• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.230-238
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• 2010

Background: The MK1 strain, a novel bacterial isolate from soft-rotten tissue of the Neungee mushroom, produces copious amounts of exopolysaccharide (EPS) in a dextrose minimal medium. This study examined the molecular characteristics and immunomodulatory activity of MK1 EPS. Methods: The EPS in the culture supernatant was purified by cold ethanol precipitation, and characterized by SDS- PAGE/silver staining and Bio-HPLC. The immunomodulatory activities of the EPS were examined using the mouse monocytic cell line, RAW 264.7 cells. Results: The molecular weights of the purified EPS were rather heterogeneous, ranging from 10.6 to 55 kDa. The EPS was composed of glucose, rhamnose, mannose, galactose, and glucosamine at an approximate molar ratio of 1.00 : 0.8 : 0.71 : 0.29 : 0.21. EPS activated the RAW cells to produce cytokines, such as TNF-${\alpha}$ and IL-$1{\beta}$, and nitric oxide (NO). EPS also induced the expression of co-stimulatory molecules, such as B7-1, B7-2 and ICAM-1, and increased the phagocytic activity. The macrophage-activating activity of EPS was not due to endotoxin contamination because the treatment of EPS with polymyin B did not reduce the macrophage-activating activity. Conclusion: The EPS produced from the MK1 strain exerts macrophage-activating activity.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2014

Objectives : Many of currently used anti-cancer drugs were developed to target cell death mechanisms and had serious side effects by causing damage to normal cells. Hangambujeongsan or Kangai Fuzheng Powder was a mixture based on the traditional Chinese medicine. It had been used in the local Chinese hospitals to treat cancer patients for decades and had shown a certain level of beneficial effects without major toxic effects. But its mechanism of action had not been elucidated yet. Thus this study aimed to investigate the effects of Kangai Fuzheng Powder in an in vitro experiment. Methods : Cancer lines or RAW264.7 mouse macrophage cells were treated with Kangai Fuzheng Powder. Cell viability was measured by MTT assay, and morphological observation was also performed. Gene expression of cytokines in macrophages was determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Phagocytic function assay was also performed in macrophage cells. Results : Kangai Fuzheng Powder had no direct detrimental effect on cancer cells. When macrophages were co-cultured with cancer cells, Kangai Fuzheng Powder had toxic effect on cancer cells. After exposing macrophages to Kangai Fuzheng Powder, macrophages transformed into activated form and the mRNA level of tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-1beta, interleukin-6, interleukin-10 and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 was significantly enhanced. Phagocytic activity of macrophages was dramatically potentiated. Conclusions : We demonstrated that anti-cancer effect of Kangai Fuzheng Powder was related to activation of macrophages including enhanced cytokine production and phagocytic function.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2020.08a
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• pp.86-86
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• 2020

The leaves of Staphylea bumalda (S. bumalda) as a deciduous tree distributed in Korea, China and Japan are used to treat respiratory diseases or inflammation. However, there is no scientific research on the immune-enhancing activity of S. bumalda leaves. Thus, in this study, we investigated the effect of water extracts from S. bumalda leaves (SBL) on the macrophage activity using mouse macrophage cells, RAW264.7. SBL increased production of immunomodulators such as NO, iNOS, IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α and MCP-1 in RAW264.7 cells and activated phagocytic activity of RAW264.7 cells. Inhibition of TLR2 and TLR4 blocked SBL-mediated production of immunomodulators in RAW264.7 cells. In addition, SBL-mediated production of immunomodulators was attenuated by JNK inhibition in RAW264.7 cells. SBL increased JNK phosphorylation, while Inhibition of TLR2 and TLR4 blocked SBL-mediated JNK phosphorylation in RAW264.7 cells. These results are thought to be evidence that SBL activates JNK through stimulation of TLR2 and TLR4 in macrophage to induce the production of immunomodulators. In LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells, SBL inhibited over-production of immunomodulators. Summarizing the results, SBL showed immunostimulatory activity under normal conditions and immunosuppressive activity under LPS-induced excessive immune response conditions.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.561-571
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• 2002

The action mechanisms of several chemopreventive agents derived from herbal medicine and edible plants have become attractive issues in cancer research. Tea is the most widely consumed beverage worldwide. Recently, the cancer chemopreventive actions of tea have been intensively investigated. It have been demonstrated that the active principles of tea were attributed to their tea polyphenols. Recently, tremendous progress has been made in elucidating the molecular mechanisms of cancer chemoprevention by tea and tea polyphenols. The suppression of various tumor biomarkers including growth factor receptor tyrosine kinases, cytokine receptor kinases, P13K, phosphatases, ras, raf, MAPK cascades, NㆍFB, IㆍB kinase, PKA, PKB, PKC, c-jun, c-fos, c-myc, cdks, cyclins, and related transducing proteins by tea polyphenols has been studied in our laboratory and others. The IㆍB kinase (IKK) activity in LPS-activated murine macrophages (RAW 264.7 cells) was found to be inhibited by various tea polyphenols including (-) epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), theaflavin (TF-1), theaflavin-3-gal-late (TF-2) and theaflavin-3,3'-digallate (TF-3). TF-3 inhibited IKK activity in activated macrophages more strongly than did the other tea polyphenols. TF-3 inhibited both IKK1 and IKK2 activity and prevented the degradation of IㆍBㆍand IㆍBㆍin activated macrophage cells. The results suggested that the inhibition of IKK activity by TF-3 and other tea polyphenols could occur by a direct effect on IKKs or on upstream events in the signal transduction pathway. TF-3 and other tea polyphenols blocked phosphorylation of IB from the cytosolic fraction, inhibited NFB activity and inhibited increases in inducible nitric oxide synthase levels in activated macrophage. TF-3 and other tea polyphenols also inhibited strongly the activities of xanthine oxidase, cyclooxygenase, EGF-receptor tyrosine kinase and protein kinase C. These results suggest that TF-3 and other tea polyphenols may exert their cancer chemoprevention through suppressing tumor promotion and inflammation by blocking signal transduction. The mechanisms of this inhibition may be due to the blockade of the mitogenic and differentiating signals through modulating EGFR function, MAPK cascades, NFkB activation as wll as c-myc, c-jun and c-fos expression.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.53 no.6
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• pp.321-327
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• 2009

Licochalcone A is a chalcone isolated from the roots of Glycyrrhiza inflate. In this study, we examined the effects of licochalonce A on the production of cytokines in LPS-activated macrophages. Licochalcone A inhibited the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines such as IL-1$\beta$, IL-6, and TNF-$\alpha$. The reduced secretion of proinflammatory cytokines is related to the differences in the mRNA expression of IL-1$\beta$, IL-6, and TNF-$\alpha$. Moreover, licochalcone A inhibited the mRNA expression of IL-12p40, IL-18, and IL-23p19. To investigate its mechanism, we performed gel shift assay. Licochalcone A reduced nuclear NF-${\kappa}B$ binding activity in LPS-activated RAW264.7 cells. Taken together, these results suggest that licochalcone A has anti-inflammatory effects in LPS-activated macrophages and its mechanism could be through the down-regulation of binding to the ${\kappa}B$ site.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.533-538
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• 1997

Biflavonoid is one of unique classes of naturally-occurring bioflavonoid. Previously, certain biflavonoids were found to possess the inhibitory effects on phospholipase $A_2$ activity and lymphocytes $ proliferation^1$ suggesting their anti-inflammatory/immunoregulatory potential. In this study, effects of several biflavonoids on arachidonic acid release from rat peritoneal macrophages were investigated, because arachidonic acid released from the activated macrophages is one of the indices of inflammatory conditions. When resident peritoneal macrophages labeled with $[^{3}H]$arachidonic acid were activated by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate(PMA) or calcium ionophore, A23187, radioactivity released in the medium was increased approximately 4.1-7.3 fold after 120 min incubation compared to the spontaneous release in the control incubation. In this condition, biflavonoids (10 uM) such as ochnaflavone, ginkgetin and isoginkgetin, showed inhibition of arachidonate release from macrophages activated by PMA (32.5-40.0% inhibition) or A23187 (21.7-41.7% inhibition). Amentoflavone showed protection only against PMA-induced arachidonate release, while apigenin, a monomer of these biflavonoids, did not show the significant inhibition up to 10 uM. Staurosporin (1 uM), a protein kinase C inhibitor, showed an inhibitory effect only against PMA-induced arachidonate release (96.8% inhibition). Inhibition of arachidonate release from the activated macrophages may contribute to an anti-inflammatory potential of biflavonoids in vivo.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2003.04a
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• pp.125.2-126
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• 2003

Human tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFa) is a key pro-inflammatory cytokine produced by activated monocytes and macrophage as a part of the self-defence machinery. TNF-a converting enzyme (TACE) is the metalloproteinase that processes the membrane bound precursor of TNFa to the soluble component. (omitted)

• Proceedings of the Korea Environmental Mutagen Society Conference
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• 2004.11a
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• pp.160-160
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• 2004

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Toxicology Conference
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• 2002.05a
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• pp.99-99
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• 2002

In the present study, the potent lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-mimetic stimulation of B cells and macrophages by hot water extract from Salicornia herbacea (S. europeae L.) is described. The extract activated spleen cells to proliferate in a dose-related manner as measured by [$^3$ H)-thymidine incorporation response.(omitted)

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2001.10a
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• pp.270.2-270.2
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• 2001