• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.411-418
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• 2000

The purpose of this study was to investigate effects of chestnut inner skin tea, brown rice-green tea and Cassia lora tea on the activation of physiological functions (regional cerebral blood flow, mean arterial blood pressure, proliferation of immunocytes in vitro and in vitro, suppression of cancer cell proliferation) in mouse and rat. We used 8 weeks-old balb/c male mice, 300g ICR rats and L1210 cell lines. Regional cerebral blood flow(rCBF) and mean arterial blood pressure(BP) were measured using Leser-Doppler Flowmetry(LDF) and the proliferation of cells was measured using a colorimetric tetrazolium assay(MTT assay). The experimental results are as follows : 1. rCBF was increased by Cassia tora tea, but decreased by chestnut inner skin tea in rats. 2. BP was increased by brown rice-green tea in rats. 3. Proliferation of mouse thymocytes and splenocytes were significantly increased by chestnut inner skin tea in vitro. 4. Proliferation of mouse thymocytes was decreased by Cassia tora tea and brown rice-green tea in vitro. 5. Proliferation of mouse thymocytes was decreased by Cassia tora tea and brown rice-green tea in L1210 transplanted mice. 6. Proliferation of splenocytes was accelerated by chestnut inner skin tea in L1210 transplanted mice. 7. Proliferation of L1210 cells was inhibited by chestnut inner skin tea and Cassia tora tea in L1210 transplanted mice.

• Therapeutic Science for Rehabilitation
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.13-23
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• 2013

Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy(CIMT) is considered as one of the most interesting upper extremity rehabilitation in the field of neurorehabilitation. CIMT is an intensive training provided in the affected upper limb for 6 hours a day, 5 days a week for 2 weeks, while unaffected arm is restrained for 90% of waking hours. Recently, instead of CIMT, modified Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy(mCIMT) has been applied because of the clinical limitations of CIMT. CIMT or mCIMT studies have used various outcome instruments to measure different aspects of upper limb function after intervention. There are various kinds of evaluation tools to measure different aspects of upper limb function after CIMT intervention. It has been proven that Pediatric Motor Activity Log(PMAL), Quality of Upper Extremities Skills Test(QUEST), Melbourne Assessment of Unilateral Upper Limb Function(MAULF), Assisting Hand Assessment (AHA) are effective. The purpose of this study was to investigate the cortical change in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy after CIMT. As a result, use-dependent cortical reorganization was revealed. Also, increased activity of the contralateral motor cortex and decreased activity of the ipsilateral cortex were found. It supports the mechanism of cortical reorganization, the principles of neural plasticity and specifically activation of the contralateral cortex, for improving upper limb function after CIMT.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.25-31
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• 2017

Objectives : Mori Radicis Cortex (MRC), the root epidermis of Morus alba L., has been traditionally used to treat lung-related diseases in Korean Medicine. The common of MRC is Mulberry bark Morus bark, and it's pharmaceutical properties and taste are known as sweet and cold, and it promotes urination and reduce edema by reducing heat from the lungs and soothe asthma. In the present study, anti-apoptotic mechanism of MRC in middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model in mice. Methods : Two-hundred grams of MRC was extracted with methanol at room temperature for 5 days, and this was repeated one time. After filtration, the methanol was removed using vacuum evaporator, then stored at $-20^{\circ}C$ until use. C57BL/6 male mice were housed in an environment with controlled humidity, temperature, and light cycle. In order to determine beneficial effects of MRC on ischemia induced brain damage, infarct volume, neurological deficit scores, activities of several apoptosis-related proteins such as caspase-8, -9, Bcl-xL in MCAO-induced brains of mice were analyzed. Mice in MRC-treated groups were orally administered 30, 100, or 300 mg/kg of body weight for three consecutive days before commencing the MCAO procedure. Results : Pre-treatment of MRC significantly reduced infarct volume in MCAO subjected mice applied with 300 mg/kg of MRC methanol extract, and MRC effectively inhibited Bcl-xL reduction and caspase-9 activation caused by MCAO-induced brain damage. Conclusions : MRC showed neuro-protective effects by regulating apoptosis-related protein signals, and it can be a potential candidate for the therapy of ischemia-induced brain damage.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.443-450
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• 2009

The purpose of this study is to observe activation of limbic system during performing visuospatial tasks by 21% and 30% oxygen administration. Eight right handed male college students were selected as the subjects for this study. A visuospatial task was presented while brain images were scanned by a 3T fMRI system. The experiment consisted of two runs: one was a visuospatial task under normal air(21% oxygen) condition and the other under hyperoxic air(30% oxygen) condition. The neural activations were observed at the limbic system which is seperated 8 regions such as cingulate gyrus, thalamus, limbic lobe, hypothalamus, hippocampus, parahippocampa gyrus, amygdala, and mammiilary body. By two oxygen levels, activation areas of limbic system are almost identical. Increased neural activations were observed in the cingulate gyrus and thalamus with 30% oxygen administration compared to 21% oxygen. During 30% oxygen administration, improvement of visuospatial task performance has a relation to increase of neural activation of subcortical structures such as thalamus and cingulate gyrus as well as cerebral cortex.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.159-174
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• 2002

Objective : The meridian theory in oriental medicine explains that each acu-point has a characteristic functional effect. It will be supposed that an acupuncture stimulation on different acu-point evokes different activation on different areas in the central nervous system(CNS) according to the meridian theory. On this supposition, our group tried the semi-quantitative [14C]2-deoxyglucose([14C]2-DG) autoradiography on the acupuncture stimulation to the hindlimb acu-points of Sprague-Dawley rats. Methods : A venous catheter for the intravenous administration of isotope was equipped in the right external jugular vein on 3 days prior to the [14C]2-DG study. On the day of the study, two acupuncture needles were inserted into the ST36(Zusanli) or LR3(Taichong) on the left hindlimb. Electro-acupuncture stimulation (2 Hz, 5 ms, 1~3 mA, 15 minutes) started just before the i.v. injection of [14C]2-DG ($25{\mu}Ci/rat$). The brain and the spinal cord were removed and processed for the [14C] 2-DG autoradiography. Results : The EA stimulation on ST36 reveals over 120% metaboilc activation in Arcuate nucleus, Anterior pretectal nucleus, Dorsal cochlear nucleus, Interposed cerebellar nucleus, and Nucleus of Darkschewitsch. The EA stimulation on LR3 reveals over 120% metaboilc activation in Lateral habenula nucleus, Medial vestibular nucleus, Ventromedial thalamic nucleus, Anteroventral thalamic nucleus, Anterior cingulate cortex, Dentate gyrus, Antero cortical amygdaloid nucleus, Anterior pretectal nucleus, and Dorsal tegmental nucleus compared with the non EA stimulation control group. Conclusion : These results demonstrate that the different acu-points evoke the different activations in brain areas. And with this functional brain mapping study, a new scientific elucidation for the basis of the acupuncture-meridian theory in oriental medicine through differences of activated area in CNS according to the each acupuncture point.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.332-337
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• 2013

Microglial activation plays an important role in the development and progression of various neurological disorders such as cerebral ischemia, multiple sclerosis, and Alzheimer's disease. Thus, controlling microglial activation can serve as a promising therapeutic strategy for such brain diseases. In the present study, we showed that kalopanaxsaponin A, a triterpenoid saponin isolated from Kalopanax pictus, inhibited inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-${\alpha}$ expression in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated microglia, while kalopanaxsaponin A increased anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-10 expression. Subsequent mechanistic studies revealed that kalopanaxsaponin A inhibited LPS-induced DNA binding activities of NF-${\kappa}B$ and AP-1, and the phosphorylation of JNK without affecting other MAP kinases. Furthermore, kalopanaxsaponin A inhibited the intracellular ROS production with upregulation of anti-inflammatory hemeoxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression. Based on the previous reports that JNK pathway is largely involved in iNOS and proinflammatory cytokine gene expression via modulating NF-${\kappa}B$/AP-1 and ROS, our data collectively suggest that inhibition of JNK pathway plays a key role in anti-inflammatory effects of kalopanaxsaponin A in LPS-stimulated microglia.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.491-497
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• 2015

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of mortality and long-term disability, which can decrease quality of life. In spite of numerous studies suggesting that Epigallocatechin-3- gallate (EGCG) has been used as a therapeutic agent for a broad range of disorders, the effect of EGCG on TBI remains unknown. In this study, a weight drop model was established to evaluate the therapeutic potential of EGCG on TBI. Rats were administered with 100 mg/kg EGCG or PBS intraperitoneally. At different times following trauma, rats were sacrificed for analysis. It was found that EGCG (100 mg/kg, i.p.) treatment significantly reduced brain water content and vascular permeability at 12, 24, 48, 72 hour after TBI. Real-time PCR results revealed that EGCG inhibited TBI-induced IL-$1{\beta}$ and TNF-${\alpha}$ mRNA expression. Importantly, CD68 mRNA expression decreasing in the brain suggested that EGCG inhibited microglia activation. Western blotting and immunohistochemistry results showed that administering of EGCG significantly inhibited the levels of aquaporin-4 (AQP4) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) expression. TBI-induced oxidative stress was remarkably impaired by EGCG treatment, which elevated the activities of SOD and GSH-PX. Conversely, EGCG significantly reduced the contents of MDA after TBI. In addition, EGCG decreased TBI-induced NADPH oxidase activation through inhibition of $p47^{phox}$ translocation from cytoplasm to plasma membrane. These data demonstrate that EGCG treatment may be an effective therapeutic strategy for TBI and the underlying mechanism involves inhibition of oxidative stress.

• BMB Reports
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.352-357
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• 2011

The effect of human MutY homolog (hMYH) on the activation of checkpoint proteins in response to hydroxyurea (HU) and ultraviolet (UV) treatment was investigated in hMYH-disrupted HEK293 cells. hMYH-disrupted cells decreased the phosphorylation of Chk1 upon HU or UV treatment and increased the phosphorylation of Cdk2 and the amount of Cdc25A, but not Cdc25C. In siMYH-transfected cells, the increased rate of phosphorylated Chk1 upon HU or UV treatment was lower than that in siGFP-transfected cells, meaning that hMYH was involved in the activation mechanism of Chk1 upon DNA damage. The phosphorylation of ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related protein (ATR) upon HU or UV treatment was decreased in hMYH-disrupted HEK293 and HaCaT cells. Co-immunoprecipitation experiments showed that hMYH was immunoprecipitated by anti-ATR. These results suggest that hMYH may interact with ATR and function as a mediator of Chk1 phosphorylation in response to DNA damage.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.39-46
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• 2011

Objectives : The BangPungTongSungSan(BPTSS) has been used as a therapeutic agent for cerebrovascular disease, cerebral hemorrhage, hypertension, diabetes and obesity in oriental medicine. The present study designed to investigate the effect of BPTSS on behavioral change and neuronal activation induced by acute methamphetamine(METH, 2 mg/kg, i.p.) in C57BL/6 mice. Methods : Mice received the oral administration of BPTTS(25, 50 and 100 mg/kg) 1 h prior to saline or METH administration. Locomotor activity was measured for 90 min using videotractking method and c-Fos expression, as marker of neuronal activation, was identified in a separate groups of mice by immunohistochemistry. Results and conclusions : Methamphetamine injection significantly increased locomotor activity and c-Fos expression in the nucleus accumbens and striatum. Interestingly, BPTTS(100 mg/kg) significantly suppressed locomotor activity and c-Fos expression in the nucleus accumbens and striatum by acute exposure to METH. These results suggest that BangPungTongSungSan may be effective in suppressing the reinforcing effect of methamphetamine by modulation neuronal activity.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.377-384
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• 2008

Chungpesagan-tang (CST) has been traditionally used in Korea as a therapeutic for cerebral ischemia. To understand the protective mechanism of CST on hypoxia/reoxygenation insults in N2a cells, the cell viability was determined with the treatment of water solution and several solvent fractions of CST. The highest cell viability occurred when the cells were treated with the hexane soluble fraction of CST. Hypoxia/reoxygenation insults were shown to decrease the glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity and the level of glutathione (GSH) and increase the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. However, treatment with hexane soluble fraction of CST ranging from 0.1 ${\mu}g$/ml to 10 ${\mu}g$/ml recovered the activities of GPx and SOD and maintained the levels of MDA and GSH at control levels. While hypoxia/reoxygenation insults induced the activation of ERK in N2a cells, treatment with the hexane soluble fraction of CST inhibited the activation of ERK in a concentration dependent manner. In this study, we were able to demonstrate that the bioactive compounds of CST can be effectively transferred into the hexane soluble fraction, and more importantly that CST exhibits protective effects against hypoxia/reoxygenation insults most likely by recovering redox enzyme activities.