• 동의생리병리학회지
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• 제30권1호
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• pp.20-26
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• 2016

Prunellae Spica, the herbaceous plant in the genus Prunella, is a traditional herbal medicine and has been reported to have diuretic, anti-bacterial and anti-oxidant effects. However, the mechanism of its action was not clearly identified. In the present study, we investigated the hepatoprotective effect of Prunellae Spica extract (PSE) against the damage of mitochondria and death in hepatocyte induced by oxidative stress. Treatment of arachidonic acid (AA)+iron significantly induced oxidative stress and apoptosis in the hepatocytes. However, PSE protected cells and inhibited apoptosis by altering the protein levels such as poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase and pro-caspase 3. Moreover, AA+iron induced reactive oxygen species production and mitochondrial dysfunction, and Both of them were inhibited by PSE treatment. PSE markedly activated AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), an important regulator in cell survival. Furthermore, this activation by PSE was mediated with liver kinase B1, a major upstream kinase that phosphorylates Thr 172 of AMPKα, and this activation was associated with its cell protection, as assessed by an experiment of a chemical inhibitor. In conclusion, this study demonstrate that PSE protects hepatocytes against oxidative stress as mediated with activation of LKB1-dependent AMPK pathway.

• 대한한의학방제학회지
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• 제31권4호
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• pp.265-281
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• 2023

Objectives : Ukgan-san plus Citri Pericarpium and Pinelliae Rhizoma (UCP) is used as a traditional herbal formula in Korea and Japan for treatment of fever, fever-induced convulsions, and liver dysfunction and so on. In this study, we investigated the cytoprotective effect and underlying mechanism of UCP against oxidative stress induced by cotreatment of arachidonic acid (AA) and iron. Methods : To evaluate the hepatoprotective effects of UCP against AA + iron-induced oxidative stress in HepG2 cell, cell viability and changes on apoptosis-related proteins were assessed by MTT and immunoblot analyses. The changes in intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), glutathione (GSH), and mitochondrial membrane permeability (MMP) were investigated against to the oxidative stress. Furthermore, to verify underlying molecular mechanism, NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and its downstream target genes were examined by immunoblot analysis. Results : Treatment of UCP increased the cell viability and altered the expression levels of apoptosis-related proteins such as PARP, caspase-9, caspase-3, Bcl-2. UCP also inhibited the GSH depletion, excessive ROS production and mitochondrial dysfunction induced by AA + iron. In addition, the Nrf2 and the Nrf2 target genes activation were increased by UCP. Conclusions : These results indicated that UCP has the ability to protect against oxidative stress-induced hepatocyte damage, which may be mediated with Nrf2 pathway.

• 대한본초학회지
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• 제29권5호
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• pp.91-95
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• 2014

Objectives : This study was carried out to evaluate whether the water extract from cause the cellular damage in HepG2 cell line. It was reported that Dictamnus dasycarpus Turcz(DDT) intake induce poisoning symptoms in human population. These symptoms was closely related to liver toxicity, however, mechanisms for liver toxicity caused by DDT have not been elucidated exactly. Here, hepatotoxicity caused by DDT was evaluated using HepG2 cell line. Methods : Water extract of DDT was treated into HepG2 cell with various doses such as 0, 0.1, 0.5, 1.0 and $5.0mg/m{\ell}$. In order to cell viability, both MTT and LDH assay were carried out. Also, apoptosis array kit was used to identify whether cell death caused by DDT is due to apoptosis or not. In addition, reactive oxygen species (ROS) was measured after treatment of water extract. Results : We found out significant changes in the apoptosis related factors of hepatocyte. The cell viability of HepG2 treated with DDT water extract was decreased in dose-dependent. Also most of the apoptosis related factors were significantly increased. We found out that Caspase 3, Cytochrome C and ROS had increased in dose-dependent. In addition, other apoptosis related factors Bcl 2 and Bax, which were also constant changes. However, there was no significance. Conclusions : These results suggest that water soluble extract of DDT is expected to have oral toxicity, including hepatocellular damage Therefore, it is suggested that DDT could cause various side effects and toxicity of clinical conditions.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• 제28권1호
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• pp.81-86
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• 2005

The hepatoprotective effects of chalcone derivatives were evaluated in D-galactosamine/lipopolysaccharide (D-GaIN/LPS)-induced fulminant hepatic failure in mouse. Thirteen chalcone derivatives were synthesized for study and their hepatoprotective effects were evaluated by assessing aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels in serum. Chalcone preparations were injected into mice at 12 hand 1 h before intraperitoneal injection of D-GaIN/LPS. After abdominal administration, changes in AST and ALT between the control and treated groups were observed. Ten of the synthesized chalcone derivatives exhibited inhibitory effects on D-GaIN/LPS-induced levels of AST and ALT in mice. Compounds 2, 3, 8, 9, and 12 markedly reduced serum AST and ALT at 8 h, inhibited hepatocyte necrosis and showed significant hepatoprotective activities. The activity of compound 3 was compared with the bifendate (DDB) through oral administration. Compound 3 showed much higher inhibitory effects than bifendate for decreasing AST and ALT activity. The results indicate that compound 3 has strong hepatoprotective activity through suppression of tumor necrosis factor­alpha (TNF-alpha) preduction, reduction of the histological change in the liver, and attenuated of hepatocyte apoptosis confirmed by DNA fragmentation assay.

• 대한한의학회지
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• 제21권3호
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• pp.174-185
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• 2000

Objectives : This study was carried out to evaluate the effects of five fractions on cell viability, cell cycle progression and apoptosis. Methods : This study employed MTT assay, Cell cycle analysis, Cpp32 protease assay, DNA fragmentation assay and Quantitative RT-PCR analysis. Results : In MTT assay, the butanol fraction of Injinsaryung-San has showed magnificent viability, while the $H_2O$ fraction and ethylacetate fraction also showed higher viability than the control group. The $H_2O$ fraction of Injinsaryung-San has showed magnificent viability, and butanol fraction and ethylacetate fraction of Injinsaryung-San with etoposide have also showed higher viability than the only etoposide group. Cell cycle analysis showed that each fraction of Injinsaryung-San had no significant effect on the cell cycle. DNA fragmentation assay showed that the butanol fraction, $H_2O$ fraction and ethylacetate fraction carried inhibitory effects on apoptosis induction. Cpp32 protease activity assay showed that the butanol fraction, $H_2O$ fraction and ethylacetate fraction decreased Cpp32 protease activity, with the butanol fraction displaying greater effects. Quantitative RT-PCR showed that the butanol fraction, $H_2O$ fraction and ethylacetate fraction suppressed Fas and Bax genes, the butanol fraction increased BcI-2 gene, however no effect on Cpp32. Conclusions : The data shows that the butanol fraction of Injinsaryung-San increases the hepatocyte viability and has the heptocelluar protective effect by the suppression of apoptosis through gene regulation.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제19권9호
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• pp.1328-1334
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• 2006

This paper aimed to study the toxicity of arsanilic acid on rat primary hepatocytes in vitro by a modification of the perfusion method. The conditions included concentrations of 0, 1.085, 10.85, 108.5, 1,085 and 10,850 mg/kg arsanilic acid in RPMI 1,640 medium at rat hepatocytes plates respectively, each group had five repeats at $37^{\circ}C$ for 48 h. The rat primary hepatocytes survival ratio, DNA Ladder, activities of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-px), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) in hepatocytes, activity of SOD in the medium and the expression of gene bax in hepatocytes were measured at 12 h, 24 h and 48 h respectively. The results showed that arsanilic acid decreased the activities of GSH-px and SOD, and increased the activity of CAT in all dosages, and affected as positive DNA ladder. Although the SOD activities of both hepatocytes and medium in 1.085 mg/L arsanilic acid were significantly lower than the base line at 12 h, CAT activity in 10.85 mg/L arsanilic acid was significantly higher than the base line at 48 h, and all of the DNA ladders were positive, which means 1.085 mg/L arsanilic acid induced apoptosis at 24 h. The gene expression of bax was significantly upregulated in 1.085 mg/L arsanilic acid or higher for 24 h.The parameters in 1,085 mg/L and 10,850 mg/L arsanilic acid had more severe changes than the others at any time indicating that these levels of arsanilic acid were toxic hazards for hepatocyte survival. It was concluded that arsanilic acid induced a dosage- and time-dependent gene expression of bax, 1.085 mg/L arsanilic acid could be involved in rat liver cell apoptosis at 24 h. Arsanilic acid as additives in livestock feed could present potential toxic implications for farm animals.

• Toxicological Research
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• 제22권1호
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• pp.23-30
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• 2006

Among poly aromatic hydrocarbons, dioxin and PCBs are the most controversial environmental pollutants in our modern life. These pollutants are known as human carcinogens, and liver is the most sensitive target in animal cancer models. Specific aims of the study were focused on the mechanism of carcinogenesis in hepatocytes and the structure-activity relation among these diverse environmental chemicals. Because key mechanisms of dioxin-induced carcinogenesis in human epithelial cell model are the alteration of signal transduction pathway and PKC isoforms, the alteration of the signal transduction pathways and other factors associated with carcinogenesis were studied. Rat hepatocytes cultured under the sandwich protocols were exposed with the various concentration of dioxins and PCBs, and signal transduction pathway, protein kinase C isoforms, oxidant stress, and apoptotic nuclei were evaluated. Since it is important to understand the structure-activity relation among these chemicals to properly assess the carcinogenic potentials, the study analyzed the parameters associated with carcinogenic processes, based on their structural characteristics. In addition, signal transduction pathways and PKC isoforms involved in inhibition of UV-induced apoptosis were also analyzed to elaborate the tumor promotion mechanism of these chemicals. Induction of apoptosis by UV irradiation was optimal at $60\;J/m^2$ in primary hepatocyte in culture. Compared to non coplanar PCBs such as PCB 114 and PCB 153, coplanar PCBs such as PCB 77 and PCB126 showed a stronger inhibition of apoptosis induced by UV irradiation. Production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was more stimulated by non-coplanar PCBs than coplanar PCBs with the most potent induction of ROS by chlorinated non-coplanar PCB. As compared to the level of induction by PCB126, non-coplanar PCB153 showed a higher increase of intracellular concentrations. Besides the alteration of intracellular calcium concentration, translocation of PKC from cytosolic fraction to membrane fraction was clearly observed upon the exposure of non-coplanar PCB. Taken together, the present study demonstrated that there is a potent structure-activity relationship among PCB congeners and the mechanism of PAH-induced carcinogenesis is structure-specific. The study suggested that more diverse pathways of PAH-induced carcinogenesis should be taken into account beyond the boundary of Ah receptor dogma to assess the health impact of PAH with more accuracy.

• 대한한방내과학회지
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• 제35권2호
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• pp.184-194
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• 2014

Objectives : This study was designed to investigate the effect on lipoapoptosis of Alisma orientale extract against free fatty acid-induced cellular injury. Methods : HepG2 cells were used in an vitro model. HepG2 cells were treated with free fatty acids to generate a cellular model of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Using this cellular model, the anti-apoptotic effect and reducing steatosis of Alisma orientale extract against free fatty acid-induced cellular injury was evaluated by measuring steatosis and apoptosis. Results : Alisma orientale extract significantly attenuated free fatty acid-induced intracellular steatosis. Alisma orientale extract inhibited free fatty acid-mediated activation of pJNK, PUMA, BAX, caspase-3, and -9, and apoptotic kinases that are correlated with NAFLD. Alisma orientale extract also promoted Bcl-2, a anti-apoptotic protein. Conclusions : From the above, the Alisma orientale extract decreased the hepatocyte steatosis and showed the hepatocelluar protective effect by the regulation of apoptosis-related protein. It proposes the possibility of Alisma orientale extract to the treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in clinics.

• 한국미생물·생명공학회지
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• 제50권1호
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• pp.157-163
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• 2022

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD), which encompasses alcoholic steatosis, alcoholic hepatitis, and alcoholic cirrhosis, is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Although the economic and health impacts of ALD are clear, few advances have been made in its prevention or treatment. We recently demonstrated that the insect-derived antimicrobial peptide CopA3 exerts anti-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory activities in various cell systems, including neuronal cells and colonic epithelial cells. Here, we tested whether CopA3 inhibits ethanol-induced liver injury in mice. Mice were intraperitoneally injected with ethanol only or ethanol plus CopA3 for 24 h and then liver injury and inflammatory responses were measured. Ethanol enhanced the production of proinflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, interferon (IFN)-γ, and IL-10. It also induced hepatocyte apoptosis and ballooning degeneration in hepatocytes. Notably, all these effects were eliminated or significantly reduced by CopA3 treatment. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that CopA3 ameliorates ethanol-induced liver cell damage and inflammation, suggesting the therapeutic potential of CopA3 for treating ethanol-induced liver injury.

• 한국수정란이식학회지
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• 제31권3호
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• pp.169-177
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• 2016

There is a growing interest in the application of primary hepatocytes for treatment of liver diseases in humans and for drug development. Several studies have focused on long-term survival and di-differentiation blocking of primary hepatocytes in an in vitro culture system. Therefore, the present study also aimed to optimize an in vitro culture system using primary rat hepatocytes. Primary rat hepatocytes from 6-week-old male Crl:CD rats were isolated using a modified two-step collagenase perfusion. Healthy $3.5{\times}10^6$ primary rat hepatocytes were seeded into a 2 dimensional (2D) culture in a 25T culture flask coated with collagen type I or into a 3D culture in a 125-ml spinner flask for 7 days. Production of plasma protein (ALB and TF), apoptosis (BAX and BCL2), and CYP (CYP3A1) related genes were compared between the 2D and 3D culture systems. The 3D culture system had an advantage over the 2D system because of the relatively high expression of ALB and low expression of BAX in the 3D system. However, the level of CYP3A1 did not improve in the 3D culture with and without the presence of a dexamethasone inducer. Therefore, 3D culture has an advantage for albumin production and primary rat hepatocyte survivability, but a low expression of CYP3A1 indicated that primary rat hepatocytes require a high-density culture for stress reduction by continuous flow.