• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.966-972
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• 2006

The effect of water extract of Chungjogupae-tang (CJGPT) was investigated _on the growth of human lung carcinoma A549 cells. Methods: MTT assay and fluorescent microscope peformed to compare and examine the efficacy of CJGPT treatment on the cytostaticity of lung cancer cells in proportion to time and doses, and DAPI staining and Western blot analysis were used to examine their effect on apoptosis. In addition, the quantitative RT-PCR was used to examine to lung cancer cells growth, and Prostaglandin E2 activity were measured. Results: Exposure of A549 cells to CJGPT respited in the growth inhibition and apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner as measured by MTT assay and fluorescent microscope. The antiproliferative effect by CJGPT treatment in A549 cells was associated with morphological changes such as membrane shrinking and cell rounding up. CJGPT treatment resulted in an up-regulation of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21 (WAFl/CIPl) in a p53-independent fashion. We found that CJGPT treatment decreased the levels of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and inducible nitric oxide synthease (iNOS) expression without significant changes in the expression of COX-1 , which was correlated with a decrease in prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) synthesis. Conclusion: These findings suggested that CJGPT-induced inhibition of human lung carcinoma A549 cell growth was connected with the induction of apoptotic cell death and the results provided important new insights into the possible molecular mechanisms of the anti-cancer activity of CJGPT.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.150-156
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• 2016

Extract of Broussometia kazinoki Rhizodermatis has been traditionally used for geopoong, diuresis, hwalhyeol. In the present study, the apoptotic effect of methanol extract of Broussometia kazinoki (MBK) were investigated. Cell viability of A549 cells was measured by MTT assay. Apoptosis-related protein and MAPK protein levels were measured by Western blot. Chromatin condensation of A549 cells was stained with DAPI. MBK inhibited cell proliferation of A549 cell. Based on DAPI staining, MBK-treated cells manifested nuclear shrinkage, condensation and fragmentation. Treatment of A549 cells with MBK resulted in activation of the caspase-3, -8, -9 and cleavage of poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP). In the upstream, MBK increased the expressions Bax and Bak, decreased the expression of Bcl-2, and augmented the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. MBK-induced apoptosis was accompanied by sustained phosphorylation of JNK, p38 MAPK and apoptosis signal-regulating kinase (ASK)-1. These results suggest that MBK induced apoptosis in A549 cells through Bcl-2 family protein-mediated mitochondria/caspase-3 dependent pathway. In addition, MBK increased the activation of ASK-1, which are critical upsteam signals for JNK/p38 MAPK activation in A549 cancer cells.

• The Journal of Traditional Korean Medicine
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.83-89
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• 2006

Many naturally occurring plant extracts are studied for their beneficial effects for health and particularly on cancer. Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, occurs in both normal and pathological conditions, including cancer. Dysregulation of apoptosis allows transformed cells to continually and uninhibitedly enter the cell cycle, thus perpetuating the sequence of mutation, genomic instability and, finally, oncogenesis. To investigate the apoptosis-Inducing effect of the extract of Fructus Trichosanthis (EFT) on leukemic HL-60 cells and its mechanism, HL-60 cells in vitro in culture medium were given different doses of the extract. The inhibitory rate of cells were measured by microculture tetrazolium assay, cell apoptotic rate was detected by flow cytometry, morphology of cell apoptosis was observed by DAPI fluorescence staining, and the activations of caspases and PARP were detected using Western blotting analysis. The extract could activate the caspase-3 and caspase-8, induce PARP cleavage, inhibit growth of HL-60 cells, and cause apoptosis significantly. The suppression was in dose-dependent manner. Marked morphological changes of cell apoptosis including condensation of chromatin and nuclear fragmentation were observed clearly by DAPI fluorescence staining especially. These results will provide strong laboratory evidence of EFT for clinical treatment of acute leukemia.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.671-679
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• 2016

Extracts from spinach, cabbage, and onion are known to possess various instructive characteristics, including antioxidant and anti-inflammation activities. Spinach, cabbage, and onion are consumed worldwide and represent important sources of dietary phytochemicals with proven antioxidant properties, such as flavonoids and phenolic acids. Food-derived flavonoids and phenolic compounds are expected to be promising drugs for cancer. In the present study, we investigated the effects of methanol extracts of spinach, cabbage, and onion on cell proliferation and apoptosis in human gastric and breast cancer cells. Proliferation rates of AGS, MDA-MB-231, and SK-BR-3 cells were determined by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The methanol extracts of spinach, cabbage, and onion inhibited proliferation of cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner. 4',6-Diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining revealed that chromatin condensation significantly increased compared with the control. In the results of MTT assay and DAPI staining, onion extract was the most effective in inhibiting cancer cell proliferation and apoptosis. To assess changes in protein expression level by onion extract, we identified Bax (pro-apoptotic), Bcl-2 (anti-apoptotic), and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) protein by western blot analysis. The expression of Bax and cleaved-PARP increased, whereas expression of Bcl-2 was decreased compared with the control. These results suggest that spinach, cabbage, and onion extracts suppressed growth of human gastric cancer AGS, human breast cancer MDA-MB-231, and SK-BR-3 cells through induction of apoptosis. Among the extracts, onion extract had stronger anti-cancer and apoptosis induction effects than spinach and cabbage extracts. Further, onion extract more effectively induced apoptosis of human gastric cancer cells than human breast cancer cells. Therefore, further studies are needed to determine the anti-cancer effects of onion extracts in vivo. Onion extract can be developed as a chemopreventive or therapeutic agent for gastric cancer.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.183-190
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• 2019

Ursolic acid is recognized for various effects such as anti-cancer, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activity. In this study, we confirmed the anti-cancer effect of ursolic acid on human melanoma cancer cells, A375SM and A375P. Survival rate of the melanoma cells was confirmed by MTT assay and the proliferation rate was confirmed by wound healing assay. The rate of apoptotic bodies was confirmed by DAPI staining, and apoptosis rate was confirmed by flow cytometry. The induction of apoptosis protein was examined by western blotting according to the concentration of ursolic acid in melanoma cells. The survival and proliferation rates of melanoma cells were decreased according to the treatment concentrations of ursolic acid. DAPI staining showed that chromosomal condensation of melanoma cells was increased with increasing concentrations of ursolic acid, and increased apoptosis rate of melanoma cells by ursolic acid was confirmed by flow cytometry. We also confirmed by western blotting that cleaved-PARP and Bax were increased and Bcl-2 was decreased at $12{\mu}M$ concentration of uricolic acid in melanoma cells. This study was carried out at low concentrations of ursolic acid, 0 to $20{\mu}M$, and analyzed 24 h after treatment. As a result of this study, it is thought that ursolic acid has the anti-cancer effect through the regulation of apoptosis-related proteins in melanoma cells A375SM and A375P.

• Journal of Plant Biology
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.399-406
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• 1993

유채(Brassica napus L. cv. Topas) 소포자 배양에 의한 기내 배발생 과정을 관찰하고 발생과정에 따른 총단백질의 변화 양상을 이차원 전기영동을 통하여 분석하였다. 배양에 적합한 소포자의 발달 단계는 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) 형광염색으로 핵상관찰을 통하여 결정하였다. 최초의 소포자 생존율은 63.9%였으며 이러한 생존율의 차이로 배양초기에 소포자의 이형성이 나타났다. 배 발달 경로에 따른 최초의 세포분열은 화분벽 안에서 균등분열로 시작되어 배병의 발달이 선행된 후 배 발생이 일어났으며, 구형, 심장형, 어뢰형으로의 배 발달은 여러 조직의 분화와 더불어 빠르게 진행되었다. 소포자배 발달과정을 치상단계의 소포자, 배양 3일째의 초기 분열세포, 구형 및 심장형배, 어뢰형배, 성숙한 자엽단계의 배 등의 5단계로 나누어 각각 2차원 전기영동을 수행한 결과, 최초 소포자 단계에서 나타났던 23개의 단백질들은 배 달달 경로로 진행됨에 따라 사라지고, 배양 3일째에는 8개의 단백질이 특이적 또는 지속적으로 발현되었다. 배의 발달과 더불어 20∼50 kD 사이에서 총 42개의 단백질이 급격히 나타나거나 또는 후기 배로 진행하면서 점차적으로 발현되었다.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Plant Pathology Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.73.2-73
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• 2003

Typical whiches broom symptoms caused by phytoplasma were observed in Ash (Fraxinus rhynchophylla Hence) in Korea. The symptoms were showing abnormally small leaves, short internodes, and proliferation of shoots. Fluorescence and electron microscopy of leaf midribs revealed phytoplasma positive DAPI fluorescence and numerous phytoplasma bodies localized in the phloem sieve tubes. Phytoplasma DNA of 1.8 Kb was detected consistently from all symptomatic samples by the amplification of phytoplasma DNA with the phytoplasma specific primer pair Pl/P7. But no phytoplasma DNA was detected in healthy ash seedlings. Based on sequence analyses of an amplified region, this phytoplasma is closely related to Eqilodium phyllody, Mulberry dwarf, and Aster yellows phytoplasmas with the homology of 99.95 ％, 99.79 ％ and 99.78 ％, respectively, This phylogenetic analyses indicate that ash witches broom phytoplasma but is evidently distinct from the ash yellows group 16SrⅦ and should be classified into the Aster yellows group 16SrⅥ.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.214-220
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• 2008

Nitrifying bacteria were detected by fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) method at 6 sampling sites with different eutrophication degree in the Nak-Dong River and their tributaries. And conventional physico-chemical parameters including $NH_4-N$, $NO_3-N$, and TN were determined concurrently. In rainy period (July), there was no noticeable difference between the number of ammonia/nitrite-oxidizing bacteria detected at each site except Sang-Ju and the ratio of nitrifying bacteria to total counts stained by DAPI varied in 6~33%. By contrast, in the dry period (October), both of bacterial population was increased differently and the ratio of nitrifying bacteria to total counts ranged more widely from 6% in heavily polluted water zone, Hwa-Won to 60% in upper tributary with high agricultural land use. Byung-Sung-Chun. In January, the numbers of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria was reduced up to one tenth, while those of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria was apparently increased maybe due to high DO and low DOC.

• BMB Reports
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.248-253
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• 2008

Stresses and nutritional starvation are two main external signals for the induction of sex pheromones in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. In an attempt to identify the components involved in transduction of starvation signals, we screened 135 temperature-sensitive (ts) mutants and isolated 6 mutants that induced the pheromone even in the presence of a nitrogen source. These mutants exhibited two distict induction phenotypes: pheromone induction at restrictive but not at permissive temperatures; and pheromone induction at both permissive and restrictive temperatures. The times required for the maximum pheromone induction at the restrictive temperature differed slightly in each mutant. In addition to the pheromone induction phenotype, the ts243 and ts304 mutants exhibited cell-division-cycle defects. The ts304 mutant cells showed an abnormal cytoplasmic DAPI staining pattern. The nucleolus of this mutant seemed to be fragmented, a phenomenon which is typically observed in aged yeast cells. The result of our genetic analysis indicated that the pheromone induction mutants belonged to 6 separate complementation groups. We designated these mutants pws1 to pws6.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2012.02a
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• pp.452-452
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• 2012

저온 플라즈마를 발생시키는 대기압 마이크로-플라즈마 젯(Micro-plasma jet)을 이용하여 플라즈마와 세포와의 상호작용에 대한 연구를 진행하였다. 실험에 사용된 세포는 인체의 방광암 세포(Human bladder carcinoma cell, EJ)이며, 플라즈마 처리 후 bioassay를 통하여 세포 예정사 효과를 확인하였다. 수십 kHz (low frequency)의 펄스파 전압을 인가하여 발생시킨 플라즈마는 형성 기체로 헬륨을 사용하였고, 광 방출 분광법으로 산소의 첨가량에 따른 활성 종들의 변화를 비교해 보았다. 플라즈마 처리 후에는 DAPI staining을 통하여 세포 예정사에서 형성되는 apoptotic body를 확인하였고, 세포막 외부로 이동하는 Phosphatidic Serin (PS)과 결합하는 Annexin-V assay를 통하여 apoptosis rate를 측정하였다. 이를 바탕으로 암세포에 미치는 플라즈마 활성종의 영향을 분석하였다.