• Toxicological Research
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• 제16권2호
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• pp.163-172
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• 2000

Recently, there is a worldwide concern that a great number of man-made chemicals have a hormone-like action both in humans and in animals. DECD is developing screening programs using validated test systems to determine whether certain substances may have an effect in humans. In the present study. the establishment oj repeated-dose toxicity test method was tried. Flutamide. an anti-androgenic agent. was administered by gavage to Sprague-Dawley rats for 28 days at dose levels of 0. 0.5. 3 and 18 mg/kg body weight (10-15 rats/sex/group) to examine the effects on general findings. especially reproductive and endocrine parameters. Clinical signs. body weights, food consumption, and sexual cycle were checked and measured. For the gross and microscopic examinations. 10 rats/sex/group were sacrificed at the end of dosing period and the remaining animals of control and high dose groups (5 each) were sacrificed after 14 days recovery. Examinations for hematology and clinical chemistry were carried out at necropsy. There were no treatment-related changes in clinical signs. body weights, food consumption. gross necropsy. hematology and clinical chemistry at all doses of both sexes. The period and regularity of sexual cycle were not adversely affected at all doses by the test agent. At 18 mg/kg. both decreased weights of prostate, seminal vesicle and epididymis in males and increased weights of spleen and thymus in females were observed. In addition, decreased number of spermatids and sperms. increased serum testosterone concentration and increased incidence (100%) of interstitial cell hyperplasia were seen in males. At 18 mg/kg of the recovery group. decreased prostate weight. reduced sperm count and increased incidence (20%) of interstitial cell hyperplasia in males and increased thymus weight in females were observed. At 3 mg/kg. reduced sperm count was found. There were no adverse effects on parameters examined at 0.5 mg/kg of both sexes. The results suggested that the potential target organs of flutamide may be accessory sexual glands including testes for males and spleen and thymus for females. Taken together. this test method was found to be a useful screening test system for endocrine disrupting chemicals.

• 한국한의학연구원논문집
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• 제16권2호
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• pp.167-179
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• 2010

Objective : The present study has been undertaken to investigate the preventive effects of Daekumeumja on fatty degeneration of liver and immunosuppression induced by alcohol in rats. Method : Except for the normal group, we fed rat on 25% alcohol for 55 days. And Daekumeumja(DK) extract was administrated for the same period. We measured the serum component in rat's blood, weight of internal organs, liver triglyceride contents, histomorphometry and histopathological observation of internal organs. Results : 1. In the change measurement of serum components, DK group(50 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg) showed significant decrease of AST, ALT, albumin, ALP and triglyceride in comparison with those of the alcohol control group. 2. In the change measurement of internal organ's weight, DK group(50 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg) showed significant increase of relative body weights of liver, thymus and spleen in comparison with those of the alcohol control group. 3. DK group(50 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg) showed significant decrease of hepatic triglyceride contents in comparison with those of the alcohol control group. 4. In histomorphometrical changes of liver, DK group(50 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg) showed significant decrease of numbers of hepatocytes occupied by over 10% lipid droplets, percentages of regions occupied by lipid droplets and mean diameters of hepatocytes in comparison with those of the alcohol control group. In histomorphometrical changes of thymus, DK group(50 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg) showed significant increase of lobular thickness and cortex thickness in comparison with those of the alcohol control group. In histomorphometrical changes of spleen, DK group(50 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg) showed significant increase of splenic thicknesses, numbers of white pulps and mean diameters of white pulps in comparison with those of the alcohol control group. 5. In histopathological changes of liver, DK group(50 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg) showed effective inhibition of severe fatty changes in comparison with those of the alcohol control group. In histopathological changes of thymus and spleen, DK group(50 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg) showed effective inhibition of atrophic changes in comparison with those of the alcohol control group. Conclusions : Reviewing these experimental results, it appears that Daekumeumja have pharmaceutical preventive efficacy on fatty degeneration of liver and immunosuppression induced by alcohol in rats.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• 제4권1_2호
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• pp.19-26
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• 1989

Experiments were performed on rats to investigate the effect of doses of capsaicin on the immune response. Olive oil and the 0.3 mg, 1.0 mg and 3.0 mg/kg administration of capsaicin in olive oil were injected intraperitoneally every day for 4 weeks. Rats were sensitized and challenged with sheep red blood cells (S-RBC). Immune responses were evaluated by organ weight, HA and HY titer, Arthus reaction, delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) and Rosette froming cell. Following results have observed. 1) The weight of spleen and thymus were increased by doses of compared with control group, but the body weight of rats was decreased. 2) HA titer, Arthus reaction and DTH were significntly decreased by doses of capsaicin as compared with control group. 3) Rosette forming cell in spleen cells was decreased according to the increase of capsaicin doses. These results suggested that high dose of capsaicin decrease humoral and cellular immune response in rats.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• 제9권3호
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• pp.253-258
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• 2004

Stress is a global menace exacerbated by the advancement of industrialization. Failure of stress management is to a breakdown of the psychological and physiological protection mechanisms against stress. The aim of present study was to investigate the anti-stress potential of ginseng against immobilization stress. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (n=24) were divided into three groups; (i) control, (ii) immobilization stress (2hr daily, for 2 weeks), and (iii) immobilization stress (2 hr daily, for 2 weeks) plus oral administration of ginseng (200 mg/kg BW Id). Immobilization stress resulted in a significant inhibition of body weight gain by 45 % and a significant decrease in the tissue weights of thymus and spleen (p < 0.05). The concentrations of blood GOT and GPT were significantly increased in the immobilization-stressed group compared to the control group (p < 0.05). There were no differences in the blood cholesterol levels among groups. Ginseng administration in the immobilization-stressed group tended to reverse the lack of body weight gain and food intake, though not significantly. The ginseng-administered group showed a significant reversal in the stress-induced effect on spleen and thymus weight, increasing the tissue weights by 16% and 20%, respectively, compared to immobilization-stressed group (p<0.05). The plasma corticosterone level was significantly increased in the stressed group by 39 % compared to the control group (p<0.05), but ginseng administration significantly reversed the stress-induced increase in plasma corticosterone by 15 % compared to the immobilization-stressed group. The present study suggests that the anti-stress effect of ginseng is mediated by normalization of stress-induced changes in the circulating hormones and a reversal of tissue weight loss, thereby returning the body to normal homeostasis.

• 대한한방내과학회지
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• 제21권3호
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• pp.425-432
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• 2000

Objective : It is well known that Gagamsojeokbackchool-san show antitumor effects and its activities are result from enhancement of immune function, we investigated the antitumor effects of Sambonggangyongbaneo-tang and its mechanism. Methods : We measured change of body weight, weight of immune organs (Spleen, Thymus), Liver, Kidney, tumor weight, cytotoxicity for investigation of antitumor effects of Sambonggangyongbaneo-tang. Results : 1. The body weight of mouse has no significant difference between control and sample groups. 2. The weights of immune organs (Spleen and Thymus) decreased significantly in sample groups. The weights of Liver and Kidney have no significant difference. 3. The tumor weights in mouse decreased significantly in sample groups and showed dose-dependent effect. 4. Cell viability of Sarcoma 180 has no significant difference in sample groups. 5. HeLa cell viability has no significant difference in low concentration, but it decreased significantly in high concentration. Conclusions : According to the above results, it could be suggested that Sambonggangyongbaneo-tang has prominant antitumor effects and cytotoxicity.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제3권3호
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• pp.177-181
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• 1995

To investigate the possibility of Panax ginseng as a therapeutic agent for the immune suppression, ginseng total saponin (GTS) extracted from korean red ginseng was tested on immune functions from morphine-induced immune suppressed mice. To study how immune functions are affected by morphine and also to test whether GTS can be an useful therapeutic agent for morphine toxicity, several parameters were employed, body weight, immune organ weight, B cell functions, and T cell function. Morphine impaired the development of body weight and immune organ weight such as spleen and thymus. Morphine also depressed a B-cell function, antibody production. T-cell functions studied by type IV hypersensitivity test were most markedly affected by morphine treatment. GTS restored most of morphine-induced immune suppression. GTS restored the morphine-induced decrease in spleen weight to body weight ratio in a dose dependent manner, but not the body weight decrease. Also all of the morphine-induced impairments of B cell functions and cellmediated immunity were fully recovered by GTS. These results suggest that ginseng product could be very helpful for the treatment of immune suppression occurring in morphine abusers.

• Toxicological Research
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• 제18권4호
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• pp.375-384
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• 2002

Repeated-dose toxicity of hyrubicin ID6105, a novel anthrarycline anticancer agent, was investigated in Sprague-Dawley rats. ID6105 was injected intravenously to rats at dose levels of 0.04, 0.2 or 1.0 mg/kg/day for 4 week. As a result, there were no dose-related mortality and specific clinical signs of all animals treated with the drug. However body weight gain of both male and female rats treated with a high dose (l.0 mg/kg/day) of ID6105 significantly decreased compared to control. Interestingly, the numbers of RBC and platelets, and concentration of hemoglobin remarkably increased, while protein synthesis was suppressed, which may be related to the atrophy of spleen, thymus and liver. Moreover there were severe lymphocytic depletion in spleen and thymus as well as decrease in the number of hematopoietic cells in bone marrow. Also, degeneration of cardiac muscles and testicular germinal epithelia were observed. Taken together, it is suggested that Long-term administration of ID6105 at high doses over 0.2 mg/kg/day might cause hematopoietic and male reproductive system injuries, in addition to hepatic dysfunction.

• 한국환경성돌연변이발암원학회지
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• 제22권4호
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• pp.324-330
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• 2002

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a monomer widely used in the manufacturing polycarbonate plastics or epoxy resin, and xenobiotics recently known as endocrine disrupting chemical. In this paper, to assess the effects of bisphenol A on immunopathological parameters (body weight, organ weight, hematological parameters, cellularity and surface marker) in mice, ICR female mice were orally exposed to BPA dissolved in olive oil as concentrations of 100, 500, 1000 ㎎/㎏/day b.w. 5 days a week for 30 days (subacute exposure). Liver - and kidney weight was significantly increased as dose-dependent manner, but body- , spleen- and thymus- weight didn't changed. In hematological parameters, WBC and MCHC were lowered but HCT and MCV were siginificantly enhanced. There was no significant differences in peritoneal macrophages number of the mice exposed to BPA. However, number of splenocytes of spleen, CD3/sup +/ and CD4/sup +/ cell in splenocytes, CD4/sup +/ and CD8/sup +/ cell in thymocytes were decreased at the mice subacutely exposed to BPA. In addition, BPA decreased expression of B7-1 and B7-2 on macrophages. Therefore, these results showed BPA may affect hematological parameters, cellularity and surface marker of immunocytes.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• 제3권1_2호
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• pp.43-54
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• 1988

Experiment was performed to investigate the immunotoxicity of cadmium administered orally and the effect of ginseng petroleum ether fraction on it. Mice were given 3, 30, or 300 ppm cadmium as cadmium chloride orally in the drinking water and injection of ginseng petroleum ether fraction intraperitoneally for 4 weeks. Mice were sensitized and challenged with sheep red blood cells (S-RBC). Humoral immune response was evaluated by antibody production and Arthus reaction. Body weight gain, spleen weight, thymus weight, and liver weight were also measured. In the present study, cadmium generally suppressed the humoral immunity. There was decrease in the rate of body weight gain and liver weight to body weight by cadmium-administration. Ginseng petroleum ether fraction showed restoring effect, to some extent, on the decrease in PFC and in the rate of liver weight to body weight by cadmium-administration. But it more suppressed Arthus reaction.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제18권3호
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• pp.375-383
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• 2005

An experiment was conducted to study the protective role of polyherbal feed supplement (Growell) during induced mycotoxicosis in broilers. A total of 240 Vencobb broilers were divided at day old stage into eight equal groups. Group A served as control and was given plain feed, group B, D, F and H were given Growell at 0.35 g/kg of feed. Group C, D, G and H were given dietary aflatoxin $B_1$ at 0.2 ppm and groups E, F, G and H were given ochratoxin A at 0.2 ppm in feed to study effect of Growell on individual aflatoxicosis, ochratoxicosis and combined mycotoxicosis of broilers. The chicks were given their respective feeds from 1st day to 6th week of age and were vaccinated at 7th and 28th day of age with Lasota strain of Newcastle disease virus. There was no statistically significant effect of mycotoxins individually or in combination on body weight of broilers. However, body weights were highest in group B and lowest in co-mycotoxicated group G. Feed conversion ratio was best in group B followed by A, D, F, E, H and G. Significant improvement in haemoglobin values was observed in broilers due to feeding of Growell in ochratoxin and co-mycotoxicated groups. There was no significant effect of mycotoxin treatment on PCV, TEC and TLC of broilers. Due to single and combined mycotoxicosis, there was reduction in serum total protein, albumin, cholesterol and triglyceride and rise in alkaline phosphatase, creatinine and uric acid levels. Supplementation of diets with Growell reduced the alterations induced due to mycotoxins. There was a significant rise in per cent organ weight of liver and reduction of that of spleen, bursa of Fabricius and thymus of broilers fed mycotoxins. Protection from alteration in per cent organ weight of these organ by supplementation of Growell was recorded. The observed impaired immune response and histopathological changes in liver, kidney, spleen, bursa of Fabricius and thymus of broilers given mycotoxins were protected by supplementation of Growell.