• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.18 no.4
• /
• pp.482-487
• /
• 2008

In this study, we screened and identified the bacterial strain showing high alkaline pretense inhibitor activity from marine environment. Nine bacterial strains with alkaline pretense inhibitor activity were isolated from marine sediments. Among them, strain C12 had the highest alkaline pretense inhibitor activity and was selected for further taxonomical study. On the basis of morphological and physiological characteristics, strain C12 was identified as the genus Streptomyces. A phylogenetic analysis of the 165 rDNA showed that the isolated strain was actually a member of the genus Streptomyces, because the determined sequence exhibited a higher homology with Streptomyces thermocarboxydus. Morphological characteristics showed cylindrical spore chain and smooth spore surface by scanning electron microscope. Strain C12 was grown on all media except for ISP 9 agar. This strain could be grown in the medium containing up to 9% NaCl.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
• /
• v.48 no.1
• /
• pp.66-71
• /
• 2016

Delphinidin is a blue-red pigment and one of the major anthocyanins in plants. It plays an important role in anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-mutagenic and anti-cancer properties. In this study, we investigated the inhibitory effects of delphinidin on vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene expression, an important factor involved in angiogenesis and tumor progression in human prostate cancer. Delphinidin decreased levels of epidermal growth factor (EGF)-induced VEGF mRNA expression in PC-3M cells. The expression of the EGF-induced hypoxia inducible factor-$1{\alpha}$ (HIF-$1{\alpha}$) and signaling transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) proteins, which are the major transcription factors for VEGF, were inhibited by delphinidin. In addition, delphinidin decreases HRE-promoter reporter gene activity, suggesting that delphinidin can suppress the transcription of HIF-$1{\alpha}$ under EGF induction, leading to a decrease in the expression of VEGF. Delphinidin specifically suppressed the phosphorylation of Akt, p70S6K, and 4EBP1, but not the phosphorylation of EGFR. Therefore, our results suggest that delphinidin may inhibit human prostate cancer progression and angiogenesis by inhibiting HIF-$1{\alpha}$, STAT3 and VEGF gene expression.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
• /
• v.47 no.2
• /
• pp.107-121
• /
• 2021

Skin hypopigmentation, which is observed in albinism or vitiligo, occurs when melanin synthesis is decreased by genetic, epigenetic, and other factors. To identify drug candidates that can promote melanin synthesis in cells, we screened an epigenetic modulator library consisting of 141 cell-permeable, small molecule drugs. B16/F10 murine melanoma cells were treated with each drug at 0.1 𝜇M and melanin synthesis and cell viability were subsequently monitored. As a result, (-)-neplanocin A, 3-deazaneplanocin A (DZNep), and DZNep hydrochloride were found to increase cellular melanin synthesis without causing cytotoxicity. Because these three structurally related drugs exhibited similar dose-dependent effects on melanin synthesis and cell viability, DZNep was selected as a representative drug for additional experiments. DZNep increased intracellular melanin content and tyrosinase (TYR) activity. DZNep also induced the expression of TYR, tyrosinase-related protein 1 (TYRP1), and dopachrome tautomerase (DCT) at the mRNA and protein levels. DZNep also induced the mRNA and protein expression of microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF), a key regulator of melanin synthesis. DZNep is a specific inhibitor of S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase and it caused the accumulation of S-adenosylhomocysteine that inhibits histone methyltransferases in cells. This study suggests that melanogenesis can be modulated by targeting S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase in certain cellular contexts.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.33 no.2
• /
• pp.183-190
• /
• 2023

Red yeast rice, also known as Hong Qu and red Koji, has been used for a long time in Asian functional food and traditional medicine. It consists of multiple bioactive substances, which can potentially be used as nutraceuticals. Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) can range from simple steatosis or inflammation to fibrosis and cirrhosis, possibly through leaky gut and systemic endotoxemia. This study examined the liver and gut effects of red yeast rice (RYR) (Monascus purpureus) ethanol extract against binge ethanol-induced liver injury in mice. RYR extract was orally administered to C57BL/6N mice at a concentration of 200 mg/kg body weight per day for 10 days. Then, mice were administered binge alcohol (5 g/kg/dose) three times at 12 hr intervals. Binge alcohol exposure significantly elevated the endotoxin, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alanine transaminase (ALT) activity of plasma, as well as hepatic triglyceride levels; however, RYR treatments reduced these levels. In addition, RYR pretreatment significantly reduced the alcohol-induced oxidative maker protein and apoptosis maker in binge alcohol-induced gut and liver injuries. These results suggest that RYR may prevent alcohol-induced acute leaky gut and liver damage.

• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
• /
• v.6 no.1
• /
• pp.16-24
• /
• 2002

Research trends in the measurement of foliar uptake of pesticides and the recently proposed action mechanism of the surfactant-induced uptake of pesticides were reviewed with the related reports and studies. Major techniques used in those fields are bioassay, radiotracer techniques with leaves or cuticular membrane. Recently, a new method using Congo Red as a tracer was proposed. The limiting factor in the pesticides uptake into leaves is the waxy layer which consists of the epicuticular and cuticular wax. Physico-chemical parameters such as molar volume, water solubility and partition coefficient of pesticides have limited influences on the pesticide uptake into leaves. Polydisperse ethoxylated fatty alcohol surfactants are well known as the good activator for many pesticides. It is now generally agreed that uptake activation is not related to the intrinsic surface active properties of surfactants such as surface activity, solvent property, humectancy and critical micelle concentration. Recent studies using ESR-spectroscopy revealed that the surfactants have an unspecific plasticising effect on the molecular structure of the wax and cuticular matrix, leading to increased mobilities of pesticides. Penetration of surfactants into waxy layer altered the pesticide mobility in wax and the partition coefficient of pesticide, and then the pesticides penetration into leaves was enhanced temporally. The enhancing effect of surfactant could be significantly different depending on the carbon number of aliphatic moiety and the number of ethoxy group in polyoxyethylene chain of surfactants. It is suggested that the rate of penetration of surfactants should have a significant relationship with the rate of penetration of pesticides.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
• /
• v.25 no.4 s.83
• /
• pp.257-267
• /
• 1997

Fruit bodies similar to the Phellinus sp. residing on the mulberry were collected at Yang-yang in Kang-won-do province and one strain of Phellinus sp. was isolated from the fruit bodies. For mass production of the isolated mycelia in a submerged culture, the culture conditions, medium composition, and the effect of various culture systems on the mycelial growth, were investigated. The morphological characteristics of the fruit body were as follows: covered with blackish to black and rough, lower surface with yellowish-brown to dull-brown and smooth, 5-7 cm thick and hard woody. Also, the pure cultured mycelia showed yellowish-brown color, capability of purplish-brown pigment production on the PDA plate media, no-formation of clamp-connection, much binding branch, and enzyme activities such as laccase, tyrosinase and peroxidase. Therefore, pure cultured strain was identified to be Phellinus sp. In the flask culture, the optimum culture conditions for the mycelial production were obtained after cultivation of 8 days at inoculum level of 5%(v/v), media volume of 70 mL, 150 rpm, initial pH 6, and temperature of $30^{\circ}C$. Optimum medium composition from the response surface analysis were determined to be glucose 12.12 g/L, sucrose 12.12 g/L, yeast extract 11.15 g/L, malt extract 11.15 g/L, $KH_2PO_4$ 0.855 g/L and $CaCl_2$ 0.855 g/L. The production of the mycelia after 4 and 8 days of cultivation was 1.95 and 9.89 g/L, respectively. The maximum specific growth rate and productivity were $0.020\;hr^{-1}$ and 1.25 g/L/day, respectively. Among the three different culture systems for the growth of mycelia, the maximum mycelial dry weight of 7.5 g/L was obtained after cultivation of 4 days in the air-lift fermentor under aeration rate of 2.5 vvm. The maximum specific growth rate and productivity were $0.033\;hr^{-1}$ and 1.9 g/L/day, respectively, which were about 1.7 and 4.2 times higher than those of flask culture.

• KSBB Journal
• /
• v.15 no.2
• /
• pp.125-133
• /
• 2000

Specific carotenoids and astaxanthin biosynthesis power of Phaffia rhodozyma mutant 876, which was obtained after NTG a and UV treatments, was higher than those of the wild type by 40% and 50%, respectively. The mutant strain did not show t the catabolite repression even at 22% (w/v) glucose concentration. The optimum C{N ratio was 2.0, and the optimum t temperature and initial pH were $22^{\circ}C$ and 6.0, respectively. 80th cell growth and astaxanthin formation decreased drastically a as the fermentation temperature was increased over $22^{\circ}C$, whereas they were comparable in the pH range between 5.0 and 7 7.0. Inoculum size did not affect the final cell density nor the carotenoids biosynthesis, and 3%(v/v) was selected as optimal. H Higher dissolved oxygen concentration facilitated astaxanthin biosynthesis, and aeration rate of 1.0 v/0/m and agitation speed of 400 rpm were selected as optimum. The final cell dens때 of 43.3 g/L and the volumetric astaxanthin and carotenoids concentrations of 110.6 mg/L and 149.4 mg/L, respectively, were obtained. The specific carotenoids concentration was 3.45 m mg{g-yeast(dry). Yx/s and Yp/s values of 0.37 and 1.08 were obtained. The result of this study will provide basic information u useful for mass production of astaxanthin from P. rhodozyma fermentation.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.35 no.3
• /
• pp.321-327
• /
• 2006

This study was performed to investigate the hypoglycemic effect of pine needle extract oil against type 2 diabetes. Six-week-old male C57BL/Ks(db/db) mice were divided into four groups : negative control, pine needle extract oil low dose, high dose and positive control groups, which fed daily for 6 weeks with corn oil, pine needle extract oil 112.5 mg/kg, 450 mg/kg or metformin (150 mg/kg ), respectively. The oral administration of the pine needle extract oil resulted in the significant and dose-dependent decreases of blood glucose levels in comparison with corn oil treatment. The levels of HbAlc showed a tendency of the decrease by the high dose treatment of the pine needle extract oil and were positively correlated with blood glucose levels (r=0.5046, p=0.0023) . However, the levels of serum insulin and C-peptide were not affected by pine needle extract oil or metformin treatments. The levels of serum leptin, which is related with the insulin sensitivity, showed a tendency of the increases by pine needle extract oil treatment and were negatively correlated to blood glucose levels (r=-0.4754, p=0.0052). In conclusion, these results suggest that the pine needle extract oil have a potential for the oral anti-hyperglycemic agent and the mode of action may be related with the improvement of the insulin sensitivity through blood leptin.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
• /
• v.3 no.1
• /
• pp.5-15
• /
• 2001

For estimating paddy field area with Landsat TM images, two dates, May 31, 1991 (transplanting stage) and August 19, 1991 (heading stage) were selected by the data analysis of digital numbers considering rice cropping calendar. Four different estimating methods (1) rule-based classification method, (2) supervised classification(maximum likelihood), (3) unsupervised classification (ISODATA, No. of class:15), (4) unsupervised classification (ISODATA, No. of class:20) were examined. Paddy field area was estimated to 7291.19 ha by non-classification method. In comparison with topographical map (1:25,000), accuracy far paddy field area was 92%. A new image stacked by 10 layers, Landsat TM band 3,4,5, RVI, and wetness in May 31,1991 and August 19,1991 was made to estimate paddy field area by both supervised and unsupervised classification method. Paddy field was classified to 9100.98 ha by supervised classification. Error matrix showed 97.2% overall accuracy far training samples. Accuracy compared with topographical map was 95%. Unsupervised classifications by ISODATA using principal axis. Paddy field area by two different classification number of criteria were 6663.60 ha and 5704.56 ha and accuracy compared with topographical map was 87% and 82%. Irrespective of the estimating methods, paddy fields were discriminated very well by using two-date Landsat TM images in May 31,1991 (transplanting stage) and August 19,1991 (heading stage). Among estimation methods, rule-based classification method was the easiest to analyze and fast to process.