• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제23권8호
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• pp.1099-1106
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• 2013

Tuta absoluta (Povolny, 1994) is a devastating moth to the Solanaceae plants. It is a challenging pest to control, especially on tomatoes. In this work, we studied the entomopathogenic activity of the Cry-forming ${\delta}$-endotoxins produced by Bacillus thuringiensis strain KS and B. thuringiensis kurstaki reference strain HD1 against T. absoluta. These strains carried the cry2, cry1Ab, cry1Aa/cry1Ac, and cry1I genes, and KS also carried a cry1C gene. The ${\delta}$-endotoxins of KS were approximately twofold more toxic against the third instar larvae than those of HD1, as they showed lower 50% and 90% lethal concentrations (0.80 and 2.70 ${\mu}g/cm^2$ (${\delta}$-endotoxins/tomato leaf)) compared with those of HD1 (1.70 and 4.50 ${\mu}g/cm^2$) (p < 0.05). Additionally, the larvae protease extract showed at least six caseinolytic activities, which activated the KS and HD1 ${\delta}$-endotoxins, yielding the active toxins of about 65 kDa and the protease-resistant core of about 58 kDa. Moreover, the histopathological effects of KS and HD1 ${\delta}$-endotoxins on the larvae midgut consisted of an apical columnar cell vacuolization, microvillus damage, and epithelial cell disruption. These results showed that the KS strain could be a candidate for T. absoluta control.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제17권8호
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• pp.1168-1176
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• 2004

Intensive animal industries create large volumes of nutrient rich effluent, which, if untreated, has the potential for substantial environmental degradation. Aquatic plants in aerobic lagoon systems have the potential to achieve inexpensive and efficient remediation of effluent, and to recover valuable nutrients that would otherwise be lost. Members of the family Lemnaceae (duckweeds) are widely used in lagoon systems, but despite their widespread use in the cleansing of sewage, only limited research has been conducted into their growth in highly eutrophic media, and little has been done to systematically distinguish between different types of media. This study examined the growth characteristics of duckweed in abattoir effluent, and explored possible ways of ameliorating the inhibitory factors to growth on this medium. A series of pot trials was conducted to test the tolerance of duckweed to abattoir effluent partially remediated by a sojourn in anaerobic fermentation ponds, both in its unmodified form, and after the addition of acid to manipulate pH, and the addition of bentonite. Unmodified abattoir effluent was highly toxic to duckweed, although duckweed remained viable and grew sub optimally in media with total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) concentrations of up to 100 mg/l. Duckweed also grew vigorously in effluent diluted 1:4 v/v, containing 56 mg TAN/L and also modified by addition of acid to decrease pH to 7 and by adding bentonite (0.5%).

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• 제8권3호
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• pp.267-271
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• 2014

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Overproduction of nitric oxide (NO) by the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) enzyme can cause inflammation. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is also involved in the inflammatory response through regulation of nuclear factor-kappa B $NF-{\kappa}B$(). Areca catechu is one of the known fruit plants of the Palmaceae family. It has been used for a long time as a source of herbal medicine in Indonesia. In this study, we explored the effect of Indonesian Areca catechu leaf ethanol extract (ACE) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation and carrageenan-induced paw edema models. Recently, this natural extract has been in the spotlight because of its efficacy and limited or no toxic side effects. However, the mechanism underlying its anti-inflammatory effect remains to be elucidated. MATERIALS/METHODS: We measured NO production by using the Griess reagent, and determined the expression levels of inflammation-related proteins, such as iNOS, COX2, and $NF-{\kappa}B$, by western blot. To confirm the effect of ACE in vivo, we used the carrageenan-induced paw edema model. RESULTS: Compared to untreated cells, LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells treated with ACE showed reduced NO generation and reduced iNOS and COX-2 expression. We found that the acute inflammatory response was significantly reduced by ACE in the carrageenan-induced paw edema model. CONCLUSION: Taken together, these results suggest that ACE can inhibit inflammation and modulate NO generation via downregulation of iNOS levels and $NF-{\kappa}B$ signaling in vitro and in vivo. ACE may have a potential medical benefit as an anti-inflammation agent.

• 한국토양비료학회지
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• 제49권6호
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• pp.651-654
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• 2016

A number of accidents relating to highly toxic hydrogen fluoride (HF) or hydrofluoric acid (HA) release have occurred over fast few decades in Korea. Thus, this study was conducted to investigate the fluoride (F) concentrations in paddy soil and brown rice from 2 different areas where the soils were exposed to HF and HA. In the first case, the HF leakage accident that occurred in 2012 affected the surrounding soils and crops and consequently, crops (rice) affected by HF were unavailable for forage even though F did not accumulate in the soil. For example, at the time of accident, F concentrations in brown rice samples were $33.0-1,395mg\;kg^{-1}$, while F concentrations in soil samples were $155-295mg\;kg^{-1}$ which were less than the Korean standard guideline values of $400mg\;kg^{-1}$. However, after a year, F concentrations in brown rice were observed below the detection limit ($1mg\;kg^{-1}$), although F concentrations in soils were similar with those in 2012. Also, large amounts of wastewater discharges containing HA occurred in 2013 and some agricultural soils exceeded the Korean standard guideline values for F ($400mg\;kg^{-1}$), but soil-plant F transfer was not observed. In conclusion, it was observed that soil to plant transfer of F is unlikely although HF and HA as gas or liquid form can cause direct damage to plants.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제52권4호
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• pp.797-801
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• 2020

Most of irradiated graphite that should be disposed comes from moderators and reflectors of nuclear power plants. The quantity of irradiated graphite could be higher in the future if high-temperature reactors (HTRs) will be deployed. In this case noteworthy quantities of fuel pebbles containing semi-graphitic carbonaceous material should be added to the already existing 250,000 tons of irradiated graphite. Industry graphite is largely used in industrial applications for its high thermal and electrical conductivity and thermal and chemical resistance, making it a valuable material. Irradiated graphite constitutes a waste management challenge owing to the presence of long-lived radionuclides, such as ¹⁴C and ³⁶Cl. In the ENEA Nuclear Material Characterization Laboratory it has been successfully designed a procedure based on the exfoliation process organic solvent assisted, with the purpose of investigate the possibility of achieving graphite significantly less toxic that could be recycled for other purpose [1]. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the possibility of the scalability from laboratory to industrial dimensions of the exfoliation process and provide the prototype of a chemical plant for the treatment of irradiated graphite.

• Journal of Evidence-Based Herbal Medicine
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• 제2권2호
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• pp.39-44
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• 2009

All medicines are poisonous, and there are none free from poison. Thus, all things may be regarded as poisonous. And poison and medicine is the same one of which actions differ from each other. Medicine may be good medicine or poison according to doses, whether chemical medicine or herbal one. Herbal medicine falls into the category of natural materials. From ancient times humankind has Been using animals and plants as food, but on the other hand, chemical medicine is unfamiliar relatively to natural materials. Somecine is unfamilis, absorbed into the human boan, are transformed and help deemicfication. Other medicines protect the gastric mucous membrane and are demulcent, and inhibithemica materials from being absorbed. In some cases, ine is unfamilis function as deemicfiers in combination withhemica materials, and remove the toxicity and side effect caused by drug properties. Herbal medicine causes less side effects, as compared to chemical one, and thus can work effectively. As the case stands, some deem that herbal medicine does not cause problems despite high dose and long-term use because it is nontoxic or low-toxic. However, herbal medicine may be also poisonous though it is used at a very low dose. Even a deadly poison may produce therapeutic results satisfactorily without side effects, on condition that it is used properly.

• 대한수의학회지
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• 제55권1호
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• pp.21-30
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• 2015

The immune system is specifically sensitive to oxidative stress induced by ionizing radiation because of its rapid proliferative activity. For this reason, an instructive immune system is one of the best ways to minimize side effects, such immunodeficiency, of gamma radiation. Over the past few decades, several natural plants with antioxidant and immunomodulatory properties have been identified as adjuncts for nontoxic and successful radiotherapy. Hizikia fusiforme extract (HFE) containing plentiful dietary fiber and fucoidan is known for its instructive antioxidant capacity, immunomodulation abilities, and immune activation. In this study, we determined whether HFE protects radiosensitive immune cells from gamma radiation-induced damage. C57BL/6 mice were irradiated with gamma-ray. The effect of HFE on the ionizing radiation damage of immune cells was then evaluated with an MTT assay, 3H-thymidine incorporation assay, and PI staining. We found that HFE stimulated the proliferation of gamma-ray irradiated immune cells without cytotoxic effects. We also observed that HFE not only decreased DNA damage but also reduced gamma radiation-induced apoptosis of the immune cells. Our results suggest that HFE can protect immune cells from gamma-ray damage and may serve as an effective, non-toxic radioprotective agent.

• 한국지하수토양환경학회지:지하수토양환경
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• 제21권3호
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• pp.82-87
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• 2016

This study investigates effects of an aging period on arsenic (As) chemical forms in soils and phytotoxicity using artificially As-contaminated soils with a range of As concentrations (0-300 mg/kg) and aging periods (0 and 3 months). A sequential extraction procedure showed that the increasing As concentration in soils increased the ratio of non-specifically and specifically bound As, which are known to be bioavailable. This resulted in increasing As uptake by tomatoes with increasing As concentration (R²=0.87 for exponential fitting); however, the seed germination was not sensitive to the As concentrations of the soil samples. The seed germination was also statistically similar in the soils with 75 and 150 mg-As/kg regardless of the aging period. The time taken until the seed germination (i.e., lag phase), on the other hand, decreased from 10 d to 3 d with aging for 3 months. This can be attributed to the decreased amount of bioavailable As with aging. Overall, this study shows that when the toxic effects of the As-contaminated soils are assessed using tomato plants, it is better to use more sensitive methods than seed germination such as the As accumulation or the lag phase for seed germination.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제16권14호
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• pp.6047-6053
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• 2015

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the most common cancers worldwide. Its prevalence is increasing in many countries. Plant products can be used to protect against cancer due to natural anticancer and chemopreventive constituents. Strobilanthes crispus is one of plants with potential chemopreventive ability. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the anticancer effects of Strobilanthes crispus juice on hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Materials and Methods: MTT assays, flow cytometry, comet assays and the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were used to determine the effects of juice on DNA damage and cancer cell numbers. Results: This juice induced apoptosis after exposure of the HepG2 cell line for 72 h. High percentages of apoptotic cell death and DNA damage were seen at the juice concentrations above 0.1%. It was found that the juice was not toxic for normal cells. In addition, juice exposure increased the expression level of c-myc gene and reduced the expression level of c-fos and c-erbB2 genes in HepG2 cells. The cytotoxic effects of juice on abnormal cells were in dose dependent. Conclusions: It was concluded that the Strobilanthes crispus juice may have chemopreventive effects on hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• 제30권1호
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• pp.103-108
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• 2003

본 연구는 난분해성 농약의 자연분해를 유도하기 위하여 ${\gamma}$-BHC를 탄소원으로 이용하여 호기적으로 자화하는 미생물 (Sphingomonas paucimobilis)에서 분리된 탈염소화효소 중 ${\gamma}$-BHC분해의 첫단계에 관여하는 linA유전자를 담배에 도입하여 BHC에 활성을 나타내는 형질전환 시물체를 만들었다. LinA 유전자를 함유한 pJK 108 백터를 제작하여. Agrobacterium를 이용한 leaf disk transformation 방법으로 담배에 형질전환시켰으며, northern분석 및 Southern분석을 통해 형질전환 개체에서 linA유전자의 도입과 linA유전자 유래의 mRNA가 전사됨을 확인하였다. Western 분석에서 linA단백질의 발현을 확인하였고, gas chromatography를 이용하여 담배 형질전환 개체에서 BHC가 ${\gamma}$-PCCH와 1,2.4-TCB로 분해되는 것을 확인하였다.