• Journal of the Korean Magnetic Resonance Society
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.67-73
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• 2015

The microcystin is a cyclic heptapeptide from metabolites of cyanobacteria in the genera mycrocystis, anabaeba as a result of eutrophication. It has been known that microcystin-LR is a potent inhibitor of the catalytic subunits of protein phosphatase-1 (PP-1) as well as powerful tumor promoter. The active site of microcystin actually has two metal ions $Fe^{2+}/Zn^{2+}$ close to the nucleophilic portion of PP-1-microcystin complex. We report the isolation and purification of this microcystin-LR from cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) obtained from Daechung Dam in Chung-cheong Do, Korea. Microcystin-LR was extracted from solid-phase extraction (SPE) sample preparation using a CN cartridge. The cyanobacteria extract was purified to obtain microcystin-LR by HPLC method and identified by LC/MS. The detail structural studies that can elucidate the possible role of monovalent and divalent metal ions in PP-1-microcystin complexation were carried out by utilizing molecular dynamics. Conformational changes in metal binding for ligands were monitored by molecular dynamic computation and potential of mean force (PMF) using the method of the free energy perturbation. The microcystin-metal binding PMF simulation results exhibit that microcystin can have very stable binding free energy of -10.95 kcal/mol by adopting the $Mg^{2+}$ ion at broad geometrical distribution of $0.5{\sim}4.5{\AA}$, and show that the $K^+$ ion can form a stable metal complex rather than other monovalent alkali metal ions.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.321-331
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• 2019

BACKGROUND: Pinoxaden is the phenylpyrazoline herbicide developed by Syngenta Crop Protection, Inc. and marketed on 2006. The maximum residue levels for wheat and barley were set by import tolerance. Thus, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) official analytical method determining Pinoxaden residue was necessary in various food matrixes. Satisfaction of international guideline of CODEX (Codex Alimentarius Commission CAC/GL 40) and National Institute of Food and Drug Safety Evaluation-MFDS (2017) are additional pre-requirements for analytical method. In this study, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was investigated to analyze residue of Pinoxaden (M4), which is defined as pesticide residue in Korea, in foods. METHODS AND RESULTS: Pinoxaden (M4) was extracted followed by acid digestion (2hr reflux with 1N HCl) and pH adjusting (pH 4-5 with 3% ammonium solution). To remove oil, additional clean-up step with hexane saturated with acetonitrile was required to high oil contained sample before purification. HLB cartridge and nylon syringe filter were used for purification. Then, samples were analyzed by LC-MS/MS using reserve phase column C₁₈. Five agricultural group representative commodities (mandarin, potato, soybean, hulled rice, and red pepper) were used to verify the method in this study. The liner matrix-matched calibration curves were confirmed with coefficient of determination (r²) > 0.99 at calibration range 0.002-0.2 mg/kg. The limits of detection and quantitation were 0.004 and 0.01 mg/kg, respectively, which were suitable to apply Positive List System (PLS). Mean average accuracies of pinoxaden (M4) were shown to be 74.0-105.7%. The precision of pinoxaden and its metabolites were also shown less than 14.5% for all five samples. CONCLUSION: The method investigated in this study was suitable to CODEX (CAC/GL 40) and National Institute of Food and Drug Safety Evaluation-MFDS (2017) guideline for residue analysis. Thus, this method can be useful for determining the residue in various food matrixes in routine analysis.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.50-56
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• 2017

An antibacterial peptide was purified from an acidified gill extract of the pufferfish Takifugu pardalis. The acidified gill extract was put through a Sep-Pak C18 solid phase extraction cartridge using a stepwise gradient and divided into a flow-through (F.T.) and 60% methanol fraction (RM 60). Among the eluents, RM 60 had potent antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis KCTC 1021. RM 60 was partially purified on a cationic-exchange column (SP-5PW) by a linear gradient, and the antibacterial peptide was then further purified, using a series of cationic-exchange and $C_{18}$ reversed-phase HPLC columns. For characterization of the purified peptide, its molecular weight and amino acid sequence were analyzed by MALDI-TOF MS and Edman degradation. The molecular weight of the peptide was about 1171.6 Da. The amino acid sequence of the peptide was partially determined as: STKEKAPRKQ. A comparison of the N-terminal amino acid sequence of the purified peptide with that of other known polypeptides revealed high homology with the N-terminus of the histone H3 protein, which belongs to the histone H3 family. Thus, this peptide was designated as a puffer fish gill (PFG)-related antimicrobial peptide. This is the report to describe an antimicrobial function for the N-terminus of histone H3 of an animal species. The findings suggest that this peptide plays a significant role in the innate defense system of the pufferfish.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.84-92
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• 2010

Antibacterial compound from Bacillus subtilis MJP1 was purified using C18 Sep-Pak cartridge, ion exchange chromatography, and gel filtration chromatography. The purified antibacterial compound showed antibacterial activity against Listeria monocytogenes, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus subsp. aureus, and Enterococcus faecalis. The purified antibacterial compound was found to be stable at $100^{\circ}C$ for 5 min and in the pH range of 3.0~9.0, but it was unstable at pH 10.0. It was inactivated by proteinase K and pronase E, and heat treatment at $121^{\circ}C$ for 15 min, but it was stable with lipase and $\alpha$-amylase treatment, which indicated its proteineous nature. Ultra performance liquid chromatography and electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry analysis were used to identify the purified antibacterial compound and confirmed the existence of two peptides (3356.54 Da, 3400.5244 Da).

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.51-54
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• 2018

Purpose $^{18}F-THK5351$ is the newly developed PET probe for tau imaging in alzheimer's disease. The purpose of study was to establish the automated production of $^{18}F-THK5351$ on a commercial module. Materials and Methods Two different approaches were evaluated for the synthesis of $^{18}F-THK5351$. The first approach (method I) included the nucleophilic $^{18}F$-fluorination of the tosylate precursor, subsequently followed by pre-HPLC purification of crude reaction mixture with SPE cartridge. In the second approach (method II), the crude reaction mixture was directly introduced to a semi-preparative HPLC without SPE purification. The radiosynthesis of $^{18}F-THK5351$ was performed on a commercial GE $TRACERlab^{TM}$ $FX-_{FN}$ module. Quality control of $^{18}F-THK5351$ was carried out to meet the criteria guidelined in USP for PET radiopharmaceuticals. Results The overall radiochemical yield of method I was $23.8{\pm}1.9%$ (n=4) as the decay-corrected yield (end of synthesis, EOS) and the total synthesis time was $75{\pm}3min$. The radiochemical yield of method II was $31.9{\pm}6.7%$ (decay-corrected, n=10) and the total preparation time was $70{\pm}2min$. The radiochemical purity was>98%. Conclusion This study shows that method II provides higher radiochemical yield and shorter production time compared to the pre-SPE purification described in method I. The $^{18}F-THK5351$ synthesis by method II will be ideal for routine clinical application, considering short physical half-life of fluorine-18 ($t_{1/2}=110min$).

• Korean Journal of Weed Science
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.361-370
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• 2010

This study was carried out to establish the analytical method of MCPA residue in brown rice and rice straw by HPLC/UVD. When MCPA was extracted from sample under the pH 3.6 by adding acetone 200 mL and 1N-HCl 100 mL, the extraction efficiency was high by 87%. And purification efficiency was high by 83% when 5 mL of 1% methanol/acetonitrile was eluated by the florisil Sep-pak cartridge column. From spiking of $0.1{\mu}g\;mL^{-1}$ and $0.25{\mu}g\;mL^{-1}$ of MCPA to control sample, respectively, average recovery rate of MCPA in brown rice was 96.0% and 94.9% and that in rice straw was 92.5% and 88.2%, respectively. Precision of experiment was very high by relative standard deviation of 1.5% to 5.7%. In brown rice and rice straw treated with bentazone+MCPA (11+1.2%) of 30 kg and 60 kg per ha at 30 days after rice transplanting, respectively, maximum residue limit was under $0.05{\mu}g\;mL^{-1}$ of the recommended rate of Korean Food and Drug Administration. From the above results, the analytical procedure of MCPA in plants such as hydrolysis, saponification and derivatization were ommited, and retention time was faster and recovery rate was higher than the existed results of HPLC/UVD. Therefore, these results were greatly improved and seemed to be usefully applied for residue analysis of MCPA in plants.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.296-301
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• 2016

An antibacterial peptide from skin extract of the catfish Silurus asotus was purified and characterized. The acidified skin extract was put through a Sep-Pak C18 solid phase extraction cartridge using a stepwise gradient and divided into flow-through (F.T.), 10% methanol-elute (RM10), 60% methanolelute (RM60), and 100% methanol-elute (RM100) fractions. RM10, RM60, and RM 100 showed antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli D31. On the other hand, the F.T. fraction did not show antimicrobial activity. Among the various fractions, RM 60 had the highest activity. RM 60 was partially purified on a cation exchange column (CM52) by a stepwise gradient. The ammonium acetate (pH 5.15) 0.02 M – 0.8 M fraction showed antimicrobial activity. Then an antimicrobial peptide was purified using a 0.6M fraction with strong antibacterial activity through a series of five C18 reversed-phase HPLC columns. For the characterization of the purified peptide, the molecular weight and amino acid sequence were analyzed by MALDI-TOF MS and Edman degradation. The molecular weight of this peptide was about 4182.1 [M+H]⁺. The amino acid sequence of this peptide was partially determined as follows: PALXXKARREAKVKF. These findings suggest that this peptide plays a significant role in the innate defense system of catfish skin.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.411-418
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• 2020

In this study, we reviewed a group of marine biotoxins, namely yessotoxins (YTXs), focusing on their causative organisms, contaminated shellfish, domestic and foreign management status, and analytical methods. Although YTXs have not yet been reported in any cases of seafood contamination in South Korea, it is necessary to implement preemptive measures through continuous monitoring because there is a potential risk, due to the introduction of toxic microalgae associated with climate changes and the introduction of contaminated seafood from various countries. YTXs are produced by dinoflagellates, such as Protecratium reticulatum, Gonyaulax polygramma, Gonyaulax spinifera, and Lingulodinium polyedrum, all of which are species found along Korea's coastal areas. Analysis of YTXs in shellfish samples is mainly performed by use of LC-MS/MS after methanol extraction and SPE cartridge clean-up (HLB or strata-X). In the case of lipophilic marine biotoxins, including YTXs, pectenotoxins, and azaspiracids, the extraction and purification procedures are similar. Thus, it seems that the simultaneous analysis of several lipophilic marine biotoxins in shellfish samples is possible, and optimization is necessary. In addition, continuous monitoring studies on causative marine microalgae for YTXs in Korean coastal waters and contaminations in domestic and imported seafood are needed.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.537-541
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• 2005

Estimation of concentrations of PAHs [benzo(a)anthracene, chrysene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, benzo(k)fluoranthene, benzo(a)pyrene, dibenzo(a,h)anthracene, benzo(g,h,i)perylene, indeno(1,2,3-c,d)pyrene] in cereals, pulses, potatoes, and their products available in Korean markets gave mean levels of 0.13, 0.08, 0.06, 0.03, 0.08, 0.15, 0.45, and $0.14{\mu}g/kg$, respectively, with recoveries between 82.6-106.6%. Methodology involved saponification and extraction with n-hexane, purification on Sep-Pak Florisil cartridges, and high performance liquid chromatography using a fluorescence detector.

• Journal of Radiopharmaceuticals and Molecular Probes
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.18-25
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• 2019

2-Nitroimidazole derivatives have been reported to accumulate in hypoxic tissue. We prepared a novel $^{99m}Tc-MAG_3$-2-nitroimidazole and evaluated the feasibility for hypoxia imaging agent. $Bz-MAG_3$-2-nitroimidazole was synthesized by direct coupling of $Bz-MAG_3$ and 2-nitroimidazole using dicyclohexylcarbodiimide. $Bz-MAG_3$-2-nitroimidazole was labeled with $^{99m}Tc$ in the presence of tartaric acid and $SnCl_2-2H_2O$ at $100^{\circ}C$ for 30 min. And the reaction mixture was purified by $C_{18}$ Sep-pak cartridge. The labeling efficiency and the radiochemical purity were checked by ITLC-SG/acetonitrile. The tumor was grown in balb/c mice for 8~13 days after the subcutaneous injection of tumor cells, CT-26 (murine colon adenocarcinoma cell). Biodistribution study and tumor autoradiography were performed in the xenografted mice after i.v injection of 74 kBq/0.1 mL and 19 MBq/0.1 mL of $^{99m}Tc-MAG_3$-2-nitroimidazole, respectively. In vivo images of $^{99m}Tc-MAG_3$-2-nitroimidazole in tumor bearing mice were obtained 1.5 hr post injection. The labeling efficiency was $45{\pm}20%$ and the radiochemical purity after purification was over 95%. Paper electrophoresis confirmed negative charge of $^{99m}Tc-MAG_3$-2-nitroimidazole. $^{99m}Tc-MAG_3$-2-nitroimidazole was very stable at room temperature and its protein binding was 53%. The $^{99m}Tc-MAG_3$-2-nitroimidazole exhibited high uptake in the liver, stomach and intestine. In biodistribution study using tumor bearing mice, the uptakes (% ID/g) of the tumor were $0.5{\pm}0.1$, $0.4{\pm}0.0$, $0.2{\pm}0.1$ and $0.1{\pm}0.1$ at 5, 15, 30 min and 4 hrs. Tumor/muscle ratio were $1.4{\pm}0.1$, $2.2{\pm}0.83$, $3.0{\pm}0.9$, and 3.7 (n=2) for 5, 15, 30 min and 4 hrs. The uptake in hypoxic area was found higher than in non-hypoxic area of tumor tissue by autoradiography. In vivo images showed the relatively faint uptake to the hypoxic tumor region. $^{99m}Tc-MAG_3$-2-nitroimidazole was successfully synthesized and found feasible for imaging hypoxia.