• 대한본초학회지
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• 제28권6호
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• pp.101-109
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• 2013

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of Polygoni Multiflori Radix Water Extract (PM) on the production of inflammatory mediators in RAW 264.7 mouse macrophages induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Method : We examined effect of PM Extract on the cell viability of RAW 264.7 cells. Futhermore, we investigated anti-inflammatory effect of PM Extract by the production of proinflammatory cytokines such as NO, intracellular calcium, interleukin(IL)-$1{\alpha}$, IL-3, IL-$1{\beta}$, IL-6, interferon inducible protein-10(IP-10), keratinocyte-derived chemokine(KC) and vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF). Result : No significant changes have been found in the mouse macrophge cell viability by the PM Extract at the concentration of 25, 50, 100 and $200{\mu}g/mL$. The water extract of PM significantly inhibited the production of NO and intracellular calcium in the LPS-induced macrophages at the concentration of 25, 50, 100 and $200{\mu}g/mL$. The water extract of PM significantly inhibited the production of IL-$1{\alpha}$, IL-${\beta}$, IL-3, IP-10, KC, VEGF in the LPS-induced macrophages at the concentration of 50, 100, and $200{\mu}g/mL$; IL-6 at the concentration of 100 and $200{\mu}g/mL$ ; and IL-17 at $200{\mu}g/mL$. Conclusion : The water extract of PM significantly inhibited the production of NO, intracellular calcium, IL-$1{\alpha}$, IL-3, IL-${\beta}$, IP-10, KC, VEGF at the concentration of 50 ㎍/mL or higher in the LPS-induced macrophages with no changes in the cell viability of them. These results suggest that water extract of Polygoni Multiflori Radix has anti-inflammatory effect regulating the production of proinflammatory cytokines in the LPS-induced macrophages.

• 대한본초학회지
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• 제34권2호
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• pp.41-47
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• 2019

Objectives : A traditional herbal prescription, Kyung-Ok-Ko (KOK), has long been used in oriental medicine as an invigorant for age-related diseases, such as amnesia and stroke. However, the beneficial value of KOK for immune responses is largely unknown. Based on the above mentioned effects of KOK, other previous reports, and its use in traditional medicine, we hypothesized that KOK displays beneficial effects against methotrexate (MTX)-induced immune suppression. Methods : We investigated the effects of KOK (0.6 g/kg/day, oral (p.o.)) on deteriorated immunity caused by MTX (2 mg/kg/day, p.o.) in an immune suppression mouse model. MTX was fed to mice once a day for 7 days. After the immune responses of the mice deteriorated by MTX treatment, KOK in water was fed to the mice once a day for 14 days. We then measured the expression levels of various cytokines, such as T helper cell (Th1, Th2) cytokines, and the number of immune cells, such as spleen T cells, B cells, and macrophages. Results : The data showed that MTX decreased Th1 profiles (interferon $(IFN)-{\gamma}$, interleukin (IL)-2, IL-12) and the number of immune cells, and increased Th2 profiles (IL-4, IL-5, IL-13), which were normalized significantly by post-administration of KOK. However, there was no significant difference in body-weight gain between MTX- and KOK-treated mice. Conclusion : These results indicate that KOK has immune-enhancing functions and reduces immunotoxicity of MTX, suggesting that supplementation with KOK will improve immune responses clinically and be useful for the prevention of immune-related diseases.

• 항공우주의학회지
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• 제31권3호
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• pp.77-81
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• 2021

Purpose: The United States of America have pre-migration screening program are mandated through legislation. The one of purpose of this program is to prevent the importation of certain communicable diseases. Examinations of migration applicants are performed by panel physicians who are licensed physicians in the countries of origin that have agreements with the government departments of the country of destination to undertake this activity. In recent decades, the number of US migrants has increased, however COVID-19 impacted this trend of international migrants. The Aim of this study is to examine trends of US applicants and outcomes of tuberculosis and sexual transmitted infections (STIs) screening in South Korean applicants for US visa. Methods: A total of 4,442 applicants participated in US visa health check-up in 2016 to 2020. Results: The numbers of applicant for US visa in males and females was 1,814 and 2,628. The positive results in tuberculosis and STIs screening was noted with 0.66% in nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), 0.03% in tuberculosis, 0.03% in gonorrhea, 0.08% in syphilis, and 0.74% in chlamydia. The age groups of 2 to 14 years showed higher positive rate (13.89%) in tuberculin skin test (TST) tests compared to the rate of interferon gamma release assay (IGRA) tests (0.44%, P<0.001). The positive ratio of NTM and abnormal chest X-ray (CXR) which required sputum tests among the applicants over 15 years old has trends to increase with age. The age groups of over 70 years showed high positive rate in NTM and abnormal CXR (4.10%, 20.51%). However, ages 15 to 49 years groups showed 0.00% to 0.30% in NTM and 1.08% to 3.91% in abnormal CXR. In the study population, the positive rates of STIs were 0.03%, 0.08%, and 0.74% in gonorrhea, syphilis, and chlamydia, respectively. Among the participants who underwent sputum smears and cultures were just 1 case of active tuberculosis (0.03%) and 25 cases of NTM infection (0.66%). Conclusion: This study found that rate of positivity in tuberculosis and STIs screening among South Korean applicants for US visa in 2016 to 2020. Regarding tuberculosis, the positivity of CXR among the aged 15 to 59 years applicants was lower than that among over 60 years old. Among 2 to 14 years, positivity of IGRA was very low. And IGRA test can reduce effort of further evaluation compared to TST test in South Korea, so IGRA test among young adults can be useful. High positive rates in STI among young adult could result in high active sexuality, especially chlamydia infection is most common. Therefore Chlamydia polymerase chain reaction should be considered formal protocol among the Korean applicant for US visa.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• 제64권1호
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• pp.166-182
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• 2022

Deer antler velvet is widely used in traditional medicine for its anti-aging, antioxidant, and immunity-enhancing effects. However, few studies have reported on the discovery of probiotic strains for deer antler fermentation to increase functional ingredient absorption. This study evaluated the ability of probiotic lactic acid bacteria to enhance the concentrations of bioactive molecules (e.g., sialic acid and gamma-aminobutyric acid [GABA]) in extracts of deer antler velvet. Seventeen strains of Lactobacillus spp. that were isolated from kimchi and infant feces, including L. sakei, L. rhamnosus, L. brevis, and L. plantarum, and those that improved the life span of Caenorhabditis elegans were selected for evaluation. Of the 17 strains, 2 (L. rhamnosus LFR20-004 and L. sakei LFR20-007) were selected based on data showing that these strains increased both the sialic acid and GABA contents of deer antler extract after fermentation for 2 d and significantly improved the life span of C. elegans. Co-fermentation with both strains further increased the concentrations of sialic acid, GABA, and metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids and amino acids. We evaluated the biological effects of the fermented antler velvet (FAV) on the antibacterial immune response in C. elegans by assessing worm survival after pathogen infection. The survival of the C. elegans conditioned with FAV for 24h was significantly higher compared with that of the control worm group fed only normal feed (non-pathogenic E. coli OP50) exposed to E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella typhi, and Listeria monocytogenes. To evaluate the protective effects of FAV on immune response, cyclophosphamide (Cy), an immune-suppressing agent was treated to in vitro and in vivo. We found that FAV significantly restored viability of mice splenocytes and immune promoting-related cytokines (interleukin [IL]-6, IL-10, inducible nitric oxide synthase [iNOS], interferon [IFN]-γ, and tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-α) were activated compared to non-fermented deer antlers. This finding indicated the protective effect of FAV against Cy-induced cell death and immunosuppressed mice. Taken together, our study suggests that immune-promoting antler velvet can be produced through fermentation using L. rhamnosus LFR20-004 and L. sakei LFR20-007.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• 제48권1호
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• pp.6.1-6.14
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• 2023

Objectives: This study evaluated the effects of high-plasticity mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA-HP) on the activity of M1 and M2 macrophages, compared to white MTA (Angelus). Materials and Methods: Peritoneal inflammatory M1 (from C57BL/6 mice) and M2 (from BALB/c mice) macrophages were cultured in the presence of the tested materials. Cell viability (MTT and trypan blue assays), adhesion, phagocytosis, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β production were evaluated. Parametric analysis of variance and the non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test were used. Results were considered significant when p < 0.05. Results: The MTT assay revealed a significant decrease in M1 metabolism with MTA-HP at 24 hours, and with MTA and MTA-HP later. The trypan blue assay showed significantly fewer live M1 at 48 hours and live M2 at 48 and 72 hours with MTA-HP, compared to MTA. M1 and M2 adherence and phagocytosis showed no significant differences compared to control for both materials. Zymosan A stimulated ROS production by macrophages. In the absence of interferon-γ, TNF-α production by M1 did not significantly differ between groups. For M2, both materials showed higher TNF-α production in the presence of the stimulus, but without significant between-group differences. Likewise, TGF-β production by M1 and M2 macrophages was not significantly different between the groups. Conclusions: M1 and M2 macrophages presented different viability in response to MTA and MTA-HP at different time points. Introducing a plasticizer into the MTA vehicle did not interfere with the activity of M1 and M2 macrophages.

• Animal Bioscience
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• 제36권5호
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• pp.753-760
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• 2023

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effects of essential oil coated with glycerol monolaurate (GML) on the growth performance, intestinal morphology, and serum profiles of weaned piglets. Methods: A total of 144 weaned piglets (Duroc×[Landrace×Yorkshire], average weight 8.07±3.33 kg) were randomly assigned to three groups with six replicate pens and eight piglets per pen: i) CON: a corn-soybean basal diet; ii) LEG: with 1,000 mg/kg essential oil coated with GML; and iii) HEG: with 2,000 mg/kg essential oil coated with GML. Results: Results showed that average daily gain was increased (p<0.05) linearly by essential oil coated with GML supplementation on day 14 to 28 and day 0 to 28 compared with the CON group. Dietary supplementation with HEG increased (p<0.05) total antioxidant capacity and catalase activity on day 14, and immunoglobulin A (IgA) and IgM concentration on day 28 and tended to increase IgG on day 28. In addition, the crypt depth in the jejunum was reduced (p<0.05), and villus height and villus height/crypt depth in the ileum were increased (p<0.05) in the HEG group compared with the CON group. Moreover, lower (p<0.05) concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-α, interferon-γ, interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-8, and IL-10 were observed in the jejunum of piglets supplemented with HEG compared with the CON group. In addition, dietary HEG tended to decrease IL-6 level in the jejunum of piglets compared with the CON group. Conclusion: Dietary essential oil coated with GML can improve growth performance of weaned piglets. Moreover, supplementing 2,000 mg/kg essential oil coated with GML was demonstrated to improve antioxidant ability, and intestinal morphology, and reduce jejunal inflammatory factor levels.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제50권1호
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• pp.44-52
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• 2023

Objective: The DNA integrity of spermatozoa that attach to fallopian tube (FT) cells is higher than spermatozoa that do not attach. FT epithelial cells can distinguish normal and abnormal sperm chromatin. This study investigated the effects of sperm with a high-DNA fragmentation index (DFI) from men with unexplained repeated implantation failure (RIF) on the Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling pathway in human FT cells in vitro. Methods: Ten men with a RIF history and high-DFI and 10 healthy donors with low-DFI comprised the high-DFI (>30%) and control (<30%) groups, respectively. After fresh semen preparation, sperm were co-cultured with a human FT epithelial cell line (OE-E6/E7) for 24 hours. RNA was extracted from the cell line and the human innate and adaptive immune responses were tested using an RT2 profiler polymerase chain reaction (PCR) array. Results: The PCR array data showed significantly higher TLR-1, TLR-2, TLR-3, TLR-6, interleukin 1α (IL-1α), IL-1β, IL-6, IL-12, interferon α (IFN-α), IFN-β, tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), CXCL8, GM-CSF, G-CSF, CD14, ELK1, IRAK1, IRAK2, IRAK4, IRF1, IRF3, LY96, MAP2K3, MAP2K4, MAP3K7, MAP4K4, MAPK8, MAPK8IP3, MYD88, NFKB1, NFKB2, REL, TIRAP, and TRAF6 expression in the high-DFI group than in the control group. These factors are all involved in the TLR-MyD88 signaling pathway. Conclusion: The MyD88-dependent pathway through TLR-1, TLR-2, and TLR-6 activation may be one of the main inflammatory pathways activated by high-DFI sperm from men with RIF. Following activation of this pathway, epithelial cells produce inflammatory cytokines, resulting in neutrophil infiltration, activation, phagocytosis, neutrophil extracellular trap formation, and apoptosis.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• 제23권1호
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• pp.8.1-8.15
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• 2022

Background: Brucella infection induces brucellosis, a zoonotic disease. The intracellular circulation process and virulence of Brucella mainly depend on its type IV secretion system (T4SS) expressing secretory effectors. Secreted protein BspJ is a nucleomodulin of Brucella that invades the host cell nucleus. BspJ mediates host energy synthesis and apoptosis through interaction with proteins. However, the mechanism of BspJ as it affects the intracellular survival of Brucella remains to be clarified. Objectives: To verify the functions of nucleomodulin BspJ in Brucella's intracellular infection cycles. Methods: Constructed Brucella abortus BspJ gene deletion strain (B. abortus ∆BspJ) and complement strain (B. abortus pBspJ) and studied their roles in the proliferation of Brucella both in vivo and in vitro. Results: BspJ gene deletion reduced the survival and intracellular proliferation of Brucella at the replicating Brucella-containing vacuoles (rBCV) stage. Compared with the parent strain, the colonization ability of the bacteria in mice was significantly reduced, causing less inflammatory infiltration and pathological damage. We also found that the knockout of BspJ altered the secretion of cytokines (interleukin [IL]-6, IL-1β, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor-α, interferon-γ) in host cells and in mice to affect the intracellular survival of Brucella. Conclusions: BspJ is extremely important for the circulatory proliferation of Brucella in the host, and it may be involved in a previously unknown mechanism of Brucella's intracellular survival.

• 한국자원식물학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국자원식물학회 2020년도 추계국제학술대회
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• pp.81-81
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• 2020

Pneumonia is infection of air sacs in lungs by bacteria, viruses, fungi and abnormal atmosphere condition. That causes to inflammation and fills up with pus and fulid in air sacs. The symptoms of pneumonia are heavy cough, fever, shortness and rapid respiration and sputum with blood. Also, that remains sequela after the recovery. Thymus quinquecostatus (TQ) has a strong antibacterial effect. That has been used a natural medicine for bronchitis, asthma and nervous inflammation. In this study evaluated anti-inflammatory effects of TQ on IFN (interferon)-γ/TNF (tumor necrosis factor)-α (20 ng/ml) stimulation. MRC-5 cells were seeded at 1 × 10⁵ cells/well in a 24-well plate and stabilized overnight at 37℃. The cells were treated with various concentrations of TQ extracts (DW, 30, 50, 70, 95% EtOH, 0.1~100 mg/ml) for 4h, Subsequently IFN-γ/TNF-α (20 ng/ml) was added to each well and incubated over 12h. the production of inflammatory cytokines were measured by Enzyme-linked immunosorbentassay(ELISA) method. The absorbance was measured at 450 nm using microplate reader. The treatment with TQ extract at dose of 0.1 to 100 mg/ml did not show cytotoxicity in MRC-5 cells (showed cytotoxicity at 95% EtOH 100 mg/ml). The results demonstrated that stimulation of TNF-α/IFN-γ significantly increased the production of inflammatory mediators in the MRC-5 cells compared with unstimulated cells. By contrast, treatment with TQ extreats doses of 0.001 to 10 mM significantly suppressed the production of IL-6 and IL-8. Especially. The higher percent of ethyl alcohol extracts suppressed the production of inflammatory cytokines. This results are considered that essential oil of TQ is extracted according to ethyl alcohol percent. Therefore, TQ has potential to mitigate pulmonary disease that can be used a medicine for pneumonia

• 생명과학회지
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• 제33권12호
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• pp.1062-1073
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• 2023

우울증은 개인과 사회에 부정적인 영향을 미치는 흔한 정신질환이지만 그 원인은 아직 명확히 밝혀져 있지 않다. 스트레스는 우울증의 주요 위험인자이며, 염증을 유발하여 우울증에 대한 취약성을 증가시키는 것으로 알려져 있다. 수많은 연구는 우울증과 염증의 강한 연관성을 제안하고 있다. 우울증 환자 혈액에서는 IL-1β, IL-6, IL-12, TNF-α 및 IFN-γ와 같은 친염증성 사이토카인이 증가하였으며, IL-4, IL-10 및 TGF-β와 같은 항염증성 사이토카인이 감소하였다. 설치류에 친염증성 사이토카인을 투여하면 우울 유사 행동이 관찰되는 반면, 항염증제를 투여하면 우울 증상이 완화된다. 이러한 연구들은 우울증의 병인에 염증의 중요성을 강조하고 있다. 우울증에서 염증이 활성화되는 기전에 관한 다양한 연구들이 진행되고 있다. 최근 연구에서는 스트레스로 유발되는 무균 염증의 중요성을 밝히고 있다. 병원균의 감염이 없는 상태에서 신체 및 심리적 스트레스로 인해 염증 과정이 활성화되는 것을 무균 염증이라 한다. 스트레스는 무균 염증을 활성화하기 위해 DAMPs (damage-associated molecular patterns)로 알려진 내인성 인자의 방출을 촉진시키며, 방출된 DAMPs는 해당 수용체인 PRRs (pattern recognition receptors)에 결합함으로서 신호전달을 통해 친염증성 사이토카인 생성을 증가시킨다. 본 종설에서 무균 염증의 조절 장애에 대한 전임상 및 임상 증거를 바탕으로 우울증에서 DAMP의 역할을 검토하고자 한다.