• Proceedings of the Ginseng society Conference
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• 2008.05a
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• pp.76-76
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• 2008

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.315-323
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• 2008

In the previous studies, we isolated the compound K rich fractions (CKRF) and showed that CKRF inhibited Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4- or TLR9-induced inflammatory signaling. To extend our previous studies,1) we investigated the molecular mechanisms of CKRF in the TLR4-associated signaling via nuclear factor (NF)-${\kappa}B$, and in vivo role of CKRF for induction of tolerance in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced septic shock. In murine bone marrow-dervied macrophages, CKRF significantly inhibited the induction of mRNA expression of proinflammatory mediators such as tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$, interleukin-6, cyclooxygenase-2, and inducible nitric oxide synthase. In addition, CKRF significantly attenuated the transcriptional activities of TLR4/LPS-induced NF-${\kappa}B$. Nuclear translocation of NF-${\kappa}B$ in response to LPS stimulation was significantly abrogated by pre-treatment with CKRF. Furthermore, CKRF inhibited the recruitment of p65 to the interferon-sensitive response element flanking region in response to LPS. Finally, oral administration of CKRF significantly protected mice from Gram-negative bacterial LPS-induced lethal shock and inhibited systemic inflammatory cytokine levels. Together, these results demonstrate that CKRF modulates the TLR4-dependent NF-${\kappa}B$ activation, and suggest a therapeutic role for Gram-negative septic shock.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.181-190
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• 2007

Compound K (CK), a protopanaxadiol ginsenoside metabolite, was previously shown to have immunomodulatory effects. In this study, we isolated the CK rich fractions (CKRF) from Korean Red Ginseng and investigated the regulation of CKRF-mediated inflammatory signaling during Toll-like receptor (TLR)-mediated cellular activation. Among various TLR ligands, CKRF considerably abrogated TLR4- or TLR9-induced inflammatory signaling. Both LPS and CpG-containing oligodeoxynucleotides (CpG-ODN) stimulation rapidly activates mitogen-activated protein kinases [MAPKs; extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 and p38], NF-${\kappa}B$, and expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$, and interleukin-6 in murine bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Of interest, pre-treatment of CKRF in either LPS/TLR4- or CpG-ODN/TLR9-stimulated macrophages substantially attenuated the LPS-induced inflammatory cytokine production and mRNA expressions, as well as MAPK and NF-${\kappa}B$ activation. To our knowledge, this is the first description of the inhibitory roles for CKRF in TLR4- or TLR9-associated signaling in BMDMs. Collectively, these results demonstrate that CKRF specifically modulates distinct TLR4 and TLR9-mediated inflammatory responses, and further studies are urgently needed for their in vivo roles for potential therapeutic uses, such as in systemic inflammatory syndromes.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.127-134
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to purify antioxidant substances from steamed squid extract (SSE). The yield of SSE was 8% by dry weight. The approximate compositions of SSE proteins, lipids, moisture, carbohydrate and ash were 64.95%, 1.69%, 7.23%, 4.44% and 21.69%, respectively. The major amino acids in SSE were taurine (29.17%), glycine (20.33%), alanine (12.51%), and glutamic acid (9.83%). Antioxidant activities were evaluated using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, which was measured as 24.7% at 1.0 mg/mL. Four SSE fractions were isolated by Sephadex G-25 gel chromatography; the F2 fraction showed the highest DPPH radical scavenging activity. The F2 fraction was separated by reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) using an octadecylsilane (ODS) column, yielding a purified antioxidant substance with a DPPH radical scavenging activity of 64.41% at 1.0 mg/mL, representing a 2.64-fold increase in the scavenging activity of SSE purified by the 3-step procedure. The amino acid compositions showed that purified SSE was rich in taurine, glycine, glutamic acid and alanine. The purified SSE significantly elevated 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluororescein diacetate (DCFH-DA) fluorescence probe, which confirms its effective radical scavenging potential in cellular ROS. In addition, the SSE significantly inhibited oxidative damage of purified genomic DNA. These results suggest that a purified antioxidant substance from SSE can be used as a potential natural compound-based antioxidant in the functional food and pharmaceutical industries.