• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.43 no.1
• /
• pp.1-8
• /
• 2014

In this study, we investigated the protective effects of green tea seed extract (GSE) against UVB-induced skin damage in human skin fibroblasts. GSE was first analyzed for antioxidant activity using 1,1-diphenyl-2picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging assays. Treatment of UV-irradiated fibroblast with GSE at 10~50 ${\mu}g/mL$ significantly increased DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities in a dose-dependent manner. GSE treatment inhibited matrix metalloproteinase (MMP-1, MMP-3, and MMP-9) expression and MMP-1 secretion caused by UVB irradiation. Moreover, treatment with GSE significantly increased type-1 collagen expression and production. We next examined levels of antioxidative enzymes (SOD, catalase, and GPx). Reduced antioxidative enzyme activities caused by UVB irradiation were recovered by treatment with GSE at 30 ${\mu}g/mL$ and 50 ${\mu}g/mL$. In conclusion, these results show that GSE has protective effects against UVB-induced skin damage in human skin fibroblasts by regulating antioxidative defense systems and MMP expression.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.41 no.1
• /
• pp.73-80
• /
• 2008

Present study aims to investigate the effect of muddy water on the gill and the kidney tissues of Zacco koreanus under high turbidity rearing condition. The gill of Z. koreanus showed abnormal shapes in its secondary lamellae and a rough surface with impure debris in the high level of turbidity and the longer raising period condition. In addition, the gills showed the edema, the exfoliation of epithelial cell, and the fusion of the secondary lamellae. In case of kidney tissue, the atrophied glomerulus was observed, and the empty space in Bowman's capsule was wider. The SOD activities in both gill and kidney tissues were increased in proportion to the high level of turbidity. On the while, CAT and GPX activities were shown constant level in the gill, but were increased in the kidney in the high turbid muddy water. These results indicate that the harmful radicals which generate by high level of turbidity could be removed partly by antioxidant enzymes in the kidney. The concentrations of micro heavy metal ions accumulated in the gill increased drastically at the 1,000 NTU. Based on the above results, it is considered that the exposure to the high level of turbidity for long period may affect on the structures of tissues, and change the enzymatic balance in Z. koreanus, causing the fatal disease.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.19 no.4
• /
• pp.429-435
• /
• 2009

Oxidative stress is a consequence of an imbalance of the defense system against cellular damage generated by reactive oxygen species (ROSs) such as superoxide anions (menadione; MD). Most organisms have evolved a variety of defense systems to protect cells from adverse conditions. In order to evaluate stress tolerance against oxidative stress generating MD, comparative analyses of antioxidant capacity, or free radical scavenger ability, were performed between S. cerevisiae KNU5377 (KNU5377) and three wild-type S. cerevisiae strains. In a medium containing 0.4 mM MD, the KNU5377 strain showed higher cell viability and antioxidant ability, and contained higher levels of trehalose, superoxide dismutase, thioredoxin system, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, and some heat shock proteins. The KNU5377 strain also produced a lower level of oxidative stress biomarker than the other three yeast strains. These results indicate that S. cerevisiae KNU5377 has a higher level of tolerance to oxidative stress due to the increased expression of cell rescue proteins and molecules, thus alleviating cellular damage more efficiently than other S. cerevisiae strains.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.25 no.8
• /
• pp.917-924
• /
• 2015

This study aimed to evaluate the protective effect of Orostachys malacophyllus (OM) and fermented O. malacophyllus (FOM) in Sprague-Dawley rats who had been intoxicated with 1% (w/w) orotic acid (OA) for 10 days. The activities of several hepatic enzymes, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and cholinesterase, were increased when OA was given, but these parameters were significantly decreased by FOM treatment. In addition, OA treatment resulted in an increased lipid peroxidative index (thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances, TBARS). A worsened antioxidant status (reduced glutathione) in the liver and serum was also observed. FOM treatment improved the antioxidant status of OA-induced fatty-liver rats, which was evaluated by decreased levels of the lipid peroxidative index and improved antioxidant status in the liver and serum. The contents of liver non-heme iron were increased with OA treatment and significantly decreased with FOM treatment, which suggested that the lipid peroxidation contents were inversely correlated with liver non-heme iron content. Based on these results, FOM is considered a material with significant potential for development into a functional health food that can improve fatty-liver conditions.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
• /
• v.97 no.5
• /
• pp.508-515
• /
• 2008

Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis L.) seedlings were grown under low light intensity and ozone treatments to investigate the role of the light environment in their response to chronic ozone stress. One-year-old seedlings of Platanus occidentalis L. were grown in pots for 3 weeks under low light (OL, $150{\mu}mol{\cdot}m^{-2}{\cdot}s^{-1}$) and high light (OH, $300{\mu}mol{\cdot}m^{-2}{\cdot}s^{-1}$) irradiance in combination with 150 ppb of ozone fumigation. After three weeks of ozone and light treatment, seedlings were placed in ozone free clean chamber for 3 weeks for recovery from ozone stress with same light conditions to compare recovery capacity. Ozone fumigation determined an impairment of the photosynthetic process. Reduction of leaf dry weight (14%) and shoo/root ratio (17%) were observed in OH treatment. OL treatment also showed severe reductions in leaf dry weight and shoot/root ratio by 48% and 36% comparing to control, respectively. At the recovery phase, OH-treated plants recovered their biomass, whereas OL-treated plant showed reduction in leaf dry weight (52%) and shoot/root ratio (49%). OH-treated plants reached similar relative growth rate (RGR) comparing to control, whereas OL-treated plants showed lower RGR in stem height. However, there were no significant differences in response to those treatments in stem diameter RGR at the recovery phase. Ozone treatment produced significant reduction of net photosynthesis in both high and low light treatments. Carboxylation efficiency and apparent quantum yield in OL-treated plants showed significant reductions rate to 10% and 45%, respectively. At the recovery stage, ozone exposed seedlings under high light had similar photosynthetic capacity comparing to control plants. Antioxidant enzymes activities such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and glutathione reductase (GR) were increased in ozone fumigated plants only under low light. The present work shows that the physiological changes occur in photosynthesis-related parameters and growth due to ozone and low light stress. Thus, low light seems to enhance the detrimental effects of ozone on growth, photosynthesis, and antioxidant enzyme responses.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.20 no.2
• /
• pp.161-168
• /
• 2010

White-skinned sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) has been traditionally used for diabetes treatment and management in many countries. In this experiment, methanol extract of white-skinned sweet potato (WSPMe) at a dose of 100 or 200 mg/kg body weight was tested to evaluate its effect on renal damage in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Its efficacy was compared with that of insulin secretogogue, glimepiride ($50\;{\mu}g/kg$ body weight). Experimental diabetes was induced by a single dose of STZ (45 mg/kg, i.p.) injection. The WSPMe and glimepiride were administered orally for 14 days and the effects on glucose, renal markers including blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), lipid peroxide (LPO) level, antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathion-S-transferase (GST) activities in kidney were studied. An increase in BUN, creatinine, LDH, glucose, LPO levels and decrease in SOD, CAT, GPx and GST features were observed in diabetic control rats. Administration of WSPMe at a dose of 200 mg/kg body weight caused a significant improvement in blood glucose, LPO level, renal markers, lipid peroxidation markers and increased antioxidant levels in diabetic kidney. In conclusion, the WSPMe was found to be effective in reducing oxidative stress, thus confirming the ethnopharmacological use of I. batatas L. in protecting diabetes and its complications.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
• /
• v.24 no.4
• /
• pp.343-350
• /
• 2011

A medicinal herb, Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni which is grown under physical stresses such as simulated microgravity, shaking, and low temperature for 4 days, showed fresh weight decrease of 3.6%, 21% and 8.7% compared with the respective control. On control plants, the radical scavenging value of DPPH represented 86% and 55%, respectively in the leaves and stems extracts. Relatively weak antioxidant activities of 22% and 27% were measured respectively in AA (ascorbic acid) and BHA (beta-hydroxyacetic acid) known as synthetic antioxidants. The radical scavenging effect of DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydazal) in stevia plants under a simulated microgravity was observed to be consistently higher relative to the control, whereas those effects of shaking and low temperature treatments rapidly increased and then reduced after 6 hours in case of shaking process and 24 hours in case of low temperature treatment, which results had similar levels of scavenging effects to the control. The plants under simulated microgravity showed the highest level of activity with the value of 147% and the shaking and low temperature treatments showed the increases of SOD activity by 121% and 125%, respectively. From the above results, it is clarified that the simulated microgravity is more effective to the antioxidant activity than those of other abiotic stresses.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
• /
• v.28 no.3
• /
• pp.343-352
• /
• 2010

In order to understand the plant responses to salt stress (0, 50, and 100 mM NaCl), Chinese cabbage seedlings grown up to two leaf stages by hydroponic culture were used. Fresh and dry weight, chlorophyll (Chl), antioxidant materials, polyamine content, antioxidant enzyme activities, and inorganic ion level were evaluated. Fresh and dry weights of Chinese cabbage increased with the increase in salinity while the optimal growth occurred at 50 mM NaCl. The Chl a, total Chl, carotenoid content, and Chl a/b ratio increased by the 6 days after treatment with 100 mM NaCI; however, the Chl b content decreased. Glutathione increased in the root of Chinese cabbage for 6 days. Dehydroascorbate increased remarkably by day 6 caused by the salt stress in both leaf and the root. While ascorbate peroxidase increased, the activity of catalase and glutathione reductase decreased gradually in the first leaf for 6 days. The $Na^+$ content increased by 12.5-fold in the 3 days after treatment with 100 mM NaCI in the shoot, whereas the $Ca^{2+}$, $K^+$, and $Mg^{2+}$ content measured in the same treatment decreased by 43 to 57%. Spermidine content decreased as salinity increased, but spermine content increased. The growth promotion, glutathione and ascorbic acid content in Chinese cabbage were increased by low salt stress, and shortening of the cultivation period for growth increase of Chinese cabbage is expected.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
• /
• v.50
• /
• pp.200-206
• /
• 2023

Although softwoods are widely distributed in Korea and used in various industries, studies are limited and comparative research on softwoods has been overlooked. Therefore, in this study, the physiological activity of four species of softwoods found in Korea was quantified. Needles and cones of Pinus densiflora, Chamaecyparis obtusa, Cryptomeria japonica, and Abies koreana were collected, and material was extracted using 70% methanol. We quantified the following physiological traits: total phenol and flavonoid content, antioxidant activity (DPPH, TEAC, FRAP), and inhibitory activity of the enzymes α-glucosidase, elastase, and tyrosinase. Total phenol and flavonoid contents and antioxidant activities were high in Chamaecyparis obtusa and Cryptomeria japonica, and α-glucosidase inhibition activity was highest in the leaves of Chamaecyparis obtusa. Elastase inhibitory activity was high in the leaves and cones of Pinus densiflora and the cones of Abies koreana, and tyrosinase inhibitory activity was highest in the leaves of Pinus densiflora. In Korea, softwoods are planted extensively on roadsides and as windbreaks, and they are highly competitive in supplying raw materials since they are pruned every year. Based on the results of this study, softwoods are considered suitable for use in healthcare products, diabetes products, wrinkles, and whitening cosmetics.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
• /
• v.49 no.2
• /
• pp.115-124
• /
• 2022

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of dietary coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) sources on the antioxidant defense system in the blood and liver of laying hens. Thirty-six 40-wk old Lohmann Brown hens were randomly assigned to three groups based on body weight, with four cages with three layers each. Laying hens were divided into one of the following groups: control (CON), powdered CoQ10 (PCoQ, 100 mg/kg diet), and emulsified CoQ10 (ECoQ, 100 mg/kg diet). All hens were fed a control diet or a control diet supplemented with powdered or emulsified CoQ10 ad libitum for five weeks. There were no differences in body weight, weight gain, and organ weights among the treatment groups, including the liver and spleen. The blood total antioxidant power (TAP) in the ECoQ group increased (P<0.05) by approximately 2-fold compared to that in the CON group. However, there was no significant difference in blood TAP levels between the PCoQ and ECoQ groups, although a decreasing trend (P<0.13) was observed for levels of TAP in the ECoQ group. The mRNA expression and specific activities of superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase in the liver were not affected by dietary CoQ10 or type of CoQ10. However, hepatic lipid peroxidation in the ECoQ group was lower (P<0.05) than in the CON group. In conclusion, emulsified CoQ10 increased blood TAP and decreased hepatic lipid peroxidation without affecting antioxidant enzymes, suggesting that emulsified CoQ10 might be more applicable as an active antioxidant supplement than powdered type in laying hens.