• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.7 no.5
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• pp.283-287
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• 2003

While nitric oxide (NO) produced by inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) is beneficial for host survival, it is also detrimental to the host. Thus, regulation of iNOS gene expression may be an effective therapeutic strategy for the prevention of unwanted reactions at various pathologic conditions. During the screening process for the possible iNOS regulators, we observed that esculetin is a potent inhibitor of cytokine-induced iNOS expression. The treatment of 3T3-L1 adipocytes with the tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ (TNF) induced iNOS expression, leading to enhanced NO production. TNF-induced NO production was inhibited by esculetin in a dose-dependent manner. Esculetin inhibited the TNF-induced NO production at the transcriptional level through suppression of iNOS mRNA and subsequent iNOS protein expression. These results suggest esculetin, a component of natural products, as a naturally occurring, nontoxic means to attenuate iNOS expression and NO-mediated cytotoxicity.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.180-187
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• 2013

Hypoxia is an integral part of the environment during luteolysis. In this study we examined whether hypoxia could directly stimulate endothelial cells to produce nitric oxide (NO). Endothelial cells were cultured in hypoxic (5% $O_2$) or normoxic (20% $O_2$) conditions and the levels of total NO, inducible NO and endothelial NO was measured. We found that hypoxia but not normoxia upregulated NO production. The increased NO levels correlated with increased inducible NO synthase (iNOS) expression whereas expression of endothelial NOS (eNOS) expression remained constant. Addition of the iNOS specific inhibitor 1400W to hypoxic cultures prevented NO production suggesting that hypoxia-induced NO production in endothelial cells was due mainly to upregulation of iNOS. We also found that prostaglandin $F_{2{\alpha}}$ (PGF) production was unaffected by hypoxia suggesting that upregulation of NO was not due to increased synthesis of PGF. In summary, we report that endothelial cells cultured under hypoxic conditions produce NO via the iNOS pathway. This study provides the importance of the relation between the hypoxic environment and the induction of NO by endothelial cells during regression of the corpus luteum in the ovary.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.301-305
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• 2003

Nitric oxide (NO) is an important bioactive agent that mediates a wide variety of physiological and pathophysiological events. NO overproduction by inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) results in severe hypotension and inflammation. This investigation is part of a study to discover new iNOS inhibitors from medicinal plants using a macrophage cell culture system. Two sesquiterpenes (1 and 2) were isolated from Artemisia iwayomogi (Compositae) and were found to inhibit NO synthesis ($IC_{50} 3.64 \mu g/mL and 2.81 \mu$g/mL, respectively) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated RAW 264.7 cells. Their structures were identified as 3-Ο-methyl-iso-secotanapartholide (1) and iso-secotanapartholide (2). Compounds 1 and 2 inhibited the LPS-induced expression of the iNOS enzyme in the RAW 264.7 cells. The inhibition of NO production via the down regulation of iNOS expression may substantially modulate the inflammatory responses.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.551-554
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• 2003

Nitric oxide synthase (NOS) has been reported in uterus. We examined the expression of the NOS isoforms, constitutive endothelial (eNOS) and inducible NOS (iNOS), in bovine uterus by immunohistochemistry. eNOS immunoreactivity was localized predominantly to the endothelial cells that line uterine microvessels and to endometrial glandular epithelial cells, but was barely detectable in endometrial stromal cells. iNOS immunostaining was detected in glandular epithelial and stromal cells in the endometrium and in the endothelial cells of myometrial blood vessels. These findings suggest that both eNOS and iNOS may play important roles in the physiology of the uterus, possibly by generating NO.

• Proceedings of the Zoological Society Korea Conference
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• 1998.10b
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• pp.275.2-275
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• 1998

No Abstract, See Full Text

• Korean Journal of Weed Science
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.44-51
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• 1997

Glyphosate had no effect on 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase(EPSP-synthase) biosynthesis per se. But it inhibited clealy the activity of EPSP-synthase. EPSP-synthase seemed to be synthesized as a higher molecular weight(54 kDa) presusor protein and to be transported into plastid. The apparent molecular weight of mature EPSP-synthase in plastid is 45 kDa. Thus, the molecular size of transit peptide appeared to be about 9 kDa. The etiolation for 48 h after glyphosate application did not exhibit the inhibition of translocating level of EPSP-synthase across chloroplast envelope in actively growing meristematic leaves. But even when the plants were etiolated 2 hr after glyphosate treatment, a complete inhibition did not occur at least within 12 hr, i.e. 2 hr after beginning light period, suggesting that EPSP-synthase biosynthesis appeared to be not completely light dependent and the level of EPSP-synthase translocation to chloroplast could be controlled by an unknown regulatory mechanism of light dependent herbicidal effect of glyphosate.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.310-316
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• 2001

Poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) synthase catalyzed the last enzymic step to synthesize the intracellular PHB of Rhodobacter sphaeroides. No PHB was detected when the phbC coding for PhB synthase was interrupted, and its expression was regulated at the level of transcription. The cellular PHB content increased about four- to six-fold during the growth transition from the exponential to the early stationary phase under both aerobic and photoheterotrophic conditions. The PHB content during the aerobic growth seemed to be determined by the PhB synthase activity. However, the PHB synthase activity of photoheterotrophically grown cells did not correlate with the PhB content, suggesting a photoheterotrophic regulation different from the aerobic control. Thus, the PHB content of R. sphaeroides was regulated at the transcription level only under aerobic conditions.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Toxicology Conference
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• 2003.05a
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• pp.50-50
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• 2003

Nitric oxide (NO) has been studied and found to be an important intracellular modulator. The excess NO produced by the inducible nitric-oxide synthase (iNOS) is implicated in various inflammatory diseases and cellular injury. Inflammatory cytokines such as TNF- or IL-6 increase intracellular ceramide and ceramide may induce NO production and inflammation. (omitted)

• Toxicological Research
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.245-251
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• 2006

Nitric oxide(nitrogen monoxide, NO) plays important physiological roles, but excessive generation can be toxic. NO is present in cigarette smoke at up to 1,000 ppm, and probably represents one of the greatest exogenous sources of NO to which humans are exposed. We investigated whether cigarette smoking reduces the production of endogenous NO and whether it influences the action of lipopolysaccharide(LPS) to induce nitric oxide synthase activity in mouse brain. Mice(C57BL6/J) were exposed to cigarette smoke for 8 weeks. LPS was injected intraperitoneally in single or combination with the exposure to cigarette smoke. Six hours after the injection of LPS, mice were sacrificed and sera and brains were collected. Serum concentrations of nitrate and nitrite were not charged by 4-week smoke exposure, but were significantly increased by 6 and 8 weeks of smoke exposure. Interestingly, cigarette smoke reduced the elevation in serum nitrate and nitrite concentrations produced by LPS after 4-week smoking exposure. NO synthase(NOS) activity in brain was upregulated by LPS-administration. However, cigarette smoke exposure remarkably and consistently decreased the LPS-induced activity in mouse brain. This result suggests that cigarette smoking may affect against overproduction of the endogenous NO by LPS through the inhibition of NOS activity induced by LPS in brain or by modulation of the LPS action for the induction of NOS activity. We also suggest the possibility that the exogenous NO evolved in cigarette smoke enables feedback inhibition of NOS activity or other possibility that it attenuates the toxicity of endotoxin LPS in vivo by unknown mechanisms, which should be further studied.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.1295-1302
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• 2006

Our preliminary aim is to elucidate the pharmacokinetic features of the PNS(Panax notoginseng Buck F.H. Chen. (Arialiaceae) root). First, we assessed the prevention of neurtrophil functions. A Panax notoginseng inhibited neutrophil functions, including degranulation, superoxide generation, and leukotriene B4 production, without any effect on 5-lipoxygenase activity. This Panax notoginseng reduced nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E2 production in mouse peritoneal macrophages stimulated with lipopolysaccharide, whereas no influence on the activity of inducible NO synthase, cyclo-oxygenase-2 or cyclo-oxygenase-1 was observed. Panax notoginseng significantly reduced mouse paw oedema induced by carrageenan. The results indicate that Panax notoginseng exerts anti-inflammatory effects related to the inhibition of neutrophil functions and of NO and prostaglandin E2 production, which could be due to a decreased expression of inducible NO synthase and cyclo-oxygenase-2.