• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.508-517
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• 2004

This study was performed to investigate the effectiveness of Hangryunhaedocktang (HHT) on epidermal damages induced by allergic contact dermatitis (ACD). The sensitization were caused by one application of $25{\mu}l$ of 5% 2,4-dinitroch1orobenzene (DNCB) onto a back-lumbar skin of BALB/c mice. 2 weeks later, ACD was elicitated with $4{\mu}l$ of 2.5% DNCB and then mice were given HHT extract in doses of 3.3ml/kg/day, for 72 hours. The ACD induced epidermal damages in HHT treated ACD mice was more mitigated than non-treated ACD elicited mice. The features related with epidermal damage such as epidermal hyperplasia, infiltration of inflammatory cells, increase of nuclear shrinkages and vacuolation, and enlargement of intercellular space softened. And the distribution of soybean agglutinin (SBA) positive reaction in stratum spinosum (SS) and stratum basale (SB) were similarly maintained in a normal configuration. The numerical decrease of BrdU, TUNEL, and Fas positive cells observed were prominent in SB. Results suggest a benefit role for HHT in mitigating epidermal damages in mice with allergic contact dermatitis.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.207-216
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• 1991

Pseudixus japonicus agglutinin (PJA) was isolated. And its characteristics were compared with those of concanavalin A (Con A). PJA is a glycopritein composed of 49.3% carbohydrate and 50.7% protein which had relatively high percentages of glutamic acid, aspartic acid and phenylalanine residues. The hemagglutinating activity of PJA was approximately one-eighth of that of Con A when tested with mouse crythrocytes. PJA failed to simulate the proliferation or transformation of human and mouse lymphocytes in contratst to Con A. PJA and Con A showed cytotoxicities against SNU-1 (human stomach cancer cells), SNU-CI (human colon cancer cells) and mouse Sarcoma 180 cells when tested by 3-(4, 5-dimethyl thiazol-2-yl)2. 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MIT) colorimetric assay. The antitumor activity of the lectin in vivo was also tested in Sarcoma 180 bearing mice. There was no significant difference in prologation of lifc span of the mice after the treatment with PJA and Con A for 10 consecutive days.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.568-574
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• 2010

This study introduced a chick embryos’ infection model to elucidate the pathogenesis mechanism of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which causes serious diseases in human after ingestion of P. aeruginosa-contaminated animal originated foods. The embryonic chick model is able to give a rapid and relatively inexpensive method to assess bacterial pathogenicity compared to embryos of other vertebrates. Embryos were infected with P. aeruginosa and elastase-deficient P. aeruginosa. After infection with P. aeruginosa cells, total bacterial cell numbers and gelatinase activities in the embryos were compared. Thereafter, precartilage condensation and chondrogenesis were assessed by peanut agglutinin (PNA) binding on day 3 and by Alcian blue staining for sulfated proteoglycans on day 5, respectively. P. aeruginosa significantly increased in embryos, resulting in abnormal limb development, whereas P. aeruginosa defective in elastase activity partly impaired proliferation. In addition, P. aeruginosa-infected chick embryos significantly stimulated the production of matrix metalloproteinases. Several analyses showed that elevated proteases suppressed the proliferation and survival of chondrogenic cells. The results show that this infection model was a useful assay to determine the virulence mechanism of P. aeruginosa in human after intake of microbiologically contaminated foods.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.14 no.8
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• pp.1196-1202
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• 2001

In boar spermatozoa, the head-to-head agglutinability changes in parallel with the development of the fertilizing ability. Namely, both abilities gradually increase in the distal caput and corpus epididymides, but are subsequently suppressed in the cauda epididymidis. It has been postulated that these changes of the agglutinability are controlled via sperm interaction with specific epididymal plasma factors including agglutination mediators (agglutinins) and inhibitors (anti-agglutinins). Expression of these abilities (sperm agglutination and capacitation) is hardly observed in spermatozoa immediately. after ejaculation, but it occurs during incubation in a capacitation medium. Recently, we have purified and characterized epididymal plasma anti-agglutinin for boar spermatozoa. Moreover, we have conducted a series of experiments to reveal biological significance and mechanism of the head-to-head agglutination and have accumulated data indicating that boar sperm agglutination is mediated by capacitation-supporting factors including calcium, bicarbonate and sterol acceptors. This review introduces our recent data and discusses a possible mechanism for suppression of the agglutinability in the distal epididymidis and relationship between agglutinability and fertilizing ability.

• BMB Reports
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.662-670
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• 2006

It is well documented that an extract of European mistletoe has a variety of biological effects, such as the stimulation of cytokine production from immune cells, and additional immunoadjuvant activities. While the European mistletoe has been studied intensively, we know less about Korean mistletoe as a therapeutic plant, especially as a possible immunomodulating drug. This study will investigated the effects of Korean mistletoe lectin (Viscum album L. var. coloratum agglutinin, VCA) on murine splenocytes to investigate whether VCA acts as an immunomodulator, which could lead to improved immune responses in these cells. The results showed that VCA inhibited cell proliferation at higher concentrations (at 1-8 ng/ml) and enhanced cell proliferation at lower concentrations (at 4-32 pg/ml). Further studies were carried out to determine if the pro-proliferative or anti-proliferative activity exhibited by VCA was correlated with cytokine secretion. Consequently, interferon (IFN)-$\gamma$ secretion was decreased in concanavalin A (ConA)-stimulated murine splenocytes by VCA (4-64 ng/ml), but there was no change in IL-4 levels. This suggests that VCA has the ability to modulate murine splenocyte proliferation and can possibly act on the balance of Th1/Th2 cellular immune responses.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.340-346
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• 2016

To understand how Bursaphelenchus xylophilus kills pine trees, the differences between the effects of B. xylophilus and B. mucronatus on pine trees are usually compared. In this study, the migration and attacking ability of a non-pathogenic B. mucronatus in Pinus thunbergii were investigated. The distribution of B. mucronatus and the number of dead epithelial cells resulting from inoculation were compared with those of the pathogenic B. xylophilus. Although B. mucronatus is non-pathogenic in pines, its distribution pattern in P. thunbergii was the same as that of B. xylophilus. We therefore concluded that the non-pathogenicity of B. mucronatus could not be attributed to its migration ability. The sparse and sporadic attacking pattern of B. mucronatus was also the same as that of B. xylophilus. However, the number and area of the dead epithelial cells in pine cuttings inoculated with B. mucronatus were smaller than in those cuttings inoculated with B. xylophilus, meaning that the attacking ability of B. mucronatus is weaker than that of B. xylophilus. Therefore, we concluded that the weaker attacking ability of B. mucronatus might be the factor responsible for the non-pathogenicity.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.197-202
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• 2002

Lectin-conjugated praecoxin A, which has developed as a missile antitumor drug, is the one that has conjugated with wheat germ agglutinin (WGA), a kind of carbohydrate-binding protein (lectin) especially bound to melanoma. Praecoxin A is a kind of tannin extracted and purified from plants. Beside this direct antitumor effect as tannins, we have examined an activation of macrophage by lectin-conjugated praecoxin A. We also confirmed the gene expression of IL-1 $\beta$, both in vitro and in vivo. We added 1, 10, 100 $\mu\textrm{g}$/mι of lectin-conjugated praecoxin A, 10 $\mu\textrm{g}$/mι of lectin, 10 $\mu\textrm{g}$/mι of praecoxin A to normal murine macrophage and analyzed the extracted total RNAs by RT-PCR after 4, 8, 12, 24 hours. Our data demonstrated that lectin-conjugated praecoxin A increased IL-1$\beta$, mRNA expression in a dose dependent manner. However, the effectiveness of lectin-conjugated praecoxin A was not superior to lectin and praecoxin A.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.312-315
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• 2014

So as to evaluate its use an immune stimulator in humans, the toxicity and action against immune cells by an anti-yeast substance (AYS), a bacterial proteoglycan, were investigated. The AYS did not possess hemolytic activity with human red blood cells (hRBC). Nor did it exhibit cytotoxicity against human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (hPBMC). In addition, the AYS did not induce hPBMC proliferation, but it did agglutinate hPBMCs in vitro. Moreover, hPBMC induced inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6, IL-5, IFN-${\gamma}$ and TNF-${\alpha}$ with the AYS during culture. Compared with alum, the AYS as an adjuvant has an increased antibody production rate against bovine serum albumin (BSA) in mice.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.93-101
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• 2002

The extract of European mistletoe ( Viscum album, L) has been used in adjuvant chemotherapy of cancer and mistletoe lectins are considered to be major active components. The present work was performed to investigate the effects of Korean mistletoe lectin (Viscum album L. coleratum agglutinin, VCA) on proliferation and apoptosis of human hepatoma cells as well as the underlying mechamisns for these effects. We showed that VCA induced atoptosis in both SK-Hep-1 and Hep 3B (p53-negative) cells through p53- and p21 -independent pathways. VCA induced apoptosis by down-regulation of Bcl-2 and by up-regulation of Bax functioning upstream of caspase-3 in both cell lines. In addition, we observed down-regulation of telomerase activity in both VCA-treated cells. Our results provide direct evidence of the anti-tumor potential of this biological response which comes from inhibition of telomerase and consequent inducing apoptosis. VCA-induced apoptosis is regulated by mitochondria controlled pathway independently of p53. These findings are important for the therapy with preparation of mistletoe because they show that telomerase-dependent mechanism can be targeted by VCA in human hepatocarcinoma. Taken together, our results suggest that the VCA, considered as a telomerase-inhibitor, can be envisaged as a candidate for enhancing sensitivity of conventional anticancer drugs.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.6-10
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• 2005

Immunoglobulin Y (IgY) obtained from chicken as the immunization host brings several advantages to antibody production, such as improved yield, lower cost, longer stability and higher specificity than mammalian immunoglobulin. In the present study, we attempted to produce IgY against a sialic acid-binding lectin, Maackia fauriei agglutinin (MFA), from egg yolk of white Leghorn hens. For the isolation of IgY from egg yolk, we applied a water dilution method. The weekly yield of IgY was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, with a final yield of anti-MFA IgY from total IgY of approximately $1\%$. The yielded IgY were used to prepare IgY-affinity column conjugated with CNBr-activated Sepharose 4B, which resulted in the lectin being successfully purified in a single step from Maackia fauriei. This purified lectin exhibited the same hemagglutination activity as lectin purified using conventional purification methods.