• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.155-162
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• 2005

Anemarrhenae Rhizoma (AR) has been widely used for the treatment of various diseases in Oriental medicine. To investigate whether AR possesses anti-inflammatory effects against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation in the BV2 microglial cells, MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5- diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay. reverse transcription -polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) assay, and nitric oxide (NO) detection assay were performed. From the present results, AR was shown to suppress PGE2 synthesis and NO production by inhibiting the LPS-stimulated enhancement of cyclooxygenase-2 and inducible nitric oxide synthase expression in BV2 microglial cells. These results suggest that AR may offer a valuable means of therapy in the treatment of inflammatory diseases by attenuating LPS-induced PGE2 synthesis and NO production.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.211-217
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• 2012

Recent studies have demonstrated that nitric oxide (NO) activates transient receptor potential vanilloid subtype 1 (TRPV1) via S-nitrosylation of the channel protein. NO also modulates various cellular functions via activation of the soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC)/protein kinase G (PKG) pathway and the direct modification of proteins. Thus, in the present study, we investigated whether NO could indirectly modulate the activity of TRPV1 via a cGMP/PKG-dependent pathway in cultured rat dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons. NO donors, sodium nitroprusside (SNP) and S-nitro-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP), decreased capsaicin-evoked currents ($I_{cap}$). NO scavengers, hemoglobin and 2-(4-carboxyphenyl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide (CPTIO), prevented the inhibitory effect of SNP on $I_{cap}$. Membrane-permeable cGMP analogs, 8-bromoguanosine 3', 5'-cyclic monophosphate (8bromo-cGMP) and 8-(4chlorophenylthio)-guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (8-pCPT-cGMP), and the guanylyl cyclase stimulator YC-1 mimicked the effect of SNP on $I_{cap}$. The PKG inhibitor KT5823 prevented the inhibition of $I_{cap}$ by SNP. These results suggest that NO can downregulate the function of TRPV1 through activation of the cGMP/PKG pathway in peripheral sensory neurons.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.35-42
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• 2003

Nitric Oxide(NO) is produced in many organs of the body, including the lung and airways, and it is detectable in the exhaled air. The measurement of exhaled NO(eNO) provides a simple non-invasive means for measuring airway inflammation, such as asthma. We measured eNO among adult male workers to examine the distribution of eNO in healthy people and to find factors affecting eNO. We measured eNO in a sample of 921 adult workers who also performed lung function test and skin prick test. Exhaled NO was measured in a sitting posture without using a nose clip and NO free gas. NO was measured at three expiratory rates(l8; 42; 71 $m\ell$/sec) and the flow rate of 71 $m\ell$/sec was used in analysis. The average eNO concentration was 5.29 $\pm$ 2.98 ppb. The level increased with age but not significantly(P=0.0529). Exhaled NO showed positive relations to the height(P=0.0001), pollen 1 (P=0.0124), asthma history(P=0.0212), allergic rhinitis symptom(P=0.0302). Exhaled NO Concentration of smokers( 4.62 ppb) was significantly lower than that of nonsmokers(5.99 ppb; P<0.0001).

• Toxicological Research
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.195-201
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• 1996

Endotoxic shock causes death in humans and animals via extreme hypoperfusion of peripheral organs. A massive production of nitric oxide (NO) both from the endothelical cells and smooth muscle cells has been proposed as a possible mechanism in this process. Since NO attenuated the contractility to vasoconstricting agents such as norepinephrine (NE) by directly acting on the smooth muscle cells, this mechanism was considered mainly as a postsynaptic mechanism. In this research it was investigated whether NO, thus released, also participates in the presynaptic events for the regulation of vascular tone in endotoxic shock. The role of NO was studied by adding NO donors or NO synthase inhibitor $N^\omega $methyl-L-arginine (NMA) in stimulated sympathetic nerves of the mesenteric vascular bed and the Langendorff heart of rats. Sodium nitroprusside (SNP), an NO donor, reduced the pressor responses of isolated mesenteric artery either to electrical stimulation or exogenously administered phenylephrine (PE). In this mesentery, although neither agent influenced NE release, in the presence of the adrenergic $\alpha_2$-receptor antagonist yohimbine, elecrical stimulation-evoked NE release was augumented by SNP. In the heart SNP facilitated the NE release induced by electrical stimulation, while NMA had no effect. From these results it is proposed that there exists a local reflex phenomenon in the junction between the sympathetic nerve terminals and the smooth muscle of resistance blood vessels; by which sympathetic responses are reduced by NO at the postjunctional level while NO facilitates NE release contributing to augumentation of sympathetic tone. All these facts suggest that NO produced during endotoxic shock has dual effects: whereas NO blunts the vasoconstrictive activity of NE at the postsynaptic level, NO presynaptically facilitates the release of NE from sympathetic nerve terminals.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.883-908
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• 1997

Bone remodeling is characterized by the coupling of osteoclast-mediated bone resorption and osteoblast-mediated bone formation. The process is tightly regualted at the local level by an incompletely known netwotk of peptide and non-peptide fators. Nitric oxide(NO), synthesized by nitric oxide synthetase(NOS) from L-arginine, is becoming recognized as an important bioregualtory molecule in a variety of tissue, but little is known about its possible role in periodontal tissue. The purpose of this study is to investigate the expression of nitric oxide synthetase(NOS) in inflamed gingiva and the effects of cytokine on the expression of NOS protein. The expression of NOS in gingival tissue was evaluated by immunohistochemical staining for $NOS_1$, $NOS_2$, $NOS_3$. The effect of cytokine on the expression of NOS in human periodontal ligament cells and osteoblast-like HOS cells by western blot analysis. Further, we studied that NO functions in periodontal ligament cells as a regulatory molecule. PDL cells incubated with NOS inhibitor and donor. The protein expression, type I collagen & non-collagenous protein, nitrate production and cell proliferation were evaluated The results were as follows. 1. $NOS_1$, $NOS_2$, $NOS_3$ was rarely distributed in healthy gingiva, but stronger stained in gingival epithelium, endothelial cells, and mononuclear cells of inflammed gingiva. 2. The cytokine stimulated $NOS_1$, and $NOS_3$ protein were not inducing or inhibitory effect to compared with control in PDL and HOS cells. 3.Incubation of cells with combination of $TNF-{\alpha}$, $IFN-{\gamma}$, LPS result in a time dependant increase in $NOS_2$ expression, reaching a maximal level after 24 hours of stimulation. 4. The osteonectin protein inhibitory effect of NMA, inhibitor of NOS, was reversed by Larginine in dose dependant manner. 5. NMA decreased cell poliferation and nitrate production, but the inhibitory efffect of NMA was also prevented by the NO donor, sodium nitropruiside. These results suggest that exogenously synthesized NO was playing a stimulating effect on cell proliferation or on non-collagenous protein expression. Therefore NO have an important role in mediation of localized bone destruction associated inflammatory bone disease such as periodontitis.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.159-164
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• 2004

Primary pro-inflammatory cytokines are a trio: tumor necrosis- $\alpha$ (TNF-$\alpha$), interleukine-$\beta$ (IL-$\beta$), and interleukine-6 (IL-6). These cytokines initiate and regulate the acute-phase inflammatory response during infection, trauma, or stress and appear to play an important role in the immune process. Nitric oxide (NO) is a multi-functional mediator, which plays an important role in regulating various biological functions in vivo. NO production by inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in macrophages is essential for the defense mechanisms against microorganisms and tumor cells. However, over-expression of iNOS by various stimuli, resulting in over-production of NO, contributes to the pathogenesis of septic shock and some inflammatory and auto-immune disease. Solvent fractions of sage ( Salvia officinalis L.), which is cultivated in Jeju-Do, was assayed for their effects on TNF-$\alpha$ and IL-6 production in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. Hexane and ethylacetate (EtOAc) fraction of sage inhibited the protein and mRNA expression of TNF-$\alpha$ and IL-6 in LPS stimulated RAW 264.7 cells at the concentration of 100 $\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$. Also, incubation of RAW 264.7 cells with the fraction of hexane or EtOAc (50 $\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$) inhibited the LPS induced nitrite accumulation and the LPS/IFN-${\gamma}$ induced iNOS protein. And this inhibition of iNOS protein is concordant with the inhibition of iNOS mRNA expression. Above results suggest that extract of sage may have anti-inflammatory activity through the inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-$\alpha$, IL-1$\beta$, IL-6), iNOS and NO.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.419-424
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• 2011

Galla Rhois and its components are known to possess anti-infl ammatory properties. In the present study, we prepared equilibrium mixture of ethyl m-digallate and ethyl p-digallate isomers (EDG) from Galla Rhois and examined its effect on nitric oxide (NO) production in murine macrophage cell line. Treatment of RAW264.7 macrophages with EDG signifi cantly inhibited NO production and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression stimulated by LPS, as assessed by Western blot and quantitative RT-PCR analyses. We also demonstrated that EDG treatment led to an increase in heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) mRNA and protein expression. EDG treatment also enhanced expression level of nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) in nucleus, which is critical for transcriptional induction of HO-1. Treatment with SnPP (tin protoporphyrin IX), a selective HO-1 inhibitor, reversed EDG-mediated inhibition of nitrite production, suggesting that HO-1 plays an important role in the suppression of NO production by EDG. Taken together, these results indicate that EDG isolated from Galla Rhois suppresses LPS-stimulated NO production in RAW 264.7 macrophages via HO-1 induction.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.621-627
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• 2012

Assessment was made of the effects of Aralia cordata Thunb (DH) on the cell proliferation, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) mRNA gene expression and nitric oxide (NO) production in RAW 264.7 macrophage cells. For the screening of anti-inflammatory activities, ethanolic extracts of 55 species of traditional herbal medicines were examined for inhibitory effects, and it was confirmed that DH possessed inhibitory effects on NO production. As a result, DH significantly decreased the production of NO and iNOS gene expression at a concentration of $250{\mu}g/mL$. The chloroformsoluble fractionates have the strongest No synthesis inhibitory effect. It is presumed that the inhibition of NO production in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells by DH components occurred via the modulation of iNOS and DH, and that the active compound from DH may be useful for therapeutic management of inflammatory-associate diseases.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2001.11a
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• pp.503-504
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• 2001

Characteristics of $CO_2$ fixation by Chlorella sp. HA -1 against NO and $SO_2$ were investigated. Culture pH in nitric oxide gas remained stable indicating that nitric oxide was not likely to be a problem for growth, while $SO_2$ could inhibit the cell growth because of pH drop. Chiarella sp. HA -1 containing 10% $CO_2$ from stack gas can be tolerant to 100 ppm nitric oxide and 100 ppm sulfuric oxide through pH control.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.73-82
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• 1999

Nitric oxide (NO) is now recognized as a mediator of several biological and immunological functions, but unlike classical neurotransmitters. NO simply diffuse of the postsynaptic cells and around affecting cells. Taraxacum officinale (Compositae) has been used for maintenance of vitality, and they still occupy an important place in the traditional Korean medicine. We have examined that the effect of Taraxacum officinale water extract on NO synthesis in microglial cells of murine's brain, using the Griess method. And this study was evident that Taraxacum officinale did not induce NO production without recombinant interferon gamma ($rIFN-{\gamma}$), whereas Taraxacum officinale (10-1000 g/ml) with $rIFN-{\gamma}$ effectively produced NO in microglial cells of brain. As result. NO production in microglial cells increased most significantly in dose of 100 g/ml of the Taraxacum officinale and the production of NO was dependent on the dose of Taraxacum officinale, NG-monomethyl-L-arginine, competitive inhibitor of NO synthase, reduced the NO production by Taraxacum officinale stimulation with $rIFN-{\gamma}$ in microglial cells of murine. The effect of Taraxacum officinale was mainly dependent on Taraxacum officinale-induced tumor necrosis factor- secretion. Conclusively, this study suggested that Taraxacum officinale stimulate NO production at microglial cells in brain, which may be an important factor for mediating immune and neuroendocrinologic regulation in nervous system.