• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.35 no.9
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• pp.2787-2790
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• 2014

Quercetin is a major dietary flavonoid found in onions, apples, tea, and red wine, and potentially has beneficial effects on disease prevention. We carried out this study to investigate the effect of quercetin on UVB-induced matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) expression in human keratinocyte HaCaT cells and to further understand the mechanisms of its action. The anti-inflammatory activity of quercetin was investigated and quercetin significantly suppressed the NO production in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 mouse macrophages. Post treatment of quercetin decreased UV irradiation-induced phosphorylation of JNK, p38 MAPK, and ERK by 91%, 21%, and 17%, respectively. MMP-1 is mainly responsible for the degradation of dermal collagen during the aging process of human skin and quercetin suppressed the UVB-induced MMP-1 by 94%. Binding studies revealed that quercetin binds to p38 with high binding affinity ($1.85{\times}10^6M^{-1}$). The binding model showed that the 4'-hydroxy groups of the B-ring of quercetin participated in hydrogen bonding interactions with the side chains of Lys53, Glu71, and Asp168 and the 5-hydroxy group of the A-ring formed a hydrogen bond with the backbone amide of Met109. The major finding of this study shows that quercetin inhibits phosphorylation of JNK, p38 MAPK, and ERK pathway leading to the prevention of MMP-1 expression in human keratinocyte HaCaT cells. Therefore, our findings suggested the potentials of quercetin as a skin anti-photoaging agent.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.148-154
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• 2018

Chronic oxidative stress due to the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in neuronal cells ultimately leads to neurodegenerative diseases. The use of natural therapies for the prevention of ROS-induced cell damage and for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders has shown promising results. In this study, we evaluated the neuroprotective effects of the ethyl acetate (EtOAc) fraction of A. okamotoanum against the hydrogen peroxide ($H_2O_2$)-induced oxidative stress in C6 glial cells. Results show that cell viability was decreased in cells incubated with $H_2O_2$, whereas the addition of EtOAc fraction treatments in such cells significantly increased viability. The EtOAc fraction showed the highest inhibitory activity against ROS production and it also decreased the expressions of inflammatory proteins including cyclooxygenase-2, inducible nitric oxide synthase and interleukin-$1{\beta}$. Furthermore, the EtOAc fraction inhibited apoptosis by regulating the protein expressions cleaved caspase -9, -3, poly ADP ribose polymerase, Bax and Bcl-2. Therefore, these results show that the EtOAc fraction of A. Okamotoanum exhibits neuroprotective effects against $H_2O_2$ induced oxidative damage by regulating the inflammatory reaction and apoptotic pathway.

• New & Renewable Energy
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• v.3 no.2 s.10
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• pp.31-39
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• 2007

화석연료의 사용으로 인한 자원고갈과 지구온난화 영향 그리고 에너지 안보문제의 해결을 위해 세계 각국들은 대체에너지 개발에 많은 노력을 기울이고 있다. 그 중 수소는 다양한 경로를 통해 생산 가능하고, 수송연료로 사용 시, 유해 물질이 거의 배출되지 않는다는 장점 때문에 가장 주목받는 대체 에너지원이다. 현재는 수소생산 기술개발을 통해 상업화시기를 앞당기려고 하는 수소에너지 시대의 진입시점이라 할 수 있다. 그러나 수소는 생산경로에 따라 다양한 환경성 및 경제성 결과를 도출 할 수 있기 때문에 다양한 평가가 요구된다. 본 연구에서는 국내 수소생산 방식으로 개발/상용화되어있는 Natural Gas Steam Reforming (NGSR), Naphtha Steam Reforming (Naphtha SR), Water Electrolysis (WE)에 대하여, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)와 Life Cycle Costing Analysis (LCCA) 방법을 사용하여, 수소경로 전반에 대한 즉, 원료채취부터 자동차로 주행하였을 때까지의 각 대상 수소경로의 환경성과 경제성을 평가하였다. LCA와 LCCA 결과는 Naphtha SR과 NGSR 수소경로에서 지구온난화와 화석자원 소모 부문 모두 기존연료 (가솔린, 디젤)와 비교해서 개선효과가 뚜렷하게 나타났으나, WE 수소경로는 오히려 환경부하가 증가되는 것으로 나타났다. 또한 경제성 측면에서는, 수소 판매 시 가솔린과 동일한 연료세율을 부과하더라도 수소가 가솔린에 비해 가격경쟁력을 확보하게 되는데, 이는 주행 시 수소자동차의 연비가 기존 차량에 비해 월등히 좋기 때문에 연료비용의 이점 때문이다. 만약, 수소에 연료세를 부과하지 않는 다면, Naphtha SR로 생산하여 유통한 수소가 수송연료로서 가장 뛰어난 비용효율성을 갖는 것으로 나타났다.

• Journal of Korean Medicine for Obesity Research
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.93-103
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• 2015

Objectives: It was investigated the cytoprotective efficacies of isorhamnetin, a flavonoid originally derived from Hippophae rhamnoides L., against oxidative stress-induced apoptosis in C2C12 myoblasts. Methods: The effects of isorhamnetin on cell growth, apoptosis and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation were evaluated by trypan blue dye exclusion assay, 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole staining and flow cytometry. The levels of apoptosis-regulatory and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) signaling pathway-related proteins, and caspase activities (caspase-3 and -9) were determined by Western blot analysis and colorimetric assay, respectively. Results: Our results revealed that treatment with isorhamnetin prior to hydrogen peroxide ($H_2O_2$) exposure significantly increased the C2C12 cell viability and, indicating that the exposure of C2C12 cells to isorhamnetin conferred a protective effect against oxidative stress. Isorhamnetin also effectively attenuated $H_2O_2$-induced apoptosis and ROS generation, which was associated with the restoration of the upregulation of Bax and downregulation of Bcl-2 induced by $H_2O_2$. In addition, $H_2O_2$ enhanced the activation of caspase-9 and -3, and degradation of poly (ADP-ribose)-polymerase, a typical substrate protein of activated caspase-3; however, these events were almost totally reversed by pretreatment with isorhamnetin. Moreover, isorhamnetin increased the levels of heme oxygenase-1, a potent antioxidant enzyme, associated with the induction of Nrf2. Conclusions: Our data indicated that isorhamnetin may potentially serve as an agent for the treatment and prevention of muscle disorders caused by oxidative stress.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.116-122
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• 2015

Keratinocytes are first barrier against outer challenges on skin. However, it is still largely unknown about effective protectors against ultraviolet B (UVB), and oxidative stress in human keratinocyte, HaCaT cells. Inducible heme oxygenase (HO)-1 acts against oxidants that are thought to play a role in the pathogenesis of skin disorders. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of Portulaca oleracea 70% EtOH extracts against hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂)-induced oxidative stress in human keratinocytes, HaCaT cells. P. oleracea 70% EtOH extracts showed the potent protective effects on H₂O₂-induced toxicity by induced the expression of HO-1 in human keratinocyte, HaCaT cells. Furthermore, P. oleracea 70 % EtOH extracts caused the nuclear accumulation of nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) in human keratinocytes, HaCaT cells. In addition, we found that treatment with c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) inhibitor (SP600125) reduced P. oleracea 70% EtOH extracts-induced HO-1 expression, and JNK inhibitor (SP600125) also inhibited protective effects by P. oleracea 70% EtOH extracts. Therefore, these results suggest that P. oleracea 70 % EtOH extracts increases cellular resistance to H₂O₂-induced oxidative injury in human keratinocyte, HaCaT cells, presumably through JNK pathway-Nrf2-dependent HO-1 expression.

• KEPCO Journal on Electric Power and Energy
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.447-452
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• 2016

It is imperative to develop an effective pathway to depolymerize lignin into liquid fuel that can be used as a bioheavy oil. Lignin can be converted into liquid products either by a solvent-free thermal cracking in the absence air, or thermo-chemical degradation in the presence of suitable solvents and chemicals. Here we show that the solvent-assisted liquefaction has produced promising results in the presence of metal-based catalysts. The supercritical ethanol is an efficient liquefaction solvent, which not only provides better solubility to lignin, but also scavenges the intermediate species. The concentrated sulfuric acid hydrolysis lignin (CSAHL) was completely liquefied in the presence of solid catalysts (Ni, Pd and Ru) with no char formation. The effective deoxy-liquefaction nature associated with scEtOH with aid hydrodeoxygenation catalysts, resulted in significant reduction in oxygen-to-carbon (O/C) molar ratio up to 61%. The decrease in oxygen content and increase in carbon and hydrogen contents increased the calorific value bio-oil, with higher heating value (HHV) of $34.6MJ{\cdot}Kg^{-1}$. The overall process is energetically efficient with 129.8% energy recovery (ER) and 70.8% energy efficiency (EE). The GC-TOF/MS analysis of bio-oil shows that the bio-oil mainly consists of monomeric species such as phenols, esters, furans, alcohols, and traces of aliphatic hydrocarbons. The bio-oil produced has better flow properties, low molecular weight, and high aromaticity.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.35 no.11
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• pp.3244-3248
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• 2014

Two ethylenediamine cobalt(II) oxalate complexes Co(ox)(en), 1 and $Co(ox)(en){\cdot}2H_2O$, 2 have been hydrothermally synthesized and characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction, IR spectrum, TG analysis, and magnetic measurements. In 1, Co atoms are coordinated by two bis-bidentate oxalate ions in transconfiguration to form Co(ox) chains, which are further bridged by ethylenediamine molecules to produce 2D grid layers, Co(ox)(en). In 2, Co atoms are coordinated by bridging oxalate ions in cis-configuration to form Co(ox) chains, and the additional chelation of ethylenediamine to Co atoms completes 1D zigzag chain, Co(en)(ox). Two lattice water molecules stabilize the chains through hydrogen bonding. Magnetic susceptibility measurements indicate that both complexes exhibit weak antiferromagnetic coupling between cobalt(II) ions with the susceptibility maxima at 23 K for 1 and 20 K for 2, respectively. In 1 and 2, the oxalate ligands afford a much shorter and more effective pathway for the magnetic interaction between cobalt ions compared to the ethylenediamine ligands, so the magnetic behaviors of both complexes could be well described with 1D infinite magnetic chain model.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.32 no.9
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• pp.3355-3360
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• 2011

The nucleophilic substitution reactions of 1,2-phenylene phosphorochloridate (1) with substituted anilines ($XC_6H_4NH_2$) and deuterated anilines ($XC_6H_4ND_2$) are investigated kinetically in acetonitrile at $-15.0^{\circ}C$. The studied substrate of 1,2-phenylene phosphorochloridate is cyclic five-membered ring of phosphorus ester, and the anilinolysis rate of 1 is much faster than its acyclic analogue (4: ethyl phenyl chlorophosphate) because of extremely small magnitude of the entropy of activation of 1 compared to 4. The Hammett and Bronsted plots exhibit biphasic concave upwards for substituent X variations in the nucleophiles with a break point at X = 3-Me. The values of deuterium kinetic isotope effects (DKIEs; $k_H/k_D$) change from secondary inverse ($k_H/k_D$ < 1) with the strongly basic anilines to primary normal ($k_H/k_D$ > 1) with the weakly basic anilines. The secondary inverse with the strongly basic anilines and primary normal DKIEs with the weakly basic anilines are rationalized by the transition state (TS) variation from a predominant backside attack to a predominant frontside attack, in which the reaction mechanism is a concerted $S_N2$ pathway. The primary normal DKIEs are substantiated by a hydrogen bonded, four-center-type TS.

• Journal of Integrative Natural Science
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.93-100
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• 2018

Caspases, a family of cysteinyl aspartate-specific proteases plays a central role in the regulation and the execution of apoptotic cell death. Caspase-3 has been proven to be an effective target for reducing the amount of cellular and tissue damage because the activation of caspases-3 stimulates a signalling pathway that ultimately leads to the death of the cell. In this study, Hologram based Quantitative Structure Activity Relationship (HQSAR) models was generated on a series of Caspase-3 inhibitors named 3, 4-dihydropyrimidoindolones derivatives. The best HQSAR model was obtained using atoms, bonds, and hydrogen atoms (A/B/H) as fragment distinction parameter using hologram length 61 and 3 components with fragment size of minimum 5 and maximum 8. Significant cross-validated correlation coefficient ($q^2=0.684$) and non cross-validated correlation coefficients ($r^2=0.754$) were obtained. The model was then used to evaluate the eight external test compounds and its $r^2_{pred}$ was found to be 0.559. Contribution map show that presence of pyrrolidine sulfonamide ring and its bulkier substituent's makes big contributions for improving the biological activities of the compounds.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2013

Polyamines, putrescine, spermidine and spermine, are ubiquitous in living cells and are essential for eukaryotic cell growth. These polycations interact with negatively charged molecules such as DNA, RNA, acidic proteins and phospholipids and modulate various cellular functions including macromolecular synthesis. Dysregulation of the polyamine pathway leads to pathological conditions including cancer, inflammation, stroke, renal failure and diabetes. Increase in polyamines and polyamine synthesis enzymes is often associated with tumor growth, and urinary and plasma contents of polyamines and their metabolites have been investigated as diagnostic markers for cancers. Of these, diacetylated derivatives of spermidine and spermine are elevated in the urine of cancer patients and present potential markers for early detection. Enhanced catabolism of cellular polyamines by polyamine oxidases (PAO), spermine oxidase (SMO) or acetylpolyamine oxidase (AcPAO), increases cellular oxidative stress and generates hydrogen peroxide and a reactive toxic metabolite, acrolein, which covalently incorporates into lysine residues of cellular proteins. Levels of protein-conjuagated acrolein (PC-Acro) and polyamine oxidizing enzymes were increased in the locus of brain infarction and in plasma in a mouse model of stroke and also in the plasma of stroke patients. When the combined measurements of PC-Acro, interleukin 6 (IL-6), and C-reactive protein (CRP) were evaluated, even silent brain infarction (SBI) was detected with high sensitivity and specificity. Considering that there are no reliable biochemical markers for early stage of stroke, PC-Acro and PAOs present promising markers. Thus the polyamine metabolites in plasma or urine provide useful tools in early diagnosis of cancer and stroke.