• Resources Recycling
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.69-77
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• 2015

Heap bioleaching for detoxification of mine tailings is a promising technology; however, long-term studies that aim to understand the potential of this process are scarce. Therefore, this study assesses the feasibility of column bioleaching as an alternative technology for treatment of mine tailings with high concentrations of arsenic during a long-term experiment (436 days). To accomplish this objective, we designed a 350-mm plastic column that was packed with 750 g of mine tailings and inoculated with an acidophilic bacterial culture composed of A. thiooxidans and A. ferrooxidans. Redox potential, pH, ferric ion generation, and arsenic concentration of the off-solution were continuously monitored to determine the efficiency of the technology. After 436 days, we obtained up to 70% arsenic removal. However, several drops in removal rates were observed during the process; this was attributed to the harmful effect of arsenic on the bacteria consortium. We expect that this article will serve as a technical note for further studies on heap bioleaching of mine tailings.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.407-413
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• 2011

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of a beverage that contained Bulnesia sarmienti(BSP, 2.5%) on rats to which alcohol was administered. The treatment of the BSP group reduced the serum alcohol concentration to 52%, compared to 47% in the positive control(PC) group. Similar pattell1s were observed in the enhancement of alcohol dehydrogenase(ADH), acetaldehyde dehydrogenase(ALDH), alkaline phosphate(ALP), alanine aminotransferase(ALT), asparate aminotransferase(AST), total cholesterol(CHOL), ${\gamma}$-glutamyltrasferase(GGT), glucose(GLU), total bilirubin, and total protein(TP) in the serum. Also, in the BSP group, the lipoxidase(LPO), glutathion-S-transferase(GST), XO, catalase(CAT), and superoxide dismutase(SOD) were significantly reduced, compared to the CO and PC groups in the liver. The glutathione(GSH) activity increased in the BSP group, though. These results indicate that Bulnesia sarmienti extract can enhance alcohol metabolization activity.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.452-462
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• 2021

Pretilachlor (PRE) is a common acetanilide herbicide used worldwide. However, its effects on aquatic organisms, particularly marine photosynthetic life, are not sufficiently known. Herein, we evaluated the toxic effects of PRE by physiological and molecular parameters in the photosynthetic dinoflagellate Prorocentrum minimum. The cell density, pigment content, and photosynthetic parameters (F_v/F_m and PI_ABS) were considerably decreased with increased PRE exposure time and doses. In addition, photosynthesis-related genes, PmpsbA, PmpsaA, and PmatpB, were significantly upregulated when exposed to 1.0 mg L^-1 of PRE for 24 h (p<0.001). In 72 h treatment, the relative gene expression was significantly increased (0.1 and 0.5 mg L^-1; p<0.01). In contrast, PmrbcL was decreased or little changed compared to the controls. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) increased after 24 h exposure (p<0.001). However, the transcriptional fold-changes in glutathione S-transferase (GST) were significantly increased (0.5 and 1.0 mg L^-1; p<0.001) at 72 h. These findings suggested that the PmGST might be involved in PRE detoxification in P. minimum. In addition, PRE may affect the photosystem function in phytoplankton similar to other acetanilides, causing severe damage or cell death.

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.275-282
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• 1993

Liver microsomal epoxide hydrolase (mEH) is active in the detoxification of epoxide-containing reactive intermediate. Previous studies in this laboratory have shown that thiazole and pyrazine are efficacious inducers of mEH in rats with large increases in mEH mRNA levels (Carcinogensis, Kim et al, 1993). mEH was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity from thiazole-induced rat hepatic microsomes using DEAE-cellulose column chromatography whereas another protein $({\sim}43\;kDa)$ was co-purified with mEH from pyrazine-induced rat hepatic micrsomes (200 mg/kg body weight/day, ip, 3d). The antibody raised from a rabbit against mEH protein purified from thiazole-induced rat hepatic microsomes appeared to specifically recognize mEH protein in rat hepatic microsomes, as assessed by immunoblotting analysis. Immunoblotting analyses revealed a 10- and 7-fold increase in mEH levels in the hepatic microsomes isolated from thiazole- and pyrazine-treated rats, respectively. Moreover, immunoblotting analysis showed cross-reactivity of the mEH antibody with a 43 kDa protein in pyrazine-induced rat hepatic microsomes and with co-purified 43 kDa protein in purified fractions. The ratio between the 43 kDa protein and mEH in pyrazine-induced rat microsomes or in purified fractions was ${\sim}1$ to 15. N-terminal amino acid sequence analysis of both purified rat mEH and 43 kDa protein revealed that 10 out of 12 amino acids in N-terminus of the 43 kDa protein were identical with the mEH sequence with two amino acid residues of the 43 kDa protein undetermined. Either thiazole or pyrazine treatment, however, failed to increase the levels of mEH protein in rabbits while pyrazine caused elevation of the 43 kDa protein in this species, as determined by irnrnunoblotting analysis. These results demonstrated that treatment of rats with either thiazole or pyrazine causes elevation in hepatic mEH expiession whereas pyrazine treatment results in induction of another mEH-related 43 kDa protein and that a distinct species difference exists between rats and rabbits in the induction of mEH by these xenobiotics.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.11
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• pp.1227-1234
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• 2019

Prunus mume, also known as maesil, is a popular fruit consumed in East Asia (Korea, Japan, and China). It contains high amounts of organic acids, minerals, and polyphenols and has been used as a medication for fever, vomiting, and detoxification. In this study, the anti-proliferative and apoptotic effects of solvent fractions from maesil were evaluated using sulforhodamine B (SRB) assays, morphological evaluations, Hoechst 33258 staining, and western blotting. Addition of the maesil methanol fraction (MMF) and the maesil butanol fraction (MBF) significantly and dose-dependently decreased the cell viability of HT-29 human colon cancer cells. Colony-forming assays confirmed that the MMF and MBF treatments decreased colony numbers when compared with untreated control cells. Treatment of HT-29 cells with MMF and MBF caused a distortion of the cell morphology to a shrunken cell mass. Treatment with MMF and MBF also dose-dependently increased nuclear condensation and the formation of apoptotic bodies in HT-29 cells. Treatment with MMF and MBF significantly and dosedependently increased the expression of Bax (a pro-apoptotic protein), caspase-3, and poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) and decreased the expression of Bcl-2 (an anti-apoptotic protein). MMF significantly and dose-dependently inhibited cell proliferation induced by bisphenol A, an environmental hormone. Therefore, MMF may have potential use as a functional food and as a possible therapeutic agent for the prevention of colon cancer.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.37-43
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• 1997

Tolerance mechanism to simazine (6-chloro-N,N'-diethyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine) in Coix lacryma-jobi was investigated with respect to herbicide detoxification via glutathione conjugation. Simazine was initially absorbed by seedlings of C. lacryma-jobi and corn, but after 12 hours of treatment, no significant difference in simazine absorption was found in both species. Simazine absorbed was rapidly metabolized to glutathione-simazine conjugate. One to six hours after treatment, metabolism was approximately 2-fold faster in C. lacryma-jobi than in corn. Glutathione content was found 1.5- and 2.3-fold higher in coleoptile and root of C. lacryma-jobi, respectively, compared with corn. In both species, the highest concentration of glutathione was found in coleoptile tissue. Glutathione S-transferase that exhibits activity with 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene was not significantly different between two species. However, glutathione S-transferase activity with simazine was approximately 2-fold greater in C. lacryma-jobi than in corn. The glutathione S-transferase activity was 20 to 30% greater in shoot of either species than in root. Fast protein liquid chromatography-anion exchange column was used to separate glutathione S-transferase isozymes in coleoptiles of C. lacryma-jobi and corn. A peak of glutathione S-transferase activity with 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene and two peaks of glutathione S-transferase activity with simazine from C. lacryma-jobi were coeluted with those from corn, but showed greater activity than in the case of corn. Another glutathione S-transferase isozyme that exhibits activity with simazine was detected in the elution of C. lacryma-jobi extract, but not in corn. Electron transport in chloroplast thylakoids isolated from leaves of both species was equally sensitive to simazine applied at 1 to 100 nM. These results indicate that the simazine tolerance in C. lacryma-jobi is due to its capacity to detoxify the herbicide via glutathione conjugation, which is positively correlated with the level of glutathione content and glutathione S-transferase activity.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.213-219
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• 2009

Purpose:Iron is a critical nutritional element that is essential for a variety of important biological processes, including cell growth and differentiation, electron transfer reactions, and oxygen transport, activation, and detoxification. Iron is also required for neoplastic cell growth due to its catalytic effects on the formation of hydroxyl radicals, suppression of host defense cell activities, and promotion of cancer cell multiplication. Chronic transfusion-dependent patients receiving chemotherapy may have iron overload, which requires iron-chelating therapy. We performed this study to demonstrate whether the iron chelating agent deferoxamine induces apoptosis in Saos-2 osteosarcoma cells, and to investigate the underlying apoptotic mechanism. Methods:To analyze the apoptotic effects of an iron chelator, cultured Saos-2 cells were treated with deferoxamine. We analyzed cell survival by trypan blue and crystal violet analysis, apoptosis by nuclear condensation, DNA fragmentation, and cell cycle analysis, and the expression of apoptotic related proteins by Western immunoblot analysis. Results:Deferoxamine inhibited the growth of Saos-2 cell in a time- and dose-dependent manner. The major mechanism for growth inhibition with the deferoxamine treatment was by the induction of apoptosis, which was supported by nuclear staining, DNA fragmentation analysis, and flow cytometric analysis. Furthermore, bcl-2 expression decreased, while bax, caspase-3, caspase-9, and PARP expression increased in Saos-2 cells treated with deferoxamine. Conclusion:These results demonstrated that the iron chelating agent deferoxamine induced growth inhibition and mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis in osteosarcoma Saos-2 cells, suggesting that iron chelating agents used in controlling neoplastic cell fate can be potentially developed as an adjuvant agent enhancing the anti-tumor effect for the treatment of osteosarcoma.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.157-168
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• 2001

Herbicides have been used to control weeds for decades. If detoxification upon exposure to herbicides requires considerable amounts of energy, it could affect the pattern of resource allocation to growth and reproduction of crops. We examined the effects of three levels of a herbicide (Control, Low, and High) on germination, growth and reproductive characters of Glycine max treated twice, i.e., before and after seed germination. Since flowering time of G. max was separated into two groups, flowering time was also considered as a variable in this study. The rate of seed germination tended to be higher at the low level of herbicide compared to other levels. Chlorosis and shape variation of leaves were apparent after the second herbicide treatment, but completely disappeared after six weeks of treatment. The herbicide effects on growth characters were somewhat different between early and late flowering plants, but plants treated with both low and high levels of herbicide reduced their growth compared to those in the control group regardless of flowering time. Plants at the high level of herbicide exhibited the highest growth rate later in the season, suggesting that plants compensated to some extent for reduced growth. However, growth reduction among plants at the high level of herbicide was persistent until the end of growing season. Among plants flowered late in the season, plants in the control level bore a higher number of nodules per plant than those in other levels; such a pattern did not exist among plants flowered early in the season. Plants treated with low and high levels of herbicide produced a lower number of flowers than those in the control. Thus, the herbicide examined affected not only the growth and reproductive characters of non-target crops but also the development and growth of root nodules.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.329-337
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• 1995

The effect of N-(4-chlorophenyl) maleimide(CPMI), plant growth regulators, and alkylating agents on gluathione(GSH) content and glutathione S-transferase(GST) activity was examined with 3-day-old etiolated sorghum(Sorghum bicolor [L.] Moench) seedlings. The GSH content and GST activity of untreated seedlings were higher in shoots than that in roots. Response of GST activity in coleoptile was significantly greater than in other tissues of sorghum seedling. In CPMI-treated seedlings, GSH content was not significantly different from that in untreated seedlings. CPM treatment resulted in 2.3-fold increase in GST activity measured with metolachlor as substrate in the coleoptile region. In contrast, change in GST activity measured with metolachlor as substrate in the coleoptile region. In contrast, change in GST activity measured with 1-chloro-2, 4-dinitrobenzene did not occur. The increase of GST activity was caused by induction of a GST isozyme, which is substrate-specific to metolachlor. Subsequently, two hypotheses related to metolachlor detoxification were evaluated on the basis of regulation of plant growth regulators and substrate induction of GST activity. In coleoptile, GST activity measured with metolachior was increased to 2.1-and 3.4-fold by both 2, 4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid(2,4-D) and metolachlor treated at the germination stage of sorghum, respectively. Treatments of 2.4-D and metolachlor also induced isozymes exhibiting the activity toward metolachlor. One of the isozymes was co-eluted with that induced by CPMI. These results indicated that increase in GST activity by CPMI may be partially related to auxin regulation and substrate induction.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.177-188
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• 1989

The purpose of this study was to investigate the detoxifying effect on PSP-infested sea mussel, Mytilus edulis, by heating treatment and correlation between the PSP toxicity and the environmental conditions of shellfish culture area such as temperature, pH, salinity, density of Protogonyaulax sp. and concentration of inorganic nutrients such as $NH_4-N,\;NO_3-N,\;NO_2-N\;and\;PO_4-P$. This experiment was carried out at $Suj\u{o}ng$ in Masan, Yangdo in Jindong, $Hach\u{o}ng\;in\;K\u{o}jedo\;and\;Gamch\u{o}n$ bay in Pusan from February to June in $1987\~1989$. It was observed that the detection ratio and toxicity of PSP in sea mussel were different by the year even same collected area. The PSP was often detected when the temperature of sea water about $8.0\~14.0^{\circ}C$. Sometimes the PSP fox of sea mussel was closely related to density of Protogonyaulax sp. at $Gamch\u{o}n$ bay in Pusan from March to April in 1989, but no relationship was observed except above duration during the study period. The concentration of inorganic nutrients effects on the growth of Protogonyaulax sp., then effects of $NO_3-N$ was the strongest among them. When the PSP-infested sea mussel homogenate was heated at various temperature, the PSP toxicity was not changed significantly at below $70^{\circ}C$ for 60 min. but it was proper-tionaly decreased as the heating temperature was increased. For example, when the sea mussel homogenate was heated at $100^{\circ}C,\;121^{\circ}C$ for 10 min., the toxicity was decreased about $67\%\;and\;90\%$, respectively. On the other hand, when shellstock sea mussel contained PSP of $150{\mu}g/100g$ was boiled at $100^{\circ}C$ for 30 min. with tap water, the toxicity was not detected by mouse assay, but that of PSP of $5400{\mu}g/100g$ was reduced to $57{\mu}g/100g$ even after boiling for 120 min.