• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.115-122
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• 1993

There is evidence that noradrenaline enhances spontaneous contractions dose-dependently in guinea-pig antral circular muscle. To investigate the mechanism of this excitatory action, slow waves and membrane currents were recorded using conventional microelectrode techniques in muscle strips and the whole cell patch clamp technique in isolated gastric myocytes. On recording slow waves, noradrenaline $(10^{-5}\;M)$ induced the hyperpolarization of the membrane potential, although the shape of the slow waves became tall and steep. Also, spike potentiaIs occurred at the peaks of slow waves. These changes were completely reversed by administration of phentolamine $(10^{-5}\;M),\;an\;{\alpha}-adrenoceptor$ blocker. Noradrenaline-induced hyperpolarization was blocked by apamin $(10^{-7}\;M)$, a blocker of a class of $Ca^{2+}\;-dependent\;K^+$ channels. To investigate the mechanisms for these effects, we performed whole cell patch clamp experiments. Norndrenaline increased voltage-dependent $Ca^{2+}$ currents in the whole range of test potentials. Noradrenaline also increased $Ca^{2+}\;-dependent\;K^+$\;currents, and this effects was abolished by apamin. These results suggest that the increase in amplitude and the generation of spike potentials on slow waves was caused by the activation of voltage-dependent $Ca^{2+}$ channel via adrenoceptors, and hyperpolarization of the membrane potential was mediated by activation of apamin-sensitive $Ca^{2+}\;-dependent\;K^+\;channels$.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.131-135
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• 2006

Coeruleo-vestibular pathway which connects locus coeruleus and vestibular nuclei is noradrenergic. This study was designed to elucidate the effects of phenylephrine on the spontaneous activity of acutely isolated medial vestibular nuclear neurons of rat by whole-cell patch-clamp technique. Sprague-Dawley rats, aged 14 to 16 days, were used. After enzymatic digestion, dissociated medial vestibular neurons were transferred to a recording chamber mounted on an inverted microscope, and spontaneous action potentials were recorded by standard patch-clamp techniques. In current-clamp mode, the frequency of spontaneous action potential of medial vestibular nuclear neurons was decreased by phenylephrine (n=15). Phenylephrine increased the amplitude of afterhyperpolarization without changes in the resting membrane potential and spike width. In voltage-clamp mode, the whole potassium currents of the medial vestibular nuclear neurons were increased by phenylephrine (n=12). These experimental results suggest that ${\alpha}-receptor$ mediates the inhibitory effects on the neuronal activity of the medial vestibular nuclear neuron.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.271-280
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• 2020

Hypertension has been approved to cause disharmony between the heart and kidney such as cardiac hypertrophy and kidney dysfunction. In traditional oriental medicine Paeo-tang (PET) has been shown to have effects on blood circulation improvement. However, the beneficial effect of PET on hypertension remains unknown. In this study, we investigated that PET attenuates blood pressure and improves cardiovascular and renal function in NG-nitro-L-arginine methylester (L-NAME) rat model. Hypertensive rat models were induced by the administration of L-NAME (40 mg/kg/day) and then PET (50 or 100 mg/kg/day) or Olmetec was treated for 2 weeks. PET treatment significantly suppressed the systolic blood pressure and decreased intima-media thickness in the thoracic aorta. PET ameliorated endothelium-dependent and independent vascular relaxation in the L-NAME-induced vascular dysfunction. PET ameliorated the functional decline in the kidney such as albumin and blood urea nitrogen in plasma. These results demonstrated that PET possesses protective effects against L-NAME-induced hypertension.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.111-115
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• 2008

The effects of (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) on pacemaker activities of cultured interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) from murine small intestine were investigated using whole-cell patch-clamp technique at $30^{\circ}C$ and $Ca^{2+}$ image analysis. ICC generated spontaneous pacemaker currents at a holding potential of -70 mV. The treatment of ICC with EGCG resulted in a dose-dependent decrease in the frequency and amplitude of pacemaker currents. SQ-22536, an adenylate cyclase inhibitor, and ODQ, a guanylate cyclase inhibitor, did not inhibit the effects of EGCG. EGCG-induced effects on pacemaker currents were not inhibited by glibenclamide, an ATP-sensitive $K^+$ channel blocker and TEA, a $Ca^{2+}$-activated $K^+$ channel blocker. Also, we found that EGCG inhibited the spontaneous $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ oscillations in cultured ICC. In conclusion, EGCG inhibited the pacemaker activity of ICC and reduced $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ oscillations by cAMP-, cGMP-, ATP-sensitive $K^+$ channel-independent manner.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.447-454
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• 2021

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different copper sources (inorganic and organic) on the growth performance, fecal copper excretion, intestinal morphology, and health in growing pigs. A total of 40 growing pigs (30.22 ± 1.92 kg) were randomly assigned to 5 dietary treatments: a basal control diet (CON), 4 experimental diets supplemented with either copper sulfate (CuSO₄), Cu-glycine complex (CuGly), Cu-amino acid complex (CuAA), or Cu-hydroxy-4-methylthio butanoate chelate complex (CuHMB) at 100 ppm, respectively. At the end of the study (28 days), fecal and blood samples were collected, and the pigs were slaughtered to determine the intestinal morphology. During the 28 days of the experimental period, pigs fed the inorganic and organic copper showed a higher average daily gain (p < 0.01) and gain feed ratio (p < 0.01). There were no differences in mineral concentrations of the serum; however, the copper concentration of the feces was lower (p < 0.01) in the CuAA and CuHMB groups. The intestinal morphology and blood profiles did not significantly differ between the groups. In conclusion, the organic copper sources (CuAA and CuHMB) can be used as a growth promoter to replace the CuSO₄ without any negative effects on health in growing pigs and to reduce fecal copper excretion.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.95-100
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• 2004

Ischemic preconditioning (IPC) has been accepted as a heart protection phenomenon against ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) injury. The activation of ATP-sensitive potassium $(K_{ATP})$ channels and the release of myocardial nitric oxide (NO) induced by IPC were demonstrated as the triggers or mediators of IPC. A common action mechanism of NO is a direct or indirect increase in tissue cGMP content. Furthermore, cGMP has also been shown to contribute cardiac protective effect to reduce heart I/R-induced infarction. The present investigation tested the hypothesis that $K_{ATP}$ channels attenuate DNA strand breaks and oxidative damage in an in vitro model of I/R utilizing rat ventricular myocytes. We estimated DNA strand breaks and oxidative damage by mean of single cell gel electrophoresis with endonuclease III cutting sites (comet assay). In the I/R model, the level of DNA damage increased massively. Preconditioning with a single 5-min anoxia, diazoxide $(100\;{\mu}M)$, SNAP $(300\;{\mu}M)$ and 8-(4-Chlorophenylthio)-guanosine-3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (8-pCPT-cGMP) $(100\;{\mu}M)$ followed by 15 min reoxygenation reduced DNA damage level against subsequent 30 min anoxia and 60 min reoxygenation. These protective effects were blocked by the concomitant presence of glibenclamide $(50\;{\mu}M)$, 5-hydroxydecanoate (5-HD) $(100\;{\mu}M)$ and 8-(4-Chlorophenylthio)-guanosine-3',5'-cyclic monophosphate, Rp-isomer (Rp-8-pCPT-cGMP) $(100\;{\mu}M)$. These results suggest that NO-cGMP-protein kinase G (PKG) pathway contributes to cardioprotective effect of $K_{ATP}$ channels in rat ventricular myocytes.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.1309-1316
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• 2004

We previously reported that the ethtyl acetate(EA) soluble fraction of Sophorae Radix(SR) water extract had the preventive effects against cardiovascular anaphylaxis elicited in experimental animals. In this study, we tested the anti-anaphylatic effects of the nine kinds of EA soluble subfractions in animal models such as Langendorff heart and anesthetized rats. These results were obtained as followed ; Among nine kinds of SR EA soluble subfractions, N10-16-2 and N10-16-9 fractions have an effects improving cardiovascular anaphylaxis in guinea pig Langendorff hearts. In passively anesthetized rats, N10-16-2 and N1 0-16-9 fractions of SR EA soluble subfractions have an effects improving cardiovascular anaphylaxis. N10-16-2 and N1 0-16-9 fractions of SR EA soluble subfractions inhibited the decrease of histamine release induced by compound 48180 and A-23187 in rat peritoneal mast cells. These results suggest that N10-16-2 and N10-16-9 fractions of SR EA soluble subfractions involve anti-anaphylactic molecules in cardiovascular system.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.138-148
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• 2018

Objective: Fusarium mycotoxins deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEN), common contaminants in the feed of farm animals, cause immune function impairment and organ inflammation. Consequently, the main objective of this study was to elucidate DON and ZEN effects on the mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and other immune related genes in the kidneys of piglets. Methods: Fifteen 6-week-old piglets were randomly assigned to three dietary treatments for 4 weeks: control diet, and diets contaminated with either 8 mg DON/kg feed or 0.8 mg ZEN/kg feed. Kidney samples were collected after treatment, and RNA-seq was used to investigate the effects on immune-related genes and gene networks. Results: A total of 186 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened (120 upregulated and 66 downregulated). Gene ontology analysis revealed that the immune response, and cellular and metabolic processes were significantly controlled by these DEGs. The inflammatory stimulation might be an effect of the following enriched Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes pathway analysis found related to immune and disease responses: cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, chemokine signaling pathway, toll-like receptor signaling pathway, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), tuberculosis, Epstein-Barr virus infection, and chemical carcinogenesis. The effects of DON and ZEN on genome-wide expression were assessed, and it was found that the DEGs associated with inflammatory cytokines (interleukin 10 receptor, beta, chemokine [C-X-C motif] ligand 9, CXCL10, chemokine [C-C motif] ligand 4), proliferation (insulin like growth factor binding protein 4, IgG heavy chain, receptor-type tyrosine-protein phosphatase C, cytochrome P450 1A1, ATP-binding cassette sub-family 8), and other immune response networks (lysozyme, complement component 4 binding protein alpha, oligoadenylate synthetase 2, signaling lymphocytic activation molecule-9, ${\alpha}$-aminoadipic semialdehyde dehydrogenase, Ig lambda chain c region, pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase, isozyme 4, carboxylesterase 1), were suppressed by DON and ZEN. Conclusion: In summary, our results indicate that high concentrations of DON and ZEN suppress the inflammatory response in kidneys, leading to potential effects on immune homeostasis.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.67-71
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• 2002

This study investigated the relaxation effects of Crataegi Fructus(CF, Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge) on the contraction evoked by phenylephrine in rabbit carotid artery, and also analyzes antioxidative status in vitro. CF revealed siginificant relaxation on phenylephrine-induced arterial contraction. It's relaxant effect statistically significant in both in the presence of endothelium and absence of endothelium, but statistically exerted more strong relaxation in the presence of endothelium. CF increased in vitro nitric oxide(NO) production in dose-dependent manner. Also, they reduced malondiaidehyde(MDA) concentrations, phosphatidyl choline-liposome(PCOOH) contents, linoleic acid-induced lipid peroxidation and exerted 1,1-diphenyl-2- picryl-hydrazyl(DPPH) radical scavenging effect, in vitro. These results indicate that Crataegi Fructus would be effective in relaxing arterial contraction and it's antioxidative effects may be involved in endothelium-dependent relaxation of artery via vascular protective properites.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.203-208
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• 2003

Antioxidant effects of Rehmannia vaporata, Discorea Radix, Corni Fructus, Hoolen, Alismatis Radix, and Mountain Cortex Radicis composing Yukmijihwang-tang were studied. The results are as follows; 1. As a result of detecting the defensive effect of each component on cell damage, only the survival rate of cells with 10 ㎎/㎖ Mountain Cortex Radicis was significantly increased. 2. Next, we examined the inhibitory effects of them on ROS occurrence. The result showed significant inhibition of ROS occurrence in cells; with 10 ㎎/㎖ Rehmannia vaporata, cells with 10 ㎎/㎖ Corni Fructus, and cells with 10 ㎎/㎖ Mountain Cortex Radicis. Since the cells with 10 ㎎/㎖ Rehmannia vaporata, however, showed significant cypotoxicity, its result is not meaningful. 3. Finally, the investigation of ROS occurrence / cell found that Corni Fructus and Mountain Cortex Radicis had significant inhibitory effect on ROS occurrence.