• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
• /
• v.36 no.3
• /
• pp.198-206
• /
• 2023

The effectiveness of the extracts of Alnus japonica and Portulaca oleracea, which are effective in improving alcohol-induced liver damage, was confirmed using acute and chronic alcoholic liver injury animal models. In the acute alcoholic liver injury model, dieting Alnus japonica and Portulaca oleracea complex (ALPOC) at a dose of 50 mg/kg showed no significant change in liver or body weight, while measured plasma ALT activity to be deficient (28.12 U/ml) compared to the alcohol intake group (42.5 U/ml), and confirmed that restored it to an average level. It showed an improvement of 34.9% compared to the alcohol intake group. AST activity confirmed that it showed a very effective liver protection activity by showing a gain of 12.6%. The chronic alcoholic liver damage animal model demonstrated that ALT showed an improvement effect of 25%, and AST showed an effect similar to that of the positive control group, Hovenia extract. In addition, through H&E staining analysis, observed that the ALPOC improved the necrosis and bleeding of the liver. And the ALPOC group showed intense antioxidant activity of 127% or more compared to the alcohol intake group, and this was confirmed to have a very high activity, which is more than 20% higher than that of the hovenia fruit extract.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.116-125
• /
• 1995

This study is to consider hypotheses with integral view on the respect of creative thinking. Subjects of this study are Korean students in the 5th grade who participated in the Field Trip Contest of the second Korean Youth Science Festival, an openended inquiry investigation. Objectives of this study are as follows: 1) to measure the inquiry level of the Field Trip Contest activity 2) to find how many hypotheses were made on different types in the inquiry investigation 3) to measure the quality level of hypotheses made in the scientific inquiry investigation 4) to find out the correlation between the 1st and 2nd hypotheses and the final activity score in the two staged scientific investigation In the consequence of it, inquiry level of the Field Trip Contest was very high with good activity topics and openended way of investigation. Hypotheses were made in the prediction, plan, and conclusion parts in the field trip activity report. They used hypothesis-as-prediction typed statements(3.41/team) more than hypothesis-as-explanation(1.28/team) and descriptive hypothesis(0.03/team) types. Content-related hypothesis(5.03/team) and process-related hypothesis(6.16/team) were usually coupled each other. Most of them had difficulties in hypothesis-from-evidence(0.31/team, 10/32 teams) in the comparison of hypothesis-from-simple conjecture(10.62/team). The quality level of content-related hypotheses(0.74point/statement) and process-related hypotheses(1.98point/statement) were very low by the hypothesis-quality scale(Quinn and George, 1975) for the content-related hypotheses and the process-related hypothesis quality scale developed in this study. There was considerable correlation between the activity score and the 1st and 2nd hypothesis in the 2 staged inquiry investigations with the 2nd and 3rd topics($0.41{\ast}$, $0.59{\ast}{\ast}$ repectively).

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
• /
• v.25 no.5
• /
• pp.633-639
• /
• 2012

This study was performed to evaluate the effect of ethanolic extract from the fruit of Empetrum nigrum var. japonicum (EN) on $CCl_4$-induced hepatotoxicity. Orally provided daily for 7 days were 250-mg/kg or 500-mg/kg EN or vehicle, while $CCl_4$ (40 mg/kg) was intraperitoneally injected the day after the last treatment of EN. Twenty-four hours after injection of $CCl_4$, we measured serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels, malondialdehyde (MDA) contents, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) activity of the liver. The antioxidant activities were measured with the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity and inhibitory effect on lipid peroxidation. The EN showed a strong DPPH radical scavenging activity and inhibitory effect of lipid peroxidation. The ALT and AST levels in serum were greatly enhanced by the $CCl_4$ injection. However, in the EN treatment group, the levels of ALT and AST in serum were significantly reduced. Moreover, $CCl_4$ significantly increased the MDA contents and decreased the SOD and CAT activity in liver homogenates. The EN recovered MDA contents, close to that in the normal group, while the EN increased the SOD and CAT activity. These results suggest that ethanolic extract from the fruit of Empetrum nigrum var. japonicum has significant antioxidant activity and hepatic protection potential.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
• /
• v.24 no.4
• /
• pp.316-322
• /
• 2001

Arylsulfate sulfotransferase (ASST) transfers a sulfate group from a phenolic sulfate ester to a phenolic acceptor substrate. In the present study, the gene encoding ASST was cloned from a genomic library copy of Citrobacter freundii, subcloned into the vector pGEM3Zf(-) and sequenced. Sequencing revealed two contiguous open reading frames (ORF1 and ORF2) on the same strand and based on amino acid sequence homologyl they were designated as astA and dsbA, respectively. The amino acid sequence of astA deduced from C. freundii was highly similar to that of the Salmonella typhimurium, Enterobacter amnigenus, Klebsiella, Pseudomonas putida, and Campylobacter jejuni, encoded by the astA genes. However, the ASST activity assay revealed different acceptor specificities. Using p-nitrophenyl sulfate (PNS) as a donor substrate, $\alpha$-naphthol was found to be the best acceptor substrate, followed by phenol, resorcinol, p-acetaminophen, tyramine and tyrosine.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.12 no.3
• /
• pp.349-356
• /
• 2002

In order to observe the bioactivity of ovariectomized rats, nonovariertoized (sham) group, ovariectomized (Ovx) group, ovariectomized ginseng total saponin (GTS)-treated (Ovx+ GTS) group and ovariectomized ginseng water extract (GW)-treated (Ovx+CW) group were made. We measured AST (L-aspartate aminotransferase) and ALT (L-alanin aminotransferase) in sera, and MDA (malondialdehyde:lipid peroxidation), SOD (superoxide dismutase), catalase, total-glutathione (GSH + GSSG) and GPx (glutathione peroxidase) in liver tissue total homogenates of rat. AST activity of serum in Ovx group was 2.11 times increased, but ALT activity was not changed compared to Sham group. In AST activity, they tend to decrease significantly in each substance such as GTS and GW administered group. Lipidperoxides of each fraction in Ovx group were highly increased compared to Sham group. Extracts of ginseng-treated group markedly inhibited lipid peroxidation by 62% ∼72%. And as the result of the measurements of SOD, catalase, total-glutathione and GPx which are antioxidant enzyme, antioxidant enzymes in Ovx group much lower than in Sham group. But they were significantly increased in each substance such as GTS and GW, administered group. Based on the results, it is supposed that more produced free radicals decreased antioxidant enzyme. And it is also thought that extracts of ginseng can inhibit aging by reducing antioxidant enzyme.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
• /
• v.10 no.4
• /
• pp.24-32
• /
• 1977

It was attempted in this study to assess the vitamin $B_{1},\;B_{2}$, and $B_6$ status in tissue by determination of erythrocyte transketolase (TK), glutathione reductase (GR), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activities, and their activation by their respective coenzymes, thiamine pyrophosphate, flavin-adenine dinucleotide, and pyridoxal-5-phosphate. The activities of erythrocyte enzymes were stable for more than 30 days when erythrocyte had been stored at $-20^{\circ}C$ and affirmed that the enzyme activities were more stable in the case of deep frozen sotrage of erythrocytes rather than hemolysates. The assay procedures involving ultraviolet kinetic analysis with continuous monitoring for each of enzymes have good within-batch and between-batch precisions and will be avalable in the routine laboratories for the nutritional and clinical surveys. Activity coefficient of TK, GR, and AST was studied in healthy medical students (fifteen men and twelve women, between 21 and 30 years old) on an unrestricted diet. The mean activity coefficient of TK, GR, and AST were 1.18, 1.35, and 2.01 for men, and 1.14, 1.33, and 1.83 for women, respectively. And the upper limit of normal (mean+2SD) were 1.52, 1.69, and 2.61 for men, and 1.50, 1.61, and 2.37 for women, respectively.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.4 no.4
• /
• pp.428-436
• /
• 1996

The protective effect of Carthamus tinctorius L. Semen on the carbon tetrachloride induced liver damaged rats were studied. First, methanol extract was prepared and the extract was fractionated with hexane, $CHCl_3$, BuOH and $H_2O$ respectively. Animals were divided into 6 groups and each group was treated with each fraction respectively. To investigate the hepato-protective effect of Carthamus tinctorius L. Semen AST, ALT, albumin, TP, cholesterol, TG, creatinine and total bilirubin values were measured in each treated group and compared with those of control group. GST activity was increased in BuOH group compared with the control group. In malondialdehyde levels, all fractions was decreased compared with the control group. In histopathologic examination, hexane and $H_2O$ fractions of Carthamus tinctorius L. Semen observed mild degree of ballooning degeneration. The results show the protective effect of Hexane,$CHCl_3$, BuOH and $H_2O$ fractions on hepatotoxicity of $CHl_4$ by decreasing ALT, AST, bilirubin, cholesterol, TG and BUN. It seems that the decrease of MDA are related to the recovery effect. The protective effects of Carthamus tinctorius L. Semen fractions in hepatotoxic pathogenesis by $CHl_4$ was suggested in blood chemistry analysis and histopathologic examination.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.27 no.11
• /
• pp.999-1005
• /
• 2018

The purpose of this study was to probe the influences of krill (Euphausia superba) meal with NaF oral administration on a dose-effect relationship between fluoride levels of krill meal and serum enzyme activity such as alkaline phosphatase (ALP), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in rats fed experimental diets for 5 weeks. There were no significant decreases in the activities of ALP, AST, ALT, and LDH in sera among krill meal diet groups (KF10, KF20, KF30). However, these groups were significantly (p<0.05) lower enzyme activities than normal diet (ND) plus NaF 10 mg group (NF). The fluoride levels of serum and organ tissues (liver, brain, heart, lung, kidney) in NaF 10 mg groups (NF, KF10, KF20, KF30) were significantly increased by adding krill meal in comparison with normal diet group. The results indicate that a difficult to found toxicity to the tissues from krill meal diet groups.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.13 no.6
• /
• pp.2570-2578
• /
• 2012

We investigated whether coffee and green tea consumption reduced the risk of elevated alanine aminotransferase(ALT)/aspartate aminotransferase(AST) activity and the prevalence of metabolic syndrome. Participants were 5,283 adults, aged 19-79 years, in the Third Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, with excessive alcohol consumption, overweight, viral hepatitis, metabolic syndrome. Increased coffee and green tea consumption was not associated with decreased serum ALT. However, amount of coffee consumption had negative correlation with serum AST activity. Moreover, coffee consumption reduced the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (p for trend <0.001). Hypertension, impaired glucose metabolism and dyslipidemia was involved as subgroup of metabolic syndrome. Comparing persons who drank more than 2 cups per day with less than 1 cup per day, the prevalence of all subgroups was declined significantly. In this large, national, population-based study, consumption of coffee was associated with lower the risk of metabolic syndrome.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.14 no.4
• /
• pp.777-782
• /
• 2004

The arylsulfatase gene (astA, 984 bp ORF) from the P. carrageenovora genome was amplified by PCR and subcloned into the pET21a vector. When the constructed plasmid pAST-A1 (6.4 kb) was introduced into E. coli BL21(DE3), the transformant on the LB plate containing IPTG showed a hydrolyzing activity for 4-methylumbelliferyl sulfate and p-nitrophenyl sulfate. The highest arylsulfatase activity (2.1 unit/ml) was obtained at 10 mM IPTG. Most arylsulfatase activity was found in the cell lysate, whereas no significant activity was detected in the culture supernatant. The molecular weight of the recombinant enzyme was estimated to be 33.1 kDa by SDS-PAGE. After the reaction of agar with arylsulfatase for 12 h at $40^{\circ}C$, the gel strength of the agar increased by 2-fold, and 73% of the sulfate in the agar had been removed. This result suggests that arylsulfatase expressed in E. coli could be useful in the production of electrophoretic grade agarose.