• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
• /
• v.59 no.7
• /
• pp.16.1-16.6
• /
• 2017

Background: This study was performed to investigate the impact of exogenous ghrelin on the pancreatic ${\alpha}$-amylase outputs and responses of pancreatic proteins to ghrelin that may relate to pancreatic exocrine. Methods: Sprague-Dawley male rats (9 weeks old, $300{\pm}10g$) were injected with ghrelin via intraperitoneal (i.p.) infusion at dosage of 0, 0.1, 1.0 and $10.0{\mu}g/kg$ body weight (BW), respectively. The plasma ghrelin and cholecystokinin (CCK) level were determined using enzyme immunoassay kit; the mRNA expression of ghrelin receptor ($GHSR-1{\alpha}$) and growth hormone (GH) receptor were assessed by reverse transcription PCR; the expressions of pancreatic ${\alpha}$-amylase activity, extracellular-signal-regulated kinases (ERK), phosphorylated extracellular-signal-regulated kinases (pERK) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) were evaluated by western blotting; moreover the responses of pancreatic proteins to ghrelin were analyzed using the two-dimensional gel electrophoresis system. Results: The exogenous ghrelin (1.0 and $10.0{\mu}g/kg\;BW$) elevated the level of plasma ghrelin (p < 0.05), and suppressed the expression of pancreatic ${\alpha}$-amylase at a dose of $10.0{\mu}g/kg\;BW$ (p < 0.05). No difference in the level of plasma CCK was observed, even though rats were exposed to any dose of exogenous ghrelin. In addition, a combination of western blot and proteomic analysis revealed exogenous ghrelin ($10.0{\mu}g/kg\;BW$) induced increasing the JNK and ERK expressions (p < 0.05) and four proteins such as Destrin, Anionic trypsin-1, Trypsinogen, and especially eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3 in rat pancreas. Conclusions: Taken together, exogenous ghrelin by i.p. infusion plays a role in the pancreatic exocrine secretion via mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.37 no.3
• /
• pp.376-382
• /
• 2004

The Epstein-Barr-transformed B lymphoblastoid cell lines, LCL, which express antigens, are potential antigen-presenting cells (APCs) for the induction of cytotoxic T lymphocytes in vitro. However, transfecting LCL with subsequent selection by antibiotics is notoriously difficult because the plating efficiencies of LCL are reported to be 1% or less. Therefore, this study investigated the optimal conditions for increasing the transduction efficiency of a recombinant adenovirus to LCL for use as a source of APCs. The transduction efficiencies were < 13% (SD $\pm$ 2.13) at a multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 100, while it was increased to 28% (SD $\pm$ 9.43) at an MOI of 1000. Moreover, its efficiencies to LCL that expressed the coxsackie adenovirus receptor were increased to 60% (SD $\pm$ 6.35) at an MOI of 1000, and were further increased to 70% (SD $\pm$ 4.56) when combined with the centrifugal method. The cationic liposome or anionic polymer had no effect on the transduction efficiency when compared to that of the centrifugal method. These results may be used as a convenient source of target cells for a CTL assay and/or autologous APCs for the induction of the in vitro CTL responses that are specific to viral and tumor antigens.

• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
• /
• v.4 no.2
• /
• pp.157-163
• /
• 2008

Formation of ${\beta}$-amyloid $(A{\beta})$ fibrils has been identified as one of the major characteristics of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Inhibition of $A{\beta}$ fibril formation in the CNS would be attractive therapeutic targets for the treatment of AD. Several small compounds that inhibit amyloid formation or amyloid neurotoxicity in vitro have been known. Citrate has surfactant function effect because of its molecular structure having high anionic charge density, in addition to the well-known antibacterial and antioxidant properties. Therefore, we hypothesized that citrate might have the inhibitory effect against $A{\beta}$ fibril formation in vitro and have the protective effect against $A{\beta}$-induced neurotoxicity in PC12 cells. We examined the effect of citrate against the formation of $A{\beta}$ fibrils by measuring the intensity of fluorescence in thioflavin-T (Th-T) assay of between $A{\beta}_{25-35}$ groups treated with citrate and the control with $A{\beta}_{25-35}$ alone. The neuroprotective effect of citrate against $A{\beta}$-induced toxicity in PC12 cells was investigated using the WST-1 assay. Fluorescence spectroscopy showed that citrate inhibited dose-dependently the formation of $A{\beta}$ fibrils from ${\beta}$-amyloid peptides. The inhibition percentages of $A{\beta}$ fibril formation by citrate (1, 2.5, and 5 mM) were 31%, 60%, and 68% at 7 days, respectively in thioflavin-T (Th-T) assay. WST-1 assay revealed that the toxic effect of $A{\beta}_{25-35}$ was reduced, in a dose-dependent manner to citrate. The percentages of neuroprotection by citrate (1, 2.5, and 5 mM) against $A{\beta}-induced$ toxicity were 19%, 31 %, and 34%, respectively. We report that citrate inhibits the formation of $A{\beta}$ fibrils in vitro and has neuroprotective effect against $A{\beta}$-induced toxicity in PC12 cells. Neuroprotective effects of citrate against $A{\beta}$ might be, to some extent, attributable to its inhibition of $A{\beta}$ fibril formation. Although the mechanism of anti-amyloidogenic activity is not clear, the possible mechanism is that citrate might have two effects, salting-in and surfactant effects. These results suggest that citrate could be of potential therapeutic value in Alzheimer's disease.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
• /
• v.14 no.1
• /
• pp.36-43
• /
• 2009

The feasibility of electrokinetic remediation was investigated in the laboratory to treat contaminated soil with Zn, Ni and F. Electro-migration and electro-osmosis are the major removal mechanisms because fluorines desorbed from soil exist as an anionic form in soil pores, and Zn and Ni exist as a cationic form. Desorption of fluorine was enhanced under the alkaline condition, but that of Zn and Ni increased under the acidic condition. Sequential pH control was effective to control the mixed wastes from contaminated soil. 2 V/cm was applied to reactor to evaluate the effect of constant voltage gradient, after two weeks, the removal efficiency of Zn, Ni and F was 20.5%, 2.5% and 57.4%, respectively. Even though the removal of Zn and Ni was very low, the pH control enhanced transport of Zn and Ni significantly. As a result, sequential pH control is a effective method to remediate mixed waste-contaminated soil.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
• /
• v.13 no.6
• /
• pp.23-30
• /
• 2008

Air sparging technique has been used for remediation of VOC(volatile organic compound)-contaminated aquifer. The aim of this study was to develop an innovative air sparging technique that enhances the efficiency of air intrusion into a specific horizontal layer of aquifer where the contaminants exist with the help of water-soluble surfactant. A twodimensional physical box model, packed with homogeneous sand, was used for simulating the aquifer in this study. Aqueous solution of anionic surfactant (100 mg/L, sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate) was used to suppress the surface tension of groundwater. Three sets of experiments were conducted: air sparging experiment without surfactant application, air sparging experiments for box model where the surfactant solution was applied right above the air injection point, and air sparging experiments with surfactant solution layer formed in the middle of the box. It was found that the sparging influence zone was expanded up to five times of that formed by sparging without surfactant application. The size of sparging influence zone was more sensitive to the air flow (injection) rate with surfactant application than that without surfactant. More importantly, injection of air into the target aquifer layer was successful with surfactant application. Findings in this study are expected to provide more options for designing remediation processes using air sparging.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
• /
• v.34 no.6
• /
• pp.44-50
• /
• 2006

To characterize thermo-chemical feature of su gar conversion of woody biomass poplar wood (Populus alba${\times}$glandulosa ) by sub- and supercritical water was treated for 60s under subcritical (23 MPa, 325 and $350^{\circ}C$) and supercritical (23 MPa, 380, 400, and $425^{\circ}C$) conditions, respectively. Among degradation products undegraded poplar wood solids existed in aqueous products. As the treatment temperature increased, the degradation of poplar wood was enhanced and reached up to 83.1% at $425^{\circ}C$. The monomeric sugars derived from fibers of poplar wood by sub- and supercritical treatment were analyzed by high performance anionic exchange chromatography (HPAEC). Under the subcritical temperature ranges, xylan, main hemicellulose component in poplar wood, was preferentially degraded to xylose, while cellulose degradation started at the transition zone between sub and supercritical conditions and was remarkably accelerated at the supercritical condition. The highest yield of monomeric sugars amounts to ca. 7.3% based on air dried wood weight (MC 10%) at $425^{\circ}C$.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• v.13 no.4
• /
• pp.273-279
• /
• 2009

The accumulation of ${\beta}$-amyloid (A${\beta}$) aggregates is a characteristic of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Furthermore, these aggregates have neurotoxic effects on cells, and thus, molecules that inhibit A${\beta}$ aggregate formation could be valuable therapeutics for AD. It is well known that aggregation of A${\beta}$ depends on its hydrophobicity, and thus, in order to increase the hydrophilicity of A${\beta}$, we considered using citrate, an anionic surfactant with three carboxylic acid groups. We hypothesized that citrate could reduce hydrophobicity and increase hydrophilicity of A${\beta}_{1-40}$ molecules via hydrophilic/electrostatic interactions. We found that citrate significantly inhibited A${\beta}_{1-40}$ aggregation and significantly protected SH-SY5Y cell line against A${\beta}_{1-40}$ aggregates-induced neurotoxicity. In details, we examined the effects of citrate on A${\beta}_{1-40}$ aggregation and on A${\beta}_{1-40}$ aggregates-induced cytotoxicity, cell viability, and apoptosis. Th-T assays showed that citrate significantly inhibited A${\beta}_{1-40}$ aggregation in a concentration-dependent manner (Th-T intensity: from 91.3% in 0.01 mM citrate to 82.1% in 1.0 mM citrate vs. 100.0% in A${\beta}_{1-40}$ alone). In cytotoxicity and viability assays, citrate reduced the toxicity of A${\beta}_{1-40}$ in a concentration-dependent manner, in which the cytotoxicity decreased from 107.5 to 102.3% as compared with A${\beta}_{1-40}$ aggregates alone treated cells (127.3%) and the cell viability increased from 84.6 to 93.8% as compared with the A${\beta}_{1-40}$ aggregates alone treated cells (65.3%). Furthermore, Hoechst 33342 staining showed that citrate (1.0 mM) suppressed A${\beta}_{1-40}$ aggregates-induced apoptosis in the cells. This study suggests that citrate can inhibit A${\beta}_{1-40}$ aggregation and protect neurons from the apoptotic effects of A${\beta}_{1-40}$ aggregates. Accordingly, our findings suggest that citrate administration should be viewed as a novel neuroprotective strategy for AD.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
• /
• v.10 no.1
• /
• pp.13-19
• /
• 2012

The long-lived fission products $^{79}Se$ and $^{99}Tc$ have been considered as the major concern nuclides for the disposal of radioactive waste because of their high solubilities and the existence of anionic species in natural water. In this study, the solubilities of $FeSe_2(s)$ and $TcO_2(s)$, known as respective Solubility Limiting Solid Phase (SLSP) of selenium and technetium, were measured in the KURT (KAERI Underground Research Tunnel) groundwater under various pH and redox conditions. And their solubilities and major species were also calculated using geochemical codes under conditions similar to experimental solutions. Experimental results and calculation for $FeSe_2$ show that the solubility of selenium was found to be below $1{\times}10^{-6}mol/L$ under the condition of pH 8~9.5 and Eh=-0.3~-0.4 V while the dominant species was identified as $HSe^-$. For $TcO_2$, the solubility of technetium was found to be $5{\times}10^{-8}{\sim}1{\times}10^{-9}mol/L$ in the solutions of pH 6~9.5 and Eh<-0.1 V, while the dominant species was $TcO(OH)_2$. However, when the Eh of the solution is -0.35 V, $TcO(OH)_3^-$ and $TcO_4^-$ are calculated as the dominant species at pH 10.5~12 and pH>12, respectively.

• Analytical Science and Technology
• /
• v.28 no.5
• /
• pp.341-346
• /
• 2015

In order to understand the counter anionic effects in a non-aqueous vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB), we synthesized four types of electrolyte salts (1-ethyltriethamine tertafluoroborate, [E-TEDA]⁺[BF₄]⁻, 1-ethyltriethamine hexafluorophosphate, [E-TEDA]⁺[PF₆]⁻, 1-butyltriethylamine tertafluoroborate, [B-TEDA]⁺[BF₄]⁻, and 1-buthyltriethamine hexafluorophosphate [B-TEDA]⁺[PF₆]⁻) by counter anion exchange reaction after the SN₂ reaction. We confirmed the successful synthesis of the electrolyte salts [E-TEDA]⁺[Br]⁻ and [B-TEDA]⁺[Br]⁻ via ¹H-NMR spectroscopy and GC-mass analysis before the counter anion exchange reaction. The electric potential of the vanadium acetylacetonate, V(acac)₃, as an energy storage chemical was shown to be 2.2 V in the acetonitrile solvent with each of the [E-TEDA]⁺[BF₄]⁻, [E-TEDA]⁺[PF₆]⁻, [B-TEDA]⁺[BF₄]⁻, and [B-TEDA]⁺[PF₆]⁻ electrolyte salts. In a non-aqueous VRFB with a commercial Neosepta AFN membrane, the maximum voltages reached 1.0 V and 1.5 V under a fixed current value of 0.1 mA in acetonitrile with the [E-TEDA]⁺[BF₄]⁻ and [E-TEDA]⁺[PF₆]⁻ electrolyte salts, respectively. The maximum voltage was 0.8 V and 1.1 V under a fixed current value of 0.1 mA in acetonitrile with the [B-TEDA]⁺[BF₄]⁻ and [B-TEDA]⁺[PF₆]⁻ electrolyte salts, respectively. From these results, we concluded that in the non-aqueous VRFB more of the [PF₆]⁻ counter anion than the [BF₄]⁻ counter anion was transported onto the commercial Neosepta AFN anion exchange membrane.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
• /
• v.54 no.1
• /
• pp.1-6
• /
• 2011

${\gamma}$-PGA(poly-${\gamma}$-glutamic acid) is an unusual anionic polypeptide that is made of D- and L-glutamic acid units connected by amide linkages between ${\alpha}$-amino and ${\gamma}$-carboxylic acid groups. ${\gamma}$-PGA has been isolated from many kinds of organisms. Many Bacillus strains produce ${\gamma}$-PGA as a capsular material of an extracellular viscous material. It is safe for eating as a viscosity element of fermented soybean products such as Chungkookjang and Natto. It is biodegradable, edible and nontoxic toward humans and the environment and its molecular weight varies from ten thousand to several hundred thousand depending on the kinds of strains used. Therefore, potential applications of ${\gamma}$-PGA and its derivatives have been of interest in the past few years in a broad range of industrial fields such as food, cosmetics, medicine, water-treatment, etc. In this study, a bacterium, Bacillus subtilis GS-2 isolated from the Korean traditional seasoning food, Chungkookjang could produce a large amount of ${\gamma}$-PGA with high productivity and had a simple nutrient requirement. Based on carbon utilization pattern and partial 16S rRNA sequence analysis, the GS-2 strain was identified as B. subtilis. The determination of purified ${\gamma}$-PGA was confirmed with thin layer chromatography (TLC), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra, and $^1H$-nuclear magnetic resonance ($^1H$-NMR) spectroscopy.