• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.481-488
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• 1995

In oriental folk medicine, Artemisia messes-schmidiana var viridis(Compositae) has been used for jaundice, hepatitis, diuretic and liver cirrhosis etc. 1-naphthylisothiocyanate(ANIT) has been used for more than 20 years as a model compound to study mechanisms of intrahepatic cholestasis in laboratory animals as rat and mouse. Various biochemical and morphological changes including biliary epithelial and parenchymal cell necrosis occur in the liver of animals treated with ANIT. The purposes of present study are to examine pharmacological effects of Artemisia messes-schmidiana var viridis water extract(AMWE) on alterations of secretion volume and total bile acids level in bile juice, and that of serum AST, ALT, ALP, bilirubin, and glucose levels in rat. AMWE stimulated bile secretion and recovered ANIT-induced cholestasis. Bile acid concentrations increased to more than 60% compared with normal by ANIT, which were returned toward normal value with AMWE treatment. Serum AST and ALT activities were increased by ANIT and yet which were significantly decreased with AMWE treatment. In addition, this effect was apparent in AMWE pretreatment group. Serum glucose levels were increased with AMWE and ANIT, while were decreased compared with control in AMWE posttreatment group. Increased serum total bilirubin contents and ALP activities by ANIT were significantly decreased with AMWE posttreatment. In conclusion, AMWE exerted bile acid-independent choleresis effect and then improved to normal conditions ANIT-induced cholestatic syndromes. Also, AMWE have protective and regenerative effect of hepatocytes in rat.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 2007.11a
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• pp.57-64
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• 2007

Metabolic interactions of the three major cannabinoids, ${\Delta}^9$-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD), and cannabinol (CBN) with steroid hormones were investigated. These cannabioids concentration-dependently inhibited $3{\beta}$-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase and $17{\alpha}$-hydroxylase in rat adrenal and testis microsomes. CBD and CBN were the most potent inhibitors of $3{\beta}$-phydroxysteroid dehydrogenase and progesterone $17{\alpha}$-hydroxylase, respectively, in rat testis microsomes. Three cannabinoids highly attenuated hCG-stimulated testosterone production in rat testicular interstitial cells. These cannabinoids also decreased in levels of mRNA and protein of StAR in the rat testis cells. These results indicate that the cannabinoids could interact with steroid hormones, and exert their modulatory effects on endocrine and testicular functions. Metabolic interaction of a THC metabolite, $7{\beta}$-hydroxy-${\Delta}^8$-THC with steroids is also investigated. Monkey liver microsomes catalyzed the stereoselective oxidation of $7{\beta}$-hydroxy-${\Delta}^8$-THC to 7-oxo-${\Delta}^8$-THC, so-called microsomal alcohol oxygenase (MALCO). The reaction is catalyzed by CYP3A8 in the monkey liver microsomes, and required NADH as well as NADPH as an efficient cofactor, and its activity is stimulated by some steroids such as testosterone and progesterone. Kinetic analyses revealed that MALCO-catalyze reaction showed positive cooperativity. In order to explain the metabolic interaction between the cannabinoid metabolite and testosterone, we propose a novel kinetic model involving at least three binding sites for mechanism of the metabolic interactions.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2007

The aim of this study was to examine whether administration of glutamine are able to prevent the methotrexate induced gut barrier damage, bacterial translocation, and weight changes. The animals with glutamine were fed with L-glutamine (1.2 and 2.4 mg/kg/day) for 7 days before methotrexate administration (20 mg/kg orally). 48 hour after methotrexate administration, intestinal permeability were measured for an assessment of the gut barrier dysfunction. Also, enteric aerobic bacterial counts, number of gram-negatives in mesenteric lymph node (MLN), liver spleen, kidney and heart were measured for an assessment of the enteric bacterial number and bacterial translocation. Amounts of food intake, body weight changes and organ weight changes of liver spleen, kidney and heart were measured. Methotrexate administration caused body and liver weight loss regardless amounts of food intakes. Methotrexate induced increasing intestinal permeability, enteric bacterial undergrowth and bacterial translocation to MLN, liver and spleen, but not kidney and heart. The supplements with glutamine reduced the intestinal permeability bacterial translocation, and not influences enteric bacterial number, and body and liver weight changes. This study suggested that glutamine might effectively reduce methotrexate induced intestinal damage and bacterial translocation, but not influence body and organ weight loss.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.830-843
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• 2006

Clinical evidence suggests that Nelumbinis Semen extracts have antidepressive properties and may offer an interesting alternative for the treatment of mood disorders. It was the aim of the present study to compare the effects of Nelumbinis Semen extracts with those of fluoxetine and hypericum perforatum extract in the rat forced swimming test (FST) and chronic mild stress (CMS), a model of depression. In the FST, p.o. administration of Nelumbinis Semen extracts (1 mg) induced a statistically significant reduction of immobility. The active behaviors in that test did not reflect decreased general activity because Nelumbinis Semen extracts failed to alter the locomotor activity of rats, measured in the open field test. Moreover Nelumbinis Semen extracts was superior to fluoxetine and hypericum perforatum extract in the incidence of sexual side-effects. These effects of Nelumbinis Semen extracts on the rat behavior is to be ascribed to increased Cytochrome c oxidase polypeptide Vla-liver, Mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 , Adenylosuccinate synthetase, and Aldehyde dehydrogenase in rat hippocampus.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 1996.04a
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• pp.222-222
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• 1996

In order to elucidate the correlation between the lipid peroxidation and hepatotoxicity, the formation of malondialdehyde (MDA) in liver homogenate and serum, and the transaminase activities were determined in intoxicated by ascorbic acid-Fe$\^$2+/-ADP in rat. In a model of ascorbic acid-Fe$\^$2+/-ADP hepatotoxicity, G009, which was obtained from Ganoderma lucidum IY009, exhibited anti-lipid peroxidative effect in rat liver homogenate, and that MDA values of the liver homogenate decreased from 48.1% to 74.8% in comparision to controls (p<0.01) Also, the MDA formation in serum inhibited 66.5% at 100 mg/kg of G009. Serum levels of glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase(GOT) and glutamic pyruvic transaminase(GPT) in peroxidizer-induced rats treated with G009 was decreased compared with control. Especially, The formation of lipid peroxides in serum was related to GPT levels. These results that G009 has a protective effect on ascorbic acid-Fe$\^$2+/-ADP-induced hepatic injury through an inhibition of lipid peroxidation in liver.

• Environmental Mutagens and Carcinogens
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.56-62
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• 2003

The liver progenitor cells could form a potential target cell population fore both tumor-initiating and -promoting chemicals. Induction of drug-metabolizing and antioxidant enzymes, including AhR-dependent CYP1A1, NQO-1 and AKR1C9, was detected in the rat liver epithelial WB-F344 "stem-like" cells. Additionally, WB-F344 cells express a functional, wild-type form of p53 protein, a biomarker of genotoxic events, and connexin 43, a basic structural unit of gap junctions forming an important type of intercellular communication. In this cellular model, two complementary assays have been established for detection of the modes of action associated with tumor promotion: inhibition of gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) and proliferative activity in confluent cells. We found that the PAHs and PCBs, which are AhR agonists, released WB-F344 cells from contact inhibition, increasing both DNA synthesis and cell numbers. Genotoxic effects of some PAHs that lead to apoptosis and cell cycle delay might interfere with the proliferative activity of PAHs. Contrary to that, the nongenotoxic low-molecular-weight PAHs and non-dioxin-like PCB congeners, abundant in the environment, did not significantly affect cell cycle and cell proliferation; however both groups of compounds inhibited GJIC in WB-F344 cells. The release from contact inhibiton by a mechanism that possibly involves the AhR activation, inhibition of GJIC and genotoxic events induced by environmental contaminants are three important modes of action that could play an important role in carcinogenic effects of toxic compounds. The relative potencies to inhibit GJIC, to induce AhR-mediated activity, and to release cells from contact inhibition were determined for a large series of PAHs and PCBs and their metabolites. In vitro bioassays based on detection of events on cellular level (deregulation of GJIC and/or proliferation) or determination of receptor-mediated activities in both ?$stem-like^{\circ}{\times}$ and hepatocyte-like liver cellular models are valuable tools for detection of modes of action of polyaromatic hydrocarbons. They may serve, together with concentration data, as a first step in their risk assessment.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.27 no.2 s.66
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• pp.155-170
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• 2006

Objectives : This study aimed to evaluate the hypoglycemic, hepatoprotective, and nephroprotective effects of 'Saengjinyanghyul-tang($Sh\={e}ngj\={i}ny\v{a}ngxu\`{e}-t\={a}ng$ : SJYHT)' in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic SD rat model. Methods : SJYHT extracts were once a day dosed for 28 days at a dosage 1000, 500, and 250mg/kg/5ml from 25 days after STZ-dosing, and the changes on blood glucose levels, liver and kidney weight, serum AST, ALT, BUN and creatinine levels were observed with histological changes on the liver and kidney. Results : Increased blood glucose levels, and diabetic hepatopathy & nephropathy including increased serum AST, ALT, BUN and creatinine levels, histological changes after STZ-dosing were dose-dependently reduced by SJYHT extract-dosing. Conclusions : 'SJYHT' water extracts have favorable hypoglycemic, hepatoprotective, and nephroprotective effects on the STZ-induced diabetic SD rats. Therefore, it is expected that 'SJYHT' has potential for use in the management of diabetes and diabetic complications.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.370-378
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• 2019

The hepatic ischemic model has recently been widely used for the epidemiological study of ischemic reperfusion injury. This study was carried out to investigate the protective effect of vanillin, which is known to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, against hepatic and renal injury using an ischemia-reperfusion rat model, and we also investigated the mechanism related to vanillins' protective effect. The test material was administered at a concentration of 100 mg/kg for 3 days, followed by ligation of the liver for 60 minutes to induce ischemia reperfusion. As control groups, there was a negative control, sham control and ischemia-reperfusion-only ischemia reperfusion control, and the controls groups were compared with the drug administration group. In the vanillin group, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activities were significantly inhibited compared with the AST and ALT activities of the ischemia-reperfusion group, and histopathological examination showed significant reduction of both inflammation and necrosis. The malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels were significantly different from the ischemia-reperfusion group. In conclusion, vanillin showed a hepatocyte protective action by alleviating the cellular inflammation and cell necrosis caused by hepatic ischemia-reperfusion, and vanillin mitigated inflammatory changes in the kidney glomeruli and distal tubules. The protective effect is considered to be caused by vanillin's antioxidant function. Further studies such as on cell death and possibly vanillin's same effect on damaged tissue will be necessary for clinical applications such as organ transplantation.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.8
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• pp.710-718
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• 2021

Placenta-derived mesenchymal stem cells (PD-MSCs) are promising candidates for cell-based therapy in regenerative medicine. The migration and homing potential of PD-MSCs to injured sites is a critical property of MSC engraftment. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have recently been shown to regulate the critical functions of MSCs, such as proliferation, survival, and migration. The objective of the present study was to identify the miRNA and target genes involved in PD-MSCs homing in a bile duct ligation (BDL) rat model. We selected candidate miRNAs targeting genes for PD-MSCs homing based on microarray analysis. PD-MSC engraftment in BDL-injured rat liver was identified by immunofluorescence assay and human-specific Alu gene expression by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) one week after transplantation. Compared with migrated naïve PD-MSCs under hypoxic and normoxic conditions (Hyp/Nor), the transplanted group with PD-MSCs (Tx) showed distinct differences in miRNA expressions in BDL-injured rat liver. We also validated the miRNAs and their target genes for PD-MSCs homing. The expressions of integrin α4 (ITGA4) and integrin α5 (ITGA5) target genes for miR-199a-5p and miR-148a-3p were significantly upregulated in the Tx group (p<0.05). In addition, integrin β1 (ITGB1) and integrin β8 (ITGB8) were upregulated by suppressing miR-183-5p and miR-145-5p, respectively. These results demonstrated that PD-MSCs regulate miRNA expression related to the integrin family for their homing effects on the BDL-injured rat liver. The findings further suggest that miRNA-mediated regulation of the integrin family contributes to the therapeutic efficacy of PD-MSCs in the rat hepatic fibrosis model by BDL.

• Proceedings of the Ginseng society Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.277-287
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• 2002

The chemopreventive effects of ginseng on rat carcinogenesis models were investigated, In the present study, the inhibitory effects of white and red ginseng on tumor development were examined using medium-term liver, initiation and medium-term multi-organ carcinogenicity bioassay systems. No modifying potential of the ginsengs was evident in terms of the numbers or areas of glutathione S-transferase placental form (GST -P)-positive foci, which is a marker of preneoplastic lesion in rat livers. However, white ginseng, but not red ginseng was found to decrease the incidences of adenocarcinoma of the small intestine and colon in the medium-term multi-organ carcinogenesis model. These results indicate that white ginseng may have inhibitory effects on progression stage of rat intestinal carcinogenesis, but the influence is not strong. Ginseng is unlikely to have promoting or inhibitory effects in other organs under the present type of experimental conditions. Possible application on ginseng for chemoprevention of colon cancer in humans, can be concluded given the lack of obvious adverse effects.