglycerides) as well as levels of blood coagulation factors and blood platelet activity. BSO also delayed blood coagulation time. Thus, we confirmed that BSO inhibits excessive blood clotting of blood vessels and improves blood flow. Taken together, these results suggest that BSO decreases plasma triglycerides and cholesterol and improves blood flow by regulating biomarkers.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.215-223
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• 2018

Intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ mobilization is closely linked with the initiation of salivary secretion in parotid acinar cells. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are known to be related to a variety of oxidative stress-induced cellular disorders and believed to be involved in salivary impairments. In this study, we investigated the underlying mechanism of hydrogen peroxide ($H_2O_2$) on cytosolic $Ca^{2+}$ accumulation in mouse parotid acinar cells. Intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ levels were slowly elevated when $1mM\;H_2O_2$ was perfused in the presence of normal extracellular $Ca^{2+}$. In a $Ca^{2+}-free$ medium, $1mM\;H_2O_2$ still enhanced the intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ level. $Ca^{2+}$ entry tested using manganese quenching technique was not affected by perfusion of $1mM\;H_2O_2$. On the other hand, $10mM\;H_2O_2$ induced more rapid $Ca^{2+}$ accumulation and facilitated $Ca^{2+}$ entry from extracellular fluid. $Ca^{2+}$ refill into intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ store and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate ($1{\mu}M$)-induced $Ca^{2+}$ release from $Ca^{2+}$ store was not affected by $1mM\;H_2O_2$ in permeabilized cells. $Ca^{2+}$ efflux through plasma membrane $Ca^{2+}-ATPase$ (PMCA) was markedly blocked by $1mM\;H_2O_2$ in thapsigargin-treated intact acinar cells. Antioxidants, either catalase or dithiothreitol, completely protected $H_2O_2-induced$ $Ca^{2+}$ accumulation through PMCA inactivation. From the above results, we suggest that excessive production of $H_2O_2$ under pathological conditions may lead to cytosolic $Ca^{2+}$ accumulation and that the primary mechanism of $H_2O_2-induced$ $Ca^{2+}$ accumulation is likely to inhibit $Ca^{2+}$ efflux through PMCA rather than mobilize $Ca^{2+}$ ions from extracellular medium or intracellular stores in mouse parotid acinar cells.