• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.23 no.2
• /
• pp.156-164
• /
• 2015

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder associated with progressive memory loss and neuronal cell death. Although numerous previous studies have been focused on disease progression or reverse pathological symptoms, therapeutic strategies for AD are limited. Alternatively, the identification of traditional herbal medicines or their active compounds has received much attention. The aims of the present study were to characterize the ameliorating effects of spinosin, a C-glucosylflavone isolated from Zizyphus jujuba var. spinosa, on memory impairment or the pathological changes induced through amyloid-${\beta}_{1-42}$ oligomer ($A{\beta}O$) in mice. Memory impairment was induced by intracerebroventricular injection of $A{\beta}O$ ($50{\mu}M$) and spinosin (5, 10, and 20 mg/kg) was administered for 7 days. In the behavioral tasks, the subchronic administration of spinosin (20 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly ameliorated $A{\beta}O$-induced cognitive impairment in the passive avoidance task or the Y-maze task. To identify the effects of spinosin on the pathological changes induced through $A{\beta}O$, immunohistochemistry and Western blot analyses were performed. Spinosin treatment also reduced the number of activated microglia and astrocytes observed after $A{\beta}O$ injection. In addition, spinosin rescued the $A{\beta}O$-induced decrease in choline acetyltransferase expression levels. These results suggest that spinosin ameliorated memory impairment induced through $A{\beta}O$, and these effects were regulated, in part, through neuroprotective activity via the anti-inflammatory effects of spinosin. Therefore, spinosin might be a useful agent against the amyloid ${\beta}$ protein-induced cognitive dysfunction observed in AD patients.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
• /
• v.41 no.1
• /
• pp.10-16
• /
• 2011

Purpose: Avulsed tooth can be completely recovered, if sound periodontal ligament (PDL) of tooth is maintained. Although a lot of storage solutions have been explored for the better storage of avulsed tooth, there is a shortcoming that the preservation time is much short. On the other hand, there has been studies that (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), the most abundant polyphenol in green tea, which is related to the anti inflammatory, antioxygenic, and antibacterial effects, allows the successful preservations of tissues and cells. This study evaluated the effect of EGCG on avulsed-teeth preservation of Beagle dogs for a period of time. Methods: The atraumatically extracted teeth of Beagle dogs were washed and preserved with 0/10/$100\;{\mu}M$ of EGCG at the time of immediate, period 1 (4 days in EGCG-contained media and additional 1 day in EGCG-free media), period 2 (8 days in EGCG-contained media and additional 2 days in EGCG-free media) and period 3 (12 days in EGCG-contained media and additional 2 days in EGCG-free media). Then, the cell viabilities of preserved teeth was calculated by dividing optical density (OD) of 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay with OD of eosin assay to eliminate the measurement errors caused by the different tissue volumes. Results: From the results, the immediately analyzed group presented the highest cell viability, and the rate of living cells on teeth surface decreased dependent on the preservation period. However, the $100\;{\mu}M$ of EGCG-treated group showed statistically significant positive cell activity than EGCG-free groups throughout preservation periods. Conclusions: Our findings showed that $100\;{\mu}M$ EGCG could maintain PDL cell viability of extracted tooth. These results suggest that although EGCG could not be a perfect additive for tooth preservation, it is able to postpone the period of tooth storage. However, further in-depth studies are required for more plausible use of EGCG.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
• /
• v.36 no.3
• /
• pp.201-207
• /
• 2006

Acetaminophen (paracetamol), a para-aminophenol derivative, has analgesic and antipyretic properties and weak anti-inflammatory activity. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the bioequivalence of two acetaminophen tablets, $Tylenol^{\circledR}$ ER (Janssen Korea Ltd.) and Tylicol ER (Hana Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.), according to the guidelines of the Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA). The release of acetaminophen from the two acetaminophen formulations in vitro was tested using KP VIll Apparatus II method with pH 1.2 buffer solution. Twenty six healthy male subjects, $22.8{\pm}1.99$ years in age and $65.6{\pm}8.03$ kg in body weight, were divided into two groups and a randomized $2{\times}2$ cross-over study was employed. After a single tablet containing 650 mg as acetaminophen was orally administered, blood samples were taken at predetermined time intervals and the concentrations of acetaminophen in serum were determined using HPLC with UV detector. The dissolution profiles of two formulations were similar in pH 1.2 buffer solution. The pharmacokinetic parameters such as $AUC_t$, $C_{max}$ and $T_{max}$ were calculated and ANOVA test was utilized for the statistical analysis of the parameters using logarithmically transformed $AUC_t$, $C_{max}$ and untransformed $T_{max}$. The results showed that the differences between two formulations based on the reference drug, $Tylenol^{\circledR}$ ER, were 2.84, 1.89 and -1.36% for $AUC_t$, $C_{max}$ and $T_{max}$, respectively. There were no sequence effects between two formulations in these parameters. The 90% confidence intervals using logarithmically transformed data were within the acceptance range of log 0.8 to log 1.25 (e.g., log $0.987{\sim}log$ 1.08 and log $0.944{\sim}log$ 1.17 for $AUC_t$ and $C_{max}$, respectively). Thus, the criteria of the KFDA bioequivalence guideline were satisfied, indicating Tylicol ER tablet was bioequivalent to $Tylenol^{\circledR}$ ER tablet.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
• /
• v.5 no.6
• /
• pp.511-519
• /
• 2011

Dietary intake of whole grains reduces the incidence of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. In an earlier study, we showed that Panicum miliaceum L. extract (PME) exhibited the highest anti-lipogenic activity in 3T3-L1 cells among extracts of nine different cereal grains tested. In this study, we hypothesized that PME in the diet would lead to weight loss and augmentation of hyperlipidemia by regulating fatty acid metabolism. PME was fed to ob/ob mice at 0%, 0.5%, or 1% (w/w) for 4 weeks. After the experimental period, body weight changes, blood serum and lipid profiles, hepatic fatty acid metabolism-related gene expression, and white adipose tissue (WAT) fatty acid composition were determined. We found that the 1% PME diet, but not the 0.5%, effectively decreased body weight, liver weight, and blood triglyceride and total cholesterol levels (P < 0.05) compared to obese ob/ob mice on a normal diet. Hepatic lipogenic-related gene ($PPAR{\alpha}$, L-FABP, FAS, and SCD1) expression decreased, whereas lipolysis-related gene (CPT1) expression increased in animals fed the 1% PME diet (P < 0.05). Long chain fatty acid content and the ratio of C18:1/C18:0 fatty acids decreased significantly in adipose tissue of animals fed the 1% PME diet (P < 0.05). Serum inflammatory mediators also decreased significantly in animals fed the 1% PME diet compared to those of the ob/ob control group (P < 0.05). These results suggest that PME is useful in the chemoprevention or treatment of obesity and obesity-related disorders.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• v.15 no.6
• /
• pp.339-344
• /
• 2011

Ulmus davidiana var. japonica Rehder (Urticales: Ulmaceae) (UD) is a tree widespread in northeast Asia. It is traditionally used for anticancer and anti-inflammatory therapy. The present study investigated the effect of an ethanol extract of UD on vascular tension and its underlying mechanism in rats. The dried root bark of UD was ground and extracted with 80% ethanol. The prepared UD extract was used in further analysis. The effect of UD on the cell viability, vasoreactivity and hemodynamics were investigated using propidium iodide staining in cultured cells, isometric tension recording and blood pressure analysis, respectively. Low dose of UD ($10{\sim}100{\mu}g/ml)$ did not affect endothelial cell viability, but high dose of UD reduced cell viability. UD induced vasorelaxation in the range of $0.1{\sim}10{\mu}g/ml$ with an $ED_{50}$ value of $2{\mu}g/ml$. UD-induced vasorelaxation was completely abolished by removal of the endothelium or by pre-treatment with L-NAME, an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase. UD inhibited calcium influx induced by phenylephrine and high $K^+$ and also completely abolished the effect of L-NAME. Intravenous injection of UD extracts (10~100 mg/kg) decreased arterial and ventricular pressure in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, UD extracts reduced the ventricular contractility (+dP/dt) in anesthetized rats. However, UD-induced hypotensive actions were minimized in L-NAME-treated rats. Taken together, out results showed that UD induced vasorelaxation and has antihypertensive properties, which may be due the activation of nitric oxide synthase in endothelium.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
• /
• v.42 no.1
• /
• pp.87-94
• /
• 2016

Skin damage is mainly caused by environmental factors such as ultraviolet light, heat, and smoking. It is known that reactive oxygen species production is commonly involved in the pathogenesis of skin damage induced by these factors, causing skin aging. Pyrus pyrifolia Nakai continues to be a popular and highly consumed fruit in many countries with known beneficial effects including antitumor, antioxidative, and anti-inflammatory effects. However, there is no evidence of a therapeutic effect of Pyrus pyrifolia extract (PPE) against skin aging via inhibition of mitochondria-mediated apoptosis. In this study, we investigated PPE protective effect against photoaging induced by UVB ($50mJ/cm^2$) in HS68 human dermal fibroblasts. Lactate dehydrogenase assay showed that PPE significantly protected HS68 cells against UVB-induced damage in a dose-dependent manner. Other assays using DCF-DA demonstrated that PPE protected HS68 cells by regulating reactive oxygen species production. PPE also regulated mitochondrial dysfunction and mitochondrial membrane potential induced by UVB, and inhibited UVB-induced caspase-3 activity. These results indicate that PPE protects human dermal fibroblasts from UVB-induced damage by regulating the oxidative defense system.

• Journal of Sasang Constitutional Medicine
• /
• v.12 no.1
• /
• pp.186-200
• /
• 2000

The purpose of this research was to investigate the effects of Indongdeungjikolpitang water extract(IJTE) on the complication of diabetes. IJTE did not affect the level of blood glucose in alloxan- or streptozotocin-induced hyperglycemic mice, but inhibited the motility of gastrointestine. IJTE inhibited the writhing syndrome induced by acetic acid, the permeability of evans blue into peritoneal cavity induced by acetic acid, the paw edema induced by histamine, and the formation of cotton pellet granuloma. IJTE increased the cell viability of thymocytes and splenocytes. IJTE decreased the release of ${\gamma}-interferone$(${\gamma}-IFN$) and interleukin-2(IL-2), but did not affect the release of interleukin-4(IL-4) from murine thymocytes. IJTE increased the release of IL-4 and decreased the release of tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}$($TNF-{\alpha}$) and $interleukin-1{\beta}$($IL-1{\beta}$), but did not affect of ${\gamma}-IFN$ and IL-2 from murine splenocytes. IJTE decreased the release of $TNF-{\alpha}$ and $IL-1{\beta}$ from murine peritoneal macrophages. IJTE decreased the production of niric oxide(NO) from murine peritioneal macrophages and increased the phagocytic activity of murine peritoneal macrophages. These results suggest that IJTE has an anti-inflammatory action via the inhibition of $TNF-{\alpha}$, $IL-1{\beta}$ and NO production from immune cells.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.80 no.3
• /
• pp.296-303
• /
• 2017

Background: Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is related to high mortality and morbidity. There are no proven therapeutic measures however, to improve the clinical course of ARDS, except using low tidal volume ventilation. Metformin is known to have pleiotropic effects including anti-inflammatory activity. We hypothesized that pre-admission metformin might alter the progress of ARDS among intensive care unit (ICU) patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study from January 1, 2005, to April 30, 2005 of patients who were admitted to the medical ICU at Seoul National University Hospital because of ARDS, and reviewed ARDS patients with DM. Metformin use was defined as prescribed within 3-month pre-admission. Results: Of 558 patients diagnosed with ARDS, 128 (23.3%) patients had diabetes and 33 patients were treated with metformin monotherapy or in combination with other antidiabetic medications. Demographic characteristics, cause of ARDS, and comorbid conditions (except chronic kidney disease) were not different between metformin users and nonusers. Several severity indexes of ARDS were similar in both groups. The 30-day mortality was 42.42% in metformin users and 55.32% in metformin nonusers. On multivariable regression analysis, use of metformin was not significantly related to a reduced 30-day mortality (adjusted ${\beta}-coefficient$, -0.19; 95% confidence interval, -1.76 to 1.39; p=0.816). Propensity score-matched analyses showed similar results. Conclusion: Pre-admission metformin use was not associated with reduced 30-day mortality among ARDS patients with DM in our medical ICU.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
• /
• v.23 no.4
• /
• pp.39-57
• /
• 2013

Objectives The purpose of this study is to prove the effect of Kyejakjimotangkami(KMK) on osteoarthritis. Methods We checked antioxidant activity and measured production of $IL-1{\beta}$, IL-6, TNF-${\alpha}$ in RAW 264.7 cell after treat by KMK. Then we measured hind paw weight of Wister Rat with arthritis induced by MIA after KMK oral administration, checked Prostaglandin E2, IL-$1{\beta}$, IL-6, TNF-${\alpha}$, Osteocalcin, TIMP-1, MMP-9, LTB-4 in serum, ran histopathological test and ${\mu}CT$-arthrography. Results 1. DPPH radical Scavenging was increased depend on concentration of KMK ethanol extract in RAW 264.7 cell. 2. Production of NO was significantly decreased by KMK ethanol extract on concentration of $200{\mu}g/ml$ in RAW 264.7 cell. 3. Production of IL-$1{\beta}$ was significantly decreased by KMK ethanol extract on concentration of $200{\mu}g/ml$. And Production of IL-6, TNF-${\alpha}$ were significantly decreased KMK ethanol extract of every concentration in RAW 264.7 cell. 4. Result of checking hind paw weight when administered KMK ethanol extract to Wister Rat with arthritis induced by MIA was significantly higher than control group and similar to normal group. 5. Production of Prostaglandin E2, IL-$1{\beta}$, Osteocalcin, TIMP-1, MMP-9 and LTB-4 in serum was significantly decreased by KMK ethanol extract after administerd to Wister Rat with arthritis induced by MIA. 6. In Hematoxylin & Eosin staining and Safranin-O staining, we could find inflammation of synovial cell, infiltration of macrophage and granulocyte and degeneration of cartilage and bone were decreased in comparison with control group. 7. When checked cartilage volume to examine degree of cartilage degeneration using ${\mu}CT$-arthrography, volume of cartilage was increased in comparison with control group. Conclusions Comparison of the results for this study showed that KMK ethanol extract have anti-inflammatory effectiveness and can protect cartilage and bone. So we expect that KMK can be used as a effective drugs for osteoarthritis.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
• /
• v.33 no.4
• /
• pp.587-596
• /
• 2006

Most of oral streptococci express the Antigen I/II (AgI/II) proteins, cell wall anchored adhesions. AgI/II protein binds to salivary agglutinin glycoprotein, a component of tooth pellicle and to ligands in other bacteria. These associations play important roles in bacterial colonization. Recently, it was reported that diverse host molecules also interact with AgI/II protein and that these interactions induce inflammatory responses from host cells. Among mutans streptococci containing -type hemolytic activity, Streptococcus mutans is a causative agent for dental caries. Compared with many other strains of S. mutans, GS-5 strain is unique in that this bacterium expresses truncated secretory AgI/II protein due to the nonsense mutation in the agI/II gene. This indicates that S. mutans GS-5 has a different clinical role and a recent report supported this idea based on the results from clinically isolated S. mutans strains. Previously, we had cloned agI/II gene from S. mutans GS-5 and generated recombinant N-terminal AgI/II protein. In this study, we further produced a hybridoma line expressing anti-AgI/II monoclonal antibodies named as 1C11A. This antibody showed high sensitivity to AgI/II protein in Western blot and ELISA. This new reagent will provide a basis for investigating the mechanisms of AgI/II-related diseases.