• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.209-216
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• 1985

The plasma levels of 23 free amino acids in both the umbilical circulation (umbilical vein and artery) and the maternal circulation (antecubital vein, uterine vein and iliac artery ) of 34 pregnant women were measured at delivery by the cesarean section. Each amino acid with the exception of glutamate was found to be in higher concentration in the fetal blood and the cord plasma characterized by hyperaminoacidemia with a marked increase of the lysine and ornithine levels. The linear relationships found between the amino acids concentrations of iliac artery and those of umbilical vein suggest three transport groups across the placental membrane One group consists of neutral amino acids whose slopes are equal to one and the other two groups are characterized by their slopes higher and lower than unity respectivly. This division into three groups is tentatively explained by the result of a dynamic equilibrium between active transport towards the fetus and diffusion back towards the maternal circulation.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.251-258
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• 2016

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been identified in multiple types of tissue and exhibit characteristic self-renewal and multi-lineage differentiation abilities. However, the possibility of oncogenic transformation after transplantation is concerning. In this study, we investigated the tumorigenic potential of umbilical cord blood-derived MSCs (hUCB-MSCs) relative to MRC-5 and HeLa cells (negative and positive controls, respectively) both in vitro and in vivo. To evaluate tumorigenicity in vitro, anchorage-independent growth was assessed using the soft agar colony formation assay. hUCB-MSCs and MRC-5 cells formed few colonies, while HeLa cells formed a greater number of larger colonies, indicating that hUCB-MSCs and MRC-5 cells do not have anchorage-independent proliferation potential. To detect tumorigenicity in vivo, hUCB-MSCs were implanted as a single subcutaneous injection into BALB/c-nu mice. No tumor formation was observed in mice transplanted with hUCB-MSCs or MRC-5 cells based on macro- and microscopic examinations; however, all mice transplanted with HeLa cells developed tumors that stained positive for a human gene according to immunohistochemical analysis. In conclusion, hUCB-MSCs do not exhibit tumorigenic potential based on in vitro and in vivo assays under our experimental conditions, providing further evidence of their safety for clinical applications.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.394-398
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• 2011

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are pluripotent cells that can be found in umbilical cord blood from new borne babies as well as placenta, bone marrow, adipose tissue, amniotic fluid, muscle, et al. MSC are capable of renewing themselves without differentiation in long-term culture, also can be differentiated into various tissues under specific condition. Formulating a cryopreservation protocol for the MSC is required because these cells cannot survive for long periods under in vitro culture conditions and a new formulation of harmless cryoprotectant is needed for the direct injection of MSC into patients. The undifferentiated MSC were frozen with a vitrification solution of 40% ethylene glycol, 20% Ficoll-70 and 0.3M sucrose. The survival rate after thawing and their proliferation rate were examined and compared with slow rate cooling methods using dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO). The vitrification method showed high survival rate after thawing and proliferation capacity comparable to DMSO. It can be suggested that ultra-rapid cooling method by vitrification is reliable methods for long term preservation of MSC and the vitrification solution with ethylene glycol, Ficoll-70 and sucrose will be more beneficially used for direct transplantation of MSC into patients than DMSO solution.

• BMB Reports
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.259-264
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• 2019

Social requirements are needed for living in an aging society and individual longevity. Among them, improved health and medical cares, appropriate for an aging society are strongly demanded. Human cord blood-derived plasma (hUCP) has recently emerged for its unique anti-aging effects. In this study, we investigated brain rejuvenation, particularly olfactory function, that could be achieved by a systemic administration of young blood and its underlying mechanisms. Older than 24-month-old mice were used as an aged group and administered with intravenous injection of hUCP repetitively, eight times. Anti-aging effect of hUCP on olfactory function was evaluated by buried food finding test. To investigate the mode of action of hUCP, brain, serum and spleen of mice were collected for further ex vivo analyses. Systemic injection of hUCP improved aging-associated olfactory deficits, reducing time for finding food. In the brain, although an infiltration of activated microglia and its expression of cathepsin S remarkably decreased, significant changes of proinflammatory factors were not detected. Conversely, peripheral immune balance distinctly switched from predominance of Type 1 helper T (Th1) cells to alternative regulatory T cells (Tregs). These findings indicate that systemic administration of hUCP attenuates age-related neuroinflammation and subsequent olfactory dysfunction by modulating peripheral immune balance toward Treg cells, suggesting another therapeutic function and mechanism of hUCP administration.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.53 no.5
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• pp.497-509
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• 2002

Background : The mechanisms through which cellular activation results in intracellular mycobacterial killing is only partially understood. However, in vitro studies of human immunity to Mycobacterium tuberculosis have been largely modeled on the work reported by Crowle, which is complicated by several factors. The whole blood culture is simple and allows the simultaneous analysis of the relationship between bacterial killing and the effect of effector cells and humoral factors. In this study, we attempted to determine the extent to which M. tuberculosis is killed in a human whole blood culture and to explore the role of the host and microbial factor in this process. Methods : The PPD positive subject were compared to the umbilical cord blood and patients with tuberculosis, diabetes and lung cancer. The culture is performed using heparinized whole blood diluted with a culture medium and infected with a low number of M. avium or M. tuberculosis $H_{37}Ra$ for 4 days by rotating the culture in a $37^{\circ}C$, 5% $CO_2$ incubator. In some experiments, methlprednisolone- or pentoxifyline were used to inhibit the immune response. To assess the role of the T-cell subsets, CD4+, CD8+ T-cells or both were removed from the blood using magnetic beads. The ${\Delta}$ log killing ratio was defined using a CFU assay as the difference in the log number of viable organisms in the completed culture compared to the inoculum. Results : 1. A trend was noted toward the improved killing of mycobacteria in PPD+ subjects comparing to the umbilical cord blood but there was no specific difference in the patients with tuberculosis, diabetes and lung cancer. 2. Methylprednisolone and pentoxifyline adversely affected the killing in the PPD+ subjects umbilical cord blood and patients with tuberculosis. 3. The deletion of CD4+ or CD8+ T-lymphocytes adversely affected the killing of M. avium and M. tuberculosis $H_{37}Ra$ by PPD+ subjects. Deletion of both cell types had an additive effect, particularly in M. tuberculosis $H_{37}Ra$. 4. A significantly improved mycobacterial killing was noted after chemotherapy in patients with tuberculosis and the ${\Delta}$ logKR continuously decreased in a 3 and 4 days of whole blood culture. Conclusion : The in vitro bactericidal assay by human whole blood culture model was settled using a CFU assay. However, the host immunity to M. tuberculosis was not apparent in the human whole blood culture bactericidal assay, and patients with tuberculosis showed markedly improved bacterial killing after anti-tuberculous chemotherapy compared to before. The simplicity of a whole blood culture facilitates its inclusion in a clinical trial and it may have a potential role as a surrogate marker in a TB vaccine trial.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.528-533
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• 2009

In the current study, the mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) isolated and propagated from the human umbilical cord blood (UCB) were tested for their capabilities of differentiation into chondrocytes in vitro. The mesenchymal progenitor cells (MPCs) collected from UCB were cultured in a low glucose DMEM medium with 10% FBS, L-glutamine and antibiotics. The human MSC colonies were positively stained by PAS reaction. When the immunophenotypes of surface antigens on the MSCs were analyzed by fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS) analysis, these cells expressed positively MSC-related antigens of CD 29, CD44, CD 90 and CD105, whereas they did not express antigens of CD14, CD31, CD34, CD45, CD133 and HLA-DR. Following induction these MSCs into chondrocytes in the chondrogenic differentiation medium for 3 weeks or more, the cells were stained positively with safranin O. We clearly confirmed that human MSCs were successfully differentiated into chondrocytes by RT-PCR and immunofluorescent stain of type-II collagen protein. These data also indicate that the isolation, proliferation and differentiation of the hUCB-derived MSCs in vitro can be used for elucidating the mechanisms involved in chondrogenesis. Moreover this differentiation technique can be applied to developing cell-based tissue regeneration or repair damaged tissues.

• 대한생식의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2005.06a
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• pp.131-132
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• 2005

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.47-52
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• 2003

Background: The megakaryopoiesis and platelet production is regulated by several hematopoietc factors such as thrombopoietin (TPO), interleukin-11 (IL-11) and interleukin- 3 (IL-3). IL-11 is a potent stimulator of megakaryopoiesis in vivo, and acts primarily as a megakaryocyte maturation factor in vitro and it can act synergistically with IL-3 and TPO. We performed this study to investigate the effects of recombinant human IL-11 (rhIL-11) with other hematopoietic factors on megakaryocyte colony formation in vitro. Methods: CD34+ cells were separated from umbilical cord blood and megakaryocyte colonies using MegaCult Assay Kit were cultured with rhIL-11, recombinant human IL-3 (rhIL-3), and recombinant human TPO (rhTPO) for 7 and 14 days. The number and percentage of CD34+ and CD41a+ cells were determined by flowcytometry. Results: The number of CD41a+ cells were $0.54{\pm}0.05{\times}10^4$ (rhIL-11 100 ng/ml), $5.32{\pm}0.23{\times}10^4$ (rhIL-3 100 ng/ml), and $8.76{\pm}0.15{\times}10^4$ (rhTPO 50 ng/ml) of total expanded cells during the culture of the purified CD34+ cells in liquid phase for 7 days. The number of CD41a+ cells were increased to $7.47{\pm}0.69{\times}10^4$ (rhIL-3+ rhIL-11), $11.92{\pm}0.19{\times}10^4$ (rhTPO+rhIL-11) of total expanded cells, respectively, during the culture of the purified CD34+ cells in liquid phase for 7 days in the presence of rhIL-11 (100 ng/ml). When the purified CD34+ cells were cultured in semisolid mediaincluding various concentration of rhIL-11, the megakaryocyte colonies were not formed. When the purified CD34+ cells were cultured with rhIL-11 and rhTPO or with rhIL-11 and rhIL-3, the number of megakaryocyte colonies were increased compared with rhTPO or rhIL-3 alone. Conclusion: These results indicate that IL-11 exerts a potent proliferative activity to colony forming unit-megakaryocyte from human umbilical cord blood, and it acts with other hematopoietic factors synergistically.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.235-243
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• 2007

Human umbilical cord blood(HUCB) contains a rich source of hematopoietic stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells and endothelial cell precursors. Mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs) in HUCB are multipotent stem cells, differ from hematopoietic stem cells and can be differentiated into neural cells. We studied on transdifferentiation-promoting conditions in neural cells and cholinergic neuron induction of HUCB-derived MSCs. Neural differentiation was induced by addingdimethyl sulphoxide(DMSO) and butylated hydroxyanisole(BHA) in Dulbeco's Modified Essential Medium(DMEM) and fetal bovine serum(FBS). Differentiation of MSCs to cholinergic neurons was induced by combined treatment with basic fibroblast growth factor(bFGF), retinoic acid(RA) and sonic hedgehog(Shh). MSCs treated with DMSO and BHA rapidly assumed the morphology of multipolar neurons. Both immunocytochemistry and RT-PCR analysis indicated that the expression of a number of neural markers including $\beta$-tubulin III, GFAP and MBP, was markedly elevated during this acute differentiation. The differentiation rate was about $32.3{\pm}2.9%$ for $\beta$-tubulin III-positive cells, $11.0{\pm}0.9%$ for GFAP, and $9.4{\pm}1.0%$ for Gal-C. HUCB-MSCs treated combinatorially with bFGF, RA and Shh were differentiated into cholinergic neurons. After cholinergic neuronal differentiation, the $\beta$-tubulin III-positive cell population of total cells was $31.3{\pm}3.2%$ and of differentiated neuronal population, $70.0{\pm}7.8%$ was ChAT-positive showing 3 folds higher in cholinergic population than neural induction. Conclusively, HUCB-derived MSCs can be differentiated into neural and cholinergic neurons and these findings suggest that HUCB are alternative cell source of treatment for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.205-212
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• 2009

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to examine the expression of various angiogenic factors during osteoblastic differentiation of periostealderived cells and the effects of osteogenic inductive medium of periosteal-derived cells on the proliferation of endothelial progenitor cells. Materials and methods : Periosteal-derived cells were obtained from mandibular periosteums and introduced into the cell culture. After passage 3, the cells were divided into two groups and cultured for 21 days. In one group, the cells were cultured in the DMEM supplemented with osteogenic inductive agent, including 50g/ml L-ascorbic acid 2-phosphate, 10 nM dexamethasone and 10 mM -glycerophosphate. In the other group, they were cultured in DMEM supplemented without osteogenic inductive agent. VEGF isoforms, VEGFR-1, VEGFR-2, and neuropilin-1 mRNA expression was observed. Human umbilical cord blood-derived endothelial progenitor cell proliferation was also observed. Results : The expression of VEGF isoforms was higher in osteogenic inductive medium than in non-osteogenic inductive medium. The expression of VEGFR-2 was also higher in osteogenic inductive medium than in non-osteogenic inductive medium. However, the expression of VEGFR-1 and neuropilin-1 was similar in both osteogenic inductive medium and non-osteogenic inductive medium. In addition, conditioned medium from differentiated periosteal-derived cells stimulated human umbilical cord blood-derived endothelial progenitor cell numbers compared to conditioned medium from non-differentiated periosteal-derived cells. Conclusion : These results suggest that in vitro osteoblastic differentiation of periosteal-derived cells has angiogenic capacity to support endothelial progenitor cell numbers.