• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.137-149
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• 2012

Hemocyte parameters of the wild Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas inhabiting intertidal zones in small bays (Gwangyang and Jinhae Bay) on the southern coast of Korea were evaluated using flow cytometry and neutral red retention (NRR) assay. Morphological features, cell count, mortality, DNA damage, phagocytosis, and lysosomal membrane stability of hemocytes were analyzed. Three types of hemocytes were identified in the oyster hemolymph: granulocytes, hyalinocytes, and blast-like cells. Immune related functions of hemocyte including phagocytosis and lysosomal membrane stability were significantly different among the study areas (P<0.05), while cell count, mortality, and DNA damage of hemocytes were not significantly different. In Gwangyang Bay, phagocytosis of granulocytes and lysosomal membrane stability of oyster hemocytes inhabiting inside bay were significantly lower than those of oyster hemocytes in outside bay (P<0.05), indicating that oysters in inside bay of Gwangyang were relatively suppressed the immunological function in hemocytes. Contrary to Gwangyang Bay, immune parameters of oyster hemocytes in Jinhae Bay not showed the difference between sampling sites. In conclusion, flow cytometry and NRR assay using oyster hemocyte has a powerful tool to investigate the cell level in a short time due to no-preprocessing of material.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.92-97
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• 2014

Cordycepin, an active component originally isolated from the traditional medicine Cordyceps militaris, is a derivative of the nucleoside adenosine, which has been shown to possess a number of pharmacological properties, including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, immunological stimulation, and antitumor effects. This study was conducted on cultured human prostate carcinoma LNCap cells to elucidate the possible mechanisms by which cordycepin exerts its anticancer activity, which, until now, has remained poorly understood. Cordycepin treatment of LNCap cells resulted in dose-dependent inhibition of cell growth and the induction of apoptotic cell death as detected by an MTT assay, cleavage of poly ADP-ribose polymerase, and annexin V-FITC staining. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that cordycepin resulted in G2/M arrest in cell cycle progression and downregulation of cyclin B1 and cyclin A expression in a concentration-dependent manner. Moreover, the incubation of cells with cordycepin caused a striking induction in the expression of the cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitor p21Waf1/Cip1 without affecting the expression of the tumor suppressor p53. It also resulted in a significant increase in the binding of CDK2 and CDC2 to p21. These findings suggest that cordycepin-induced G2/M arrest and apoptosis in human prostate carcinoma cells is mediated through p53-independent upregulation of the CDK inhibitor p21.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.26 no.9
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• pp.1088-1096
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• 2016

Despite that moderate hyperthermia can exert various antitumor activities such as direct cytotoxic effects on tumor cells, effects on tumor vasculatures and immunological effects, hyperthermia has been usually combined with radiotherapy or chemotherapy due to its limited efficacy in cancer treatment, showing some positive clinical benefits with generally well-tolerated side effects. Since heat shock responses itself can interfere with the anti-tumor effects of hyperthermia, not all of these studies might have demonstrated positive clinical outcomes in cancer patients. Therefore, the negative anti-tumor effect of hyperthermia should be reduced to enhance the effectiveness of hyperthermia. Although the responses to heat stress of tumor tissues containing vessels, immune cells, connective tissues as well as cancer cells, are very complicated, it is needed to study in the near future if some clinically available drugs, which can modulate heat stress responses, can improve the efficacy of hyperthermia in patients with cancer. In this review, the effect of clinical hyperthermia centered on non-invasive external hyperthermia using radiofrequency at moderate temperature will be discussed, since it is the state-of-the-art technology in the current clinical practice of hyperthermia, and a moderate operational temperature is used to increase the therapeutic effectiveness of conventional therapy without additional toxicity to normal tissues.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.366-375
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• 2023

Background: Ginseng contains three active components: ginsenosides, gintonin, and polysaccharides. After the separation of 1 of the 3 ingredient fractions, other fractions are usually discarded as waste. In this study, we developed a simple and effective method, called the ginpolin protocol, to separate gintonin-enriched fraction (GEF), ginseng polysaccharide fraction (GPF), and crude ginseng saponin fraction (cGSF). Methods: Dried ginseng (1 kg) was extracted using 70% ethanol (EtOH). The extract was water fractionated to obtain a water-insoluble precipitate (GEF). The upper layer after GEF separation was precipitated with 80% EtOH for GPF preparation, and the remaining upper layer was vacuum dried to obtain cGSF. Results: The yields of GEF, GPF, and cGSF were 14.8, 54.2, and 185.3 g, respectively, from 333 g EtOH extract. We quantified the active ingredients of 3 fractions: L-arginine, galacturonic acid, ginsenosides, glucuronic acid, lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), phosphatidic acid (PA), and polyphenols. The order of the LPA, PA, and polyphenol content was GEF > cGSF > GPF. The order of L-arginine and galacturonic acid was GPF >> GEF = cGSF. Interestingly, GEF contained a high amount of ginsenoside Rb1, whereas cGSF contained more ginsenoside Rg1. GEF and cGSF, but not GPF, induced intracellular [Ca²⁺]_i transient with antiplatelet activity. The order of antioxidant activity was GPF > GEF = cGSF. Immunological activities (related to nitric oxide production, phagocytosis, and IL-6 and TNF-α release) were, in order, GPF > GEF = cGSF. The neuroprotective ability (against reactive oxygen species) order was GEF > cGSP > GPF. Conclusion: We developed a novel ginpolin protocol to isolate 3 fractions in batches and determined that each fraction has distinct biological effects.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.149-157
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• 2016

This study was performed to investigate the effects of the stocking density (standard stocking density (SSD, $495cm^2/bird$)) vs. high stocking density (HSD,245cm2/bird) and challenge with lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 5mg/kg BW) on the stress-related physiological indicators in chicks. There was a significant (p<0.05) decrease in body weight, but not in the weight of immune organs, between the SSD and HSD groups. The LPS group resulted in a significant (p<0.05) increase in the weights of the thymus and bursa of fabricius compared with the SSD group. Plasma biochemical components, including aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), blood urea nitrogen, Ca, P, creatine kinase and uric acid, markedly (p<0.05) increased in the LPS birds, although no difference in these parameters was observed between the SSD and HSD birds. Furthermore, the birds challenged with LPS showed a significant (p<0.05) increase in the plasma corticosterone level, although this hormone did not differ between the SSD and HSD groups. In the mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, hepatic $IL-1{\beta}$, IL-6 and iNOS in the LPS group significantly (p<0.05) increased compared with those in the SSD group. Thymic mRNA expression of $IL-1{\beta}$, IL-6 and IL-18 in the LPS group also significantly (p<0.05) increased compared with those in the other groups. In addition, mRNA expression of $IL-1{\beta}$ in the bursa of fabricius of the LPS group increased (p<0.05) without affecting the other cytokines. Under high stocking density, thymic $IL-1{\beta}$ was the only cytokine that was up-regulated compared with the SSD group. In conclusion, an acute stress induced by LPS challenge profoundly affected immune organ weight, blood biochemical profiles and pro-inflammatory cytokine expression, while chronic stress did not markedly affect biochemical and immunological parameters, suggesting that chicks under high stocking density could be adapted to prolonged stressors.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.151-156
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• 2009

The prevalence of food allergies was investigated using questionnaires with 300 subjects whose ages ranged from 19 to 24 years old and the causative food allergens was analyzed using immunological analysis with serum of the subjects who answered that they have/had food allergy. The questionnaire showed that 11.33% of subjects have/had experience of food hypersensitivity, where the main causative foods were fish, beef, chicken, milk, egg, and pork in order. The meat allergy shared 4.65% (2.33% for beef, 1.66% for chicken, 0.66% for pork) in the prevalence of food allergies. The causative beef allergens were investigated with the serum of 6 subjects who have had beef allergy. Western blots were carried out with the serum of P6 subject who showed a positive reaction to beef extract in ELISA. The two specific bands were detected in beef extract on the PVDF membrane, and no band was detected in extracts of pork and chicken. A calculation of the distance of migration by SDS-PAGE enabled the molecular masses of the two bands to be estimated as 67kDa and 31kDa, respectively. The 67kDa was revealed as bovine serum albumin (BSA) which is one of the important beef allergens as reported previously though an analysis of the N-terminal amino acid sequence. However we could not identify the sequence of 31kDa, probably because they comprised several subunits and were modified proteins such as glycoprotein that were unlikely to be easily degraded by the Edman method. The 31kDa band were dyed with the PAS (periodic acid-schiff reagent), suggesting that it might be a glycoprotein. These results suggested that the 31kDa might be considered as a novel potential beef allergen which is not reported previously, although further studies are needed.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.37-43
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• 2018

Chamaecyparis obtusa (CO) has recently been attracting attention because of its beneficial effects on skin allergies, atopic dermatitis, and skin diseases, such as acne and eczema. In the present study, the extract from CO leaf grown in Jangseong gun, Jeollanam-do, Korea was evaluated for its anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-allergic effects in vitro. The total polyphenol content of the CO leaf extract was $25.89{\pm}0.31mg$ gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g. Gas-chromatography mass-spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis revealed the presence of six compounds in the CO leaf extract: ${\alpha}-terpinene$ (3.03 mg/g), ${\alpha}-terpineol$ (9.48 mg/g), limonene (5.96 mg/g), borneol (59.78 mg/g), myrcene (4.85 mg/g), and sabinene (11.31 mg/g). The $RC_{50}$ values of the CO leaf extract for $H_2O_2$ and ABTS radical were $5.47{\pm}0.13mg/mL$ and $4.00{\pm}0.01mg/mL$, respectively. In addition, the CO leaf extract showed significant inhibitory effects on lipopolysaccharide-induced nitric oxide production in RAW 264.7 cells and IgE-induced release of ${\beta}-hexosaminidase$ (degranulation) in mast-cell like RBL-2H3 cells. The cell viability assay showed that the CO leaf extract ($100{\sim}800{\mu}g/mL$) did not affect the viability of human normal skin fibroblast CCD-986sk cells significantly. Overall, these results suggest that the CO leaf extract is a potential functional cosmetic ingredient that can exert anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-allergic effects.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.838-847
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• 1999

Based on the results that the extract of Korean mistletoe (KM-110) has immunological and anti-tumor activities and its main component is lectin called KML-U, this study was carried out to investigate the immunostimulatory and anti-tumor activities of FKM-110, fermented KM-110 with lactobacillus, as a basic study for the development of functional food with anti-tumor activity. The amount of lectin after fermentation determined by ELISA was varied with the fermentation time and kinds of lactobacillus. Cytotoxic effects of FKM-110 on the various tumor cells was significant and dependent on the concentration of KML-U and the kinds of lactobacillus. FKM-110 stimulated macrophage and resulted in the secretion of some cytokines such as IL-1 and $IFN-{\gamma}$, but this effect was not correlated with the concentration of lectin. FKM-110 fermented with Marshall Lactobacillus casei showed the most potent antitumor activity in experimental and spontaneous metastasis models. When yoghurt produced with KM-110, Marshall Lactobacillus casei and skim milk was administered orally to mouse, the metastasis of tumor cells was significantly inhibited.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.25 no.10
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• pp.1156-1163
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• 2015

The present study investigated the immunomodulatory properties of four different medicinal plants in a cyclophosphamide-treated Balb/c mouse model. One of the four plants, Ulmus macrocarpa, showed partial resistance against immune suppression induced by cyclophosphamide. The bark of U. macrocarpa, commonly known as the Chinese elm, has been used as a pharmaceutical material in Korean traditional medicine to treat bacterial inflammation and induce wound healing. In this study, water extract of U. macrocarpa, named DEU-7, was used for its immunomodulating functional activity. DEU-7 increased the weight of the spleen and the number of splenocytes but did not significantly affect the liver, kidney, and thymus in vivo. A splenocyte viability assay confirmed that DEU-7 influenced ex vivo splenocyte survival. DEU-7 also increased the levels of cytokines, such as IL-2 and IL-4, and immunoglobulins, such as IgM, IgG, and IgA. These results indicated that DEU-7 is involved in the activation of T and B lymphocytes. In addition, DEU-7 was able to maintain the production of cytokines, such as TNF-α, IL-12, and IFN-γ, in the condition of cyclophosphamide-induced immune suppression, suggesting that DEU-7 activated innate immune cells, even under immune suppression. We concluded that DEU-7 aids immunological homeostasis, thereby preventing immune suppression, and aids both innate and adaptive immune response by maintaining the levels of various cytokines and immunoglobulins. Consequently, it is worth investigating the potential of DEU-7 as a supplemental source for immune-enhancing agents.