• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.28-37
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• 2016

Background: Panax ginseng cannot be cultivated on the same land consecutively for an extended period, and the underlying mechanism regarding microorganisms is still being explored. Methods: Polymerase chain reaction and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) and BIO-LOG methods were used to evaluate the microbial genetic and functional diversity associated with the P. ginseng rhizosphere soil in various cultivation ages and modes. Results: The analysis of microbial diversity using PCR-DGGE showed that microbial communities were significantly variable in composition, of which six bacterial phyla and seven fungal classes were detected in P. ginseng soil. Among them, Proteobacteria and Hypocreales dominated. Fusarium oxysporum, a soilborne pathogen, was found in all P. ginseng soil samples except R0. The results from functional diversity suggested that the microbial metabolic diversity of fallow soil abandoned in 2003was the maximum and transplanted soil was higher than direct-seeding soil and the forest soil uncultivated P. ginseng, whereas the increase in cultivation ages in the same mode led to decreases in microbial diversity in P. ginseng soil. Carbohydrates, amino acids, and polymers were the main carbon sources utilized. Furthermore, the microbial diversity index and multivariate comparisons indicated that the augmentation of P. ginseng cultivation ages resulted in decreased bacterial diversity and increased fungal diversity, whereas microbial diversity was improved strikingly in transplanted soil and fallow soil abandoned for at least one decade. Conclusion: The key factors for discontinuous P. ginseng cultivation were the lack of balance in rhizosphere microbial communities and the outbreak of soilborne diseases caused by the accumulation of its root exudates.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.474-484
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• 2007

Purpose: The effect of platelet-rich plasma(PRP) on osteogenesis of marrow-derived osteoblasts on histomorphometric analysis in the mandible of rabbit was assessed. Materials and Method: Bone marrow cells were obtained from iliac bone of rabbits and were cultured in a Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's Medium(DMEM) with Dexamethasone, L-Ascortic acid, ${\beta}$-Glycerophosphate to proliferate and differentiate into osteoblasts for $4{\sim}5$ weeks. The expression of osteogenic mar-kers was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) and silver nitrate stain. Then we prepared bony defects in the mandible of rabbit, 10.0mm in diameter and 4.0mm deep, by trephine bur. In the control group, the defects were filled with autogenous bone and cultured osteoblasts. In the experimental group, the defects were filled with autogenous bone, cultured osteoblasts and PRP. 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 8 weeks later, each group was evaluated with histological and histomorphometric analyses. Results: In vitro, osteoblasts were identified on RT-PCR and silver nitrate stain. According to histological observation, at 2 weeks well-developed anasto-mosing newly-formed woven bone was observed, at 4 weeks anastomosing newly-formed woven bone having osteoblastic activation was observed, and at 8 weeks thick newly-formed woven bone was observed in both control and experimental groups. According to histomorphometric analysis, there were 1.5% more newly-formed bone volume in experimental group than control group at 2 weeks, 28.4% more at 4 weeks, 4.3% more at 8 weeks. Particularly there were significant differences in bone volume at 4 weeks and 8 weeks new bone. Conclusion: Our results demonstrated PRP may enhance osteogenesis of marrow-derived osteoblasts at 4 weeks, 8 weeks.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.185-195
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• 2012

Purpose: (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) has been reported to exert anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects in periodontitis. However, its exact mechanism of action has yet to be determined. The present in vitro study evaluated the anti-in-flammatory effects of EGCG on human periodontal ligament fibroblasts (hPDLFs) and human periodontal ligament stem cells (hPDLSCs) affected by bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) extracted from Porphyromonas gingivalis. Methods: hPDLFs and hPDLSCs were extracted from healthy young adults and were treated with EGCG and/or P. gingivalis LPS. After 1, 3, 5, and 7 days from treatment, cytotoxic and proliferative effects were evaluated using a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay and bromodeoxyuridine assay, respectively. And then, the gene expressions of hPDLFs and hPDLSCs were observed for interleukin (IL)-$1{\beta}$, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-${\alpha}$, osteoprotegerin (OPG), receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL), and RANKL/OPG using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) at 0, 6, 24, and 48 hours after treatment. The experiments were performed with the following groups for hPDLFs and hPDLSCs; 1) No treat, 2) EGCG alone, 3) P. gingivalis LPS alone, 4) EGCG+P. gingivalis LPS. Results: The 20 ${\mu}M$ of EGCG and 20 ${\mu}g/mL$ of P. gingivalis LPS had the lowest cytotoxic effects, so those concentrations were used for further experiments. The proliferations of hPDLFs and hPDLSCs increased in all groups, though the 'EGCG alone' showed less increase. In real-time PCR, the hPDLFs and hPDLSCs of 'EGCG alone' showed similar gene expressions to those cells of 'no treat'. The gene expressions of 'P. gingivalis LPS alone' in both hPDLFs and hPDLSCs were highly increased at 6 hours for IL-$1{\beta}$, IL-6, TNF-${\alpha}$, RANKL, and RANKL/OPG, except the RANKL/OPG in hPDLSCs. However, those increased gene expressions were down-regulated in 'EGCG+P. gingivalis LPS' by the additional treatment of EGCG. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that EGCG could exert an anti-inflammatory effect in hPDLFs and hPDLSCs against a major pathogen of periodontitis, P. gingivalis LPS.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.34-46
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• 2018

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin $D_3$ on the proliferation, differentiation, and matrix mineralization of MC3T3-E1 osteoblast-like cells in vitro. Methods: MC3T3-E1 osteoblastic cells and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin $D_3$ were prepared. Cytotoxic effects and osteogenic differentiation were evaluated using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity assay, ALP staining, alizarin red S staining, and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for osteogenic differentiation markers such as ALP, collagen type I (Col-I), osteocalcin (OCN), vitamin D receptor (VDR), and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase. Results: The MTT assay showed that 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin $D_3$ did not inhibit cell growth and that the rate of cell proliferation was higher than in the positive control group at all concentrations. ALP activity was also higher than in the positive control group at low concentrations of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin $D_3$ ($10^{-10}$, $10^{-12}$, and $10^{-14}M$). RT-PCR showed that the gene expression levels of ALP, Col-I, OCN, and vitamin D receptor (VDR) were higher at a low concentration of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin $D_3$ ($10^{-12}M$). Alizarin red S staining after treatment with 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin $D_3$ ($10^{-12}M$) showed no significant differences in the overall degree of calcification. In contrast to the positive control group, formation of bone nodules was induced in the early stages of cell differentiation. Conclusions: We suggest that 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin $D_3$ positively affects cell differentiation and matrix mineralization. Therefore, it may function as a stimulating factor in osteoblastic bone formation and can be used as an additive in bone regeneration treatment.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.34 no.8
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• pp.2419-2424
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• 2013

Guanosine-5'-diphosphate 3'-diphosphate (ppGpp) serves as alarmone in bacterial stringent responses. In this study, an affinity column was constructed by immobilizing ppGpp to NHS-Sepharose for isolating ppGpp-binding proteins. A novel ppGpp-binding protein, YjgA, was isolated and characterized by MALDI-TOF MS (matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry) coupled with two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. YjgA and truncated forms of YjgA were cloned and over-expressed in BL21 (DE3). The binding affinity of YjgA to ppGpp was determined by equilibrium dialysis. The interaction of YjgA with ppGpp was very specific, considering that the dissociation constant of YjgA with ppGpp was measured as $5.2{\pm}2.0{\mu}M$, while the affinities to GTP and GDP were about 60 and 30 times weaker than ppGpp. Expression of yjgA gene in Escherichia coli K-12 MG1655 was examined by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RT-PCR results revealed that yjgA was expressed from early to late stationary phase. The yjgA deletion mutant exhibited decreased cell number at stationary phase compared to parent strain and the over-expression of YjgA increased the cell number. These results suggested that YjgA might stimulate cell division under stationary phase. In most prokaryotic genome, about half of the protein candidates are hypothetical, that are expected to be expressed but there is no experimental report on their functions. The approach utilized in this study may serve as an effective mean to probe the functions of hypothetical proteins.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.345-357
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• 2005

Prostaglandin plays a significant role in the local control of bone metabolism associated with periodontal disease. ${\Delta}^{12}-PGJ_2$ is a natural $PGD_2$ metabolite that is formed in vivo in the presence of plasma. It is known for ${\Delta}^{12}-PGJ_2$ to stimulate calcification in osteoblastic cells. Bone morphogenetic protein(BMP) stimulated osteoblastic differentiation in various types of cells and greatly enhanced healing of bony defects. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of rhEMP-2 on ${\Delta}^{12}-PGJ_2$ induced osteoblastic differentiation and mineralization in vitro. A human osteosarcoma cells line Saos-2 were cultured. In the test groups, 10-7M of ${\Delta}^{12}-PGJ_2$ or mixture of 10-8M of ${\Delta}^{12}-PGJ_2$ and 100ng/ml of rhBMP-2 or 100ng/ml of rhEMP-2 were added to culture media. After 1 day, 2 days and 4 days of culture period, the cell number was measured. Alkaline phosphatase activity was measure at 3 days. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) was performed to determine the expression of mRNA of bone matrix protein at 8 hours, 1 day and 7 days. The ability to produce mineralized nodules in rat osteoblasts(MC3T3-E1) was evaluated at 21 days. The results were as follows : 1. rhEMP-2 or mixture of rhBMP-2 and ${\Delta}^{12}-PGJ_2$ inhibited cell proliferation of human osteosarcoma cells. 2. rhEMP-2 or mixture of rhBMP-2 and ${\Delta}^{12}-PGJ_2$ stimulated alkaline phosphatase activity significantly higher than ${\Delta}^{12}-PGJ_2$ alone. 3. rhBMP-2 or mixture of rhEMP-2 and ${\Delta}^{12}-PGJ_2$ stimulated mineralization compared to ${\Delta}^{12}-PGJ_2$ alone. 4. mRNA of alkaline phosphatase, BMP-2, cbfa 1, Type I collagen were detected in the group treated with ${\Delta}^{12}-PGJ_2$/rhBMP-2, rhBMP-2 alone, ${\Delta}^{12}-PGJ_2$ alone. These results show that mixture of ${\Delta}^{12}-PGJ_2$ and rhBMP-2 causes more bone formation than ${\Delta}^{12}-PGJ_2$ alone while the bone formation effects of mixture of ${\Delta}^{12}-PGJ_2$ and rhBMP-2 are less than those of rhBMP-2 alone. Further researches would be necessary to clarify the interactions of these agents.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.299-310
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• 2005

The severe form of chronic periodontitis(CP) has been reported to be strongly associated with the presence of allele 2 of composite IL-1B(+3954) and IL-1A(+4845) genetic polymorphisms(genotype positive). However, other studies have reported conflicting findings. These might have resulted from differences in ethnic background and disease entities. The aim of this study was to determine the distribution of IL-1A(+4845), IL-1B(+3954), IL-1B(-511), and IL-1 RN(VNTR) genetic polymorphisms in children as a future Korean population. The study population consisted of 92 children from the Dept. of Pediatric Dentistry, Chonnam National University Hospital. Genomic DNA was obtained from buccal swab. The IL-1A(+4845), IL-1B(+3954), and IL-1B(-511) genes were genotyped by amplifying the polymorphic region using multiplex polymerase chain reaction(PCR), followed by restriction enzyme digestion and gel electrophoresis. IL-1 RN(VNTR) polymorphism were then evaluated by PCR amplification and fragment size analysis in agarose gel. The allele 2 frequency was 41.3%, 4.3%, 47.8%, and 9.9% for IL-1A(+4845), IL-1B(+3954), IL-1B(-511), and IL-1 RN respectively. The frequency of genotype with allele 2 carriage for IL-1A(+4845), IL-1B(+3954), IL-1B(-511), and IL-1 RN was 77.1%, 7.6%, 63.0%, and 15.2% respectively. The allele 2 frequency in IL-1B(+3954) was significantly higher in female than in male population(p<0.05). The negative association was shown between the presence of allele 2 in IL-1B(-511) and in IL-1B(+3954), and the carriage rate of IL-1B(+3954) allele 2 tended to lower in IL-1B(-511) allele 2(P=0.056). Only 7.3% of children carried the composite genotype of IL-1A(+4845) and IL-1B(+3954). These results suggest that the polymorphism of IL-1B(+3954) and the positive composite genotype was relatively rare in Korean population.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.655-669
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• 2007

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of various diseases. And vitamin C has shown a protective effect for the tissues. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of $H_2O_2$ and ascorbic acid on matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP: TIMP-1, TIMP-2), Type 1 collagen, fibronectin, and PDLs22 level in human periodontal ligament fibroblasts (hPDLF) via reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). hPDLF was obtained from a healthy periodontium and cultured in Dulbecco's modified Eagles's medium plus 10% fetal bone serum. The concentration of ascorbic acid in hPDLF was $50{\mu}g/ml$, and that of $H_2O_2$ in hPDLF was 0.03% and 0.00003%. Ascorbic acid only, $H_2O_2$ only and mixture of ascorbic acid and $H_2O_2$ were applied with hPDLF for 1-, 3-, and 30-min. respectively. The gene expression of MMP-1-, TIMP-1-, TIMP-2-, Type 1 collagen-, fibronectin-, and PDLs22-mRNA in hPDLF was analysed via RT-PCR. The results were as follows; 1. hPDLF in response to 30-min. incubation with 0.03% $H_2O_2$ did not show any gene expression. 2. In all the experimental groups, the gene expression of fibronectin mRNA showed the decreased tendency compared to control. 3. In all the experimental groups, the gene expression of TIMP-1 mRNA showed the tendency similar to control. 4. hPDLF in response to 30-min. incubation with 0.03% $H_2O_2$ and ascorbic acid increased mRNA induction for MMP-1. 5. In all the experimental groups, hPDLF increased mRNA induction for PDLs22, collagen type 1, and TIMP-2 compared to control. Within the limited experiments, $H_2O_2$ and ascorbic acid increased mRNA induction for PDLs22, collagen type 1, TIMP-2 in hPDLF. More research will be needed in order to confirm the relative importance of the different roles of ROS and antioxidants in hPDLF from a periodontal regeneration or repair standpoint.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.325-331
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• 2003

Objective: To investigate the association of genetic background between MTHFR A1298C genotype and male infertility. Materials and Methods: We compared 377 infertile males with 396 healthy fertile males with one or more offspring. Infertile males were classified into four subtypes (281 azoospermia, 26 oligoasthenoteratozoospermia (OAT), 59 severe OAT and 11 remnants) by World Health Organization (WHO). Pyrosequencing analysis for MTHFR (methylenetetrahydrofolatereductase) A1298C variation was performed on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) product of study group. To validate pyrosequencing data of A1298C variation for randomly selected 50 samples, we compared the pyrosequencing result with the PCR-RFLP (Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism) result of MTHFR A1298C genotype. Results: We studied MTHFR A1298C variation by pyrosequencing. A1298C variation data (1298 AC; p=0.2166 and 1298 CC; p=0.5056) of MTHFR gene was no significant difference in between fertile and infertile males. Conclusion: The genetic analysis in MTHFR gene didn't appear genetic difference in Korean fertile and infertile males. We require further study for MTHFR gene in infertile males.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.6 s.86
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• pp.741-747
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• 2007

In the azoospermic patients, there are many of undiagnosed factors related to genetic bases. Among them, Klinefelter's syndrome (47,XXY; KS) and Y-chromosomal microdeletion with normal karyotype(46,XY; YMNK) are the most frequent causes of male infertility. This research focused on the comparative analysis of YMNK (n = 66) and K5 (n = 30) patients suffered from male infertility in Korean population. We used the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) approach including 19 pairs of sequence-tagged site (STS) primers for detecting the Y-chromosomal microdeletion on AZFa, b, c regions, indicating that Y chromosomal microdeletions were almost evenly occurred in AZF all regions in Korean population. Comparative analysis indicated that 34.9% YMNK and 73.4% KS patients harbored the microdeleted Y-chromosome. It seems to be high instability of Y-chromosome in KS patients than that of YMNK infertility patients. Taken together, genome instability containing microdeletion could bring male infertility with the disturbance of normal spermatogenesis.