• The Journal of Korean Medicine
• /
• v.32 no.2
• /
• pp.102-117
• /
• 2011

Objectives: This study was performed to investigate the protective and treating efficacy of Pyeongwi-san, Ijin-tang, and Pyeongjin-tang extracts to the mice with gastric mucosal lesions induced from indomethacin. Methods: In order to verify protective and treating efficacy of Pyeongwi-san, Ijin-tang, and Pyeongjin-tang extracts to the mice with gastric mucosal lesions induced from indomethacin, I administered the extracts of these prescriptions to three group, and induced gastric mucosal lesion by indomethacin, and then I observed the gastric mucosal morphology of stomach, changes from stress resulting from HSP70, changes of gastro-protection (mucous barrier, COX-1). After I observed the anti-oxidant effect, and anti-inflammation effect (IKK mRNA, iNOS mRNA, COX-2 mRNA) in vitro, I induced gastric mucosal lesion by indomethacin, and administered the extracts of each prescriptions to three group, and then I observed the gastric mucosal morphology, anti-inflammation effect to mucosa (NF-${\kappa}$B, iNOS, COX-2) in vivo. Results & Conclusions: 1. Hemorrhagic erosion and damaged mucus secreting cell, positive responses to HSP70 were decreased in all the before-gastric-mucosal-lesion-induced groups, compared to non-extract administered group. The effects were good in the order of Pyeongwi-san extracts administered group, Pyeongjin-tang extracts administered group and Ijin-tang extracts administered group. 2. In all the before-gastric-mucosal-lesion-induced groups, gastro- protection functions (mucous barrier, COX-1) were significant. The effects were good in the order of Pyeongwi-san extracts administered group, Pyeongjin-tang extracts administered group and Ijin-tang extracts administered group. 3. Anti-oxidant effect was significant in Pyeongwi-san extracts, Ijin-tang extracts and Pyeongjin-tang extracts. The effects were good in the order of Pyeongjin-tang extracts, Pyeongwi-san extracts and Ijin-tang extracts. 4. The anti-inflammation effects in vitro were good in Pyeongwi-san extracts, Ijin-tang extracts and Pyeongjin-tang extracts. Especially Pyeongjin-tang extracts showed the most prominent results. Damaged mucus secreting cells and the positive reactions of NF-${\kappa}$B, iNOS, COX-2 in vivo were decreased in after-gastric-mucosal-lesion-induced groups compared to non-extract administered group. The effects were good in the order of Pyeongjin-tang extracts administered group, Pyeongwi-san extracts administered group and Ijin-tang extracts administered group. These results show that Pyeongwi-san, Ijin-tang and Pyeongjin-tang are effective on both in protecting and treating the gastric mucosal membrane. Pyeongwi-san is more effective than other prescriptions, in protecting gastric mucosal membrane, and Pyeongjin-tang is more effective in treating gastric mucosal lesion.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
• /
• v.27 no.2
• /
• pp.158-162
• /
• 2005

The objective of this study was to assess the assimilable organic carbon (AOC) in processing water, a measurement of biostability, at several stages of a full-scale nanofiltration (NF) water treatment plant. The NF membrane plant investigated was a $45,400\;m^3$/day (12 mgd) water softening facility at Plantation City in southern Florida, which utilized an organic rich groundwater (dissolved organic carbon (DOC) = 17.6 mg/L) originated from a surficial aquifer. The average AOC concentration of raw feed water was estimated at 158 g/L acetate-C. After pretreatment(acid and antiscalant addition), AOC levels increased by 12.7%, suggesting that pretreatment chemicals used to control scaling may deteriorate feed water biostability. The results also demonstrated that nanofiltration was capable of effectively removing 63.4% of AOC and 94.8% of DOC from the raw water. AOC rejection in stage 1 (${\approx}\;68%$) was slightly higher than that of stage 2 (${\approx}\;58%$) indicating that AOC was removed less at the solution environment (i.e. low pH, high ionic strength and high hardness), which was often created in the $2^{nd}$ stage of full-scale membrane plants due to pretreatment (acid addition) and high recovery operation.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.28 no.6
• /
• pp.733-737
• /
• 2018

Cucurbitacin-I, a natural triterpenoid derived from Cucurbitaceae family plants, exhibits a number of potentially useful pharmacological and biological activities. Indeed, the previous study demonstrated that cucurbitacin-I reduced the proliferation of colon cancer cells by enhancing apoptosis and causing cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase. CD44, a type I transmembrane protein with the function of adhering to cells, mediates between the extracellular matrix and other cells through hyaluronic acid. Recent studies have demonstrated that an overexpression of the CD44 membrane receptor results in tumor initiation and growth, specific behaviors of cancer stem cells, the development of drug resistance, and metastasis. The aim was to examine the effect of cucurbitacin-I on CD44 expression human ovarian cancer cells because the effect of cucurbitacin-I on CD44 expression has not been reported. The expressions of CD44 mRNA and protein were detected using a quantitative real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and a Western blot analysis, respectively. Treatment with cucurbitacin-I inhibited the expression of CD44 mRNA and protein. A subsequent analysis revealed that cucurbitacin-I blocked the phosphorylation of activator protein-1 (AP-1) and nuclear factor kappa-B ($NF-{\kappa}B$), which are key regulators of CD44 expression. Taken together, the data demonstrate that cucurbitacin-I regulates the AP-1 and $NF-{\kappa}B$ signaling pathways, leading to decreased CD44 expression.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
• /
• v.42 no.1
• /
• pp.11-24
• /
• 2021

Objective: Chronic reflux esophagitis (CRE), characterized by esophageal mucosa ulcer, is caused by continuous backflow of gastric acid and consequent inflammation due to unstable gastroesophageal sphincter. The aim of the present study was to clarify the effect of an Arecae Semen and Coptidis Rhizoma mixture (AC-mix) on CRE. Methods: CRE was surgically induced in SD rats with three experimental groups used: normal; CRE control; and CRE treatment (200 mg/kg AC-mix). Blood and esophageal tissue were collected after two weeks of drug administration. The anti-oxidant activity of the AC-mix was measured by total polyphenol and total flavonoid contents as well as by radical scavenging activity with protein levels evaluated using western blotting. Results: CRE damage to the esophageal mucosa was significantly reduced in the AC-mix group as compared with the controls, and administration of the AC-mix was seen to inhibit NF-κBp65 activity. Consequently, the inactivation of NF-κBp65 significantly inhibited inflammatory mediators such as COX-2 and iNOS. Moreover, the anti-oxidant enzyme HO-1 significantly increased through activation of the Nrf2-Keap1 pathway. Matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), which can break down collagen from the basement membrane and extracellular matrix, was decreased following AC-mix treatment, and elevated levels of MMP-2 were regulated by its tissue inhibitor. Conclusions: These results show that AC-mix can alleviate esophageal mucosa ulcer though inhibition of the NF-κBp65 inflammatory pathway and enhancement of the anti-oxidant Nrf2-Keap1 pathway.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.28 no.11
• /
• pp.1268-1276
• /
• 2018

The cytidine analog decitabine (DEC) acts as a nucleic acid synthesis inhibitor, whereas ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC) is an inhibitor of nuclear factor-${\kappa}B$. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible synergistic inhibitory effect of these two inhibitors on proliferation of human gastric cancer AGS cells. The inhibitory effect of PDTC on AGS cell proliferation was significantly increased by DEC in a concentration-dependent manner, and this inhibition was associated with cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase and the induction of apoptosis. This induction of apoptosis by the co-treatment with PDTC and DEC was related to the induction of DNA damage, as assessed by H2AX phosphorylation. Further studies demonstrated that co-treatment with PDTC and DEC induced the disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential, increased the generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the expression of pro-apoptotic Bax, and down-regulated the expression of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2, ultimately resulting in the release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria into the cytoplasm. Co-treatment with PDTC and DEC also activated caspase-8 and caspase-9, which are representative caspases of the extrinsic and intrinsic apoptosis pathways. Co-treatment also activated caspase-3, which was accompanied by proteolytic degradation of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase. Taken together, these data clearly indicated that co-treatment with PDTC and DEC suppressed the proliferation of AGS cells by increasing DNA damage and activating the ROS-mediated extrinsic and intrinsic apoptosis pathways.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
• /
• v.17 no.4
• /
• pp.333-337
• /
• 2014

The purpose of this study is to develop a process technology to produce high hardness concentrated seawater removing chloride ions but containing useful minerals such as magnesium and calcium in the seawater desalination process. In order to make high hardness concentrated seawater, evaporation system is mostly used recently. Because evaporation system requires a large amount of energy consumption, in this study, it was aimed to produce high hardness concentrated seawater using membrane filtration requiring less energy. Nano filtration membranes were used for the experiments, and different types of high hardness concentrated seawater was produced depending on the membranes' specification, the number of times being concentrated, and pressure. As a result, at between 15bar and 20 bar in pressure, in between the second and the third times of concentration, the experiment result showed the best economic efficiency. By the experiment, production of high hardness concentrated seawater seemed to have a good economic feasibility.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
• /
• v.18 no.3
• /
• pp.32-41
• /
• 2015

Objectives: Condurango (Gonolobus condurango) extract is used by complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practitioners as a traditional medicine, including homeopathy, mainly for the treatment of syphilis. Condurango bark extract is also known to reduce tumor volume, but the underlying molecular mechanisms still remain unclear. Methods: Using a cervical cancer cell line (HeLa) as our model, the molecular events behind condurango extract's (CE's) anticancer effect were investigated by using flow cytometry, immunoblotting and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Other included cell types were prostate cancer cells (PC3), transformed liver cells (WRL-68), and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Results: Condurango extract (CE) was found to be cytotoxic against target cells, and this was significantly deactivated in the presence of N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), a scavenger of reactive oxygen species (ROS), suggesting that its action could be mediated through ROS generation. CE caused an increase in the HeLa cell population containing deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage at the G zero/Growth 1 (G0/G1) stage. Further, CE increased the tumor necrosis factor alpha ($TNF-{\alpha}$) and the fas receptor (FasR) levels both at the ribonucleic acid (RNA) and the protein levels, indicating that CE might have a cytotoxic mechanism of action. CE also triggered a sharp decrease in the expression of nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells ($NF-{\kappa}B$) both at the RNA and the protein levels, a possible route to attenuation of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), and caused an opening of the mitochondrial membrane's permeability transition (MPT) pores, thus enhancing caspase activities. Conclusion: Overall, our results suggest possible pathways for CE mediated cytotoxicity in model cancer cells.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
• /
• v.9 no.2
• /
• pp.117-122
• /
• 2015

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Curcumin, a major component of the Curcuma species, contains antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Although it was found to induce apoptosis in cancer cells, the functional role of curcumin as well as its molecular mechanism in anti-inflammatory response, particularly in intestinal cells, has been less investigated. The intestine epithelial barrier is the first barrier and the most important location for the substrate coming from the lumen of the gut. SUBJECTS/METHODS: We administered curcumin treatment in the human intestinal epithelial cell lines, T84 and Caco-2. We examined endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response by thapsigargin, qPCR of XBP1 and BiP, electrophysiology by wild-type cholera toxin in the cells. RESULTS: In this study, we showed that curcumin treatment reduces ER stress and thereby decreases inflammatory response in human intestinal epithelial cells. In addition, curcumin confers protection without damaging the membrane tight junction or actin skeleton change in intestine epithelial cells. Therefore, curcumin treatment protects the gut from bacterial invasion via reduction of ER stress and anti-inflammatory response in intestinal epithelial cells. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our data demonstrate the important role of curcumin in protecting the intestine by modulating ER stress and inflammatory response post intoxication.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.44 no.7
• /
• pp.473-477
• /
• 2011

Periodontitis is a very prevalent disease. Therefore, biomarkers for the early and standard diagnoses of periodontitis are urgently needed. TACE is a membrane-bound metalloprotease. Although a recent study suggested that TACE levels in GCF are elevated during periodontal disease, the levels of TACE in GCF at different stages of chronic periodontitis have not been determined. Here, we analyzed the protein levels of TACE in GCF from periodontal disease subjects and confirmed that the protein levels of TACE were higher in the moderate periodontitis groups. TACE is known to be a NF-${\kappa}B$ ligand that stimulates RANKL secretion in osteoblasts. To understand the effects of TACE on RANKL and OPG in osteoblasts, we treated MG63 cells with TACE. We observed an increase in RANKL protein expression but a decrease in OPG protein expression. Our data suggest that TACE can induce RANKL expression and promote osteoclastogenesis, thus worsening the outcome of periodontitis.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
• /
• v.22 no.4
• /
• pp.45-57
• /
• 2001

Objectives : The water extract of Gwibitang (GBT) has been traditionally used for treatment of psychologic disease and brain damage in Oriental Medicine, This study was designed to investigate the effect of GBT on the glutamate-induced toxicity of rat C6 glial cells. Methods : The cultured cells were pretreated with GBT and exposed to glutamate, The cell damage was assessed by using MTT assay and Hoechst, IC-l staining, Results : GBT had protective effects in glutamate-induced cytotoxicity, which was revealed as apoptosis characterized by chromatic condensation and the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential in C6 glial cells. However, GBT and glutamate had no effect in the activation of caspase family cysteine proteases including caspase-3, -8 and -9 proteasesin C6 glial ce]]s, GBT significantly recovered the depletion of GSH and inhibited the generation of $H_2O_2$ by glutamate in C6 glial cells. In addition, both GBT and antioxidants such as GSH and NAC protected the glutamate-induced cytotoxicity in C6 glial cells, indicating that GBT possibly has antioxidative effect. Moreover, GBT also inhibited the glutamate-induced degradation of $IkB{\alpha}$ in C6 glial cells, This result suggest that GBT has some inhibitory effects on the transcriptional activation of $NF-_{k}B$. Conclusions : GBT has protective effects in glutamate-induced cytotoxicity via an antioxidative mechanism.