• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.202-211
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• 2011

The stems and branchs of Euryale ferox Salisbury (EF), are used in Chinese herbal medicine for latent-heat-clearing, antipyretic, detoxicant and anti-inflammatory ailments. This plant is used worldwide for the treatment of many types of inflammatory disease including respiratory infections, diabetes mellitus, rheumatoid arthritis and play an important role in the immune reaction. Topical natural antioxidants are a useful strategy for the prevention of oxidative stress mediated inflammatory disease. Plants produce significant amounts of antioxidants to prevent the oxidative stress caused by photons and oxygen, therefore they represent a potential source of new compounds with antioxidant activity. This study was designed to evaluate whether EFEA (ethylacetate fraction of EF) may ameliorate oxidative stress and inflammatory status through the antioxidative mechanism in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 murine macrophage cell line. Treatment of RAW 264.7 cells with EFEA significantly reduced LPS-stimulated inflammatory response in a dose-dependent manner. In conclusion, the EF extracts have anti-inflammatory effects in vitro system, which can be used for developing pharmaceutical drug against oxidative stress and chronic inflammatory disease.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.200-207
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• 2020

In this study, the effect of calcination temperature on the production of RuTi catalyst in NH₃-SCO (selective catalytic oxidation) was investigated. The RuTi catalyst was prepared using the wet impregnation method, and calcined at 400~600 ℃ for 4 h in air condition. The catalysts were named RuTi x00 where x00 means the calcination temperature. According to XRD (X-Ray diffraction), TEM (transmission electron microscope), H₂-TPR (H₂-temperature programmed reduction) analyses, RuTi x00 catalysts displayed that the dispersion of active metal decreased via increasing the calcination temperature. The catalysts with low dispersion showed a decrease in the surface adsorption oxygen species (O_β) and NH₃ adsorption amount via XPS, and NH₃-TPD analyses. Therefore, the RuTi 400 catalyst was well dispersed in the active metal on TiO₂ surface, and also, the NH₃ removal efficiency was excellent.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.791-796
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• 2004

This study was peformed to screen the biological activities of Pleurotus ferulea (K5 and K8 strains). The cap of K5 strain is well developed than stalk, and vice versa in K8. The ethanol extract of Pleurotus ferulea exhibited significant free radical scavenging activity (35∼36%), suggesting possible effect on many degenerative diseases originated from the reaction of oxygen species. Acetylcholinesterase inhibitor is proven to be the most effective factor for Alzheimer disease induction, and ethanol extract of Pleurotus ferulea significantly inhibited acetylcholinesterase activity (25∼35%) in uitro. Moreover, ethanol extract of Pleurotus ferulea suppressed liver fibrosis by 3∼12% in uitro. However, Pleurotus ferulea feruled to inhibit glucose uptake in human intestinal cell line. Viability of gastric and colon cancer cells was also not affected by Pleurotus ferulea extract. In conclusion Pleurotus ferulea exhibited significant effect on free radical scavenging, acetylcholinesterase inhibiton and brain cell protection. However, Pleurotus ferulea failed to affect glucose uptake, and cytotoxicity of gastric and cancer cells. In general, K8 revealed more significant effects than K5.

• Biomaterials Research
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.235-248
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• 2018

Background: Injectable hydrogels have been extensively researched for the use as scaffolds or as carriers of therapeutic agents such as drugs, cells, proteins, and bioactive molecules in the treatment of diseases and cancers and the repair and regeneration of tissues. It is because they have the injectability with minimal invasiveness and usability for irregularly shaped sites, in addition to typical advantages of conventional hydrogels such as biocompatibility, permeability to oxygen and nutrient, properties similar to the characteristics of the native extracellular matrix, and porous structure allowing therapeutic agents to be loaded. Main body: In this article, recent studies of injectable hydrogel systems applicable for therapeutic agent delivery, disease/cancer therapy, and tissue engineering have reviewed in terms of the various factors physically and chemically contributing to sol-gel transition via which gels have been formed. The various factors are as follows: several different non-covalent interactions resulting in physical crosslinking (the electrostatic interactions (e.g., the ionic and hydrogen bonds), hydrophobic interactions, ${\pi}$-interactions, and van der Waals forces), in-situ chemical reactions inducing chemical crosslinking (the Diels Alder click reactions, Michael reactions, Schiff base reactions, or enzyme-or photo-mediated reactions), and external stimuli (temperatures, pHs, lights, electric/magnetic fields, ultrasounds, or biomolecular species (e.g., enzyme)). Finally, their applications with accompanying therapeutic agents and notable properties used were reviewed as well. Conclusion: Injectable hydrogels, of which network morphology and properties could be tuned, have shown to control the load and release of therapeutic agents, consequently producing significant therapeutic efficacy. Accordingly, they are believed to be successful and promising biomaterials as scaffolds and carriers of therapeutic agents for disease and cancer therapy and tissue engineering.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.686-691
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• 1991

Emission quenching of photoexcited tris(${\alpha},{\alpha} '$-diimine)-ruthenium(II) complex cations, $RuL_3^{2+}$ (L: 2,2'-bipyridine, 4,4'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridine; 4,4'-diphenyl-2,2'-bipyridine; 1,10-phenanthroline; 5-methyl-1,10-phenanthroline; 5,6-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline or 4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline) by $Cu^{2+}$, dimethylviologen $(MV^{2+})$, nitrobenzene (NB), and oxygen was studied in aqueous homogeneous and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) micellar solutions. The apparent bimolecular quenching rate constants $k_q$ were determined from the quenching data and life-times of $^{\ast}RuL_3^{2+}$. In homogeneous media, the quenching rate was considerably slower than that for the diffusion-controlled reaction. The decreasing order of quenching activity of quenchers was $NB>O_2>MV^{2+}>Cu^{2+}$. The rate with $Cu^{2+}$ was faster as the reducing power of $^{\ast}RuL_3^{2+}$ is greater. On the other hand, the rates with NB and $O_2$ were faster as the ligand is more hydrophobic. This was attributed to the stabilization of encounter pair by van der Waals force. The presence of SDS enhanced the rate of quenching reactions with $Cu^{2+}$ and $MV^{2+}$, whereas it attenuated the quenching activity of NB and $O_2$ toward $RuL_3^{2+}$. The binding affinity of quenchers to SDS micelle and binding sites of the quenchers and $RuL_3^{2+}$ in micelle appear to be important factors controlling the micellar effect on the quenching reactions.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.46-58
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• 2010

Hydrogen peroxide(HP) and liquid methane have deserved renewed considerations as green propellants in recent years, because main design concerns in the development of the new generation propulsion system for spacecrafts are concentrated on low operation cost and environmental cleanness. Although HP has a long history of application to aerospace propulsion systems due to high density, mono-propellant characteristics and low toxicity, it had been replaced by hydrazine and liquid oxygen due to extreme performance requirement during the cold war. But HP has received a renewed interest due to its increased stability and many researches have been conducted to develop high performance LREs(Liquid Rocket Engines) using HP. Liquid methane has also received a new interest in rocket propulsion system for the future space exploration according to its possibility of ISRU(In-Situ Resource Utilization).

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.99-107
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• 1999

A series of organosulfur compounds were synthesized with the aim of developing chemopreventive compounds active against hepatotoxicity and chemical carcinogesis. 2-(Allylthio) prazine (2-AP) was effective in inhibiting cytochrome P450 2E1-mediated catalytic activities and protein expression, and in inducing microsomal epoxide hydrolase and major glutathione S-transferases. 2-AP reduced the hepatotoxicity caused by toxicant sand elevated cellular GSH content. Development of skin tumors, pulmonary adenoma and aberrant crypt foci in colon by various chemical carcinogens was inhibited by 2-AP pretreatment. Anticarcinogenic effects of 2-AP at the stage of initiation of tumors were also observed in the aflatoxin B1 ($AFB_1$)-induced three-step medium-term hepatocarcinogenesis model. Reduction of $AFB_1$-DNA adduct by 2-AP appeared to result from the decreased formation of $AFB_1$-8,9-epoxide via suppression of cytochrome P450, while induction of GST 2-AP increases the excretion of glutathione-conjugated $AFB_1$ . 2-AP was a radioprotective agent effective against the lethal dose of total body irradiation and reduced radiation-induced injury in association with the elevation of detoxifying gene expression. 2-AP produces reactive oxygen species in vivo, which is not mediated with the thiol-dependent production of oxidants and that NF-KB activation is not involved in the induction of the detoxifying enzymes. the mechanism of chemoprotection by 2-AP may involve inhibition of the P450-mediated metabolic activation of chemical carcinogens and enhancement of electrophilic detoxification through induction of phase II detoxification enzymes which would facilitate the clearance of activated metabolites through conjugation reaction.

• BMB Reports
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• v.54 no.10
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• pp.516-521
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• 2021

Although arginase primarily participates in the last reaction of the urea cycle, we have previously demonstrated that arginase II is an important cytosolic calcium regulator through spermine production in a p32-dependent manner. Here, we demonstrated that rhaponticin (RPT) is a novel medicinal-plant arginase inhibitor and investigated its mechanism of action on Ca²⁺-dependent endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) activation. RPT was uncompetitively inhibited for both arginases I and II prepared from mouse liver and kidney. It also inhibited arginase activity in both aorta and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Using both microscope and FACS analyses, RPT treatments induced increases in cytosolic Ca²⁺ levels using Fluo-4 AM as a calcium indicator. Increased cytosolic Ca²⁺ elicited the phosphorylations of both CaMKII and eNOS Ser1177 in a time-dependent manner. RPT incubations also increased intracellular L-arginine (L-Arg) levels and activated the CaMKII/AMPK/Akt/eNOS signaling cascade in HUVECs. Treatment of L-Arg and ABH, arginase inhibitor, increased intracellular Ca²⁺ concentrations and activated CaMKII-dependent eNOS activation in ECs of WT mice, but, the effects were not observed in ECs of inositol triphosphate receptor type 1 knockout (IP3R1^-/-) mice. In the aortic endothelium of WT mice, RPT also augmented nitric oxide (NO) production and attenuated reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. In a vascular tension assay using RPT-treated aortic tissue, cumulative vasorelaxant responses to acetylcholine (Ach) were enhanced, and phenylephrine (PE)-dependent vasoconstrictive responses were retarded, although sodium nitroprusside and KCl responses were not different. In this study, we present a novel mechanism for RPT, as an arginase inhibitor, to increase cytosolic Ca²⁺ concentration in a L-Arg-dependent manner and enhance endothelial function through eNOS activation.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.78-85
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• 2019

The effect of various lithium sources such as LiCl, LiOH, and Li-metal on the microstructure and electrochemical properties of granulated $SiO_x$ powders were investigated. Various lithium sources were metallurgically added for a passive pre-lithiation of $SiO_x$ to improve its low initial coulombic efficiency. In spite of using the same amount of Li in various sources, as well as the same process conditions, different lithium silicates were obtained. Moreover, irreversible phases were formed without reduction of $SiO_x$, which might be from additional oxygen incorporation during the process. Accordingly, there were no noticeable electrochemical enhancements. Nevertheless, the $Li_4SiO_4$ phase changes the initial electrochemical reaction, and consequently the relationship between the microstructure and electrochemical properties of metallurgically pre-lithiated $SiO_x$ could provide a guideline for the optimization of the performance of lithium ion batteries.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.383-389
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• 2018

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is an innovative environmental and energy system that converts organic wastewater into electrical energy. For practical implementation of MFC as a wastewater treatment process, a number of limitations need to be overcome. Improving cathodic performance is one of major challenges, and introduction of a current collector can be an easy and practical solution. In this study, three types of current collectors made of stainless steel (SS) were tested in a single-chamber cubic MFC. The three current collectors had different contact areas to the cathode (P $1.0cm^2$; PC $4.3cm^2$; PM $6.5cm^2$) and increasing the contacting area enhanced the power and current generations and coulombic and energy recoveries by mainly decreasing cathodic charge transfer impedance. Application of the SS mesh to the cathode (PM) improved maximum power density, optimum current density and maximum current density by 8.8%, 3.6% and 6.7%, respectively, comparing with P of no SS mesh. The SS mesh decreased cathodic polarization resistance by up to 16%, and cathodic charge transfer impedance by up to 39%, possibly because the SS mesh enhanced electron transport and oxygen reduction reaction. However, application of the SS mesh had little effect on ohmic impedance.