• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.367-374
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• 2001

This study was performed to investigate the effects of purslane extracts on growth inhibition of Escherichia coli KCTC 2441. The purslane extract is effective on retarding growth of Escherichia coli KCTC 2441 and effect of its extract was founded from 1% concentration. At 7% the growth of Escherichia coli KCTC 2441 was suddenly retarded. The stem of purslane in a sunny place on June is more effective than its leaf. Leaves with a red violet color has high effect on retarding growth of Escherichia coli KCTC 2441. These results suggest that purslane extract is effective in growth inhibition of Escherichia coli KCTC 2441.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.39-53
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• 2010

목적 : 퇴행성 관절염은 염증성 사이토카인인 IL-$1\beta$에 의해 연골관절이 파괴되고 이로 인해 염증성 사이토카인이 더욱 증가하는 질환이다. 퇴행성 관절염을 치료하기 위해서는 연골 파괴를 가속화시키는 catabolic cytokines의 활성을 줄이고, 성장인자인 anabolic factor의 활성을 증가시는 연골 보호 작용이 있어야 한다. 본 연구에서는 독활 승마 처방(OAH19T)이 catabolic/anabolic 대사 조절에 어떤 영향을 미치는지와 그 신호 전달 기전에 대해 연구하였다. 또한 OAH19T를 구성하는 단미재 및 임상에서 사용되는 COX-2 inhibitor인 Celebrex(CEL)와 효능을 비교 실험하였다. 방법 : 배양된 세포에 IL-$1\beta$로 자극한 후 (1) glycosaminoglycan(GAG)의 분해 억제 정도, (2) OAH19T와 CEL에 대하여 MMP-1과 MMP-3의 유전자 발현 및 활성 억제, (3) Aggrecan 및 Aggrecanases의 유전자 발현 및 활성 억제, (4) OAH19T의 growth factor의 조절 능력, (5) MAPK pathway 등을 RT-PCR(reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction), ELISA(Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay), western blot, viability 측정을 통해 검증했다. 결과 : 사람 관절 세포에서 (1) 독활 승마 각각의 단미재, 임상에서 사용중인 셀레콕시브(CEL), 조인스보다 실험 약물(OAH19T)이 저농도에서 GAG 분해 억제 효과가 우수하였고, 부탄올로 분획한 OAH19B와는 동등한 효과를 보였다. (2) OAH19T는 IL-$1\beta$에 의하여 활성화된 MMP-1과 MMP-3의 발현을 모두 억제하였으나, CEL은 MMP-1의 발현은 억제하였으나 MMP-3의 발현은 억제하지 못하였다. (3) OAH19T는 IL-$1\beta$에 의하여 손상된 Aggrecan을 회복시켰으며 이는 활성화된 Aggrecanase-1과 Aggrecanase-2를 억제시킴으로써 나타난 결과이다. 그러나 CEL의 경우, 손상된 Aggrecan을 회복시키지 못하였다. (4) 배양된 세포는 IL-$1\beta$에 의하여 TGF-$\beta$II및 TGF-$\beta$ receptor II의 발현이 억제되었으나, OAH19T는 TGF-$\beta$II및 TGF-$\beta$ receptor II의 발현을 회복시켜 OAH19T가 anabolic한 조절능력이 있음을 시사한다. 그러나 CEL의 경우 growth factor에 대한 조절 능력이 없었다. (5) 대사 조절 작용에 대한 기전으로서 MAPK pathway에 대해서 연구한 결과 IL-$1\beta$에 의하여 유도된 pERK, pp38 kinase의 활성은 억제하였고, pJNK의 활성은 변하지 않았다. 또한 OAH19T는 연골 세포에 독성이 없었으며 IL-$1\beta$에 의해 유도된 세포 증식만을 억제시켰다. 이 결과로, OAH19T가 OA chondrocyte의 탈분화 및 세포 고사를 억제하여 연골보호 및 회복 효과가 있음을 알 수 있었다. 결론 : OAH19T는 이를 구성하는 단미재 및 CEL보다 연골보호 효과가 월등하였고, 이러한 연골보호 효과는 catabolic cytokines/growth factors의 균형으로 대사조절을 통해 연골세포의 탈분화 및 세포 고사를 억제하여 연골보호 및 회복 효과가 있음을 알 수 있었다.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.34 no.7
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• pp.1169-1180
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• 2021

Objective: This research aimed to study the effects of Artemisia argyi flavonoids (AAF) supplemented in diets on the growth performance and immune function of broiler chickens challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Methods: A total of one hundred and ninety-two 1-d-old broiler chicks were assigned into 4 treatment groups, which were, respectively, fed a basal diet (control), fed a diet with 750 mg/kg AAF, fed a basal diet, and challenged with LPS, fed a diet with 750 mg/kg AAF, and challenged with LPS. Each treatment had six pens with 8 chicks per pen. On days 14, 16, 18, 20 (stress phase I) and 28, 30, 32, 34 (stress phase II), broilers were injected with LPS (500 ㎍/kg body weight) or an equivalent amount of saline. Results: The results demonstrated that dietary AAF significantly improved the body weight (d 21) and alleviated the decrease of average daily gain in broilers challenged with LPS on d 21 and d 35 (p<0.05). Dietary AAF increased bursa fabricius index, and dramatically attenuated the elevation of spleen index caused by LPS on d 35 (p<0.05). Furthermore, serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) concentration decreased with AAF supplementation on d 21 (p<0.05). Diet treatment and LPS challenge exhibited a significant interaction for the concentration of IL-1β (d 21) and IL-6 (d 35) in serum (p<0.05). Additionally, AAF supplementation mitigated the increase of IL-1β, IL-6 in liver and spleen induced by LPS on d 21 and 35 (p<0.05). This study also showed that AAF supplementation significantly reduced the expression of IL-1β (d 21) and nuclear transcription factor kappa-B p65 (d 21 and 35) in liver (p<0.05), and dietary AAF and LPS treatment exhibited significant interaction for the gene expression of IL-6 (d 21), toll like receptor 4 (d 35) and myeloid differentiation factor 88 (d 35) in spleen (p<0.05). Conclusion: In conclusion, AAF could be used as a potential natural immunomodulator to improve growth performance and alleviate immune stress in broilers challenged with LPS.

• BMB Reports
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.484-488
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• 2001

STATs are proteins with a dual function: signal transducers in the cytoplasm and transcriptional activators in the nucleus. Among the six known major STATs (STAT1-6), STAT3 has been implicated in the widest range of signaling pathways that regulate cell growth and differentiation. As a part of our on-going investigation on the pleiotropic functions of STAT proteins, we examined the role of STAT3 as a molecular adaptor that links diverse cell growth signaling pathways. We observed that STAT3 can be specifically activated by multiple cytokines, such as IL-3, in transformed fibroblasts and IL-4 or IFN-$\gamma$ in primary immune cells, respectively. The selective activation of STAT3 in H-ras-transformed NIH3T3 cells is associated with an increased expression of phosphoserioe STAT3 in these cells, compared to the parental cells. Notably phosphoresine-STAT3 interacts with oncogenic ras, shown by immunoprecipitation and Western blots. The results suggest the role of STAT3 in rasinduced cellular transformation as a molecular adaptor linking the Jak/STAT and Ras/MAPK pathways. In primary immune cells, IL-4 and IFN-$\gamma$ each induced (in addition to the characteristic STAT6 and STAT1 homodimers) the formation of STAT3-containing complexes that bind to GAS probes, which correspond to the $Fe{\varepsilon}$ Rll and $Fe{\gamma}$ RI promoter sequences, respectively. Since IL-4 and IFN-$\gamma$ are known to counter-regulate the expression of these genes, the ability of STAT3 to form heterodimeric complexes with STAT6 or STAT1 implies its role in the fine-tuned control of genes that are regulated by IL-4 and IFN-$\gamma$.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.49-59
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• 2020

The present study determined the effect of dietary cultivated microalgae (Parachlorella sp.) on the growth and immune responses of pre-starter broilers. A total of 320 one-day-old birds (Ross 308) were allocated to 4 treatments with 8 blocks in a randomized complete block design. The four experimental diets consisted of a corn-soybean meal-based control diet, and three diets contained 0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.5% microalgae powder at the expense of cornstarch in the control diet. After feeding the experimental diets for 7 days, the body weight and feed intake of all birds were measured, and 8 birds were randomly selected from each treatment. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and serum were harvested for immune profile assessment, including cytokines and cell migration receptors. No differences in growth performance were observed among the treatments. The birds that were fed diets containing graded levels of microalga showed a linear increase in the mRNA expression of cytokine genes in PBMCs, including that of IL2, IL1β, and IL18 (P<0.05). With respect to the chemokine receptor genes in PBMCs, mRNA expression of CCR2, CCR9, and ITGA4 changed quadratically (P<0.05), but that of CCR7 increased linearly (P<0.01). Cytokine protein secretion in blood, including that of IL-1β and IL-6, increased linearly (P<0.01) with an increase in the microalgal content. Overall, the present results show that the indigenous microalgae powder used in this study could stimulate immunity with no detrimental effects on the growth performance of pre-starter broiler chickens.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.9
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• pp.1433-1442
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• 2018

To identify and quantify the effects of a combination of dietary $1{\times}10^8CFU/g$ Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis I2 ($LI_2$) and 0.1% ${\beta}$-glucooligosaccharides (BGO) on the growth and immunity of olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus), a feeding experiment was conducted. Flounder ($14{\pm}0.5g$) were divided into two groups and fed control and synbiotic feeds for 8 weeks. Investigations were carried out on growth and feed utilization, innate immunity, serum biochemical parameters, intestinal lactic acid bacterial (LAB) viability, microvillus length, and changes in the expression levels of genes encoding pro-inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor $[TNF]-{\alpha}$, interleukin $[IL]-1{\beta}$, and IL-6). Results demonstrated the synbiotic diet had significantly better (p < 0.05) responses in terms of weight gain and specific growth rate, three innate immune parameters (respiratory burst, serum lysozyme, and superoxide dismutase), intestinal LAB viability, and the relative $TNF-{\alpha}$ expression level (p < 0.05). Moreover, after challenge with Streptococcus iniae ($1{\times}10^8CFU/ml$), the synbiotically fed group exhibited significantly higher (p < 0.05) protection against streptococcosis, validating the observed changes in immune parameters and induction of the cytokine-encoding gene. Therefore, according to the results of the present study, synbiotic feed ($LI_2+BGO$) increased growth, modulated innate immune parameters and protected olive flounder against streptococcosis.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.587-595
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• 2022

Objective: The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation with Bifidobacterium animalis, Agave fructans, and symbiotic of both encapsulated on growth performance, feed efficiency, blood parameters, and immune status in broiler chickens, and to compare these with diets including antibiotic growth promoters and without additives. Methods: A comparative experimental study was carried out with 135 male Ross 308 broiler chickens. Each trial was divided into 5 equal groups. Control group (CON) received a standard diet without growth promoter; GPA, a standard diet with colistin sulfate and zinc bacitracin (0.25 g/kg of feed); PRE, a standard diet with 1% Agave fructans; PRO, a standard diet with Bifidobacterium animalis (11.14±0.70 log CFU/g); SYM, a standard diet with B. animalis and Agave fructans. Results: A significant decrease in food consumption was found for the GPA, PRE, and SYM, compared to the CON group. The results show a better feed conversion index in PRE and GPA with respect to the CON group with the highest conversion index. Interestingly, the weight of the gastrointestinal tract shows a statistically significant difference between GPA and PRE groups. Moreover, the length of the gastrointestinal tract of the GPA group was less than the PRE group. In the total leukocyte count, there was a statistically significant increase in the GPA group compared to the CON, PRE, and PRO groups, and the heterophiles-lymphocytes index was lower in PRO. Regarding the cytokines, interleukin 10 (IL-10) decreased in PRO compared to CON and PRE, while IL-1β increased in the SYM group. Conclusion: Alternative treatments were shown to achieve similar productive results as growth-promoting antibiotics and showed improvement over diet without additives; however, they have immunomodulatory properties and improved the development of the gastrointestinal tract compared to the treatment of growth-promoting antibiotics.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.10
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• pp.1390-1401
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• 2023

In this study, a 12-week feeding experiment was conducted to characterize the effects of exogenous α-amylase on the growth, feed utilization, digestibility, plasma α-amylase activity, feed degradation rate, and fecal particle size of olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus). Diet was supplemented with 0 (AA₀; control), 100 (AA₁₀₀), 200 (AA₂₀₀), or 400 (AA₄₀₀) mg/kg of α-amylase, respectively. Fish (273.1 ± 2.3 g) were stocked into 12 tanks (25 fish/1,000-L tank) and 3 tanks were randomly selected for each diet group. As a result, α-amylase was found to have no significant effects (p ≥ 0.05) on the growth, feed utilization parameters, and whole-body proximate compositions. α-Amylase-treated fish exhibited only a significant increase in the apparent digestibility coefficient of carbohydrates compared to the controls. In addition, in vitro analyses revealed that α-amylase dose-dependently increased (p < 0.05) the feed degradation rate, while photographs of the intestinal content after 2, 4, and 8 h of feeding demonstrated an improved degradation rate in the α-amylase-treated groups. Plasma α-amylase content was higher in the AA₂₀₀ and AA₄₀₀ groups, whereas the control group produced significantly larger-sized fecal particles (90% size class) than these two groups. In the intestine, no changes were observed in the expression levels of the immune-related TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-2, immunoglobulin-M, HSP-70, lysozyme, and amylase alpha-2A. However, growth-related genes IGF-1, IGF-2, TGF-β3, and growth hormone genes were upregulated in muscle tissues. Collectively, exogenous α-amylase has positive roles in the modulation of the digestibility coefficient, blood α-amylase concentration, growth-related gene expression, and diet degradation for improved digestion in olive flounder.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.10.1-10.17
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• 2024

In this review, we will explore the intricate roles of cytokines and vascular endothelial growth factors in autoimmune diseases (ADs), with a particular focus on rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and multiple sclerosis (MS). AD is characterized by self-destructive immune responses due to auto-reactive T lymphocytes and Abs. Among various types of ADs, RA and MS possess inflammation as a central role but in different sites of the patients. Other common aspects among these two ADs are their chronicity and relapsing-remitting symptoms requiring continuous management. First factor inducing these ADs are cytokines, such as IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-17, which play significant roles in the pathogenesis by contributing to inflammation, immune cell activation, and tissue damage. Secondly, vascular endothelial growth factors, including VEGF and angiopoietins, are crucial in promoting angiogenesis and inflammation in these two ADs. Finally, placental growth factor (PlGF), an emerging factor with bi-directional roles in angiogenesis and T cell differentiation, as we introduce as an "angio-lymphokine" is another key factor in ADs. Thus, while angiogenesis recruits more inflammatory cells into the peripheral sites, cytokines secreted by effector cells play critical roles in the pathogenesis of ADs. Various therapeutic interventions targeting these soluble molecules have shown promise in managing autoimmune pathogenic conditions. However, delicate interplay between cytokines, angiogenic factors, and PlGF has more to be studied when considering their complementary role in actual pathogenic conditions. Understanding the complex interactions among these factors provides valuable insights for the development of innovative therapies for RA and MS, offering hope for improved patient outcomes.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.27 no.7
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• pp.1035-1043
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• 2014

To investigate the effect of dietary Acanthopanax senticosus polysaccharide (ASPS) on growth performance, immunity, blood parameters and mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in immunologically challenged piglets, an experiment employing $2{\times}2$ factorial arrangement concerning dietary ASPS treatment (0 or 800 mg/kg) and immunological challenge (lipopolysaccharide [LPS] or saline injection) was conducted with 64 crossbred piglets (weaned at 28 d of age, average initial body weight of $7.25{\pm}0.21kg$) assigned to two dietary ASPS treatments with 8 replicates of 4 pigs each. Half of the piglets of per dietary treatment were injected with LPS or saline on d 14. Blood samples were obtained at 3 h after immunological injection on d 14 and piglets were slaughtered to obtain spleen samples on d 21. Dietary ASPS did not affect average daily gain (ADG) (p = 0.634), average daily feed intake (ADFI) (p = 0.655), and gain:feed (p = 0.814) prior to LPS challenge. After LPS challenge, for LPS-challenged pigs those fed ASPS had higher ADG and ADFI than the non-supplemented group (p<0.05), and an interaction between $LPS{\times}ASPS$ was observed on the two indices (p<0.05). Dietary ASPS improved lymphocyte proliferation among saline-injected and LPS-injected pigs (p<0.05). Interaction between $LPS{\times}ASPS$ was also revealed on lymphocyte proliferation (p<0.05). Circulatory concentration of IgG was influenced neither by ASPS (p = 0.803) or LPS (p = 0.692), nor their interaction (p = 0.289). Plasma concentration and spleen mRNA expression of interleukin-1beta (IL-$1{\beta}$), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-${\alpha}$ were induced to increase (p<0.05) by LPS challenge, in contrast, these indices were decreased by dietary ASPS (p<0.05), and interactions were found on these cytokines (p<0.05). For LPS-challenged pigs, dietary ASPS also reduced the circulating concentration and spleen mRNA expression of IL-$1{\beta}$, IL-6 as well as TNF-${\alpha}$ (p<0.05). The interaction between $LPS{\times}ASPS$ was also observed on the circulating concentration of insulin-like growth factor-I, ${\alpha}$-acid glycoprotein (${\alpha}$-AGP), nonesterified fatty acid, and glucose (p<0.05). The results of this study demonstrate that dietary ASPS can modulate the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines during immunological challenge, which might enable piglets to achieve better growth performance.