• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.510-514
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• 2017

Plantago asiatica L., observed frequently in East Asia, is a known herb used in traditional medical remedies several studies report that P. asiatica L has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. To determine the production of cytokines (IL-2, $IFN-{\gamma}$, and $TNF-{\alpha}$) induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and non-LPS-stimulated macrophages, an ELISA assay was conducted using cytokine kits. Mice splenocytes were cultured for 48 h with various concentrations of P. asiatica L. (5, 10, 50, 100, 250, 500, and $1,000{\mu}g/mL$) or with mitogens (ConA or LPS). P. asiatica L. increased the proliferation of mice splenocytes, especially under the condition of its concentration ranging from 250 to $1,000{\mu}g/mL$. In addition, Plantago asiatica L. notably induced cytokine production of (IL-2, $IFN-{\gamma}$, and $TNF-{\alpha}$) at its concentration of $250{\sim}500{\mu}g/mL$. These results suggest that supplementation with P. asiatica L. water extracts may play a potential role in enhancing immune function by mediating splenocyte proliferation and cytokine production through its anti-inflammatory activit.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.31 no.9
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• pp.2493-2496
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• 2010

Erythropoietin (EPO) is mainly produced in kidney and stimulates erythropoiesis. The use of recombinant EPOs for doping is prohibited because of its performance enhancing effect. This study investigated whether biosimilar EPOs could be differentiated from endogenous one by iso-electro-focusing plus double blotting and SDS-PAGE for antidoping analysis. The established method was validated with positive control urine. The band patterns were reproducible and meet the criteria, which was made by world anti doping agency (WADA). Isoelectric focusing was conducted in pH range 2 to 6. Recormon (La Roche), Aropotin (Kunwha), Epokine (CJ Pharm Co.), Eporon (Dong-A), Espogen (LG Life Sciences), and Dynepo (Shire Pharmaceuticals) were detected in basic region. All biosimilars showed discriminative isoelectric profiles from endogenous EPO profiles, but they showed different band patterns with the reference one except Epokine (CJ Pharm Co.). Next, SDS-PAGE of biosimilar EPOs resulted in different molecular weight patterns which were distributed higher than endogenous EPO. Commercial immune assay kit as an immune affinity purification tool and immobilized antibody coated magnetic bead were tested for the purification and concentration of EPO from urinary matrix. The antibody-coated magnetic bead gave better purification yield. The IEF plus double blotting and SDS-PAGE with immunoaffinity purification method established can be used to discriminate biosimilar EPOs from endogenous EPO.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.213-225
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• 2002

The purpose of this study was to identify the Effect of Hand Reflexology on Saeng-chi of physiologic, emotional & motivational responses and Immunity in ESRD patients who received hemodialysis in two general hospital from June to September. 2001 A two group quasi-experimental research with pre and post test design was used. The number of participants in the experimental group was 23, and in the control group, 20 The Hand Reflexology Intervention was developed by the researcher based on hand reflexology by Carter & Weber and Chi-massage by Chia. The Hand Reflexology was applied to both hands for 10 minutes per day. and 5 days by 5 times. To evaluate the effects of the program, Pre and Post evaluations were done. In the physiologic response, the PR was decreased at the 1st times post treatment and at the 5th. In addition BP was decreased at the 1st time, but not the 5th. After 5 treatments, there were significant increase in Hb and significant decreases in the BUN and Cr. levels in the experimental group. In the emotional and motivational responses, there were significant increases in vigor, mood, uplifts and self care agency scores in the experimental group, but there was no significant difference in the Rosenberg's self esteem score. In the experimental group, significantly increased CD4, and h/s ratios were found, also NK cells were significantly decreased, and there was a decrease in the CD8. However, no significant differences between groups were observed. There were significant increases in CD32, CD33, CD34 in the experimental group. The self care agency score correlated negatively with the CD8. From the above results, Hand Reflexology is shown to be an effective mind-body nursing intervention for enhancing Saeng-chi responses and affecting some of the immune responses. However, Immune cell activation and differentiation with hand reflexology will be achieved with future study.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.298-306
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• 2017

Background: Compound K (CK) is a bioactive derivative of ginsenoside Rb1 in Panax ginseng (Korean ginseng). Its biological and pharmacological activities have been studied in various disease conditions, although its immunomodulatory role in innate immunity mediated by monocytes/macrophages has been poorly understood. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the regulatory role of CK on cellular events mediated by monocytes and macrophages in innate immune responses. Methods: The immunomodulatory role of CK was explored by various immunoassays including cell-cell adhesion, fibronectin adhesion, cell migration, phagocytic uptake, costimulatory molecules, reactive oxygen species production, luciferase activity, and by the measurement of mRNA levels of proinflammatory genes. Results: Compound K induced cell cluster formation through cell-cell adhesion, cell migration, and phagocytic activity, but it suppressed cell-tissue interactions in U937 and RAW264.7 cells. Compound K also upregulated the surface expression of the cell adhesion molecule cluster of differentiation (CD) 43 (CD43) and costimulatory molecules CD69, CD80, and CD86, but it downregulated the expression of monocyte differentiation marker CD82 in RAW264.7 cells. Moreover, CK induced the release of reactive oxygen species and induced messenger RNA expression of proinflammatory genes, inducible nitric oxide synthase, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha by enhancing the nuclear translocation and transcriptional activities of nuclear factor kappa-B and activator protein-1. Conclusion: Our results suggest that CK has an immunomodulatory role in innate immune responses through regulating various cellular events mediated by monocytes and macrophages.

• Journal of Radiation Industry
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.169-173
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• 2011

This study investigated the effect of gamma irradiation on immune enhancing activity of Chaga mushroom extract (CME). CME was prepared by hot water extraction at $70^{\circ}C$ for 4 hours and lyophilized. Lyophilized CME powder was dissolved with deionized water at $10mg\;ml^{-1}$ and then irradiated at the doses of 10, 30 and 50 kGy by cobalt 60 gamma irradiator. The gamma-irradiated and non-irradiated CME were treated into the splenocyte separated from mouse. Cell proliferation and cytokine production of the immune cells were increased by gamma-irradiated CME and these increases were more prominent when CME was irradiated at higher doses. Therefore, it is considered that gamma irradiation can be an effective method for improvement of the immunomodulating activity Chaga mushroom extract.

• Journal of Biomedical and Translational Research
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.92-102
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• 2018

The objectives of this study were to find out the plant to enhance immune activity among 42 kinds of foods frequently consumed by the Korean elderly consisting of 5 food groups and 5 wild plants. Each sample was assessed the immunoactive effect by measuring $NF-{\kappa}B/AP1$ gene expression, nitric oxide and cytokine production in $RAW-Blue^{TM}$ cell. Soybean sprouts of 47 plants showed the highest $NF-{\kappa}B/AP1$ gene expression at the level of $1.13{\pm}0.03$ (O.D. 650 nm) and Soritae, sweet potato, banana, apple, garlic, crown daisy, cabbage and Ailanthus altissima also had high activity of $NF-{\kappa}B/AP1$ gene in $RAW-Blue^{TM}$ cell stimulated by LPS. NO production of Ailanthus altissima was significantly higher than that of other plants and 16 plants of glutinous sorghum, black rice, Seoritae, Heuktae, sweet potato, banana, apple, garlic, mungbean sprouts, spinach, crown daisy, young pumpkin, cabbage, soybean sprouts, Actinidia arguta and Aster scaber were the next best activity. The above results selected 17 out of 47 plant samples. Moreover, soybean sprouts was significantly shown to increase $TNF-{\alpha}$ ($1,509.55{\pm}1.38pg/mL$) and $IL-1{\beta}$ ($54.56{\pm}1.08pg/mL$) cytokines in comparison with RAW-Blue cell stimulated by LPS. According to the results of in vitro evaluation, the ethanol extract of soybean sprout increased the production of immune-enhancing cytokines by proliferation of macrophages. In addition, $NF-{\kappa}B$ transcription factor activity and NO production ability were excellent, and it was selected as a material having excellent immunological activity.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.72.1-72.16
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• 2023

Background: Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) on the surface of Streptococcus dysgalactiae, coded with gapC, is a glycolytic enzyme that was reported to be a moonlighting protein and virulence factor. Objective: This study assessed GAPDH as a potential immunization candidate protein to prevent streptococcus infections. Methods: Mice were vaccinated subcutaneously with recombinant GAPDH and challenged with S. dysgalactiae in vivo. They were then evaluated using histological methods. rGAPDH of mouse bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs) was evaluated using immunoblotting, reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay methods. Results: Vaccination with rGAPDH improved the survival rates and decreased the bacterial burdens in the mammary glands compared to the control group. The mechanism by which rGAPDH vaccination protects against S. dysgalactiae was investigated. In vitro experiments showed that rGAPDH boosted the generation of interleukin-10 and tumor necrosis factor-α. Treatment of BMDCs with TAK-242, a toll-like receptor 4 inhibitor, or C29, a toll-like receptor 2 inhibitor, reduced cytokines substantially, suggesting that rGAPDH may be a potential ligand for both TLR2 and TLR4. Subsequent investigations showed that rGAPDH may activate the phosphorylation of MAPKs and nuclear factor-κB. Conclusions: GAPDH is a promising immunization candidate protein for targeting virulence and enhancing immune-mediated protection. Further investigations are warranted to understand the mechanisms underlying the activation of BMDCs by rGAPDH in a TLR2- and TLR4-dependent manner and the regulation of inflammatory cytokines contributing to mastitis pathogenesis.

• Journal of Marine Bioscience and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.33-40
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• 2023

This study aimed to investigate the immunomodulatory function of Pyropia yezoensis hydrothermal (water) extract (PYWE) in comparison to the group treated only with lipopolysaccharides (LPS) in RAW264.7 cells. LPS is known to be an inflammatory mediator that activates macrophages, leading to the secretion of nitric oxide (NO), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) as defense responses. Through enzyme-linked immunoassay and western blot analyses, it was observed that PYWE increased the expression levels of NO, iNOS, TNF-α, and IL-6 in RAW264.7 cells in a dose-dependent manner, although to a lesser extent compared with the group treated with LPS alone. In addition, the study examined the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) pathway, which regulates various cellular activities, including gene expression, mitosis, cell differentiation, transformation, survival, and death. The western blot analysis confirmed that PYWE also regulated the MAPKs pathway. Furthermore, the expression levels of immunomodulatory-related factors increased in the group treated with PYWE compared with the control group. Even though the effects of PYWE were usually less strong than those of LPS, the effects of PYWE increased with increasing doses compared to the control group. This suggests that PYWE could be used to control the immune system.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.44.1-44.10
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• 2023

Tumor hypoxia, oxygen deprivation state, occurs in most cancers and promotes angiogenesis, enhancing the potential for metastasis. The vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family genes play crucial roles in tumorigenesis by promoting angiogenesis. To investigate the malignant processes triggered by hypoxia-induced angiogenesis across pan-cancers, we comprehensively analyzed the relationships between the expression of VEGF family genes and hypoxic microenvironment based on integrated bioinformatics methods. Our results suggest that the expression of VEGF family genes differs significantly among various cancers, highlighting their heterogeneity effect on human cancers. Across the 33 cancers, VEGFB and VEGFD showed the highest and lowest expression levels, respectively. The survival analysis showed that VEGFA and placental growth factor (PGF) were correlated with poor prognosis in many cancers, including kidney renal cell and liver hepatocellular carcinoma. VEGFC expression was positively correlated with glioma and stomach cancer. VEGFA and PGF showed distinct positive correlations with hypoxia scores in most cancers, indicating a potential correlation with tumor aggressiveness. The expression of miRNAs targeting VEGF family genes, including hsa-miR-130b-5p and hsa-miR-940, was positively correlated with hypoxia. In immune subtypes analysis, VEGFC was highly expressed in C3 (inflammatory) and C6 (transforming growth factor β dominant) across various cancers, indicating its potential role as a tumor promotor. VEGFC expression exhibited positive correlations with immune infiltration scores, suggesting low tumor purity. High expression of VEGFA and VEGFC showed favorable responses to various drugs, including BLU-667, which abrogates RET signaling, an oncogenic driver in liver and thyroid cancers. Our findings suggest potential roles of VEGF family genes in malignant processes related with hypoxia-induced angiogenesis.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.57 no.4
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• pp.355-363
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• 2024

Although aquaculture shrimp production has increased, disease mortality has also increased. Acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND) is an emerging disease that significantly reduces production. In this study, we have investigated the potential of medicinal herbs in enhancing the immune system of shrimp. A mixture of medicinal herb extracts (Han In-jin, Artemisia iwayomogi kitamura and Cham Dang-gwi, Angelicae gigas Nakai) was absorbed into pellets and fed to whiteleg shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei for 12 weeks. The weight gain, immune activity, and disease resistance effects of the shirmp were examined. The growth performance of shrimp fed the mixture of medicinal herbal extracts was higher than that of the control group. The prophenoloxidase (proPO) activity was found to be significantly higher at 8 weeks in the 0.1% medicinal herb extract fed group. The cumulative mortality when artificially infected with AHPND pathogens commonly decreased in the 8 weeks fed group when compared with the control group. Furthermore, the RPS (relative percentage survival) was improved. This study confirmed that a mixture of medicinal herbal extracts has a positive effect on growth performance, innate immunity and disease resistance in shrimp. The optimum concentration of the medicinal herb extract for shrimp feed was 0.1% .