• The Korean Journal of Mycology
• /
• v.47 no.1
• /
• pp.75-81
• /
• 2019

The goal of this study was to characterize unrecorded wild yeasts from soils of spices plants fields and further, to elucidate its anti-demential activities and tyrosinase inhibitory activity. Piskurozyma taiwanensis R4-1 (NIBRFGC000502619), Nadsonia starkeyi-henricii R6-2 (NIBRFGC000502618), and Canadida friedrichii M12-6 (NIBRFGC000502615) isolated from soil of garlic field represented newly recorded yeast strains in Korea. Vishniacozyma peneaus I2-9 (NIBRFGC000502617) and Cryptococcus aspenensis I21-1 (NIBRFGC000502616) from soil of ginger field represented also newly recorded yeast strains, and microbiological characteristics of its fifteen yeast strains were investigated. All of these unrecorded yeasts exhibited oval-global shape and have ascospores except Canadida friedrichii M12-6. Piskurozyma taiwanensis R4-1 and Canadida friedrichii M12-6 grew well in vitamin-free medium, and Piskurozyma taiwanensis R4-1 was halotolent growing in 10% NaCl-containing yeast extract peptone dextrose (YPD) broth. After prepared cell-free of the unrecorded wild yeasts, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) inhibitory activities as anti-dementia activity and tyrosinase inhibitory activity as whitening activity were determined. Cell-free extract from Canadida friedrichii M12-6 had the highest tyrosinase inhibitory activity of 14.4%.

• Food Science and Preservation
• /
• v.15 no.5
• /
• pp.736-742
• /
• 2008

To evaluate changes in functional characteristics of traditional Doenjang during aging, Doenjang was prepared using an extract of Phellinus linteus (Phellinus extract). Control Doenjang was aged without the extract. The protease activity of Doenjang prepared with Phellinus extract was 3.15 units/mL. Tyrosinase and acetylcholinesterase inhibition activities were 45.78% and 55.18% of control, respectively, in the treated sample. When Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium TA100 was used as a reporter strain, antimutagenic activities against the mutagens MNNG and NPD were 90.42% and 82.57% of control values in the treated sample. When S. enterica serovar Typhimurium TA98 was used, antimutagenic activities were 60.28% and 50.33% of control, respectively. Hydrogen-donating activity was 86.65% in the treated sample, which was higher than that of the control (61.69%). Daidzin (an isoflavon glucoside) levels in Doenjang prepared with Phellinus extract were higher, by 35.49 mg/kg, than the control, whereas genistin was not detected in either group. Daidzin and genistin aglycone levels were 263.01 mg/kg and 262.60 mg/kg in the control and test groups, respectively.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
• /
• v.49 no.6
• /
• pp.668-675
• /
• 2017

To assess the physiological effects of Aruncus dioicus var. kamtschaticus extract on cytoxicity of a neuronal cell line, antioxidant activity, and neuroprotection against intensive glucose-induced oxidative stress were quantitated. Compared to the other fractions, the ethyl acetate fraction of Aruncus dioicus var. kamtschaticus (EFAD) showed the highest total phenolics and flavonoids. The 2,2-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) assay and malondialdehyde inhibitory effect test confirmed the superior antioxidant activity of EFAD. Moreover, EFAD also decreased the intracellular ROS level and suppressed neuronal cell death against intensive glucose- or $H_2O_2$-induced oxidative stress. Additionally, assessment of ${\alpha}$-glucosidase and acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activities revealed that EFAD was an effective inhibitor of ${\alpha}$-glucosidase and acetylcholinesterase. Finally, high-performance liquid chromatography analysis identified caffeic acid as the main ingredient of EFAD. Overall, these results suggest that the EFAD is a good natural source of biological compounds that counteract hyperglycemic neuronal defects.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.38 no.4
• /
• pp.409-414
• /
• 2009

The aim of this study was to investigate the ameliorating effects of deer antler extract on the learning and memory impairments induced by the administration of scopolamine (2 mg/kg, i.p.) in rats. Tacrine was used as a positive control agent for evaluating the cognition enhancing activity of deer antler extract in scopolamine-induced amnesia models. The results showed that the deer antler extract-treated group (200 mg/kg, p.o.) and the tacrine-treated group (10 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly ameliorated scopolamine-induced amnesia based on the Morris water maze test. Although there was no statistical significance of brain ACh contents among the experimental groups, the brain ACh contents of the deer antler extract-treated group was slightly higher than that of the scopolamine-treated group. The inhibitory effect of deer antler extract on the acetylcholinesterase activity in the brain was significantly lower than that of scopolamine-treated group. The tacrine- and the deer antler-treated groups reduced the MAO-B activity compared to the scopolamine-treated group, but not significantly. These results suggest that the deer antler extract could be an effective agent for the prevention of the cognitive impairment induced by cholinergic dysfunction.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
• /
• v.35 no.3
• /
• pp.254-259
• /
• 1996

The biochemical factors responsible for parathion resistance in a ethyl fenitrothion-selected Yumenoshima I11 (EF-30) strain of the housefly were examined. Great difference (167-fold) in the Iso was observed between the resistant EF-30 (R) and susceptible SRS (S) strains in vitro, suggesting that altered acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in the housefly strain was an important factor in the resistance. The in vitro degradative activity of parathion and paraoxon in both strains was associated with the microsomal and soluble fractions and required NADPH and reduced glutahione (GSH), respectively. The R strain possessed higher activity for GSH S-transferase than the S strain, and this enzyme appears to be important in the resistance mechanism. The R strain was highly resistant to parathion (101,487-fold), but substitution of the methoxy group for ethoxy group decreased the resistance level (25,914-fold) and parathion could be a substrate of GSH S-transferase. It is concluded that the combination of some factors (altered AChE, and enhanced activity of cytochrome P450 dependent monooxygenase and GSH S-transferase) could be sufficient to account for the extremely high level of resistance to parathion and parathion-methyl, although a possible involvement of other factor(s) can not be excluded.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
• /
• v.26 no.3 s.63
• /
• pp.27-42
• /
• 2005

Objectives : Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive and fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. These plaques are associated with degenerating neuronal processes and consist primarily of fibrillary aggregates of beta-amyloid$ protein, generated from amyloid precursor protein (APP). Another amyloidogenic fragment, the carboxyl terminus (CT) of APP, which is composed of 99-105 amino acid residues containing the complete $A{\beta}$ sequence, also appears to be toxic to neurones. Recent evidence suggest that CT105, carboxy terminal 105 amino acids peptide fragment of APP, may be an important factor causing neurotoxicity in AD. Methods : Although a variety of oriental prescriptions including Pinelliae rhizoma have traditionally been utilized for the treatment of AD, their pharmacological effects and action mechanisms have not yet been fully elucidated. In the present study, we investigated effects of the dichloromethane extract of Pinelliae rhizoma (PINR) on neurotoxicity and the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO) in SK-N-SH cells overexpressed with CT105. In addition, we evaluated its radical scavenging activity and effects on acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity. Furthermore, effects on cognitive deficits induced by scopolamine treatment in rats were evaluated. Results ; We found in this study that PINR significantly inhibited apoptotic neuronal death induced by CT105 overexpression in SK-N-SH cells. Based on morphological examinations by phase-contrast microscopy, PINR reversed apoptotic changes of CT105-expressed cells. It was also found that PINR significantly promoted neurite outgrowth and inhibited formation of ROS nd NO. PINR was shown to scavenge DPPH radicals and noncompetitively inhibit AChE activity. Furthermore, it reduced scopolamine-induced memory impairment in rata, assessed by passive avoidance test. Conclusions : Taken together, these results demonstrate that PINR exhibits neuroprotective, antioxidant, and memory enhancing effects, and therefore may bs beneficial for the treatment of AD.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.18 no.8
• /
• pp.1427-1430
• /
• 2008

Decursinol, found in the roots of Angelica gigas Nakai, has been traditionally used to treat anemia and other various diseases. Recently, numerous biological activities such as cytotoxic effect on leukemia cells, and antitumor, neuroprotection, and antibacterial activities have been reported for this compound. Although a number of proteins including protein kinase C, androgen receptor, and acetylcholinesterase were proposed as molecular targets responsible for the activities of decursinol, they are not enough to explain such a diverse biological activity mentioned above. In this study, we employed a chemical proteomic approach, leading to identification of seven proteins as potential proteins interacting with decursinol. Most of the proteins contain a defined ATP or nucleic acid binding domain and have been implied to be involved in the pathogenesis and progression of various human diseases including cancer, autoimmune disorders, or neurodegenerative diseases. The present results may provide clues to understand the molecular mechanism of the biological activities shown by decursinol, an anticancer natural product.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• v.17 no.4
• /
• pp.331-338
• /
• 2013

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), an important regulator of energy metabolism, is activated in response to cellular stress when intracellular levels of AMP increase. We investigated the neuroprotective effects of AMPK against scopolamine-induced memory impairment in vivo and glutamate-induced cytotoxicity in vitro. An adenovirus expressing AMPK wild type alpha subunit (WT) or a dominant negative form (DN) was injected into the hippocampus of rats using a stereotaxic apparatus. The AMPK WT-injected rats showed significant reversal of the scopolamine induced cognitive deficit as evaluated by escape latency in the Morris water maze. In addition, they showed enhanced acetylcholinesterase (AChE)-reactive neurons in the hippocampus, implying increased cholinergic activity in response to AMPK. We also studied the cellular mechanism by which AMPK protects against glutamate-induced cell death in primary cultured rat hippocampal neurons. We further demonstrated that AMPK WT-infected cells increased cell viability and reduced Annexin V positive hippocampal neurons. Western blot analysis indicated that AMPK WT-infected cells reduced the expression of Bax and had no effects on Bcl-2, which resulted in a decreased Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. These data suggest that AMPK is a useful cognitive impairment treatment target, and that its beneficial effects are mediated via the protective capacity of hippocampal neurons.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
• /
• v.34 no.2
• /
• pp.89-94
• /
• 1995

Resistance mechanism of organophosphorus insecticides (OPs) in the spiraea aphid, whose populations were originated from several apple orchards where various OPs were frequently sprayed, was investigated. For Wonju population to which insecticides were not sprayed, resistance ratios (BRs) for pirimicarb, phosphamidon, and demeton S-methyl re 49, 31, and 5, respectively. However, for Yesan population to which OPs were sprayed 5 times, RRs for pirimicarb, phosphamidn, and dementon were 830, 536, and 204, respectively. The esterase activities of Wonju and Yesean populations increased by 44.5 and 92.0% compare to that of Kwagju population. R/S a values (S clone Kwangju population; R clone: Iechon opulation) for acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition (${I}_{50}$) by pirimicarb and phosphamidon were 299.2 and 186.0, respectively. Our results indicate that increase of esterase activity and reduction of AChE sensitivity seemed to contribute insecticide resistance of the spiraea aphid.

• Toxicological Research
• /
• v.24 no.2
• /
• pp.137-150
• /
• 2008

Sexually mature male and female rats were orally intubated with the organophosphorus insecticide, Pestban at a daily dosage of 7.45 or 3.72 mg/kg bwt, equivalent to 1/20 and 1/40 $LD_{50}$, respectively. Male rats were exposed for 70 days, while the female rats were exposed for 14 days, premating, during mating and throughout the whole length of gestation and lactation periods till weaning. The results showed depressed acetylcholinesterase(AChE) activity in the brain of parents, fetuses and their placentae in a dose-dependent manner. The fertility was significantly reduced with increasing the dose in both treated groups, with more pronounced suppressive effects in the male treated group. The number of implantation sites and viable fetuses were significantly reduced in pregnant females of both treated groups. However, the number of resorptions, dead fetuses, and pre-and postimplantation losses were significantly increased. The incidence of resorptions was more pronounced in treated female compared to male group and was dose dependant. The behavioral responses as well as fetal survival and viability indices were altered in both treated groups during the lactation period. The incidence of these effects was more pronounced in the treated female group and occurred in a dose-related manner. The recorded morphological, visceral, and skeletal anomalies were significantly increased with increasing the dose in fetuses of both treated groups, with more pronounced effects on fetuses of treated females. In conclusion, the exposure of adult male and female rats to Pestban would cause adverse effects on fertility and reproduction.