• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.95-100
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• 2009

A 15-year-old, spayed female maltese dog was presented with polydipsia, polyuria, polyphagia, abdominal distention, alopecia and hyperpigmentation. The complete blood counts were in normal range, and the serum biochemistry revealed elevated level of glucose and globulin. Mild hepatomegaly was seen on radiography of abdomen. Abdominal ultrasonography revealed the uniformly enlarged left adrenal gland measured 2.4 cm in diameter. ACTH stimulation test and LDDST revealed hyperadrenocorticism. HDDST revealed pituitary dependent hyperadrenocorticism. On CT images, isodense mass with contrast enhancing was seen in left adrenal gland. Cytologic result is consistent with benign tumor. Adrenal mass was surgically removed and evaluated. Histopathologic examination revealed adenocortical adenoma.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.328-335
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• 1998

Outer membrane proteins(OMPs) of Brucella abortus 1119-3 strain were extracted by Triton X-100 treatment, and fractionated by DEAE-cellulose column chromatography and Sephacryl S-300 column chromatography. The antigenic proteins in these fractions were identified by Western blot analysis. In Western blot analysis, a single band(38kDa) was observed in the DEAE fractions from 36th fraction to 38th fraction against sera of cattle infected with B abortus. And other fractions have several bands. However, the Sephacryl S-300 fractions exhibited a total of 3 peaks of proteins with a broad range from about 30 to 116kDa. In order to characterize further, the extracted OMPs and the DEAE fractions were analyzed by two dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis(2-DE) and Western blot using serum from naturally infected cattle with Brucella spp. The 2-DE immunoblots of DEAE fraction showed immunoreactive spots more than twenty two. The major protein spots have ranging from about 32 to 47kDa. The pI values of the spots were detected from pH 4.7 to 5.4. Among the major protein spots, the 38kDa protein which is a specific antigen, located at the point of approximately a pI 4.8.

• Journal of Haehwa Medicine
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.171-184
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• 2013

Single-and repeated-dose toxicities of Compound K (CK) were evaluated according to Toxicity Test Guidelines of Korea Food and Drug Administration using Sprague-Dawley rats. For single-dose toxicity study, CK was dissolved in drinking water, orally administered and examined for 14 days. As results, CK up to a dose of 5,000 mg/kg, the limited dose, neither induced death, clinical signs and necropsy findings, nor affected body weight gain and organ weights, in which 10% lethal dose could not be estimated. Based on the results of single-dose toxicity test, CK was administered at doses of 500, 1,000 or 2,000 mg/kg for 28 days for the evaluation of repeated-dose toxicity. All doses including the limited dose (2,000 mg/kg) of CK did not cause any abnormalities of rats, including mortality, clinical signs, body weight gain, feed/water consumption, necropsy findings, organ weights, hematology, blood biochemistry. Rather, high doses (1,000 - 2,000 mg/kg) of CK reduced the serum levels of alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), creatinine phosphokinase (CPK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and triglycerides, in addition to an increase in glucose, indicative of protective effects on hepatic and muscular injuries. Thus, both maximum tolerable dose (MTD) and no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL) were not determined. The results indicate that long-term intake of high-dose CK might not induce general adverse effects.

• BMB Reports
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.508-514
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• 1998

We studied the effects of ASC-17D rat Sertoli cell-conditioned media (rSCCM) on the proliferation of the DU145 prostate cancer cells. rSCCM was prepared from ASC-17D cells cultured in DMEM/F-12 serum-free media at a nonpermissive temperature of $40^{\circ}C$, which is the condition for the high expression of c1usterin. We found that rSCCM could inhibit the proliferation of DU145 cells by arresting the cell cycle in the G1 phase in a dose-dependent manner. This growth arresting activity was abolished by boiling rSCCM for 5 min. The G1 growth-inhibiting activity of rSCCM was also detected in other prostate-originated cancer cells examined (i.e., LNCaP and PC-3) but not in other cells (ASC-17D, HepG2, SK-N-SH, and NIH3T3). Western blot analysis of partially purified growth inhibiting fractions with the clusterin antibody showed that the cytostatic factor in rSCCM was not c1usterin. This cytostatic factor was semi purified by DEAE-Sepharose, ammonium sulfate precipitation, and Phenyl-Sepharose column chromatography, and was estimated to have a molecular weight of 88 kDa by Sephacryl S-300 gel filtration.

• BMB Reports
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• v.40 no.6
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• pp.1039-1049
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• 2007

Overdoses of acetaminophen cause hepato-renal oxidative stress. The present study was undertaken to investigate the protective effect of a 43 kDa protein isolated from the herb Cajanus indicus, against acetaminophen-induced hepatic and renal toxicity. Male albino mice were treated with the protein for 4 days (intraperitoneally, 2 mg/kg body wt) prior or post to oral administration of acetaminophen (300 mg/kg body wt) for 2 days. Levels of different marker enzymes (namely, glutamate pyruvate transaminase and alkaline phosphatase), creatinine and blood urea nitrogen were measured in the experimental sera. Intracellular reactive oxygen species production and total antioxidant activity were also determined from acetaminophen and protein treated hepatocytes. Indices of different antioxidant enzymes (namely, superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione-S-transferase) as well as lipid peroxidation end-products and glutathione were determined in both liver and kidney homogenates. In addition, Cytochrome P450 activity was also measured from liver microsomes. Finally, histopathological studies were performed from liver sections of control, acetaminophen-treated and protein pre- and post-treated (along with acetaminophen) mice. Administration of acetaminophen increased all the serum markers and creatinine levels in mice sera along with the enhancement of hepatic and renal lipid peroxidation. Besides, application of acetaminophen to hepatocytes increased reactive oxygen species production and reduced the total antioxidant activity of the treated hepatocytes. It also reduced the levels of antioxidant enzymes and cellular reserves of glutathione in liver and kidney. In addition, acetaminophen enhanced the cytochrome P450 activity of liver microsomes. Treatment with the protein significantly reversed these changes to almost normal. Apart from these, histopathological changes also revealed the protective nature of the protein against acetaminophen induced necrotic damage of the liver tissues. Results suggest that the protein protects hepatic and renal tissues against oxidative damages and could be used as an effective protector against acetaminophen induced hepato-nephrotoxicity.

• BMB Reports
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.344-349
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• 2009

Angiogenesis is crucial for solid tumor growth. By secreting angiogenic factors, tumor cells induce angiogenesis. However, targeting these angiogenic factors for cancer therapy is not always successful, suggesting that other factors may be involved in tumor angiogenesis. This work shows that 25 protein spots were differentially expressed by two-dimensional gel electrophoretic analysis when HepG2 cells induced endothelial cell differentiation to tube in vitro, and most of them were upregulated. Twenty-one proteins were identified with MALDITOF-MS, and the other four were identified by LTQ-MS/MS. Keratins were identified as one class of these upregulated proteins. Further study indicated that the expression of keratin 17 in cultured endothelial cells is likely microenvironment regulated, because its expression can be induced by HepG2 cells and bFGF as well as serum in culture media. Increased expression of keratins in endothelial cells, such as keratin 17, may contribute to the angiogenesis induced by HepG2 cells.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.27 no.1 s.65
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• pp.78-90
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• 2006

Background : Traditional herbal medicine is used extensively among the Korean populations, and other Asian countries employ similar therapies as well. In recent years, extensive focus was laid on adulteration of the herbal medicine with liver damage. The use of herbal preparations as remedies for various medical conditions has continuously increased in Korea. Large proportions of Korean patients use herbal medicinal products, folk remedies, and health food. However, studies on the safety of herbal products are conducted on a less than sufficient basis even in the countries like Korea where herbal medicine is being used extensively. Some of the reports on the safety of herbs were done by the doctors of western medicine but lack of knowledge and misclassification led to misunderstandings. Objectives : This study aims to verify the evidences on safety of frequently used 4 herbal medications (Sipjeondaebo-tang, Bojungikgi-tang, Ohjeok-San, Yukmaijihwang-tang) in the lab animal model. Methods : Sprague-Dawley rats was treated by 4 herbal medications during 31 days. After 1 month, we checked body weight, liver weight, and serum enzyme associated with liver function. Results : There is no significant difference in body weight and liver weight after 1 month of administrations. In all experimental groups, no abnormal findings was observed in histotogical research and lab liver Functions test(AST, ALT etc). Conclusions : These four herbal medications, frequently used in oriental medicine clinics and hospitals, are safe from hepatoxic events in the lab animal model.

• BMB Reports
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.469-478
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• 2006

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A, a major regulator for angiogenesis, binds and activates two tyrosine kinase receptors, VEGFR1 (Flt-1) and VEGFR2 (KDR/Flk-1). These receptors regulate physiological as well as pathological angiogenesis. VEGFR2 has strong tyrosine kinase activity, and transduces the major signals for angiogenesis. However, unlike other representative tyrosine kinase receptors which use the Ras pathway, VEGFR2 mostly uses the Phospholipase-$C{\gamma}$-Protein kinase-C pathway to activate MAP-kinase and DNA synthesis. VEGFR2 is a direct signal transducer for pathological angiogenesis including cancer and diabetic retinopathy, thus, VEGFR2 itself and the signaling appear to be critical targets for the suppression of these diseases. VEGFR1 plays dual role, a negative role in angiogenesis in the embryo most likely by trapping VEGF-A, and a positive role in adulthood in a tyrosine kinase-dependent manner. VEGFR1 is expressed not only in endothelial cells but also in macrophage-lineage cells, and promotes tumor growth, metastasis, and inflammation. Furthermore, a soluble form of VEGFR1 was found to be present at abnormally high levels in the serum of preeclampsia patients, and induces proteinurea and renal dysfunction. Therefore, VEGFR1 is also an important target in the treatment of human diseases. Recently, the VEGFR2-specific ligand VEGF-E (Orf-VEGF) was extensively characterized. Interestingly, the activation of VEGFR2 via VEGF-E in vivo results in a strong angiogenic response in mice with minor side effects such as inflammation compared with VEGF-A, suggesting VEGF-E to be a novel material for pro-angiogenic therapy.

• BMB Reports
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.382-395
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• 2007

The herb, Cajanus indicus L, is well known for its hepatoprotective action. A 43 kD protein has been isolated, purified and partially sequenced from the leaves of this herb. A number of in vivo and in vitro studies carried out in our laboratory suggest that this protein might be a major component responsible for the hepatoprotective action of the herb. Our successive studies have been designed to evaluate the potential efficacy of this protein in protecting the hepatic as well as renal tissues from the sodium fluoride (NaF) induced oxidative stress. The experimental groups of mice were exposed to NaF at a dose of 600 ppm through drinking water for one week. This exposure significantly altered the activities of the antioxidant enzymes like superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), glutathione reductase (GR) and the cellular metabolites such as reduced glutathione (GSH), oxidized glutathione (GSSG), total thiols, lipid peroxidation end products in liver and kidney compared to the normal mice. Intraperitoneal administration of the protein at a dose of 2 mg/kg body weight for seven days followed by NaF treatment (600 ppm for next seven days) normalized the activities of the hepato-renal antioxidant enzymes, the level of cellular metabolites and lipid peroxidation end products. Post treatment with the protein for four days showed that it could help recovering the damages after NaF administration. Time-course study suggests that the protein could stimulate the recovery of both the organs faster than natural process. Effects of a known antioxidant, vitamin E, and a non-relevant protein, bovine serum albumin (BSA) have been included in the study to validate the experimental data. Combining all, result suggests that NaF could induce severe oxidative stress both in the liver and kidney tissues in mice and the protein possessed the ability to attenuate that hepato-renal toxic effect of NaF probably via its antioxidant activity.

• BMB Reports
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.41-47
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• 2008

Fe65 is characterized as an adaptor precursor (APP) through its PID2 element, as well as with the other members of the APP protein family. With the serum- and glucocorticoid-induced kinase 1 (SGK1) substrate specificity information, we found that the putative site of phosphorylation in Fe65 by SGK1 is present on its $Ser^{566}$ residue in $^{560}CRVRFLSFLA^{569}$(X60469). Thus, we demonstrated that Fe65 and the fluorescein-labeled Fe65 peptide $FITC-^{560}CRVRFLSFLA^{569}$ are phosphorylated in vitro by SGK1. Phosphorylation of the $Ser^{566}$ residue was also demonstrated using a $Ser^{566}$ phospho-specific antibody. The phospho Fe65 was found mainly in the nucleus, while Fe65 S556A mutant was localized primarily to the cytoplasm. Therefore, these data suggest that SGK1 phosphorylates the $Ser^{566}$ residue of Fe65 and that this phosphorylation promotes the migration of Fe65 to the nucleus of the cell.