• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.109-113
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• 1993

The effects of ginseng total saponins (GTS) on the action of U-50,488H, a $textsc{k}$-opioid receptor agonist, on the electrically induced twitch responses of mouse vats deferens were studied. U-50,488H ($10^9$~$10^{-5}$M) inhibited the twitch contractions in a dose-dependent manner, which were caused by adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) released from the stimulated sympathetic nerve, and this effect was antagonized by naloxone ($10^6$ M). GTS, which itself induced the inhibition of the twitch contractions, acted additively to U-50,488H, GTS and U-50,488H had no effect on the tension of the unstimulated organs. The contractions elicited by ATP were not affected by U-50,488H, but inhibited by GTS. These results suggest that U-50,488H suppressed the twitch contractions by the inhibition of neurotransmitter release from presynaptic nerve terminals via action on opioid receptor, but G75, by inhibiting the action of the neurotransmitter on the smooth muscle.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 1999

This study was performed to investigate the antitoxic effect of Oenanthe javanica extracts on orally administered mercury compound. Adult male ICR mice were exposed to methylmercuric chloride (CH3HgCl)through drinking water. The control, mercury treated and Oenanthe javanica treated groups not showed significant differences in mean body and organ weights of mice. The distribution of mercury in the cerebellum, kidney, liver and spleen of the mouse were examined according to a histochemical mathod. Grains of mercury traces were located in the purkinje cell and granular layers of the cerebellum and cortex of kidney respectively. Lesser staining of the grains was seen in the collecting tubules of medulla. in the liver, mercury accumulations were present primarily in the hepatocytes around portal area containing interlobular bile duct, artery and portal vein. Also grains of mercury traces were accumulated in the white pulp of the spleen. In the group of Oenanthe javanica extracts, staining intensity of mercury was decreased in the Purkinje cell layer of cerebellum and in the portal area of liver respectively. Staining patterns in kidney and spleen of extracts group were similar to that of only mercury treated group.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 2003.11a
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• pp.87-87
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• 2003

Taurine (2-aminoethanesulfonic acid, $^{+}NH_3CH_2CH_2{SO_3}^{-}$) is endogenous $\beta$-amino acid which is essential in fetal nutrition and development and is present in abundant quantities in several tissues of fetus. In utero, taurine deficiency causes abnormal development and abnormal function of brain, retina, kidney and myocardium. Thus, transfer of taurine into fetus is important during embryonic development. Taurine transporter (TauT) has 12 hydrophobic membrane -spanning domains, which is typical of the $Na^{+}$- and $Cl^{-}$-dependent transporter gene family. Among the various biosynthetic enzymes of taurine, cysteine sulfinic acid decarboxylase (CSD) is the rate-limiting enzyme for biosynthesis of taurine. However, the enzyme activities of taurine biosynthesis are limited in early stage of embryonic development. To analyze the expression period of TauT and CSD during embryonic development, we have investigated the gene expression of TauT and CSD using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in mouse and chicken embryos. RT-PCR anaylsis revealed that both TauT and CSD mRNAs were already expressed at Day-4.5 in mouse embryo. In chicken whole embryo, TauT and CSD mRNAs began to appear on developing times of 48 hrs and 12 hrs, respectively. TauT mRNA was detected in the organs of heart, brain and eye of the day-3 chicken embryo. Our data show that TauT and CSD mRNAs were expressed in early stage of embryonic development.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.205-212
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• 2009

Known as a female hormone, estrogen, performs important functions, and the activities of the hormone are mediated via the estrogen receptor. The principal objective of the present study was to assess the effects of a estrogen receptor agonist in male reproductive organs. In this study, the estrogen receptor alpha agonist, PPT, was injected subcutaneously into adult male mice. The effects of PPT on the murine reproductive system were histologically assessed at 3,5, and 8 weeks after treatment. In the treatment group, reductions were observed in the weight of the body, testis and epididymis. Microscopic examination revealed a reduction in seminiferous tubular diameter in the testis, and epithelial cell height in the epididymis during the experiment. 8 weeks after treatment, spermatogenesis was not detected, nor was the lumen of the seminiferous tubules. In the fertility test, 1 week after PPT injection, the fertilizing ability of males was decreased, and on the 2nd and 3rd weeks, complete infertility was observed. In conclusion, the injection of high concentrations of PPT into adult males induced physiological changes, including infertility, and also induced morphological changes, including a reduction in the height of epithelial cells within the reproductive system.

• Journal of Korean Medicine for Obesity Research
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.29-36
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• 2017

Objectives: This study investigated the effects of water extract of Aconitum carmichaeli Debx (ACD) on obesity and glucose tolerance in high fat diet induced obese mice. Methods: Five-week-old C5BL/6 mice were fed a high fat diet (HFD) containing or not containing ACD (100 or 300 mg/kg) for 16 weeks. Body weight, food intake, fasting blood glucose, and body temperature were checked every week and then organs, blood serums were collected after 16-week treatment. Furthermore oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was carried out after treatment. Results: ACD treated mice showed no significant decreases in body weight and adipose tissue weight as compared with HFD mice. Lipid accumulations in liver and serum lipid levels were not different between ACD treated and HFD mice. However, ACD extract administration significantly and dose-dependently reduced fasted plasma glucose and glucose tolerance as determined by OGTT. Conclusions: The present study demonstrates that ACD might prevent diet-induced glucose tolerance in mouse models of obesity.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.113-121
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• 1988

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of dietary zinc on immune response in mice. Weanling male mice was placed individually in stainless steel cages and fed a zinc dificient diet and control diet. All mice were given deionized water ad libitum. The introduction of extraneous zinc was minimized in all cage by washing feed jars and water bottles sequentially with 4mM EDTA and conc-nitiric acid followed by deionized water. After 4 and 5 weeks of the diets, mice were immunized with lx 106 Naegleria fowleri intraperitoneally. Mice were weighed once a week. The results from this study are summarized as followed ; 1) Mice fed the zinc dificient diet showed growth retardation. After 3 weeks of diets, mean body weight of zinc deficient mice was 21.4g and that of control was 25.0g. This difference is singnificant statistically (p<0.01). The more time passed, the more remarkable difference was found. 2) The weigth of organs were measured on liver, kidney, spleen, thymus, heart, lung, brain. Difference in weight were observed only in liver and spleen. 3) Proliferative response of spleen cells of zinc deficient mice to con A was lower than that of control mice after one week on immunization(p<0.005). 4) Stimulation index was lower in zinc deficient mice to phytohemagglutinin after two weeks on immunization (p<0.05). 5) Blastogenesis of speen cells of zinc deficient mice to Naegleria fowleric lysate was lower after 10 days on immunization (p<0.05). 6) Immunoglobulin G antribody titers of zinc deficient mice sera by ELISA was lowered to control mice after 5 weeks on immunization (p<0.005).

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.276-281
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• 2007

The toxicity of two species of puffer fish, Takifugu xanthopterus and T. stictonotus, collected from coastal regions of Korea, was determined using a mouse bioassay. The highest toxin scores in the muscle, skin, fins, and testis in both species were below 50 mouse units (MU) per gram, and for each organ of both species the proportion of toxic specimens containing ${\geq}10MU/g$ was less than about 10%. In T. xanthopterus, the highest toxin levels in the liver, gallbladder, and ovary exceeded 1,000 MU/g (1,275-1,910), while less than 200 MU/g (12-136) was detected in the same organs of T. stictonotus. Therefore, the toxicities of muscle, skin, and testis in both species of puffer fish were within acceptable levels for human consumption.

• Journal of Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.42-47
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• 2022

This study aimed to determine whether hormonal hypersecretion could cause morphological problems in the mouse vagina and affect the ovaries and nearby extra uterine organs. All mice were synchronized to estrus before the experiment. Then human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), progesterone, and testosterone were continuously administered for about 6 days to maintain hormone hypersecretion, and then morphological changes were analyzed, and Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) activity and Casp-3 expression were evaluated. As a result of the analysis, in the case of hCG, the morphological change did not show a significant difference from the vagina of normal estrus. In the case of progesterone, changes were observed in the mucosa zone and basal membrane, and it was confirmed that the activity of MMPs was increased in squamous epithelium cells. On the other hand, in the case of testosterone, overall changes in vaginal tissues were observed, and MMPs activity was increased to a very high level in all sections. The expression of Casp-3 was also the highest compared to other groups. Therefore, as a result of this study, it is thought that hormone hypersecretion affects the morphological changes of the vagina other than the ovaries and uterus and induces the activity of MMPs to cause morphological degeneration of tissues.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.32 no.12
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• pp.1615-1621
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• 2022

Tissue regeneration is the ultimate treatment for many degenerative diseases, however, repair and regeneration of damaged organs or tissues remains a challenge. Previously, we showed that B1 Ab and H3 Ab induce stem cells to differentiate into microglia and brown adipocyte-like cells, while trafficking to the brain and heart, respectively. Here, we present data showing that another selected agonist antibody, P1 antibody, induces the migration of cells to the pancreatic islets and differentiates human stem cells into beta-like cells. Interestingly, our results suggest the purified P1 Ab induces beta-like cells from fresh, human CD34⁺ hematopoietic stem cells and mouse bone marrow. In addition, stem cells with P1 Ab bound to expressed periostin (POSTN), an extracellular matrix protein that regulates tissue remodeling, selectively migrate to mouse pancreatic islets. Thus, these results confirm that our in vivo selection system can be used to identify antibodies from our library which are capable of inducing stem cell differentiation and cell migration to select tissues for the purpose of regenerating and remodeling damaged organ systems.