• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.24 no.3
• /
• pp.274-283
• /
• 2014

Oxidative stress causes tissue damage and facilitates the progression of metabolic diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular heart diseases, and obesity. Lipid accumulation and obesity-related complications have been observed in the presence of extensive oxidative stress. As part of an ongoing study to develop therapeutic supplements, Sargassum sp. were tested for their ability to scavenge free radicals and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), as well as to suppress lipid accumulation. Three species, S. hemiphyllum, S. thunbergii, and Sargassum horneri, were shown to scavenge free radicals in a di(phenyl)-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl)iminoazanium (DPPH) assay. In addition, Sargassum sp. was shown to scavenge intracellular ROS and to decrease nitric oxide (NO) production in $H_2O_2$ and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced in RAW264.7 mouse macrophages, respectively. Taken together, the results suggest that Sargassum sp. possess huge potential to relieve oxidative stress and related complications, as well as lipid-induced oxidation. They indicate that S. hemiphyllum, S. thunbergii, and S. horneri are potent functional supplements that can produce beneficial health effects through antioxidant and antiobesity activities, with S. hemiphyllum being the most potent among the Sargassum sp. tested. A potential mechanism for the effect of Sargassum sp. on the suppression of lipid accumulation in differentiating 3T3-L1 mouse preadipocytes through deactivation of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor ${\gamma}$ (PPAR ${\gamma}$) is presented.

• KSBB Journal
• /
• v.24 no.4
• /
• pp.403-409
• /
• 2009

H2AX, a crucial component of chromatin, is implicated in DNA repair, cell cycle check point and tumor suppression. The aim of this study was to identify direct binding partners of H2AX to regulate cellular responses to above mechanisms. Literature reviews and bioinformatical tools were attempted intensively to find binding partners of H2AX, which resulted in identifying two potential proteins, breast cancer-1 (BRCA1) and BRCA1-associated RING domain 1 (BARD1). Although it has been reported in vivo that BRCA1 co-localizes with H2AX at the site of DNA damage, their biochemical mechanism for H2AX were however only known that the complex monoubiquitinates histone monomers, including unphosphorylated H2AX in vitro. Therefore, it is important to know whether the complex directly interacts with H2AX, and also which regions of these are specifically mediated for the interaction. Using in vitro GST pull-down assay, we present here that BRCA1 and BARD1 directly bind to H2AX. Moreover, through combinational approaches of domain analysis, fragment clonings and in vitro binding assay, we revealed molecular details of the BRCA1-H2AX and BARD1-H2AX complex. These data provide the potential evidence that each of the BRCA1 nuclear localization signal (NLS) and BARD1 BRCA1 C-terminal (BRCT) repeat domain is the novel mediator of H2AX recognition.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.40 no.2
• /
• pp.104-111
• /
• 1993

Background: Gram-negative bacterial endotoxin induced septicemia is known to be a leading cause in the development of adult respiratory distress syndrome(ARDS). The mechanism of endotoxin induced lung injury is mainly due to the activated neutrophils which injure the capillary endothelial cells by releasing oxidant radical and resulted in pulmonary edema. We studied the change of antioxidant enzyme in the case of large or small, intermittant dose of endotoxin infused rat lungs. Methods: Endotoxin was given to the rat through the peritoneal cavity in the dose of 7 mg/kg body weight in the large dose group and 1 mg/kg for 10 days in the small dose group. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was done and rats were killed at 6, 12, 24 hours after single endotoxin injection in the large dose group and 3, 7, 10 days after daily endotoxin injection for 10 days in the small dose group. The lungs were perfused with normal saline through the pulmonary artery to remove the blood and were homogenized in 5 volume of 50 mM potassium phosphate buffer containing 0.1 mM EDTA. After centrifuging at 100,000 g for 60 minute, the supernatent was removed and stored at $-70^{\circ}C$ until measuring for superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and protein. Results: We observed the following results. 1) The lung wet/dry weight ratio and albumin concentration in the BAL fluids were increased to peak at 12 hours and neutrophil number in the BAL fluids were peak at 6 hours after endotoxin injection in the large dose group. 2) Cu, Zn SOD (IU/mg protein) was significantly decreased after 6, 12 hours after endotoxin injection in the large dose group. 3) There were no singnificant change in the level of Mn SOD, catalase, GSH-Px after endotoxin injection in both groups. Conclusion: Endotoxin in the large dose group produced the acute pulmonary edema and decreased the Cu, Zn SOD in the lung tissue after injecting endotoxin at 6 and 12 hours. These phenomenon may be due to the cell membrane damage by endotoxin. Further research would be necessary whther giving SOD by intratracheal route or method to increase the synthesis of SOD may lessen the acute lung injury by endotoxin.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
• /
• v.26 no.3
• /
• pp.143-150
• /
• 2003

Korea has plentiful precipitation but rainfall events concentrate on several months of rainy season in her weather condition. Korea, therefore, experiences drought for a given period every year. Moreover the soil has usually low water holding capacity, as it is composed coarse particles originated from the granite. Response of several oaks and the Korean red pine (Pinus densiflora) on water stress showed that water budget was significant factor determining vegetation distribution. In addition, dehydration level due to cold resistance mechanism of several evergreen plants during the winter season was closely related to their distribution in natural condition. Experimental result under water stress showed that the Korean red pine was very tolerant to desiccation but the seedlings showed high mortality during the dry season. The mortality tended to proportionate to soil moisture content of each site. A comparison between soil moisture content during June when it is severe dry season and moisture content of the culture soil when the pine seedlings reached the permanent wilting point due to water withheld proved that high mortality during the dry season was due to water deficit. Water potential of sample plants measured during the exposure experiment to the air pollutant showed a probability that water related factors would dominate the occurrence of visible damage and the tolerance level of sample plants. In both field survey and laboratory experiment, plants exposed to air pollution showed more rapid transpiration than those grown in the unpolluted condition. The result would due to injury of leaf surface by air pollutants. Aluminum (Al/sup 3+/) increased in the acid soil not only inhibits root growth but also leads to abnormal distribution of root system and thereby caused water stress. The water stresses due to air pollution and soil acidification showed a possibility that they play dominating roles in inducing forest decline additionally to the existing water deficit due to weather and soil conditions in Korea. Sludge, which can contribute to improve field capacity, as it is almost composed of organic matter, showed an effect ameliorating the retarded growth of plant in the acidified soil. The effect was not less than that of dolomite known in widely as such a soil ameliorator. Litter extract contributed also to mitigate the water stress due to toxic Al/sup 3+/. We prepared a model showing the potential interaction of multiple stresses, which can cause forest decline in Korea by synthesizing those results. Furthermore, we suggested restoration plans, which can mitigate such forest decline in terms of soil amelioration and vegetation restoration.

• Development and Reproduction
• /
• v.10 no.3
• /
• pp.203-209
• /
• 2006

Ethane 1,2-Dimethane sulfonate(EDS), a toxin which specifically kills Leydig cells(LC), has been widely used to prepare the reversible testosterone(T) depletion rat model. Previous studies including our own clearly demonstrated that the dramatic weight loss of the T-dependent accessory sex organs such as epididymis and seminal vesicle in this 'LC knock-out' rats. These weight loss could be derived from massive and abrupt death of the cells via apoptotic process. The present study was performed to test the effect of EDS administration on the expression of some apoptotic genes in the rat epididymis. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats($300{\sim}350$ g B.W.) were injected with single dose of EDS(75 mg/kg, i.p.) and sacrificed on Weeks 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. Tissue weights and the numbers of the epididymal sperm were measured. The transcriptional activities of the bcl-2, bax, Fas and Fas ligand(Fas-L) were evaluated by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. As expected, the weights and the sperm counts of epididymis declined progressively after the EDS treatment during Week 1 and 2. These decrements were discontinued with a gradual return towards normal during Weeks $5{\sim}7$, although the maximal recoveries of the epididymal weights(71%) and sperm count(38%) were subnormal on Week 7. The initial level of bcl-2 transcripts persisted to Week 6 then elevated significantly on Week 7. The level of bax transcripts significantly decreased on Week 6, and no remarkable change was found in the rest of the experimental period. The transcripts for the Fas in epididymis elevated during Weeks $1{\sim}2$, returned to normal on Week 3, and the level persisted to the Week 7. Similarly, the level of Fas-L transcripts elevated during Weeks $1{\sim}3$ and returned to normal after Week 4. Our results demonstrated the transient T depletion by EDS administration could induce the changes in expression of the apoptotic genes in rat epididymis. The activation of Fas and Fas-L in the epididymis of EDS-treated rats might be responsible for the initial apototic process and consequently the tissue damage and the sperm loss. Future studies will attempt to determine the precise molecular mechanism(s) of apoptosis in the rat epididymis.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.26 no.2
• /
• pp.147-154
• /
• 2016

Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common and malignant bone tumors. Although many types of resection surgery and experimental agents were developed, median survival and clinical prognosis are poorly investigated. Recently, several researches have reported that Eucheuma cottonii has potent as protective effects of coal dust-induced lung damage via inhibition of malondialdehyde (MDA) and oxidative stress in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids (BALF). However, anti-cancer effects and specific molecular mechanism of extract from Eucheuma cottonii (EE) has not been clearly studied yet. This study evaluated that anti-cancer potential of EE in human osteosarcoma Saos-2 cells. EE indicated cytotoxicity on Saos-2 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Morphological degradation and nucleic condensation were also observed under the EE treatment. However, it did not significantly affect on non-cancerous kidney HEK-293 cells under the same concentration which is shown cytotoxicity on Saos-2 cells. The phosphorylation of Fas-Associated Death Domain (FADD) and expression of cleaved caspase-8, -7 and -3 were upregulated in a dose-dependent manner. In immunofluorescence staining, expression level of Fas and cleaved PARP were upregulated by EE treatment. Furthermore, treatment of EE induces upregulation of sub G1 phase by flow cytometry analysis. The results demonstrated that EE has a therapeutic potential against osteosarcoma via FADD mediated caspase cascade apoptosis signal pathway.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
• /
• v.25 no.3
• /
• pp.211-230
• /
• 2016

Detailed mapping along the Keumwang fault reveals a complex history of multiple brittle reactivations following late Jurassic and early Cretaceous ductile shearing. The fault core consists of a 10~50 m thick fault gouge layer bounded by a 30~100 m thick damaged zone. The Pre-cambrian gneiss and Jurassic granite underwent at least six distinct stages of fault movements based on deformation environment, time and mechanism. Each stage characterized by fault kinematics and dynamics at different deformation environment. Stage 1 generated mylonite series along the Keumwang shear zone by sinistral ductile shearing during late Jurassic and early Cretaceous. Stage 2 was a mostly brittle event generating cataclasite series superimposed on the mylonite series of the Keumwang shear zone. The roundness of pophyroclastes and the amount of matrix increase from host rocks to ultracataclasite indicating stronger cataclastic flow toward the fault core. At stage 3, fault gouge layer superimposed on the cataclasite generated during stage 2 and the sedimentary basins (Umsung and Pungam) formed along the fault by sinistral strike-slip movement. Fragments of older cataclasite suspended in the fault gouge suggest extensive reworking of fault rocks at brittle deformation environments. At stage 4, systematic en-echelon folds, joints and faults were formed in the sedimentary basins by sinistral strike-slip reactivation of the Keumwang fault. Most of the shearing is accommodated by slip along foliations and on discrete shear surfaces, while shear deformation tends to be relatively uniformly distributed within the fault damage zone developed in the mudrocks in the sedimentary basins. Fine-grained andesitic rocks intruded during stage 4. Stage 5 dextral strike-slip activity produced shear planes and bands in the andesitic rocks. ESR(Electron Spin Resonance) dates of fault gouge show temporal clustering within active period and migrating along the strike of the Keumwang fault during the stage 6 at the Quaternary period.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
• /
• 2019.04a
• /
• pp.21-22
• /
• 2019

Melanin is a mixture of pigmented biopolymers synthesized by epidermal melanocytes that determine the skin, eye, and hair colors. Melanocytes produce two different kinds of melanin, eumelanin (dark brown/black insoluble pigments found in dark skin and dark hair and pheomelanin (lighter red/yellow). The biological role of melanin is to prevent skin damage by ultraviolet (UV) radiation. However, the overproduction or deficiency of melanin synthesis could lead to serious dermatological problems, which include melasma, melanoderma, lentigo, and vitiligo. Therefore, regulating melanin production is important to prevent the pigmentation disorders. Myanmar has a rich in natural resources. However, the chemical constituents of these natural resources in Myanmar have not been fully investigated. In the effort to search for compounds with anti-melanin deposition activity from Myanmar natural resources, five plants were collected in Myanmar. Extracts of these collected five plants were tested for anti-melanin deposition activity against a mouse melanoma cell line (B16-F10) induced with ${\alpha}$-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (${\alpha}$-MSH) and 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX), and their anti-melanin deposition activities were compared with the positive control, arbutin. Among the tested extracts, the CHCl3 extracts of the Premna serratifolia (syn: P. integrifolia) wood showed anti-melanin deposition activities with IC50 values of $81.3{\mu}g/mL$. Hence, this study aims to identify secondary metabolites with anti-melanin deposition activity from P. serratifolia wood of Myanmar. P. serratifolia belongs to the Verbenaceae family and is widely distributed in near western sea coast from South Asia to South East Asia, which include India, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Sri Lanka. People in Tanintharyi region located in the southern part of Myanmar utilize the P. serratifolia, Sperethusa crenulata, Naringi crenulata, and Limonia acidissima as Thanaka, traditional cosmetics in Myanmar. Thanaka is applied in the form of paste onto skins to make it smooth and clear, as well as to prevent wrinkles, skin aging, excessive facial oil, pimples, blackheads, and whiteheads. However, the chemical constituents responsible for their cosmetic properties are yet to be identified. Moreover, the chemical constituents of P. serratifolia was almost uncharacterized. Investigation of the P. serratifolia chemical constituents is thus an attractive endeavor to discover new anti-melanin deposition active compounds. The investigation of the chemical constituents of the active CHCl3 extract of P. serratifolia led to isolation of four new lignoids, premnan A (1), premnan B (2), taungtangyiol C (3), and 7,9-dihydroxydolichanthin B (4), together with premnan C (5) (assumed to be an artifact), one natural newlignoid,(3R,4S)-4-(1,3-benzodioxol-5-ylcarbonyl)-3-[(R)-1-(1,3-benzo dioxol-5-yl)-1-hydroxy methyl]tetrahydro-2-furanone (6), and five known compounds (7-11)1,2). The structures of all isolated compounds were determined on the basis of their spectroscopic data and by comparison with the reported literatures. The absolute configurations of 1-3 and 5 were also determined by optical rotation and circular dichroism (CD) data analyses1). The anti-melanin deposition activities of all the isolated compounds were evaluated against B16-F10 cell line. 7,9-Dihydroxydolichanthin B (4) and ($2{\alpha},3{\alpha}$)-olean-12-en-28-oic acid (11) showed strong anti-melanin deposition activities with IC50 values of 18.4 and $11.2{\mu}M$, respectively, without cytotoxicity2). On the other hand, compounds 1-3, 5, and 7 showed melanogenesis enhancing activities1). To better understand their anti-melanin deposition mechanism, the effects of 4 and 11 on tyrosinase activities were investigated. The assay indicated that compounds 4 and 11 did not inhibit tyrosinase. Furthermore, we also examined the mRNA expression of microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF), tyrosinase (TYR), tyrosinase-related protein-1 (TRP-1), and tyrosinase-related protein-2 (TRP-2). Compounds 4 and 11 down-regulated the expression of Tyr and Mitf mRNAs, respectively. Although the P. serratifolia wood has been used as traditional cosmetics in Myanmar for centuries, there are no scientific evidences to support its effectiveness as cosmetics. Investigation of the anti-melanin deposition activity of the chemical constituents of P. serratifolia thus provided insight into the effectiveness of the P. serratifolia wood as a cosmetic agent.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.28 no.11
• /
• pp.1361-1368
• /
• 2018

Inflammation is the most common condition in the human body. Tissue damage triggers inflammation, together with vasodilation and increased blood flow at the inflamed site, resulting in edema. Inflammatory responses are also triggered by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a Toll-like receptor Enterococcus faecalis, a gram-positive organism, has been reported to possess immunomodulatory and preventive activities; however, its use may present risks of sepsis and other systemic infections. Heat-killed Enterococcus faecalis (EF-2001) has been reported to induce antitumor activity, but its effects on inflammation are not known. In the present study, we investigated the effect of EF-2001 on LPS-induced macrophage inflammatory responses. EF-2001 treatment reduced nitric oxide (NO) production, indicating suppression of inflammatory reactions. EF-2001 showed no cytotoxicity in macrophages. Further investigation of the anti-inflammatory mechanism of EF-2001 indicated that EF-2001 reduced the LPS-induced expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2. EF-2001 also reduced f the LPS induction of several inflammatory molecules involved in the nuclear factor-${\kappa}B$ ($NF-{\kappa}B$) and mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways, including ERK, JNK, and p38 phosphorylation, in a concentration-dependent manner. Additionally, EF-2001 inhibited Akt phosphorylation and increased the expression of the inhibitory ${\kappa}B$ ($I{\kappa}B$) protein, an inhibitor of $NF-{\kappa}B$. EF-2001 also inhibited the nuclear translocation of p65. These results suggest that EF-2001 has anti-inflammatory properties and may be useful for treating inflammatory diseases.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.56 no.6
• /
• pp.715-728
• /
• 2023

Tracksite of pterosaurs, birds, and dinosaurs in Chungmugong-dong in Jinju was designated as a natural monument in 2011 and is known as the world's largest in terms of the number and density of pterosaur footprints. This site has been managed by installing protection buildings to conserve in 2018. About 17% of the footprints of pterosaur, theropod, and ornithopod in this site under management in the 2nd protection building are of great academic value, but observation of footprints has difficulties due to continuous physical and chemical damage. In particular, the accumulation of milk-white contaminants is formed by the gypsum and air pollutant complex. Gypsum remains evaporated with a plate or columnar shape in the process of water circulation around the 2nd protection building, and the dust is from through the inflow of the gallery windows. The aqueous solution of gypsum, consisting of calcium from the lower bed and sulfur from grass growth, is catchmented into the groundwater from the area behind the protection building. Pollen and a few minerals other constituents of contaminants, go through the gallery window, which makes it difficult to expel dust. To conserve the fossil-bearing beds from two contaminants of different origins, controlling the water and atmospheric circulation of the 2nd protection building and removing the contaminants continuously is necessary. When cleaning contaminants, the steam cleaning method is sufficiently effective for powder-shaped milk-white contaminants. The fossil-bearing bed consists of dark gray shale with high laser absorption power; the laser cleaning method accompanies physical loss to fossils and sedimentary structures; therefore, avoiding it as much as possible is desirable.