• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
• /
• v.52 no.1
• /
• pp.81-88
• /
• 2020

The biological activities of Platycodon grandiflorum (PG) root extracts have been studied intensively, whereas there are limited number of studies on PG seed extract (PGSE). PGSE was prepared by ethanol extraction, and its antidiabetic effect was evaluated in mice with type 2 diabetes (C57BLKS/J-db/db). Results indicated that the administration of high-dose PGSE (600 mg/kg, wb) significantly stabilized the blood glucose levels, as evidenced by the results of the oral glucose tolerance test. Mice treated with high-dose PGSE exhibited significantly lower serum hemoglobin A1c, insulin, and leptin levels after eight weeks of feeding trial (p<0.05). High-dose PGSE administration significantly improved glucose uptake in the femoral muscle of db/db mice by activating both IRS-1/PI3K/AKT/AS160 and AMPK phosphorylation pathways. GLUT4 translocation from the cytosol to the plasma membrane increased 1.7-fold in the PGSE high-dose group. These results suggest that PGSE has potential for development as an antidiabetic agent.

• The Journal of Korean Society of Virology
• /
• v.27 no.2
• /
• pp.151-160
• /
• 1997

In view of the potential of replicase protein as a diagnostic reagent for human caliciviruses (HuCVs), we have cloned and over-expressed this gene from the Snow Mountain-like Korean strains in Escherichia coli as a fusion protein with glutathione S-transferase (GST), and described the preliminary antigenic characterization of the recombinant products. Each 470bp fragment corresponding to highly conserved region of RNA-dependent RNA polymerase was generated by RT-PCR from stools of two diarrheal children, cloned in pMOSBlue T-vector, and subcloned between the EcoRI and SalI restriction sites of pGEX-4T-3, a GST gene fusion vector, yielding $pGCV_{pol}$. This construct expressed a Snow Mountain-like HuCV replicase under the control of the IPTG-inducible tac promoter. An extract prepared by sonication of the E. coli cell inclusion bodies bearing $pGCV_{pol}$ products was purified and analyzed by SDS-PAGE. After Coomassie blue staining, it was shown that the recombinant replicase migrated on the gels with an approximate molecular mass of 46.5 kDa, that was subsequently cleaved into a 26 kDa GST fragment and a 20.5 kDa replicase protein upon digestion with thrombin protease. The replicase was recognized on immunoblotting with the sera from symptomatic children with the HuCV-associated diarrhea but not by asymptomatic sera from adults. The results presented the first biological activity of individually expressed HuCV replicase subunit and provided important reagents for diagnosis of HuCV infection.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.14 no.2
• /
• pp.765-768
• /
• 2013

Background and Aims: Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in males in many populations. Metformin is the most widely used anti-diabetic drug in the world, and there is increasing evidence of a potential efficacy of this agent as an anti-cancer drug. Metformin inhibits the proliferation of a range of cancer cells including prostate, colon, breast, ovarian, and glioma lines. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small, non-coding, single-stranded RNAs that downregulate gene expression. We aimed to evaluate the effects of metformin treatment on changes in miRNA expression in PC-3 cells, and possible associations with biological behaviour. Materials and Methods: Average cell viability and cytotoxic effects of metformin were investigated at 24 hour intervals for three days using the xCELLigence system. The $IC_{50}$ dose of metformin in the PC-3 cells was found to be 5 mM. RNA samples were used for analysis using custom multi-species microarrays containing 1209 probes covering 1221 human mature microRNAs present in miRBase 16.0 database. Results: Among the human miRNAs investigated by the arrays, 10 miRNAs were up-regulated and 12 miRNAs were down-regulated in the metformin-treated group as compared to the control group. In conclusion, expression changes in miRNAs of miR-146a, miR-100, miR-425, miR-193a-3p and, miR-106b in metformin-treated cells may be important. This study may emphasize a new role of metformin on the regulation of miRNAs in prostate cancer.

• Biomedical Science Letters
• /
• v.9 no.3
• /
• pp.151-158
• /
• 2003

In the biological world, there are a number of ecological fights for survival between each organism such as plants, animals and microorganism In such events, an organism can use its natural bioactive products as defence agent against other organisms. Furthermore, natural bioactive products can be utilized for medicine or functional food. Recently, we investigate the effect of Monascus pigment extracted from a fungus, Monascus anke, on the alcohol metabolism and blood lipid profile. In the present study, it is observed that Monascus pigment supplemented dietary may have a hepatoprotective effect on rat's liver damage induced with $CCl_4$ . By treatment with $CCl_4$(3 times, I.P), liver damage was reduced more in the rats fed 2% Monascus pigment extract supplemented diet than those fed standard diet, based on the serum levels of alanine aminotransferase, microsomal glucose-6-phosphatse activity and hepaic malondialdehyde content. On the other hand, oxygen free radical generating enzymes, hepatic P-450 dependent aniline hydroxylase, xanthine oxidase, and oxygen free radical scavenging enzymes, hepatic glutathione S-transferase, catalase, superoxide dismutase activities were generally higher both in $CCl_4$ treated group and control fed 2% Monascus pigment extract supplemented diet than those fed standard diet. In conclusion, the rats fed 2% Monascus pigment extract supplemented diet showed more reduced liver damage than those fed standard diet, which may be due to the acceleration of oxygen free radical metabolism.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.18 no.1
• /
• pp.67-73
• /
• 2008

The potential of the exopolysaccharide (EPS) from a Serratia sp. strain Gsm01 as an antiviral agent against a yellow strain of Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV-Y) was evaluated in tobacco plants (Nicotiana tabacum cv. Xanthi-nc). The spray treatment of plants using an EPS preparation, 72h before CMV-Y inoculation, protected them against symptom appearance. Fifteen days after challenge inoculation with CMV-Y, 33.33% of plants showed mosaic symptoms in EPS-treated plants compared with 100% in the control plants. The EPS-treated plants, which showed mosaic symptoms, appeared three days later than the controls. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analyses of the leaves of the protected plants revealed that the EPS treatment affected virus accumulation in those plants. Analysis of phenylalanine ammonia lyase, peroxidase, and phenols in protected plants revealed enhanced accumulation of these substances. The pathogenesis-related (PR) genes expression represented by PR-lb was increased in EPS-treated plants. This is the first report of a systemic induction of protection triggered by EPS produced by Serratia sp. against CMV-Y.

• Research in Plant Disease
• /
• v.12 no.1
• /
• pp.46-50
• /
• 2006

The microorganisms with the antifungal activity against Phytophthora capsici and Colletotrichum acutatum and the plant growth-promoting activity were screened from a forest and natural fields of Gajang-Dong, Sangju-city. One of the isolates, Streptomyces griseofuscus 200401, was selected as a good plant growth-promoting strain in this study. In greenhouse test, the number of leaf, fresh weight, and dry weight of pepper plants, that were grown with treatment of culture suspension or powder containing S. griseofuscus 200401, were higher than those without the bacterial cells. Cultivation of S. griseofuscus 200401 strain for 7 days in a nutrient rich medium produced ammonium chloride up to 0.13 ${\mu}g/ml$ in the culture solution of S. griseofuscus. Treatment of the selected strain significantly reduced the severity of the late blight of pepper plants to show the equivalent disease control activity to chemical fungicide. This study suggests that S. griseofuscus 200401 strain could be a potential biological agent with the biocontrol activity and the plant growth-promoting activity.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
• /
• v.31 no.1
• /
• pp.37-44
• /
• 2004

It has been recognized that the hen, like its mammalian counterparts, provides young chicks with antibodies as protection against hostile invaders. This system facilitates the transfer of specific antibodies from serum to egg yolk, and provides a supply of antibodies called immunoglobulin Y(IgY) to the developing embryo and the hatched chick. The protection against pathogens that the relatively immune-incompetent newly hatched chick has, is through transmission of antibodies from the mother via the egg. Egg yolk, therefore, can be loaded with a large amount of IgY against pathogens which can immobilize the existing or invading pathogens during the embryo development or in day-old chicks. Thus, the immunization of laying hens to various pathogens results in production of different antigen-specific IgY in eggs. Egg yolk contains 8∼20 mg of jmmunoglobulins (IgY) per ml or 136∼340 mg per yolk suggesting that more than 30 g of IgY can be obtained from one immunized hen in a year. By immunizing laying hens with antigens and collecting IgY from egg yolk, low cost antibodies at less than $10 per g compared to more than $20,000 per g of mammalian IgG can be obtained. This IgY technology opens new potential market applications in medicine, public health, veterinary medicine and food safety. A broader use of IgY technology could be applied as biological or diagnostic tool, nutraceutical or functional food development, oral-supplementation for prophylaxis, and as pathogen-specific antimicrobial agents for infectious disease control. This paper has emphasized that when IgY-loaded chicken eggs are produced and consumed, the specific antibody binds, immobilizes and consequently reduces or inhibits the growth or colony forming abilities of microbial pathogens. This concept could serve as an alternative agent to replace the use of antibiotics, since today, more and more antibiotics are less effective in the treatment of infections, due to the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
• /
• v.36 no.6
• /
• pp.654-660
• /
• 2003

To evaluate the biological diversity of fish pathogenic streptococci, 35 strains isolated from diseased olive flounder (Paralichtys olivaceus), were analyzed using a random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique with the oligonucleotide commercial primer 6 (Amersham Biosciences). Api 20 Strep test, drug resistance and artificial infection were carried out for further characterization of the isolates. RAPD fingerprints showed similar pattern in 25 strains (about $71.4\%$ of 35 isolates) and these strains were designed as RA group 1. Similarities greater than $44\%$ were obtained when the Dice coefficient was applied among the isolates of RA 1. On the other hand, the reference Streptococcus iniae showed a similar RAPD profile to the isolates with similarity levels of $40-93.3\%.$ Rh I was suggested to be the dominant group isolated from olive flounder suffering from streptococcosis. However, the isolates of Rh 1 group were not classified into the same species by the Api 20 Strep identification system. There was no peculiarity in drug resistance patterns of Rh I group isolates against 7 antibacterial agents. However, only 3 of 25 isolates $(0.12\%)$ showed oxytetracycline (OTC) resistance and OTC might be a useful chemotherapeutic agent in controlling the streptococcosis by strains of RA I group in olive flounder. Fish injected intraperitoneally with $10^5$ CFU of an isolate of Rh I and RA III group showed $60\%\;and\;50\%$ accumulative mortality for 20 days, respectively ($20\%$ in control or Rh II). However luther comparative studies about differences in virulence between isolates are needed.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
• /
• v.38 no.7
• /
• pp.503-511
• /
• 2005

In this study we investigated the biological activity of Chondria Crassicaulis (CC) on the human cancer cells. CC was extracted with methanol and further fractionated into four different types: hexane (CCMH), methanol (CCMM), butanol (CCMB), and aqueous (CCMA) partition layers. We determined the cytotoxic effect of these layers on human cancer cells by MTT assay. Among various partition layers of CC, the CCMM and CCMB showed the strong cytotoxic effects at 150 ${\mu}g$/ml which resulted $98.91\%$, $92.96\%$ on HeLa cell lines and $95.47\%$, $77.05\%$ on MCF-7 cell lines. And, the anti-proliferative effect of CC was accompanied by a marked inhibition of cyclooxygenase (COX-2), Caspase-3 and IAP (cIAP-1, cIAP-2 and XIAP) protein and concomitant induction of p53, p21 and Survivin protein. However, CC did not affect the level of Bax, Bcl-2 and Bcl-XL- protein. Also, we observed quinone reductase (QR) induced effects in all fraction layers of CC on HepG2 cells. The QR induced effects of the CCMH and CCMM on HePG2 cells at 120 ${\mu}g$/mL concentration indicated 3.73 and 2.45 with the control value of 1.0. Although further studies are needed, the present work suggests that CC may be a chemopreventive agent for the treatment of human cancer cells.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
• /
• v.61 no.6
• /
• pp.103-110
• /
• 2019

The purpose of this study is to investigate the reaction mechanism of soil and bacteria solution by various mixing ratios. For this purpose, in order to understand the reaction mechanisms of microorganisms and weathered granite soil, the tests were carried out under various mixing ratios additives such as soil, bacteria solution, $Ca(OH)_2$ and fixture. The test results from this study are summarized as follows. Firstly, the reaction between the bacteria solution and fixture produced a precipitate called vaterite, a type of silicate and calcium carbonate. Secondly, as a result of SEM analysis, the resulting precipitates generated from the test results using the specimens with various mixing ratios except SW condition and the irregular spherical microscopic shapes were formed in the size of $150{\mu}m$ to $20{\mu}m$. In addition, it can be seen that the bacteria solution and the fixture reacted between the granules to form an adsorbent material layer on the surface, and the microorganisms had a biological solidifying effect when the pores are combined into hard particles. Finally, The XRD analysis of the sediment resulting from the reaction between the microorganism and the deposit control agent confirmed the presence of a type of calcium carbonate ($CaCO_3$) vaterite, which affects soil strength formation, as well as silicate($SiO_2$).