• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.175-184
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• 1999

Background: Bronchial asthma is characterized by chronic eosinophilic inflammatory airway disease associated with bronchial hyperresponsiveness and reversible airway obstruction. Bronchial inflammation in asthma may depend in part on the activation of T helper lymphocytes that elaborate proinflammatory cytokines. T helper (Th) lymphocytes can be divided into two categories; Th1 lymphocytes, which secrete IL-2, IL-12 and IFN-$\gamma$, and Th2 lymphocytes, which secrete IL-4, IL-5, IL-6 and IL-10. Th2 lymphocytes appear to induce allergic responses, whereas Th1 lymphocytes induce delayed-type hypersensitivity response. Some infections, such as tuberculosis, cultivate a Th1 immunological environment and inhibit Th2 lymphocytes function. The presence of such infections might inhibit Th2 immune responses and thus protect development of atopic diseases. Method: 15 patients with allergic bronchial asthma, 10 patients with intrinsic bronchial asthma, and 10 healthy volunteers were studied. The serum concentrations of IFN-$\gamma$, IL-12, IL-4, IL-5, and IL-10 were measured by ELISA method and tuberculin skin test was estimated in different groups. Results: The positive response rates of tuberculin test were 46.7% in patients with allergic asthma, 100% in patients with intrinsic asthma and 60% in normal controls. The positive response rates were significantly lower in patients with allergic asthma than those of in patients with intrinsic asthma (p<0.05). Degree of responses to tuberculin test were $12.0{\pm}9.6mm$ in patients with allergic asthma, $18.4{\pm}4.5mm$ in patients with intrinsic asthma and $10.9{\pm}8.8mm$ in normal controls. The degree of responses were significantly reduced in patients with allergic asthma than those of patients with intrinsic asthma (p<0.05). The serum levels of IL-5 in patients with allergic asthma were significantly higher than in patients with intrinsic asthma and normal controls (p<0.05), although it was insignificant. the serum levels of IL-4 and IL-10 in patients with allergic asthma were higher than that of intrinsic asthma and normal controls. The serum levels of IL-12 and IFN-$\gamma$ in patients with allergic asthma and intrinsic asthma were significantly lower than those in normal controls(p<0.05). The serum levels of total immunoglobulin E (IgE) and peripheral blood eosinophile counts in patients with allergic asthma were significantly higher than those in normal controls. Peripheral blood esinophil counts had a significant correlation with the serum levels of total IgE, IL-5 and IL-10 in patients with allergic asthma (p<0.05). Conclusion: These results have showed that Th1 lymphocyte functions were lowered and Th2 lymphocyte functions were elevated in patients with allergic asthma than those in normal controls. Suppression of Th1 lymphocyte functions by activation of Th2 lymphocyte might be one of the important aspects of pathogenesis in allergic bronchial asthma.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.123-134
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• 2017

Wounds are commonly created during almost every kind of surgery, trauma and skin diseases. Delayed wound healing affects a plenty of patients and requires prolonged treatments that seriously reduce the quality of life for patients. Skin damage involving large areas or great severity can lead to disability or even death. Wound healing involves a complicated series of actions, of various tissues and cell lineages, concerning inflammation, migration, proliferation, reepithelialization, and remodeling. Sopung-san is reported to have anti-inflammatory effect and has been used for various skin diseases such as allergic dermatitis and atopic dermatitis. In this study, the hypothesis that oral treatment with Sopung-san could enhances healing potential on rat full thickness skin wounds was tested. Twenty young male Sprague-Dawley rats were used for the studies. A full-thickness skin wound was made on the dorsal skin of the rats. Either Sopung-san water extract (SPS) or saline (Control) was orally administrated every day. The wound area was measured and the percentages of wound contraction, wound healed and wound epithelization were calculated. Wound tissue samples were excised following injection for histopathological and immunohistological examination. Wound area in rats of SPS group significantly was decreased compared to Control. SPS group showed significant promotion of wound healing compared to Cotrol group in the percentages of wound contraction, wound healed and wound epithelization. Histopathological examination revealed that SPS induces neo-vascularization potential in wound healing process. SPS treatment in rats significantly accelerated cutaneous wound healing in the neo-vascularization process by increasing VEGF and $TGF-{\beta}1$ synthesis. The results suggest that Sopung-san affects key cellular processes responsible for wound repair and point to a unique potential for this molecule in the therapy of skin wounds, particularly as an angiogenic agent.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.479-486
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• 2011

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is an allergic, inflammatory skin disease characterized by chronic eczema and mechanical injury to the skin, caused by scratching. Korean red ginseng (RG) has diverse biological activities, but the molecular effects of RG on allergic diseases, like AD, are unclear. The present study was designed to investigate whether RG inhibits 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (DNCB)-induced AD in a mouse model. DNCB was applied topically on the dorsal surface of Balb/c mice to induce AD-like skin lesions. We observed the scratching behavior and examined the serum IgE level and interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-10 in splenocytes compared with dexamethasone. We also evaluated the DNCB-induced mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), NF-${\kappa}B$, and Ikaros activities after RG treatment using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting, and ELISA. Our data showed that the topical application of RG significantly improved the AD-like skin lesions and scratching behavior. RG decreased not only the mRNA expression of IL-4 and IL-10, but also the secretion of IL-4 protein and serum IgE in mice. Additionally, RG treatment decreased the DNCB-induced MAPKs activity and subsequent Ikaros translocation irrespective of NF-${\kappa}B$. We suggest that RG may be useful as a therapeutic nutrition for the treatment of AD.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.135-153
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• 2005

Herbal mixture water extract of (Phellodendron amurense, Scuellaria baiklensis, Spphora flavescens, Lithospermum erythrorhizon, Mellaphis chinesis, Alumite, Zanthoxylum schinifolium, Glycyrrhiza uralensis), which exhibit several beneficial effects including acne and skin diseases, was tested for anti-microbial activity and anti-inflammation effects. The herbal mixture extract showed antimicrobial activity against Stapylococcus epidermis, Propionibacterium acne, and Malassezia furfur. The growth of Stapylococcus epidermis, Propionibacterium acne, and Malassezia furfur was inhibited allergy and LPS induced cyclooxygenase-2(COX-2)gene expression in RAW24.7macrophage. The results indicated th ear swelling and histamine release induced by compound 48/80 were dose-dependently reduced, ranging 11-38% and 11-56%, respectively. Furthermore the extract inhibited the expression of LPS-induced COX-2 proteins and mRNAs without an appreciable cytotoxic effects on RAW264.7 cells. The cytotoxicity of the extract using M7T assay showed the cytotoxicity of 7 and 18% against L929 cell line. Based on these results, it is concluded that the herbal mixture water extract can be applied to the acne and skin diseases therapy.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.154-171
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• 2005

Herbal mixture water extract of (Rheum coreanum Scutellaria baikalensis, Phellodendron amurese), which exhibit several beneficial effects including acne and skin diseases, was tested for anti-microbial activity and anti-inflammation effects. The herbal mixture extract showed antimicrobial activity against Stapylococcus epidermis and Propionbacterium acne. The growth of Stapylococcus epidermis and Propionibacterium acne was inhibited completely by addition of 1.0% of the extract. Also in the present study we examined the mixture extract on compound 48/80 induced allergy and LPS induced cyclooxygenase-2(COX-2) gene expression in RAW264.7 macrophage. The results indicated the ear swelling and histamine release induced by compound 48/80 were dose-dependently reduced, ranging 18-36% and 10-61%, respectively. Furthermore the extract inhibited the expression of LPS-induced COX-2 proteins and mRNAs without an appreciable cytotoxic effects on RAW264.1 cells. The cytotoxicity of the extract using MTT assay showed the cytotoxicity of 6% and 13% against L929 cell line. Based on these results, it is concluded that the herbal mixture water extract can be applied to this acne and skin diseases therapy.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.132-137
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• 2007

Patients with febrile illness and skin rashes need full and immediate attention. In general, these diseases show mild manifestations and good prognosis. However, causalities of some diseases with fever and rash may be life threatening or trivial. So, the differential diagnosis for those patients is extensive. A through history, a careful physical examination and close observation of clinical progress are very helpful and essential to confirming the diagnosis. Histories of recent travel, drug or specific food ingestion, exposure to human or an animal source of infection may be useful to discover the cause. Although laboratory tests can be useful in making the diagnosis, laboratory results usually are not available immediately. Knowledge and experiences of such diseases may be helpful to reduce the differential diagnosis to a few major possibilities. Rashes can be categorized as petechial, maculopapular, vesicular, urticarial and erythematous. Potential causes include infectious pathogens such as virus, bacteria, rickettsiae, spirohetes, connective tissue diseases, allergic diseases and heamto-oncologic diseases. Because the severity of these diseases can vary mild to life threatening, physicians must perform prompt management decisions regarding empirical therapies. In this article, the differential etiological diagnosis of each type rash is reviewed and discussed, and with emphasis on intensive care of life threatening febrile diseases with rashes that are seen in our country.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.109-114
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• 2016

Allergic skin inflammation such as atopic dermatitis is characterized by skin barrier dysfunction, edema, and infiltration with various inflammatory cells. The anti-inflammatory effects of Apo-9'-fucoxanthinone, isolated from Sargassum muticum, have been described in many diseases, but the mechanism by which it modulates the immune system is poorly understood. In this study, the ability of Apo-9'-fucoxanthinone to suppress allergic reactions was investigated using a mouse model of atopic dermatitis. The Apo-9'-fucoxanthinone-treated group showed significantly decreased immunoglobulin E in serum. Also, Apo-9'-fucoxanthinone treatment resulted in a smaller lymph node size with reduced the thickness and length compared to the induction group. In addition, Apo-9'-fucoxanthinone inhibited the expression of interleukin-4, interferon-gamma and tumor necrosis factor-alpha by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate and ionomycin-stimulated lymphocytes. These results suggest that Apo-9'-fucoxanthinone may be a useful therapeutic strategy for treating chronic inflammatory diseases.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.165-173
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• 2014

Objectives : Platycodon Root is frequently used in traditional medicine to treat inflammatory diseases of the throat. The purpose of this study was to characterize the effect of the EtOH extract of fermented Platycodon grandiflorum on the ameliorative effects on the Antipruritic Effect of atopic dermatitis mouse model induced by compound 48/80 and ovalbumin (OVA)-induced allergic responses in mice. Methods : In the present study, we examined the anti allergic effect of Platycodon grandiflorum (PR) and its fermented production (FPR) in several mouse model. We measured acute ear edema in a mouse model caused by TPA and consecutively histological change of Ear tissue was observed by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. and also Scratching behaviors by compound 48/80 was investigated. The levels of allergic mediators such as immunoglobulin (Ig) E, and anti-oxidant markers such as SOD and MDA in the sera of OVA induced allergic mice were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results : FPR inhibited compoud 48/80-induced scratching behavior in mice, as well as acetic acid-induced writhing in mice. The anti-scratching behavioral effect of FPR was more potent than PR. FPR extract significantly decreased the serum levels of IgE and MDA compared with those of OVA control group. Conclusions : These results indicate that Anti allergic effect of Platycodon grandiflorum is enhanced by fermentation with Saccharomyces cerevisae and FPR may be useful for protection from the itching reactions, which are IgE-mediated representative skin allergic diseases.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.60-69
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• 2013

The worldwide prevalence and severity of allergic diseases including atopic and contact dermatitis has increased dramatically over the past decade, especially in developed countries. Mast cells are important effector cells in allergic reactions. The purpose of this study was undertaken to investigate the anti-allergic and anti-pruritic effects of Diospyros lotus leaf extract (DLE). DLE was prepared by extracting with distilled water. In the present study, we investigated the effect of DLE on the production of tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ (TNF-${\alpha}$), interleukin-$1{\beta}$ (IL-$1{\alpha}$) and histamine in rat peritoneal mast cells (RPMCs), and on the skin lesion, leukocyte infiltration and scratching behavior in mice. Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) plus calcium ionophore A23187 significantly increased TNF-${\alpha}$ and IL-$1{\beta}$ production compared with media control. However, TNF-${\alpha}$ and IL-6 production increased by PMA plus A23187 treatment were significantly inhibited by DLE in a dose-dependent manner. DLE also inhibited the histamine release from RPMCs stimulated by compound 48/80, which promotes histamine release. Moreover, DLE administration had an inhibitory effects on the scratching behavior induced by pruritogen (compound 48/80, histamine) in ICR mice. Furthermore, DLE inhibited the skin lesions, inflammatory and mast cells in hairless mice sensitized by 2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB). DLE administration reduced the IL-4 and IgE production induced by DNFB sensitization in hairless mice. These results suggest that DLE has a potential use as a herb medicine for treatment against allergy and pruritus-related disease.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.817-823
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• 1999

Background: The prevalence of allergic disease has increased substantially over the past decades. The reasons for these trends are complex but include increased environmental allergen exposure. Environmental control measures are of particular importance in the prevention and management of allergic disease. Thus, we purposed to evaluate the changes of causative allergens in allergic patients in Chonbuk provincial area that began industralized recently. Method: To evaluate the allergens epidemiologically, we performed skin prick tests and RAST in 201 allergic patients from February, 1984 to February, 1985 and 339 patients from February, 1997 to February, 1998. Results: The Following results were obtained. 1) Total sensitization rates did not change significantly(74.2% vs 75.8%, p=0.664). 2) Positive reaction rates to pollens were similar(35.8% vs 30.1%, p=0.17). 3) Positive rates to HDM(house dust mite) were decreased(66.1% vs 56.3%, p=0.02). 4) Positive rates to fungi and animal danders were decreased significantly(p<0.001). Conclusion : Environmental allergens associated with hygine in Chonbuk provincial areas such as HDM and fungi are decreased significantly during 13 years.