• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.41 no.9
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• pp.1205-1210
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• 2012

This study investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of Ligustrum ovalifolium H. (LOH) leaf extracts on RAW264.7 macrophages. Cell toxicity was determined by MTT assay. We evaluated the anti-inflammatory effects of LOH extracts by measuring nitric oxide (NO), reactive oxygen species (ROS), inducible NOS (iNOS) production, and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression by Western blotting. LOH ethanolic extracts (0.05, 0.1, and 0.2 mg/mL) significantly suppressed LPS-stimulated production of NO. The intracellular ROS level also significantly decreased. LOH ethanolic extracts reduced the expression of iNOS and COX-2 proteins. The present results show that LOH ethanol extract has potent anti-inflammatory effects on RAW264.7 macrophages. These results also suggest that the anti-inflammatory effects of LOH extracts may be related to the inhibition of LPS-stimulated ROS and NO production. Therefore, ethanolic extracts of LOH leaves may be utilized as a good source of functional foods for protection against inflammatory diseases.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.196-204
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• 2001

Background : Bronchial asthma is characterized by a reversible airway obstruction, airway hyperresponsiveness, and eosinophilic airway inflammation. The bronchodilator response(BDR) after short acting beta agonist inhalation and PC20 with methacholine inhalation are frequently used for diagnosing bronchial asthma. However, the relationship between the presence of a bronchodilator response and the degree of airway hyperresponsiveness is uncertain. Therefore, the availability of a eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) and a correlation ECP with a bronchodilator response and airway hyperresponsiveness was investigated. Method : A total 71 patients with a moderate to severe degree of bronchial asthma were enrolled and divided into two groups. 31 patients with a positive bronchodilator response and 38 patients with a negative bronchodilator response were evaluated. In both groups, the serum ECP, peripheral blood eosinophil counts, and total IgE level were measured and the methacholine bronchial provocation test was examined. Results : There were no differences observed in age, sex, atopy, and baseline spirometry in both groups. The peripheral eosinophil counts showed no difference in both groups, but the ECP level in group 1 (bronchodilator responder group) was higher than in group 2(non-bronchodilator responder group) ($22.4{\pm}20.7$ vs $14.2{\pm}10.4$, mean$\pm$SD). The PC20 in group 1 was significantly lower than in group 2 ($1.14{\pm}1.68$ vs $66{\pm}2.98$). There was a significant positive correlation between the BDR and ECP, and a negative correlation between the bronchial hyperresponsiveness and ECP. Conclusion : The bronchodilator response significantly correlated with the bronchial hyperresponsiveness and serum ECP in the moderate to severe asthma patients. Hence, the positive bronchodilator response is probably related with active bronchial inflammation and may be used as a valuable index in treatment, course and prognosis of bronchial asthma.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.148-152
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• 2001

This study investigated the role of excitatory amino acid systems in the initiation of organophosphate-induced seizures and brain damages in rats through quantitative in vivo microdialysis. Microdialysates were collected from the hippocampus of rat brain, treated with diisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP; 2.67 mg/kg, s.c.) alone, and/or atropine sulfate (15 mg/kg, i.m.) and procyclidine (30 mg/kg, i.m.). The protective effects of atropine, a muscarinic blocker, and/or procyclidine, a N-methyl-D-aspartate and cholinergic antagonist, against DFP were examined. DFP treatment increased the levels of aspartate (Asp) and glutamate (Glu) significantly in the hippocampal persuate with the induction of seizures. Treatment of procyclidine could effectively block the increase of Asp and Glu levels. Atropine treatment showed no significant anticonvulsive effects against DFP-induced seizures. The increases of Asp and Glu levels by DFP were also completely blocked through the combined treatment of atropine and procyclidine. Histopathological findings on the hippocampus confirmed the above results. More effective protection was observed through the treatments of procyclidine alone or of both procyclidine and atropine than atropine alone against DFP-induced brain damage. Procyclidine was shown to be effective in DFP-induced seizures.

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.1-9
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• 1977

The effects of extracellular calcium concentrations and several concentration of Aconiti tuber butanol fraction, norepinephrine, ouabain on the force of isometric contraction of isolated atrial preparations obtained from rabbits were determined at $11{\sim}14$ different frequencies of contraction. Qualitatively similar results were obtained in all preparations. In most preparations, rested-state contraction was induced at the range of $120{\sim}400$ seconds stimulation interval. Over the range of intervals from 120 to 10 seconds negative inotropic effect of activation (NIEA) was predominant, so the steady-state contractile force progressively declined. At the intervals of 3 seconds, changes in the cumulated negative and positive isotropic effect of activation (PIEA) practically cancelled each other under steady-state conditions. At the interval from 3 seconds to 0.25 seconds, the additional cumulation of PIEA was greater than that of the NIEA. When the intervals between contractions were shorter than 0.25 seconds, the cumulation of the NIEA was again predominant. The positive inotropic effect of cardiac glycoside resulted at least in large part from increase in the rested-state contraction. No significant effect on the PIEA was found. The decay of the NIEA was apparently greatly accelerated in the presence of high concentration of ouabain, but this may also be a reflection of their action on the state determining the strength of the rested-state contraction. In the case of extracellular calcium concentration increment, the similar results with the ouabain treatment were obtained. Norepinephrine produced more powerful inotropic effect at shorter stimulation interval than long. The rested-state contraction and the decay of the NIEA were not significantly altered in the presence of norepinephrine, but cumulated PIEA and the amount of PIEA produced by each contraction were significantly increased. Aconiti tuber butanol fraction showed similar results with that of norepinephrine. The increment of contractile force at various contraction frequency were dose-responsive in the presence of Aconiti tuber butanol fraction. It is suggested that the positive inotropic effect of Aconiti tuber butanol fraction at various contraction frequency may be due to increase of the cumulation of PIEA and the amount of PIEA produced by each beat.

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.45-55
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• 1983

A role for brain serotonin(5-HT) in regulation of the HPA axis has been suggested but remains contoversial and poorly defined. The present experiments were designed to check kinetic parameters of 5-HT turnover in rat hypothalamus and remainder brain areas before and after stress and to test whether using various different pharmacologic approaches to stimulate or eliminate the control serotonergic system have any consistent effect on the stress-induced activation of HPA system. Steady state brain serotonin and 5-HIAA concentrations during 1 min ether stress were significantly elevated without significant rise in the levels of plasma corticosterone, which highly increased 2 minutes after stress. This suggests that the increase in serotonergic neuron activity precede that in HPA activity. Furthermore, during 1 ruin-ether stress or 30 min immobilization stress there is a marked increase in hypothalamic and remainder brain serotonin (5-HT) turnover or synthesis rates assessed by both the pargline/5-HT method and pargyline/5-HIAA method. The stress-induced corticosterone levels were increased by serotonin precursors and serotonin agonist in a dose-related fashion. The stress- induced corticosterone levels were highly elevated by L-tryptophan (100 mg/kg) and Potentiated by monoamine oxidase inhibitor, pargyline or serotonin agonist, 5-MeoDMT. The stress-induced elevation of corticosterone and 5-HT levels in rat brain were not significantly decreased by the administration of 5-HT synthesis inhibitor, PCPA and 5-HT neurotoxin, 5,7-DHT. However, the stress-induced elevation of corticosterone and 5-HT levels were decreased by the destruction of midline raphe nuclei. There was a strong positive correlation between plasma corticosterone and 5-HT concentrations changed by drugs which mainly manipulating 5-HT system in the hyhothalamus and in the remainder of the brain. In conclusion, our present data stongly suggest that 5-HT is an important key neurotransmitter involved in the stress-induced activation of the HPA system.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.138-143
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• 2003

Total methanolic extract of Chrysanthemum coronarium L. var. spatiosum (Compositae) was revealed to have anti-hepatotoxic activity against galactosamine-induced toxicity on primary cultured rat hepatocytes. After successive partitioning with chloroform, n-butanol, and water, the chloroform fraction showed a significant inhibition activity of 51% at 50 ppm, compared with that of silybin, 45.9% at $100\;{\mu}M$. The chloroform fraction was subjected to silica gel column chromatography and yielded active CH-II, CH-V and CH-VI subfractions, and the anti-hepatotoxic activity of these subfractions were 47.6, 56.3, and 23.2%, respectively, at 50 ppm. Total glutathione contents of CH-II, CH-V, and CH-VI increased by 49.8, 43.9, and 47.5% of the control, respectively at 50 ppm, whereas that of silymarin was, 59.7% at $100\;{\mu}M$ after challenged with galactosamine. The ratio of (reduced glutathione) / (total glutathione) in CH-II, CH-V and CH-VI subfraction showed similar values of $0.86{\sim}0.87$ at 50 ppm, whereas that of silymarin was, 0.85 at $100\;{\mu}M$. The incorporation of $[^3H]-uridine$ uptake into RNA was not affected by these active subfractions.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.631-640
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• 2014

The inhibitory effects of Boswellia serrata (BW) extracts on degenerative osteoarthritis were investigated in primary-cultured rat cartilage cells and a monosodium-iodoacetate (MIA)-induced osteoarthritis rat model. To identify the protective effects of BW extract against $H_2O_2$ ($800{\mu}M$, 2 hr) in vitro, cell survival was measured by MTT assay. Cell survival after $H_2O_2$ treatment was elevated by BW extract at a concentration of $20{\mu}g/mL$. In addition, BW extract treatment significantly reduced and normalized the productions of pro-inflammatory factors, nuclear transcription factor ${\kappa}B$, cyclooxygenase-2, tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$, and interleukin-6 at a concentration of $20{\mu}g/mL$. Treatment of chondrocytes with BW extract significantly reduced 5-lipoxygenase activity and production of prostaglandin E2, especially at a concentration of $10{\sim}20{\mu}g/mL$. For the in vivo animal study, osteoarthritis was induced by intra-articular injection of MIA into knee joints of rats. Consumption of a diet containing BW extract (100 and 200 mg/kg) for 35 days significantly inhibited the development and severity of osteoarthritis in rats. To determine the genetic expression of arthritic factors in articular cartilage, real-time PCR was applied to measure matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-3, MMP-9, and MMP-13), collagen type I, collagen type II, and aggrecan, and BW extract had protective effects at a concentration of 200 mg/kg. In conclusion, BW extract was able to inhibit articular cartilage degeneration by preventing extracellular matrix degradation and chondrocyte injury. One can consider that BW extract may be a potential therapeutic treatment for degenerative osteoarthritis.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.228-234
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• 2013

Methamphetamine is an amine-containing illegal drug and is distributed unlawfully in South Korea. Finding a rapid, convenient and semi-quantitative determination method for methamphetamine is a very important issue in the area of forensic drug testing. As an effort to develop new screening method, the reactions between three organic compounds which are structurally similar to methamphetamine and N-(9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyloxy) succinimide (FMOC-NHS) were performed on silica gel ($SiO_2$) TLC plates. Three reference compounds were synthesized and used for the identification, comparison and study of the limit of detection (LOD) of the products obtained from a direct reaction on a TLC plate. As a result, FMOC-NHS as a derivatization reagent generated compounds containing highly UV-active functional groups on the TLC plate after reacting with primary- and secondary amines. In the experiment 2D the LOD of amines was in the range of 0.045 and 0.01 mg/mL ($2{\mu}L/spot$), and in 1D the LOD was in the range of 0.002 and 0.007 mg/mL ($2{\mu}L/spot$). The LODs of the compounds tested were dependent on the concentration of the derivatizing reagent.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.4 s.84
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• pp.515-521
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• 2007

Aprotinin, a serine protease inhibitor, has been used to ameliorate the inevitable consequences, including blood component injury after cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). However, there are many arguments on its dosage or usage. We assessed whether administration of low dose of aprotinin in only priming solution has any beneficial effect or reduces its side effects on cardiac surgery. Thirty patients scheduled for elective cardiac surgery were randomly assigned to aprotinin group (n=15) which received aprotinin in priming solution (two million kallikrein inhibitory unit, KIU) and added one million KIU at 1 hour after the beginning of CPB or control group (n=15) which did not receive it. Hematological and biochemical variables, cytokines and cardiac marker levels, and postoperative outcomes were compared between two groups at before, during or after operation. Platelet count in aprotinin group was higher than that of control group at postoperative 24 hr. Activated partial thromboplastin time in aprotinin group was longer than that of control group at intensive care unit (ICU). Troponin-I level and postoperative blood loss volumes in aprotinin group were lower than those of control group at ICU. There were no significant differences between the two groups on the others. These results showed that low dosage of only priming solution during cardiac surgery with CPB reduced platelet destruction and postoperative bleeding, and attenuates myocardial damage. However, further studies need to be carried out with more population or pediatric patients for evaluating various aprotinin usage.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.157-162
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• 1997

A novel compound, named YH-487, was synthesized by attaching the thiol and aminothiazole residue to $C_3$ and $C_7$ position of 7-aminocephalosporanic acid (7-ACA). The therapeutic efficacy on infected animals, pharmacokinetics in vivo and the effect on intestinal microflora of YH-487 were examined. The pharmacokinetics of YH-487 were similar to that of cefotaxime, a third generation ${\beta}-lactam$ antibiotics, in rat. Upon in vivo administration, YH-487 was predominantly delivered to kidney, and mostly excreted through kidney without making any metabolites. The therapeutic efficacy of YH-487 to animal infected with E. coli was three times and twenty times higher than that of cefotaxime and cefotiam, respectively, In vivo administration of YH-487 to Sprague-Dawley rats significantly decreased the population of intestinal gram negative species such as Enterobacteria and Barteroides. However, no significant changes were obseved in gram positive species such as Lactobacillus, Bifidobacteria and Staphylococcus. In addition, continuous administration of YH-487 did not increase the possibility to induce resistant strains in intestinal microflora.