• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.799-804
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• 1994

In order to study the antitumoral effect of Selaginella tamariscina extract, the cytotoxicities to human histiocytic lymphoma (U937) and lymphocyte were measured by MTT method. The water extract of Selaginella tamariscina showed the effective cytoxicity and increased the cytotoxicity of doxorubicine, cyclophosphamide on U937, but it has no effect on the cytotoxicity of lymphocyte. The cytotoxicity increased with the addition of other antineplastic agents but decreased with the combination of antineoplastic agent and Selaginella tamariscina in the lymphocyte. The results indicted that the side actions of retinoic acid, doxorubicine and cyclophosphamide decreased by addition of Selaginella tamariscina water extracts.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.159-167
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• 2014

Curcumin is a widely used flavoring agent in food, and it has been reported to inhibit cell growth, to induce apoptosis, and to have antitumor activity in many cancers. Cisplatin is one of the most potent known anticancer agents and shows significant clinical activity against a variety of solid tumors. This study was undertaken to investigate the synergistic apoptotic effects of co-treatment with curcumin and cisplatin on human tongue SCC25 cells. To investigate whether the co-treatment efficiently reduced the viability of the SCC25 cells compared with the two treatments separately, an MTT assay was conducted. The induction and the augmentation of apoptosis were confirmed by DNA electrophoresis, Hoechst staining, and an analysis of DNA hypoploidy. Western blot, MMP and immunofluorescence tests were also performed to evaluate the expression levels and the translocation of apoptosis-related proteins following the co-treatment. In this study, following the co-treatment with curcumin and cisplatin, the SCC25 cells showed several forms of apoptotic manifestation, such as nuclear condensation, DNA fragmentation, reduction of MMP, increased levels of Bax, decreased levels of Bcl-2, and decreased DNA content. In addition, they showed a release of cytochrome c into the cytosol, translocation of AIF and DFF40 (CAD) to the nuclei, and activation of caspase-7, caspase-3, PARP, and DFF45 (ICAD). In contrast, separate treatments of $5{\mu}M$ of curcumin or $4{\mu}g/ml$ of cisplatin, for 24 hours, did not induce apoptosis. Therefore, our data suggest that combination therapy with curcumin and cisplatin could be considered as a novel therapeutic strategy for human oral squamous cell carcinoma.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.39-43
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• 2005

The present study was carried out to investigate the antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus with antibiotic-resistance in vitro and the skin irritation in rabbits with surfactin produced by Bacillus subtilus Complex BC1212. The antibacterial activities of selected antimicrobial agents (surfactin, amoxacillin, colistin, norfloxacin and streptomycin) were evaluated by using the broth microdilution method. As the results, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the surfactin was less than 15.6 ㎍/ml. In the skin irritation test, two out of 4 rabbits showed very slight edema at 24 h after the administration of surfactin, and then recovered at 72 h. The change of body weight was normal during the skin irritation test. The primary irritation index in accordance with the Draize evaluation of topical reaction was calculated to be '0.125', which meant not irritating. Based on these results, it could be concluded that the test agent, surfactin, was a non-irritant. We could also think that the surfactin may be useful for the treatment of S. aureus infections such as bovine mastitis.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.311-317
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• 2009

Ginkgo biloba (G. biloba) extract is a widely used phytomedicine for the oral treatment of peripheral vascular disease. Cilostazol is a synthetic antiplatelet and vasodilating agent for the treatment of intermittent claudication resulting from peripheral arterial disease. It is likely to use concomitantly G. biloba extract and cilostazol for the treatment of peripheral arterial disease, which raises a concern of increasing their adverse effects of herbal-drug interactions. To clarify any possible herbal-drug interaction between G. biloba extract and cilostazol, the effect of the G. biloba extract on the pharmacokinetics of cilostazol was investigated. As cilostazol is known to be eliminated mainly by cytochrome P450 (CYP)-mediated metabolism, we investigated the effects of G. biloba extract on the human CYP enzyme activities and the effect of G. biloba extract on the pharmacokinetics of cilostazol after co-administration of the two agents to male beagle dogs. The G. biloba extract inhibited more or less CYP2C8, CYP2C9, and CYP2C19 enzyme activities in the in vitro microsomal study with $IC_{50}$ values of 30.8, 60.5, and $25.2{\mu}g/ml$, respectively. In the pharmacokinetic study, co-administration with the G. biloba extract had no significant effect on the pharmacokinetics of cilostazol in dogs, although CYP2C has been reported to be responsible for the metabolism of cilostazol. In conclusion, these results suggest that there may not be a pharmacokinetic interaction between G. biloba extract and cilostazol.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.157-161
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• 1991

Low back pain and/or lumbosacral radiculopathy have become one of the most common pain problems in our pain clinic center. There are several kinds of conservative management for low back pain and/or lumbosacral radiculopathy. We as pain clinicans, focused on epidural administration of local anesthetics and steroids. The rationale for epidural steroid administration is to reduce inflammation and to inhibit the action of nociceptive agents. Eighty mg of methylprednisolone acetate in 10 ml of 0.25% bupivacaine was infected, into epidural space 3 times at one week intervals for 1 year, to 921 patients(male: 422, female: 499) seen in the period between March 1986 and December 1989. The effectiveness was evaluated a month after the final injection. The results were as follows: Excellent pain relieved group 122 patients(13.25%) Good pain relieved group: 485 patients(52.66%) Fair pain relieved group: 184 patients(19.98%) No effect group: 130 patients(14.11%) We recommend the epidural steroid inject to the patients following failure of conservative management of discogenic pain.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.182-186
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• 2000

Background: Ropivacaine is a new amide local anesthetics, having therapeutic properties similar to those of bupivacaine but less cardiovascular toxicity and motor blockade. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of ropivacaine used in stellate ganglion block (SGB) compared with those of lidocaine or bupivacaine. Methods: This prospective and crossover study performed in twenty patients with sudden sensory neural hearing loss. All patients received three times SGB, in the paratracheal approach using 8 ml of 1% lidocaine, 0.2% bupivacaine, and 0.2% ropivacaine respectively without any orders. Onset time and action duration of Horner's syndrome were observed after each SGB. Results: Onset time of ropivacaine was the middle of the three agents; earlier lidocaine and slower bupivacaine. Lidocaine ($3.0{\pm}1.9$ min), bupivacaine ($4.1{\pm}2.9$ min) and ropivacaine ($3.3{\pm}1.3$ min). But there were no significant differences; Action duration of Horner's syndrome of ropivacaine (223.6?105.2 min) was longer than lidocaine ($134.6{\pm}77.3$ min) and shorter than bupivacaine ($241.2{\pm}115.8$ min). There were significant differences in the action duration of each local anesthetics (P<0.05). There was no critical side effects and temporary foreign body sensation was the most common side effect. Conclusions: We conclude that ropivacaine is a good alternative in SGB instead of lidocaine or bupivacaine. Ropivacaine is a long acting local anesthetic similar to those of bupivacaine with wide margin of safety. However, optimal concentration and volume of ropivacaine in SGB should be studied.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.285-290
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• 2008

Rahnella aquatilis strain AY2000 produces an anti-yeast substance (AYS), however activity of the AYS has a declining tendency during storage. To investigate what has been decreased activity of the AYS, the AYS was treated with various physicochemical agents in this paper. The activity of AYS was decreased by heat treatment. Thiol reagent such as $\beta$-mercaptoethanol or dithiothreitol was also another factor decreasing the activity of AYS. However, pH, EDTA, and NaCl were not factors decreasing the activity of AYS. Use of methanol to precipitate the AYS was also decreased the activity of AYS. The activity of AYS was not lost after Sepharose S-400 gel filtration. However, the AYS activity was completely lost, when a polysaccharide and a unknown substance (230 nm absorption) among components of the AYS was separated by DEAE-cellulose chromatography. MIC of the AYS against S. cerevisiae was usually determined at $7.8-15.6{\mu}g/ml$.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.19-25
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• 2017

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a common gram-positive bacterium that causes serious infections in humans and animals. With the continuous emergence of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) strains, antibiotics have limited efficacy in treating MRSA infections. Accordingly, novel agents that act on new targets are desperately needed to combat these infections. S. aureus alpha-hemolysin plays an indispensable role in its pathogenicity. In this study, we demonstrate that sclareol, a fragrant chemical compound found in clary sage, can prominently decrease alpha-hemolysin secretion in S. aureus strain USA300 at sub-inhibitory concentrations. Hemolysis assays, western-blotting, and RT-PCR were used to detect the production of alpha-hemolysin in the culture supernatant. When USA300 was co-cultured with A549 epithelial cells, sclareol could protect the A549 cells at a final concentration of $8{\mu}g/ml$. The protective capability of sclareol against the USA300-mediated injury of A549 cells was further shown by cytotoxicity assays and live/dead analysis. In conclusion, sclareol was shown to inhibit the production of S. aureus alpha-hemolysin. Sclareol has potential for development as a new agent to treat S. aureus infections.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.172-177
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• 2020

Influenza viruses cause respiratory diseases in humans and animals with high morbidity and mortality rates. Conventional anti-influenza drugs are reported to exert side effects and newly emerging viral strains tend to develop resistance to these commonly used agents. Fritillaria thunbergii (FT) is traditionally used as an expectorant for controlling airway inflammatory disorders. Here, we evaluated the therapeutic effects of FT extracts against influenza virus type A (H1N1) infection in vitro, in ovo, and in vivo. In the post-treatment assay, FT extracts showed high CC50 (7,500 ㎍/ml), indicating low toxicity, and exerted moderate antiviral effects compared to oseltamivir (SI 50.6 vs. 222) in vitro. Antiviral activity tests in ovo revealed strong inhibitory effects of both FT extract and oseltamivir against H1N1 replication in embryonated eggs. Notably, at a treatment concentration of 150 mg/kg, only half the group administered oseltamivir survived whereas the FT group showed 100% survival, clearly demonstrating the low toxicity of FT extracts. Consistent with these findings, FT-administered mice showed a higher survival rate with lower body weight reduction relative to the oseltamivir group upon treatment 24 h after viral infection. Our collective results suggest that FT extracts exert antiviral effects against influenza H1N1 virus without inducing toxicity in vitro, in ovo or in vivo, thereby supporting the potential utility of FT extract as a novel candidate therapeutic drug or supplement against influenza.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.12
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• pp.1916-1924
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• 2019

Outbreaks of staphylococcal food poisoning (SFP) causing serious human diseases and economic losses have been reported globally. Furthermore, the spread of Staphylococcus aureus with increased resistance to multiple antimicrobial agents has become a major concern in the food industries and medicine. Here, we isolated an endolysin LysSAP8, as one of the peptidoglycan hydrolases, derived from the bacteriophage SAP8 infecting S. aureus. This endolysin was tagged with a 6×His at the C-terminal of the target protein and purified using affinity chromatography. LysSAP8 demonstrated lytic activity against a broad spectrum of bacteria, which included a majority of the staphylococcal strains tested in this study as well as the methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA); however, no such activity was observed against other gram-positive or gram-negative bacteria. Additionally, LysSAP8 could maintain bactericidal activity until 0.1 nM working concentration and after heat treatment at 37℃ for 30 min. The ability of LysSAP8 to lyse cells under varying conditions of temperature (4-43℃), pH (3-9), and NaCl concentrations (0-1,000 mM), and divalent metal ions (Ca²⁺, Co²⁺, Cu²⁺, Mg²⁺, Mn²⁺, Hg²⁺, and Zn²⁺) was examined. At the optimized condition, LysSAP8 could disrupt approximately 3.46 log CFU/ml of the planktonic cells in their exponential phase of growth within 30 min. In this study, we have suggested that LysSAP8 could be a potent alternative as a biocontrol agent that can be used to combat MRSA.