• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.362-366
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• 2001

To show the effects of metallothionein (MT) on the activity of enzymes involved in the removal of reactive oxygen species, MT has been added to the assay systems of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase and peroxidase. We have used assay systems of SOD based on NADPH oxidation and nitrite formation from hydroxylammonium chloride as an assay of superoxide breakdown rate. The two assay systems showed different results at the high concentration of MT. MT showed the scavenging of superoxide in the SOD assay system in the presence and absence of SOD. MT added to the SOD assay system behaved as an activator of SOD, but apo-MT behaved as an inhibitor. When MT was added to the assay system in the presence of a fixed amount of SOD, the breakdown rate of superoxide increased. The effects of MT on the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide and the activity of catalase and peroxidase decomposing hydrogen peroxide were evaluated. MT decreased the activities of catalase and peroxidase. We have concluded that the function of MT as an antioxidant might effect the level of superoxide scavenging and not the level of hydrogen peroxide.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 1996.05c
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• pp.397-402
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• 1996

A remote operational system for the tomographical assay was designed to scan the sample and to assay the inside radioactive materials distribution three dimensionally, composed of 3 axes moving table, collimator, data acquisition system in a PC control. The system design was done by considering that how the accurate assay be affected by the modeling or by the other system components. In the system design, MCNP code simulation was done to find the optimum condition for the spatial assay of the radioactive materials.

• ALGAE
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.289-296
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• 2013

For the quantitative detection of algal toxin, microcystin, a chemiluminescence immunochromatographic assay method was developed. The developed system consists of four parts, chemiluminescence assay strip (nitrocellulose membrane), horse radish peroxidase labeled microcystin monoclonal antibodies, chemiluminescence substrate (luminol and hydrogen peroxide), and luminometer. The performance of the chemiluminescence immunochromatographic assay system was compared with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) detection. The detection limit of chemiluminescence immunochromatographic assay system is several orders of magnitude lower than with HPLC. The chemiluminescence immunochromatography and HPLC results correlated very well with the correlation coefficient ($r^2$) of 0.979.

• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.113-118
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• 2007

Chlorobenzenes due to their acute toxicity and the capability of bioaccumulating are of great health and environmental concern. Especially, 1, 2-dichlorobenzene (CAS No. 95-50-1) is used for organic synthesis, dye manufacture, as a solvent and for other applications in chemical industry. Adverse effects of 1, 2-dichlorobenzene includes increases in liver and kidney weights and hepatotoxicity. In this study, we evaluated the genetic toxicity of 1, 2-dichlorobenzene with more advanced methods, in vitro mouse lymphoma assay $tk^{+/-}$ gene assay (MLA) and in vitro mouse supravital micronucleus (MN) assay. 1, 2-Dichlorobenzene appeared the significantly positive results and the induction of large mutant colonies only in the presence of metabolic activation system with MLA. But in vitro testing of 1, 2-dichlorobenzene yielded negative results with supravital MN assay. These results suggest that 1, 2-dichlorobenzene may play a mutagen rather than clastogen in vitro mammalian system.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.705-712
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• 2018

The tube formation assay is a widely used in vitro experiment model to evaluate angiogenic properties by measuring the formation of tubular structures from vascular endothelial cells (ECs). In vitro experimental results are crucial when considered the advisability of moving forward to in vivo studies. Thus, the additional attentions to the in vitro assay is necessary to improve the quality of the pre-clinical data, leading to better decision-making for successful drug discovery. In this study, we improved the tube formation assay system in three aspects. First, we used human endothelial colony forming cells (ECFCs), which are endothelial precursors that have a robust proliferative capacity and more defined angiogenic characteristics compared to mature ECs. Second, we utilized a real-time cell recorder to track the progression of tube formation for 48 hours. Third, to minimize analysis error due to the limited observation area, we used image-stitching software to increase the microscope field of view to a $2{\times}2$ stitched area from the $4{\times}$ object lens. Our advanced tube formation assay system successfully demonstrated the time-dependent dynamic progression of tube formation in the presence and absence of VEGF and FGF-2. Vatalanib, VEGF inhibitor, was tested by our assay system. Of note, $IC_{50}$ values of vatalanib was different at each observation time point. Collectively, these results indicate that our advanced tube formation assay system replicates the dynamic progression of tube formation in response to angiogenic modulators. Therefore, this new system provides a sensitive and versatile assay model for evaluating pro- or anti-angiogenic drugs.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.337-343
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• 2009

We developed a novel on-chip activity assay using protein arrays for quantitative and rapid analysis of transglutaminase activity in mammalian cells. Transglutaminases are a family of $Ca^{2+}$-dependent enzymes involved in cell regulation as well as human diseases such as neurodegenerative disorders, inflammatory diseases and tumor progression. We fabricated the protein arrays by immobilizing N,N'-dimethylcasein (a substrate) on the amine surface of the arrays. We initiated transamidating reaction on the protein arrays and determined the transglutaminase activity by analyzing the fluorescence intensity of biotinylated casein. The on-chip transglutaminase activity assay was proved to be much more sensitive than the $[^3H]putrescine$-incorporation assay. We successfully applied the on-chip assay to a rapid and quantitative analysis of the transglutaminase activity in all-trans retinoic acid-treated NIH 3T3 and SH-SY5Y cells. In addition, the on-chip transglutaminase activity assay was sufficiently sensitive to determine the transglutaminase activity in eleven mammalian cell lines. Thus, this novel on-chip transglutaminase activity assay was confirmed to be a sensitive and high-throughput approach to investigating the roles of transglutaminase in cellular signaling, and, moreover, it is likely to have a strong potential for monitoring human diseases.

• Environmental Mutagens and Carcinogens
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.34-43
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• 2001

Di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) is the most commonly used phthalate ester in polyvinyl chloride formulations including food packing and storage of human blood. DEHP is a well known as non-genotoxic carcinogen and endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC). DEHP have shown all negative results in ICH-guildeline recommended standard genotoxicity test battery. In this study, to assess the clastogenic and DNA damaging effect in human-derived tissue specific cells, DEHP was treated in human derived MCE-7 cells, HepG2 cells, LNCap cells, BeWo cells, MCE-10A cells, and female peripheral blood cells using micronucleus assay and in human breast carcinoma MCF-7 cells up to $1.28$\times$10^{-2}$ M using Comet assay. The in vitro micronucleus assay is a mutagenicity test system for the detection of chemicals which induce the formation of small membrane bound DNA fragment i.e. micronuclei in the cytoplasm of interphase cells, originated from clastogenic and/or aneugenic mechanism. The single cell gel electrophoresis assay (Comet assay) is used to detect DNA strand-breaks and alkaline labile site. In our results, DEHP increased significantly and/or dose-depentently and time-dependently micronucleus frequency at the 6 and 24 hr without metabolic activation system only in MCE-7 cells. DEHP treated with 2 hrs in MCF-7 cells using Comet assay induced DNA damage dose-depentantly.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.261-265
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• 2007

Hydroxyproline (HYP) is a post-translational product of proline hydroxylation catalyzed by an enzyme prolyl 4-hydroxylase (P4H) which plays a crucial role in the synthesis of all collagens. Considering the role of collagen and its significance in many clinically important diseases such as liver fibrosis, a great deal of attention has been directed toward the development of an assay at cell-based system. The reason is that cell-based assay system is more efficient than enzyme-based in vitro system and takes much less time than in vivo system. Several assay procedures developed for P4H are laborious, time-consuming and not feasible for the massive-screening. Here, we report the cell-based assay method of prolyl 4-hydroxylase in immortalized rat hepatic stellate HSC-T6 cells. To optimize the cell culture condition to assay for HYP content, various concentrations of reagents were treated for different times in HSC-T6 cells. Our data showed that the treatment with ascorbate in a hypoxic condition for 24 h resulted in the maximal increase of HYP by 1.8 fold. Alternatively, cobalt chloride ($5\;{\mu}M$) and ascorbate ($50\;{\mu}M$) in normoxic states exhibited similar effect on the production of HYP as in a hypoxic condition. Therefore, cobalt chloride can be substituted for a hypoxic condition when an anaerobic chamber is not available. Rosiglitazone and HOE077, known as inhibitors of collagen, synthesis decreased P4H enzyme activity by 32.3% and 15%, respectively, which coincided with previous reports from liver tissues. The level of the smooth muscle ${\alpha}$-actin, a marker of activated stellate cells, was significantly increased under hypoxia, suggesting that our experimental condition could work for screening the anti-fibrotic compounds. The assay procedure took only 3 days after treatment with agents, while assays from the primary stellate cells or liver tissues have taken several weeks. Considering the time and expenses, this assay method could be useful to screen the compounds for the inhibitor of prolyl 4-hydroxylase.

• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
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• v.1 no.3
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• pp.179-188
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• 2005

To develop the novel anti-allergic drug, many sophoricoside derivatives were synthesized. Among these derivatives, JSH-II-3, VI-3, VII-3, VIII-3, VII-20 and VII-20 (sodium salt) were selected and subjected to high throughput toxicity screening (HTTS) because they revealed strong IL-5 inhibitory activity and limitation of quantity. Single cell gel electrophoresis (Comet) assay, mouse lymphoma thymidine kinase ($tk^{+/-}$) gene assay (MOLY), chromosomal aberration assay in mammalian cells and Ames reverse mutation assay in bacterial system were used as simplified, inexpensive, short-term in vitro screening tests in our laboratory. Through the primary screening using the comet assay, we could choose the first candidates of sophoricoside derivatives with no genotoxic potentials as JSH-VI-3, VII-3, VII-20 and VII-20 (sodium salt). Also JSH-VII-3, VII-20 and VII-20 (sodium salt) are non-mutagenic in MOLY assay, while JSH-II-3 is mutagenic at high concentration with the presence of metabolic activation system in both comet assay and MOLY assay. The selected derivatives (JSH-VI-3, VII-3, VII-20 and VII-20 (sodium salt) are not mutagenic in S. typhimurium TA98 and TA100 strains both in the presence and absence of metabolic activation. From results of chromosomal aberration assay, 6 h treatment of JSH-VI-3, VII-3 and VII-20 (sodium salt) were not revealed clastogenicity both in the presence and absence of S-9 mixture. Therefore, we suggests that JSH-VI-3, VII-3, VII-20 and VII-20 (sodium salt), as the optimal candidates with both no genotoxic potential and IL-5 inhibitory effects must be chosen. To process the development into new anti-inflammatory drug of these derivatives, further investigation will need.

• Environmental Mutagens and Carcinogens
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.319-323
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• 2002

In order to investigate the safety of Aralia elata extract causing the reduction in the blood glucose level and oxidative stress in diabetes animals, these genotoxicity studies in bacterial and mammalian cell assay system such as Ames bacterial reverse mutation test and chromosomal aberration assay were performed. As results, in Ames bacterial reversion assay the extract in the range of 5,000-625 ug/plate did not induce mutagenicity in Salmonella typhimurium TA 98, TA 100, TA 1535 and TA 1537 strains with and without metabolic activation of S-9 mixture. For chromosomal aberration assay, $IC_{50}$ (50% inhibition concentration of cell growth) of the extract were determined; 792 $\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$ without and 524 $\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$ with S-9 mixture in Chinese hamster lung (CHL) fibroblast cell culture. Any significant chromosomal aberration was not observed in CHL cells treated with the extract at the concentrations of 792, 396 and 198 $\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$ or 524, 262 and 131 $\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$ in the absence or presence of S-9 metabolic activation, respectively. From these results, Aralia elata extract did not induce any harmful effects on the gene in bacteria and mammalian cell system used in these experiments.