• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.625-630
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• 2013

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a highly prevalent disorder that affects millions of men worldwide. ED is now considered an early manifestation of atherosclerosis, and consequently, a precursor of systemic vascular disease. Lycii fructus extracts (LFE) were administered for 4 weeks to assess the improving effects on ED. Animals were divided into one normal group and four LFE-treated groups (0, 0.3, 0.6, and 1.2 g/kg). We induced ED in the study animals by oral administration of 20% ethanol instead of water everyday for 4 weeks. This study was designed to investigate the effects of LFE on the mRNA levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and endothelial NOS (eNOS) expression; NO levels of nitric oxide (NO) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP); blood profile; and erectile response of the corpus cavernosum of the rat penis. The libido of the LFE-administered male rats was higher than that of the ethanol control group. The erectile response of the corpus cavernosum was restored after LFE administration, to a level similar to the normal group. In addition, the iNOS in the corpus cavernosum of the male rats administered LFE decreased. In contrast, compared to the control group, LFE-administered male rats showed increased eNOS, NO and cGMP levels in the corpus cavernosum. These results indicate that LFE effectively restored ethanol-induced ED in male rats.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.1063-1066
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• 2016

Longan (Dimocarpus longan Lour.) has been used as a traditional oriental medicine and possesses a number of physiological activities. In this study, we used cell-based herbal extract screening to identify longan fruit extract (LFE) as an activator of osteoblast differentiation. LFE up-regulated alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, induced mineralization, and activated Runx2 gene expression in MC3T3-E1 cells. Furthermore, treatment of MC3T3-E1 cells with LFE promoted the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase1/2 (Erk1/2); however, abrogation of Erk1/2 activation with PD98059 resulted in down-regulation of the phospho-SMAD1/5/8 and Runx2 levels, which in turn reduced the ALP activity. Our findings suggest that LFE exerts its osteogenic activity through activation of the ERK signaling pathway and may have potential as an herbal therapeutic or a preventive agent for the treatment of osteoporosis.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.296-300
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to investigate the preventive effects of Lycii fructus Extract (LFE) against the acute hepatotoxicity-inducing lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the liver. LFE of 100 mg/kg concentration was intraperitoneally administered into rats at dose of 1.5 ml/kg for 20 days. On the day 21, 1.5 ml/kg of LPS dissolved in saline was injected 4 hours before anesthetization. We examined the levels of glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT), glutamate pyruvate transaminase (GPT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in serum of rats, superoxide dismutase (SOD) in mitochondrial fraction, and malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in liver homogenate. LPS-treatment markedly increased the levels of GOT, GPT, LDH and MDA, and significantly decreased those of SOD, CAT and GPx. But LFE-pretreatment decreased the levels of GOT, GPT, LDH and MDA, by 17.7%, 27.5%, 40.7% and 56.9%, respectively and increased those of SOD, CAT and GPx, by 90.5%, 78.9% and 83.8%, respectively. These results showed that the LFE had the preventive effects against the acute hepatotoxicity-inducing LPS in the liver.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.70-76
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• 1996

This study was undertaken to investigate the effect on the Cd accumulation in long-term Cd poisoned rats. 40 male weaning Sprague Dawley rats weighting 80-90g were divided into 4 groups (LCuLFeCd : low Cu, Fe and Cd group, ACuLFeCd : adequate Cu, low Fe and Cd group, ACuAFeCd : adequate Cu, adequate Fe and Cd group) according to Cu and Fe levels (Cu 0.5ppm, 8.5ppm : Fe 6ppm, 40ppm) for 12 weeks. There were no significant difference in water intake, feed intake, and body weight gain according to dietary Cu and Fe consumption. But the mean food intake and body weight gain of adequate Fe groups(LCuAFeCd, ACuAFeCd) were higher than those of deficient Fe groups (ACuLFeCd, LCuFeCd)in long-term Cd poisoned rats. The mean Cd levels of serum, liver, kidney, and urine in ACuAFeCd group were lower than those of Cu and /or Fe deficient groups. But the mean fecal Cd excretion of ACuAFeCd group was higher than that of Cu and/or Fe deficient groups. And the mean Cd retention amount of ACuAFeCd group was lower than those of Cu and/or Fe deficinet groups. In conclusion, these results provide an evidence that adequate Cu and Fe intakes can decrease Cd accumulation in rats. Therefore, in the point of increasing environmental Cd contamination, adequate Cu and Fe intakes must be suggested to prevent Cd accumulations.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.109.1-109.1
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• 2014

다이아몬드 선삭 기계(DTM)를 이용한 렌즈 및 반사경 가공은 제작시간 단축 및 비용 절감의 장점을 가지고 있다. 그러나 알루미늄과 같은 무른 금속을 가공하여 반사경을 제작하는 경우에는 반사경 표면에 가공오차가 발생한다. 오차는 크기에 따라 고주파 오차(High Frequency Error, HFE), 중주파 오차(Mid Frequency Error, MFE), 저주파 오차(Low Frequency Error, LFE)로 분류 할 수 있다. LFE는 가공한 반사경 표면이 설계된 형상과 얼마나 다른지를 표현하는 값으로 광학 수차와 같이 해상도를 저하시킨다. MFE는 반사경 표면에 수십 마이크로미터 크기로 나타난다. 회전하는 반사경 시료에 다이아몬드 툴의 홈이 동심원으로 생기면서 회절격자와 같이 회절 및 간섭 현상을 만든다. HFE는 표면의 거친 정도를 나타내며 반사율과 관련되고 수 나노미터 크기로 나타난다. 본 연구에서는 광학 레이저를 사용하여 MFE가 광학 성능에 미치는 영향을 분석하였다. 유리 반사경과 MFE를 제거한 반사경, 제거하지 않은 반사경에 대하여 실험을 진행하였다. 본 실험 결과는 반사경 가공 표면을 평가할 수 있는 유용한 자료가 될 것이다.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.333-339
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• 2011

In the present work, it was attempted to produce $H_2$ from food waste by the two-stage fermentation system. Food waste was acidified to lactate by using indigenous lactic acid bacteria under mesophilic condition, and the lactate fermentation effluent (LFE) was subsequently converted to $H_2$ by photo-fermentation. $Rhodobacter$ $sphaeroides$ KD131 was used as the photo-fermenting bacteria. The optimal conditions for lactate fermentation were found to be pH of 5.5 and substrate concentration of 30 g Carbo. COD/L, under which yielded 1.6 mol lactate/mol glucose. By filtering the LFE and adding trace metal, $H_2$ production increased by more than three times compared to using raw LFE, and finally reached the $H_2$ yield of 3.6 mol $H_2$/mol lactate. Via the developed two-stage fermentation system $H_2$ yield of 5.8 mol $H_2$/mol glucose was achieved from food waste, whose value was the highest that ever recorded.

• Urogenital Tract Infection
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.51-57
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• 2018

Purpose: The effects of Lactobacillus fermentation extract (LFE) on cystitis induced by Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the mouse bladder were investigated by pathological analyses and measurement of the levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha ($TNF-{\alpha}$) and interleukin-18 (IL-18). Materials and Methods: LFE was administered orally ($5{\mu}g/L$) to mice for 10 days after which the study group (n=12) received transurethral injection of $5{\mu}g/L$ LPS. The bladder tissue was then harvested after 24 hours and subjected to hematoxylin and eosin staining. A semi-quantitative score was used to evaluate inflammation (bladder inflammation index, BII). $TNF-{\alpha}$ immunohistochemical staining and multiplex cytokine assays were also performed. $TNF-{\alpha}$ and IL-18 levels were determined. The results were compared with those of the control group (n=12). Results: The BII in the control and study groups was $2.7{\pm}0.5$ and $1.1{\pm}0.7$, respectively, with the control group scores differing significantly from the study group scores (p<0.001). $TNF-{\alpha}$ immunohistochemical staining results were similar. The $TNF-{\alpha}$ levels determined by the multiplex cytokine assay were $2.82{\pm}1.35pg/mg$ and $1.55{\pm}0.56pg/mg$ for the control and study groups, respectively, and the difference between these groups was statistically significant (p=0.007). Conclusions: Oral administration of LFE appears to have a preventive effect against the inflammatory responses and $TNF-{\alpha}$ expression induced by transurethral instillation of LPS in the mouse bladder. Further studies are required to determine the clinical application of this finding.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.388-397
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• 2011

Selenium (Se) is known to prevent from several cancers, while iron (Fe) is known to be associated with high risk of cancers. The role of Se on colon carcinogenesis was investigated in an animal model induced by azoxymethane (AOM) and dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) in low Fe mice. Six-week old ICR mice fed on a low Fe diet (4.5 ppm Fe; generally 10 times lower than normal Fe) with three different Se (0.02, 0.1 or 0.5 ppm) levels for 24 weeks. The animals received weekly three ($0{\sim}2^{nd}$ weeks) i.p. injections of AOM (10 mg/kg RW), followed by 2% DSS with drinking water for 1 week to induce the colon cancer. There were five experimental groups including vehicle, positive control (normal Fe level, AOM/DSS), Low Fe (LFe) + AOM/DSS+Low Se (LSe), LFe + AOM/DSS + medium Se (MSe) and LFe + AOM/DSS + high Se (HSe) groups. HSe group showed a 66.7% colonic tumor incidence, MSe group showed a 69.2% tumor incidence, and LSe group showed a 80.0% tumor incidence. The tumor incidence was negatively associated with Se levels of diets. Tumor multiplicity in Hse group was significantly low compared to the other groups (p < 0.05). With increasing Se levels of diets, the primary anti-proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)-positive cells were decreased and apoptotic bodies were increased in a dose-dependent manner. Se-dependent glutathione peroxidase activity and its protein level were dependent on the levels of Se of diets. Malondialdehyde level in liver was lowest in Hse group among experimental groups. These findings indicate that dietary Se is chemopreventive for colon cancer by increasing antioxidant activity and decreasing cell proliferation in Fe-deficient mice.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2001.10a
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• pp.250.2-251
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• 2001

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.129-138
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• 2019

Purpose: Medicinal herbs have recently attracted attention as health beneficial foods and source materials for drug development. Recent studies have demonstrated that extracts of Lycium's fruits and roots have a range of physiologically active substances. The extract of Lycium's leaves has been reported to have excellent anti-oxidant and anti-microbial activity, but its anti-inflammatory efficacy is not known. The chlorophyll present in the leaves can act as an anti-oxidant or pro-oxidant depending on the presence of light. Therefore, this study analyzed the anti-inflammatory effects of Lycium's fruit extract (LFE), leaf extract (LLE), and leaf extract with chlorophyll removal (LLE with CR). Methods: This study examined the inhibitory effects of LFE, LLE, and LLE with CR on pro-inflammatory mediator production as well as on the expression of iNOS and COX-2 in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 cells and BALB/c mice. Results: LFE, LLE, and LLE with CR inhibited the production of pro-inflammatory mediators (NO, $TNF-{\alpha}$, IL-6, and $IL-1{\beta}$) and the expression of iNOS and COX-2 in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, the administration of LLE and LLE with CR inhibited the serum pro-inflammatory cytokine levels and suppressed DNA damage in BALB/c mice. In particular, LLE with CR exhibited the highest anti-inflammatory activity. Conclusion: These results suggest that the fruit and leaves of Lycium are potential therapeutic agents against inflammation.