• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.9-18
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• 2018

Objectives : This study was performed to determine the transdermal effects of ethanol extract from medicinal herbal mixture (SHJ) on hair growth in C57BL/6 mice and melanogenesis in melanoma cells. Methods : Mice were divided into 3 experimental groups including vehicle (CON), SHJ extract and 5% minoxidil (MNXD, positive control)-treated group. SHJ was applied topically on the hair-shaved skin of C57BL/6 mice everyday for 15 days. The thickness and density of hair with a folliscope and morphometry of hair follicle with a H&E staining were monitored at last day. Also then, hair growth-associated gene expressions were measured by immunoblot assay. Results : The MNXD or SHJ-treated group promoted on hair growth compared to that of vehicle-treated group (CON). Hair density and thickness of MNXD or SHJ treated-group increased compared to that of vehicle application on the 15 days, respectively. Induction of insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were also accelerated by application of SHJ extract compared to those of CON group. But expression of transforming growth factor (TGF)-${\beta}1$ decreased in SHJ treated-group compared to that of CON group. Furthermore, SHJ extract showed to increase melanin contents in a dose-dependent manner. Tyrosinase activity significantly increased in SHJ-treated group compared with CON group in dose-dependant manner. Conclusions : These results suggest that SHJ can be used as a component of cosmeceuticals for hair care via promoting growth and melanogenesis of hair.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.40 no.11
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• pp.823-827
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• 2017

Genome editing using programmable nucleases such as CRISPR/Cas9 or Cpf1 has emerged as powerful tools for gene knock-out or knock-in in various organisms. While most genetic diseases are caused by point mutations, these genome-editing approaches are inefficient in inducing single-nucleotide substitutions. Recently, Cas9-linked cytidine deaminases, named base editors (BEs), have been shown to convert cytidine to uridine efficiently, leading to targeted single-base pair substitutions in human cells and organisms. Here, we first report on the generation of Xenopus laevis mutants with targeted single-base pair substitutions using this RNA-guided programmable deaminase. Injection of base editor 3 (BE3) ribonucleoprotein targeting the tyrosinase (tyr) gene in early embryos can induce site-specific base conversions with the rates of up to 20.5%, resulting in oculocutaneous albinism phenotypes without off-target mutations. We further test this base-editing system by targeting the tp53 gene with the result that the expected single-base pair substitutions are observed at the target site. Collectively, these data establish that the programmable deaminases are efficient tools for creating targeted point mutations for human disease modeling in Xenopus.

• International Journal of Stem Cells
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.135-144
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• 2023

Background and Objectives: Melanocyte (MC), derived from neural crest stem cell (NCSC), are involved in the production of melanin. The mechanism by which NCSC differentiates to MC remains unclear. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification was applied to discuss the potential mechanism. Methods and Results: NCSCs were isolated from hair follicles of rats, and were obtained for differentiation. Cell viability, tyrosinase secretion and activity, and transcription factors were combined to evaluated the MC differentiation. RT-qPCR was applied to determine mRNA levels, and western blot were used for protein expression detection. Total m6A level was measured using methylated RNA immunoprecipitation (MeRIP) assay, and RNA immunoprecipitation was used to access the protein binding relationship. In current work, NCSCs were successfully differentiated into MCs. Fat mass and obesity associated gene (FTO) was aberrant downregulated in MCs, and elevated FTO suppressed the differentiation progress of NCSCs into MCs. Furthermore, microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (Mitf), a key gene involved in MC synthesis, was enriched by FTO in a m6A modification manner and degraded by FTO. Meanwhile, the suppression functions of FTO in the differentiation of NCSCs into MCs were reversed by elevated Mitf. Conclusions: In short, FTO suppressed the differentiating ability of hair follicle-derived NCSCs into MCs by m6A modifying Mitf.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.430-436
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• 2010

The objective of the present studies was to develop and validate a system for isolation, purification and extended culture of pigment-producing cells in alpaca skin (melanocytes) responsible for coat color and to determine the effect of alpha melanocyte stimulating hormone treatment on mRNA expression for the melanocortin 1 receptor, a key gene involved in coat color regulation in other species. Skin punch biopsies were harvested from the dorsal region of 1-3 yr old alpacas and three different enzyme digestion methods were evaluated for effects on yield of viable cells and attachment in vitro. Greatest cell yields and attachment were obtained following dispersion with dispase II relative to trypsin and trypsin-EDTA treatment. Culture of cells in medium supplemented with basic fibroblast growth factor, bovine pituitary extract, hydrocortisone, insulin, 12-O-tetradecanolphorbol-13-acetate and cholera toxin yielded highly pure populations of melanocytes by passage 3 as confirmed by detection of tyrosinase activity and immunocytochemical localization of melanocyte markers including tyrosinase, S-100 and micropthalmia-associated transcription factor. Abundance of mRNA for tyrosinase, a key enzyme in melanocyte pigment production, was maintained through 10 passages showing preservation of melanocyte phenotypic characteristics with extended culture. To determine hormonal responsiveness of cultured melanocytes and investigate regulation of melanocortin 1 receptor expression, cultured melanocytes were treated with increasing concentrations of ${\alpha}$-melanocyte stimulating hormone. Treatment with ${\alpha}$-melanocyte stimulating hormone increased melanocortin receptor 1 mRNA in a dose dependent fashion. The results demonstrated culture of pure populations of alpaca melanocytes to 10 passages and illustrate the potential utility of such cells for studies of intrinsic and extrinsic regulation of genes controlling pigmentation and coat color in fiber-producing species.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.669-677
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• 2011

The objective of this study was to develop a functional drink using maca extract, and to evaluate the latter's antioxidative activity during storage. Maca extract was added in five different content percentages (0, 8, 16, 24, and 32%), and the physicochemical properties were investigated. The pH of the control drink was lower than that of the drink to which maca extract was added. The $^{\circ}Brix$ increased with the increasing amount of maca extract. The Hunter L value decreased while the yellowness (b) value increased as the maca extract level increased. The results of the consumer acceptance test showed that no significant differences in overall acceptability were observed between the control and the 8%-, 16%-, and 24% maca-added drinks. Therefore, it is suggested that up to 24% maca extract can be added to drinks without depressing the quality. The changes in the total polyphenol content, DPPH radical, superoxide anion radical activity, and tyrosinase inhibitory effect were monitored during storage at 4 and $37^{\circ}C$ for four weeks. The results showed that there was a gradual decrease in the total polyphenol content and antioxidant activities after four-week storage, and the drinks containing maca extract exhibited a smaller decrease in antioxidant activity than did the control drink. Moreover, microbial growth was not shown during the same periods.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.428-433
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• 2020

In this study, we created pupal stage extracts of Apis mellifera L. drones for use in cosmetic materials. The effect of the drone pupae extract (DPE) on HDF cells was assessed for analysis of anti-wrinkle activity by collagen or collagenase gene expression, and the skin-lightening effect was studied by in vitro tyrosinase inhibition and B16F10 melanoma assay; the two cells were found to be non-cellular when the concentration of DPE was 100 ㎍/ml. Albutin concentration (positive control) in the whitening test was set at a capacity of 100 ug/ml and m-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH). A melanin-producing induction material was set at a concentration of 100 nM, and the expression of collagen type I and MMP1 collagenase was measured using HDF cells. MMP1 expression was seen to reduce in a concentration-dependent manner in treatment with DPE. Inhibiting melanin generation with B16F12 cells indicated a tendency to decrease in the DPE treatment group. Both L-Tyrosine and L-DOPA as DPE were used in an in vitro tyrosinase induction test to demonstrate the effects of tyrosinase suppression on concentrations. The higher the concentration of DPE, the greater the wrinkle reduction and whitening effect. In conclusion, it was found that DPE is an effective smoothing and whitening material by increasing collagen generation and inhibiting collagenase expression and reducing melanin production.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.307-311
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• 2001

The activation of NF-$\kappa$B induced by kojic Acid, an inhibitor of tyrosinase for biosynthesis of melanin in melanocytes, was investigated in human transfectant HaCaT and SCC-13 cells. These two keratinocyte cell lines transfected with pNF-$\kappa$B-SEAP-NPT plasmid were used to determine the activation of NF-$\kappa$B. Transfectant cells release the secretory alkaline phosphatase (SEAP) as a transcription reporter in response to the NF-$\kappa$B activity and contain the neomycin phosphotransferase (NPT) gene for the dominant selective marker of geneticin resistance. NF-$\kappa$B activation was measured in the SEAP reporter gene assay using a fluorescence detection method. Kojic Acid showed the inhibition of cellular NF-$\kappa$B activity in both human keratinocyte transfectants. It could also downregulate the ultraviolet ray (UVR)-induced activation of NF-$\kappa$B expression in transfectant HaCaT cells. Moreover, the inhibitory activity of kojic Acid in transfectant HaCaT cells was found to be more potent than known antioxidants, e.g., vitamin C and N~acetyl-L-cysteine. These results indicate that kojic Acid is a potential inhibitor of NF-$\kappa$B activation in human keratinocytes, and suggest the hypothesis that NF-$\kappa$B activation may be involved in kojic Acid induced anti-melanogenic effect.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.567-575
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• 2024

Objective: This study aimed to identify genes regulated by cyclin dependent kinases 5 (CDK5) that participate in hair pigmentation in mice. Methods: The mRNA expression profiles of skin samples from CDK5-knockdown mice were constructed using high-throughput RNA sequencing and compared with those of wild-type mice. Results: In total, 8,002 known genes were differentially expressed between CDK5-knockdown and wild-type mice. Of these, 3,658 were upregulated and 4,344 were downregulated in the skin of CDK5-knockdown mice. An additional 318 previously unknown genes were also differentially expressed, with 171 downregulated and 147 upregulated genes in the skin of CDK5-knockdown mice. Of the known genes expressed in mouse skin, 80 were associated with hair color, with 61 showing lower expression and 19 exhibiting higher expression in skin of CDK5-knockdown mice. Importantly, the expression of the tyrosinase-related protein 1 (TYRP1) and the calcium signaling pathway were also found to be regulated by CDK5, suggesting that pigmentation is regulated by CDK5 via the calcium signaling pathway and TYRP1. Conclusion: The transcriptome profiles obtained from the skin of CDK5-knockdown mice compared to wild-type mice provide a valuable resource to help understand the mechanism by which CDK5 regulates melanogenesis in mice and other animals.

• Journal of Integrative Natural Science
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.117-127
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• 2015

Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) is one of the important legumes and cheaper source of protein in Bangladesh that displays great biological diversity. Isozyme, one of the most important protein markers to detect genetic polymorphism in lentil, whereas we considered thirteen-isozyme in six varieties viz., BARI masur-1, BARI masur-2, BARI masur-3, BARI masur-4, BARI masur-5 and BARI masur-6. The highest polymorphism was found in tyrosinase isozyme system. UPGMA analysis revealed that the highest similarity between BARI masur-5 and BARI masur-6 whereas, the highest genetic distance between BARI masur-1 and BARI masur-5 reflecting higher intervarietal variation. Principal component analysis (PCA) also revealed the similar results that of unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA). The first, second and third PCs contributed 81.58%, 11.19% and 4.94% variation respectively, with cumulative variation of the first three PCs was 75.45%. Consequently, Isozyme could clearly assed the genetic diversity at intervarietal levels and these two varieties can be considered as valuable gene resources for future breeding and conservation programs.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.287-297
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• 2019

This study was carried out to evaluate the antioxidant, anti-inflammation, and whitening effect of Hordeum vulgare L. extracts and their fractions. Total polyphenol and flavonoid contents in fractions were varied from 13.58 to 40.06 mg GAE/g and 7.67 ~ 13.67 mg CE/g, respectively. Among the three fractions(chloroform, hexane, and water), $400{\mu}g/mL$ of the chroloform fraction showed similar antioxidant activity to ascorbic acid ($30{\mu}M$) against the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical. The chloroform and hexane fractions inhibited the NO production of RAW 264.7 cells similar to quercetin ($15{\mu}M$) and the chloroform fraction of $100{\mu}g/mL$ significantly reduced IL-6, iNOS and COX2 gene expression. Additionally, the chloroform fraction inhibited ${\beta}$-hexosaminidase degranulation, IL-4, and IL-13 gene expression in RBL-2H3 cells. All of the fractions inhibited tyrosinase activity in a concentration-dependent manner, and the hexane fraction at $50{\mu}g/mL$ and the chloroform fraction at $100{\mu}g/mL$ significantly inhibited melanin production of B16F10 cells. These results indicated that H. vulgare L. can be used as an effective cosmetic ingredient having anti-inflammation and whitening activity.