• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.159-167
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• 2010

To provide a basis for studying the pharmacological actions of tetracaine HCl, we analyzed the membrane activities of this local anesthetic. The n-(9-anthroyloxy) stearic and palmitic acid (n-AS) probes (n = 2, 6, 9, 12 and 16) have been used previously to examine fluorescence polarization gradients. These probes can report the environment at a graded series of depths from the surface to the center of the membrane bilayer structure. In a dosedependent manner, tetracaine HCl decreased the anisotropies of 6-AS, 9-AS, 12-AS and 16-AP in the hydrocarbon interior of synaptosomal plasma membrane vesicles isolated from bovine cerebral cortex (SPMV), and liposomes derived from total lipids (SPMVTL) and phospholipids (SPMVPL) extracted from the SPMV. However, this compound increased the anisotropy of 2-AS at the membrane interface. The magnitude of the membrane rotational mobility reflects the carbon atom numbers of the phospholipids comprising SPMV, SPMVTL and SPMVPL and was in the order of the 16, 12, 9, 6, and 2 positions of the aliphatic chains. The sensitivity of the effects of tetracaine HCl on the rotational mobility of the hydrocarbon interior or surface region was dependent on the carbon atom numbers in the descending order 16-AP, 12-AS, 9-AS, 6-AS and 2-AS and on whether neuronal or model membranes were involved in the descending order SPMV, SPMVPL and SPMVTL.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.175-181
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• 2017

The aim of this study was to provide a basis for the molecular mechanism underlying the pharmacological action of ethanol. We studied the effects of 1-propanol on the location of n-(9-anthroyloxy)palmitic acid or stearic acid (n-AS) within the phospholipids of synaptosomal plasma membrane vesicles (SPMV). The SPMV were isolated from the bovine cerebral cortex and liposomes of total lipids (SPMVTL) and phospholipids (SPMVPL). 1-Propanol increased the rotational mobility of inner hydrocarbons, while decreasing the mobility of membrane interface, in native and model membranes. The degree of rotational mobility varied with the number of carbon atoms at positions 16, 12, 9, 6 and 2 in the aliphatic chain of phospholipids in the neuronal and model membranes. The sensitivity of increasing or decreasing rotational mobility of hydrocarbon interior or surface by 1-propanol varied with the neuronal and model membranes in the following order: SPMV, SPMVPL and SPMVTL.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.183-190
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• 2017

Ficus carica L. (common fig), one of the first plants cultivated by humans, originated in the Mediterranean basin and currently grows worldwide, including southwest Asia and South Korea. It has been used as a traditional medicine for treatment of metabolic, cardiovascular, and respiratory diseases as well as hemorrhoids and skin infections. Its pharmacological properties have recently been studied in detail, but research on the anti-cancer effect of its latex has been only been studied on a limited basis on several cell lines, such prostate cancer, breast cancer, and leukemia. In this study, we investigated the anti-cancer activity of the latex of Ficus carica L.and its underlying mechanism in FaDu human hypopharynx squamous carcinoma cells. (See Ed. note above) We confirmed through SDS-PAGE analysis and gelatinolytic activity analysis that the latex of Ficus carica contains cysteine protease ficin. Our data showed that the latex inhibited cell growth in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, the latex treatment markedly induced apoptosis in FaDu cells as determined by FACS analysis, elevated expression level of cleaved caspase-9, -3 and PARP (poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase), and. increased the expression of Bax (pro-apoptotic factor) while decreasing the expression of Bcl-2 (anti-apoptotic factor). Taken together, these results suggested that latex containing the ficin inhibited cell growth and induced apoptosis by caspase and the Bcl-2 family signaling pathway in FaDu human hypopharynx squamous carcinoma cells. These findings point to the potential of latex of Ficus carica to provide a novel chemotherapeutic drug due to its growth inhibition effects and induction of apoptosis in human oral cancer cells.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.168-175
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• 2000

Relatively little is known about the signaling mechanism of ginseng saponins (ginsenosides), active ingredients of ginseng, in non-neuronal cells. Here, we describe that ginsenosides utilize a common pathway of receptor-mediated signaling pathway in Xenopus oocytes: increase in intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ concentration via phospholipase C (PLC) and $Ca^{2+}$ mobilization. Ginsenosides induced a marked and robust artivation of $Ca^{2+}$-activated Cl- channels in Xenopus oocytes. The effect of ginsenosides was completely reversible, in a dose-dependent manner with EC$_{50}$ of 4.4 $\mu\textrm{g}$/mi, and specifically blocked by niflumic acid, an inhibitor of $Ca^{2+}$-activated Cl- channel. Intracellular injection of BAPIA abolished the effect of ginsenosides. Intracellular injection of GTP${\gamma}$S also abolished the effect of ginsenosides. The effect of gin senosides on $Ca^{2+}$-activated Cl- currents was greatly reduced by the intracellular injection of heparin, an IP$_3$ receptorantagonist or the pretreatment of PLC inhibitor. These results indicate that ginsenosides activate endogenous $Ca^{2+}$-activated Cl- channels via the activation of PLC and the release of $Ca^{2+}$ from the IP$_3$-sensitive intracellular store following the initial interaction with membrane component(s) from extracellular side. This signaling pathway of ginsenosides may be one of the action mechanisms for the pharmacological effects of ginseng.ts of ginseng.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.57 no.4
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• pp.258-264
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• 2013

Herbal medicine has been traditionally used in Asian countries for a long time. Many pharmacological effects are identified in the herbs and these herbs are believed to be safe for human. However, the safety or adverse effect of some traditional herbal medicines has not been established. We have chosen Cyperi rhizoma based on the Korea Herbal Pharmacopoeia and which have been widely used for an anti-inflammatory effect in Korea. The object of the study was to evaluate safety of Cyperi rhizoma in rats. The aqueous extract of Cyperi rhizoma was prepared according to the standard hot water extraction method of the Korea Pharmacopoeia. In the sub-chronic study, the aqueous extract of Cyperi rhizoma was orally administered once daily as 0, 125, 250, 500, 1000 and 2000 mg/kg/day to male and female F344 rats for 13 weeks. There were no treatment related abnormalities in mortality, clinical signs, food consumption, ophthalmologic examination, hematology, serum chemistry, urinalysis, gross observation, organ weight and histopathologic examination. In conclusion, The NOAEL (No Observed Adverse Effect Level) for Cyperi rhizoma aqueous extract was determined as more than 2000 mg/kg/day in the present experimental condition.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.40
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• pp.44.1-44.17
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• 2018

Background: Coffee extract has been investigated by many authors, and many minor components of coffee are known, such as polyphenols, diterpenes (kahweol and cafestol), melanoidins, and trigonelline, to have anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-angiogenic, anticancer, chemoprotective, and hepatoprotective effects. Therefore, it is necessary to know its pharmacological effect on hepatocytes which show the most active cellular regeneration in body. Methods: In order to determine whether coffee extract has a beneficial effect on the liver, 20 C57BL/6J mice were intraperitoneally injected once with dialyzed coffee extract (DCE)-2.5 (equivalent to 2.5 cups of coffee a day in man), DCE-5, or DCE-10, or normal saline (control), and then followed by histological observation and IP-HPLC (immunoprecipitation high performance liquid chromatography) over 24 h. Results: Mice treated with DCE-2.5 or DCE-5 showed markedly hypertrophic hepatocytes with eosinophilic cytoplasms, while those treated with DCE-10 showed slightly hypertrophic hepatocytes, which were well aligned in hepatic cords with increased sinusoidal spaces. DCE induced the upregulations of cellular proliferation, growth factor/RAS signaling, cellular protection, p53-mediated apoptosis, angiogenesis, and antioxidant and protection-related proteins, and the downregulations of NFkB signaling proteins, inflammatory proteins, and oncogenic proteins in mouse livers. These protein expression changes induced by DCE were usually limited to the range ± 10%, suggesting murine hepatocytes were safely reactive to DCE within the threshold of physiological homeostasis. DCE-2.5 and DCE-5 induced relatively mild dose-dependent changes in protein expressions for cellular regeneration and de novo angiogenesis as compared with non-treated controls, whereas DCE-10 induced fluctuations in protein expressions. Conclusion: These observations suggested that DCE-2.5 and DCE-5 were safer and more beneficial to murine hepatocytes than DCE-10. It was also found that murine hepatocytes treated with DCE showed mild p53-mediated apoptosis, followed by cellular proliferation and growth devoid of fibrosis signaling (as determined by IP-HPLC), and subsequently progressed to rapid cellular regeneration and wound healing in the absence of any inflammatory reaction based on histologic observations.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.115-127
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• 2009

Samsoeum (SSE) is used in traditional oriental medicine for various medicinal purposes. However, the exact mechanism that accounts for the anti-allergy and anti-inflammatory effects of the SSE is still not fully understood. The aim of the present study is to elucidate whether and how SSE modulates the allergic reactions in vivo, and inflammatory reaction in vitro. In this study, we showed that SSE significantly decreased compound 48/80-induced systemic anaphylaxis, ear-swelling response, histamine release from preparation of rat peritoneal mast cells and anti-dinitropheny IgE-induced passive cutaneous reaction. Also, SSE inhibited the expression of inflammatory cytokine and cyclooxygenase-2 in PMA plus A23187-stimulated human mast cells (HMC-1). In addition, we showed that anti-inflammatory mechanism of SSE is through suppression of nuclear factor-${\kappa}B$ activation and $I{\kappa}B-{\alpha}$ phosphorylation/degradation in HMC-1. These results provided new insight into the pharmacological actions of SSE as a potential molecule for therapy of inflammatory allergic diseases.

• Proceedings of the Ginseng society Conference
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• 1988.08a
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• pp.99-107
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• 1988

Samples of red ginseng. which had been manufactured and packaged by the Korea Monopoly Corporation. were stored at ambient temperatures $(12-28^{\circ}C)$ and humidities $(55-68\%)$ for one to nine years to examine their overall quality stability and. in particular. antioxidant activity. The approximate compositions. contents of various solvent extracts. and TLC and HPLC patterns of ginsenosides in the samples which are otherwise susceptible to oxidation. were stable as judged by the changes of the TLC and GLC patterns of the lipids and fatty acids. It was also found that polyunsaturated fatty acids such as linoleic (C18: 2) and linolenic acid (C18: 3) present in the samples had been very stable during the long storage periods. The intensity of the brown color of the red ginseng samples increased significantly with storage time. The pH of the aqueous extracts of the samples also increased slightly during storage. The coloration changes seem to indicate that extensive browning reactions had occurred during storage. The reducing powers of aqueous and ethanol extracts and antioxidant activity of ethyl acetate extracts also increased with storage time. The increase in reducing powers and antioxidant activity appeared to be directly attributable to the increased amounts of non-enzymatic browning reaction products formed progressively during the long storage periods. Therefore. it seems that those antioxidative compounds. which will be progressively formed in red ginseng through non-enzymatic browning reactions during the manufacturing process and long-term storage. will not only contribute to their overall quality stability but also have some significant relationship with their antiaging pharmacological effects.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.150-156
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• 2007

Some flavonoids have spasmolytic activities in various smooth muscles, but structure-activity relationships on their spasmolytic activity and its mechanism are unclear. In this study, effects of flavones (flavone and apigenin) and flavonols (quercetin and rutin) on the rat ileal smooth muscle contraction were studied in vitro and in vitro. In the electric stimulation-induced contraction, all of four flavonoids inhibited concentration-dependently the rat ileal smooth muscle contraction induced by electric stimulation (10 mV, 0.1 cps, 0.1 msec duration), IC$_{50}$ of quercetin, apigenin, flavone and rutin were 0.98${\times}$10$^{-5}$, 1.20${\times}$10$^{-5}$, 1.55${\times}$10$^{-5}$ and 1.85${\times}$10$^{-5}$ M, respectively. Flavonoids at a concentration of 2${\times}$10$^{-5}$ M also significantly inhibited the anaphylactic contraction and decreased concentration-dependently the mast cell degranulation by anaphylactic reaction, IC$_{50}$ of quercetin, apigenin, flavone and rutin were 4.0${\times}$10$^{-5}$, 7.5${\times}$10$^{-5}$, 8.0${\times}$10$^{-5}$ and 9.5${\times}$10$^{-5}$ M, respectively. These results indicated that flavones and flavonols inhibited the rat ileal smooth muscle contraction induced by electric stimulation because of their antagonism against acetylcholine and have spasmolytic activities on anaphylactic contraction which may be due to their mast cell-stabilizing activities. Furthermore, double bond of C$_{2,3}$ in benzene ring of flavonoids may be important in the their antispasmodic activities on the rat ileal smooth muscle contraction induced by electric stimulation and anaphylactic reaction.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.20 no.7
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• pp.969-976
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• 2010

In vivo studies of KR-31125 (2-butyl-5-dimethoxymethyl-6-phenyl-7-methyl-3-[[2'-(1H-tetrazol-5-yl) biphenyl-4-yl]methyl]-3H-imidazo[4,5-b]pyridine) were performed in pithed rats, conscious angiotensin II (AII) challenged normotensive rats, renal hypertensive rats (RHRs) and furosemide-treated beagle dogs. KR-31125 induced a non-parallel right shift in the dose-pressor response curve to AII ($ID_{50}$: 0.095 mg/kg) with a dose-dependent reduction in the maximum responses in pithed rats. Compared to losartan, this antagonistic effect was about 18 times more potent, presenting competitive antagonism. Other agonists such as norepinephrine and vasopressin did not alter the responses induced by KR-31125. Orally administered KR-31125 had no agonistic effect and dose-dependently inhibited the pressor response to AII with a slightly weaker potency ($ID_{50}$: 0.25 and 0.47 mg/kg, respectively) in the AII-challenged normotensive rat model, but with a more rapid onset of action than losartan (time to $E_{max}$: 30 min for KR-31125 and 6 hr for losartan). KR-31125 produced a dose-dependent antihypertensive effect with a higher potency than losartan in RHRs, and these effects were confirmed in furosemide-treated dogs where they presented a dose-dependent and long-lasting (>8 hr) antihypertensive effect with a rapid onset of action (time to $E_{max}$: 2-4 hr), as well as a 20-fold greater potency than losartan. These results suggest that KR-31125 is a potent, orally active $AT_1$ receptor antagonist that can be applied to the development of new diagnostic and research tools as an added exploratory potential of $AT_1$ receptor antagonist.