• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.7-18
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• 2015

Objectives: Lawsone (1,4 naphthoquinone) is a non redox cycling compound that can be catalyzed by DT diaphorase (DTD) into 1,2,4-trihydroxynaphthalene (THN), which can generate reactive oxygen species by auto oxidation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the toxicity of the phytomarker 1,4 naphthoquinone and its metabolite THN by using the molecular docking program AutoDock 4. Methods: The 3D structure of ligands such as hydrogen peroxide ($H_2O_2$), nitric oxide synthase (NOS), catalase (CAT), glutathione (GSH), glutathione reductase (GR), glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate hydrogen (NADPH) were drawn using hyperchem drawing tools and minimizing the energy of all pdb files with the help of hyperchem by $MM^+$ followed by a semi-empirical (PM3) method. The docking process was studied with ligand molecules to identify suitable dockings at protein binding sites through annealing and genetic simulation algorithms. The program auto dock tools (ADT) was released as an extension suite to the python molecular viewer used to prepare proteins and ligands. Grids centered on active sites were obtained with spacings of $54{\times}55{\times}56$, and a grid spacing of 0.503 was calculated. Comparisons of Global and Local Search Methods in Drug Docking were adopted to determine parameters; a maximum number of 250,000 energy evaluations, a maximum number of generations of 27,000, and mutation and crossover rates of 0.02 and 0.8 were used. The number of docking runs was set to 10. Results: Lawsone and THN can be considered to efficiently bind with NOS, CAT, GSH, GR, G6PDH and NADPH, which has been confirmed through hydrogen bond affinity with the respective amino acids. Conclusion: Naphthoquinone derivatives of lawsone, which can be metabolized into THN by a catalyst DTD, were examined. Lawsone and THN were found to be identically potent molecules for their affinities for selected proteins.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.915-921
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• 2001

Phytase improves the bioavailability of phytate phosphorus in plant foods to humans and animals, and reduces the phosphorus pollution of animal waste. In order to express a high level of fungal phytase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, various expression vectors were constructed with different combinations of promoters, translation enhancers, signal peptides, and terminator. Three different promoters fused to the phytase gene (phyA) from Aspergillus niger were tested: a galactokinase (GAL1) promoter, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPD) promoter, and yeast hybrid ADH2-GPD promoter consisting of alcohol dehydrogenase II (ADH2) and a GPD promoter. The signal peptides of phytase, glucose oxidase (GO), and rice amylase 1A(RAmy1A) were included. Plus, the translation enhancers of the ${\Omega}$ sequence and UTR70 from the tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) and spinach, respectively, were also tested. Among the recombinant vectors, pGphyA06 containing the GPD promoter, the ${\Omega}$ sequence, RAmy1A, and GAL7 terminator expressed the highest phytase activity in a culture filtrate, which was estimated at 20 IU/ml. An intracellular localization of the expressed phytase activity in a culture filtrate, which was estimated at 20 IU/ml. An intracellular localization of the expressed phytase was also performed by inserting an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) retention signal, KDEL sequence, into the C-terminus of the phytase within the vector pHphyA-6. It appeared that the KDEL sequence directed most of the early expression of phytase into the intracellular compartment yet more than $60\%$ of the total phytase activity was still retained within the cell even after the prolonged (>3 days) incubation of the transformant. However, the intracellular enzyme activity of the transformant without a KDEL sequence was as high as that of the extracellular one, thereby strongly suggesting that the secretion of phytase in S. cerevisiae appeared to be the rate-limiting step for the expression of a large amount of extracellular recombinant phytase, when compared with other yeasts.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.121-128
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• 2017

Protozoan viruses may influence the function and pathogenicity of the protozoa. Trichomonas vaginalis is a parasitic protozoan that could contain a double stranded RNA (dsRNA) virus, T. vaginalis virus (TVV). However, there are few reports on the properties of the virus. To further determine variations in protein expression of T. vaginalis, we detected 2 strains of T. vaginalis; the virus-infected ($V^+$) and uninfected ($V^-$) isolates to examine differentially expressed proteins upon TVV infection. Using a stable isotope N-terminal labeling strategy (iTRAQ) on soluble fractions to analyze proteomes, we identified 293 proteins, of which 50 were altered in $V^+$ compared with $V^-$ isolates. The results showed that the expression of 29 proteins was increased, and 21 proteins decreased in $V^+$ isolates. These differentially expressed proteins can be classified into 4 categories: ribosomal proteins, metabolic enzymes, heat shock proteins, and putative uncharacterized proteins. Quantitative PCR was used to detect 4 metabolic processes proteins: glycogen phosphorylase, malate dehydrogenase, triosephosphate isomerase, and glucose-6-phosphate isomerase, which were differentially expressed in $V^+$ and $V^-$ isolates. Our findings suggest that mRNA levels of these genes were consistent with protein expression levels. This study was the first which analyzed protein expression variations upon TVV infection. These observations will provide a basis for future studies concerning the possible roles of these proteins in host-parasite interactions.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.56-58
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• 2015

Summary: We report the first hepatic adverse effect of tosufloxacin tosylate in a muscle invasive bladder cancer patient with normal liver functions and with scheduling to undergo a surgical operation for a neobladder. Tosufloxacin tosylate 150 mg was administered to a 57-year-old man who maintained transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TUR-BT) postoperative multiple medications. His labs presented significant increases in alanine amino transferase (ALT) and aspartate amino transferase (AST) levels with 2-week compliance of 150 mg tablet three times a day. After discontinuing tosufloxacin tosylate, the levels slowly decreased and completely returned to normal ranges without any intervention in a few weeks. The Naranjo Causality Algorithm indicates a probable relationship between increased ALT and tosufloxacin. The patient was to have the second surgical operation as scheduled after getting normal range of ATL level. Therefore, tosufloxacin should be avoided in patients at risk for having liver dysfunctions or diseases if the patients have a schedule for any operation. Background: Tosufloxacin tosylate has been shown to have favorable benefits as an antibiotic. Tosufloxacin tosylate may be considered to have the adverse effects such as nauseas, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, stomatitis, tendonitis, tendon rupture, headache, dizziness, drowsiness, insomnia, weakness, agitation including hemolysis in the event of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency as other fluoroquinolones. More severe adverse reactions of tosufloxacin tosylate over the above common adverse effects of fluoroquinolones were thrombocytopenia and nephritis. It also is not well known that tosufloxacin can cause hepatic problem. Here the study reports the first hepatic reaction from tosufloxacin and might arouse heath care providers' attention to appropriate drug choice for patients.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.43-51
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• 2015

${\varepsilon}$-Polylysine (EPL) is used as a natural preservative in food. However, few studies have been conducted to assess the beneficial functions of dietary EPL. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the mechanism underlying the inhibition of neutral and acidic sterol absorption and hepatic enzyme activity-related fatty acid biosynthesis following EPL intake. EPL digest prepared using an in vitro digestion model had lower lipase activity and micellar lipid solubility and higher bile acid binding capacity than casein digest. Male Wistar rats were fed an AIN-93G diet containing 1% (wt/wt) EPL or L-lysine. After 4 weeks of feeding these diets, the marked decrease in serum and liver triacylglycerol contents by the EPL diet was partly attributed to increased fecal fatty acid excretion. The activities of hepatic acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, which are key enzymes of fatty acid biosynthesis, were enhanced in rats fed EPL diet. The increased fatty acid biosynthesis activity due to dietary EPL may be prevented by the enhancement of fecal fatty acid excretion. The hypocholesterolemic effect of EPL was mediated by increased fecal neutral and acidic sterol excretions due to the EPL digest suppressing micellar lipid solubility and high bile acid binding capacity. These results show that dietary EPL has beneficial effects that could help prevent lifestyle-related diseases such as hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.223-227
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• 2012

This study examined the effects of corn gluten (CG), wheat gluten (WG), and soybean protein isolate (SPI), as well as their hydrolysates, on weight reduction in rats fed a high-fat diet. Eight-month-old male Sprague-Dawley rats (n=70) were fed a high-fat diet (40% of the calories were fat) for 4 weeks. Rats were then randomly divided into seven groups and were fed isocaloric diets with different protein sources for 8 weeks. The protein sources were casein (control group), intact CG (CG group), CG hydrolysate (CGH group), intact WG (WG group), WG hydrolysate (WGH group), intact SPI (SPI group), and SPI hydrolysate (SPIH group). Body weight gain, adipose tissue weights, lipid profiles in plasma and liver; and hepatic activities of carnitine palmitoyl transferase, fatty acid synthase (FAS), malic enzyme, and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase were assessed. The CGH group showed significant weight reduction compared with the other groups. Epididymal fat pad and plasma triglycerides in the CGH group were the lowest and were significantly different than those in the control group. FAS activity in the CGH group was significantly lower than that in the other groups. In conclusion, the CGH diet of these experimental animals demonstrated a weight-reducing effect by lowering the adipose tissue weight and by affecting the activities of hepatic lipogenic enzymes.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.267-274
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• 2010

We assessed the effect of Se-methylselenocysteine (MSC) treatment, at a dose of 0.75 mg/rat/day for 1 or 2 weeks, on the activities of antioxidant systems in Sprague-Dawley rat tissues. Significant changes in glutathione and antioxidant enzyme activities, with different patterns among tissues, were evidenced. Glutathione content and its reduction state in the liver, lung, and kidney were elevated upon MSC treatment, whereas they were significantly lowered in the spleen. Among the tissues exhibiting glutathione increase, there were different enzymatic responses: $\gamma$-glutamylcysteine ligase activity, the rate-limiting enzyme in the glutathione synthesis pathway, was increased in the liver, whereas the activities of the enzymes associated with glutathione recycling, namely, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, and glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase, were significantly increased in the lung and the kidney. The superoxide dismutase activity was decreased in all tissues upon MSC treatment, whereas catalase activity was increased in all tissues but the liver. Lipid peroxidation level was transiently increased at 1 week in the lung and the kidney, whereas it was persistently increased in the spleen. The increase was not evident in the liver. The results indicate that the MSC treatment results in an increase in the antioxidant capacity of the liver, lung, and kidney principally via an increase in glutathione content and reduction, which appeared to be a result of increased synthesis or recycling of glutathione via tissue-dependent adaptive response to oxidative stress triggered by MSC. The spleen appeared to be very sensitive to oxidative stress, and therefore, the adaptive response could not provide protection against oxidative damage.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.479-487
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• 2009

Glutathione reductase (GR) is an enzyme that recycles a key cellular antioxidant molecule glutathione (GSH) from its oxidized form (GSSG) thus maintaining cellular redox homeostasis. A recombinant plasmid to overexpress a GR of Brassica rapa subsp. pekinensis (BrGR) in E. coli BL21 (DE3) was constructed using an expression vector pKM260. Expression of the introduced gene was confirmed by semi-quantitative RT-PCR, immunoblotting and enzyme assays. Purification of the BrGR protein was performed by IMAC method and indicated that the BrGR was a dimmer. The BrGR required NADPH as a cofactor and specific activity was approximately 458 U. The BrGR-expressing E. coli cells showed increased GR activity and tolerance to $H_2O_2$, menadione, and heavy metal ($CdCl_2$, $ZnCl_2$ and $AlCl_2$)-mediated growth inhibition. The ectopic expression of BrGR provoked the co-regulation of a variety of antioxidant enzymes including catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase. Consequently, the transformed cells showed decreased hydroperoxide levels when exposed to stressful conditions. A proteomic analysis demonstrated the higher level of induction of proteins involved in glycolysis, detoxification/oxidative stress response, protein folding, transport/binding proteins, cell envelope/porins, and protein translation and modification when exposed to $H_2O_2$ stress. Taken together, these results indicate that the plant GR protein is functional in a cooperative way in the E. coli system to protect cells against oxidative stress.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.154-162
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• 2021

L-5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF) is one of the biological active forms of folate, which is widely used as a nutraceutical. However, low yield and serious pollution associated with the chemical synthesis of 5-MTHF hampers its sustainable supply. In this study, 5-MTHF production was improved by engineering the 5-MTHF biosynthesis pathway and NADPH supply in Lactococcus lactis for developing a green and sustainable biosynthesis approach. Specifically, overexpressing the key rate-limiting enzyme methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase led to intracellular 5-MTHF accumulation, reaching 18 ㎍/l. Next, 5-MTHF synthesis was further enhanced by combinatorial overexpression of 5-MTHF synthesis pathway enzymes with methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase, resulting in 1.7-fold enhancement. The folate supply pathway was strengthened by expressing folE encoding GTP cyclohydrolase I, which increased 5-MTHF production 2.4-fold to 72 ㎍/l. Furthermore, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase was overexpressed to improve the redox cofactor NADPH supply for 5-MTHF biosynthesis, which led to a 60% increase in intracellular NADPH and a 35% increase in 5-MTHF production (97 ㎍/l). To reduce formation of the by-product 5-formyltetrahydrofolate, overexpression of 5-formyltetrahydrofolate cyclo-ligase converted 5-formyltetrahydrofolate to 5,10-methyltetrahydrofolate, which enhanced the 5-MTHF titer to 132 ㎍/l. Finally, combinatorial addition of folate precursors to the fermentation medium boosted 5-MTHF production, reaching 300 ㎍/l. To the best of our knowledge, this titer is the highest achieved by L. lactis. This study lays the foundation for further engineering of L. lactis for efficient 5-MTHF biosynthesis.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.36 no.8
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• pp.965-974
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• 2007

This study was performed to investigate the effects of vegetable sprout powder on serum and adipose tissue lipid metabolism in rats fed high-fat diet for 4 weeks for induction hyperlipidemic model rat. Weight-matched male Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to five groups according to dietary fat level (10% or 20% of diet wt.) and mixture of vegetable sprout powder levels (5% or 10% 10% or 20% of diet wt.). Vegetable sprout powder was the mixture of same amounts of dried barley, broccoli, rapeseed, alfalfa, radish, mustard, buckwheat and brussels sprouts. Experimental groups were normal fat diet with 5% cellulose (NF-C), high fat diet without fiber (HF-N), high fat diet with 5% cellulose (HF-C), HF-C diet with 5% vegetable sprout powder (HF-CSL), and HF-C diet with 10% vegetable sprout powder (HF-CSH). The body weight of HF-N group increased 16% compared with the NF-C group, while it was decreased by 15% and 22% for HF-CSL group and HF-CSH group, respectively. Fat mass and fat cell size of adipose tissue were lower in HF-CSL group and HF-CSH group compared with HF-C group, and lower in HF-CSH group compared with HF-CSL group. Serum triglyceride, total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol contents were markedly decreased by vegetable sprout powder containing diet, while the serum HDL-cholesterol and phospholipid contents were higher in vegetable sprout powder containing diet in a dose-dependent manner. Leptin and insulin levels in serum showed a decrease in HF-CSH group. Significantly increased contents of triglyceride, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, leptin and insulin in the serum of HF-N group were returned to normal or even below normal levels by feeding 10% vegetable sprout powder diet. The increased activities of NADP-malate dehydrogenase (ME), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6PGDH) and lipoprotein lipase (LPL) in adiposetissue by HF-N group were decreased to the activity of normal fat group by feeding vegetable sprout powder in a dose-dependant manner. These results indicate that lipid metabolism in rats fed high-fat diet was suppressed by feeding vegetable sprout powder.