• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
• /
• v.14 no.3
• /
• pp.177-183
• /
• 2007

Objectives:Previous studies have suggested that S100B protein play an important role in the pathogenesis and progress of schizophrenia. In the present study, we evaluate the serum levels of S100B in the patients with schizophrenia, and compare them with those of healthy controls. Method:The serum S100B levels were measured by lectrochemiluminescence immunoassay in 21 schizophrenic patients (8 males, 13 females) and 27 normal controls(11 males, 16 females). The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale(PANSS) was used to evaluate the symptoms of the patients with schizophrenia, and the correlation between PANSS subscale scores and serum S100B levels was examined. Results:No significant difference was found between the serum S100B levels of the schizophrenic patients($0.074{\pm}0.039$ng/ml) and those of the normal controls($0.072{\pm}0.030$ng/ml)(p=0.925). Correlationships between the high serum S100B level with high negative symptom scores(p=0.065) or with the low positive symptom scores(p=0.080) did not exist. Conclusion:The relation between serum S100B level and schizophrenia was not found in the present study. However, to confirm this result, further studies, such as measurement of S100 protein level in CSF, postmortem study, long-term follow-up study, and studies with other neurotrophic proteins are needed.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
• /
• v.43 no.1
• /
• pp.57-62
• /
• 2000

The proteoglycan, intracellular and extracellular, extracted from the liquid culture of Phellinus igniarius were purified and characterized. The mycelial productivity was proved to be better in shaking culture compared to standing culture. The productivity of intracellular proteoglycan of Phellinus igniarius appeared to be similar in two culturing methods. The standing culture of Phellinus igniarius produced 6 times as much extracellular proteoglycan compared to shaking culture. The proteoglycan were purified to a single peak by ion exchange chromatography(DEAE-cellulose) followed by gel filtration(Sepharose 2B). PIEPDG contained 79.0% total sugar and 7.2% protein. PIEPAG contained 56.7% total sugar and 40.8% protein. PIIPDG contained 64.8% total sugar and 17.4% protein. PIIPAG contained 56.9% total sugar and 41.5%n protein. The molecular weights of all the fractions were estimated to be above 100,000, from 134KDa of PIEPDG to 560 KDa of PIEPAG. The results of sugar analysis by HPLC showed that PIEPDG contains glucose only. The sugar part of PIIPDG and PIIPAG were consisted of glucose and inositol. The PIEPAG contained three kinds of monosaccharides, glucose, fructose and inositol.

• Food Science and Preservation
• /
• v.19 no.5
• /
• pp.757-766
• /
• 2012

The SSH100-10 bacterial strain, which exhibits strong antifungal (anti-mold and anti-yeast) activity, was isolated from traditional korean soysauce aged 100 years. The strain was identified as Bacillus velezensis based on Gram-staining, the biochemical properties and 16S rRNA gene sequence determination. B. velezensis SSH100-10 showed strong proteinase activity and NaCl tolerance, but did not produce enterotoxin. Two-antifungal compounds from B. velezensis SSH100-10 were purified using SPE, preparative HPLC, and reverse phase-HPLC. The purified antifungal compounds were identified as $C_{14}$ and $C_{15}$ iturin through MALDI-TOF-MS and amino acid composition analysis. The stability characteristics of the antifungal compounds after temperature, pH, and enzyme treatments suggested that B. velezensis SSH100-10 produced more than two antifungal compounds; pH-stable $C_{14}$ iturin A and $C_{15}$ iturin A, and unidentified pH-unstable compounds. The results suggested that B. velezensis SSH100-10 can be used in soybean fermentation as a starter. Moreover it has potential as a biopreservative in the food and feed industry and as a biocontrol agent in the field of agriculture.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
• /
• v.46 no.1
• /
• pp.11-17
• /
• 2002

$\beta$-Immunan, a proteoglycan, was isolated from the mycelium of Canoderma lucidum which belongs to a medicinal mushroom. The effects of $\beta$-Immunan on cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions mediated by carbohydrate-recognition and the mechanism responsible for the inhibition of experimental metastasis of Bl6-F10 and B16/BL6 murine melanoma were studied. The results showed that $\beta$-Immunan inhibited Bl6-Fl melanoma cell's adhesion to laminin and asialofetuin-induced homotypic aggregation and reduced invasion against Bl6-F10 murine melanoma cells through matrigel in vivo assay. When $\beta$-Immunan was intraperitoneally administrated to C57B/6 mice bearing B16/BL6 murine melanoma cells, it was decreased the number of pulmonary metastatic colony by the dose dependent manner ranging from 20 to 100 mg/kg/day. The results indirectly indicate that clinical treatment with $\beta$-Immunan might be expected to exhibit anti-metastatic effect. In the pulmonary metastasis, the number of pulmonary metastatic colony of melanoma when $\beta$-Immunan was intraperitoneally administrated to C57BL/6 mice bearing B16/BL6 murine melanoma cells by intravenous injection were decreased by the dose dependent manner ranging from 20 to 100 mg/kg/day.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.38 no.1
• /
• pp.84-92
• /
• 2010

Antibacterial compound from Bacillus subtilis MJP1 was purified using C18 Sep-Pak cartridge, ion exchange chromatography, and gel filtration chromatography. The purified antibacterial compound showed antibacterial activity against Listeria monocytogenes, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus subsp. aureus, and Enterococcus faecalis. The purified antibacterial compound was found to be stable at $100^{\circ}C$ for 5 min and in the pH range of 3.0~9.0, but it was unstable at pH 10.0. It was inactivated by proteinase K and pronase E, and heat treatment at $121^{\circ}C$ for 15 min, but it was stable with lipase and $\alpha$-amylase treatment, which indicated its proteineous nature. Ultra performance liquid chromatography and electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry analysis were used to identify the purified antibacterial compound and confirmed the existence of two peptides (3356.54 Da, 3400.5244 Da).

• Korean journal of food and cookery science
• /
• v.14 no.5
• /
• pp.589-596
• /
• 1998

This study was carried out to evaluate the quality attributes of soy yogurts prepared by different types of oligosaccharides (fructooligosaccharide, galactooligosaccharide , isomaltooligosaccharide) and Bifidobacteria (B. bifidum B. breve, B. infantis) containing enzyme treated soy protein isolate in terms of pH, titratable acidity, total number of viable cells of Bifidobacteria, ${\alpha}$-galactosidase activity, organic acids, volatile compounds. The pH values of soy yogurts fermented by B. bifidum showed the highest significantly but those fermented by B. infantis showed the lowest significantly, while the titratable acidity of soy yogurts were vice versa. The viable cells of Bifidobacteria of all soy yogurts showed more than 10$\^$9/ CFU/ml and soy yogurts fermented by B. infantis showing below pH 4.6 showed more than 10$\^$9/ CFU/ml after storage at 4$^{\circ}C$ for 7 days. The activity of ${\alpha}$-galactosidase showed the highest in the culture of B. infantis among the Bifidobacteria tested. Among the Bifidobacteria tested, the contents of lactic acid and acetic acid showed the highest in soy yogurts fermented by B. infantis but citric acid and propionic acid were the lowest. Among the Bifidobacteria tested, the contents of n-hexanal showed the highest in soy yogurts fermented by B. breve and a little amounts of acetaldehyde were present in all soy yogurts.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.31 no.11
• /
• pp.1019-1027
• /
• 2021

There are a lot of efforts to develop new compounds having skin whitening effect from natural products. Sparassis crispa is a medicinal mushroom containing more than 40% β-glucan, which exhibits anticancer and immunostimulating effects. The aim of this study was to assess the availability of β-glucan extracted from cauliflower mushroom S. crispa as a skin whitener through the evaluation of inhibitory effects of melanin synthesis and tyrosinase activity and their mechanisms. B16F1 cells were treated with S. crispa β-glucan (10, 100, and 1,000 ㎍/ml, respectively) and α-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH), simultaneously. Content of melanin synthesis and tyrosinase activity were determined. The expressions levels of tyrosinase, tyrosinase related protein-1 (TRP-1), TRP-2 and microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) were also measured by western blotting. Treatment with 10, 100 and 1,000 ㎍/ml S. crispa β-glucan and 200 nM α-MSH significantly decreased melanin synthesis by 13.9%, 18.7% and 39.5%, respectively, and tyrosinase activity by 15.6%, 26.9% and 43.2%, respectively, compared to the α-MSH alone group. In addition, S. crispa β-glucan inhibited expressions of tyrosinase, TRP-1, TRP-2 and MITF induced by α-MSH. These results indicated that S. crispa β-glucan inhibited MITF expression, thereby reducing tyrosinase expression and inhibiting melanin production in B16F1 melanoma cells. Therefore, S. crispa β-glucan might be available as a skin whitener.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.51-57
• /
• 1985

Delta-endotoxin in Bacillus thuringiensis var. finitimus, HD-1, HD-9 and HD-73 strains were isolated by NaBr, CsCl and Renografin density gradients. The purity of the toxin was about 98%. The purified o-endotoxin was analyzed by SDS-PAGE, electron microscopic observation and bioassay. According to SDS-PAGE, the molecular weight of subunits of the o-endotoxin were about 66,000 and 130,000 daltons. The shapes of the crystal toxin observed by TEM except finitimus strain were bipyramidal. When the purified endotoxin was bioassayed against tobacco horn worm, the entomocidal activities ($1{\mu}g/ml$) of HD-1 and HD-73 strains were, respectively, 60% and 100% at nine days after treated. The molecular weights of the plasmids isolated from B. thuringiensis were various from 0.5 to 120 Kb. The numbers of plasmids in HD-1, HD-9 and HD-73 strains were 12, 3 and 11, respectively, but B. thuringiensis var. finitimus strain had no plasmid.

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
• /
• v.29 no.2
• /
• pp.165-174
• /
• 1993

$Ca^{2+}$ is an important regulator of neurite elongation and growth cone movements but the mechanism(s) mediating these $Ca^{2+}-dependent$ effects is unclear. Since cytoskeletal proteins are rapidly degraded by $Ca^{2+}-dependent $ proteinases (calpains) in vitro and in vivo, we investigated whether $Ca^{2+}-induced$ pruning or regression of neuronal processes is mediated by calpains. Isolated hippocampal pyramidal-like neurons were cultured and the ability of the membrane-permeable calpain inhibitors EST (etyl (+)-(2S,3S)-3-[(S)-methyl-1-(3-methlbutylcarbamoyl)-butylcarbamoyl]2-oxiranecarboxylate) and MDL28170 (carbobenzoxyl-Val-Phe-H) to block the $Ca^{2+}$ ionophore A23187-induced suppression in neurite outgrowth was investigated. Addition of 100 nM A23187 to the culture medium resulted in a retraction of dendrites without altering axonal elongation. The addition of 300 nM A23187 to the culture medium resulted in a signiciant decrease in the rate of axonal elongation as well as a retraction of dendritic processes. Administration of EST $(5\;or\;20{\mu}M)$ to the culture medium completely blocked the pruning effect of 100 nM A23187 on dendrites and of 300 nM A23187 on axons, while EST alone did not significantly affect neurite outgrowth rate. MDL 28170 $(20\;{\mu}M)$ showed the same effect as EST in preventing ionophore-induced pruning of dendrites and axons at 100 nM and 300 nM concentrations, respectively, of A23187. EST $(20\;{\mu}M)$ did not block the A23187-induced rise of $[Ca^{2+}]_{i}$ as measured with fura-2. These results show that $Ca^{2+}-induced$ pruning of neurites in isolated hippocampal pyramidal neurons is mediated by calpains.

• Applied Microscopy
• /
• v.37 no.2
• /
• pp.93-102
• /
• 2007

Secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI) was known as one of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced products of macrophage. Macrophages play an important role in the development of inflammatory responses by secreting an array of cytokines and chemokines in a tissue microenvironment. To identify the function and relationship between potent growth factors and SLPI after LPS stimulation, we conducted reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blots for the detection of mRNA and protein expression of SLPI and growth factors such as VEGF, PDGF, bFGF after 100 ng LPS stimulation on the RAW264.7 cells. The result of RT-PCR was showed SLPI mRNA expression was increased from 60 min to 48h in RAW 264.7 cells after incubation with LPS. VEGF and PDGF mRNA was expressed highly at initial stage by LPS stimulation. The mRNA of bFGF and type I collagen was very weakly expressed after LPS stimulation. SLPI protein level was increased likely the mRNA levels in RAW 267.7 cells. Additionally, phase contrast and scanning electron microscopic observation demonstrated that the LPS induce the change of morphology of the RAW264.7 cells. From these results, it suggest that expression of SLPI by LPS treatment may associate with VEGF and PDGF expression in RAW264.7 cells.