• BMB Reports
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.173-180
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• 1999

The effects of agmatine on the enzymes responsible for the biosynthesis of polyamines, the resultant levels of polyamines, and their effect on the growth of DU145 human prostate tumor cells were investigated. When agmatine was added to the medium, ornithine decarboxylase (ODC, EC 4.1.1.17) activity was substantially reduced, but S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase (SAMDC, EC 4.1.1.50) activity increased markedly. These changes in ODC and SAMDC activities were the result of an induction of ODC-antizyme and a decreased turnover rate of SAMDC in the presence of agmatine. Accordingly, there was a decrease in the intracellular levels of putrescine and spermidine but an increase in the intracellular level of spermine. Cell growth was markedly inhibited by agmatine treatment and this inhibition was not recovered by the addition of putrescine or spermidine. Our results suggest that agmatine alters the intracellular amounts of polyamine in the cells, closely related to the inhibition of cell growth.

• BMB Reports
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.251-257
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• 2003

Agmatine, an amine and organic cation, reduced $H_2O_2$ that was generated by hyperglycemia, and transcription factors such as NF-${\kappa}B$ and AP-1 activity in the mesangial cells that were exposed to high glucose. However, spermine which shares a strong nucleophilic structure with agmatine decreased the $H_2O_2$ levels and AP-1, but not the NF-${\kappa}B$ activity. Possible roles for agmatine and spermine in decreasing fibronectin are discussed, and the signaling pathway for agmatine-reduced fibronectin accumulation is presented.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.237-243
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• 1995

Agmatine iminohydrolase (EC 3.5.3.12) catalyzes the hydrolysis of agmatine into putrescine. The enzyme seems to be one of the critical enzymes in putrescine biosynthesis. The enzyme was purified to homogeneity from Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer by combined method of ammonium sulfate 1 fractionation, DEAR anion exchange column, hydroxyapatite column and agmatine carboxyhexyl Sepharose 4B affinity column. The molecular weight estimated by native pore gadient polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was 71, 000 Dalton, while that estimated by SDS-PAGE was 70, 000 Dalton, indicating a monomeric enzyme. The optimal pH and temperature were 9.0 and 37$^{\circ}C$, respectively. The Km and 1 Vmax for agmatine were 8.3 mM and 14.4 nmole/hr, respectively. Heat stability of this enzyme was high. The enzyme was observed to be inhibited by polyamines such as putrescine, cadaverine, spermidine and spermine. Especially, putrescine was a potent inhibitor of the purified enzyme. These results suggest that polyamines could be important in growth regulation of Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.173-178
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• 2008

Background: The intrathecal (IT) $GABA_A$ receptor antagonist, bicuculline (BIC), results in tactile allodynia (TA) through disinhibition in the spinal cord. Such disinhibition is considered to be an important mechanism for neuropathic pain. Agmatine, an endogenous polyamine, has a neuro-protective effect in the central nervous system. We investigated the analgesic effects and mechanisms of agmatine action on BIC-induced TA. Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats, weighting 250-300 g, were subjected to implantations of PE-10 into the lumbar subarachnoid space for IT drug injection. Five days after surgery, either $10{\mu}l$ of normal saline (NS) or agmatine ($30{\mu}g$ or $10{\mu}g$) in $10{\mu}l$ NS were injected 10 min prior to BIC ($10{\mu}g$) or NMDA ($5{\mu}g$). We assessed the degree of TA (graded 0: no response, 1: mild response, 2: moderate response, 3: strong response) every 5 min for 30 min. Areas under curves and degree of TA were expressed as mean ${\pm}$ SEM. Results were analyzed using one-way ANOVA followed by a Tukey test for multiple comparisons. P < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: IT BIC-induced strong TA reached its peak and plateaued between 10 to 15 min. IT NS-NMDA induced mild transient TA for up to 15 min. Preemptive IT AG attenuated IT BIC-induced TA dose dependently and preemptive IT AG10 completely abolished the IT NMDA-induced TA. Conclusions: Preemptive IT AG attenuated the IT BIC-induced TA through inhibitory actions on postsynaptic NMDA receptor activation. AG might be a viable therapeutic option in the treatment of neuropathic pain.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.713-716
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• 2002

Biogenic amine levels in irradiated doenjang, Korean fermented soybean paste, were investigated during fermentation at $25^{\circ}C$ for 12 weeks. Biogenic amines detected in doenjang were putrescine, cadaverine, tryptamine, $\beta$-phenylethylamine, spermidine, spermine, histamne, tyramine and agmatine. Agmatine showed the most highest level among biogenic amines detected in doenjang during fermentation. Most biogenic amines, such as putrescine, cadaverine, tryptamine, $\beta$-phenylethylamine, spermidine, histamne and tyramine, significantly decreased 20~60% by gamma irradiation during fermentation, while spermine and agmatine did not. Therefore, gamma irradiation can be applied to inhibit the biogenic amines formation in doenjang during fermentation.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.247-252
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• 2000

Polyamine concentrations were clearly enhanced in leaves and chloroplasts by Cd treatment, but not in thylakoid and PSII. It appeared that newly synthesized polyamines by Cd are distributed in stromal space. The accumulated polyamines in stromal space could not be adjacent to thylakoid membranes, suggesting that they are already saturated. The levels of putrescine and spermine were about 36 and 20 fold lower in chloroplast than in whole leaf cells respectively, whereas agmatine level was only 3.7 fold lower. The inhibitory effect of Cd nn $O_2$ evolving process was obviously alleviated by 0.2mM spermine supplement. Polyamines stimulated $O_2$ evolution within the range of 0.5mM in spinach thylakoids. It was also found that stimulating effect of polyamines is about 2 fold higher in dicothyledonous spinach than in monocotyledonous wheat at same concentrations. Furthermore, the enhanced activity of $O_2$ evolution was lowered rather by agmatine treatment than by putrescine treatment in wheat, suggesting a difference between monocot and dicot.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2005

The levels of polyamines were measured to investigate the alternative nitrogen metabolism during maturation and sprouting in rice. The rice plants (cv. Ansanbyeo) were cultivated in 20-year-old non-fertilized field. The flag leaves and spikes were collected weekly after the earing stage and the seeds were harvested daily after lodging. Free, bound, and conjugated polyamines were analyzed using reverse phase HPLC. Putrescine, spermidine, spermine, agmatine and tyramine were the major amines found in rice. The level of stress-induced amine, putrescine increased during the preharvest sprouting confirming that the process was a stress to the plants. With all other polyamines, tyramine in free form decreased in flag leaves and panicles during seed maturation. However, agmatine in bound form showed a noticeable increase about 8-fold during 6 weeks period of maturation after which it declined to the bottom level. Among the individual amines, tyramine and spermine in conjugated form showed a marked change during matutation and sprouting. Interestingly, the level of tyramine with all conjugated polyamine decreased in spikes during seed maturation and increased during preharvest sprouting implying that tyrosine decarboxyation and conjugation to phenolic acids may play a key role in preharvest sprouting. Spermine in conjugated form was synthesized only at the early earing stage in the level of $3.4mole\;g^{-1}$ fresh weight, and then decreased to the level of nmole during maturation. Thereafter, it dramatically increased to 2.8 mole during preharvest sprouting. In this study we found the tyramine is a major amine in rice, and it would play a critical role in N-assimilation during seed maturation and sprouting.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.55-71
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• 1995

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seeds were used to study a possible relationship between strontium and polyamines (PAs) in the coleoptile, root, and endosperm during germination. When $Sr^{2+}$ (0.001 mM + 10 mM) was applied to the incubation medium with $10\;{\mu}M$ $GA_3$, great increases in putrescine (Put) were observed in root and spermidine (Spd) in the coleoptile, depending on the concentration. In germinating seeds, putrescine accumulation was induced even at a low concentration (0.01 mM Sr), whereas spermidine accumulation was stimulated considerably at a high concentration (10 mM Sr). The putrescine levels, on a gram fresh weight (g-fr-wt) basis, in the roots which were growth-inhibited by 1 and 10 mM $Sr^{2+}$ were 22.4 and 15.3 fold higher respectively than at the same concentrations of $Ca^{2+}$. The accumulation of total polyamine (TA), in particular Put and Spd, induced by Sr seemed to be an important physiological response not only on a g fr wt basis but also on an RNA basis. In contrast, the levels of agmatine (Agm) and cadaverine (Cad) were notably enhanced by 10 mM $Ca^{2+}$ in the coleoptile and root. Cadaverine was detected only in $Ca^{2+}-treated$ seedlings. However, $Ca^{2+}-treatment$ in the range of 0.001 mM to 1.0 mM resulted in reduction of TA content. The distinction of accumulated polyamines and the change in diamine (DA) / TA and tri- and tertiary (tPA) / TA ratios were likely to be a physiological difference between $Sr^{2+}$ and $Ca^{2+}$ during germination in wheat.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.31-36
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• 2001

A novel clonidine binding sites were characterized in the intestinal membrane isolated from seawater eels, Anguilla japonica. The specific clonidine binding sites consisted of at least two classes, high affinity ($K_d=1.4{\pm}0.3$ nM n = 5) and low affinity ($K_d=175{\pm}34$ nM n = 5) sites. The specific binding of 2 nM [$^3H$]clonidine was most enhanced at $20^{\circ}C$ and pH 7.5, and reversed by unlabelled clonidine. Such binding was hardly inhibited by adrenaline, yohimbine or rauwolscine, indicating that most binding sites are distinct from $\alpha_2$-adrenoceptor. The specific clonidine binding sites was inhibited by various imidazoline/guanidinium drugs, indicating existence of imidazoline/guanidinium receptive sites (IGRS) or imidazoline receptors in the eel intestine. Competition experiments revealed that rank order to displace 2 nM [$^3H$]clonidine from their binding sites was as follows : guanabenz > cirazoline = naphazoline = UK14,304 = ST587 $\geq$ clonidine $\geq$ idazoxan = RX821002 = tolazoline > ST93 = oxymetazoline = amiloride = ST91 > yohimbine = efaroxan = rauwolscine $\geq$ adrenaline = ST567 = histamine = agmatine. Although physiological role of IGRS is not clear yet even in mammalian cell/tissues, eel intestine may be a good model to elucidate how the IGRS act in the cell and to decide what is the endogenous ligand for the IGRS.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2012

The objective of this study was to investigate the sanitary and nutritional requirements for the industrialization of commercial kwamegi from Pacific herring Clupea pallasii (CK-PH). The proximate composition of CK-PH was 46.4-47.2% moisture, 24.7-25.6% crude protein, 23.6-25.2% crude lipid, and 2.5-2.9% ash, which differed significantly from that of commercial kwamegi from the Pacific saury Cololabis saira. According to the volatile basic nitrogen content, heavy metal content, and viable cell and coliform group counts, products K and F (prepared by a general process) maintained their freshness, whereas product T (treated with green tea extract) did not. Products K and F contained five types of biogenic amine: agmatine sulfate (2,596 and 2,067 mg/kg, respectively), putrescine dihydrochloride (8.5 and 8.0 mg/kg, respectively), cadaverine (3.7 and 3.9 mg/kg, respectively), histamine (17.0 and 12.4 mg/kg, respectively), and spermidine (8.7 and 8.0 mg/kg, respectively). Product T contained six amine types: tyramine (12.5 mg/kg), agmatine sulfate (2,723 mg/kg), putrescine dihydrochloride (29.4 mg/kg), cadaverine (321.6 mg/kg), histamine (45.3 mg/kg), and spermidine (13.6 mg/kg). The total amino acid content of product K (22.16/100g) was 5.8% lower than that of product F. The major amino acids of products K and F were aspartic acid, glutamic acid, leucine, and lysine. No difference was found in the fatty acid composition of products K and F. The major fatty acids in products K and F were 18:1n-9, 20:5n-3, and 22:6n-3. Based on the recommended daily dietary allowances for Koreans, the significant minerals in products K and F were calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium.