• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.500-503
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• 2002

This study was carried out to investigate the effects of season influencing semen characteristics, frozen-thawed sperm viability and testosterone concentration in Duroc boars. There were no significant differences in the semen volume and sperm concentration of Duroc boars among spring, summer, autumn and winter. However, the pH of sperm-rich and sperm-poor fractions in autumn and winter season was higher than in spring and summer season in Duroc boars. Sperm motility and normal acrosome of raw semen in Duroc boars did not differ significantly among spring, summer, autumn and winter. However, motility and normal acrosome of frozen-thawed sperm were higher in spring season than in summer, autumn and winter. Serum testosterone concentrations in Duroc were higher in spring than summer, autumn and winter. In conclusion, when serum testosterone concentrations were higher in seasons, frozen-thawed sperm viability in Duroc boars were higher.

• Clean Technology
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.29-34
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• 2016

Field cultivation of corn and microbial cell viability tests using Pseudomonas putida K-5 were performed to assess the toxic effect of kelp seaweed biochar (KBC) and fir wood biochar (FBC) produced by pyrolysis. After 63 days growth, FBC increased corn growth by 4.9% without fertilizer and by 7.6% with fertilizer, while KBC decreased it by 20.2% without fertilizer and by 27.9% with fertilizer. Physico-chemical characterization of the biochars such as ICP, CHON, and proximate analyses showed that KBC contained large amount of metals and ashes which could be responsible for its inhibition to corn growth. Upon exposure of K-5 cells for 1 h to biochar extracts, the cell viability in KBC extracts was 48.2% and quite lower than that (78.6%) in FBC. Washed KBC biochar with water at 1:10 w/v % increased the cell viability to 54.0%. The results indicated that seaweed biochar may be careful to be used for plant growing additives due to its high concentrations of metals and ashes. This toxic effect could be reduced by proper washing method with water.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.337-341
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• 2005

This study was undertaken to clerify the cytotoxic effect of syringic acid by colorimetric assay on human cancer cells. For the evaluation of cytotoxicity of syringic acid, the cell viability and cell adhesion activity of syringic acid on cancer cells, human oral epithelioid carcinoma cells were determined using by colorimetric assays such as MTT (3-[4,5­dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay and XTT (2,3-bis-[2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl]­2H-tetrazolium-5-caboxanilide) assay, respectively after human oral epithelioid carcinoma cells were treated with syringic acid for 48 hours. In this study, the cell viability of syringic acid on human oral epithelioid carcinoma cells showed a significant decrease by MTT assay compared with control, and also, the cell adhesion activity by XTT assay was decreased significantly in these cells after cells were treated with various concentrations of syringic acid for 48 hours. $MTT_{50}\;and\;XTT_{50}\;were\;282.3\;{\mu}M\;and\;418.8{\mu}M$ syringic acid, respectively. These results suggest that syringic acid shows midcytotoxic effect on human oral epithelioid carcinoma cells by the decreasement of the cell viability and the cell adehision activity assessed by colorimetric assay in these cultures.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.14 no.8
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• pp.1098-1105
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• 2001

There is little information on smallholder dairy farming in Zimbabwe. With such inadequate knowledge, no meaningful decisions on how to improve these systems can be made. A study was, therefore, carried out in Nharira communal area and Lancashire small-scale commercial area to provide information on the viability of dairy farms. This paper is based on data obtained through participatory monitoring of 13 smallholder dairy farms in 1996 and 1997. All the four farms in Lancashire were found to be viable in both years. In Nharira, two out of the nine farms in 1996 and three farms in 1997 failed to break even. There were considerable inter-farm differences in the contribution of milk sales towards total income from dairy farming, ranging from 41% to 99% in Nharira and 71% to 81% in Lancashire in 1996. Corresponding estimates in 1997 were 51-95% and 72-78%, respectively. Expenses on cattle feeds contributed 36-84% in 1996 and 37-80% in 1997 towards total variable costs in Nharira. In Lancashire, the respective estimates were 15-33% and 22-36%. Seven out of the nine studied farms in Nharira and three out of four in Lancashire realized higher gross margin (GM) in 1997 than in 1996. All these farming households had conserved considerable amounts of farm-grown feeds. It was concluded that feed costs, number of cows and sizes of land holdings were the main factors determining viability of smallholder dairy farming. The major challenge to smallholder dairy farming in Nharira, in particular, was to develop low-cost feeding strategies.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.17-26
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• 2009

Objectives: Little information is available regarding the effect of Lycii cortex radicis (LCR) on cell viability in glioma cells. This study was therefore undertaken to examine the effect of LCR on cell survival in U87MG human glioma cells. Methods: Cell viability and cell death were estimated by MTT assay and trypan blue exclusion assay, respectively. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation was measured using the fluorescence probe DCFH-DA. Activation of Akt and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and activation of caspase-3 were estimated by Western blot analysis. Results: LCR resulted in apoptotic cell death in a dose- and time-dependent manner. LCR increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and LCR-induced cell death was also prevented by antioxidants, suggesting that ROS generation played a critical role in LCR-induced cell death. Western blot analysis showed that LCR treatment caused down-regulation of Akt and ERK. The LCR-induced cell death was increased by the inhibitors of Akt and ERK. Activation of caspase-3 was stimulated by LCR and caspase inhibitors prevented the LCR-induced cell death. Conclusion: These findings suggest that LCR results in human glioma cell death through a mechanism involving ROS generation, down-regulation of Akt and ERK, and caspase activation.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.318-326
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• 1999

Apoptotic cell death, characterized by DNA fragmentation and morphological changes, has previously been shown to occur in vascular endothelial cells cultured with hydrogen peroxide. The present study examined the induction of apoptosis by hydrogen peroxide and whether pyruvate, a key glycolytic intermediate and $\alpha$-keto-monocarboxylate, can inhibit the apoptotic effects in bovine pulmonary artery endothelial cells(BPAECs). Culture with 500uM hydrogen peroxide resulted in 30% cell death and induced morphological changes and DNA fragmentation. Cell injury was inhibited by the treatment with pyruvate. Pyruvate(0.1-5.0mM), and cell viability increased in a dose-dependent manner. In the presence of pyruvate(10~20mM), the viability was improved to over 95%. In contrast, treatment with lactate, a reduced form of phyuvate, did not protect against cell death oxidative stress-induced loss of viability and apoptosis was examined with $\alpha$-cyano-3-hydroxycinnarmate(COHC) as a selective mitochondrial monocarboxylate transport blocker. Incubation with COHC(500uM) did not significantly affect cell viability in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. The cytoprotection by pyruvate(3mM)against hydrogen peroxide stress was abolished by COHC. This indicates that the cytoprotection by pyruvate against oxidative stress in endothelial cells is mediated, at least in part, by mitochondrial pyruvate uptake and hence endothelial enerygetics. However, cytosolic mechanisms related, at least in part, by mitochondrial pyruvate uptake and hence endothelial energetics. However, cytosolic mechanisms related to the glutathione system may also contribute. The results suggest that pyruvate has therapeutic potential in the treatment of oxidative stress-induced cytotoxicity associated with increased apoptosis.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.355-360
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• 2007

In order to evaluate on the cytotoxicity of methyl mercury (MM) and antioxidant effect of phenolic compound, poncirin against MM-induced cytotoxicity, XTT assay was performed to determine the cell viability after human skin fibroblasts (Detroit 51) were grown in the media containing various concentrations of methylmercuric chloride (MMC). And also, the antioxidant effect of poncirin on the cytotoxicity induced by MMC was examined by cell viability and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity in these cultures. MMC decreased cell viability in dose-dependent manner in these cultures and the midcytotoxicity value was determined at concentration of 30 ${\mu}M$ MMC after human skin fibroblasts were treated with $10\sim50{\mu}M$ MMC for 72 hours, respectively. MMC was highly toxic on cultured human skin fibroblasts by toxic criteria. MMC-mediated cytotoxicity was related with oxidative stress by the diminution of toxic effect according to the treatment of vitamin E. In the antioxidant effect of poncirin, it showed vitamin E-like DPPH radical scavenging activity at 90 ${\mu}g/ml$ poncirin and also, remarkably increased cell viability compared with MMC-treated group. From these results, it is suggested that MMC-mediated cytoxicity was highly toxic and was related with oxidative stress in cultured human skin fibroblasts, and also phenolic compound such as poncirin showed the protection on MMC-induced cytotoxicity by antioxidant effect in these cultures.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.1304-1308
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• 2008

This study was performed to evaluate the effect of persimmon leaves extract on the reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cultured melanoma cells. The B16/F10 melanoma cells were treated with various concentrations of t-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BHP). And also, the effect of persimmon leaves (PL) extract on the cytotoxicity mediated by t-BHP was done on the cell viability, tyrosinase activity and melanogenesis by colorimetric assays. In this study, t-BHP decreased cell viability in dose-dependent manner and XTT90 and XTT50 values were measured at 10 and 35 uM of PL, respectively in these culture. And also, XTT50 value was assessed as a highly toxic effect on cultured melanoma cells by the toxic criteria. In the effect of PL extract on the t-BHP-mediated cytotoxicity, PL extract significantly increased the cell viability injured by t-BHP in cultured B16/F10 melanoma cells. PL also showed the decreased tyrosinase activity and melanogenesis. From these results, it is suggested that ROS such as t-BHP showed highly toxic effect on cultured melanoma cells, and also, PL extract inhibited the tyrosinase activity and melanogenesis in cultured melanoma cells injured by ROS.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.193-202
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• 1995

In order to improve the cryopreservatory techniques of livestock embryos, the quick freezing method which is directly plunged in liquid nitrogen via prefreezing procedure without freezing machine was carried out for mouse embryos treated with permeable and nonpermeable cryoprotectants. The viability of frozen-thawed embryos were evaluated by FDA vital dye test. The results obtained was summaried as follows: 1. A total of 720 embryos were recovered from frozen embryos for viability test. Evalution of the fluorescein diacetate(FDA) vital dye test with mice embryos were resulted of 2.3 total mean score - evaluted in orderly higher mean grade of P3 453 (63%), P2 133(18%), P1 51(7%) and P0 83(12%). 2. An all-round evalution of these combination, the highest viability was showed in 3M ethylene glycol + 0. 25M trehalose treated with the copper prefreezing. 3. Effects of permeable and nonpermeable cryoprotectants combination were evaluated by means FDA score. 3M ethylene glycol + 0.25M trehalose showed the highest survival rates of 2.8 mean FDA score. 4. Effects of permeable cryoprotectants were evaluated by mean FDA score but the results were not significantly different each other. 5. In evalution of the nonpermeable cryoprotectants, 0. 25M trehalose obtalned higher mean FDA score than of 0.25M sucrose and it was significantly different(P<0.05). 6. There was no significantly difference between copper and stainless-steel in prefreezing procedures.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.203-208
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• 1995

This study was carried out to efficiently use the ultrarapid freezing method in the cryopreservation of mouse ova. For this, the effects of dehydration method, oval vigour and $0^{\circ}C$ controlling method on post-thawing viability were investigated. Fresh mouse ova were dehydrated in mPBS with 3.5M DMSO and /or 0.25M sucrose, and directly immersed in L$N_2$ for ultrarapidly freezing. The frozen ova were thawed at 37$^{\circ}C$, rehydrated in mPBS with 0.25M sucrose, and then repeatedly washed in HAM's Fl0 before evaluating the morphological normality of frozen-thawed ova. The results obtained showed that there was difference between treatments in a experiment. 1) The post-thawing viability of ova dehydrated in multi-step (48.4$\pm$13.8%) was higher than that of ova in two-step (40.9$\pm$14.0%). 2) The post-thawing viability of fertilized ova (87$\pm$14.0%) was significantly(p<0.0l) higher than that of unfertilized ova (5.4$\pm$5.4%). 3) The post-thawing viability of ova dehydrated and rehydrated using a cooling machine (95.8$\pm$4.2%) was significantly(p<0.05) higher than that on ice(84.1$\pm$9.9). In conclusion, in order to efficiently cryopreserve ova in vitro with ultrarapidly freezing method, highly viable embryos should be selected, heavy osmotic shock to the dehydrating ova should be avoided, and embryos in high osmotic condition were dehydrated and rehydrated in a constantly low temperature.