• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.11
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• pp.1281-1293
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• 2019

The rhizosphere is the active zone where plant roots communicate with the soil microbiome, each responding to the other's signals. The soil microbiome within the rhizosphere that is beneficial to plant growth and productivity is known as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). PGPR take part in many pivotal plant processes, including plant growth, development, immunity, and productivity, by influencing acquisition and utilization of nutrient molecules, regulation of phytohormone biosynthesis, signaling, and response, and resistance to biotic- and abiotic-stresses. PGPR also produce secondary compounds and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that elicit plant growth. Moreover, plant roots exude attractants that cause PGPR to aggregate in the rhizosphere zone for colonization, improving soil properties and protecting plants against pathogenic factors. The interactions between PGPR and plant roots in rhizosphere are essential and interdependent. Many studies have reported that PGPR function in multiple ways under the same or diverse conditions, directly and indirectly. This review focuses on the roles and strategies of PGPR in enhancing nutrient acquisition by nutrient fixation/solubilization/mineralization, inducing plant growth regulators/phytohormones, and promoting growth and development of root and shoot by affecting cell division, elongation, and differentiation. We also summarize the current knowledge of the effects of PGPR and the soil microbiota on plants.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.30 no.12
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• pp.1070-1077
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• 2020

Treatment with anticancer drugs changes the expression of multiple genes related to cell proliferation, migration, and drug resistance. These changes in gene expression may be connected to regulatory networks for each other. This study showed that doxorubicin treatment induces the expression of oncogenic FosB and decreases the expression of oncogenic SETDB1 in A549 and H1299 human lung cancer cells, which are different in tumor suppressor p53 status. However, a small difference was detected in the quantitative expression of those proteins in the two kinds of cells. To examine the potential regulation of SETDB1 and FosB by p53, we predicted putative p53 binding sites on the genomic DNA of SETDB1 and FosB using a TF motif binding search program. These putative p53 binding sites were identified as 18 sites in the promoter regions of SETDB1 and 21 sites in the genomic DNA of FosB. A luciferase assay confirmed that p53 negatively regulated the promoter activities of SETDB1 and FosB. Furthermore, the results of RT-PCR, western blot, qPCR, and immunostaining experiments indicated that the transfection of exogenous p53 decreases the expression of SETDB1 and FosB in H1299 cells. This indicates that p53 negatively regulates the expression of SETDB1 and FosB at the transcriptional level. Collectively, the downregulation of SETDB1 and FosB by p53 may provide functional networks for apoptosis and for the survival of cancer cells during anticancer drug treatment.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.223-228
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• 2021

Cyclophosphamide (CP) is widely used in cancer and lymphoma treatments and as an immunosuppressant drug. CP is a DNA alkylating agent that metabolizes into 4-hydrocyclophosphamide (4H-CYP) and aldophosphamide in hepatocytes. However, its metabolites cause DNA synthesis disorder, leading to apoptosis and toxic side effects. The development of technology to minimize this side effect is essential to improve CP's clinical application. Various bioactive compounds have been reported to have anti-cancer and antioxidant functions and preventive or therapeutic roles in metabolic diseases. Many researchers have attempted to minimize the side effects and improve the efficacy of these drugs together with the use of bioactive compounds. Ulmus macrocarpa Hance has been used for the treatment of edema, mastitis, stomach pain, tumors, cystitis, and other inflammatory diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate at the histological level the protective function of U. macrocarpa Hance against CP's side effects and any potential toxic effect of U. macrocarpa Hance in the liver and kidney. Water extracts of U. macrocarpa Hance reduced CP-induced toxicity and did not induce any histological damage in the liver and kidney. Therefore, U. macrocarpa Hance would be applicable in the pharmaceutical industry.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.468-474
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• 2021

Forest healing is a natural method that utilizes various natural environmental factors of forests to enhance immunity and to heal mental and physical pathologies. The aim of this study is to suggest implications for the future development of forest healing by analyzing the characteristics of facilities and programs in 28 national and public healing forests in Korea. The concept of forest healing and programs is defined, and healing forests operating in Korea are classified by size. The facility operation and program characteristics of healing forests were analyzed according to size, and the results were used to suggest a future direction for the development of domestic forest healing. The research results are as follows. First, domestic healing forests have gradually been reduced in size since they were first opened in 2009, which is the cause of the competitive creation of local governments. Second, healing spaces, forest paths, and programs for the elderly, pregnant women and disabled should be expanded. Third, lodging programs need to be expanded, and subsidies for usage fees from local governments are required. Institutional supplementation should be provided to link program development and facilities and to clarify procedures and standards for forest healing facilities.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.108-114
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• 2022

In this study, the antioxidant effect of black sea ginseng containing a large amount of eicosapentaenoic acid, a natural physiologically active substance, was investigated, and its superiority as a functional cosmetic raw material was presented. The ability of the sea cucumber extract to remove active oxygen was evaluated for the inhibitory effect on intracellular nitric oxide (NO) production. The physiologically active substances of sea cucumber have an antioxidant effect that removes free radicals, and as a result of evaluation, it was confirmed that excellent NO production was suppressed. Studies have shown that bioactive substances are involved in antioxidant effects, immune and inflammatory response regulation by showing high antioxidant efficacy even at low concentrations. It is thought that the antioxidant removal ability of sea cucumber greatly contributes to the antioxidant efficacy of phenolic components containing EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) of the sea cucumber extract. It was found to be similar to the report that the antioxidant component of sea cucumber works. In addition, it is excellent for wound healing with the eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) component contained in a large amount of sea cucumber extract, which has been proven to be involved in the inhibitory effect of inflammatory activity. As a result of this study, it was confirmed that the effect of the phenol component contained in the sea cucumber extract had a close causal relationship with the antioxidant activity.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.65 no.2
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• pp.113-120
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• 2022

We examined the anti-inflammatory properties of Nostoc commune HCW0811 in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophage cells. The anti-inflammatory activity of HCW0811 on viability of treated cells was assessed by measuring the level of expression of NO, prostaglandin E₂ and pro-inflammatory cytokines, namely interleukin-1β, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α in HCW0811 treated RAW 264.7 macrophages. HCW0811 was non-toxic to cells and inhibited the production of cytokines in a concentration-dependent manner. In addition its treatment suppressed the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in a dose-dependent manner, and concomitantly decreased the protein expressions of inducible NO synthase and cyclooxygenase-2. Moreover, the levels of the phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinase family proteins such as extracellular signal-regulated kinase, c-Jun N-terminal kinase, p38, and nuclear factor kappa B were reduced by HCW0811. These findings suggest that the HCW0811 collected from Daejeon National Cemetery have anti-inflammatory effects, and demonstrated its efficacy in cell-based in vitro assays.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.201-210
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• 2022

Vitamin A (Vit A) is a lipid-soluble vitamin required for diverse normal body functions, including good vision, reproduction, growth, development, and cellular differentiation. The therapeutic effects of Vit A have been demonstrated for the treatments of inflammation, low immunity, and cancer. The present review discusses the scientific evidence for establishing the 2020 Dietary Reference Intakes for Koreans (KDRI) for Vit A, issues caused by unit change of Vit A, and suggestions for the 2025 KDRI revision. Due to the changes in the standard bodyweight observed in several age groups, the 2020 KDRI had minor revisions as compared to the 2015 KDRI. In the 2015 KDRI, the Vit A unit has changed from retinol equivalent (RE) to retinol activity equivalent (RAE) and the activity of carotenoids became half with RAE compared to RE due to this unit change. Since the Vit A intake of Koreans relies heavily on plant-based carotenoids, the dietary intake of Vit A in Koreans as determined by considering the RAE was much lower than values obtained with RE. The analysis for Vit A intake by the Korean National Health and Nutrition Survey only reflects intakes of retinol and beta-carotene. Thus, it would be necessary to include the consumption of other provitamin A, such as alpha-carotene and beta-cryptoxanthin. Moreover, assessing the amounts of Vit A in foods should be customized to Korean diets since there are seasonal variations in the carotenoid concentration of plants. Moreover, other factors such as age- and sex-specific intake data and considerations of baseline micronutrient status, body mass index, and dietary patterns should be considered for developing more precise KDRI. In particular, the Vit A requirement needs to be met by consuming diverse foods, including animal foods.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.331-342
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• 2022

Obesity is one of the metabolic diseases caused by excessive differentiation and accumulation of adipose tissue due to an imbalance between energy intake and consumption. In this study, we investigated the anti-obesity effect of SliMax, a natural-derived 6 compounds mixture, by using 3T3-L1 cells. As a result, SliMax showed the inhibitory effect on adipocyte differentiation through down-regulation of the PPARγ and C/EBPα expression, which are known to regulate the late adipogenesis stage. In the process of lipolysis on differentiated 3T3-L1 cells, SliMax accelerated decomposition of large-sized unilocular lipid droplet into numerous small-sized multilocular lipid droplets through up-regulation of the expression of lipolysis-related proteins ATGL and HSL. Finally, in order to confirm the effect of SliMax on induction of brown adipocyte, the expression of UCP-1 and the amount of mitochondria were confirmed by immunofluorescent staining, and as a result, SliMax increased the expression of UCP-1 and the amount of mitochondria in fat cells. Taken together, those results suggest that SliMax, a naturally-derived mixture, have a potential to be anti-obesity agent through exerting inhibitory effect on the formation of lipid droplet by suppression of adipogenesis and stimulation of lipolysis, and browning effect associated with generation of heat energy and energy consumption.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.19-26
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• 2018

Objectives : The aim of this study was to investigate the immunopotentiating activity of combine extract that Silkworm and Cinnamomum cassia. Recently, acute epidemic diseases such as cold and viral respiratory diseases have been emerging. So, interested in immunity enhancement has been increasing, and research on natural products to promote immunity activity has been actively conducted. Methods : To confirm the immunopotentiating activity effect, Silkworm (SW), Cinnamomum cassia (CC), and SWCC combined extracts were treated 14 days at 300 mg/kg/day. The changes of glutamic oxalacetic transaminase (GOT), glutamic pyruvate transaminase (GPT) in serum were analyzed after experiment. The changes in the total spleen cell number were measured. Immune cells in spleen were analyzed using fluorescence activated cell sorter (FACS). also, analyzed the expression of cytokines in spleen. Results : Total number of cells in the spleen and FACS analysis of T lymphocytes activated in the spleen showed that the SWCC combined treated group had much higher frequency of active cells than both single groups. The ratio of CD4+CD8+, CD4+CD69+ and CD4+CD25+ T cells in spleen, SWCC is higher than other groups except Nor in CD4+, CD4+CD69+, CD4+CD25+ T cells. The results of this study suggest that SWCC can help immune function via IL-2, IL-10, IL-12, IFN-${\gamma}$ cytokine production, increased T lymphocytes and splenocyte proliferation. Conclusion : Therefore, these results suggested that the SWCC combined extracts administration increase stronger immunity enhancement than when SW and CC adminstration.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.217-223
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• 2022

Among various health functional foods, probiotics constitute the largest market. The interest in probiotics is increasing continuously according to the research results that gut health can control the immune function of the body, prevent diseases, and assist in treatment. In this study, dairy products and dressing sauces were developed using Ficus carica vinegar (FV), and their effects on colon cells were analyzed. When 5% FV was added to regular milk, the satisfaction with the resulting yogurt and ricotta cheese was high. The dairy product was Leuconostoc lactis, and the number of bacteria was more than 1.0×10⁷~1.0×10⁸ CFU/mL. The product satisfied the health food standards as probiotics. An examination of the cell viability of Caco-2 cells, which proliferate similarly to human intestinal epithelial cells, revealed an approximately 19% increase in the proliferation rate when treated with whey at 10%. An antioxidant activity of up to 58% was recorded when the cells were treated with whey at various concentrations. In addition, excellent adhesion was observed for L.latis isolated from whey. This study confirmed that dairy products made using traditionally fermented FV assist intestinal health effectively as the microbiome.