• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.225-230
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• 2011

Indirubin is the active ingredient of Danggui Longhui Wan, a mixture of plants that is used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat chronic diseases. In this study we investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of an indirubin derivative, indirubin-3’-monoxime-5-sulphonic acid (I3M-5S, $C_{16}H_{11}N_3O_5S$). We found that I3M-5S inhibits the production of various inflammatory mediators such as nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin $E_2$ ($PGE_2$) as well as inflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ and interleukin-6 in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulated murine macrophage, RAW264.7 cells. In addition, the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2, which are essential enzymes to produce NO and $PGE_2$, respectively, was blocked by I3M-5S treatment in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. Present data suggest that I3M-5S exhibits potent anti-inflammatory activity in cultured macrophages and merit further study as potential therapeutic agents for inflammatory disorders.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.503-507
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• 2006

Flavonoids are known as natural anti-inflammatory agents. In this investigation, an anti-inflammatory potential of new topical preparation (SK Ato $Formula^{\circledR}$) containing flavonoid mixtures from Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi roots and Ginkgo biloba L. leaves with an extract of Gentiana scabra Bunge roots was evaluated in an animal model of chronic skin inflammation. Multiple 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate treatments for 7 consecutive days on ICR mouse ear provoked a chronic type of skin inflammation: dermal edema, epidermal hyperplasia and infiltration of inflammatory cells. When topically applied in this model, this row formulation $(5-20\;{\mu}L/ear/treatment)$ reduced these responses. Furthermore, it inhibited prostaglandin $E_2$ generation (17.1-33.3%) and suppressed the expression of proinflammatory genes, cyclooxygenase-2 and $interleulin-1{\beta}$ in the skin lesion. Although the potency of inhibition was lower than that of prednisolone, all these results suggest that Ato $Formula^{\circledR}$ may be beneficial for treating chronic skin inflammatory disorders such as atopic dermatitis.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.1272-1278
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• 2008

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of Kyung Hee Allergic Disease Herbal Formula (KAHF) on atopic dermatitis (AD) and its mode of action. Our clinical study showed KAHF reduced Severity Scoring of Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) indexes and subjective symptom scores. In parallel, the decreased levels of interferon (IFN)-$\gamma$ and interleukin (IL)-5 in serum, which contributed to its AD-mitigating effect was observed. To reveal the underlying mechanisms of KAHF in AD, its anti-inflammatory effect on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced responses in RAW 264.7 cells was examined. KAHF was found to significantly inhibit the productions of nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin $E_2$ ($PGE_2$), and IL-$1{\beta}$ in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. Consistently, KAHF potently inhibited protein and mRNA expressions of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). Furthermore, KAHF inhibited LPS-induced activation of nuclear factor (NF)-$\kappa}B$. Taken together, our data suggest that KAHF has a beneficial effect on several eicosanoid-related skin inflammations, such as atopic dermatitis.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.17-40
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• 2000

Cytotoxicity assays using artificial skins have been proposed as in vitro alternatives to minimize animal ocular and dermal irritation testing. Accordingly, the responses of artificial skins to the well-characterized chemical irritants toluene, glutaraldehyde, and sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), and the nonirritant polyethylene glycol were studied. The evaluation of the irritating and non-irritating test chemicals was also compared with the responses observed in human dermal fibroblasts and human epidermal keratinocytes grown in a monolayer culture. The responses monitored included an MTT mitochondrial functionality assay. In order to better understand the local mechanisms involved in skin damage and repair, the production of several mitogenic proinflammatory mediators, interleukin-l$\alpha$, 12-HETE, and 15-HETE, was also investigated. Dose-dependent increases in the levels of かIn and the HETEs were observed in the underlying medium of the skin systems exposed to the two skin irritants, glutaraldehyde and SLS. The results of the present study show that both human artificial skins can be used as efficient in vitro testing models for the evaluation of skin toxicity and for screening contact skin irritancy.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.953-958
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• 2008

The object of this study was to investigate the immune-enhancing effects of Chlorella vulgaris (CV) on a deteriorated immune function by a protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) diet. Unicellular algae, CV were used as a biological response modifier. Male C57BL/6J mice were fed for 15 days with standard diet or a PEM diet, which is associated with decreased host immune defense. After 8 days, mice in the PEM diet group were orally administered by 0.05, 0.1, and 0.15 g/kg body weight of CV or distilled water. Nutritional parameters, and interferon (IFN)-$\gamma$ levels were significantly increased in the blood serum of the CV (0.15 g/kg)-treated group (29.6$\pm$2.8 pg/mL) compared to the non-treated PEM group (4.1$\pm$0.4 pg/mL, p<0.05). In addition, cell proliferation and production of cytokines were investigated via a CV (0.01, 0.1, and 1 mg/mL) treatment using a human T cell line MOLT-4 cell. The CV treatment (1 mg/mL) significantly increased the production of both IFN-$\gamma$ and interleukin (IL)-2 (51.3$\pm$3.4 and 285.9$\pm$18.8 pg/mL, respectively) compared to the control (51.3$\pm$3.4 and 442.6$\pm$14.3 pg/mL, respectively), but did not affect the production of IL-4. These results suggest that CV may be useful in improving the immune function.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.159-170
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• 2020

Purpose: Immunization with Porphyromonas gingivalis heat shock protein 60 (PgHSP60) may have an immunoregulatory effect on atherogenesis. The aim of this study was to determine whether nasal immunization with a PgHSP60 peptide could reduce atherosclerotic plaque formation in apolipoprotein E knockout (ApoE KO) mice. Methods: Seven-week-old male ApoE KO mice were assigned to receive a normal diet, a Western diet, a Western diet and challenge with PgHSP60-derived peptide 14 (Pep14) or peptide 19 (Pep19), or a Western diet and immunization with Pep14 or Pep19 before challenge with Pep14 or Pep19. Results: Atherosclerotic plaques were significantly smaller in mice that received a Western diet with Pep14 nasal immunization than in mice that received a Western diet and no Pep14 immunization with or without Pep14 challenge. An immunoblot profile failed to detect serum reactivity to Pep14 in any of the study groups. Stimulation by either Pep14 or Pep19 strongly promoted the induction of CD4⁺CD25⁺ forkhead box P3 (FoxP3)⁺ human regulatory T cells (Tregs) in vitro. However, the expression of mouse splenic CD4⁺CD25⁺FoxP3⁺ Tregs was lower in the Pep14-immunized mice than in the Pep14-challenged or Pep19-immunized mice. Levels of serum interferon gamma (IFN-γ) and transforming growth factor beta were higher and levels of interleukin (IL) 10 were lower in the Pep14-immunized mice than in the other groups. Induction of CD25^- IL-17⁺ T helper 17 (Th17) cells was attenuated in the Pep14-immunized mice. Conclusions: Nasal immunization with Pep14 may be a mechanism for attenuating atherogenesis by promoting the secretion of IFN-γ and/or suppressing Th17-mediated immunity.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.1-17
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• 2022

Objectives This study was conducted to investigate the beta-glucan & ginsenoside content, antioxidant activity, anti-inflammatory effect and safety of herbal medicine mix. Methods The marker compounds contents, antioxidant activity and safety of herbal medicine mix were tested. The contents of beta-glucan and ginsenoside Rg3 were measured, the antioxidant activity was measured using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity, anti-inflammatory and a safety test was conducted via single dose toxicity assessment. Results Analyzing the contents of marker compounds showed 362.3 mg/g of beta-glucan, and 0.4184 mg/g of ginsenoside Rg3. In the DPPH free radical scavenging activity, the IC50 of herbal medicine mix, was 0.146%. The scavenging activity of herbal medicine mix was 88.28% activity at 0.5% concentration, and 90.61% activity at 5% concentration. In the lipopolysaccharides (LPS) anti-inflammatory test, the herbal remix showed a significant decrease in tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-𝛼) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) compared to the LPS-induced group. In the single dose toxicity test of herbal medicine mix, a dose of 2,000 mg/kg body weight (BW) was set at its highest capacity and observed after oral administration to female and male rats. No toxicological findings were recognized. It was observed that the resulting lethal dose can be set to 2,000 mg/kg BW or higher for both females and males. Conclusions The results of the experiment on herbal medicine mix showed that the marker compounds contents were beta-glucan and ginsenoside Rg3, that antioxidant activity was observed through the DPPH free radical scavenging activity, anti-inflammatory effect was observed through TNF-𝛼 and IL-6 measurement, and safety was confirmed through the single dose toxicity assessment.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.10
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• pp.1354-1360
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• 2007

Theaflavins (TF) and thearubigins (TR) are constituents of tea pigments which are polyphenols derived from Korean fermentation tea. After TF, TR and [(-) epigallocatechin-3-gallate](EGCG) have been applied to macrophage cell line (RAW264.7) nitric oxide (NO) synthesis and cytokines production were estimated. Cytokines production by enzyme linked immune-sorbent assay (ELISA) determined. NO production was increased by about 1.5-folds at the dose of $80\;{\mu}g/ml$ compared to control and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation when TF, TR and EGCG were applied to a RAW264.7 cell. Interleukin-6 (IL-6), Tumor necrosis factor ($TNF-{\alpha}$) and granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) increased depended on concentrations of TF, TR and EGCG. The production of tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}$ increased highly in TR, TF and EGCG group with LPS. These results suggest that TF, TR and EGCG have immune-enhancement effect through the cytokine production. TF, TR and EGCG inhibited cancer cell viability, the anticancer effect of these polyphenols may explain the anti-tumor promotion action and antioxidant activity of these tea constituents.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.59-72
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• 2024

To investigate the mechanism of Wenshen Xuanbi Decoction (WSXB) in treating osteoarthritis (OA) via network pharmacology, bioinformatics analysis, and experimental verification. The active components and prediction targets of WSXB were obtained from the TCMSP database and Swiss Target Prediction website, respectively. OA-related genes were retrieved from GeneCards and OMIM databases. Protein-protein interaction and functional enrichment analyses were performed, resulting in the construction of the Herb-Component-Target network. In addition, differential genes of OA were obtained from the GEO database to verify the potential mechanism of WSXB in OA treatment. Subsequently, potential active components were subjected to molecular verification with the hub targets. Finally, we selected the most crucial hub targets and pathways for experimental verification in vitro. The active components in the study included quercetin, linolenic acid, methyl linoleate, isobergapten, and beta-sitosterol. AKT1, tumor necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin (IL)-6, GAPDH, and CTNNB1 were identified as the most crucial hub targets. Molecular docking revealed that the active components and hub targets exhibited strong binding energy. Experimental verification demonstrated that the mRNA and protein expression levels of IL-6, IL-17, and TNF in the WSXB group were lower than those in the KOA group (p < 0.05). WSXB exhibits a chondroprotective effect on OA and delays disease progression. The mechanism is potentially related to the suppression of IL-17 and TNF signaling pathways and the down-regulation of IL-6.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.1-17
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• 2018

Objectives The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of Jeopgolsan (JGS) extract on anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory activities in RAW 264.7 cells and on factors related with fracture healing in skull fractured rat. Methods Experimental animals were divided into four groups: normal group without any treatment (Normal), contral group were treated orally with distilled water (Control), Experimental group were treated orally with JGS at a concentration of 200 mg/kg/day (JGS 200) and Experimental group were treated orally with JGS at a concentration of 200 mg/kg/day (JGS 400). Rats in each group except the normal group were induced fractures in the skull. The 1,1-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS) radical scavenging activity were measured to evaluate antioxidant activity. The production of nitric oxide (NO), $interleukin-1{\beta}$ ($IL-1{\beta}$), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}$ ($TNF-{\alpha}$) in the RAW 264.7 cells were measured to evaluate anti-inflammatory activity. The production of osteocalcin calcitonin, carboxy-terminal telepeptides of type II collagen (CTX II), transforming growth $factor-{\beta}$ ($TGF-{\beta}$), bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2), Insulin and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in serum of rats were measured to evaluate the effects of fracture healing at 0, 2, 4, and 6th week. X-rays were taken every 3 week from 0 to 6th week to evaluate fracture healing effect. Results 1. No cytotoxicity was observed. 2. DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activity were increased in a concentration dependent manner, indicating anti-oxidant effect. 3. NO, $IL-1{\beta}$, IL-6, and $TNF-{\alpha}$ were not significantly changed, indicating no anti-inflammatory effect. 4. Osteocalcin, Calcitonin, $TGF-{\beta}$ and ALP were significantly increased in the experimental groups. 5. CTX II, insulin were significantly decreased in the expermental groups. 6. Radiologic examination showed that union of fracture was promoted. Conclusions From above results, JGS showed significant results in factors related with fracture healing and radiologic examination. Threfore, JGS is expected to be effective in the treatment of fracture.