• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.159-164
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• 2001

This study were conducted to investigate the influence of chilling on photosynthetic rate, root activity, contents of total sugars and fatty acids of cucumber seedlings grown in a greenhouse. Even though photosynthetic activity of seedlings exposed to $0^{\circ}C$ for 5 hours was little or insignificantly influenced, it was reduced by 52.8% and 67.7% in seedlings exposed to the same temperature for an extended 10 and 24 hours, respectively. Photosynthetic rate decreased significantly when seedlings were illuminated, as compared to continuously held under darkness, during 15 hours of chilling treatment at 3$^{\circ}C$. Recovery of photosynthetic ability was also retarded by illumination during a recovery period after chilling treatment. Root activity, as measured by the oxidation power of $\alpha$-naphtylamine, was significantly reduced by chilling treatment at 0 to 6$^{\circ}C$, but amount of bleeding xylem sap collected at 40 days after chilling treatment was not significantly different among treatments. Total sugar content increased by 12 and 23% as compared to the control in seedlings chilled for 24 hours, respectively, at 3$^{\circ}C$. Contents of unsaturated linolenic and oleic acids increased, while content of saturated palmitic acid decreased with chilling treatment.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.306-312
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• 2020

This study was conducted to investigate cucumber plants response to greenhouse environments by solar shading in greenhouse in the summer. In order to estimate heat stress reduction of cucumber plants by solar shading in greenhouse, we measured and analyzed physiological conditions of cucumber plants, such as leaf temperature, leaf-air temperature, rubisco maximum carboxylation rate, maximum electron transport rate, thermal breakdown, light leaf respiration, etc. Shading levels were 90% mobile shading of full sunlight, 40% mobile shading of full sunlight and no shading(full sunlight). The 90% shading screen was operated when the external solar radiation is greater than 650 W·m^-2. Air temperature, solar radiation, leaf temperature, leaf-air temperature and light leaf respiration in the 90% shading of full sunlight was lower than those of 40% shading and no shading. Rubisco maximum carboxylation rate, arrhenius function value and light leaf respiration of the 90% shading were significantly lower than those of 40% shading and no shading. The thermal breakdown, high temperature inhibition, of 90% shading was significantly higher than that of 40% shading and no shading. Therefore, these results suggest that 90% mobile shading made a less stressful growth environment for cucumber crops.

• Korean Journal of Weed Science
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.111-121
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• 2010

Differential tolerance to protoporphyrinogen oxidase (Protox)-inhibiting herbicides, oxyfluorfen was observed between leaf ages in squash. Physiological responses to oxyfluorfen, including leaf injury, cellular leakage, accumulation of tetrapyrroles, and antioxidative enzymes activity, were investigated in leaf age classes of squash to identify mechanisms of oxyfluorfen tolerance. Leaf 1, 2, and 3 injuries for Joongangaehobak were >10,000, 1,286, and 1.6-fold higher than that of leaf 4, after treatment of oxyfluorfen. On the other hand, leaf 1, 2, and 3 injuries for Sintowjahobak were 725, 366, and >0.6-fold higher than that of leaf 4, after treatment of oxyfluorfen. However, in contrast to oxyfluorfen treatment results, leaf injury of squash leaf 4 treated with paraquat was much smaller than in leaves 1, 2 and 3. Electrolyte leakage from the tissues treated with oxyfluorfen was higher in the youngest leaf (Leaf 4) than in the older leaves 1, 2, and 3. Differential leaf response to oxyfluorfen of squash appears to be due in large part to differences in protoporphyrin IX (Proto IX), Mg-Proto IX, and Mg-Proto IX monomethyl ester accumulation in treated leaves. In contrast, leaf 4 had higher activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxidase, ascorbate peroxidase, and glutathione reductase than leaf 1 after treatment with oxyfluorfen. However, the induction in antioxidant activity in leaf 4 was not enough to overcome the toxic effects of a Protox inhibitor, oxyfluorfen, so the leaf eventually died.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.22 no.11
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• pp.1507-1514
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• 2012

Oxidative stress leads to damage in all components of the cell, including proteins, lipids, and DNA due to imbalance between reactive oxygen species production and cellular detoxification. Phytochemicals are well-known to contain antioxidants, and their physiological role has been intensively studied. The fruit of Cornus officianalis has been used in oriental medicine and has been reported to have many functions. In this study, four different extraction techniques were applied to extract functional components from the fruit of Cornus officianalis, and the content of loganin, which is an antioxidant having DPPH radical and hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity and reducing power, was analyzed in each extract. Extraction techniques employed in this study were heat extraction by water, 70% ethanol extraction, enzyme treatment, and combination of enzyme treatment and heat extraction by water. All extracts contained 11.8-18.0 mg/g loganin and showed antioxidation function assayed by measuring DPPH radical and hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity and reducing power. Among them, heat extraction was the most effective technique, showing a maximum amount of loganin (18.0 mg/g) and antioxidative activity at 100 mg/ml concentration. Each extract showed very low cytotoxicity up to at 500 mg/ml but 10-20% cytotoxicity at 1,000 mg/ml by in vitro MTT assay.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.26 no.9
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• pp.1074-1081
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• 2016

Mistletoes are hemi-parasitic plant growing on different host tree and shrubs. They are traditionally used in folkloric medicine for the treatment of diarrhea, cough, diabetes, hypertension, cancer and skin infection. The purpose of this study was to determine the contents of phenolics and antioxidant activity of 70% ethanol, 100% methanol and hot water extracts of Jeju camellia mistletoe (Korthalsella japonica Engl.). Ethanol was most effective in extracting total phenols (7,427 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/100 g) and flavonoid (1,777 mg rutin equivalent (RE)/100 g). The free radical scavenging activity, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) (EC₅₀ = 7.8 mg/ml) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) (EC₅₀ = 1.4 mg/ml), and the capacity for chelating metal ions (EC₅₀ = 8.0 mg/ml) and reducing power (EC₅₀ = 14.9 mg/ml) of the samples also higher in ethanolic extracts. The strong correlation (r² = −0.996～−0.881) between antioxidant capacities and the phenolic contents implied that phenolic compounds are a major contributor to the antioxidant activity of the ethanolic extracts of Jeju camellia mistletoe. As conclusions, Jeju camellia mistletoe contains bioactive substances with a potential for reducing the physiological as well as oxidative stress and this could explain the suggested cancer preventive effect of these plants as well as their protective role on other major diseases.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.30 no.11
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• pp.1021-1032
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• 2020

Numbers of companion animals and people rearing them are increasing in developed countries. As a result, businesses related to companion animals are becoming more advanced and specialized. Dogs have been cohabiting with humans as companions (pets) for thousands of years and, as a result, eat carbohydrate-rich foods similar to humans and maintain lives similar to their owners. Tight bonds between dogs and their owners are formed by sharing similar lifestyles, including a dwelling and food. Owners are responsible for their pets and treat them with emotional stability. Pets depend on their owners, although the food situation can cause stress. Since pet dogs are carnivorous in nature, providing pet dogs with a nutritionally balanced diet and functional materials is important for a healthy gut microbiome. Recently, the gut microbiota has become a research focus because it is associated with protection from harmful pathogens and immune regulation while maintaining physiological homeostasis. An abnormal gut microbiota is related to pathogenic processes and various gut, metabolic, mental, and neurological diseases. Additionally, pet dogs at risk of disease affect the health of their owners. Therefore, this review discusses the composition and diversity of the gut microbiota of dogs and the relationships between the gut microbiota and diseases.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.43 no.12
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• pp.1801-1807
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• 2014

Blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) are widely distributed among the world's oceans in various habitats. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of freeze-drying on the antioxidant and antigenotoxic activities of blue mussels collected in the Gyeongnam coast area of Korea. Raw (RM) and freeze-dried blue mussel flesh (FRM) were extracted with ethanol, methanol, and water. Antioxidant activities were evaluated on the basis of DPPH radical scavenging activity, oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), cellular antioxidant capacity (CAC), and antigenotoxic activity (comet assay). Except for the water extract, RM and FRM showed DPPH radical scavenging activities, which increased upon freeze-drying in MeOH extract. The highest ORAC value was observed in water extract of RM and MeOH extract of FRM. CAC was protected against AAPH-induced oxidative stress in HepG2 cells by both RM and FRM extracts. Freeze-drying lowered ORAC value of water extract, whereas it increased CAC activity, suggesting that antioxidant activities varied according to the generated radicals. All extracts from RM and FRM showed antigenotoxic activities by reducing $H_2O_2$-induced DNA damage in human leukocytes. Freeze-drying had no effect on antigenotoxicity of blue mussels. Taken together, these results indicate that blue mussels possess antioxidant and antigenotoxic properties, and freeze-drying might be a useful processing method for blue mussels to retain their maximum physiological potential as a functional food.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.239-245
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• 2017

Aging is a physiological and irreversible, progressive process involving changes in the ability to maintain cellular functionality. It affects tissues, organs and the whole organism and thus finally cause to death. Oxidative stress has been postulated to contribute significantly to the accelerated accumulation of advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) in collagen, which is implicated in the process of skin aging. In the present study, glycation inhibitory activity of methoxy PEG-45 thioctate (LA-PEG), and its inhibitory effect of cellular oxidation and senescence was investigated. Treatment of LA-PEG significantly showed lower fluorescent intensity induced by AGEs. In addition, LA-PEG was significantly reduced the formation of ROS induced by AGEs. High antioxidant and anti-glycation activities of LA-PEG in glycated collagen model indicated its contribution to anti-aging process. Cellular senescence leads to an increase in senescence-associated ${\beta}$-galactosidase ($SA-{\beta}-gal$) activity, which can be used as a biomarker to identify senescent cells. Treatment with LA-PEG showed a dose-dependent, statistically significant decreased in $SA-{\beta}-gal$ indicating reduced senescence. These results suggest that LA-PEG may have potent anti-aging effects and can be used as new functional materials against cellular accumulation of AGEs.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.413-422
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• 2018

Soybean transgenic plants with ectopically expressed AtABF3 were produced by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation and investigated the effects of AtABF3 expression on drought and salt tolerance. Stable Agrobacterium-mediated soybean transformation was carried based on the half-seed method (Paz et al. 2006). The integration of the transgene was confirmed from the genomic DNA of transformed soybean plants using PCR and the copy number of transgene was determined by Southern blotting using leaf samples from $T_2$ seedlings. In addition to genomic integration, the expression of the transgenes was analyzed by RT-PCR and most of the transgenic lines expressed the transgenes introduced. The chosen two transgenic lines (line #2 and #9) for further experiment showed the substantial drought stress tolerance by surviving even at the end of the 20-day of drought treatment. And the positive relationship between the levels of AtABF3 gene expression and drought-tolerance was confirmed by qRT-PCR and drought tolerance test. The stronger drought tolerance of transgenic lines seemed to be resulted from physiological changes. Transgenic lines #2 and #9 showed ion leakage at a significantly lower level (P < 0.01) than ${\underline{n}}on-{\underline{t}}ransgenic$ (NT) control. In addition, the chlorophyll contents of the leaves of transgenic lines were significantly higher (P < 0.01). The results indicated that their enhanced drought tolerance was due to the prevention of cell membrane damage and maintenance of chlorophyll content. Water loss by transpiration also slowly proceeded in transgenic plants. In microscopic observation, higher stomata closure was confirmed in transgenic lines. Especially, line #9 had 56% of completely closed stomata whereas only 16% were completely open. In subsequent salt tolerance test, the apparently enhanced salt tolerance of transgenic lines was measured in ion leakage rate and chlorophyll contents. Finally, the agronomic characteristics of ectopically expressed AtABF3 transgenic plants ($T_2$) compared to NT plants under regular watering (every 4 days) or low rate of watering condition (every 10 days) was investigated. When watered regularly, the plant height of drought-tolerant line (#9) was shorter than NT plants. However, under the drought condition, total seed weight of line #9 was significantly higher than in NT plants (P < 0.01). Moreover, the pods of NT plants showed severe withering, and most of the pods failed to set normal seeds. All the evidences in the study clearly suggested that overexpression of the AtABF3 gene conferred drought and salt tolerance in major crop soybean, especially under the growth condition of low watering.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.582-590
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• 2018

Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and outgrowth endothelial cells (OECs) play a pivotal role in vascular regeneration in ischemic tissues; however, their therapeutic application in clinical settings is limited due to the low quality and quantity of patient-derived circulating EPCs. To solve this problem, we evaluated whether three priming small molecules (tauroursodeoxycholic acid, fucoidan, and oleuropein) could enhance the angiogenic potential of EPCs. Such enhancement would promote the cellular bioactivities and help to develop functionally improved EPC therapeutics for ischemic diseases by accelerating the priming effect of the defined physiological molecules. We found that preconditioning of each of the three small molecules significantly induced the differentiation potential of $CD34^+$ stem cells into EPC lineage cells. Notably, long-term priming of OECs with the three chemical cocktail (OEC-3C) increased the proliferation potential of EPCs via ERK activation. The migration, invasion, and tube-forming capacities were also significantly enhanced in OEC-3Cs compared with unprimed OECs. Further, the cell survival ratio was dramatically increased in OEC-3Cs against $H_2O_2$-induced oxidative stress via the augmented expression of Bcl-2, a pro-survival protein. In conclusion, we identified three small molecules for enhancing the bioactivities of ex vivo-expanded OECs for vascular repair. Long-term 3C priming might be a promising methodology for EPC-based therapy against ischemic diseases.