• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.240-247
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• 2010

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a Gram (-) opportunistic human pathogen causing a wide variety of infections on lung, urinary tract, eyes, and burn wound sites and quorum sensing (QS), a cell density-sensing mechanism plays an essential role in Pseudomonas pathogenesis. In order to investigate the importance of QS in the Pseudomonas infections of Korean patients, we isolated 189 clinical strains of P. aeruginosa from the patients in Pusan Paik Hospital, Busan, South Korea. The QS signal production of these clinical isolates was measured by signal diffusion assay on solid media using reporter strains. While most clinical strains (79.4%) produced the QS signals as similar level as a wild type strain, PAO1 did, where LasR, the initial QS signal sensor-regulator was fully activated, a minority of them (4.2%) produced much less QS signals at the level to which LasR failed to respond. Similarly, while 72.5% of the clinical isolates produced QS signals enough to activate QscR, an another QS signal sensor-regulator, some few of them (9%) produced the QS signals at much lower level where QscR was not activated. For further analysis, we selected 74 clinical strains that were obtained from the patients under suspicion of Pseudomonas infection and investigated the total protease activity that is considered important for virulence. Interestingly, significant portion of them showed very low protease activity (44.6%) or no detectable protease activity (12.2%). When the biofilm-forming ability that is considered very important in chronic infection was examined, most isolates showed lower biofilm-forming activity than PAO1. Similarly, significant portion of clinical isolates showed reduced motility (reduced swarming activity in 51.4% and reduced twitching activity in 41.9%), or non-detectable motility (swarming-negative in 28.4% and twitching-negative in 28.4%). Our result showed that the clinical isolates that produced QS signals at the similar level to wild type could have significantly reduced activities in the protease production, biofilm formation, and motility, and some clinical isolates had unique patterns of motility, biofilm formation, and protease production that are not correlated to their QS activity.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.104-111
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• 1993

Background: Gram-negative bacterial endotoxin induced septicemia is known to be a leading cause in the development of adult respiratory distress syndrome(ARDS). The mechanism of endotoxin induced lung injury is mainly due to the activated neutrophils which injure the capillary endothelial cells by releasing oxidant radical and resulted in pulmonary edema. We studied the change of antioxidant enzyme in the case of large or small, intermittant dose of endotoxin infused rat lungs. Methods: Endotoxin was given to the rat through the peritoneal cavity in the dose of 7 mg/kg body weight in the large dose group and 1 mg/kg for 10 days in the small dose group. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was done and rats were killed at 6, 12, 24 hours after single endotoxin injection in the large dose group and 3, 7, 10 days after daily endotoxin injection for 10 days in the small dose group. The lungs were perfused with normal saline through the pulmonary artery to remove the blood and were homogenized in 5 volume of 50 mM potassium phosphate buffer containing 0.1 mM EDTA. After centrifuging at 100,000 g for 60 minute, the supernatent was removed and stored at $-70^{\circ}C$ until measuring for superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and protein. Results: We observed the following results. 1) The lung wet/dry weight ratio and albumin concentration in the BAL fluids were increased to peak at 12 hours and neutrophil number in the BAL fluids were peak at 6 hours after endotoxin injection in the large dose group. 2) Cu, Zn SOD (IU/mg protein) was significantly decreased after 6, 12 hours after endotoxin injection in the large dose group. 3) There were no singnificant change in the level of Mn SOD, catalase, GSH-Px after endotoxin injection in both groups. Conclusion: Endotoxin in the large dose group produced the acute pulmonary edema and decreased the Cu, Zn SOD in the lung tissue after injecting endotoxin at 6 and 12 hours. These phenomenon may be due to the cell membrane damage by endotoxin. Further research would be necessary whther giving SOD by intratracheal route or method to increase the synthesis of SOD may lessen the acute lung injury by endotoxin.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2006

This research was conducted to investigate the possibilities of usage of germinated-buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum $M{\ddot{o}}ench$) by examining antioxidative, antimicrobial and cytotoxic effects of extracts from different germinated root length of buckwheat. Antioxidant activity $(RC_{50})$ was shown higher in extracts of non-germinated seed $(50.41\;{\mu}g/mL)$ and root length 10 mm $(80.57\;{\mu}g/mL)$, 2 mm $(93.77\;{\mu}g/mL)$, 5 mm $(107.09\;{\mu}g/mL)$ than BHT $(163.96\;{\mu}g/mL)$ as a synthetic antioxidant. In antimicrobial activity, non-germinated and germinated seeds were formed inhibitory zone against S. aureus $(4{\sim}10\;mm)$, P. aeruginosa $(2{\sim}9\;mm)$ at the concentrations of $10{\sim}40\;mg/mL$ but B. subtilis, E. coli and S. typhimurium were not apparent antimicrobial activity. Extracts of germinated seed also decreased their antimicrobial activity compared to non-germinated seed extract. In addition, the growth of Calu-6 was inhibited of both 5 mm root length germinated and non-germinated seeds $(800\;{\mu}g/mL)$ as 95.12% and 87.15%, respectively, but these did not show any influence on cytotoxic effect against MCF-7 and Caco-2 cell lines. Extracts of 2 mm and 5 mm germinated seeds were also inhibited against Calu-6 and SNU-601 cell lines.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.28 no.11
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• pp.1301-1315
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• 2018

We purified an antimicrobial peptide from the acidified hemocyte extract of Mytilus coruscus by $C_{18}$ reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). The peptide was 4041.866 Da based on matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrophotometer (MALDI-TOF/MS) and the 25 amino acids of the N-terminus sequence were identified. Comparison of this sequence of the purified peptide with the N-terminus sequences of other antimicrobial peptides revealed 100% identity with the mytilin B precursor of Mytilus coruscus. We also identified a 312 bp open-reading frame (ORF) encoding 103 amino acids based on the obtained amino acid residues. The nucleotide sequence of this ORF and the amino acid sequence also revealed 100% identity with the mytilin B precursor of Mytilus coruscus. We synthesized two antimicrobial peptides with an alanine residue in the C-terminus, and designated them mytilin B1 and B2. These two antimicrobial peptides showed antimicrobial activity against gram-positive bacteria, including Bacillus cereus and Streptococcus parauberis (minimal effective concentration, MECs $41.6-89.7{\mu}g/ml$), gram-negative bacteria, including Enterobacter cloacae, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis, Providencia stuartii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Vibrio ichthyoenteri (MECs $7.4-39.5{\mu}g/ml$), and the fungus Candida albicans (MECs $26.0-31.8{\mu}g/ml$). This antimicrobial activity was stable under heat and salt conditions. Furthermore, the peptides did not exhibit significant hemolytic activity or cytotoxic effects. These results suggest that mytilin B could be applied as alternative antibiotic agent, and they add to the understanding of the innate immunity of hard-shelled mussels.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.168-184
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• 2001

Purpose: KR-30035 (KR), a new MDR reversing agent, has been found to produce a similar degree of increased Tc-99m MIBI uptake in cultured tumor cells over-expressing mdr1 mRNA compared to verapamil (VP), with less cardiovascular effects. We assessed the MDR-reversing ability of KR in vivo, and effects of various doses of KR on MIBI uptake un nude mice hearing P-glycoprotein (P-gp) positive (+) and P-gp negative (-) human tumor xenografts. Methods: P-gp (+) HCT15/CL02 colorectal and P-gp (-) A549 non-small cell cancer cells were inoculated in each flank of 120 nude mice (20 mice ${\times}$ 6 groups). Group 1 (Gr1) mice received 10mg/kg KR i.p. 3 times $({\times}3)$; Gr2, 10mg/kg VP i.p. ${\times}3$; Gr3, 10mg/kg KR i.p. ${\times}2$ + 25mg/kg KR i.p. ${\times}1$; Gr4, 10mg/kg KR i.p. ${\times}2$ + 50mg/kg i.p. ${\times}1$; Gr5, 10mg/kg KR i.p. ${\times}2$ + 25mg/kg KR i.v. ${\times}1$, GrC, controls. The mice were then injected with Tc-99m MIBI and sacrificed after 10 min, 30 min, 90 min and 240 min. Tumor uptake of MIBI (TU) in each group was compared. Results: TU in P-gp (+) and (-) tumors were both higher in Gr1 than Gr2. Washout rate between the 10 min and 4 hours was lower in Gr5 of P-gp (+) cell(0.93) than the control. Percentage increases in TU were higher in P-gp (+) than P-gp (-) tumors with all KR doses. Pgp (+) TU were highest at 10 mon (173% of GrC) and persisted up to 240 min (144%) in Gr3. Larger doses of KR resulted in a lesser degree of increase in P-gp (+) TU at 10 min (130% in Gr4 and 117% un Gr5) and 30 min (178%, 129%), but TU increased by time up to 240 min (177%, 196%). Heart and lung uptakes were markedly increased in Gr4 and Gr5 at 10 and 30 min, likely due to cardiovascular effects. No mice died. Conclusion: These data further suggest that KR that has significantly lower cardiovascular toxicity than verapamil can be used as an active inhibitor of MDR. Even a relatively low dose of KR significantly increased Tc-99m MIBI uptake in P-gp (+) tumors in vivo.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.723-735
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• 1998

Background : Vitamin C has been reported to have a role in the decrease of airway hyperresponsiveness in animal models. This data is based on some metabolic actions of vitamin C, such as promotion of histamine degradation, producing more $PGE_2$ than $PGF_{2\alpha}$ in cyclooxygenase pathway, decrease of smooth muscle contraction, and acting as reducing agent of oxidant. It has been also known that heavy smokers have lower blood levels of vitamin C than nonsmokers and this deficiency in heavy smokers have been explained by several mechanisms, such as increased oxidation by oxidants and free radicals, increased biosynthesis of catecholamine and serotonin released by nicotine, and inadequate dietary intake. In this study, We attempted to assess effect of vitamin C on bronchial hyperresponsiveness in heavy smokers who have bronchial hyperresponsiveness and role of vitamin C on bronchial hyperresponsiveness. Method: To assess acute effect of vitamin C on airway hyperresponsiveness, blood sample for vitamin C level and spirometry, methacholine challenge test were done in 17 smokers and 8 nonsmokers, and one hour after oral administration of vitamin C 3 g, blood sample for vitamin C level and spirometry, methacholine challenge test were repeated. To assess chronic effect of vitamin C on airway hyperresponsiveness, after daily administration of vitamin C 1 g for one week in 17 smokers, blood sample for vitamin C level and spirometry, methacholine challenge test were done. To assess role of vitamin C, after oral administration of vitamin C 3 g plus indomethacin 100 mg in 12 of 15 smokers who were reactive to methacholine challenge test, spirometry and methacholine challenge test were done and after oral intake of indomethacin 100 mg in 12 smokers who were reactive to methacholine challenge test, spirometry and methacholine challenge test were repeated. Result: There were no significant differences in whole blood vitamin C levels between smokers($1.17{\pm}0.22$ mg/dL) and nonsmcikers($1.14{\pm}0.19$ mg/dL) (p>0.05). Fifteen of the 17 smokers(88.2%) were reactive to methacholine challenge test and 10 of the 15 smokers who were reactive to methacholine challenge test were less than 8 mg/dL in $PC_{20}FEV-2$, and 7 of the 8 nonsmokers(87.5%) were nonreactive to methacholine challenge test There were significant decrease in bronchial responsiveness after oral administration of vitamin C 3 g in 13 of the 15 smokers who were reactive to methacholine challenge test This significant decrease persisted with maintenance daily administration of 1 g for one week. $PC_{20}FEV-2$ were not correlated to vitamin C levels in smokers. After oral administration of indomethacin 100 mg, significant reduction of bronchial responsiveness that occured after oral administration of vitamin C 3 g in smokers were attenuated. Conclusion: Although there were no significant differences in whole blood vitamin C levels between smokers and nonsmokers. heavy smokers have significant increase in bronchial responsiveness than nonsmokers. This bronchial hyperresponsiveness of heavy smokers can be attenuated by vitamin C supplement. Disappearance of vitamin C effect by indomethacin supplement may suggest that vitamin C exert its effect via alteration of arachidonic acid metabolism.