• Nutritional Sciences
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.152-158
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• 2006

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection rapidly stimulated either COX-2 or 5-LOX and released arachidonic acid metabolites that have been considered as pivotal mediators in H. pylori-induced inflammatory responses. To determine whether red ginseng extract (RGE) can suppress the biosynthesis of 5(S)-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids (HETE), a precursor metabolite of leukotrienes B4 (LTB4) in H. pylori-provoked inflammatory responses in gastric epithelial cells, the biosynthesis of monohydroxy fatty acids was measured using radioactive arachidonic acid and validated by RP-HPLC using non-radioactive AA as substrate in AGS cells cocultured with H. pylori (ATCC 43504) with or without pretreatment of RGE. Among three known major HETEs, H. pylori infection specifically induced the biosynthesis of $^{14}C-5(S)-HETE$ rather than the complex of $^{14}C-15S-/^{14}C-12(S)-HETE$ from $^{14}C-AA$, concomitantly obtained by HPLC(p<0.01). RGE, 1 to $100{\mu}g/ml$, selectively suppressed H. pylori-stimulated $^{14}C-5(S)-HETE$ production implying the attenuation of 5-lipoxygenase activity, of which was similar to known LOX inhibitor NDGA $(10{\mu}M)$ (p<0.01). However, the amount of 5(S)-HETE was significantly reduced by higher dose of RGE $(100{\mu}g/ml)$ (p<0.05). These results indicated that LOX pathway might be one of principle pathogenic mechanisms of H. pylori and red ginseng could be a nutraceutical against H. pylori infection through inhibiting action of LOX activity.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.123-127
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• 2002

Ninety nine extracts from Korean plants were screened for their inhibitory activities on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1 pretense by an HPLC method. The pretense inhibitory activities were determined by incubating the extracts in reaction mixtures containing pretense and substrate (His-Lys-Ala-Arg-Val-Leu-(p-NO$_2$- Phe)-Glu-Ala-Nle-Ser-NH$_2$) to perform proteolytic cleavage reactions. Of the extracts tested, the water extracts of Viburnum awabuki (stem and leaves) and Distylium racemosum (leaves) had the highest pretense inhibitory activities at a concentration of 100ug/mL. Activity-guided fractionation, revealed that the n-butanol fraction of the V. awabuki extract and the ethyl acetate fraction from the D. racemosum extract had the greatest inhibitory activity on HIV-1 pretense.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.511-519
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• 1998

This study investigated the role of nitric oxide on the oxidative damage in gastric mucosa of rats which received ischemia/reperfusion and its relation to mucus. Nitric oxide synthesis modulators such as L-arginine and $N^G-nitro-L-arginine$ methyl ester, and sodium nitroprusside, a nitric oxide donor, were injected intraperitoneally to the rats 30 min prior to ischemia/reperfusion which was induced by clamping the celiac artery and the superior mesenteric artery for 30 min and reperfusion for 1 h. Lipid peroxide production, the contents of glutathione and mucus, and glutathione peroxidase activities of gastric mucosa were determined. Histological observation of gastric mucosa was performed by using hematoxylin-eosin staining and scanning electron microscopy. The result showed that ischemia/reperfusion increased lipid peroxide production and decreased the contents of glutathione and mucus as well as glutathione peroxidase activities of gastric mucosa. Ischemia/reperfusion induced gastric erosion and gross epithelial disruption of gastric mucosa. Pretreatment of L-arginine, a substrate for nitric oxide synthase, and sodium nitroprusside prevented ischemia/reperfusion-induced alterations of gastric mucosa. However, $N^G-nitro-$ L- arginine methyl ester, a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, deteriorated oxidative damage induced by ischemia/reperfusion. In conclusion, nitric oxide has an antioxidant defensive role on gastric mucosa by maintaining mucus, glutathione, and glutathione peroxidase of gastric mucosa.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.94-98
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• 2001

Type I signal peptidase cleaves the signal sequence from the amino terminus of membrane and secreted proteins afters these protein insert across the membrane. This enzyme serves as a potential target for the development of novel antibacterial agents due to its unique physiological and biochemical properties. Despite considerable research, the signal peptidase assay still remains improvement to provide further understanding of the mechanism and high-throughput inhibitor screening of this enzyme. In this paper, three known signal peptidase assays are tested with an E. coli D276A mutant signal peptidase to distinguish the sensitivity of each assays. In vitro assay using the procoat synthesized by in vitro transcription translation shows that the D276A signal peptidase I was inactive while in vivo processing of pro-OmpA expressed in the temperature-sensitive E. coli strain IT41 as well as in vitro assay using pro-OmpA nuclease A substrate show that D276A signal peptidase I has activity like wild-type signal peptidase. These results suggest that in vitro assay using the pro-OmpA nuclease A and in vivo pro-OmpA processing assay are more sensitive monitors than in vitro assay using the pro-coat. In conculsion, caution should be used when interpreting the in vitro results using the procoat.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.280-287
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• 2005

The insulin-mediated Ras/mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase cascade was examined in SK-N-BE(2) and PC12 cells, which can and cannot produce reactive oxygen species (ROS), respectively. Tyrosine phosphorylation of the insulin receptor and insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS-1) was much lower in SK-N-BE(2) cells than in PC12 cells when the cells were treated with insulin. The insulin-mediated interaction of IRS-1 with Grb2 was observed in PC12 but not in SK-N-BE(2) cells. Moreover, the activity of extracellular-signal-related kinase (ERK) was much lower in SK-N-BE(2) than in PC12 cells when the cells were treated with insulin. Application of exogenous $H_2O_2$ caused increased tyrosine phosphorylation and Grb2 binding to IRS-1 in SK-N-BE(2) cells, while exposure to an $H_2O_2$ scavenger (N-acetylcysteine) or to a phophatidylinositol-3 kinase inhibitor (wortmannin), and expression of a dominant negative Rac1, decreased the activation of ERK in insulin-stimulated PC12 cells. These results indicate that the transient increase of ROS is needed to activate ERK in insulin-mediated signaling and that an inability to generate ROS is the reason for the insulin insensitivity of SK-N-BE(2) cells.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.627-632
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• 2003

The pH dependence of the kinetic parameters of recombinant acetohydroxy acid synthase catalyzed reaction was determined in order to obtain information about the chemical mechanism, particularly acid-base chemistry. The maximum velocity and V/K for pyruvate were bell-shaped with estimated pK values of 6.5-6.7 and 8.6-8.9, respectively. The maximum velocity and V/K for 2-ketobutyrate were also bell-shaped with estimated pK values of 6.6-7.0 and 8.4-8.6. The pH dependence of 1/Ki for 3-bromopyruvate, a competitive inhibitor of pyruvate, was also bell-shaped, giving pK values almost identical with those obtained for pyruvate. Since the same pK values were observed in the $pK_{i 3-bromopyruvate}$, V/K pH profiles and $V_{max}$ profiles, both enzyme groups must be in their optimum protonation state for efficient binding of reactants. These results reflect that two enzyme groups are necessary for binding of substrate and/or catalysis.

• The Korean Journal of Ceramics
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.125-130
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• 1999

After $SnO_2$ fine powder by precipitation method, Ca as crystallization inhibitor and Pd as catalyst were added to $SnO_2$ raw material by various methods. Thick film device was fabricated on the alumina substrate by mixing ethylene glycol and such mixed powders. The sensing characteristics of the device for methane gas were investigated. The most excellent gas sensing property was shown by the thick film device fabricated by Method 3 in which Ca and Pd doped $SnO_2$ powder is prepared by mixing $SnO_2$ powder, 0.1 wt% Ca acetate and 1 wt% $PdCl_2$ in deionized water and by calcining the mixture, after $Sn(OH)_4$ is dried at $110^{\circ}C$ for 36h. The sensitivity of the sensor fabricated with $SnO_2$-0.1 wt%Ca acetate-1wt%$PdCl_2$ powder heat-treated at $700^{\circ}C$ for 1h was about 86% for 5,000 ppm methane in air at $350^{\circ}C$ of the operating temperature. Response time and recovery were also excellent.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.9-16
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• 1983

The effects of ethanol on Na-K-ATPase activity were investigated with cat kidney homogenate. The results were summarized as follows: 1. Na-K-ATPase activity was inhibited with dose-dependent manner by ethanol of higher concentration than 1%, and showed an estimated $I_{50}$ (the inhibitor concentration to cause 50% inhibition) of 7.5%. 2. Hydrolysis of ATP was linear with the incubation time in the absence and presence of 8% ethanol, whereas it was different with preincubation time in the presence of 15% ethanol. 3. Inhibition of Na-K-ATPase activity by ethanol was not affected by increased enzyme concentration, and showed the reversibility of the inhibitory pattern. 4. Kinetic studies of cationic-substrate activation of Na-K-ATPase showed that ethanol had both properties of classical competitive inhibition for $Mg^{{+}{+}}$ or $K^+ and non-competitive inhibition for ATP or $Na^+$. 5. Arrhenius plot yield two break point at $21^{\circ}$ and $30^{\circ}C$ in the absence of ethanol, whereas showing only one break point at $18^{\circ}C$ in the presence of 8% ethanol. These results suggested that ethanol inhibited Na-K-ATPase activity reversible through a disturbance of microenvironment of lipids associated with the enzyme.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.497-502
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• 2014

In the present study, we found that the natural compound arctigenin inhibited hydrogen peroxide-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in rat primary astrocytes. Since hemeoxygenase-1 (HO-1) plays a critical role as an antioxidant defense factor in the brain, we examined the effect of arctigenin on HO-1 expression in rat primary astrocytes. We found that arctigenin increased HO-1 mRNA and protein levels. Arctigenin also increases the nuclear translocation and DNA binding of Nrf2/c-Jun to the antioxidant response element (ARE) on HO-1 promoter. In addition, arctigenin increased ARE-mediated transcriptional activities in rat primary astrocytes. Further mechanistic studies revealed that arctigenin increased the phosphorylation of AKT, a downstream substrate of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K). Treatment of cells with a PI3K-specific inhibitor, LY294002, suppressed the HO-1 expression, Nrf2 DNA binding and ARE-mediated transcriptional activities in arctigenin-treated astrocyte cells. The results collectively suggest that PI3K/AKT signaling pathway is at least partly involved in HO-1 expression by arctigenin via modulation of Nrf2/ARE axis in rat primary astrocytes.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.516-522
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• 2006

This study was to assess the antimicrobial action of 2-hydroxyethyl ${\beta}$-undecenate purified from cumin (Cuminum cymium L.) seed against the oral anaerobe, Streptococcus mutans, which is associated with gingivitis, specifically focusing on the catabolic effect. 2-Hydroxyethyl ${\beta}$-undecenate inhibited the acid production and growth of S. mutans after 30 hr incubation at 50 mM. The glycolysis of S. mutans with glucose as substrate was similarly sensitive to 2-hydroxyethyl ${\beta}$-undecenate, with 70% inhibition of glucose utilization at 5 mM and 90% inhibition at 50 mM. In addition, this substance potently inhibited the glycolysis enzyme, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GADP); the phosphoenolpyruvate, glucose phosphotransferase (Glucose-PTS); and membrane ATPase, in a concentration dependent manner. The $IC_{50}$ values for inhibition of GADP, Glucose-PTS, and ATPase were 1, 0.9, and 5 mM, respectively. Furthermore, 2-hydroxyethyl ${\beta}$-undecenate inhibited teeth calcium ion elution by 80% at 50 mM. These results suggest that 2-hydroxyethyl ${\beta}$-undecenate is a potent inhibitor of carbohydrate metabolism and the growth of S. mutans JC-2.