• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.64-73
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• 2013

Korean red ginseng water extract (KG-WE) has known beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system via inducting nitric oxide (NO) production in endothelium. Endothelial arginase inhibits the activity of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) by substrate depletion, thereby reducing NO bioavailability and contributing to vascular diseases including hypertension, aging, and atherosclerosis. In the present study, we demonstrate that KG-WE inhibits arginase activity and negatively regulates NO production and reactive oxygen species generation in endothelium. This is associated with increased dimerization of eNOS without affecting the protein expression levels of either arginase or eNOS. In a vascular tension assay, when aortas isolated from wild type mice were incubated with KG-WE, NO-dependent enhanced vasorelaxation was observed. Furthermore, KG-WE administered via by drinking water to atherogenic model mice being fed high cholesterol diet improved impaired vascular function. Taken together, these results suggest that KG-WE may exert vasoprotective effects through augmentation of NO signaling by inhibiting arginase. Therefore, KG-WE may be useful in the treatment of vascular diseases derived from endothelial dysfunction, such as atherosclerosis.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 1998.11a
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• pp.176-176
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• 1998

An enhanced formation of nitric oxide (NO) is an important mediator of hypotention, peripheral vasodilation and vascular hyporeactivity to vasoconstrictor agents in endotoxaemia. And tumor necrosis factor (TNF${\alpha}$), as a primary mediator of circulatory shock has been known to induce inducible nitric oxide synthase (i-NOS), leading to excessive production of NO. We isolated two sesquiterpene lactone compounds from Saussurea lappa and their structures were elucidated as dehydrocostus lactone and costunolide. These compounds inhibit the production of both NO and TNF${\alpha}$ by LPS (1 $\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$)-activated Raw 264.7 cells. NO was measured spectropho-tometrically as nitrite by the Griess reagent and TNF${\alpha}$ by ELISA. Dehydrocostus lactone (IC$\sub$50/ : 3.0 ${\mu}$M) and costunolide (IC$\sub$50/ : 4.5 ${\mu}$M) inhibited the production of NO in LPS-activated Raw 264.7 cells by suppressing inducible nitric oxide synthase enzyme expression. These compounds also decreased the TNF${\alpha}$ levels in LPS-activated system in vitro and in vivo.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.32-40
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• 1991

Mitochondria in Pleurotus ostreatus were isolated and purified by the stepped sucrose density gradient centrifugation, to investigate the effects of the light on the enzymatic activity of the mitochondrial ATP synthase. This enzyme, which was illuminated by the light ranging from 400 nm to 700 nm, showed that the specific activity was stimulated at 490 nm for 15 sec. Effects of organic compounds on the mitochondrial ATP synthase were also investigated at the optimum conditions; The activities of this enzyme were increased to 168 percent by the addition of 2,6-dichlo­rophenol indophenol(DCPIP), 224 percent by phenazine methosulfate(PMS), but inhibited 91 per­cent by oligomycin, 14 percent by 2-heptyl-4-hydroxyquinoline-N-oxide(HQNO) and 75 percent by 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP), respectively. Effects of metal ions of the mitochondrial ATP synthase were investigated at the optimum conditions. The activities of the enzyme were inhibited 35 percent by $Ca^{2+}$, 14 percent by $Co^{2+}$ and 73 percent by $Mn^{2+}$. For effects of anions, the activities of this enzyme were inhibited 80 percent by $CN^{-}$, 52 percent by $SO_{4}\;^{2-}$, 28 percent by each of $CO_{3}\;^{2-}$­and $NO_{3}\;^{-}$, respectively.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.22 no.7
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• pp.1048-1053
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• 2009

The present study was conducted to determine the effects of chitosan on nitric oxide (NO) content and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) activity in serum, and relative expression of iNOS mRNA in the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum of broiler chickens. A total of 240 one-day-old Arbor Acre mixed-sex broiler chickens were randomly allotted to six dietary treatments with five replicates in each treatment and eight chickens in each replicate. The broiler chickens in the six treatments were fed the basal diet supplemented with 0 (control), 0.05, 0.2, 0.5, 1.0 or 2.0 g/kg chitosan. The trial lasted for 42 days. The results showed that dietary chitosan enhanced NO content and iNOS activity in serum as well as iNOS mRNA expression in the duodenum and ileum of broiler chickens in a quadratic dose-dependent manner (p<0.05), and improved jejunum iNOS mRNA expression in a quadratic dose-dependent manner (p<0.10) with increasing addition of chitosan. Chicks fed a diet containing 0.5-1.0 g/kg chitosan had higher NO content and iNOS activity in serum as well as small-intestinal iNOS mRNA expression compared with birds given the control diet, but positive effects of chitosan tended to be suppressed when addition of chitosan in the diet was increased to 2.0 g/kg. These results implied that there was a threshold level of chitosan inclusion beyond which progressive reductions in serum NO content and small intestinal iNOS expression occured, and the regulation of chitosan on immune functions in chickens is probably associated with activated expression of iNOS and NO secretion.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.441-447
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• 2016

Despite the complex vascular effects of dexmedetomidine (DEX), its actions on human pulmonary resistance arteries remain unknown. The present study tested the hypothesis that DEX inhibits vascular tension in human pulmonary arteries through the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) mediated production of nitric oxide (NO). Pulmonary artery segments were obtained from 62 patients who underwent lung resection. The direct effects of DEX on human pulmonary artery tension and changes in vascular tension were determined by isometric force measurements recorded on a myograph. Arterial contractions caused by increasing concentrations of serotonin with DEX in the presence or absence of L-NAME (endothelial nitric oxide synthase inhibitor), yohimbine (${\alpha}_2$-adrenoceptor antagonist) and indomethacin (cyclooxygenase inhibitor) as antagonists were also measured. DEX had no effect on endothelium-intact pulmonary arteries, whereas at concentrations of $10^{-8}{\sim}10^{-6}mol/L$, it elicited contractions in endothelium-denuded pulmonary arteries. DEX (0.3, 1, or $3{\times}10^{-9}mmol/L$) inhibited serotonin-induced contraction in arteries with intact endothelium in a dose-dependent manner. L-NAME and yohimbine abolished DEX-induced inhibition, whereas indomethacin had no effect. No inhibitory effect was observed in endothelium-denuded pulmonary arteries. DEX-induced inhibition of vasoconstriction in human pulmonary arteries is mediated by NO production induced by the activation of endothelial ${\alpha}_2$-adrenoceptor and nitric oxide synthase.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Toxicology Conference
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• 2002.11b
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• pp.188-189
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• 2002

This work aimed to identify neuronal cell toxicity induced by decrease of physiological NO production by differential phosphorylation of constitutive neuronal NO synthase (nNOS), which can be mediated by Ca2+-dependent PKC and/or CaM-KII activities activated by metals.(omitted)

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.293.2-293.2
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• 2002

Bisphenol A ［BPA. 2.2-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)propane］ is reported to have estrogenic activity: however. its influence on cytokine production or immune system function remains unclear. In this study. we investigated the effects of BPA on the production of nitric oxide (NO) and tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a), and on the level of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and TNF-a gene expression in mouse macrophages. BPA alone did not affect NO or TNF-a production. (omitted)

• BMB Reports
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.79-85
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• 2008

The source of nitric oxide (NO) in plants is unclear and it has been reported NO can be produced by nitric oxide synthase (NOS) like enzymes and by nitrate reductase (NR). Here we used wild-type, Atnos1 mutant and nia1, nia2 NR-deficient mutant plants of Arabidopsis thaliana to investigate the potential source of NO production in response to Verticillium dahliae toxins (VD-toxins). The results revealed that NO production is much higher in wild-type and Atnos1 mutant than in nia1, nia2 NR-deficient mutants. The NR inhibitor had a significant effect on VD-toxins-induced NO production; whereas NOS inhibitor had a slight effect. NR activity was significantly implicated in NO production. The results indicated that as NO was induced in response to VD-toxins in Arabidopsis, the major source was the NR pathway. The production of NOS-system appeared to be secondary.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.210-215
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• 1999

Nitric oxide (NO) can mediate numerous physiological processes, including vasodilation, neurotransmission, cytotoxicity, secretion and inflammatory response. The regulation of NO production by inducible NO synthase (iNOS) is considered to be the possible target of the development of anti-inflammatory agent, based on the observation that NO can activate cyclooxygenase, which results in the synthesis of prostaglandins. In an effort to screen new inhibitor of NO production from about 352 species of herbal extracts, we found 9 species with 50% or more inhibitory effect on NO production. Especially, the dose-dependent inhibition of NO production in lipopolysaccharide-treated macrophages by two of the herbal extracts (Artemisiae asiaticae Herba and Saussureae Radix) was due to the decrease in the expression of iNOS.

• BMB Reports
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.195-201
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• 2000

A human gene has been reported that may encode the enzyme acetohydroxyacid synthase. Previously this enzyme was thought to be absent from animals although it is present in plants and many microorganisms. In plants, this enzyme is the target of a number of commercial herbicides and the use of these compounds may need to be reassessed if the human enzyme exists and proves to be susceptible to inhibition. Here we report the construction of several plasmid vectors containing the cDNA sequence for this protein, and their expression in Escherichia coli. High levels of expression were observed, but most of the protein proved to be insoluble. The small amounts of soluble protein contained little or no acetohydroxyacid synthase activity. Attempts to refold the insoluble protein were successful insofar as the protein became soluble. However, the refolded protein did not gain any acetohydroxyacid synthase activity. In vivo complementation tests of an E. coli mutant produced no evidence that the protein is active. Incorrect folding, or the lack of another subunit, may explain the data but we favor the interpretation that this gene does not encode an acetohydroxyacid synthase.