• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.50-56
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• 2003

A freshwater bloom-forming cyanobacterium, Microcystis aeruginosa, and local soil isolate Scytonema sp. strain BT 23 were demonstrated to contain biotoxic secondary metabolites with pesticidal and mosquito larvicidal activities. A purified toxic constituent from M aeruginosa showed an absorption maximum at 230 nm and its toxicity symptoms, Rf value on TLC, and retention time observed ill an HPLC analysis were similar to those of the hepatotoxic heptapeptide microcystin-LR. The bioactive constituent of the Scytonema sp. was less polar in nature and exhibited two peaks at 240 and 285 m. When applied to two cruciffrous pests, Pieris brassicae and Plutella flostella, the crude extracts and toxic principles from the two cyanobacteria showed significant antifeedant activity in a no-choice bioassay, and at higher concenuations exhibited contact toxicity to the insect larvae. The purified toxin from M. aeruginosa was found to be more effective and produced 97.5 and $92.8\%$ larval mortality in the two pests, fo11owing 2 h of toxin treatment at a concentration of $25{\mu}g$ Per leaf disc (2.5 cm dia.). Meanwhile, similar treatment with the purified toxin from Sytonema sp. stain BT 23 only produced 73 and $78\%$ mortality in the two pests. The cyanobacterial constituents also showed significant activity against Culex and Anopheles larvae. The M. aeruginosa toxin ($20{\mu}g\;ml^-1$) caused 98.2 and $88.1\%$ mortality in the Culex and Anopheles larvae, respectively, while the purified toxin from the Sytonema sp. was less toxic and only produced a 96.3 and $91.2\%$ mortality, respectively, at a much higher concentration ($40{\mu}g\;ml^-1$). Accordingly, the current results point to certain hitherto unknown biological properties of cyanobacterial biotoxins.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.46-51
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• 2006

The inhibitory effects of flavanone derivatives on Helicobacter pylori (HP) growth, infection and VacA toxininduced vacuolation were investigated. Among flavanones tested, ponciretin potently inhibited the growth of HP with a MIC value of 0.01 mg/ml and VacA toxin-induced vacuolation in HeLa cells with $IC_{50}$ value of 0.078 mM. However, other flavanones inhibited neither HP growth nor VacA toxininduced vacuolation. All flavanones tested did not inhibit HP infection to KATO III cells. Ponciretin also inhibited activation of procaspase-3 to caspase-3 in HeLa cell induced by HP VacA toxin, but did not affect Bax and Bcl-2 protein levels. These findings indicate that ponciretin inhibits growth as well as vacuolation by HP VacA toxin, which induces cell death via proteolytic activation of a cascade of caspases.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.11-15
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• 2019

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare the potency-stabilizing effects of two different diluents of botulinum toxin A (10% dextrose solution and 0.9% saline). Methods: A mouse lethality bioassay was undertaken. Ninety mice were divided into experimental and control groups which received varying dosages in subgroups of 10. The experimental group was injected with botulinum toxin A diluted with 10% dextrose solution and the control group was injected with botulinum toxin A diluted with 0.9% saline. A 72 hours after intraperitoneal injection, the number of dead mice was counted to confirm median lethal dose ($LD_{50}$) of each group. Results: The value of $LD_{50}$ in the experimental group was approximately 0.131 mL (1.31 U) and the value of $LD_{50}$ in the control group was approximately 0.107 mL (1.07 U). The potency preservation rate of the experimental group was estimated to be 93.5% and that of the control group was estimated to be 76.3%. Conclusions: Dilution with 10% dextrose solution displayed less potency loss than 0.9% saline.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.76-82
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• 2005

We analyzed the paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxins of the toxic marine dinoflagellate Alexandrium tamarense collected from Dadaepo and Gaduck-do in Busan and from Sujeong-ri in Jinhae Bay, Korea, in April 2003. We also analyzed the PSP toxin of mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) and oysters (Crassostrea gigas) collected around Busan and Jinhae Bay. PSP toxin analyses were conducted by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Fifteen cultured A. tamarense isolates contained 2.78 to 57.47 fmol/cell, with nearly identical toxin profiles: major components C2, GTX4; minor components C1, GTX1, NEO; and trace components GTX2, GTX3, STX. PSP toxin contents were 0 to $492\;\mu{g}$ STXeq/100 g in mussels and 0 to $48\;\mu{g}$ STXeq/100 g in oysters. Mussels at Gijang and Sujeong-ri contained the most PSP toxin contents ($492\;\mu{g}\;STXeq/100\;g\;and\;252\;\mu{g}\;STXeq/100\;g,\;respectively$), exceeding the quarantine level ($80\;\mu{g}$ STXeq/100 g). Their dominant toxin components were C2, C1, GTX2, and GTX3; the minor components GTX1, GTX4, GTX5, and NEO were sporadically detected. Phytoplankton contained 0.774 fmol/L seawater and 1.228 fmol/L seawater at Gijang and Sujeong-ri in April. At that time, Alexandrium cells were present in the water column at Gijang at 2,577 cells/mL and at Sujeong-ri at 6,750 cells/mL. Overall, we found the high and similar PSP toxin contents in AZexandrium isolates and mussels, and a correlation between occurrence of toxic Alexandrium cells in the water column and mussel intoxification. High densities of toxic Alexandrium cells in the water column immediately preceded shellfish intoxification at Gijang and Sujeong-ri in April.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.215-223
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• 2016

This study is to investigate the biological, biochemical and cytotoxic effects of puffer fish (Arothron stellatus) toxin extracts under in-vitro condition. Extracted toxins from various organs of puffer fish were purified by using active charcoal column, and Bio-gel-P2 column chromatography. The lethality of toxin was tested in crabs, which consists of neurotoxic compounds. The degree of the brine shrimp lethality assay was found directly proportional to the concentration of the toxin extracts, which was well supported by hemolytic assay. The experimental results suggested that the gonad was found higher toxins than the liver and muscles. The mortality rate of brine shrimp nauplii was increased with the raise of concentrations of toxin level. Among the different doses and time dependent cytotoxic effect of human cervical carcinoma (HeLa) cells were showed $4.0{\mu}g/mL$ of toxin, which was effectively inhibited cancer cell proliferation. HPLC and TLC analysis was revealed that the A. stellatus toxin contains tetrodotoxin (TTX), related compounds 4-epi TTX and anhydro-TTX. The present results suggested that the A. stellatus contain TTX as a major and anh-TTX as a minor toxin. It could be the potential candidate in the field of anticancer drug discovery against human cervical cancer cells. The present data is confirming that the puffer fish toxin as an interesting source of novel bioactive natural compounds with potent applications in pharmacology.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.163-169
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• 2001

This study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of green and taste teas on the in-vitro antimicrobial activity and vacuolating toxin titer of Helicobacter pylori. Crude aqueous extracts prepared by adding 2 g of tea leaf or powder to 100 ml of boiling distilled water, and sterilized by passing through a 0.22 $mutextrm{m}$ membrane filter. Green tea, coffee, and ginger tea showed bactericidal activity on H. pylori within 3 hours. Black tea and ssangwha tea also showed bactericidal activity on H. pylori in 24 hours. Arrowroot tea show no bactericidal effect on H. pylori after 48 hours. Two fold diluted green tea and coffee decreased(1/10,000cfu) the growth of H. pylori in 24 hours, but the two fold diluted black tea, ssangwha tea, and ginger tea showed suppression effect upon of(1/10cfu) H. pylori in 24 hours. The two-fold and 10-fold diluted green tea, coffee and two-fold diluted black tea abrogated the vacuolating toxin titer of H. pylori, but the two-fold and 10-fold diluted ginger, ssangwha, ginseng, and arrowroot tea only reduced the vacuolating toxin titer of H.pylori from 1/2 to 1/8. These result suggest that green tea and coffee have effective antibacterial or bactericidal effects on H.pylori, and that they also have a neutralization effect upon the vacuolating toxin of H.pylori.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.826-832
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• 2023

Clostridium perfringens causes diarrhea and other diseases in humans and animals. We investigated the prevalence, toxin gene profiles, and antimicrobial resistance of C. perfringens isolated from commercial jeotgal sample. C. perfringens was isolated from 11 of 22 commercial jeotgals. All C. perfringens strains were positive for the alpha toxin gene, but not for the beta, epsilon, iota, CPE or NetB toxin genes; therefore, all strains were identified as type A C. perfringens. However, the beta2 toxin gene was identified in 54.5% of isolates. Disk diffusion susceptibility tests showed that most isolates were resistant to kanamycin (90.9%), nalidixic acid (72.7%), oxacillin (54.5%), erythromycin (27.3%), ciprofloxacin (9.1%) and clindamycin (9.1%). However, all strains were susceptible to 14 other antimicrobial including amoxicillin, ampicillin, and chloramphenicol. The average minimum inhibitory concentrations against C. perfringens of clindamycin, kanamycin, and nalidixic acid were 128.0, 128.0, and 54.0 ㎍/mL, respectively. These results provide new insight into the necessity for sanitation of commercial jeotgal, and provide evidence to help reduce the risk of contamination with antimicrobial-resistant bacteria.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.150-157
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• 2001

Intestinal absorption of dietary taurine is one of the regulatory component maintaining taurine homeostasis along with renal reabsorption, bile acid conjugation and secretion, and de nobo synthesis of taurine in mammals. Recent observations of decreased enterocytic levels of taurine in response to trauma, infection and surgical insults, postulate the possibility that intestinal taurine absorption might be impaired in such stressed conditions. The aim of the present study was to evaluate changes in enterocytic taurine transporter activity using the human intestinal colon carcinoma cell line, HT-29, in various stress-induced conditions. Pretreatment of the HT-29 cells with dexamethasone, a stress hormone(0.1,1,10 or 100$\mu$M) for 3 hrs, or with E coli heat-stable enterotoxin(10, 100, or 200nM) for 30 minutes in order to induce the condition of enterotoxigenic infection did not influence taurine uptake as compared to the value found in control cells. In contrast, pretreatment of the cells with cholera toxin(10, 100, 500, or 1000ng/ml)for 3hr or 24hr significantly decreased taurine uptake by HT-29 cells to 40~50% of the value found in untreated control cells. Kinetic studies of the taurine transporter activity were conducted in control and cholera toxin treated HT-29 cells with varying taurine concentrations(2~60$\mu$M) in the uptake medium. Pretreatment of the cells with cholera toxin(100ng/ml) for 3hr did not influence the Vmax, but resulted in a 55% increase in the Michaelis-Menten constant(Km) of the taurine transporter compared to those in control cells. These results suggest that cholera toxin-induced reduction in taurine transporter activity in HT-29 cells is associated with decreased affinity of the taurine transporter without altering the amount of transporter protein. Intestinal taurine absorption appears to be reduced in the condition of water-borne diseases caused by bacteria such as V. cholerae. This might influence the taurine status of infants and young children more readily, an age group in which the prevalence of intestinal infection is high and the role of intestinal absorption is crucial for maintaining the body taurine pool. (Korean J Nutrition 34(2) : 150-157, 2001)

• BMB Reports
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• v.53 no.12
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• pp.611-621
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• 2020

Bacterial endoribonuclease toxins belong to a protein family that inhibits bacterial growth by degrading mRNA or rRNA sequences. The toxin genes are organized in pairs with its cognate antitoxins in the chromosome and thus the activities of the toxins are antagonized by antitoxin proteins or RNAs during active translation. In response to a variety of cellular stresses, the endoribonuclease toxins appear to be released from antitoxin molecules via proteolytic cleavage of antitoxin proteins or preferential degradation of antitoxin RNAs and cleave a diverse range of mRNA or rRNA sequences in a sequence-specific or codon-specific manner, resulting in various biological phenomena such as antibiotic tolerance and persister cell formation. Given that substrate specificity of each endoribonuclease toxin is determined by its structure and the composition of active site residues, we summarize the biology, structure, and substrate specificity of the updated bacterial endoribonuclease toxins.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.87-92
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• 2023

Six months after undergoing reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) a 73-year-old woman sustained a periprosthetic scapular spine fracture following a fall. She was treated with open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF), followed by botulinum toxin injection into the deltoid muscle to temporarily minimize strain at the fracture. Fracture union was achieved by 3 months, with excellent clinical function more than 1 year following fracture fixation and full resolution of deltoid function. Scapular spine fracture following RSA can be treated with ORIF and temporary deltoid paralysis using botulinum toxin in the immediate postoperative period to safely support fracture healing.