• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.150-157
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• 2006

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of combined extract of safflower seed with herbs on the improvement of blood glucose, lipid peroxides, lipids in the plasma and liver of strpetozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Rats in the experimental group were orally administered with combined extract of safflower seed (100 mg, 200 mg/kg B.W.) with herbs (Ophiopogon japonicus Ker-Gaqler, Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch, Mori Folium, Poria cocos, Rehmannia glutinosa, Eriobtrya japonica, Aralia continentalis Kitagawa, Zizyphus jujuba var, Cornus officinalis, Paeonia suffruticosa, Trichosanthes kirilowii Maxim and Schizandra chinensis Baill) for 4 weeks. Body weight gain and food efficiency ratio were significantly lower in diabetic groups than those of control group. These were no protective effect of the supplementation of combined extract of safflower seed with herbs. Concentration of blood glucose was significantly higher in the diabetic groups than those in the control group. Blood glucose concentration was remarkably lower supplementation of combined extract of safflower seed (200 mg/kg B.W.) with herbs. There was no significant difference of plasma lipid peroxides among experimental groups, while liver lipid peroxides of diabetic group was significantly higher in control group. But supplementation of combined extract of safflower seed with herbs was induced markedly lower in liver lipid peroxides in diabetic rats. Diabetic groups had markedly higher levels in triglycerides, LDL-cholesterol and atherogenic index, while had lower HDL-cholesterol level. Triglyceride levels of plasma and liver were significantly lower with combined extract of safflower seed with herbs. But total cholesterol, phospholipid and free fatty acid were no differing significantly among experimental groups.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.297-312
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• 2007

This study is conducted to evaluate economical value of Jeju grassland and validity of its preservation, and draw up several measures to support. To measure its economical value, this study examined its environmental value and social and cultural value. For environmental value, this study used replacement method while it applied CVM method, a widely used method, to assess social and cultural value and two-level two-best choice selection method, which ask questions by assuming virtual circumstances to avoid reflecting some biased opinions. Jeju grassland has multiple functions-environmental functions such as preventing soil corrosion and flood, handling animal excrement, and purifying air, and social and cultural functions such as promoting physical and mental health and providing recreation places. From the results of the feasibility study, Jeju grassland's annual multiple functions are assessed to have a total $397,115{\sim}418,995$ million won worth. In addition, it is found that Jeju visitors recognize Jeju grassland for its functions to contribute to public interests. That is, they think it can provide attractive views and educational and recreational places and promote emotional development. Especially, many people presented their ideas that it be continuously preserved since it is worthwhile for us and our next generations. To preserve grassland's cultural resource, which create a huge economic value like this, the Government has to support a certain amount of financial aid for turning to a better grassland environment and its maintenance to realize environment-friendly livestock farming on Jeju Island and promote its tourism industry and consequently, add more value to Jeju.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.109-116
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• 2016

Ulmi cortex is the elm bark or root bark of Ulmus macrocarpa Hance and has been used as an ingredient of traditional medicine for anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-cancer and wound healing on both the East and the West. This study investigated whether the Ulmus macrocarpa Hance Water extract (UMWE) has the in vivo and in vitro immune activating effect. Animals were orally administrated for 14 days as follows: no treat group with distilled water, cyclophosphamide (CY) group with 120 mg/kg of CY, UMWE 100+CY group with 100 mg/kg of UMWE and 120 mg/kg of CY, UMWE 200+CY group with 200 mg/kg of UMWE and 120 mg/kg of CY, UMWE 100 group with 100 mg/kg of UMWE and UMWE 200 group with 200 mg/kg of UMWE. The immunosuppressive drug CY was intraperitoneally injected to induce immune suppression. Spleen indices showed small changes in CY injected groups but splenocyte indices showed greater decrease in the same groups. However, UMWE appeared to relieve CY’s immunosuppression. UMWE also delayed in vitro splenocyte death increasing its longevity. These data obtained by MTT assay and 7-amino-actinomycin D which stains preferentially dead than live cells. UMWE alone did not show cytotoxicity based on its apoptototic effect on splenocytes in vitro and in vivo. Splenic NK cell activity was maintained by UMWE under the presence of CY in vitro. The data indicated that UMWE protects splenocytes from the immunosuppressive drug CY under in vitro and in vivo conditions.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.329-335
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• 2004

Dog spermatozoa were recovered from the caudae epididymides of 23 domestic dogs which were 11 pure breed and 12 mix-breed dogs ranging in age from 0.6 to 3 years. The experimental designs were as follows: 1) the effect of chilling to 0. 10 or 37$^{\circ}C$. 2) the kinetics of chilling injury at 0 or 4$^{\circ}C$, and 3) the effect of sugars at $0^{\circ}C$. Viable spermatozoa were recovered by percoll gradient separation and adjusted to 5${\times}$10$^{7}$ spermatozoa/ml. In experiment 1, spermatozoa were diluted with 0.33 M glucose supplemented with 3% BSA (G-BSA) at 1:2 dilution. Spermatozoa were loaded into straws and exposed at 0, 10 or 37$^{\circ}C$ for 30 min. In experiment 2, spermatozoa were prepared as the experiment 1 and exposed for 0.5, 5, 15, or 30 min at 0 or 4$^{\circ}C$. In experiment 3, spermatozoa were diluted with different sugars (0.33 M galactose, glucose, fructose, mannitol, lactose, sucrose, raffinose) and cooled to $0^{\circ}C$ for 30 min. Sperm membrane integrity, motility and acrosome integrity were assayed after rewarming at 37$^{\circ}C$ for 5 min. Sperm motility and membrane integrity abruptly decreased with decreasing temperature but acrosome integrity gradually decreased (P<0.05). Sperm motility was more sensitive to cold shock than membrane integrity and acrosome integrity. Spermatozoa cooled to $0^{\circ}C$ were more damaged than those at 4$^{\circ}C$. Sperm motility was not different among exposed times at both. 0 and 4$^{\circ}C$. However, membrane integrity of spermatozoa exposed for 30 min at both 0 and 4$^{\circ}C$ was significantly lower (P<0.05). Spermatozoa diluted in 0.33 M fructose or galactose showed lower motility and higher morphological abnormality with coiled tail at $0^{\circ}C$. These sperm characteristics were strongly related. These results indicate that dog epididymal spermatozoa are relatively sensitive to rapid cooling and higher morphological abnormality at $0^{\circ}C$ was shown in spermatozoa diluted in fructose and galactose.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.367-377
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• 2009

Halitosis is a generally accepted marker of diseases in the oral cavity and of systemic and gastrointestinal disorders. Based on these authors' previous findings (that (1) there is a close association between H. pylori infection and halitosis; (2) Korea red ginseng may suppress the colonization of H. pylori, fight H. pylori-induced cytotoxicity, and impose significant anti-inflammatory actions in patients with chronic gastritis; and (3) H. pylori infection is linked with the generation of significant levels of volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs), and the levels of VSCs correlate significantly with H. pylori-associated mucosal damages), in the current study, the authors documented the molecular mechanisms of Korea red ginseng's efficacy in ameliorating halitosis. When the RAW 264.7 cells were treated with the $H_2S$ releasing compound NaHS, the mRNA expression of cystathionine ${\gamma}$-lyase (CSE), IL-6, COX-2, and iNOS were more significantly induced compared with the vehicle-treated group. The cytoskeletal components of ezrin's and moesin's mRNA expressions were elevated by NaHS treatment accompanied by the activation of MAPK, p38, and ERK. Korea red ginseng pretreatment reduced both the NaHS-induced CSE expression and the proinflammatory genes (e.g., IL-6, COX-2, and iNOS) in a concentration-dependent manner. The ERM expression and the phosphorylation of p38 were also significantly reduced by Korea-red-ginseng pretreatment. Overall, Korea red ginseng pretreatment imposed significant anti-inflammatory effects through the downregulation of the NaHS-triggered proinflammatory gene expression, CSE, and ERM mRNA expression. Korea red ginseng could thus be said to be a key remedy of halitosis and to be effective in relieving gastric inflammation.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.501-509
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• 2013

Formaldehyde (FA) is widely used in industries, and it is an indoor and outdoor pollutant. Exposure to FA may cause inflammation and respiratory oxidative stress. Studies have demonstrated that FA can cause cancer in animal models. During the regeneration process of injured starfish (Asterina pectinifera), several changes have been observed in the expression of cytokines. In particular, higher TGF-${\beta}1$ expression has been detected in arm cut starfish extract after eight days. The current study was designed to elucidate the in-vitro and the in-vivo pharmacological effects of starfish extract on FA exposure. We investigated the protective effects of intact starfish extract and arm cut starfish extract on an IMR-90 cell line and on mouse lung injury in response to FA exposure. In the presence of FA, inhalation of the arm cut starfish extract was associated with more promising cell proliferation, TNF-${\alpha}$, NF-${\kappa}B$ decrement, and $I{\kappa}-B{\alpha}$ increment. In the experimental group, the pulmonary structure of the arm cut starfish extract-treated group in the presence of FA exposure was similar to the control group, whereas the FA exposure group showed damage to the pulmonary structure. Moreover, the arm cut starfish extracts was more effective than the intact starfish extracts in terms of the expression of TNF-${\alpha}$, NF-${\kappa}B$, $I{\kappa}-B{\alpha}$, and surfactant protein A. The results obtained in this study demonstrate that arm cut starfish extracts are more effective in protecting pulmonary structure and function against FA exposure than intact starfish extracts.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.673-681
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• 2011

We investigated the effects of an ethanol extract of Eriobotrya japonica Lindl. (loquat) leaves (EJ) on the lipid metabolism of serum, liver, and adipose tissue, and antioxidative activity in rats fed a fat/cholesterol diet for four weeks. Male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 207 g were divided into 4 groups: a normal diet group (N), a high-fat/high-cholesterol diet group (HFC), a high-fat/high-cholesterol diet group administered 200 mg/kg day EJ (HFC-EJL), and a high-fat/high-cholesterol diet group administered 400 mg/kg/day EJ (HFC-EJH). The serum ALT and AST activities of the EJ groups were lower than those of HFC group, but there was no significant change in serum ALP or LDH activities. The serum total and LDL-cholesterol, atherogenic index, and cardiac risk factor tended to be decreased in the EJ groups compared to the HFC group, while the serum HDL-cholesterol decreased in the HFC group and increased only minimally in the EJ groups. The total cholesterol in liver and mesenteric adipose tissues was lower in the EJ groups than in the HFC group. Triglycerides in the mesenteric and epididymal adipose tissues were lower in the EJ groups than in the HFC group. The liver GSH levels of the EJ groups were significantly lower than the HFC group. The liver TBARS content was significantly lower in the EJ groups than in the HFC group. These results suggest that EJ ethanol extract may improve the lipid metabolism of serum, liver, and adipose tissue and prevent oxidative stress by stimulating antioxidative systems in rats fed a high-fat/high-cholesterol diet.

• Proceedings of the Ginseng society Conference
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• 1988.08a
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• pp.47-54
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• 1988

Cholesterol a component of all eucaryotic plasma membranes. is essential for the growth and viability of cells in higher organisms. However. too much cholesterol can be lethal because of atherosclerosis resulting from the deposition of cholesterol ester plaques. It was attempted in this study to understand the preventive effect of ginseng saponin. one of the major components of the roots of Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer. against hypercholesterolemia induced by high cholesterol diet. $^{125}I-LDL$ was injected intravenously to rabbits and rats. which were fed a high cholesterol diet with and/or without ginseng saponin for 12 days. The disappearance of the radioactivity occurred faster in the test group than the control. The effect of saponin fraction from Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer and the purified ginsenosilks. $Rb_1,\;Rb_2,\;Re\;and\;Rg_1,$ on LDL receptor biosynthesis in high cholesterol fed rat has been investigated. Analysis of LDL receptors from various organs such as liver. kidney. adrenal cortex and testis showed that the population of LDL receptors of test group significantly higher than that of the control. It was also found that liver homogenate containing ginsenosides $(10^{-3}-10^{-4}\%)$ stimulated the biosynthesis of bile acid form cholesterol. From the above results. it seemed that ginsenosides lower the cholesterol level by stimulating cholesterol metabolism. which result in the suppression of the inhibitory action of cholesterol on LDL receptor biosynthesis.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.22 no.12
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• pp.1658-1664
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• 2012

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) exhibits several beneficial biological activities including anticarcinogenesis and body-fat reduction. Now, we report that CLA ameliorated the oxidative stress in rat cardiomyoblast cells, H9c2, treated with hydrogen peroxide ($H_2O_2$). Cells were cultured in DMEM/F-12 media at $37^{\circ}C$ with humidified atmosphere of 5% $CO_2$. The cells, cultured for 48 hrs, were seeded at a density $3.5{\times}10^3$ cell/well in a 24 well-plate and incubated for 24 hr. Using these cells, two experiments were performed: the cytotoxicity test of CLA (10, 20, 30, 40, and $50{\mu}Ms$), and the oxidative stress amelioration test of CLA (20 and $50{\mu}Ms$) against cells treated with $H_2O_2$ (10 and 50 ${\mu}Ms$) for 1 and 2 hrs. CLA enhanced the growth of H9c2 cells at any concentrations of CLA and at any incubation times (up to 6 days), indicating that CLA acts as a growth stimulant. No protective effect of CLA (20 and $50{\mu}Ms$) was seen in cells treated $50{\mu}M$ $H_2O_2$ for 1 and 2 hr, but these CLA concentrations ameliorated (p<0.05) the adverse effect of $10{\mu}M$ $H_2O_2$ in cells treated for 1 hr. These CLA concentrations significantly (p<0.05) reduced the proportion of apoptotic cells, relative to control cells. These results suggest that CLA protected H9c2 cells from the oxidative stress of $H_2O_2$ through the suppression of cell apoptosis and could be a useful compound for the prevention of cardiac diseases caused by oxidative stress.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.642-647
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• 2014

Although it is not a pathological symptom, Dentinal Hypersensitivity (DH) describes pain felt by patients whose tooth roots are exposed outside of the gums and are therefore sensitive to external stimuli. DH is caused by tooth brushing or gum diseases and treatment to reduce the sensitivity can include use of materials having stimulation activity for DH or a resin material applied periodontally. This study examined the hypersensitivity treatment effects of a four-week treatment with a toothpaste containing hydroxyapatite and tricalcium phosphate (Hap-TCP toothpaste). The Hap-TCP toothpaste was made by mixing a commercially available fluorine-containing toothpaste with 10% (W/W) hydroxyapatite and 19% (W/W) tricalcium phosphate (both 99% purity based on XRD analysis). The tooth hypersensitivity treatment effect was surveyed by scoring VRS values, and showed no significant initial difference compared with the control. However, after 1 week of use, the pain reduction value was 8% in the treatment group compared to the control group. This value increased to 30% and 60% after 2 and 4 weeks, respectively. Hypersensitivity to cold stimulation, which was used as a VAS value, showed no initial significant differences compared with the control, but was significantly decreased after 1, 2, and 4 weeks in the experimental group, with more than a 3-fold difference after 4 weeks. These findings confirmed that remineralization can alleviate DH as hydroxyapatite fills dentinal tubules and calcium, phosphorus, and tricalcium phosphate ion equilibrium is established.