• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.25-29
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• 2010

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of atorvastatin on the pharmacokinetics of nifedipine (6 mg/kg) after oral administration of nifedipine with or without atorvastatin (0.5 and 2.0 mg/kg) in rats, and also was to evaluate to the effect of atorvastatin on the CYP3A4 activity. The 50% inhibiting concentration ($IC_{50}$) values of atorvastatin on CYP3A4 activity is 46.1 ${\mu}M$. Atorvastatin inhibited CYP3A4 enzyme activity in a concentration-dependent manner. Coadministration of atorvastatin increased significantly (p<0.05, 2.0 mg/kg) the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) and the peak concentration ($C_{max}$) of nifedipine compared to the control group. The relative bioavailability (RB%) of nifedipine was increased from 1.15- to 1.37-fold. Coadministration of atorvastatin did not significantly change the terminal half-life ($T_{1/2}$) and the time to reach the peak concentration ($T_{max}$) of nifedipine. Based on these results, we can make a conclusion that the significant changes of these pharmacokinetic parameters might be due to atorvastatin, which possesses the potency to inhibit the metabolizing enzyme (CYP3A4) in the liver and intestinal mucosa, and also inhibit the P-glycoprotein (P-gp) efflux pump in the intestinal mucosa. It might be suggested that atorvastatin altered disposition of nifedipine by inhibition of both the first-pass metabolism and P-glycoprotein efflux pump in the small intestine of rats. In conclusion, the presence of atorvastatin significantly enhanced the oral bioavailability of nifedipine, suggesting that concurrent use of atorvastatin with nifedipine should require close monitoring for potential drug interation.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.463-469
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• 2002

Rotaviruses are the world-wide leading causative agents of severe dehydrating gastroenteritis in young children and animals. The outer capsid glycoprotein VP7 and inner capsid glycoprotein VP6 of rotaviruses are highly antigenic and immunogenic. An SFV-based expression system has recently emerged as a useful tool for heterologous protein production in mammalian cells, exhibiting a much more efficient performance compared to other gene expression systems. Accordingly, the current study adopted an SFV-based expression system to express the VP7 of a group A human rotavirus from a Korean isolate, and the VP6 of a group B bovine rotavirus from a Korean isolate, in mammalian cells. The genes of the VP6 and VP7 were inserted into the SFV expression vector pSFV-1. The RNA was transcribed in vitro from pSFV-VP6 and pSFV-VP7 using SP6 polymerase. Each RNA was then electroporated into BHK-21 cells along with pSFV-helper RNA containing the structural protein gene without the packaging signal. The expression of VP6 and VP7 in the cytoplasm was then detected by immunocytochemistry. The recombinant virus was harvested by ultracentrifugation and examined under electron microscopy. After infecting BHK-21 cells with the defective viruses, the expressed proteins were separated by SDS-PAGE and analyzed by a Western blot. The results indicate that an SFV-based expression system fur the VP6 and VP7 of rotaviruses is an efficient tool for developing a diagnostic kit and/or preventive vaccine.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.257-267
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• 2012

The present studies were undertaken to compared application as cosmetic ingredients of carrot glycoprotein(CG) manufactured by carrot and it's application for raw material of beauty ingredient with those of scale collagen peptide(SCP). CG and SCP apply functionality of each cream did not have fading, smell change, creaming effect and cohesion, that means the CG's properties turned out to be very stable in $5^{\circ}C$, $25^{\circ}C$. Trans epidermal water loss content was significantly lower in CG and amount of water contained in skin was significantly higher in CG. These results suggest that cream containing CG turned to be very effective in improving wrinkles excellent humid-protection as well as SCP to skin.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.22-30
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• 2015

CSF is a major concern for the swine industry, representing currently the most epizootically dangerous disease to the species. Numerous CSFV isolates with various degrees of virulence have already been isolated worldwide, ranging from low virulent strains that do not result in any apparent clinical signs to highly virulent strains that cause a severe per acute hemorrhagic fever with very high mortality. The molecular epidemiology of CSFVs has proven to be an essential tool for effective disease control and the development of safe and effective vaccines. Therefore, this study cloned and sequenced local CSFV isolates, and conducted a phylogenetic analysis based on the E2 glycoprotein encoding sequences.The RNA was extracted from PK15 cell culture passaged CSFV isolates, the cDNA prepared, and the complete E2 gene amplified with a product size of 1186 bp. The gelpurified PCR product was cloned into a pGEMT easy vector and the positive clone commercially sequenced. Aligning the nucleotide (1119 bp) and amino acid (373) sequences with 29 reference strains revealed nucleotide and amino acid sequence identities of 82.60-97.80% and 88.70-98.70%, respectively, indicating a higher mutation rate of the field CSFV strains. The phylogenetic analysis based on the complete E2 amino acid sequences also revealed a reliable differentiation of all the analyzed strains into specific genetic groups and subgroups, plus the local isolate (CSFV-E2) was found to cluster with the CSFV subgroup 2.2. Thus, the full-length E2 cds proved to be most suitable for a reliable and statistically significant phylogenetic analysis of CSFV isolates.

• BMB Reports
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.483-492
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• 2000

The Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) strain F glycoprotein H (gH) gene in the pHLB-4 plasmid was recombinated into a baculovirus expression vector (lacZ-HcNPV) to construct a recombinant virus GH-HcNPV expressing gH. The sequences of gH and its expression were analyzed. The gH gene was located in the 6.41 kb BglII fragment. The open reading frame (ORF) of the gH gene was 2,517 bp and codes 838 amino acid residues. Insect cells infected with this recombinant virus synthesized a high level of the matured and gX-gH fusion protein with approximately 112 kDa. The fusion gH protein was localized on the membrane of the insect cells as seen by using immunofluorescence assay and accumulated in the cultured media by the SDS-PAGE and immunoprecipitation assays. The amino acid sequence presents additional characteristics compatible with the structure of a viral glycoprotein: signal peptide, putative glycosylation sites and a long C-terminal transmembrane sequence. Antibodies raised in mice to this recombinant protein recognized viral gH and neutralized the infectivity of HSV-1 in vitro. These results demonstrate that it is possible to produce a mature protein by gene transfer in eukaryotic cells, and indicate the utility of the HcNPV-insect cell system for producing and characterizing eukaryotic proteins. Furthermore, the neutralizing antibodies would appear to protect mice against HSV; accordingly, this particular recombinant protein may be useful in the development of a subunit vaccine.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.540-545
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• 2022

Betulin is a triterpenoid natural product contained in several medicinal plants including Betulae Cortex. These medicinal plants have been used for controlling diverse inflammatory diseases in folk medicine and betulin showed anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, and anticancer activities. In this study, we tried to examine whether betulin exerts a regulative effect on the gene expression of MUC5AC mucin under the status simulating a pulmonary inflammation, in human airway epithelial cells. Confluent NCI-H292 cells were pretreated with betulin for 30 min and then stimulated with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) for 24 h or the indicated periods. The MUC5AC mucin mRNA expression and mucin glycoprotein production were measured by reverse transcription - polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), respectively. To elucidate the action mechanism of betulin, effect of betulin on PMA-induced nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kB) signaling pathway was also investigated by western blot analysis. The results were as follows: 1) Betulin significantly suppressed the production of MUC5AC mucin glycoprotein and down-regulated MUC5AC mRNA expression induced by PMA in NCI-H292 cells. 2) Betulin inhibited NF-κB activation stimulated by PMA. Suppression of inhibitory kappa B kinase (IKK) by betulin led to the inhibition of the phosphorylation and degradation of inhibitory kappa B alpha (IκBα), and the nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65. This, in turn, led to the down-regulation of MUC5AC glycoprotein production in NCI-H292 cells. These results suggest betulin inhibits the gene expression of mucin through regulation of NF-kB signaling pathway, in human airway epithelial cells.

• Journal of Integrative Natural Science
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.205-210
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• 2013

Human P-gp is a protein responsible for the multidrug resistance (MDR) and causes failure of cancer chemotherapy. Till date no X-ray crystal structure is reported for this membrane protein, which hampers active research in the field. We performed homology modeling to develop three dimensional (3D) model of P-gp, and docking studies of the verapamil and curcumin have been performed to gain insight into the interaction mechanism between inhibitors and P-gp. It was identified that the inhibitors docked into the upper part of P-gp and interacted through the hydrophobic interactions.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.8
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• pp.3447-3450
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• 2015

Objective: To explore the sensitivity of gastric cancer cells to chemotherapy drugs in elderly patients and its correlation with cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression in cancer tissue. Materials and Methods: Forty-three elderly patients with gastric cancer (observation group) and 31 young patients with gastrointestinal tumors (control group) who were all diagnosed by pathology and underwent surgery in the 89th Hospital of Chinese People's Liberation Army were selected. Drug sensitivity testing of tumor cells in primary culture was carried out in both groups using a methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) method, and the expression of COX-2 and the factors related to multi-drug resistance (MDR) in cancer tissue were assessed by immunohistochemistry. Results: The inhibition rates (IR) of vincristine (VCR), 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), oxaliplatin (L-OHP), mitomycin (MMC) and epirubicin (eADM) on tumor cells in the observation group were dramatically lower than in the control group, with statistical significance (P<0.05 or P<0.01). The positive rates of COX-2, glutathione s-transferase-${\pi}$ (GST-${\pi}$) and P glycoprotein (P-gp) expression in cancer tissue in the observation group were all higher than in control group (P<0.05), while that of DNA topoisomerase $II{\alpha}$ ($TopoII{\alpha}$) expression lower than in the control group (P<0.01). In the observation group, COX-2 expression in cancer tissue had a significantly-positive correlation with GST-${\pi}$ and P-gp (r=0.855, P=0.000; r=0.240, P=0.026), but a negative correlation with $TopoII{\alpha}$ (r=-0.328, P=0.002). In the control group, COX-2 expression in cancer tissue was only correlated with P-gp positively (r=0.320, P=0.011). Bivariate correlation analysis displayed that COX-2 expression in cancer tissue in the observation group had a significantly-negative correlation with the IRs of 5-FU, L-OHP, paclitaxel (PTX) and eADM in tumor cells (r=-0.723, P=0.000; r=-0.570, P=0.000; r=-0.919, P=0.000; r=-0.781, P=0.000), but with hydroxycamptothecine (HCPT), VCR and 5-FU in the control group (r=-0.915, P=0.000; r=-0.890, P=0.000; r=-0.949, P=0.000). Conclusions: Gastric cancer cells in elderly patients feature stronger MDR, which may be related to high COX-2 expression.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.18 no.9
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• pp.1244-1248
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• 2008

P-glycoprotein (P-gp) is a very important drug transporter, which plays an important role in drug disposition and represents an additional mechanism for the development of multidrug resistance. Flavonoids, a major class of natural compounds widely present in foods and herbal products, have been shown to be P-gp inhibitors. The objective of the present study was to identify new chemosensitizer candidates through the screening of various herbal extracts. The inhibitory effects of herbal extracts on P-gp activity were assessed by measuring accumulation of calcein AM using P-gp overexpressed L-MDR1 cells. Curcuma longa showed the most potent inhibition on P-gp function. The inhibitory potential of P-gp was in the order: Curcuma longa > Curcuma aromatica > Ageratum conizoids > Zanthoxylum planispinum > Zedoariae rhizome > Rakta chandan > Dalbergia odorifera > Caesalpinia Sappan > Aloe ferox. To identify individual constituents with inhibitory activity, the herbal extracts were analyzed by LC/MS/MS. Several flavonoids such as curcumin, a well-known P-gp inhibitor, were identified through mass spectral library search. These in vitro data indicate that herbal extracts contain constituents that can potently inhibit the activities of P-gp and suggest that these herbal extracts should be examined for potential chemosensitizer in vivo.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.8
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• pp.1291-1299
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• 2007

Two ${\beta}$-1,4-glucanases (DI and DIII fractions) were purified to homogeneity from the culture filtrate of a cellulolytic bacteria, Cellulomonas sp. CS 1-1, which was classified as a novel species belonging to Cellulomonas uda based on chemotaxanomic and phylogenetic analyses. The molecular mass was estimated as 50,000 Da and 52,000 Da for DI and DIII, respectively. Moreover, DIII was identified as a glycoprotein with a pI of 3.8, and DI was identified as a non-glycoprotein with a pI of 5.3. When comparing the ratio of the CMC-saccharifying activity and CMC-liquefying activity, DI exhibited a steep slope, characteristic of an endoglucanase, whereas DIII exhibited a low slope, characteristic of an exoglucanase. The substrate specificity of the purified enzymes revealed that DI efficiently hydrolyzed CMC as well as xylan, whereas DIII exhibited a high activity on microcrystalline celluloses, such as Sigmacells. A comparison of the hydrolysis patterns for pNP-glucosides (DP 2-5) using an HPLC analysis demonstrated that the halosidic bond 3 from the nonreducing end was the preferential cleavage site for DI, whereas bond 2, from which the cellobiose unit is split off, was the preferential cleavage site for DIII. The partial N-terminal amino acid sequences for the purified enzymes were $^1Ala-Gly-Ser-Thr-Leu-Gln-Ala-Ala-Ala-Ser-Glu-Ser-Gly-Arg-Tyr^{15}$-for DI and $^1Ala-Asp-Ser-Asp-Phe-Asn-Leu-Tyr-Val-Ala-Glu-Asn-Ala-Met-Lys^{15}$-for DIII. The apparent sequences exhibited high sequence similarities with other bacterial ${\beta}$-1,4-glucanases as well as ${\beta}$-1,4-xylanases.