• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• 제19권4호
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• pp.74-88
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• 2002

Objectives : This study is aimed to investigate the effects of bee venom and melittin on cell death in synovial cell line. Methods : It was evaluated by using MTT assay, morphologic method, DNA fragmenation, NO generation, flow cytometry, immunocytochemistry analysis, RT-PCR, Western blot. Results : The obtained results are summarized as follows: 1. The MTT assay demonstrated that synovial cell viability was significantly inhibitted dose-dependently by treatment with bee venom and melittin in comparison with control. 2. The morphologic study demonstrated that synovial cell showed apoptosis after treatment with bee venom and melittin for 6 hours using microscope. 3. In case of NO generation bee venom group and melittin group showed significant inhibition in comparison with control. 4. The Flow cytometry demonstrated that apoptosis of synovial cell treated with bee venom and melittin was related with stop of cell cycle in stage of $G_0/G_1$. 5. DNA fragmenation demonstrated that synovial cell treated with bee venom and melittin showed DNA ladder below l Kbp. 6. Immunocytochemistry assay demonstrated that COX-II and PLA2 were strongly down-regulated by treatment with bee venom and melittin whereas iNOS was almostly not expressed by bee venom treatment and slightly expressed by melittin treatment. 7. RT-PCR analysis demonstrated that iNOS were strongly down-regulated by treatment with bee venom and melittin whereas COX-II was almostly not expressed by bee venom treatment and slightly expressed by melittin treatment. 8. Western blot demonstrated that iNOS were strongly down-regulated by treatment with $15{\mu}g/ml$ bee venom whereas COX-II was strongly down-regulated from $5{\mu}g/ml$ bee venom. Conclusions : These results suggest that bee venom and melittin have significant effect on cell death in synovial cell line and further study is needed in vivo.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• 제19권2호
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• pp.28-38
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• 2002

Objective : This study is aimed to investigate the effects of bee venom and purified bee venom on cell death in synovial cell line. Methods : It was evaluated by using MTT assay, morphological method, flow cytometry, immunocytochemistry analysis, RT-PCR. Results : The result obtained is as follows. 1. The MTT assay demonstrated that synovial cell viability was significantly inhibitted dose-dependently by treatment with BV and PBV in comparison with control. And the inhibitory effect of BV and PBV was almost same. 2. The morphologic study demonstrated that synovial cell showed apoptotic body resulted from apoptosis after treatment with BV and PBV for 6 hours using microscope. 3. The Flow cytometry demonstrated that apoptosis of synovial cell treated with BV and PBV was related with stop of cell cycle in stage of G0/G1. 4. Immunocytochemistry assay demonstrated that COX-II and iNOS were slightly expressed by treatment with BV and PBV in comparison with control group. 5. RT-PCR analysis demonstrated that COX-II were almost down-regulated by high dose treatment with BV and PBV in comparison with control group. iNOS were well down-regulated by treatment with $5{\mu}g/ml$ BV and PBV whereas it was well expressed in control group. Conclusion : These results suggest that bee venom and purified bee venom have significant effect on cell death in synovial cell line and further study is needed in vivo.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• 제6권1호
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• pp.20-26
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• 2006

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic and systemic inflammatory disease that is characterized by invasive synovial hyperplasia, leading to progressive joint destruction. Recent studies have described that RA is caused by virus, bacteria or outside material. Approximately 2 to 20% of RA cases arc reported to be associated with infected hepatitis C virus (HCV). However, the mechanisms underlying virus-induced RA are still unknown. Moreover, few molecular studies have addressed the inflammatory aspects of HCV-associated autoimmune RA. In this study, we aimed to determine whe ther or not another HCV core protein transactivates the IL-8 gene expression, prototypic chemokine, in synovial cell. Methods: To establish the HCV core expressing stable synovial cell line, pCI-neo-core, a plasmid encoding HCV core protein, were transfected to HIG-82 cell line that is an established cell line from rabbit periaricular soft tissue. We examined the morphological changes and cell cycle distribution of HIG-82 cells with expression of HCV core protein by inverted microscopy and flow cytometry analysis, respectively. Also, we determined the mRNA levels of Interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8 related to the inflammation by RT-PCR and then analyzed regulation of IL-8 expression by the NF-${\kappa}B$ pathway. Results: Our study showed no significant differences in morphology and cell cycle between HIG-82 control cell line and HIG-82 expressing HCV core protein. However, expression of HCV core protein induces the IL-8 mRNA expression in HIG-82 core cells via activated NF-${\kappa}B$ pathway. Conclusion: These results suggest that HCV core protein can lead to enhanced IL-8 expression. Such a proinflammatory role may contribute to the etiologic pathogenesis in RA patients with HCV infection.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제18권4호
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• pp.686-694
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• 2008

The inhibitory effects of 5,6,3',5'-tetramethoxy 7,4'-hydroxyflavone (labeled as p7F) were elucidated on the productions of proinflammatory cytokines as well as inflammatory mediators in human synovial fibroblasts and macrophage cells. p7F inhibited IL-1${\beta}$ or TNF-${\alpha}$ induced expressions of inflammatory mediators (ICAM-1, COX-2, and iNOS). p7F also inhibited LPS-induced productions of nitric oxide and prostaglandin $E_2$ in RAW 264.7 cells. In order to investigate whether p7F would inhibit IL-1 signaling, p7F was added to the D10S Th2 cell line (which is responsive to only IL-1${\beta}$ and thus proliferates), revealing that p7F inhibited IL-1${\beta}$-induced proliferation of D10S Th2 cells in a dose-response manner. A flow cytometric analysis revealed that p7F reduced the intracellular level of free radical oxygen species in RAW 264.7 cells treated with hydrogen peroxide. p7F inhibited IkB degradation and NF-${\kappa}$B activation in macrophage cells treated with LPS, supporting that p7F could inhibit signaling mediated via toll-like receptor. Taken together, p7F has inhibitory effects on LPS-induced productions of inflammatory mediators on human synovial fibroblasts and macrophage cells and thus has the potential to be an anti-inflammatory agent for inhibiting inflammatory responses.

• 한국미생물·생명공학회지
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• 제23권5호
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• pp.526-530
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• 1995

Phospholipase A$_{2}$ (PLA$_{2}$) is lipolytic enzyme that has known to be involved in inflammation. In the course of our screening for antiinflammatory compounds from natural products, a compound having PLA$_{2}$ inhibitory activities was isolated from the methanol extract of Umbilicaria esculenta. The compound was identified as lecanoric acid based on various NMR studies including DEPT, HETERO-COSY and HMBC experiments. Lecanoric acid inhibited human rheumatoid synovial PLA$_{2}$ activity with IC$_{50}$ of 0.17 mM and also exhibited antitumor activity (ED$_{50}$=2.7 $\mu $g/ml) against skin tumor cell line (LOX-IMVI).

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• 제1권1호
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• pp.61-69
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• 2001

Background: To determine the molecular structure of type II collagen-specific T-cell receptors associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods: We generated CII-specific T-cell lines of 8 RA patients by prolonged in vitro culture with bovine CII (bCII) and the immunogenic peptide (256-270) of human CII. The proliferation response towards CII stimulation was measured from the uptake of 3H-thymidine. Changes in the secretion of Th 1 and Th2 cytokines in the culture supernatent were measured by ELISA. The TCR clonotypes of these T-cells were examined by RT-PCR/SSCP analyses of all 22 $V_{\beta}$ chains. Results: T-cells from patients' tissue exhibited strong proliferation index upon CII stimulation, which was maintained up to 6 months in the culture. The secretion of INF-$\gamma$from these T-cells increased along with the duration of culture time, while the amount of IL-4 production did not show significant changes. The SSCP band patterns of patients' T-cells appear as discrete bands unlike the smeary streak produced from normal samples. Some SSCP bands, each representing selected expansion of a TCR containing certain subtype of $V_{\beta}$ peptides, appeared to be identical in more than one patients. Among these, the expansion of SSCP band representing the $V_{\beta}$ 14 CDR3 region persisted after switching the antigen to the immunogenic human peptide (256-270). Conclusion: CII-reactive T-cells expressing distinct CDR3 motifs are selectively expanded in the peripheral blood and synovial fluid of RA patients, and their persistent proliferation upon CII stimulation, as well as the production Th 1-type cytokines, may play pivotal roles in RA pathogenesis.