• Journal of Ginseng Research
• /
• v.24 no.3
• /
• pp.138-142
• /
• 2000

Effects of ginsenosides (Rb$_1$, Rb$_2$, Rc, Re, Rg$_1$, Rf) on L-glutamate (glutamate)-induced swelling of cultured astrocytes from rat brain cerebral cortex were studied. Following the exposure to 0.5mM glutamate for 1 hr, the intracellular water space (as measured by [$^3$H]O-methyl-D-glucose uptake) of astrocytes increased by about two-fold. Simultaneous addition of ginsenosides Rb$_2$ and Rc with glutamate reduced the astrocytic swelling in a dose-dependent manner. These ginsenosides at 0.5 mg/ml did not affect the viability of astrocytes for up to 24 hr which was determined by a colorimetric assay (MTT assay) for cellular growth and survival. These ginsenosides at 0.3 mg/ml inhibited the increase of intracellular Ca$\^$2+/ concentration ([Ca$\^$2+/]$\_$i/) induced by glutamate. These data suggest ginsenosides Rb$_2$ and Rc prevent the cell swelling of astrocytes induced by glutamate, maybe via inhibition of Ca$\^$2+/ influx.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
• /
• v.8 no.7
• /
• pp.123-129
• /
• 2017

Morphological and ultrastructural characteristics of human hair medulla was investigated with scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The medulla is located in the central position of hair shaft and appear greatly variable forms which discontinuous shape arranged from hair root to apical portion according to longitudinal axis. The thickness of medulla from a single hair presented as very variable in size. The diameter of cross section of human hair medulla measured as $21{\mu}m$ and longitudinal section showed $27{\mu}m$. It grows up to 1/3 from 1/4 in diameter of human hair shaft. It appears emptied hole during separating of macrofibrils in the keratinocyte. The empty space measured $6.5{\mu}m$ in diameter as maximum size and it was filled with air.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
• /
• v.14 no.5
• /
• pp.438-452
• /
• 2020

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Brain senescence causes cognitive impairment and neurodegeneration. It has also been demonstrated that curcumin (Cur) and hesperetin (Hes), both antioxidant polyphenolic compounds, mediate anti-aging and neuroprotective effects. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate whether Cur, Hes, and/or their combination exert anti-aging effects in D-galactose (Dg)-induced aged neuronal cells and rats. MATERIALS/METHODS: SH-SY5Y cells differentiated in response to retinoic acid were treated with Cur (1 μM), Hes (1 μM), or a combination of both, followed by 300 mM Dg. Neuronal loss was subsequently evaluated by measuring average neurite length and analyzing expression of β-tubulin III, phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinases, and neurofilament heavy polypeptide. Cellular senescence and related proteins, p16 and p21, were also investigated, including their regulation of antioxidant enzymes. In vivo, brain aging was induced by injecting 250 mg/kg body weight (b.w.) Dg. The effects of supplementing this model with 50 mg/kg b.w. Cur, 50 mg/kg b.w. Hes, or a combination of both for 3 months were subsequently evaluated. Brain aging was examined with a step-through passive avoidance test and apoptosis markers were analyzed in brain cortex tissues. RESULTS: Cur, Hes, and their combination improved neuron length and cellular senescence by decreasing the number of β-gal stained cells, down-regulated expression of p16 and p21, and up-regulated expression of antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase 1, glutathione peroxidase 1, and catalase. Administration of Cur, Hes, or their combination also tended to ameliorate cognitive impairment and suppress apoptosis in the cerebral cortex by down-regulating Bax and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase expression and increasing Bcl-2 expression. CONCLUSIONS: Cur and Hes appear to attenuate Dg-induced brain aging via regulation of antioxidant enzymes and apoptosis. These results suggest that Cur and Hes may mediate neuroprotective effects in the aging process, and further study of these antioxidant polyphenolic compounds is warranted.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
• /
• v.28 no.1
• /
• pp.83-90
• /
• 2013

Objectives : Tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) is an active ingredient in Ligusticum wallichii and has a wide range of neuroprotection effects. This study investigated anti-neuroinflammatory effect of TMP on brain regions in intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated C57BL/6 mice. Methods : TMP was administered intraperitoneally at doses of 10, 20, and 30 mg/kg at 1 h prior to LPS (3 mg/kg) i.c.v. injection. mRNA level of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ (TNF-${\alpha}$), interleukin (IL)-$1{\beta}$ and IL-6, was measured in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, and hypothalamus tissue using real-time polymerase chain reaction at 24 h after the LPS injection. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) positive cells in the hypothalamus was also observed using immunohistochemistry at 24 h after the LPS injection. Results : At a dose of 30 mg/kg TMP significantly attenuated up-regulation of TNF-${\alpha}$ and IL-$1{\beta}$ mRNA in the cerebral cortex and IL-$1{\beta}$ mRNA in the hippocampus. In the hypothalamus, doses of 20 mg/kg and 30 mg/kg TMP significantly attenuated up-regulation of TNF-${\alpha}$, IL-$1{\beta}$, and IL-6 mRNA induced by the LPS injection. In addition, TMP (30 mg/kg) significantly reduced the number of COX-2 positive cells in the hypothalamus. Conclusion : These results indicate that TMP has an anti-inflammatory effect on neuroinflammation, especially in the hypothalamus, induced by LPS i.c.v. injection and suggest that TMP-containing Ligusticum wallichii may play a modulatory role on the systemic responses following hypothalamic inflammation.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.41 no.3
• /
• pp.244-255
• /
• 2018

Low-grade pro-inflammatory state and leptin resistance are important underlying mechanisms that contribute to obesity-associated hypertension. We tested the hypothesis that Astragaloside IV (As IV), known to counteract obesity and hypertension, could prevent obesity-associated hypertension by inhibiting pro-inflammatory reaction and leptin resistance. High-fat diet (HFD) induced obese rats were randomly assigned to three groups: the HFD control group (HF con group), As IV group, and the As IV + ${\alpha}$-bungaratoxin (${\alpha}-BGT$) group (As IV+${\alpha}-BGT$ group). As IV ($20mg{\cdot}Kg^{-1}{\cdot}d^{-1}$) was administrated to rats for 6 weeks via daily oral gavage. Body weight and blood pressure were continuously measured, and NE levels in the plasma and renal cortex was evaluated to reflect the sympathetic activity. The expressions of leptin receptor (LepRb) mRNA, phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (p-STAT3), phosphorylated phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (p-PI3K), suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3) mRNA, and protein-tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) mRNA, pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) mRNA and neuropeptide Y (NPY) mRNA were measured by Western blot or qRT-PCR to evaluate the hypothalamic leptin sensitivity. Additionally, we measured the protein or mRNA levels of ${\alpha}7nAChR$, inhibitor of nuclear factor ${\kappa}B$ kinase subunit ${\beta}/nuclear$ factor ${\kappa}B$ ($IKK{\beta}/NF-KB$) and pro-inflammatory cytokines ($IL-1{\beta}$ and $TNF-{\alpha}$) in hypothalamus and adipose tissue to reflect the anti-inflammatory effects of As IV through upregulating expression of ${\alpha}7nAChR$. We found that As IV prevented body weight gain and adipose accumulation, and also improved metabolic disorders in HFD rats. Furthermore, As IV decreased BP and HR, as well as NE levels in blood and renal tissue. In the hypothalamus, As IV alleviated leptin resistance as evidenced by the increased p-STAT3, LepRb mRNA and POMC mRNA, and decreased p-PI3K, SOCS3 mRNA, and PTP1B mRNA. The effects of As IV on leptin sensitivity were related in part to the up-regulated ${\alpha}7nAchR$ and suppressed $IKK{\beta}/NF-KB$ signaling and pro-inflammatory cytokines in the hypothalamus and adipose tissue, since co-administration of ${\alpha}7nAChR$ selective antagonist ${\alpha}-BGT$ could weaken the improved effect of As IV on central leptin resistance. Our study suggested that As IV could efficiently prevent obesityassociated hypertension through inhibiting inflammatory reaction and improving leptin resistance; furthermore, these effects of As IV was partly related to the increased ${\alpha}7nAchR$ expression.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
• /
• v.22 no.3 s.56
• /
• pp.181-185
• /
• 1983

Ditylenchus destructor Thorne 1945 was found to be the causal organism of the new root rot disease of Panax ginseng, which occurred extensively in Dongseong area of Cheolweon-gun, Gangweon Province, Korea in 1982. Thirty-six percent of the investigated fields was damaged due to the potato rot nematode. Infected roots showed brown discoloration of cortex and suberization outside the cambium. Cortex of the severly infected roots became sponge-like in texture and cavity was produced in the central portion of the root. Only the severely infected ginseng plants exhibited sympotoms of sudden wilting of leaves. The number of potato rot nematode in such field soils was $8.5\~222/30g$ soil, while there was no such symptoms on leaves if the number was less than 7.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• v.18 no.6
• /
• pp.517-524
• /
• 2014

Phasic and tonic ${\gamma}$-aminobutyric acidA ($GABA_A$) receptor-mediated inhibition critically regulate neuronal information processing. As these two inhibitory modalities have distinctive features in their receptor composition, subcellular localization of receptors, and the timing of receptor activation, it has been thought that they might exert distinct roles, if not completely separable, in the regulation of neuronal function. Inhibition should be maintained and regulated depending on changes in network activity, since maintenance of excitation-inhibition balance is essential for proper functioning of the nervous system. In the present study, we investigated how phasic and tonic inhibition are maintained and regulated by different signaling cascades. Inhibitory postsynaptic currents were measured as either electrically evoked events or spontaneous events to investigate regulation of phasic inhibition in layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons of the rat visual cortex. Tonic inhibition was assessed as changes in holding currents by the application of the $GABA_A$ receptor blocker bicuculline. Basal tone of phasic inhibition was maintained by intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ and $Ca^{2+}$/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII). However, maintenance of tonic inhibition relied on protein kinase A activity. Depolarization of membrane potential (5 min of 0 mV holding) potentiated phasic inhibition via $Ca^{2+}$ and CaMKII but tonic inhibition was not affected. Thus, phasic and tonic inhibition seem to be independently maintained and regulated by different signaling cascades in the same cell. These results suggest that neuromodulatory signals might differentially regulate phasic and tonic inhibition in response to changes in brain states.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
• /
• v.20 no.1 s.32
• /
• pp.1-15
• /
• 2007

Objectives : RVC has long been used for a useful natural agent ameliorating inflammation related symptoms in the folk medicine recipe. This study was performed to investigate effects of RVC on the inflammation and oxidation in RAW 264.7 cells. Methods : The RVC was extracted with 80% ethanol and sequentially partitioned with solvents in order to increase polarity. With the various fractions, we determined the activities on the inflammation and oxidation in RAW 264.7 cells. Results : 1. Among the various solvent extracts of RVC, the butanol fraction showed the most powerful inhibitory ability against nitric oxide (NO) production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 cells without affecting cell viability. 2. Butanol fraction showed a oxidation inhibition effect by decreasing the DPPH and OH radicals. 3. Butanol fraction exhibited the inhibitory avilities against iNOS and COX-2. 4. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Westem blotting analysis revealed that the BuOH fraction provided a primary inhibitor of the iNOS protein and mRNA expression in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells. Among the up-regulater molecules of iNOS and COX-2, the BuOh fraction of RVC was shown the inhibitory activity of phoshporylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) 1/2 and threonine protein kinase (AKT), the one of the MAPKs pathway. Conclusion : Thus, the present study suggests that the response of a component of the BuOH fraction to NO generation via iNOS expression provide a important clue to elucidate anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidation mechanism of RVC.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
• /
• v.62 no.2
• /
• pp.111-122
• /
• 2019

The mulberry tree (Morus alba L.) has been traditionally used in Chinese medicine to treat inflammatory diseases. We investigated the effects of bioconversion on different components of the mulberry tree, and determined changes in the physiological activities. Ethyl acetate-soluble fractions of five different segments (fruit, Mori Fructus; leaf, Mori Folium; twig, Mori Ramulus; root, Mori Cortex; and mistletoe, Loranthi Ramulus) of the mulberry tree show enhanced anti-oxidant effects in the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, and 2,2'-azinobis-(3-ethylvenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) assays, and enhanced anti-inflammatory effects of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated nitric oxide (NO) production in RAW 264.7 macrophages, after being treated with a crude enzyme extract from Aspergillus kawachii, in the following order of activity: Mori Folium>Mori Cortex>Mori Ramulus>Mori Fructus>Loranthi Ramulus. Ethyl acetate- soluble fraction of mulberry leaves (Mori Folium) that underwent bioconversion was most effective, and was devoid of any cytotoxicity. The fraction was also effective against mRNA expression of LPS-induced pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as inducible nitric oxide synthase, cyclooxygenase-2, tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}$, $interleukin-1{\beta}$, and interleukin-6. In addition, the fraction was effective in LPS-induced phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases and IKK, and $I{\kappa}B$ degradation, followed by translocation of the nuclear $factor-{\kappa}B$ from the cytoplasm to the nucleus. Thus, bioconversion increased the anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory activities of the mulberry leaf.

• Proceedings of the Korean Information Science Society Conference
• /
• 2012.06a
• /
• pp.256-258
• /
• 2012

임베디드 소프트웨어를 실제 하드웨어 상에서 테스팅 하는 것은 하드웨어의 사용이 개발후반에 가능함에 따른 시간적인 제약으로 인해 테스트를 위한 충분한 시간 확보에 어려움이 있다. 이러한 문제점은 임베디드 소프트웨어 테스팅을 위한 시뮬레이션 기반 테스팅 환경의 구축으로 간단히 해결 할 수 있다. $\mu$-ITRON은 일본 임베디드 분야에서 활발히 사용되는 Real-Time Embedded OS로, 본 논문은 하드웨어 에뮬레이터 QEMU를 이용하여 임베디드 소프트웨어 테스팅을 위한 ARM Cortex-M3기반 $\mu$ITRON의 시뮬레이션 환경 구축에 대해 설명한다.