• 대한통합의학회지
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• 제6권4호
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• pp.75-82
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• 2018

Purpose : The present study tested the hypothesis that acupressure at Zusanli(ST36) would attenuate immobilization-induced skeletal muscle atrophy. Methods : The left hind limb was immobilized using casting tape (ST36 group, n=10), and the animals were then treated daily with a pressure needle at ST36. Ten untreated animals with hind limb immobilization and no treatment served as a control group (n=10). After 2 weeks of immobilization, The body weight changes of rats were evaluated and the morphologies of the right and left gastrocnemius muscles in both the ST36 and control groups were assessed by hematoxylin and eosin staining. The levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) of gastrocnemius muscles were observed. Results : The acupressure at the accupoint of Zusanli conferred significant protection against reductions in left gastrocnemius muscle weights and average cross-sectional muscle areas in the ST36 group as compared with those in the control group. Moreover, the acupressure at the ST36 point significantly reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) activity in the gastrocnemius muscles as compared with that in the control group. Conclusion : These results suggest that acupressure at the accupoint of Zusanli provides protection against immobilization-induced muscle atrophy by decreasing MDA activity in gastrocnemius muscles.

• 대한의생명과학회지
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• 제25권3호
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• pp.282-287
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• 2019

Skin flap necrosis remains a major complication of reconstructive surgery. Euterpe oleracea Mart., popularly known as "acai berry" contains hydroxybenzoic acid, antioxidant polyphenolics and anthocyanins. These and other compounds within the acai berry confer anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative effects. In this current study, we evaluated the protective effect of acai berry extracts on survival of random-pattern skin flaps in a murine model by histologic analysis. ICR mice were subjected to skin elevation surgery and orally administered acai berry extract (100 mg/kg) daily for 7 days. Tissues were stained with hematoxylin-eosin or Masson's trichrome to observe tissue integrity and collagen deposition. In addition, $TGF-{\beta}$ and VEGF was stained by immunofluorescence to determine anti-inflammatory cell infiltration and neovascularization, respectively. We found a decrease in inflammatory cell infiltration and increase in collagen deposition in the acai berry extract treated mice compared to control mice. Immunofluorescence staining reveal a higher number of $TGF-{\beta}$ positive cells and enhanced VEGF staining in the acai berry extract treated mice. The results from this study indicate that oral uptake of acai berry extract can promote healing and survival of surgical skin flaps in mice providing an augmentative therapeutic approach to enhancing skin flap survival.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• 제25권3호
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• pp.261-267
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• 2019

The rhizomes of Dioscorea japonica Thunb. are widely consumed as food and also used to treat diabetes and polyuria in Korea. This study was undertaken to study the anti-atopic dermatitis effects of a 95% ethanolic extract (DJE) of D. japonica in an oxazolone-stimulated murine model of atopic dermatitis (AD). The therapeutic effects of DJE on AD-like skin lesions were assessed on both ears. DJE (1%) or dexamethasone (0.5%; the positive control) were applied to skin lesions for three weeks. Serum levels of IgE and IL-4 were assessed by ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay). Histopathological examinations were performed by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and toluidine blue staining and revealed DJE significantly reduced dermal thickness and inflammatory cell infiltration when applied to oxazolone-treated ear skin. DJE-treated AD mice also showed lower serum levels of IgE and IL-4 than oxazolone-stimulated controls. Our findings demonstrate DJE might be a useful safe, topical agent for the treatment of atopic diseases.

• Animal Bioscience
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• 제34권8호
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• pp.1382-1391
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• 2021

Objective: The objective was to evaluate the impact of different forms of iron including myoglobin, hemin, and ferric chloride on the quality of chicken breast meat. Methods: Chicken breast muscles were subjected to 1, 2, 3 mg/mL of FeCl₃, myoglobin and hemin treatment respectively, and the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde, meat color, tenderness, water holding capacity and morphology of meat was evaluated. Results: Hemin was found to produce more ROS and induce greater extent of lipid oxidation than myoglobin and ferric chloride. However, it showed that hemin could significantly increase the redness and decrease the lightness of the muscle. Hemin was also shown to be prominent in improving water holding capacity of meat, maintaining a relatively higher level of the immobilized water from low-field nuclear magnetic resonance measurements. Morphology observation by hematoxylin-eosin staining further confirmed the results that hemin preserved the integrity of the muscle. Conclusion: The results indicated that hemin may have economic benefit for the industry based on its advantage in improving water holding capacity and quality of meat.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제33권1호
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• pp.43-50
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• 2023

Fungal keratitis is a refractory kind of keratopathy. We attempted to investigate the antiinflammatory role of thymol on Aspergillus fumigatus (A. fumigatus) keratitis. Wound healing and fluorescein staining of the cornea were applied to verify thymol's safety. Mice models of A. fumigatus keratitis underwent subconjunctival injection of thymol. The anti-inflammatory roles of thymol were verified by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, slit lamp observation, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), and Western blotting. In contrast with the DMSO group, more transparent corneas and less inflammatory cells infiltration were detected in mice treated with 50 ㎍/ml thymol. Thymol downregulated the synthesis of TLR4, MyD88, NF-kB, IL-1β, NLRP3, caspase 1, caspase 8, GSDMD, RIPK3 and MLKL. In summary, we proved that thymol played a protective part in A. fumigatus keratitis by cutting down inflammatory cells aggregation, downregulating the TLR4/ MyD88/ NF-kB/ IL-1β signal expression and reducing necroptosis and pyroptosis.

• 대한융합한의학회지
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• 제5권2호
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• pp.23-27
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• 2023

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the ameliorative effects of the Epimedium koreanum Nakai (EK) on menopausal obesity in mice. Methods: To induce the menopausal obesity, female C57BL/6J mice were ovariectomized and fed with high fat diet for 12 weeks. 17β-estradiol was injected as a positive control and the extract of EK was orally administered 5 times per week for 6 weeks. Body weight, uterine weight and visceral fat weight were measured. The size of the adipocyte in visceral fat tissues was estimated by Hematoxylin and eosin staining. Fasting glucose level was estimated in serum. Results: Body weight and visceral fat weight were significantly decreased by EK treatment, while the uterine weight/body weight was increased in high fat diet-fed ovariectomized mice. The diameter of adipocyte in the visceral fat tissues was markedly reduced in EK-treated menopausal obese mice. In addition, the fasting blood glucose level was inhibited by oral EK administration. Conclusion: In conclusion, these results showed that EK has ameliorative effects on overweight after menopause. EK could be one of the alternative therapy for treating menopausal obesity.

• Anatomy and Cell Biology
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• 제56권2호
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• pp.288-292
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• 2023

In the foot, the lumbricals flex the metatarsophalangeal joints and extend the interphalangeal joints. The lumbricals are known to be affected in neuropathies. It is not known whether they may degenerate in normal individuals. Here, we report our findings of isolated degenerated lumbricals in seemingly normal feet of two cadavers. We explored lumbricals in 20 male and 8 female cadavers that were 60-80 years of age at the time of death. As part of routine dissection, we exposed the tendons of the flexor digitorum longus and the lumbricals. From the degenerated lumbricals, we took some tissue for paraffin-embedding, sectioning, and staining by hematoxylin and eosin, and Masson's trichrome technique. Of the 224 lumbricals studied, we found four apparently degenerated lumbricals in two male cadavers. In the first, the 2nd and 4th lumbricals in the left foot and the 2nd in the right foot were degenerated. In the second, the right 4th lumbrical was degenerated. Microscopically, the degenerated tissue was made of bundles of collagen. The lumbricals may have degenerated due to compression of their nerve supply. We cannot comment on whether the functionality of the feet were affected by these isolated degeneration of the lumbricals.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• 제25권2호
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• pp.147-157
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• 2021

Coronary microembolization (CME) is associated with cardiomyocyte apoptosis and cardiac dysfunction. Puerarin confers protection against multiple cardiovascular diseases, but its effects and specific mechanisms on CME are not fully known. Hence, our study investigated whether puerarin pretreatment could alleviate cardiomyocyte apoptosis and improve cardiac function following CME. The molecular mechanism associated was also explored. A total of 48 Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into CME, CME + Puerarin (CME + Pue), sham, and sham + Puerarin (sham + Pue) groups (with 12 rats per group). A CME model was established in CME and CME + Pue groups by injecting 42 ㎛ microspheres into the left ventricle of rats. Rats in the CME + Pue and sham + Pue groups were intraperitoneally injected with puerarin at 120 mg/kg daily for 7 days before operation. Cardiac function, myocardial histopathology, and cardiomyocyte apoptosis index were determined via cardiac ultrasound, hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) and hematoxylin-basic fuchsin-picric acid (HBFP) stainings, and TdT-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) staining, respectively. Western blotting was used to measure protein expression related to the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt)/glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) pathway. We found that, puerarin significantly ameliorated cardiac dysfunction after CME, attenuated myocardial infarct size, and reduced myocardial apoptotic index. Besides, puerarin inhibited cardiomyocyte apoptosis, as revealed by decreased Bax and cleaved caspase-3, and up-regulated Bcl-2 and PI3K/Akt/GSK-3β pathway related proteins. Collectively, puerarin can inhibit cardiomyocyte apoptosis and thus attenuate myocardial injury caused by CME. Mechanistically, these effects may be achieved through activation of the PI3K/Akt/GSK-3β pathway.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제21권3호
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• pp.160-168
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• 1997

The present study was carried out to investigate the effects of Panax ginseng saponin extracts on the dexamethasone-induced apoptosis of mouse thymus in vivo and mouse thymocytes in vitro. The saponin fractions of red ginseng (R-SAP) and white ginseng (Wl-SAP) were provided by the Korea Ginseng & Tobacco Research Institute, and the other saponin fraction of white ginseng (W2-SAP) was extracted in our laboratory. 1. The male ICR mice (3~4 wk old; weighing 15$\pm$2 g) were given by each saponin fraction of 5 mg/kg/ day for 4 days, and at one hour after the last treatment, they were injected by deuamethasone (5 mg/kg : DX). The mouse thymus was extracted at 6 hours after DX injection, and they were stained with hematoxylin-eosin reagents and an Apop-Tag kit, respectively, and the thymocytes prepared from it were labelled with anti-mouse FITC-anti-CD4 and anti-mouse PE-anti-CD8 and then analyzed by fluorescence activated cell sorter (FACS). DX-induced reduction of thymus weight was significantly attenuated by W2- SAP but was not affected by other saponin fractions. And DX-induced apoptotic death of thymocytes, appeared in the histologic findings of the thymus, was inhibited by the saponin fractions and the order of these inhibitory potencies was R-SAP》W2-SAP>Wl-SAP. However, in respect of T cell receptors, the differentiation of thymocytes seems not to be changed by treatments with DX or/and the saponin fractions. 2. In the primary thymocyte culture, the DX-induced reduction of thymocyte MTT values was rather greater in RPMI 1640 medium of IWc fetal bovine serum (FBS) or horse serum (HS). In addition, the DX-Induced MTT reduction was significantly inhibited by R-SAP or W2-SAP, in the culture using that medium of 5% FBS or HS. But these saponin fraction did not effected the DX-induced reduction of thymocyte MTT value in primary culture of 10% FBS or 10% HS. These results suggest that R-SAP and some W-SAP fractions may protect thymocyte from stress or glucocorticoisteroid-induced death of them.

• 한국수정란이식학회지
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• 제23권3호
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• pp.183-187
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• 2008

This study was conducted to analyze the expression pattern of inhibitor of DNA binding proteins (Id)1 and Id2 mRNA on folliculogenesis in rat ovary. The ovaries were obtained from 27 days old Sprague-Dawley rat, fixed, dehydrated, and paraffin embedded. For in situ hybridization, anti-sense and sense Idl and Id2 cRNA probes were prepared and applied to the ovarian section. The ovarian sections were coated with NTB-2 emulsion. After that, the slides were developed and counterstained with hematoxylin and eosin staining. In oocytes, the hybridizational signals of Id1 mRNA were strong in primordial and primary follicles, however, there were no signals in that of atretic or preovulatory follicles. The Id2 mRNA signals were also strong in the oocytes of primordial, primary and secondary follicles. Interestingly, the Id2 mRNA was expressed specifically granulosa cells, but nor in oocyte or theca cells in dominant and preovulatory follicles. Based on these results, Id1 and Id2 mRNA was expressed specifically at follicle stages and follicular tissue and might be closely related with follicle development.