• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제22권3호
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• pp.181-187
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• 1998

Nitric Oxide (NO), derived from L-arginine, is produced by two types (constitutive and inducible) of nitric oxide synthase (NOS). The NO produced in large amounts by the inducible NOS is known to be responsible for the vasodilation and hypotension observed in septic shock. We have found three polyacetylene compounds which inhibited the production of NO in LPS-activated RAW 264.7 cells. Their structures were identified as panauynol, ginsenoyne A and PQ-6 by the spec- troscopic analysis (IC50 values were 32.3 $\mu$M, 2.3 $\mu$M, 1.5 $\mu$M, respectively). These polyacetylenes may be useful candidates for the development of new drug to treat endotoxemia and inflammation accompanied by the overproduction of NO.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• 제50권3호
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• pp.160-163
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• 2007

Two flavonoids (1 and 2) and one phenolic acid (3) obtained from Erigeron annuus have recently been shown to have potent antioxidant activities. Aim of this study was to investigate the inhibitory effects of these components on $interferon-{\gamma}$ and lipopolysaccharide-induced nitric oxide productions in the mouse pheritoneal macrophage. Compounds 2 and 3 showed marked inhibitory activities against inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) on the lipopolysaccharide and $interferon-{\gamma}-stimulated$ mouse pheritoneal macrophages without cytotoxicity. Therefore, these results suggest that the compounds could be effective anti-inflammatory agents as nitric oxide inhibitors in vivo.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• 제29권2호
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• pp.145-151
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• 2006

We investigated the effects of Ginsenoside $R_e$ on human sperm motility in fertile and asthenozoospermic infertile individuals in vitro and the mechanism by which the Ginsenosides play their roles. The semen samples were obtained from 10 fertile volunteers and 10 asthenozoospermic infertile patients. Spermatozoa were separated by Percoll and incubated with 0, 1, 10 or $100\;{\mu}M$ of Ginsenoside $R_e$. Total sperm motility and progressive motility were measured by computer-aided sperm analyzer (CASA). Nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity was determined by the $^{3}H$-arginine to $^{3}H$-citrulline conversion assay, and the NOS protein was examined by the Western blot analysis. The production of sperm nitric oxide (NO) was detected using the Griess reaction. The results showed that Ginsenoside $R_e$ significantly enhanced both fertile and infertile sperm motility, NOS activity and NO production in a concentration-dependent manner. Sodium nitroprusside (SNP, 100 nM), a NO donor, mimicked the effects of Ginsenoside $R_e$. And pretreatment with a NOS inhibitor $N^{w}$-Nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, $100\;{\mu}M$) or a NO scavenger N-Acetyl-L-cysteine (LNAC, 1 mM) completely blocked the effects of Ginsenoside $R_e$. Data suggested that Ginsenoside $R_e$ is beneficial to sperm motility, and that induction of NOS to increase NO production may be involved in this benefit.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• 제10권3호
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• pp.214-221
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• 2010

Clematis chinensis is the root of Clematis chinensis OSBECK and is classified in Ranunculaceae. Clematis chinensis is a traditional medicinal herb possesses analgesic, diuretic, anti-tumorigenic, and anti-inflammatory effects. In this study, the effect of aqueous extract of Clematis chinensis against lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation was investigated in mouse BV2 microglial cells. The aqueous extract of Clematis chinensis at the respective concentration was treated one hour before the lipopolysaccharide treatment in mouse BV2 microglial cells. From the present results, pre-treatment with the aqueous extract of Clematis chinensis suppressed prostaglandin E2 synthesis and nitric oxide production by inhibiting on the lipopolysaccharide-stimulated cyclooxygenase-2 and inducible nitric oxide synthase expressions in mouse BV2 microglial cells. The present study suggests that Clematis chinensis may offer a valuable mean of therapy for brain inflammatory diseases.

• 한국식품영양과학회지
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• 제38권12호
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• pp.1685-1690
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• 2009

본 연구에서는 구절초의 항염증 효과를 탐색하기 위해 NO의 함량과 iNOS의 발현 및 PGE2와 COX-2의 발현을 LPS로 염증을 유도한 RAW 264.7 macrophage cell을 이용하여 실험하였다. 연구 결과 구절초 꽃 추출물은 NO 함량을 농도 의존적으로 감소시키는 경향을 나타냈으며 유의한 차이를 보였다. 또한 세포독성은 꽃 추출물(5～50 μg/mL)은 최고 농도인 50 μg/mL에서 약 20%의 독성을 나타냈으며 그 이하의 농도에서는 독성을 나타내지 않았다. NO 생성의 억제는 iNOS의 단백질과 mRNA의 발현을 농도 의존적으로 저해하였으며 유의성 있는 차이를 나타내었다. 이 결과로 구절초 꽃 추출물이 전사단계에서 저해 활성을 나타낸다는 것을 보여주었다. 그러나 PGE2와 COX-2의 발현 억제 효과는 나타나지 않았으며, 이 결과 구절초 꽃 추출물에 의한 COX-2 단백질의 발현 억제와 PGE2 생성 억제는 유의성이 없는 것으로 나타났다. 본 연구 결과, 구절초 추출물은 염증을 일으키는 중요 인자인 NO를 저해하였고, iNOS의 발현, iNOS의 mRNA 발현 등 항염증에 우수한 효과를 보였으며, 항염증 연구의 기초 자료로 활용될 것으로 예상된다. 또한 추후 산업적 응용도 가능하므로 지속적인 연구가 진행되어야 할 것으로 사료된다.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• 제20권4호
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• pp.1-10
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• 2003

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of Puerariae radix(PR) herb-acupuncture on nitric oxide synthase(NOS) expression in hippocampus of alcohol-intoxicated Sprague-Dawley(SD) rats. Methods: SD rats were randomly assigned into 6 groups; normal group, control group, alcohol with herb-acupuncture group(0.3, 3, 30 and 300mg/kg PR). Normal groups were received with NaCl, while alcohol intoxication groups were injected intraperitoneally with alcohol(2g/kg) twice per day for 3 days. Herb-acupuncture groups were injected on Zhongwan(CV12) for 5 consecutive days. For the detection of NADPH-d-positive cells in hippocampus, immunohistochemistry was performed. Results: n control group, a significant decrease in NADPH-d-positive cells was observed compared to normal group. In alcohol with herb-acupuncture group, NADPH-d-positive cells increased significantly compared to control group. Conclusions: The present results revealed that NOS expression is enhanced in the hippocampus of SD rats through PR herb-acupuncture in an acute alcoholic intoxication condition.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제16권3호
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• pp.231-236
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• 2008

The current work was designed to assess novel pharmacological activities of 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde (HD), a major phenolic constituent of various natural products of plant origin, such as Gastrodia elata Blume. HD exhibited a significant inhibition in the chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) angiogenesis. HD also displayed an inhibitory effect in acetic acid-induced permeability in mice. Anti-nociceptive activity of HD was convinced using the acetic acid-induced writhing test in mice. HD was able to suppress production of nitric oxide (NO) and induction of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated RAW264.7 macrophages. HD also diminished the reactive oxygen species (ROS) level elevated in the LPS-activated macrophages. In brief, HD exhibits anti-angiogenic, anti-inflammatory and anti-nociceptive activities possibly via down-regulating iNOS and/or COX-2, which may be partly responsible for pharmacological efficacies of various natural products.

• BMB Reports
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• 제39권6호
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• pp.759-765
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• 2006

In this study, we investigate Nitric oxide synthase (NOS) expressions in adriamycin (ADR)-induced cadiomyopathy in rats. Sixty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into two main groups: control and ADR groups. Myocardial histopathological observation was performed; Expressions of 3 isoforms of NOS genes were examined by RT-PCR analysis; Expressions of 3 isoforms of NOS protein was assessed by Western blot analysis. Myocardium exhibited intensive morphological changes after 8 weeks of ADR treatment. The expression levels of inducible NOS (iNOS) gene and protein were significantly increased in ADR-treated rats after 8 weeks of treatment and then slightly increased at weeks 9 and 10. No significantly difference of neuronal NOS (nNOS) or endothelial NOS (eNOS) gene and protein were observed in the myocardium obtained from the control rats and ADR-injected rats at any time point. iNOS gene expression is selectively induced by ADR in heart. The upregulation of iNOS gene and protein may be somehow correlated with morphological changes seen in heart of rat treated with ADR.

• Applied Microscopy
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• 제45권3호
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• pp.135-143
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• 2015

The aim of this study was to investigate effects on joint mobilization in neurochemical changes of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-diaphorase (NADPH-d) and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) of the spinal cord neurons after right knee joint immobilization (RKJI) and in ultrastructural changes of the femoral nerves innervating the muscles acting on RKJI. A total of 15 guinea pigs were used and divided into 5 groups. Immunohistochemistry was performed to detect NADPH-d and NOS. NADPH-d and NOS were not expressed in the ventral horn of control and experimental groups, but were expressed or not in the dorsal horn according to the duration of release after RKJI and the presence or absence of joint mobilization. Ultrastructures of the femoral nerves in experimental groups had partial demyelination and condensed clumps in axon. Effects on manipulative therapy after RKJI were confirmed from expression of NADPH-d and NOS in the dorsal horn of the lumbosacral spinal cord. Manipulative therapy was more effective against a long-term immobilization than a short-term immobilization.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• 제52권4호
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• pp.212-215
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• 2009

The inhibitory effects of Curcuma longa rhizome-derived materials against nitric oxide (NO) production were assessed. The inhibitory effect (57%) on NO production was evidenced by the methanol extract of C. longa at $1\;{\mu}g/mL$. In the fractionation of the methanol extract, the ethyl acetate fraction evidenced an inhibitory effect greater than 62.1% at $1\;{\mu}g/mL$. The active constituent was identified as curcumin. Curcumin exerted potent inhibitory effects of 78.7 and 65.7% at concentrations of 1 and $0.5\;{\mu}g/mL$, respectively. Furthermore, the inhibitory effect of ar-turmerone was measured as 31.3 and 15.8% at 1 and $0.5\;{\mu}g/mL$, respectively. The iNOS expression-suppressive effects of curcumin were assessed via western blot analysis. Our results suggest that curcumin and ar-turmerone may prove useful in the development of new types of NO inhibitors.