• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.431-439
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• 2005

Objective: The aim was to identify the inhibitory effects of Flos Bombacis Malabarici(FBM) on Monosodium Urate (MSU)-induced gout in rats. Materials and Methods: After pretreatment of FBM I (50mg/kg), FBM II (125mg/kg) for seven days followed by injection of MSU solution, the various indicators related to gout were measured, such as hematological and serum levels and including joint inflammation. Also, it was investigated whether FBM directly inhibits the activity of xanthine oxidase in vitro. Results: As a result of this study, FBM didn't show the cytotoxicity in Jurkat cells, but it showed significant inhibition of activity of xanthine oxidase in vitro. FBM slightly inhibited joint inflammation induced by MSU though not with statistical significance. FBM partially decreased MSU-induced AST, ALT, BUN, creatinine, WBC, ESR elevation and significantly decreased MSU-induced uric acid in serum. Conclusion: These results suggest that FBM has therapeutic effects that are applicable to prevention and treatment of gout. and should be further investigated.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.586-591
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• 2015

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation is closely related to miconazole-induced heart dysfunction. Although rhamnetin has antioxidant effects, it remained unknown whether it can protect against miconazole-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Thus, we investigated the effects of rhamnetin on miconazole-stimulated H9c2 cell apoptosis. MATERIALS/METHODS: Cell morphology was observed by inverted microscope and cell viability was determined using a WelCount$^{TM}$ cell proliferation assay kit. Miconazole-induced ROS production was evaluated by fluorescence-activated cell sorting with 6-carboxy-2',7'-dichlorofluoroscein diacetate ($H_2DCF$-DA) stain. Immunoblot analysis was used to determine apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1 (APE/Ref-1) and cleaved cysteine-aspartic protease (caspase) 3 expression. NADPH oxidase levels were measured using real-time polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Miconazole (3 and $10{\mu}M$) induced abnormal morphological changes and cell death in H9c2 cells. Rhamnetin enhanced the viability of miconazole ($3{\mu}M$)-treated cells in a dose-dependent manner. Rhamnetin (1 and $3{\mu}M$) treatment downregulated cleaved caspase 3 and upregulated APE/Ref-1 expression in miconazole-stimulated cells. Additionally, rhamnetin significantly reduced ROS generation. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that rhamnetin may have cytoprotective effects in miconazole-stimulated H9c2 cardiomyocytes via ROS inhibition. This effect most likely occurs through the upregulation of APE/Ref-1 and attenuation of hydrogen peroxide levels.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.403-414
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• 2006

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of constraint-induced (CI) movement using self-efficacy on U/E function of chronic hemiplegic patients. CI movement discourages the use of the unaffected U/E, combined with intensive training of the affected U/E. Method: A non-equivalent pretest-posttest design was used. Study subjects were 40 hemiplegic patients conveniently selected from 2 different community health centers. The experimental subjects participated in the CI movement program for 6 hours daily over a period of two weeks. The exercises for affected U/E consisted of warming up, main exercise and ADL practice. To encourage the participants' behaviors self-efficacy enhancing strategies were used, which included performance accomplishment, vicarious experience, verbal persuasion and emotional arousal. Result: After 2 weeks of treatment, the grip power, pinch power, wrist flexion/extension, elbow flexion, and shoulder flexion/extension were significantly higher in the experimental subjects than in the control subjects. However, there was no significant difference in hand functions of the two groups. Conclusion: The above results show that the constraint-induced movement using self-efficacy could be an effective nursing intervention for improving U/E function of chronic hemiplegic patients. Long term studies are needed to determine the lasting effects of constraint-induced movement.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.103-110
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• 2007

Objectives : This study was performed to prove the preventive effect of water extracts from Artemisiae Iwayomogi Herba on hyperlipiderma and liver damage induced alcohol. Methods : Except for the normal group, we fed rat on 25% alcohol for 55 days. And Artemisiae Iwayomogi Herba extract was administrated for the same period. We measured the serum component in rat's blood. body weight and weight of liver. Result : At first, we observed preventive effects of Artemisiae Iwayomogi Herba on hyperlipiderma induced by alcohol. Artemisiae Iwayomogi Herba group showed significant decrease of total cholesterol and triglyceride in comparison with those of the control group. Artemisiae Iwayomogi Herba group showed significant increase of body weight in comparison with those of the control group in 4weeks and 8weeks. At second, we observed preventive effects of Artemisiae Iwayomogi Herba on liver damage induced by alcohol. Artemisiae Iwayomogi Herba group showed significant decrease of GOT, ALP and LDH in comparison with those of the control group. Artemisiae Iwayomogi Herba group showed significant increase of liver weight in comparison with those of the control group. Conclusion : Reviewing these experimental results, it appears that water extracts from Artemisiae Iwayomogi Herba have pharmaceutical preventive efficacy on hyperlipiderma and liver damage induced by alcohol. Therefore further additional study should be conducted to elucidate in depth the pharmaceutical efficacy of Artemisiae Iwayomogi Herba.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.343-347
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• 1994

Effects of betaine on glutamate-induced neurotoxicity were examined on primary culturs of chicken embryonic brain cells and on rat cortical cultures. Betaine was found to attenuate glutamate-induced neurotoxicity both morphologically and biochemically. A 30 min exposure of chicken embryonic brain cells cultured for 12 days to 500 .mu.M glutamate produced wide-spread acute neuronal swelling and neurtic fragmentation. A 2-h pretreatment of cultured chicken embryonic brain cells with i mM betaine prior to a 30 min exposure to 500 , mu, M glutamate significantly raised the survival rate of neurons in the culture. When chicken embryonic brain cells were pretreated for 2 h with i mM betaine followed by exposure to 100 .mu.M glutamate for 42 h, lactate dehydrogenase levels within the cells remained at 62% of .mu.M untreated control values while glutamate-treated control fell to 0% lactate dehydrogenase. Betaine also exerted attenuating effects on N-methyl-D-asparte-, kainate-and quisqualate-induced neurotoxicity in a similar manner to that observed with glutamate. Similar neuroprotective effects of betaine with rat cortical cultures.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.388-393
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• 2006

The aim was to identify the inhibitory effects of Radix Rosae Laevigatae(RRL) on Monosodium Urate(MSU)-induced gout in rats. After pretreatment of RRL I (125mg/kg), RRL II (50mg/kg) for seven days followed by injection of MSU solution, the various indicators related to gout were measured, such as hematological and serum levels and including joint inflammation. Also, it was investigated whether RRL directly inhibits the activity of xanthine oxidase in vitro. As a result of this study, RRL didn't show the cytotoxicity on cell proliferation, but it showed significant inhibition of activity of xanthine oxidase in vitro. RRL slightly inhibited joint inflammation induced by MSU though not with statistical significance. RRL partially decreased MSU-induced BUN, creatinine, WBC, ESR elevation and significantly decreased MSU-induced AST, ALT, uric acid in serum. These results suggest that RRL has therapeutic effects that are applicable to prevention and treatment of gout, and should be further investigated.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.71-76
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• 1993

It has been reported that d-limonene inhibits chemical-induced rat mammary cancer by the mechanism of increases in detoxification enzymes such as glutathione S-transferases and that cineole fails to exhibit significant suppressive effect on chemical-induced carcinogenesis. The present study was designed to compare the effects of d-limonene and cineole on the benzo(a)pyrene (BP)-induced mutagenicity, BP metabolism and lipid peroxidation. Modified Ames assay was employed to evaluate the inhibitory effect of d-limonene and cineole on the BP-induced mutagenicity. The number of revertant-bearing wells was decreased by 44~77% in the presence of both BP and d-limonene compared with that of BP alone whereas cineole decreased the number of revertant-bearing wells by 28~45% at the concentrations between $2{\mu}m$m.TEX> and 2 mM. d-Limonene suppressed BP metabolism by 16, 54 and 67% at 1, 10 and 100 mM, respectively while cineole inhibited the metabolism by 16, 26 and 55% at the same concentrations. The $EC_{50}$ values for d-limonene and cineole in inhibiting lipid peroxidation were 2.0 mM and 16 mM respectively, as assayed by thiobarbituric acid method. The present study showed that d-limonene and cineole have common antimutagenic effects although d-limonone appeared to be more effective than cineole in suppressing mutation and lipid peroxidation. The results suggest that the antimutagenic effects of d-limonene and cineole may be associated with alternation in enzyme activities and with inhibition of lipid peroxidation.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.32 no.5 s.92
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• pp.492-498
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• 2006

Ultraviolet(UV) radiation causes a variety of biological effects on the skin, including inflammation, pigmentation, photoaging and cancer. Free radicals are involved in inflammatory skin reactions induced by UVB radiation. In this study, we investigated the effects of antioxidants(Tea, Korean red ginseng, Ginkgo biloba extract) on UVB-induced skin damage. Tea, KRG and EGb 761 were topically treated to dorsal skin of ICR mouse. The mice were also treated soon after IMED ($1.4KJ/m^{2}$) of UVB irradiation. Skin pigmentation of irradiated mouse was observed by a chromameter after 2 weeks. Topical application of Tea, KRG and EGb 761 for 2 weeks decreased skin pigmentation compared to DVB control group(p<.05). Tea, KRG and EGb 761 also reduced UVB-induced infiltration of inflammatory cells. These results showed that Tea, KRG and EGb 761 as a topical application may have preventive effect against UVB-induced skin damage.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.193-203
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• 2003

Objectives : In this study, we investigated the effect and pathway of contralateral heterotropic electroacupuncture (EA) on pain induced by fonualin in rats. Methods : Acu-points in the right forepaws, HT 7 and PC 7 were stimulated with 3~4mA, 2ms, and 10Hz after 5% formalin (50ul) s.c. injection to the left hind paw. In addition, it was investigated whether the dorsolateral funiculus (DLF), known to be related the descending inhibition, mediates analgesic effects of the contralateral heterotropic EA or whether administration of naltrexone, an opioid antagonist, blocks the effect of EA. Results : The results showed that contralateral heterotropic electroacupuncture (EA) inhibited late phase (63.311.7%) of pain induced by fonualin in the behavioral test, but sham-EA had little effect on pain behavior (85.616.8%) and no analgesic effects after transection of the dorsolateral funiculus (95.718.7%). The pretreatment of naltrexone (10mg/kg, i.p.) could not inhibit the analgesic effects of EA on formalin-induced pain behavior (70.713.1%). Also,EA suppressed formalin injection induced expression of cFos like protein (cFL) in the dorsal homo but not sham-EA. Suppressed expressions of cFL in the spinal cord were eliminated after transection of the ipsilateral dorsolateral funiculus at T10-11 leve1s. However, pretreatment of naltrexone could not prevent the suppressive expressions of cFL at the spinal cord. Conclusions : These results suggest that the analgesic effect of contralateral heterotropic electroacupuncture may be modulated through the dorsolateral funiculus constituting the descending inhibition.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.293-298
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• 2004

Background: Crohn's disease is characterized by a chronic relapsing inflammation of the bowel. Gliotoxin has been known to play strong immunosuppressive properties, while mechanisms for its anti-inflammatory actions are not completely understood. Here, we investigated the effects of gliotoxin in trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS) induced mouse colitis, an animal model of Crohn's disease. Results: Gliotoxin dramatically improved clinical and histopathological symptoms in accompanied with reduced expression of TNF-$\alpha$, IL-1$\beta$, and ICAM-1 protein levels in TNBS induced colitis. Interestingly Gliotoxin induced Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and the HO-1 inducer cobalt protoporphyrin IX (CoPPIX) completely mimicked the protective effects of gliotoxin in TNBS induced colitis mice. In contrast, the HO-1 inhibitor zinc protoporphyrin IX (ZnPPIX) could reverse the anti-inflammatory effects of gliotoxin and CoPPIX. Conclusions: Gliotoxin is a potential therapeutic agent targeting for the treatment of Crohn's disease by inducing HO-1.