• Journal of Dairy Science and Biotechnology
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.17-29
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• 2014

GRAS probiotics can be used to modulate intestinal microbiota and to alleviate various gastrointestinal disorders. In several recent studies, researchers have explored the potential expansion and usability of probiotics to reduce the risk factors associated with diseases, including obesity, hypercholesterolemia, arterial hypertension, hyperhomocysteinemia, and oxidative stress. In this review, our aim was to clarify the mechanism underlying interactions between hosts (animal or human) and probiotics and the beneficial effects of probiotics on human health.

• 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 Plant Biotechnology
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.243-251
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• 2007

It has been recently demonstrated the presence of not only $C_{28}-BRs$ biosysnthesis, but also $C_{27}-$ and $C_{29}-BRs$ biosynthesis in plants, suggesting that BRs biosynthesis are complicatedly connected to produce biologically active BR (s). This prompted us to investigation of metabolism of a $C_{29}-BR$, 28-homoCS in seedlings of rice from which $C_{29}-BRs$ such as 28-homoTE and 28-homoTY have been identified. In vitro enzyme conversion study using a crude enzyme solution prepared from rice seedlings revealed that 28-homoCS is converted into both CS and 26-nor-28-homoCS, but their reversed reaction did not occur. This indicated that 28-homoCS is biosynthetically converted into more biologically active $C_{28}-BR$, CS by C-28 demethylation and biodegraded into 26-nor-28-homoCS by C-26 demethylation. Next, bio-conversion of 28-homoCS to 28-homoBL was examined by the same enzyme solution. No 28-homoBL as a metabolite of 28-homoCS was detected, meaning that biosynthetic reaction for 28-homoCS to 28-homoBL is not contained, and main connection of $C_{28}-BRs$ and $C_{29}-BRs$ biosynthesis is between CS and 28-homoCS in the rice seedling. This study is the first demonstrated that $C_{29}-BRs$ and $C_{28}-BRs$ bionsynthetic pathways are connected, and that $C_{29}-BRs$ biosynthetic pathway is an alternative biosynthetic pathway to produce more biologically active $C_{28}-BR$, CS in plant.

• Food Industry
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• s.181
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• pp.10-37
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• 2004

식용유지는 식용으로 이용할 수 있는 가시적인 상태의 액상(oil) 또는 고체상(fat)의 식용기름을 말하지만 식품산업 측면에서는 가시적인 상태의 유지(가시지방)뿐만 아니라 유지가공 식품이나 기타의 식품에 함유되어 섭취되는 비가시적인 상태의 유지(비가지 지방)도 포함될 수 있다. 식용유지는 생명을 유지하는데 없어서는 안될 영양소로서 탄수화물 단백질과 함께 3대 영양소 중의 하나이며 1g당 9kcal를 내는 고도로 농축된 에너지원이면서 필수지방산의 공급원이고 비타민 A, D, E 등의 지용성 비타민과 기타 특수한 영양성분의 운반체로서 높은 영양적 가치를 갖는다. 지방성분은 음식물로부터 섭취가 불가능할 경우에는 체내에서 탄수화물이나 단백질을 기질로 하는 대사과정에서 합성되어 지질 또는 필수지방산과 지용성 비타민은 식품으로 지방질과 함께 흡수되어야 하므로 식품의 한 성분으로 지방의 중요성을 인정받고 있다. 1960년대 이후 국민소득의 증가와 함께 식생활도 다양화되고 서구화 간편화되면서 지방 함량이 높은 식품과 유지를 이용한 식품의 소비가 증가하였고 전체적인 유지 소비량도 늘어나는 추세에 있다. 60년대 초에는 총열량 중 지방이 차지하는 비율이 $6\%$ 정도였으나 최근에는 급격히 증가되어 2000년말 현재 $25.5\%$로 증가하였다. 97년까지 계속 증가하던 공급 에너지량은 98년 IMF의 영향으로 2,799 kcal까지 감소했으나 99년 들어 IMF 이전 수준으로 회복되었다. 또한 연간 일인당 순 식용유지류 공급량은 1990년대 까지 급격히 증가하였으나 이후로는 소폭 증가하는 추세이다. 2000년말 현재 식용유지 총 공급량은 76만2 천톤으로써 99년 73만5 천톤에 비해 2.7만톤이 증가하였다. 1998년 IMF 시기를 제외하고는 공급물량은 계속해서 증가 추세이다. 특히 1998년도에 비하여 2000년도에 식물성 유지는 2배 가까이 증가하였으나, 동물성 유지는 절반 이하로 감소되는 추세이며 공급물량으로 보면 대두유, 팜유가 주요 유종으로 식물유지 전체에서 차지하는 비중이 $72.3\%$로 압도적이다. 라면용 튀김기름과 마가린 쇼트닝의 원료로서 대부분 사용되는 팜유를 제외하고 가정용 식용유의 대부분을 차지하는 대두유가 이처럼 식용유지 시장의 대부분을 차지하게 된 이유는 첫째, 90년대 초반 수입 자유화 이후 타 유종 대비 낮은 가격을 형성하여 유지업체가 수입을 늘린 것이고 둘째로는 국내에서 대두유와 대두박을 생산하는 대두가공업체의 안정적 대두유 공급이 주요 원인이라고 할 수 있다. 식용유지의 시장규모는 식품공전상 식용유지로 분류된 제품들의 2000년도 출하액으로 보면 약 6,616 억원 정도이다. 한편 유종이 단순했던 가정용 식용유지 시장이 최근 새로워지고 있다. 주로 조리용으로 사용했던 것에서 건강을 생각하는 품목으로 바뀌는 경향이다. 아직은 가정용에서 대두유가 가장 많지만 옥배유나 채종유 더 나아가 건강이미지의 식용유인 홍화유 올리브유 해바라기유등이 증가하고 있는 추세이다. 한편 기존 식용유가 비만의 원인인 것 때문에 기피되던 것에서 새롭게 다이어트용 식용유 제품이 출시되어 시장에 새 바람이 불고 있다. 일본 식용유지 시장규모는 물량으로 172 만톤, 금액으로는 2,786 억엔(약 2조7860 억원) 수준이다. 지난 10년간 증가율은 물량 측면에서 약 $5\%$정도 신장하고 금액으로는 큰 증감이 없었다. 식용유는 조리의 기초 소재로서 안정한 수요를 갖고 있지만 주요 유종인 샐러드유의 가격이 하락하여, 전체적으로 시장이 물량이 증가하면서도 매출액이 신장하지 못하여 시장규모는 축소되었다고 할 수 있다. 일본 식용유지 업계의 제품동향을 보면 거의 모든 업체가 가정용 시장에서 건강 기능성 식용유지를 출시하고 있다는 점이다. 물론 일본은 건강기능성 식품에 대한 제도적인 뒷 받침이 되어 있어 기능성 식품의 시장출시가 용이한 점이 가정용 시장에 큰 영향을 미쳤다고 볼 수 있다. 유지 산업의 고부가가치화를 위해서는 전통적인 산업의 제품과 기술만으로는 달성하기 어렵다. 국내와 일본 식용유지 업계의 경향을 참고해 볼 때 차별화된 식용유지 제품과 기술의 개발이 절실히 필요하다. 앞서 언급한 고부가가치 제품과 기술 관련 사향을 바탕으로 국내 유지분야가 중점적으로 연구할 분야를 선정해 보면 리파제의 고정화 연구, 생물공학 기술을 활용한 효소의 개발과 이를 이용한 유지 가공 기술 연구, 유지성분의 유화 안정화 기술 연구, 식용유지의 선택적 수소경화 기술 연구 트랜스 지방산 저감기술연구, 효소 반응조 설계기술 연구, 지질 분자구조 분석기술 연구 분야 등이 유망하다. 상기와 같은 연구 분야를 육성하기 위해서는 유지 전문 인력의 육성, 해외 네트웍의 구축, 산학연 공동연구 추진, 국가적 차원의 정책 및 지원 등이 절실하다.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.19 no.8
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• pp.1039-1046
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• 2009

The cytochrome P450s (P450s) metabolizing natural products are among the most versatile biological catalysts known in plants, but knowledge of the structural basis for their broad substrate specificity has been limited. The activity of p-coumarate 3-hydroxylase (C3H) is thought to be essential for the biosynthesis of lignin and many other phenylpropanoid pathway products in plants however, all attempts to express and purify the protein corresponding C3H gene have failed. As a result, no conditions suitable for the unambiguous assay of the enzyme are known. The detailed understanding of the mechanism and substrate-specificity of C3Hdemands a method for the production of active protein on the milligram scale. We have developed a bacterial expression and purification system for the plant C3H, which allows for the quick expression and purification of active wild-type C3H via introduction of combinational mutagenesis. The modified cytochrome P450 C3H ($C3H_{mod}$) could be purified in the absence of detergent using immobilized metal affinity chromatography and size exclusion chromatography following extraction from isolated membranes in a high salt buffer and catalytically activated. This method makes the use of isotopic labeling of C3H for NMRstudies and X-ray crystallography practical, and is also applicable to other plant cytochrome P450 proteins.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.471-477
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• 1999

Background : Smoking and high-risk occupation have been known to be the risk factors of lung cancer. The carcinogen-metabolizing enzymes in human body such as glutathione S-transferase M1, T1 and N-acetyltransferase 1 have also been regarded as risk factors in many cancers, because the activities of those enzymes play a role in metabolizing the carcinogen. A case-control study was conducted to evaluate the genetic polymorphism of GSTM1, T1 and NAT1 in lung carcinogenesis in Korean men. Methods : The histologically proven lung cancer cases were recruited from Seoul National University Hospital. The patients of more than 40-year-old with the nonmalignant urinary tract diseases were recruited as controls from the same hospitals. The informations of demographical characteristics and smoking were obtained by interview or chart review and the genetic polymorphisms of GSTM1, T1 and NAT1 were determined by PCR-based assay. The statistical analyses were performed by linear logistic regression. Results : The number of case-control was 118 and 150, respectively. The smoking history was significantly higher in the lung cancer patients than the controls. The prevalence of GSTM1 null-type was statistically higher(OR=2.25 ; 95% CI=1.12-4.51) in squamous cell carcinoma than other genotypes, but other histologic types were not The prevalence of GSTT1 null-type were not statistically higher than other genotypes in all histologic types. The fast acetylator of NAT1 was more prevalent than normal(OR=2.13 ; 95% CI=1.04-4.40) in all lung cancer patients. Conclusion : The null-type of GSTM1 and fast acetylator of NAT1 are associated with development of lung cancer in Korean men.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.24 no.10
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• pp.1110-1117
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• 2014

Tidal flats are continuously contaminated by human activities. This study assessed the bioremediation efficiency of tidal flat soil using microcosm reactors and microorganisms originating from the tidal area. We screened 135 bacterial strains that produce extracellular enzymes from the tidal area located in the North port of Incheon bay. Two bacterial strains (Pseudoalteromonas sp. and IC35 Halothiobacillus neapolitanus IC_S22) were selected and used in the microcosm reactors, which were specially designed to functionally mimic the ecological conditions of the tidal flats. Pseudoalteromonas sp. IC35 was selected based on its relatively high activity of the enzymes amylase, cellulose, lipase, and protease. Halothiobacillus neapolitanus IC_S22 was selected for oxidation of sulfur. The M1 and M2 microcosm reactors were operated by continuous feeding of seawater under the same conditions, but M2 was first inoculated with Pseudoalteromonas sp. IC35 before the seawater feeding. The initial COD in both the M1 and M2 microcosm reactors was 320 mg/l. The final COD was 21 mg/l (M1) and 7 mg/l (M2). The M3 and M4 microcosm reactors were operated by continuous feeding of seawater under the same conditions, but M4 was first inoculated with H. neapolitanus IC_S22. The initial sulfate concentration in both the M3 and M4 microcosm reactors was 660 mg/l, and the maximum sulfate concentration was 1,360 mg/l (M3) and 1,600 mg/l (M4).

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.522-534
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• 1995

Background: In the pathogenesis of acute lung injury induced by lipopolysaccharide(LPS), oxygen radiclls are known to be involved in one part. Superoxide dismutase(SOD) protects oxygen radical-induced tissue damage by dismutating superoxide to hydrogen peroxide. In eukaryotic cells, two forms of SOD exist intracellularly as a cytosolic, dimeric copper/zinc-containing SOD(CuZnSOD) and a mitochondrial, tetrameric manganese-containing SOD(MnSOD). But there has been little information about SOD gene expression and its regulation in pulmonary alveolar macrophages(PAMs). The objective of this study is to evaluate the SOD gene expression induced by LPS and its regulation in PAMs of rat. Method: In Sprague-Dawley rats, PAMs obtained by broncholaveolar lavage were purified by adherence to plastic plate. To study the effect of LPS on the SOD gene expression of PAMs, they were stimulated with different doses of LPS($0.01{\mu}g/ml{\sim}10{\mu}g/ml$) and for different intervals(0, 2, 4, 8, 24hrs). Also for evaluating the level of SOD gene regulation actinomycin D(AD) or cycloheximide(CHX) were added respectively. To assess whether LPS altered SOD mRNA stability, the rate of mRNA decay was determined in control group and LPS-treated group. Total cellular RNA extraction by guanidinium thiocyanate/phenolfchlorofonn method and Northern blot analysis by using a $^{32}P$-labelled rat MnSOD and CuZnSOD cDNAs were performed. Results: The expression of mRNA in MnSOD increased dose-dependently, but not in CuZnSOD. MnSOD mRNA expression peaked at 8 hours after LPS treatment. Upregulation of MnSOD mRNA expression induced by LPS was suppressed by adding AD or CHX respectively. MnSOD mRNA stability was not altered by LPS. Conclusion: These findings show that PAMs of rat could be an important source of SOD in response to LPS, and suggest that their MnSOD mRNA expression may be regulated transcriptionally and require de novo protein synthesis without affecting mRNA stability.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.97-105
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• 2008

Vinclozolin (VCZ) is a systemic fungicide commonly used in fruits, vegetables and the wine industry. VCZ and its metabolites, butenoic acid (M1) and enanilide (M2) derivatives, act as anti-androgens through actions on the androgen receptor. Although there is growing body of evidence that VCZ's action as an endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC) in male reproductive physiology and pathphysiology, no evidence on the VCZ's EDC action in female is available yet. Previously we found that the prepubertal VCZ exposures could effectively delay the onset of puberty in female rats, suggesting the postponed or weakened activities of hypothalamus-pituitary-ovary (H-P-O) reproductive hormonal axis. The present study was performed to examine whether the VCZ administration affects the transcriptional activities of reproductive hormone-related genes in the same animal model. VCZ (10 mg/kg/day) was administered daily from postnatal day 21 (PND 21) through the day when the first vaginal opening (V.O.) was observed. To determine the transcriptional changes of reproductive hormone-related genes in hypothalamus and pituitary, total RNAs were extracted and applied to the semiquantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). As a result, treatment with VCZ significantly lowered the transcriptional activity of nitric oxide synthase-2 (NOS-2) which is known to adjust gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) secretion in the hypothalamus (p<0.01). Similarly, the mRNA levels of KiSS-1, G protein-coupled receptor 54 (GPR54) and GnRH were significantly decreased in hypothalamus (p<0.01) from VCZ-treated group. As expected, the transcriptional activities of luteinizing hormone-${\beta}$ (LH-${\beta}$) and follicle stimulating hormone-${\beta}$ (FSH-${\beta}$) in the anterior pituitary from VCZ-treated group were also significantly lower than those from the control group. The present study indicates that(i) the inhibitory effect of VCZ exposure on the onset of puberty in immature female rats could be derived from the reduced transcriptional activities of gonadotropin subunits and their upstream modulators such as GnRH and KiSS-1 in hypothalamus-pituitary neuroendocrine axis, and (ii) these inhibitory effects could be mediated by NO signaling pathway.

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.275-282
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• 1993

Liver microsomal epoxide hydrolase (mEH) is active in the detoxification of epoxide-containing reactive intermediate. Previous studies in this laboratory have shown that thiazole and pyrazine are efficacious inducers of mEH in rats with large increases in mEH mRNA levels (Carcinogensis, Kim et al, 1993). mEH was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity from thiazole-induced rat hepatic microsomes using DEAE-cellulose column chromatography whereas another protein $({\sim}43\;kDa)$ was co-purified with mEH from pyrazine-induced rat hepatic micrsomes (200 mg/kg body weight/day, ip, 3d). The antibody raised from a rabbit against mEH protein purified from thiazole-induced rat hepatic microsomes appeared to specifically recognize mEH protein in rat hepatic microsomes, as assessed by immunoblotting analysis. Immunoblotting analyses revealed a 10- and 7-fold increase in mEH levels in the hepatic microsomes isolated from thiazole- and pyrazine-treated rats, respectively. Moreover, immunoblotting analysis showed cross-reactivity of the mEH antibody with a 43 kDa protein in pyrazine-induced rat hepatic microsomes and with co-purified 43 kDa protein in purified fractions. The ratio between the 43 kDa protein and mEH in pyrazine-induced rat microsomes or in purified fractions was ${\sim}1$ to 15. N-terminal amino acid sequence analysis of both purified rat mEH and 43 kDa protein revealed that 10 out of 12 amino acids in N-terminus of the 43 kDa protein were identical with the mEH sequence with two amino acid residues of the 43 kDa protein undetermined. Either thiazole or pyrazine treatment, however, failed to increase the levels of mEH protein in rabbits while pyrazine caused elevation of the 43 kDa protein in this species, as determined by irnrnunoblotting analysis. These results demonstrated that treatment of rats with either thiazole or pyrazine causes elevation in hepatic mEH expiession whereas pyrazine treatment results in induction of another mEH-related 43 kDa protein and that a distinct species difference exists between rats and rabbits in the induction of mEH by these xenobiotics.