• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.710-714
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• 2006

The present study examined the lipid lowering and antioxidant activity of Paecilomyces tenuipes. Eight week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed one of the three diets, a reference diet without cholesterol addition (NC), a high fat (17 g/ 100 g)-high cholesterol (1 g/100 g) diet (HC) and a HC diet supplemented with 3% P. tenuipes (PT) for 30 days. Total lipid and total cholesterol were reduced significantly by 33 and 37%, respectively, in the PT diet group compared with controls. A similar reduction was found for low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels, while plasma high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and triglyceride (TG) concentrations were not significantly different among groups. Hepatic total lipid and total cholesterol levels, but not hepatic TG levels, were significantly decreased in the PT group compared to the HC group. The administration of P. tenuipes increased the plasma total antioxidant potential and decreased the levels of lipid peroxidation. These results suggest that P. tenuipes exerts significant health benefits through the modulation of physiological functions including a variety of atherogenic lipid profiles and antioxidants in hypercholesterolemia.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.295-306
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• 2007

The growth and health of the fetus and neonate are directly influenced by the nutritional and physiological status of sows. Sows are often under catabolic conditions due to restrict feeding program during pregnancy and low voluntary feed intake during lactation. The current restrict feeding program, which aims at controlling energy intake during gestation, results in an inadequate supply of dietary protein for fetal and mammary gland growth. Low voluntary feed intake during lactation also causes massive maternal tissue mobilization. Provision of amino acids and fatty acids with specific functions may enhance the performance of pregnant and lactating sows by modulating key metabolic pathways. These nutrients include arginine, branched-chain amino acids, glutamine, tryptophan, proline, conjugated linoleic acids, docosahexaenoic acid, and eicosapentaenoic acid, which can enhance conception rates, embryogenesis, blood flow, antioxidant activity, appetite, translation initiation for protein synthesis, immune cell proliferation, and intestinal development. The outcome is to improve sow reproductive performance as well as fetal and neonatal growth and health. Dietary supplementation with functional amino acids and fatty acids holds great promise in optimizing nutrition, health, and production performance of sows and piglets. (Supported by funds from Texas Tech, USDA, NLRI-RDA-Korea, and China NSF).

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.152-158
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• 2010

Melanin concentrating hormone is a neuropeptide highly expressed in the brain that regulates several physiological functions mediated by receptors in the G-protein coupled receptor family, especially plays an important role in the complex regulation of energy balance and body weight mediated by the melanin concentrating hormone receptor subtype 1 (MCH1). Compelling pharmacological evidence implicating MCH1 signaling in the regulation of food intake and energy expenditure has generated a great deal of interest by pharmaceutical companies as MCH1 antagonists may have potential therapeutic benefit in the treatment of obesity and metabolic syndrome. Although fluorescence-based calcium mobilization assay platform has been one of the most widely accepted tools for receptor research and drug discovery, fluorescence interference and shallow assay window limit their application in high throughput screening and have led to a growing interest in alternative, luminescence-based technologies. Herein, a luminescence-based functional assay system for the MCH1 receptor was developed and validated with the mitochondrial targeted aequorin. Aequorin based functional assay system for MCH1 presented excellent Z' factor (0.8983) and high signal-to-noise ratio (141.9). The nonpeptide MCH1 receptor antagonist, SNAP 7941 and GSK 803430, exhibited $IC_{50}$ values of 0.62 ${\pm}$ 0.11 and 12.29 ${\pm}$ 2.31 nM with excellent correlation coefficient. These results suggest that the aequorin based assay system for MCH1 is a strong alternative to the traditional GPCR related tools such as radioligand binding experiments and fluorescence functional determinations for the compound screening and receptor research.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.9
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• pp.4793-4799
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• 2012

Hypoxia is commonly featured during glioma growth and plays an important role in the processes underlying tumor progression to increasing malignancy. Here we compared the gene expression profiles of rat C6 malignant glioma cells under normoxic and hypoxic conditions by cDNA microarray analysis. Compared to normoxic culture conditions, 180 genes were up-regulated and 67 genes were down-regulated under hypoxia mimicked by $CoCl_2$ treatment. These differentially expressed genes were involved in mutiple biological functions including development and differentiation, immune and stress response, metabolic process, and cellular physiological response. It was found that hypoxia significantly regulated genes involved in regulation of glycolysis and cell differentiation, as well as intracellular signalling pathways related to Notch and focal adhesion, which are closely associated with tumor malignant growth. These results should facilitate investigation of the role of hypoxia in the glioma development and exploration of therapeutic targets for inhibition of glioma growth.

• BMB Reports
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• v.51 no.8
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• pp.378-387
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• 2018

Skeletal muscle contracts or relaxes to maintain the body position and locomotion. For the contraction and relaxation of skeletal muscle, $Ca^{2+}$ in the cytosol of skeletal muscle fibers acts as a switch to turn on and off a series of contractile proteins. The cytosolic $Ca^{2+}$ level in skeletal muscle fibers is governed mainly by movements of $Ca^{2+}$ between the cytosol and the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). Store-operated $Ca^{2+}$ entry (SOCE), a $Ca^{2+}$ entryway from the extracellular space to the cytosol, has gained a significant amount of attention from muscle physiologists. Orai1 and stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1) are the main protein identities of SOCE. This mini-review focuses on the roles of STIM proteins and SOCE in the physiological and pathophysiological functions of skeletal muscle and in their correlations with recently identified proteins, as well as historical proteins that are known to mediate skeletal muscle function.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.217-223
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• 1998

Oxygen-derived free radicals have been implicated in many important functions in the biological system. Electrical field stimulation (EFS) causes arterial relaxation in animal models. We found that EFS applied to neither muscle nor nerve but to Krebs solution caused a relaxation of rat aorta that had been contracted with phenylephrine. In the present study, therefore, we investigated the characteristics of this EIRF (electrolysis-induced relaxing factor) using rat isolated aorta. Results indicated that EIRF acts irrespective of the presence of endothelium. EIRF shows positive Griess reaction and is diffusible and quite stable. EIRF-induced relaxation was stronger on PE-contracted aorta than on KCl-contracted one, and inhibited by the pretreatment with methylene blue. Zaprinast, a cGMP-specific phosphodiesterase inhibitor, potentiated the EIRF-induced relaxation. $N^G-nitro-L-arginine$, NO synthase inhibitor, did not inhibit the EIRF-induced relaxation. Deferroxamine, but not ascorbic acid, DMSO potentiated the EIRF-induced relaxation. These results indicate that electrolysis of Krebs solution produces a factor that relaxes vascular smooth muscle via cGMP-mediated mechanism.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.261-265
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• 2002

The biologically active peptides in human blood can adjust the functions of many physiological systems. The peptides in human blood were separated on the five steps of linear gradient-elution mode by RP-HPLC with UV detection. The size of commercially available $C_{18}$ chromatographic column was 4.60$\times$150 mm with particle size of 5 $\mu\textrm{m}$ and pore size of 100 $\AA$. The mobile phases used were water in 0.75% trifluoroacetic acids (TFA) and organic modifier of acetonitrile. The isolation methods suggested in this work for peptides from the blood were composed of the formation of immiscible liquid layers and precipitation by centrifuge and chemicals of sodium citrate and trichloroacetic acid (TCA). The some peptides were identified based on the retention times previously constructed database.

• BMB Reports
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.74-81
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• 2020

Under physiological and pathological conditions, mechanical forces generated from cells themselves or transmitted from extracellular matrix (ECM) through focal adhesions (FAs) and adherens junctions (AJs) are known to play a significant role in regulating various cell behaviors. Substantial progresses have been made in the field of mechanobiology towards novel methods to understand how cells are able to sense and adapt to these mechanical forces over the years. To address these issues, this review will discuss recent advancements of traction force microscopy (TFM), intracellular force microscopy (IFM), and monolayer stress microscopy (MSM) to measure multiple aspects of cellular forces exerted by cells at cell-ECM and cell-cell junctional intracellular interfaces. We will also highlight how these methods can elucidate the roles of mechanical forces at interfaces of cell-cell/cell-ECM in regulating various cellular functions.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.518-528
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• 2010

This study analyzes the work environment and the work clothes wearing conditions of shipyard painters. In addition to this, three types of experimental painting work clothes were evaluated by painters in terms of the material performance and wearing functions. The findings on the harmful painting work environmental factors were organic solvents, noise, heavy dust, high temperatures, and noxious fumes. The body parts damaged during painting operations were the skin, arms, whole body, and face. In general, the satisfaction with the wearing performance of work clothes for painting was low especially in regards to sweat absorbency, sweat permeability, body protection, covering, and the work motion suitability. The satisfaction with the wearing sense of painting working clothes (regardless of the type of material) was high in the order of movement comfort> sensual comfort> physiological comfort. The satisfaction in overall comfort according to the types of material was high in the order of nylon> SMS nonwoven fabric> SF nonwoven fabric.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.880-893
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• 2015

Taurine is an abundant amino acid in many animals, including humans. Relatively large amounts of taurine are found in leukocytes, heart, muscles, retinas, kidneys, bones, and liver. Taurine has antioxidant effects; it reacts with hydrogen peroxide to prevent oxidation of the cell membrane. Taurine enhances the effects of anticancer drugs, while also reducing side effects, and taurolidine, a taurine derivative, has been shown to exhibit anti-cancer effects without notable side effects in several types of cancer. Taurine aids in cholesterol metabolism by increasing the rate of synthesis of bile acids, and, thus, reduces triglyceride levels. In addition, taurine is involved in the growth and differentiation of nerve cells and is associated with some neurological disorders. Taurine aids in bone formation and prevents bone dissolution. Moreover, taurine prevents liver damage from a variety of drugs and, thus, protects the liver. Taurine is involved in the development and function of the retina and lens. It also has anti-atherosclerotic and anti-thrombotic effects that protect against cardiovascular disease. Taurine may have additional physiological functions, and warrants further investigation.