• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.189-195
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• 2006

Objectives : It has been reported previously that the roots of Scutellaria baicalensis (known as Huang-Gum in Korean, henceforth referred to as S. baicalensis) could prevent neuronal cell death after global cerebral ischemia. In Genuine Korean medicine, S. baicalensis is known to relieve fever in upper body, and it was thus thought to be able to alleviate deteriorations in brain function. Methods : The protective effects of S. baicalensis against post-stroke memory retardation using 4-vessel occlusion model were examined in the present study. Results : S. baicalensis was shown to significantly alleviate the deficits in learning and memory by increasing the fraction of time spent in the quadrant in which the platform was initially placed ($34.9\;{\pm}\;3.2%$, p < 0.05) compared to that of the ischemia group ($28.0\;{\pm}\;2.5%$). The cytoprotective effect of S. baicalensis on CA1 hippocampal neurons was evaluated by measuring the neuronal cell density. Neuronal cell density in S. baicalensis extracts-treated ischemia group ($138.0\;{\pm}\;13.6\;cells/mm^2$) was significantly increased compared to saline-treated ischemia group ($22.1 \;{\pm}\;9.3\;cells/mm^2$, p < 0.05). In the study of OX-42 immunohistochemistry, S. baicalensis could decrease the micrgial activation in hippocampus after brain ischemia. Conclusion : These results may provide experimental support for the use of S. baicalensis in treating post-stroke memory impairment.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.1368-1378
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• 2009

Unfolded protein response (UPR) is an important genomic response to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. The ER response is characterized by changes in specific proteins, induction of ER chaperones and degradation of misfolded proteins. Also, the pathogenesis of several diseases like Alzheimer's disease, neuronal degenerative diseases, and diabetes reveal the role of ER stress as one of the causative mechanisms. Borneolum has been used for neuronal disease in oriental medicine. In the present study, the protective effect of borneolum on thapsigargin-induced apoptosis in rat C6 glial cells. Treatment with C6 glial cells with 5 uM thapsigargin caused the loss of cell viability, and morphological change, which was associated with the elevation of intracellular $Ca^{++}$ level, the increase in Grp78 and CHOP and cleavage of pro-caspase 12 Furthermore, thapsigargin induced Grp98, XBP1, and ATF4 protein expression in C6 glial cells. Borneolum reduced thapsigargin-induced apoptosis through ER pathways. In the ER pathway, borneolum attenuated thapsigargin-induced elevations in Grp78, CHOP, ATF4, and XBP1 as well as reductions in pro-caspase 12 levels. Also, our data showed that borneolum protected thapsigargin-induced cytotoxicity in astrocytes from rat (P3) brain. Taken together, our data suggest that borneolum is neuroprotective against thapsigargin-induced ER stress in C6 glial cells and astrocytes. Accordingly, borneolum may be therapeutically useful for the treatment of thapsigargin-induced apoptosis in central nervous system.

• BMB Reports
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.87-93
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• 2002

Neural cell survival is an essential concern in the aging brain and many diseases of the central nervous system. Neural transplantation of the stem cells are already applied to clinical trials for many degenerative neurological diseases, including Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease, and strokes. A critical problem of the neural transplantation is how to reduce their apoptosis and improve cell survival. Neurotrophic factors generally contribute as extrinsic cues to promote cell survival of specific neurons in the developing mammalian brains, but the survival factor for neural stem cell is poorly defined. To understand the mechanism controlling stem cell death and improve cell survival of the transplanted stem cells, we investigated the effect of plausible neurotrophic factors on stem cell survival. The neural stem cell, HiB5, when treated with PDGF prior to transplantation, survived better than cells without PDGF. The resulting survival rate was two fold for four weeks and up to three fold for twelve weeks. When transplanted into dorsal hippocampus, they migrated along hippocampal alveus and integrated into pyramidal cell layers and dentate granule cell layers in an inside out sequence, which is perhaps the endogenous pathway that is similar to that in embryonic neurogenesis. Promotion of the long term-survival and differentiation of the transplanted neural precursors by PDGF may facilitate regeneration in the aging adult brain and probably in the injury sites of the brain.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.179-185
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• 2012

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder. Neuropathological hallmarks of AD are amyloid plaques, dystrophic neurite, and alteration of subcellular organelles. However, the morpho-functional study of this degenerative process and ultimate neuronal death remains poorly elucidated. In this study, immunohistochemical and ultrastructural analyses were performed to clarify the abnormal morphological alterations caused by the progression of AD in APP/PSEN1 transgenic mice, express human amyloid precursor protein, as a model for AD. In transgenic AD mice brain, the accumulation of Amyloid ${\beta}$ plaques and well-developed dystrophic neurites containing anti-LC3 antibody-positive autophagosomes were detected in the hippocampus and cortex regions. We also found severe disruption of mitochondrial cristae using high-voltage electron microscopy and three-dimensional electron tomography (3D tomography). These results provide morpho-functional evidence on the alteration of subcellular organelles in AD and may help in the investigation of the pathogenesis of AD.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.109-124
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• 2010

Objectives: This experiment was designed to investigate the effect of the InSamYangYoung-tang(Renshenyangrongtang) extract on $A{\beta}$-induced AD model. Methods: The effects of the InSamYangYoung-tang(Renshenyangrongtang) extract on neural damages of cultured PC12 cells induced by $A{\beta}$ were investigated. The effects of the InSamYangYoung-tang(Renshenyangrongtang) extract on neural damages of hippocampal and cortical neurons in the mouse induced by $\beta$-amyloid were investigated. Results: 1. $A{\beta}$ treatment into neuronal cells activated cell death pathway when analyzed by MTT assay and by histological analysis. Then InSamYangYoung-tang(Renshenyangrongtang) treatment improved cell survival to a similar level as in normal group. 2. $A{\beta}$ treatment increased caspase 3 protein levels but decreased phospho-Erk1/2 in neuronal cells. InSamYangYoung-tang(Renshenyangrongtang) treatment reversed the production levels of two proteins close to those in normal group. 3. $A{\beta}$ treatment induced the atrophy of neuronal cells in terms of neuronal processes and cell body shrinkage, but InSamYangYoung-tang(Renshenyangrongtang) greatly improved their morphology. 4. Neuroprotective activity, as observed in InSamYangYoung-tang(Renshenyangrongtang)-treated groups, was similarly observed in cells treated with galantamine which was used as a positive control. Moreover, overall recovery pattern by InSamYangYoung-tang(Renshenyangrongtang) was similar between cultured PC12 cells and in vivo hippocampal and cerebral cortical neurons in the mouse brain. Conclusions: This experiment shows that the InSamYangYoung-tang(Renshenyangrongtang) may play a protective role in neural tissues damaged by cytotoxic substances. Since neuronal damage seen in degenerative brains such as AD are largely unknown, the current data may provide possible insight into therapeutic strategies for AD treatments. InSamYangYoung-tang(Renshenyangrongtang) might be effective for the treatment of AD. Investigation into the clinical use of the InSamYangYoung-tang(Renshenyangrongtang) for AD is suggested for future research.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.1-17
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• 2009

Objectives : Alzheimer's disease(AD) is the most common form of dementia, which is characterized by progressive deterioration of memory and higher cortical functions that ultimately results in total degradation of intellectual and mental activities. Nokyongdaebo-tang(Lurongdabutang) has been usually used for the treatment for the deficiency syndrome dementia and amnesia. This experiment was designed to investigate the effect of the Nokyongdaebo-tang(Lurongdabutang) hot water extract on pathological AD model. Methods : The effects of the Nokyongdaebo-tang(Lurongdabutang) hot water extract on cultured spinal cord cells induced by ${\beta}$-amyloid were investigated. The effects of the Nokyongdaebo-tan(Lurongdabutang) hot water extract on the memory deficit mice induced by scopolamine were investigated. Results : 1. ${\beta}$-amyloid treatment on cultured spinal cord cells increased both GFAP-staining intensity of astrocytes and caspase 3 immunoreactivity on cultured cells. Then, Nokyongdaebo-tang(Lurongdabutang) treatment reduced the labeling intensity for both GFAP and caspase 3 proteins in culture cells. 2. Scopolamine treatment into mice increased levels of GFAP-positive astrocytes and caspase 3-labeled cells of the hippocampal subfields dentate hilar region, CA3 and CA1 area. In vivo administration of Nokyongdaebo-tang(Lurongdabutang) attenuated labeling intensity for those two proteins in the same hippocampal areas. Similar effects were observed by the treatment of galanthamine, an inhibitor of acetylcholinesterase. Conclusions : This experiment shows that the Nokyongdaebo-tang(Lurongdabutang) may play a protective role in damaged neural tissues. Since neuronal damage seen in degenerative brains such as AD are largely unknown, the current data may provide possible insight into therapeutic strategies for AD treatments. Nokyongdaebo-tang(Lurongdabutang) might be effective for the prevention and treatment of AD.

• Integrative Medicine Research
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.4-10
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• 2014

Green tea and coffee consumption have been widely popular worldwide. These beverages contain caffeine to activate the central nervous system by adenosine receptor blockade, and due to the caffeine, addiction or tolerance may occur. In addition to this caffeine effect, green tea and coffee consumption have always been at the center of discussions about human health, disease, and longevity. In particular, green tea catechins are involved in many biological activities such as antioxidation and modulation of various cellular lipid and proteins. Thus, they are beneficial against degenerative diseases, including obesity, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and various inflammatory diseases. Some reports also suggest that daily consumption of tea catechins may help in controlling type 2 diabetes. However, other studies have reported that chronic consumption of green tea may result in hepatic failure, neuronal damage, and exacerbation of diabetes, suggesting that interindividual variations in the green tea effect are large. This review will focus on the effect of green tea catechins extracted from the Camellia sinensis plant on type 2 diabetes and obesity, and the possible mechanistic explanation for the experimental results mainly from our laboratory. It is hoped that green tea can be consumed in a suitable manner as a supplement to prevent the development of type 2 diabetes and obesity.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.55-61
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• 2014

Microwaves are non-ionizing electromagnetic waves of frequency between 300MHz to 300GHz and positioned between the X-ray and infrared rays in the electromagnetic spectrum. In recent years, the use of microwave for extraction of ingredient from plant material has shown remarkable research interest and potential. Scutellaria radix has been used as a traditional medicine for a variety of diseases. It has been reported to exert beneficial health effects, such as anti-bacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and free-radical scavenging. Oxidative stress or the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) leads neuronal cellular death and dysfunction, and it contributes to neuronal degenerative disease such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and stroke. In this study, we aimed to compare the neuroprotective and antioxidant effect of Scutellaria radix extracted by different methods using hot-water extraction (SBE-DW) or microwave extraction (SBE-DW-MW). As a result, we first examined HPLC analysis of hot-water and microwave extracts of Scutellaria radix. The hot-water and microwave extracts of Scutellaria radix showed the discernible difference patterns of HPLC analysis. Microwave-water extracts of Scutellaria radix increased DPPH radical scavenging activity more than hot-water extraction. Microwave-water extracts of Scutellaria radix also showed neuroprotective effects and ROS inhibition against glutamate-induced oxidative stress in mouse hippocampal HT22 cells, but hot-water extraction not showed. In addition, the phosphorylation of MAPKs induced by glutamate insult was prevented by microwave-water extracts of Scutellaria radix. Thus, these results suggested that microwave extraction can be utilized for improving the extraction efficiency and biological activity of Scutellaria radix.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.27-32
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• 2006

Background: Chronic inflammation in the brain has known to be associated with the development of a various neurological diseases including dementia. In general, the characteristic of neuro-inflammation is the activated microglia over the brain where the pathogenesis occurs. Pro-inflammatory repertoires, interleukin-1${\beta}$ (IL-1${\beta}$) and nitric oxide (NO), are the main causes of neuro-degenerative disease, particularly in Alzheimer's disease (AD) which is caused by neuronal destruction. Those pro-inflammatory repertoires may lead the brain to chronic inflammatory status, and thus we hypothesized that chronic inflammation would be inhibited when pro-inflammatory repertoires are to be well controlled by inactivating the signal transduction associated with inflammation. Methods: In the present study, we examined whether biphenyl dimethyl dicarboxylate (DDB), an active compound from Schizandra chinensis Baillon, inhibits the NO production by a direct method using Griess reagent and by RT-PCR in the gene expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and IL-1${\beta}$. Western blots were also used for the analysis of NF-${\kappa}B$ and I${\kappa}B$. Results: In the study, we found that DDB effectively inhibited IL-1${\beta}$ as well as NO production in BV-2 microglial cell, and the translocation of NF-${\kappa}B$ was comparably inhibited in the presence of DDB comparing those to the positive control, lipopolysaccharide. Conclusion: The data suggested that the DDB from Schizandra chinensis Baillon may play an effective role in inhibiting the pro-inflammatory repertoires which may cause neurodegeneration and the results imply that the compound suppresses a cue signal of the microglial activation which can induce the brain pathogenesis such as Alzheimer's disease.

• Journal of the Korea Society for Simulation
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.167-174
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• 2008

The introduction of confocal microscopy makes it possible to observe the structural change of live neuronal cell. Neuro-degenerative disease, such as Alzheimer;s and Parkinson’s diseases are especially related to the morphological change of dendrite spine. That’s the reason for the study of segmentation and extraction from confocal microscope image. The difficulty comes from uneven intensity distribution and blurred boundary. Therefore, the image processing technique which can overcome these problems and extract the structural information should be suggested. In this paper, we propose robust structural information extracting technique with confocal microscopy images of dendrite in brain neurons. First, we apply the nonlinear diffusion filtering that enhance the boundary recognition. Second, we segment region of interest using iterative threshold selection. Third, we perform skeletonization based on Fast Marching Method that extracts centerline and boundary for analysing segmented structure. The result of the proposed method has been less sensitive to noise and has not been affected by rough boundary condition. Using this method shows more accurate and objective results.