• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.84-98
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• 2007

Purpose : Polycystic ovarian syndrome(PCOS) is a endocrine disorder and still remains as one of the common causes of anovulation in women of reproductive age. There are some evidences that nerve growth factor(NGF) is involved in the pathogenesis of PCOS. In this research, the effects of ShingihwanhapChangbudodam- Tang(SCT) on the estradiol valerate(EV)-induced polycystic ovary(PCO) were investigated in rats. Methods : PCO was induced by single intramuscular injection with EV(4mg) in female rats. Rats in PCO control group(n = 8) were EV injected and orally administrated distilled water for sixty days. Rats in SCT-treated group(n = 8) were EV injected and orally administrated SCT for same duration. The weights of body, ovary and adrenal gland were measured. And also, ovarian histopathology and NGF immunohistochemistry were performed. Results : The weights of ovaries in SCT-treated group were significantly increased compared with control group. The numbers of secondly and mature follicles, and corpora lutea in SCT-treated group were significantly increased compared with control group. The numbers of atretic follicles were significantly decreased compared with control group. The expression of NGF positive reaction in the ovarian granulosa cells of SCT-treated group were lesser observed than control group. Conclusion : From the these results, we concluded that ShingihwanhapChangbudodam-Tang(SCT) has inhibitory effect on the development of EV-induced polycystic ovary. And it's effect may be related with decreased NGF activities in the ovary.

• BMB Reports
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• v.41 no.11
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• pp.784-789
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• 2008

Mac-2BP is a ligand of the galectin family that has been suggested to affect tumor proliferation and metastasis formation. We assessed Mac-2BP expression at the transcriptional and translational levels to evaluate nerve growth factor (NGF)-induced Mac-2BP expression. A time kinetic analysis using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction showed that NGF-induced Mac-2BP transcript levels were 4-5 times higher than in controls. Mac-2BP enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immuno-fluorescence staining showed a 2-3-fold increase in intracellular and secreted Mac-2BP as a result of NGF stimulation. This increase was regulated by Akt activation and NF-${\kappa}B$ binding. p65 and p50-NF-${\kappa}B$ are major transcriptional factors in the Mac-2BP promoter region, and were shown to be regulated in accordance with the Akt activation states. Collectively, these results suggest that NGF induces Mac-2BP expression via the PI3K/Akt/NF-${\kappa}B$ pathway.

• Journal of Mushroom
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.77-81
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• 2014

Mushrooms are considered not only as food but also for source of physiologically beneficial medicines. The culinary-medicinal mushrooms may important role in the prevention of age-associated neurological dysfunctions, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Hericium erinaceus (H. erinaceus), is edible mushrooms, is a parasitic fungus that grows hanging off of logs and trees and well established candidate for brain and nerve health. H. erinaceus contains high amounts of antioxidants, beta-glucan, polysaccharides and a potent catalyst for brain tissue regeneration and helps to improve memory and cognitive functions. Its fruiting bodies and the fungal mycelia exhibit various pharmacological activities, including the enhancement of the immune system, antitumor, hypoglycemic and anti-aging properties. H. erinaceus stimulates the synthesis of Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) which is the primary protein nutrient responsible for enhancing and repairing neurological disorders. Especially hericenones and erinacines isolated from its fruitin body stimulate NGF, synthesis. This fungus is also utilized to regulate blood levels of glucose, triglycerides and cholesterol. H. erinaceus can be considered as useful therapeutic agents in the management and/or treatment of neurodegeneration diseases. However, this review focuses on in vitro, in vivo and clinical trials for neurodegerative disease.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.72-80
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• 2012

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of familiar exercise and novel exercise on motor function after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) in rats. The rats were subjected to a unilateral striatal ICH via collagenase infusion. The rats were randomly divided into the following three groups: the CON (control group; rested one week post-ICH), the FE (familiar exercise group; familiar exercise was performed two weeks after one-week post-ICH period), and NE (novel exercise group; novel exercise was performed two weeks after one-week post-ICH period). We measured neurological behavior using a ladder rung walking test and a beam walking test; we measured the level of nerve growth factor (NGF) using immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis. We performed a one-way ANOVA test to analyze the scores obtained from the neurological behavior tests and the differences of NGF protein levels among the three groups. In the present study, the FE group and the NE group showed significant improvement during the neurological behavior tests and in their expression of NGF protein level, as compared to the CON group. Especially, NE group more increase than FE group in neurological behavior tests, the expression of NGF on motor cortex. In conclusion, these results suggest that, after ICH, familiar exercise and novel exercise enhance motor function and, novel exercise is more effective than familiar exercise.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.22 no.11
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• pp.1444-1450
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• 2012

The purpose of the present research is to investigate the effects of acute soccer game on serum levels of neurotrophins and neurocognitive function. The subjects of the research were 15 healthy male adolescents. The subjects underwent two experiments: one experiment in the soccer game treatment (SOC) condition, and the other in the self-study treatment (CON) condition. Blood samples were collected at three times: before treatment (Pre), after treatment (Post), and 2 hours post treatment (Post-2 h) for the analyses of serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), nerve growth factor (NGF), and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). For the measurements of neurocognitive functions, the Stroop Color-Word test was performed at blood collecting times. The results of the research showed that the serum levels of BDNF, NGF, and IGF-1 were significantly increased after the soccer game (p<0.05), and significantly higher in SOC than CON at Post (p<0.05). In the Stroop Color-Word test, significantly increased scores were observed in SOC at Post (p<0.05), and significantly higher in SOC than in CON at Post and Post-2 h (p<0.05). These results suggest that acute soccer game has positive effects on neurocognitive functions by increasing the neurotrophins.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.137-146
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• 2002

The immunohistochemical localization of the nerve growth factor (NGF), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNIF) in the developing Mongolian gerbil forebrain was investigated by the immunohistochemical and electron microscopy methods. Generally, the NGF specifically recognizes the neurons, the GFAP does the glia, and the CNIF does the motor neurons. This study demonstrates the location of the NGF, GFAP and CNTF in the developing Mongolian gerbil from the embryonic days 17 (E17) to the postnatal weeks 3 (PNW 3). The NGF was localized at E19 in the olfactocy bulb and the cerebral cortex, expanded to the hippocampus, and the diagonal bond from the late prenatal period to PNW 3. GFAP was observed in the lateral ventricle and the third ventricle at E17, projected into the cerebral cortex at E19. The GFAP was observed to have the largest numbers in several parts of the forebrain at the postnatal days 2 (PND2), while the most numerous CNTF was observed at PNW 2. The CNTF-IR cells were observed only in the postnatal days and were found in the olfactory bulb, cerebral cortex both neuron and neuroglia at PND3. Electron microscopy showed that the NGF, GFAP and CNTF were not related to any connections with any particular subcellular structure. These results suggest that NGF, GFAP and CNTF be related to the neuron and neuroglia at the prenatal and postnatal stages in the developing Mongolian gerbil.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 1993.11a
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• pp.28-33
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• 1993

Regulation of nerve growth factor (NGF)-induced neuronal differentiation by GTPase activating protein(GAP) and its mechanism were investigated in rat pheochromocytoma cell line, PCl2. Overexpression of GAP caused the delay in the onset of neurite outgrowth of PCl2 eel Is in response to NGF. GAP has been known to inhibit p21$\^$ras/, the activated form of which induces neuronal differentiation. Therefore, the activity of p21$\^$ras/ was compared in control cells and cells overexpressing GAP indirectly by measuring the activities of B-Raf and MAP kinase that are known to be positively regulated by p21$\^$ras/. Surprisingly, NGF-induced activities of these two proteins were the same in control eells and GAP-overexpressing cells. Activities of Trk, PLC-r and SMC that act at a site upstream to p21$\^$ras/ in NGF signal transduction pathway were not also affected by GAP overexpression. Interestingly, however, the extent of tyrosine phosphorylation of SNT was found to be remarkably low in cells overexpressing GAP. It has been shown previously that neurotrophins and not mitogens induce SNT tyrosine phosphorylation in PCl2 cells. Thus it is possible that the timing of NGF-induced neuronal differntiation may be in part regulated by SNT and the slower onset of neurite outgrowth in cells overexpressing GAP may be through the inhibition of SNT by GAP.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.380-387
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• 2013

This study was performed to examine the increasing biological activities of both nerve growth factor induction and anti-aging activity of gastrodia (Gastrodia elata) with fermentation process. Antioxidant activities, taken in the fermenting, were investigated to verify utility value of gastrodia for functional food and cosmetics. Fermented gastrodia extracts showed higher antioxidant activities than dried gastrodia extracts. During the routine check of all the practical use potential as functional food, inhibition effect of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) and xanthine oxidase (XOase) was tested among water extracted dried gastrodia (WEDG), water extracted fermented gastrodia (WEFG), 70% ethanol extracted dried gastrodia (EEDG) and 70% ethanol extracted fermented gastrodia (EEFG). DPPH was shown as WEDG = $64.14{\pm}0.89%$, WEFG = $66.21{\pm}1.03%$, EEDG = $82.25{\pm}0.52%$, and EEFG = $82.36{\pm}2.37%$. ABTS was shown as WEDG = $54.15{\pm}1.37%$, WEFG = $60.24{\pm}2.25%$, EEDG = $59.18{\pm}1.86%$, and EEFG = $77.17{\pm}4.23%$. Therefore, ACE activity was dramatically inhibited by EERG while there was no difference of XOase inhibition between EEFG and EERG. Nerve growth factor (NGF) activity was measured and indicated about 40% increased neurite growth effect. To conclude, biologically active compounds of gastrodia were increased by fermentation process. It seems to be that ferment gastrodia enhance the use ranges from functional food to fuctional cosmetics, and to all processing industry.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.16 no.3 s.76
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• pp.464-471
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• 2006

Peripheral nerve injuries are a commonly encountered clinical problem and often result in severe functional deficits. In the present study, the effects of treadmill exercise on neurotrophin expressions and functional recovery following sciatic crushed nerve injury were investigated. Animals were randomly assigned into four groups: the sciatic nerve injury group, the sciatic nerve injury and 3-day-exercise, the sciatic nerve injury and 7-days-exercise, and the sciatic nerve injury and 14-days-exercise groups. Sciatic nerve injury was caused by crushing the right sciatic nerve for 30 s using a surgical clip. A the light-exercise was applied to each of the exercise group over the respective number of days. In the present results, we identified enhanced axonal re-growth in the distal stump of the sciatic nerve 3-14 days after crush injury with treadmill training. Dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neuron when cultured from animals with nerve injury and treadmill training showed more enhanced neurite outgrowth than that of sedentary animals. Nerve growth factor (NGF) protein levels in low-intensity treadmill training group were highly induced in the injured sciatic nerves 3, 7 and 14 days after injury compared with sedentary group, and brain-derived neurotrophin factor (BDNF) protein levels in treadmill exercise group were highly induced in the injured sciatic nerve 3 days after injury compared with sedentary group. Then, treadmill exercise increased neurotrophic factors induced in the regenerating nerves. We further demonstrate that motor functional recovery after sciatic nerve injury was promoted by treadmill exercise. Thus, the present data provide a new evidence that treadmill exercise enhanced neurotrophins expression and axonal regeneration after sciatic nerve injury in rats.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.19 no.6 s.89
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• pp.433-436
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• 2004

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a very common endocrine disorder in women of reproductive age. There are some evidences that nerve growth factor (NGF) is involved in the pathogenesis of PCOS. In this study, we investigated the effect of Korean red ginseng total saponin (GTS) on the ovarian morphology and NGF expressions in the ovaries, pituitary and hippocampus. The oil control animals were injected with 0.2 ml oil/rat. Animals in estradiol valerate (EV) control group were injected i.m. with 4 mg EV in 0.2 ml oil/rat. The GTS was administered (100 mg/kg) i.p. every other day for 60 days, beginning 1 day after the EV injection. PCO was induced by a single injection of EV (4 mg, i.m.). At day 60, the expressions of NGF were examined by immunohistochemistry. The main findings were as follows; PCO was fully developed with a single i.m. injection of EV, and PCO showed the increased expression of NGF, and GTS administration decreased NGF expressions in the ovaries without affecting pituitary and hippocampus significantly. The present results demonstrate that GTS attenuates PCOS by the stimulation of NGF expression.