• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제16권3호
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• pp.197-202
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• 2008

In our previous publication we compared the gene expression profiles on hepatotoxicants exposure to assess the comparability between in vivo and in vitro test systems. We investigated global gene expression from both mouse liver and mouse hepatic cell line treated with thioacetamide (TAA) and identified several common genes. In this study, we selected genes to validate them as potential biomarkers for hepatotoxicity on the relevance of in vitro and in vivo system. Three up-regulated, aquaporin 8 (Aqp8), glutathione peroxidase 1 (Gpx1), succinate-CoA ligase, GDP-forming, alpha subunit (Suclg1) and two down-regulated, DnaJ (Hsp40) homolog subfamily C member 5 (Dnajc5) and tumor protein D52 (Tpd52) genes were tested for their effects in vitro. For characterization of gene function, short interfering RNA (siRNA) for each gene was synthesized and transfected in mouse hepatic cell line, BNL CL.2. Cell viability, mRNA expression level and morphological alterations were investigated. We confirmed siRNA transfection against selected five genes induced down-regulation of respective mRNA expression. siRNA transfection in general decreased cell viability in different degrees and induced morphological changes such as membrane thickening and alterations of intracellular structures. This suggests that these genes could be associated with TAA-induced toxicity. Furthermore, these genes may be used in the investigation of hepatotoxicity for better understanding of its mechanism.

• 대한한방내과학회지
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• 제11권2호
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• pp.22-42
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• 1990

Sabaiksan has been prescribed to treat various allergic diseases in herbal medicine which were induced by various vasoactive amine released from the mast cells. The constituents of Sabaiksan are Mori Cortex Radices(MCR), Lycii Cortex Radicis(LCR) and Glycyrrhizae Radix(GR). Recently, simple models of compound 48/80 induced anaphylactic shock and cutaneous reaction in vivo were developed to test various agents employed in the field of allergy and toxicology research. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of Sabaiksan on compound 48/80 induced anaphylactic stock, cutaneous reaction and mesenteric mast cell degranulation rate in ICR mice, and on compound 48/80 induced peritoneal mast cell degranulation and histamine release in vitro. Groups of ICR mice were intraperitoneally pretreated with $100{\mu}{\ell}$ of saline, $MCR(2g/m{\ell}),\;LCR(2g/m{\ell}),\;GR(g/m{\ell})$ or Sabaiksan itself(MCR+LCR+GR) at 24, 12 and 1 hour before compound 48/80 solution ($10{\mu}{\ell}/gm$ B. W) were peritoneally given into them, and then mortality within 72 hours after the compound 48/80 injection, and mesenteric mast cell degranulation rate at 15 minutes after compound 48/80 injection were calculated. In vitro experiment, $400{\mu}{\ell}$ of rat peritoneal mast cell suspension$(10^6cell/m{\ell})$ were pretreated with $50{\mu}{\ell}$ of saline, $MCR(2g/m{\ell}),\;LCR(2g/m{\ell}),\;GR(g/m{\ell})$ or Sabaiksan itself at room temperature for 30 minutes, and then $50{\mu}{\ell}$ of compound 48/80 solution $(100{\mu}g/m{\ell})$ were added into it. 30 minutes after the addition of compound 48/80 solution, histamine release assay in the supernatant of peritoneal mast cell suspension were performed employing radioisotope enzymatic assay and morphologic changes of mast cells in each regular time point were photographed. Compared with controls, compound 48/80 induced anaphylactic shock was significantly inhibited by MCR and GR pretreatment into the ICR mice. Significant inhibition of compound 48/80 induced cutaneous reaction, mesenteric mast cell degranulation rate in vivo and histamine release from the rat peritoneal mast cells in vitro was observed only in MCR pretreated group. From the above results, it is suggested that MCR component of Sabaiksan may playa key role to suppress mast cell function since it has been applied to various allergic diseases.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• 제22권3호
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• pp.289-294
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• 2006

Two isolates of mucous bacteria, mc75 and pc78, were isolated from fungal culture plate as culture contaminants with an interesting swarming motility. Both isolates were identified as Pseudomonas fluorescens based on microscopy, biochemical analysis, Biolog test and DNA sequence analysis of the 16S rRNA gene. Both strains have the exactly the same 16S rRNA gene sequences, and yet their biological control activity were not identical each other. In vitro analysis of antagonistic activity of two isolates against several plant pathogenic fungi indicated that both produced diffusible and volatile antifungal compounds of unknown identities. Treatment of the bacterial culture of P. fluorescens pc78 and its culture filtrate exhibited a strong biological control activity against rice sheath blight in vivo among six plant diseases tested. More effective disease control activity was obtained from treatment of bacterial culture than that of culture filtrate. Therefore, in addition to antifungal compound and siderophore production, other traits such as biofilm formation and swarming motility on plant surface may contribute to the biological control activity of P.fluorescens pc78 and mc75.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• 제25권6호
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• pp.492-500
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• 1992

본 연구에서는 비타민 A 과량 섭취가 비타민 K 기능에 미치는 영향을 알아보기 위하여 carboxylase의 기질인 쥐의 간내 microsome 단백질과 첨가된 펩티드의 vitamin K-dependent carboxylation rate를 측정하였다. In vitro 실험에서는 정상 vit.A 섭취군의 간 microsome을 vit.A 로 incubation했을때 간 내 prothrombin 선구 물질이나 첨가된 peptide기질의 carboxylation rate는 영향을 받지 않았다. 이와 비슷한 양상으로서 무비타민 K 식이와 함께 비타민 A를 정상수준 혹은 과잉 수준으로 섭취한 쥐를 비교한 경우에는 동일군 간에는 carboxylation rate에 유의한 차이를 나타내지 않았다. 그러나 비타민 A 과잉군의 간내 단백질의 carboxylation rate는 대조군에 비하여 증가하는 경향이었다, 비타민 A 과잉군은 비타민 A로 incubate한 경우나 하지 않은 경우 모두 대조군에 비하여 약 2~3 배 의 carboxylase 활성을 보였다. In vivo study 에서는 첨가된 peptide에 대한 carboxylase활성은 비타민 A 광일 섭취에 의하여 영향을 받지 않았다. 그러나 간 내 단백질의 carboxylation rate는 비타민 A과잉군이 대조군에 비하여 2~3 배나 더 높았다. Carboxylase 활성은 대조군이나 비타민 A과잉군 모두 연구기간이 진행될수록 더 증가하였다. 그리고 간 내 단백질의 carboxylation에 대한 비타민 A 과잉 효과는 실험 식이를 시작한 후 일주일 정도에서 나타나기 시작하였다. 그러므로 이 연구 결과는 비타민 A 과잉 시에는 과잉증이 빠른 시일내에 일어나며, 비타민 A 과잉은 비타민 K 결핍의 지표인 prothrombin 의 선구물질을 증가시킨다는 것을 시사한다.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• 제14권3호
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• pp.138-148
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• 2014

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous small RNA molecules best known for their function in post-transcriptional gene regulation. Immunologically, miRNA regulates the differentiation and function of immune cells and its malfunction contributes to the development of various autoimmune diseases including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Over the last decade, accumulating researches provide evidence for the connection between dysregulated miRNA network and autoimmunity. Interruption of miRNA biogenesis machinery contributes to the abnormal T and B cell development and particularly a reduced suppressive function of regulatory T cells, leading to systemic autoimmune diseases. Additionally, multiple factors under autoimmune conditions interfere with miRNA generation via key miRNA processing enzymes, thus further skewing the miRNA expression profile. Indeed, several independent miRNA profiling studies reported significant differences between SLE patients and healthy controls. Despite the lack of a consistent expression pattern on individual dysregulated miRNAs in SLE among these studies, the aberrant expression of distinct groups of miRNAs causes overlapping functional outcomes including perturbed type I interferon signalling cascade, DNA hypomethylation and hyperactivation of T and B cells. The impact of specific miRNA-mediated regulation on function of major immune cells in lupus is also discussed. Although research on the clinical application of miRNAs is still immature, through an integrated approach with advances in next generation sequencing, novel tools in bioinformatics database analysis and new in vitro and in vivo models for functional evaluation, the diagnostic and therapeutic potentials of miRNAs may bring to fruition in the future.

• International Journal of Stem Cells
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• 제16권2호
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• pp.145-155
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• 2023

Background and Objectives: Embryologically, mesodermal development is closely related to the development of various organs such as muscles, blood vessels, and hearts, which are the main organs that make up the body. However, treatment for mesoderm developmental disorders caused by congenital or acquired factors has so far relied on surgery and drug treatment for symptom relief, and more fundamentally, treatment for mesoderm developmental disorders is needed. Methods and Results: In our study, microRNA (miRNA), which plays an important role in the mesoderm development process, was identified and the developmental function was evaluated. miRNAs consist of small nucleotides, which act as transcription factors that bind to the 3' untranslated region and suppressed target gene expression. We constructed the human embryonic stem cell (hESC) knockout cell line and analyzed the function and characteristics of miR-5739, which plays an important role in mesoderm lineage. miR-5739 acts as a transcription factor targeting SMA, Brachyury T, Hand1, which controls muscle proliferation and differentiation, and KDR gene, which regulates vessel formation in vitro. In vivo results suggest a role in regulating muscle proliferation and differentiation. Gene ontology analysis confirmed that the miR-5739 is closely related to genes that regulate muscle and vessel proliferation and differentiation. Importantly, abnormal expression of miR-5739 was detected in somatic cells derived from patients with congenital muscle disease. Conclusions: Our study demonstrate that miR-5739 gene function significantly affects transcriptional circuits that regulate muscle and vascular differentiation during embryonic development.

• Toxicological Research
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• 제26권3호
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• pp.223-232
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• 2010

Artesunate, a semi-synthetic derivative of artemisinin, is used primarily as a treatment for malaria. Its effects on the central nervous system, general behavior, and cardiovascular, respiratory, and other organ systems were studied using mice, rats, guinea pigs, and dogs. Artesunate was administered orally to mice at doses of 125, 250, and 500 mg/kg and to rats and guinea pigs at 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg. In dogs, test drugs were administered orally in gelatin capsules at doses of 50, 100, and 150 mg/kg. Artesunate induced insignificant changes in general pharmacological studies, including general behavior, motor coordination, body temperature, analgesia, convulsion modulation, blood pressure, heart rate (HR), and electrocardiogram (ECG) in dogs in vivo; respiration in guinea pigs; and gut motility or direct effects on isolated guinea pig ileum, contractile responses, and renal function. On the other hand, artesunate decreased the HR and coronary flow rate (CFR) in the rat in vitro; however, the extent of the changes was small and they were not confirmed in in vivo studies in the dog. Artesunate increased hexobarbital-induced sleeping time in a dose-related manner. Artesunate induced dose-related decreases in the volume of gastric secretions and the total acidity of gastric contents, and induced increases in pH at a dose of 400 mg/kg. However, all of these changes were observed at doses much greater than clinical therapeutic doses (2.4 mg/kg in humans, when used as an anti-malarial). Thus, it can be concluded that artesunate is safe at clinical therapeutic doses.

• Clinical and Experimental Otorhinolaryngology
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• 제11권4호
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• pp.224-232
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• 2018

Objectives. Spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) include potential endogenous progenitor populations for the regeneration of the peripheral auditory system. However, whether these populations are present in adult mice is largely unknown. We examined the presence and characteristics of SGN-neural stem cells (NSCs) in mice as a function of age. Methods. The expression of Nestin and Ki67 was examined in sequentially dissected cochlear modiolar tissues from mice of different ages (from postnatal day to 24 weeks) and the sphere-forming populations from the SGNs were isolated and differentiated into different cell types. Results. There were significant decreases in Nestin and Ki67 double-positive mitotic progenitor cells in vivo with increasing mouse age. The SGNs formed spheres exhibiting self-renewing activity and multipotent capacity, which were seen in NSCs and were capable of differentiating into neuron and glial cell types. The SGN spheres derived from mice at an early age (postnatal day or 2 weeks) contained more mitotic stem cells than those from mice at a late age. Conclusion. Our findings showed the presence of self-renewing and proliferative subtypes of SGN-NSCs which might serve as a promising source for the regeneration of auditory neurons even in adult mice.

• Current Optics and Photonics
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• 제3권6호
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• pp.485-495
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• 2019

Photobiomodulation (PBM) using organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) surface light sources have recently been claimed to be the next generation of PBM light sources. However, the differences between light emitting diodes (LEDs) and OLED mechanisms in vitro and in vivo have not been well studied. In vivo mouse models were used to investigate the effects of OLED irradiation on cellular function and cutaneous wound healing compared to LED irradiation. Mice in the LED- and OLED-irradiated groups were subjected to irradiation with 6 J/㎠ LED and OLED (630 nm), respectively, for 14 days after wounding, and some mice were sacrificed for the experiments on days 3, 7, 10, and 14. To evaluate wound healing, we performed hematoxylin-eosin and Masson's trichrome staining and quantified collagen density by computerized image analysis. The results showed that the size of the wound, collagen density, neo-epidermis thickness, number of new blood vessels, and number of fibroblasts and neutrophils was significantly influenced by LED and OLED irradiation. The tissue levels of interleukin (IL)-β, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α were investigated by immunohistochemical staining. LED and OLED irradiation resulted in a significant increase in the tissue IL-β and IL-6 levels at the early stage of wound healing (P < 0.01), and a decrease in the tissue TNF-α level at all stages of wound healing (P < 0.05), compared to the no-treatment group. The expression levels of the genes encoding vascular endothelial growth factor and transforming growth factor-beta 1 were significantly increased in LED and OLED-irradiated wound tissue at the early stage of wound healing (P < 0.01) compared to the no-treatment group. Thus, OLED as well as LED irradiation accelerated wound healing by modulating the synthesis of anti-inflammatory cytokines and the expression levels of genes encoding growth factors, promoting collagen regeneration and reducing scarring. In conclusion, this suggests the possibility of OLED as a new light source to overcome the limitations of existing PBMs.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제46권11호
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• pp.675-687
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• 2023

Accumulation of pathogenic amyloid-β disrupts the tight junction of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), one of its senescence-like structural alterations. In the clearance of amyloid-β, the autophagy-lysosome pathway plays the crucial role. In this context, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibits the process of autophagy and lysosomal degradation, acting as a potential therapeutic target for age-associated disorders. However, efficacy of targeting mTOR to treat age-related macular degeneration remains largely elusive. Here, we validated the therapeutic efficacy of the mTOR inhibitors, Torin and PP242, in clearing amyloid-β by inducing the autophagy-lysosome pathway in a mouse model with pathogenic amyloid-β with tight junction disruption of RPE, which is evident in dry age-related macular degeneration. High concentration of amyloid-β oligomers induced autophagy-lysosome pathway impairment accompanied by the accumulation of p62 and decreased lysosomal activity in RPE cells. However, Torin and PP242 treatment restored the lysosomal activity via activation of LAMP2 and facilitated the clearance of amyloid-β in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, clearance of amyloid-β by Torin and PP242 ameliorated the tight junction disruption of RPE in vivo. Overall, our findings suggest mTOR inhibition as a new therapeutic strategy for the restoration of tight junctions in age-related macular degeneration.