• Toxicological Research
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.255-262
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• 2012

Inflammation is the immune system's response to infection and injury-related disorders, and is related to pro-inflammatory factors (NO, $PGE_2$, cytokines, etc.) produced by inflammatory cells. Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a representative inflammatory skin disease that is characterized by increasing serum levels of inflammatory chemokines, including macrophage-derived chemokine (MDC). Carpinus tschonoskii is a member of the genus Carpinus. We investigated the anti-inflammatory activity of C. tschonoskii by studying the effects of various solvent fractions prepared from its leaves on inflammatory mediators in HaCaT and RAW264.7 cells. We found that the chloroform fraction of C. tschonoskii inhibited MDC at both the protein and mRNA levels in HaCaT cells, acting via the inhibition of STAT1 in the IFN-${\gamma}$ signaling pathway. In addition, the chloroform fraction significantly suppressed the expression of inflammatory factors induced by lipopolysaccharide stimulation, except COX-2 and TNF-${\alpha}$. These results suggest that the chloroform fraction of C. tschonoskii leaves may include a component with potential anti-inflammatory activity.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.255-266
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• 2007

The protective effect of the Synadenium carinatum latex lectin (ScLL), and the possibility of using it as an adjuvant in murine model of vaccination against American cutaneous leishmaniasis, were evaluated. BALB/c mice were immunized with the lectin ScLL (10, 50, 100$[\mu}g$/animal) separately or in association with the soluble Leishmania amazonensis antigen (SLA). After a challenge infection with $10^6$ promastigotes, the injury progression was monitored weekly by measuring the footpad swelling for 10 weeks. ScLL appeared to be capable of conferring partial protection to the animals, being most evident when ScLL was used in concentrations of 50 and 100${\mu}g$/animal. Also the parasite load in the interior of macrophages showed significant reduction (61.7%) when compared to the control group. With regard to the cellular response, ScLL 50 and 100 ${\mu}g$/animal stimulated the delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) reaction significantly (P < 0.05) higher than SLA or SLA plus ScLL 10 weeks after the challenge infection. The detection of high levels of IgG2a and the expression of mRNA cytokines, such as IFN-$\gamma$, IL-12, and TNF-$\alpha$ (Th1 profiles), corroborated the protective role of this lectin against cutaneous leishmaniasis. This is the first report of the ScLL effect on leishmaniasis and shows a promising role for ScLL to be explored in other experimental models for treatment of leishmaniasis.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.287-318
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• 2000

The purpose of this study is to observe the effect of Aqua-acupuncture utilizing Lycopi Herba Solution(LH-AS) on arthritis. For that purpose, we formed three experimental group, synovial cells of human body, normal BALB/C mice and DBA/1J mice with collagen II-induced arthritis, and measured the treatment effect of LH-AS on each group. The conclusions are as follows. 1. After the LH-AS treatment on synovial cells, there were no significant change in 1, 10, 50 and $100{\mu}g/m{\ell}$ whereas there was significant change in 200 and $400{\mu}g/m{\ell}$ in cytotoxicity. 2. IL-6, IL-$1{\beta}$, TNF-${\alpha}$ gene expression of synovial cells and the secretion amount of IL-6 and IL-$1{\beta}$ are significantly inhibited in treatment group with LH-AS. 3. The proliferation of synovial cells was significantly inhibited in treatment group with rIL-6, LH-AS 200 and rIL-6, $100{\mu}g/m{\ell}$. 4. After the DBA/1J mice with collagen II-induced arthritis were treated by LH-AS, the incidence of arthritis, hind paw edema, the index of arthritis and DTH were significantly inhibited. 5. After the DBA/1J mice with collagen II-induced arthritis were treated by LH-AS, splenetic weight was significantly increased and the number of leukocyte was significantly decreased. But there was no significant change in the number of platelet. 6. After the DBA/1J mice with collagen II-induced arthritis were treated by LH-AS, the number of $CD4^+$, $CD8^+$ activated cells and the surface-receptor expression were significantly increased whereas the number of $CD19^+$ activated cells and the surface-receptor expression were decreased. 7. After the DBA/1J mice with collagen II-induced arthritis were treated by LH-AS, total protein, LDH were significantly decreased, but there was no significant change in creatinine. 8. After the normal splenetic cells of BALB/C mice were treated by LH-AS and cultured, it was observed that the adherent cells were morphologically activated and IL-12 and IFN-${\gamma}$ gene expression were increased. 9. After the normal splenetic cells of BALB/C mice were treated by LH-AS and cultured, the number of $CD4^+$, $CD8^+$, $CD19^+$ activated cells and surface-receptor expression were inhibited when being compared with the control group. Taking all these observations into account, LH-AS injection is considered to be effective in treating arthritis and put to practical use in future arthritis clinic.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.58 no.1
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• pp.13-19
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• 2015

The roots of Achyranthes japonica Nakai were extracted with 100% aqueous and concentrated subfraction was separated with ultra-performance liquid chromatography-based activity profiling. Three compounds were isolated from the subfraction 5 through the repeated prep- high performance liquid chromatography column chromatography. According to the results of physico-chemical and spectroscopic data including NMR and MS, the chemical structures of the compounds were determined as ecdysterone (1), 25S-inokosterone (2), and 25R-inokosterone (3). Three phytoecdysones were showed weak inhibitory activity for thymus and activation-regulated chemokine expression levels in tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-${\alpha}$ plus IFN-${\gamma}$ induced HaCaT cells, respectively. However, those compounds 1-3 were exhibited the most potent inhibition (80-95% at $200{\mu}g/mL$) against TNF-${\alpha}$ expression levels in A23187 plus phorbol-myrisrate acetate-induced RBL-2H3 cells. As result, 100% aqueous extract of A. japonica has an excellent anti-atopy activity. It could be used to a large range of functional anti-atopy cosmetics.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.1041-1054
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• 2004

Electroacupuncture (EA) has been reported to increase pain threshold, and to enhance the NK cell activity by up-regulation of IFN-γ and endogenous β-endolphin. For the purpose of understanding the molecular mechanism of EA stimulation, we analyzed the gene expression profile of rat hypothalamus, treated on Zusanli (ST36) with EA, in comparison with control group by oligonucleotide chip microarray (Affymetrix GeneChip Rat Neurobiology U34 Array) and real-time RT-PCR. Sprague-Dawley (S-D) male rats were stimulated at the Zusanli (ST36) acupoint in restriction holder. Simultaneously the control group was given only holder stress without EA stimulation. In order to prove the appropriateness of EA treatment, we measured spleen NK cell activity with standard 51Cr release assay. NK cell activity of EA group was significantly increased comparing to control group. The microarray and PCR results show that EA treatment up-regulates expression of genes associated with 1) nerve growth such as NGF induced factor A and VGF, 2) signal transduction such as 5HT3 receptor subunit, AMPA receptor binding protein and Na-dependent neurotransmitter transporter, and 3) anti-oxidation such as superoxide dismutase and glutathione S-transferase. In addition, the activity of the anti-oxidative enzyme, SOD of hypothalamus, liver and RBC was enhanced compared to that of control. The list of differentially expressed genes may implicate further insight on the mechanism of acupuncture effects.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 2003.11a
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• pp.98-98
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• 2003

${\beta}$-(1,3)-D-Glucans have been known to exhibit antitumor and antimicrobial activities. The presence of dectin-1,${\alpha}$, ${\beta}$-glucan receptor of dendritic cell, on macrophage has been controvertial. RT-PCR analysis led to the detection of dectin-1${\alpha}$ and ${\beta}$ in murine macrophage Raw264.7 cell line. Among the various organs of mouse, dectin-1${\alpha}$ and ${\beta}$ were detected in the thymus, lung, spleen, stomach and intestine. To analyze gene expression modulated by ${\beta}$-glucan treated murine Raw264.7 macrophage, total mRNA was applied to cDNA microarray to interrogate the expression of 7,000 known genes. cDNA chip analysis showed that ${\beta}$-glucan of P. osteatus increased gene expressions of immunomodulating genes, membrane antigenic proteins, chemokine ligands, complements, cytokines, various kinases, lectin associated genes and oncogenes in Raw 264.7 cell line. When treated with ${\beta}$-glucan of P. osteatus and LPS, induction of gene expression of TNF-${\alpha}$ and IFN-R1 was confirmed by RT-PCR analysis. Induction of TNF-R type II expression was confirmed by FACS analysis. IL-6 expression was abolished by EDTA in ${\beta}$-glucan and LPS treated Raw264.7 cell line, indicating that ${\beta}$-glucan binds to dectin-l in a Ca$\^$＋＋/ -dependent manner. To increase antitumor efficacy of ${\beta}$-glucan, ginsenoside Rh2 (GRh2) was co-treated with ${\beta}$-glucan in vivo and in vitro tests. IC$\sub$50/ values of GRh2 were 20 and 25 $\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$ in SNU-1 and B16 melanoma F10 cell line, respectively. Co-treatment with ${\beta}$-glucan and GRh2 showed synergistic antitumor activity with cisplatin and mitomycin C both in vitro and in vivo. Single or co-treatment with ${\beta}$-glucan and GRh2 increased tumor bearing mouse life span. Co-treatment with ${\beta}$-glucan and GRh2 showed more increased life span with mitomycin C than that with cisplatin. Antitumor activities were 67% and 72 % by co-injection with ${\beta}$-glucan and GRh2 in the absence or presence of mitomycin C, respectively.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.487-497
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• 2021

To investigate the industrial availability of liquid fermentation (PL-ferment) by Phellinus linteus mycelium as a postbiotics for the inhibition of inflammation, PL-ferment was fractionated into culture supernatant (CS), hot-water extract (HW) from PL-ferment, EtOH-precipitate (CP) fractionated from HW, and the dialysate (DCP) of CP. Compared to the other fractions, DCP which is expected to contain exopolysaccharide (EPS) as the major component, significantly decreased the production of NO, IL-6, and MCP-1 in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells, and IL-6 and IL-8 in TNF-α and IFN-γ-induced HaCaT cells. The general component analysis results showed that no significant difference in components was observed between the fractions, whereas sugar composition analysis revealed that DCP had decreased glucose and increased mannose contents compared to the other fractions. This suggests that mannose played an important role in the anti-inflammatory activity of the active fraction, DCP. Molecular weight distribution analysis revealed that DCP was mainly composed of low-molecular-weight material-removed high-molecular-weight polysaccharides of 18-638 kDa, suggesting that EPS originated from P. linteus EPS. In conclusion, our results suggest that the DCP of P. linteus mycelium fermentation using the anti-inflammatory activity could be used industrially as postbiotic material.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.377-383
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• 2021

Purpose: We investigated the association of effector memory (EM) CD8⁺ T cell and CD4⁺ T cell immunity with metabolic syndrome (MS). Methods: Surface and intracellular staining of peripheral blood mononuclear cells was performed. Anti-interleukin-7 receptor-alpha (IL-7Rα) and CX3CR1 antibodies were used to stain the subsets of EM CD8⁺ T cells, while anti-interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), interleukin-17 (IL-17), and forkhead box P3 (FOXP3) antibodies were used for CD4⁺ T cell subsets. Results: Of the 47 obese children, 11 were female. Children with MS had significantly higher levels of serum insulin (34.8±13.8 vs. 16.4±6.3 µU/mL, p<0.001) and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (8.9±4.1 vs. 3.9±1.5, p<0.001) than children without MS. Children with MS revealed significantly higher frequencies of IL-7Rα^low CD8⁺ T cells (60.1±19.1% vs. 48.4±11.5%, p=0.047) and IL-7Rα^lowCX3CR1⁺ CD8⁺ T cells (53.8±20.1% vs. 41.5±11.9%, p=0.036) than children without MS. As the serum triglyceride levels increased, the frequency of IL-7Rα^lowCX3CR1⁺ and IL-7Rα^highCX3CR1^- CD8⁺ T cells increased and decreased, respectively (r=0.335, p=0.014 and r=-0.350, p=0.010, respectively), in 47 children. However, no CD4⁺ T cell subset parameters were significantly different between children with and without MS. Conclusion: In obese children with MS, the changes in immunity due to changes in EM CD8⁺ T cells might be related to the morbidity of obesity.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.30 no.10
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• pp.905-911
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• 2020

The adjuvant effect of PAMAM dendrimer G4 (PAMAM) on the induction of humoral and cellular immune responses against keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) was examined. Mice were immunized subcutaneously twice at two-week intervals with KLH, with or without PAMAM dendrimer (100 ㎍/mouse), and the mice immunized with KLH+PAMAM showed significantly higher antibody titers against KLH than those immunized with KLH alone. The assay for determining the isotypes of the antibodies showed that PAMAM augmented the KLH-specific antibody titers of IgG1, IgG2a, IgG2b, IgG3, and IgM. In addition, mice immunized twice with KLH+PAMAM followed by a subcutaneous injection of KLH (20 ㎍/site) 7 weeks after the primary immunization exhibited a higher delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) reaction than those treated with KLH alone. In an in vitro analysis of T lymphocyte proliferation in response to KLH in week 8, the splenocytes of mice treated with KLH+PAMAM showed significantly higher proliferating activity than those treated with KLH alone, and the culture supernatants of cell cultures from mice immunized with added PAMAM dendrimer showed higher levels of KLH-specific cytokine (IL-4 and IFN-r) production. These results suggest that PAMAM dendrimer G4 possesses a potent immune-adjuvant activity for enhancing both humoral and cell-mediated immunity specific to foreign antigens.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.1383-1392
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• 2021

It has been reported that emodin, a major pharmacologically active ingredient of herbal medicines such as Polygonum cuspidatum, Polygonum multiflorum, Rheum palmatum, and Aloe vera, is effective in antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and liver protection. In this study, to investigate the potential of emodin to be used as a skin disease and functional material, the activity related to the improvement of inflammation and skin barrier function was confirmed. To observe the anti-inflammatory effect on HaCaT cells, which are human keratinocytes, cytokine inhibition was confirmed by ELISA kit and protein expression by western blot. In HaCaT cells activated with TNF-α (10 ng/mL)/IFN-γ (10 ng/mL), emodin was treated with each concentration (5, 10, 20, 40) µM. As a result, It was confirmed that the production amount of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 decreased as the concentration of emodin increased. In the experimental results on the expression levels of inflammation-related proteins iNOS and COX-2, it was confirmed that 48% of iNOS and 29% of COX-2 were inhibited compared to control at a concentration of 20 µM of emodin. As an indicator of skin barrier function improvement, the mRNA expression level of filaggrin, involucrin, and loricirn and the production amount of filaggrin, involucrin, and loricirn were confirmed. and excellent results were obtained with an emodin concentration-dependent increase. In particular, filaggrin, which was produced twice as much as the control at a concentration of 20 µM, is a protein involved in the formation of NMF, a natural moisturizing factor, and is known to play an important role in moisturizing the stratum corneum. In conclusion, it was confirmed that emodin can be used as a material for improving inflammation and improving skin barrier function, which is part of the potential for use as a skin disease and functional material. It is believed that if additional research is performed in the future, the scope of its application can be further expanded.