• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제18권1호
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• pp.39-47
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• 2010

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a neurotrophic factor involved in neuronal differentiation, plasticity, survival and regeneration. BDNF draws massive attention mainly due to the potential as a therapeutic target in neurological diseases such as depression and Alzheimer's disease. In a primary screening for the natural compounds enhancing BDNF release from cultured rat primary cortical neuron, we found that compounds such as baicalein, tanshinone IIa, cinnamic acid, epiberberine, genistein and wogonin among many others increased BDNF release. All the compounds at $0.1{\mu}M$ of concentration barely showed stimulatory effect on BDNF induction, however, their combination (mixture 1; baicalein, tanshinone IIa and cinnamic acid, mixture 2; epiberberine, genistein and wogonin) showed synergistic increase in BDNF release as well as mRNA and protein expression. The level of BDNF expression was comparable to the maximum BDNF stimulation attainable by a positive control oroxylin A ($20{\mu}M$) without cell toxicity as determined by MTT analysis. Both mixtures synergistically increased the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) as well as cAMP response element binding protein (CREB), an immediate and essential regulator of BDNF expression. Similar to these results, mixture of these compounds synergistically inhibited the up-regulation of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) induced by lipopolysaccharide treatments in rat primary astrocytes. These results suggest that the combinatorial treatment of natural compounds in lower concentration might be a useful strategy to obtain sufficient BDNF stimulation in neurological disease condition such as depression, while minimizing potential side effects and toxicity of higher concentration of a single compound.

• 생명과학회지
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• 제21권7호
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• pp.985-991
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• 2011

본 연구는 고지방식이로 인한 비만으로 불균형된 지질구성과 산화적 손상이 신경세포형성과 초기발현단백질에 미치는 생물학적 영향을 알아보고, 규칙적인 운동의 효과를 알아보기 위하여 실시하였다. 실험동물은 4주령 SD rat 수컷 30마리를 1주간의 적응기간을 둔 뒤, 15주간 고지방식이를 통해 비만으로 유도하였으며, high fat diet sedentary (HDS, n=15)와 high fat diet and training (HDT, n=15)으로 분류하여 연구하였다. 운동강도는 1~4주는 저강도, 5~8주는 중강도로 주5회 실시하였다. 8주 트레이닝 후 혈청지질, 8-OHdG, MDA, neurotrophic factor, 그리고 IEG를 분석하였다. 그 결과 TC와 TG에서 HDS와 HDT 사이 유의한 차이가 나타났다(p<0.05). 8-OHdG에서 HDT는 트레드밀 트레이닝 후에 HDS보다 낮게 나타났다(p<0.05). 해마에서 c-jun, BDNF 그리고 간에서 MDA의 단백질 발현은 HDT가 트레드밀 트레이닝 후 HDS보다 높게 나타났다(p<0.05). 결론적으로 8주간 트레드밀 훈련은 고지방식이 비만 유도 쥐의 혈청지질 성분의 불균형을 개선시키고, 조직과 혈청의 산화적 손상과 DNA 손상을 완화시켜 주어, 비만으로 인한 합병증 예방에 도움을 줄 수 있을 것으로 사료된다. 또한 NT의 발현을 증가시킴으로써 손상된 뇌기능과 신경세포의 생성 기전 활동에 긍정적 영향을 나타냄으로써 공간적 학습기능의 향상을 가져온 것으로 판단된다.

• 한국산림과학회지
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• 제104권4호
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• pp.657-667
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• 2015

본 연구에서는 인터넷중독 위험 청소년들에 대한 '산림치유(Forest Therapy)'의 생물학적, 신경인지적 및 심리사회적 영역에서의 효과를 살펴보았다. 청소년 인터넷중독 위험군을 대상으로 2박 3일 혹은 3박 4일 형태의 산림치유 캠프를 진행했고, 캠프 전-후로 참가자들의 혈청 뇌유래신경영양인자(BDNF), 종합주의력 검사(CAT) 그리고 우울(CDI) 및 상태 불안(STAI)을 포함한 다양한 심리사회적 변인들을 측정했다. 그 결과, 산림치유 캠프에 참가한 이후에 참가자들의 혈청 BDNF 수치 및 CAT의 수행점수가 증가했고, 인터넷/게임 욕구가 감소했으며, 회복탄력성 및 대인관계가 긍정적인 방향으로 변화하였다. 또한, 산림치유 캠프 노출량에 따라 집단을 구분하여 분석한 결과, 집단내에서 일부 불안 완화를 보고하기도 하였다. 전반적으로 인터넷중독 위험 청소년의 증상 개선 및 적응력 증가를 위한 산림치유의 적용가능성을 확인하였다.

• Journal of Magnetics
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• 제20권4호
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• pp.377-380
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• 2015

Muscle contusion has a negative effect on muscle function. Although several studies showed that pain control and muscle recovery is facilitated by pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMF), there has not been much research regarding the specific effects of PEMF on them. The aim of the present study is to investigate effects of PEMF on pain and muscle recovery following extensor digitorum longus (EDL) contusion injury through measuring the expression of the c-fos proto-oncogene and nerve growth factor (NGF). Significantly reduced c-fos expression in the spinal cord was shown in PEMF groups compared with control (CON) groups. There was no significant difference between PEMF1 and CON1, but significantly increased NGF expression was shown in PEMF3 and PEMF5 compared with in CON groups, where the numbers in the group names are the days from contusion. In conclusion, PEMF could be used to not only reduce pain in muscle injuries by down-regulating c-fos expression in the spinal cord, but it could also influence muscle healing through increasing NGF expression in the injured muscle.

• 대한한의학회지
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• 제23권1호
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• pp.50-60
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• 2002

Objectives: Sunghyangjunggisan (SHJS) is a commonly prescribed drug with a wide neuropharmacological spectrum. The water extracts of SHJS were found to be protective against neurotoxicity elicited by deprivation of serum and glucose. Methods: The morphological examination and Hoechst staining of nucleus also clearly showed that the extracts attenuated the cell shrinkage, membrane blebbing, representing typical neuronal apoptotic phenomena and nucleosome-sized fragmentation under the microscope in PC 12 rat pheochromocytoma cells. Results: Activation of protein kinase A (PKA) with dibutyl-cAMP and forskolin also protected during glucose deprivation, although it was not additive with the effect provided by phorbol ester. Interestingly, treatment with the protein kinase A inhibitor, KT5720, was not neuroprotective in the presence of SHJS. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays were used to characterize the neuroprotective binding of nuclear proteins to consensus sequences for AP-l, nuclear factor kappa B ($NF-{\kappa}B$) after glucose deprivation. When PC 12 cells are induced to undergo apoptosis by serum deprivation, AP-l and $NF-{\kappa}B$ DNA binding activity transiently increases to a slight degree. This stimulation is blocked by the water extracts of SHJS. The site of action of the drugs appeared to involve specific inhibition of AP-1 and nuclear factor kB binding activity. Conclusions: Taken together, these results suggested the possibility that the extracts of SHJS might provide a neurotrophic-like activity in PC 12 cells.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• 제16권6호
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• pp.379-386
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether berberine (BER) administration could attenuate depression- and anxiety-like behaviors and increase corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF) and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) expression following chronic morphine withdrawal in rats. Male rats were exposed to chronic, intermittent, escalating morphine (10~50 mg/kg) for 10 days. After the last morphine injection, depression- and anxiety-like beahvior associated with morphine discontinuation persisted for at least three days during withdrawal without any change in ambulatory activity. Daily BER administration significantly decreased immobility in the forced swimming test and increased open-arm exploration in the elevated plus maze test. BER administration also significantly blocked the increase in hypothalamic CRF expression and TH expression in the locus coeruleus (LC) and the decrease in hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) mRNA expression. Taken together, these findings demonstrated that BER administration significantly reduced morphine withdrawal-associated behaviors following discontinuation of repeated morphine administration in rats, possibly through modulation of hypothalamic CRF and the central noradrenergic system. BER may be a useful agent for treating or alleviating complex withdrawal symptoms and preventing morphine use relapses.

• 대한물리의학회지
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• 제7권3호
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• pp.349-356
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• 2012

Purpose : This study was designed to investigate the effects of pulsed electromagnetic field on functional recovery and expression of GAP-43 after incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI) in rats. Methods : To confirm the damage of SCI and effects of pulsed electromagnetic field, 20 Sprague-Dawley male rats were used and divided randomly 2groups (SCI, PEMF). Incomplete SCI was induced by using modified NYU drop model. After operation, functional recovery test, immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis were measured at 1, 2, 3 weeks. Pulsed electromagnetic field were apply three weeks (one times a day, five days a week and twenty minutes a session). Results : In the this study, applications of pulsed electromagnetic field after incomplete SCI induced the significant improvement in functional recovery and expression of neurotrophic factor. The results were as follows; Foot print test, PEMF were significantly decreased than the SCI (p<.05). Expression of GAP-43, PEMF were significantly increased than the SCI at 2 and 3 weeks (p<.05). Conclusion : In conclusion, pulsed electromagnetic field were positive effect in functional recovery and expression of GAP-43 after incomplete SCI in rats.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제33권9호
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• pp.1189-1196
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• 2023

This study proposed to demonstrate the neuroprotective effects of heat-killed Levilactobacillus brevis KU15152. Heat-killed L. brevis KU15152 showed antioxidant activity similar to that of Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG, in terms of radical scavenging activity. To evaluate the neuroprotective effects, conditioned medium (CM) obtained by incubating heat-killed bacteria in intestinal cells (HT-29) was used through gut-brain axis. CM from L. brevis KU15152 protected neuroblastoma cells (SH-SY5Y) against H₂O₂-induced oxidative stress. Pretreatment with CM significantly alleviated the morphological changes induced by H₂O₂. Heat-killed L. brevis KU15152 showed an increased brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression in HT-29 cells. L. brevis KU15152-CM remarkably downregulated the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, while upregulating the expression of BDNF and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in SH-SY5Y cells. Furthermore, L. brevis KU15152-CM reduced caspase-3 activity following H₂O₂ treatment. In conclusion, L. brevis KU15152 can be potentially used as food materials to avoid neurodegenerative diseases.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• 제21권2호
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• pp.161-168
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• 2017

Understanding the crosstalk mechanisms between perivascular cells (PVCs) and cancer cells might be beneficial in preventing cancer development and metastasis. In this study, we investigated the paracrine influence of PVCs derived from human umbilical cords on the proliferation of lung adenocarcinoma epithelial cells (A549) and erythroleukemia cells (TF-$1{\alpha}$ and K562) in vitro using $Transwell^{(R)}$ co-culture systems. PVCs promoted the proliferation of A549 cells without inducing morphological changes, but had no effect on the proliferation of TF-$1{\alpha}$ and K562 cells. To identify the factors secreted from PVCs, conditioned media harvested from PVC cultures were analyzed by antibody arrays. We identified a set of cytokines, including persephin (PSPN), a neurotrophic factor, and a key regulator of oral squamous cell carcinoma progression. Supplementation with PSPN significantly increased the proliferation of A549 cells. These results suggested that PVCs produced a differential effect on the proliferation of cancer cells in a cell-type dependent manner. Further, secretome analyses of PVCs and the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms could facilitate the discovery of therapeutic target(s) for lung cancer.

• 대한본초학회지
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• 제37권4호
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• pp.39-48
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• 2022

Objectives : In the present study, we assessed the effects of water extract of Ulmus davidiana(UED) on the learning and memory impairments induced by scopolamine in mice through its favorable acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity and antioxidant effect. Methods : The memory and cognitive enhancing effect of the UDE was investigated using a passive avoidance test, the Morris water maze test and Y-maze test in mice. In addition, to examine the mechanism of UDE using acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and antioxidant activity. Results : The water extract of UDE (100, and 200 mg/kg) significantly reversed the scopolamine-induced cognitive impairments in the passive avoidance test (P < 0.05). Moreover, UDE (100, and 200 mg/kg) also improved escape latencies in training trials and increased swimming times and distances within the target zone of the Morris water maze (P < 0.05). On the Y-maze test, UDE (100, and 200 mg/kg) also significantly reversed scopolamine-induced cognitive impairments in mice (P < 0.05). In an in vitro study, UDE was found to inhibit acetylcholinesterase, changes in neurotrophic factor (CREB), and antioxidant activity in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusions : The water extract of UDE dramatically possesses the anti-amnestic and cognitive-enhancing activities related to the memory processes, and these activities were parallel to treatment duration and dependent on the learning models. These results suggest that the administration of UDE enhances learning and memory, and that this effect is partially mediated by ERK-CREB-BDNF signaling and the survival of immature neurons.