• Applied Microscopy
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.117-124
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• 2009

Clonorchis sinensis is the most important widely distributed parasite of the human bile duct in East Asia and the most prevalent parasitic helminth in Korea. The prevalence rate of human clonorchiasis has remained at about 2.9% in Korea. C. sinensis induces dilatation of the duct, hyperplasia of the mucosa, metaplasia or neoplasia of the mucosal epithelium, periductal inflammation and fibrosis, and thickening of the ductal wall. Fibroblast are the most common cells in connective tissue and are responsible for the synthesis of extracellular matrix components. The fibrosis associated with chronic inflammation and injury may also contribute to cholangiocarcinoma pathogenesis, particularly through an increase in extracellular matrix components, which participate in the regulation of bile duct differentiation during development. In this study, ultrastructural changes, the distribution of lectin receptors and actin protein in cultured SD rat bile duct fibroblast after infection of C. sinensis were observed. Experimental group had been divided into four groups: normal bile duct fibroblast cultured in basal media (G1); C. sinensis infected bile duct fibroblast cultured in basal media (G2); normal bile duct fibroblast cultured in basal media containing excretory-secretory product (ESP) (G1-1); C. sinensis infected bile duct fibroblast cultured in basal media containing ESP (G2-1). Overall, once a host is infected by C. sinensis, it affects the host to the extent that sialic acid of ductal fibroblast is increased. Number of cytoplasmic process of SD rat bile duct fibroblast was increased. Actin protein and sialic acid were located in cell surface. Fibroblast induced by C. sinensis was not recovered to normal fibroblast. The cytoplasm bulk and cytoplasmic process were increased whereas the growth rate of the fibroblast of infected SD rat was reduced rather than that of normal fibroblast. In result, it inhibits fibroblast proliferation and increases actin protein on fibroblast cytoplasm, and so causes fibroblast metamorphosis and cellular mutation.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.66
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• pp.204-212
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• 2023

Whitening is inhibitory activity of the melanin synthesis of melanocytes. Recently, whitening materials have been developed on natural materials because of its side effects on skin. Figs (Ficus Carica L.) is a fruit belonging to the Moraceae family and whitening activity was reported in focusing on the fig's stem and leaf components, but whitening activity of the figs fruit was not known. Thus, in this study, we tried to observe its anti-melanogenesis as well as antioxidant and anti-inflammation. The radical scavenging activity of figs fruits extract (FFE) was observed as the level of 34.52±1.98%/60.71±1.26% compared to the control in the its maximum concentration in the DPPH/ABTS assay. Cytotoxicity of FFE was observed at 10% concentration by CCK8 assay, so the maximum concentration was set at 5% and applied to all experiments. FFE concentration dependently decreased NO production associated with inducible nitric oxide synthase, cyclooxygenase-2, interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α gene expression, these strongly suggesting anti-inflammatory activity. In melanin contents assay, FFE significantly down-regulated melanin production in α-MSH-stimulated B16F10 cell as well as tyrosinase inhibition in vitro. In addition, FFE decreased the Microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) mRNA expression about 94.34% compared to the α-MSH treatment group in RT-PCR. Finally, FFE significantly reduced the MITF, cAMP response element-binding protein and tyrosinase protein expression in the α-MSH stimulated B16F10 cell. Through these results, we found that FFE can not only directly inhibit tyrosinase enzyme activity but also suppress melanogenesis through regulation of MITF gene expression in α-MSH signal transduction.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.44-52
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• 1999

Background : Airway infiltration by inflammatory cells, particularly of eosinophils, is one of the characteristic features of asthma. Several mechanisms for the recruitment of eosinophil is focused on the CD4+ T lymphocyte for the preferential production of Th2-c1erived cytokines. Interleukin-10(IL-10) is identified cytokine with potent antiinflammatory activity. This molecule has been shown to inhibit the release of cytokine from inflammatory cells including Th2 cell, and also to inhibit eosinophil survival. We therefore attempted to determine whether decreased synthesis of IL-10 in the lung of bronchial asthma may contribute to inflammation that is characteristics of this dease. Method: Subjects were patients with bronchial asthma(n=23) and normal controls(n=11). IL-10 produced from peripheral mononuclear cell(PBMC) and in bronchoalveolar lavage(BAL) fluid was measured by ELISA method. Degree of bronchial inflammation was assessed by total cell counts and eosinophil percents in BAL fluid, eosinophil infiltration on bronchial biopsy tissue and $PC_{20}$ for methacholine. Results: The IL-10 level produced by PBMC and in BAL fluid from patient with bronchial asthma were not different with normal controls(respectively, $901.6\pm220.4$ pg/ml, $810.9\pm290.8$ pg/ml for PBMC, $24.5\pm9.5$ pg/mL $30.5\pm13.5$ pg/ml for BAL fluid p>0.05). There were significant negative correlation between IL-10 in BAL fluid and eosinophil percents in BAL fluid or degree of eosinophil infiltration in bronchial biopsy (respectively r=-0.522, r=-0.4486 p<0.05). However there was no difference of IL-10 level according to $PC_{20}$ for methacholine. There were no correlation between IL-10 production by PBMC and peripheral blood eosinophil counts or serum eosinophilic cationic protein levels(respectively r=0.1146, r=0.0769 p>0.05). Conclusion: These observation suggest that IL-10 may participate but not acts the crucial role in regulation of the airway inflammation in bronchial asthma.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.27 no.10
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• pp.1111-1120
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• 2017

This study was conducted to select pepper lines that were tolerant to excessive water injury among the pepper germplasm and investigate the genetic characteristics of those lines to contribute to the breeding of pepper cultivars with stable productivity in abnormal weather. Each of the tolerant and susceptible lines went through immersion treatment, and differentially expressed genes between them were analyzed. The tolerant line showed increased expression of the CA02g26670 gene, which is involved in the CONSTANS protein pathway and regulation of flowering by day length, but it exhibited decreased expressions of CA01g21450, CA01g22480, CA01g34470, CA02g00370 and CA02g00380. The susceptible line showed increased gene expressions of CA02g09720, CA02g21290, CA03g16520, CA07g 02110, and CA12g17910, which are involved in the inhibition of proteolytic enzyme activity, DNA binding, inhibition of cell wall-degrading enzyme, and inhibition of nodulin, respectively. Meanwhile the expressions of CA02g02820, CA03g21390, CA06g17700 and CA07g18230 decreased in the susceptible line, in relation to calcium-ion binding, high temperature, synthesis of phosphocholine and cold stress, respectively. The expressions of genes related to apoptosis and peroxidase increased, while that of CA02g16990, which functions as a nucleoside transporter, decreased in both the tolerant and susceptible lines. Based on the different gene expressions between the tolerant and susceptible lines, further studies are needed on breeding abiotic stress-tolerant lines.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.293-298
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• 2015

Muscle atrophy, known as a sarcopenia, is defined as a loss of muscle mass resulting from a reduction in the muscle fiber area or density due to a decrease in muscle protein synthesis and an increase in protein breakdown. Schisandrae fructus (SF) extract of the fruits of Schisandra chinensis (Turcz) Baillon has been used as a tonic in traditional medicine for thousands of years. Although a great deal of work has been carried out on the therapeutic potential of SF, its pharmacological mechanisms of action in muscle diseases actions remain unclear. In the present study, we investigated the inhibitory effects of SF ethanol extracts on the production of muscle atrophy factors in C2C12 myotubes stimulated with 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-ribonucleotide (AICAR), an AMP-activated kinase (AMPK) activator, and sought to determine the underlying mechanisms of action. AICAR upregulated atrophy-related ubiquitin ligase muscle RING finger-1 (MuRF-1) and stimulated the levels of the forkhead box O3a (FoxO3a) transcription factor in the C2C12 myotubes. SF supplementation effectively and concentration- dependently counteracted AICAR-induced muscle cell atrophy and reversed the increased expression of MuRF-1 and FoxO3a. Our study demonstrates that SF can reverse the muscle cell atrophy caused by AICAR through regulation of the AMPK and FoxO3a signaling pathways, followed by inhibition of MuRF-1.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.23 no.2 s.54
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• pp.105-114
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• 1999

To investigate the effects of korean ginseng on the expression of transferrin receptor (TfR) in the liver cell membrane, we had carried out the experiments of $[^{3}H]thymidine$ uptake, $^{125}I-transferrin$ binding, and TfR mRNA expression in the liver after partial hepatectomy of normal and 3'-methyl-4-dimethylaminoa-zobenzene (3'-Me-DAB) treated rat with or without treatment of korean gingseng. $[^3H]thymidine$ uptake was not changed in the liver of 3'-Me-DAB or ginseng treated rat compared to that of control rat, but increased in that of partial hepatectomy of normal or 3'-Me-DAB treated rat. And this increased $[^{3}H]thymidine$ uptake was lowered slightly by the treatment of ginseng. Transferrin binding sites in the liver plasma membrane of ginseng treated rat with or without partial hepatectomy were similar, but increased in that of 3'-Me-DAB treated rat with or without partial hepatectomy compared to those of each control rat and these increased binding sites were reduced by ginseng treatment. Transferrin binding affinity (l/kd) was not changed by ginseng treatment, but tended to decrease in the liver of 3'-Me-DAB treated rat or in those after partial hepatectomy of all groups and reverse by ginseng treatment in 3'-Me-DAB treated rat. The expression of TfR mRNA was increased in the liver of 3'-Me-DAB treated rat with partial hepatectomy (peak at 24 hours), but lowered by ginseng treatment in this rat. From these results, it is suggested that korean ginseng has no effect on the increased expression of TfR with decreased affinity in the cell membrane of regenerated liver after partial hepatectomy of rat, but could inhibt that of 3'-Me-DAB treated rat through the regulation of DNA synthesis or TfR mRNA in partial.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.796-804
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• 2011

Microglia are central nervous system (CNS)-resident professional macrophages that function as the principal immune cells responding to pathological stimulations in the CNS. Activation of microglia, induced by various pathogens, protects neurons and maintains homeostasis in the CNS, but severe activation causes inflammatory responses secreting various neurotoxic molecules such as nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin $E_2$ ($PGE_2$) and pro-inflammatory cytokines. Allium fistulosum, a member of the onion family, is mainly cultivated for consumption, as well as medicinal use in Oriental medicine. It has been reported that A. fistulosum has various biological effects such as anti-oxidant, anti-platelet aggregation, anti-fungus and anti-cholesterol synthesis, however there has been no research about the anti-inflammatory effects of A. fistulosum extracts. In this study, it was undertaken to explore the functions of A. fistulosum as a suppressor of neuronal inflammation by using BV2 microglia cells. As a result, it was found that four kinds of extracts of A. fistulosum effectively reduced the expressions of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) at both mRNA and protein levels, and also attenuated pro-inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis alpha (TNF-${\alpha}$), interleukin-$1{\beta}$ (IL-$1{\beta}$) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) at the mRNA level in BV2 stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). In addition, the extracts of A. fistulosum attenuated the release of NO markedly, as well as resulting in slight decreases of TNF-${\alpha}$ and IL-6 production, the effects of which were most significant when treated with ethyl alcohol extract from the whole A. fistulosum. In conclusion, the data indicated that the anti-inflammatory actions of A. fistulosum against BV2 microglia cells is through the down-regulation of iNOS, COX2 and pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-${\alpha}$ and IL-6, and these effects are expected to help in the protection of nerve tissues by suppressions of neuronal inflammation in various neurodegenerative diseases.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.97-103
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• 2006

Vitellogenin(Vg) is a sex specific serum protein present in sexually maturing female blood of oviparous vertebrates. Estrogen($E_2$) is a main inducer of hepatic Vg synthesis. We investigated the effects of androgen and growth hormone(GH) on regulation of Vg and estrogen receptor(ER) genes in Japanese eel. Immature eels($200{\sim}250\;g$) were given a single injection of $E_2(5{\sim}5,000\;{\mu}g/kg\;bw)$ alone, or in combination with eel recombinant GH(eGH, $1{\sim}10\;{\mu}g/kg$) or methyltestosterone(MT, $1{\sim}5\;mg/kg$) and sacrificed 10 days after the hormone treatments. Expression levels of ER and Vg genes from the liver were determined by means of reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR). Administration of $E_2$ stimulated Vg gene expression in a dose dependent manner. Levels of Vg mRNA after the injection of $E_2(500\;{\mu}g/kg)$ with MT(5mg/kg) or eGH($10\;{\mu}g/kg$) were much higher than in that of $E_2$ alone($500\;{\mu}g/kg$). Whereas, injection of either vehicle, eGH ($10\;{\mu}g/kg$) or MT(5mg/kg) alone did not induce the expression of Vg gene in the liver. ER mRNA was detected from the fish treated with vehicle alone. $E_2$ injection($5{\sim}500\;{\mu}g/kg\;bw$) increased this ER expression but dose dependent response was not clear. Addition of MT(5mg/kg) or eGH($10\;{\mu}g/kg$) did not affect $E_2-stimulated$ ER mRNA expression. This study confirms the necessity of $E_2$ as the primary factor for Vg gene expression and requirement of additional hormones such as MT or GH for the full expression of Vg mRNA, and suggests that the additive effect of MT or GH on Vg gene expression would be mediated by some unknown factors other than ER.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.45 no.12
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• pp.1701-1707
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• 2016

The present study investigated the anti-obesity effect of pine cone (PC, Pinus koraiensis) supercritical extract in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice. Male C57BL/6J mice were treated with HFD, HFD+catechin, and HFD+PC [two different doses, 20 mg/kg body weight (b.w.) and 100 mg/kg b.w.] in each AIN93G supplement for 8 weeks. Treatment of HFD mice with both low and high doses of PC significantly reduced body weight gain compared to HFD mice. Liver weight of mice was reduced in both the low and high dose PC-supplemented groups (24.19% and 19.83%, respectively). Total adipose tissue weight of mice was reduced in both the low and high dose PC-supplemented groups (45.54% and 62.66%, respectively). Serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL cholesterol, and HDL cholesterol were reduced in the low and high dose PC-supplemented groups, and ratios of HDL cholesterol to LDL cholesterol increased by 94.55% in the high dose PC-supplemented group. Serum leptin was significantly reduced in the low and high dose PC-supplemented groups (28.14% and 62.72%, respectively). These results were supported by genetic expression of protein and enzymes related to lipid metabolism assessed by real-time PCR. There was significant reduction of lipid regulatory transcription factors such as $PPAR-{\gamma}$, C/EBP, and SREBP and lipid enzymes such as fatty acid synthesis and lipoprotein lipase in the low and high dose PC-supplemented groups. However, there was no statistical difference between low and high dose PC treatments. These results suggest that pine cone supercritical extract supplementation is able to regulate serum lipid profiles by reducing total cholesterol, triglyceride, and LDL cholesterol levels, followed by regulation of expression of lipid metabolic factors, resulting in reduction of weight gain in HFD-induced obese mice.