• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.239-246
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• 2010

It is suggested that ovariectomy induces body weight gain primarily in the form of adipose tissue in rodents. Since liver peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor ${\alpha}$ (PPAR${\alpha}$) and uncoupling 2 (UCP2) are involved in the regulation of energy expenditure, it was investigated whether swim training regulates ovariectomy-induced adiposity and steatosis through liver PPAR${\alpha}$ and UCP2 activation in female ovariectomized mice, an animal model of postmenopausal women. Swim-trained mice had significantly decreased adipose tissue weights compared with sedentary control mice. Histological analysis showed that hepatic lipid accumulation was inhibited by swim training. Concomitantly, swim training significantly increased mRNA levels of PPAR${\alpha}$ and its target genes responsible for peroxisomal fatty acid ${\beta}$-oxidation, such as acyl-CoA oxidase, enoyl-CoA hydratase/3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase and thiolase in the liver. Moreover, swim training induced the mRNA expression of UCP2. These results suggest that swim training can effectively prevent adiposity and steatosis caused by ovariectomy, in part through activation of liver PPAR${\alpha}$ and UCP2 in female obese mice.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.37 no.8
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• pp.585-591
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• 2014

The ${\beta}_2$ adrenergic receptor (ADRB2) is a G protein-coupled transmembrane receptor expressed in the human respiratory tract and widely recognized as a pharmacological target for treatments of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD). Although a number of ADRB2 agonists have been developed for use in asthma therapy, indacaterol is the only ultra-long-acting inhaled ${\beta}_2$-agonist (LABA) approved by the FDA for relieving the symptoms in COPD patients. The precise molecular mechanism underlying the pharmacological effect of indacaterol, however, remains unclear. Here, we show that ${\beta}$-arrestin-2 mediates the internalization of ADRB2 following indacaterol treatment. Moreover, we demonstrate that indacaterol significantly inhibits tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ (TNF-${\alpha}$)-induced NF-${\kappa}B$ activity by reducing levels of both phosphorylated-IKK and -$I{\kappa}B{\alpha}$, thereby decreasing NF-${\kappa}B$ nuclear translocation and the expression of MMP-9, an NF-${\kappa}B$ target gene. Subsequently, we show that indacaterol significantly inhibits TNF-${\alpha}$/NF-${\kappa}B$-induced cell invasiveness and migration in a human cancer cell line. In conclusion, we propose that indacaterol may inhibit NF-${\kappa}B$ activity in a ${\beta}$-arrestin2-dependent manner, preventing further lung damage and improving lung function in COPD patients.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.187-192
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• 2012

In the present study, the antinociceptive profiles of hop extract were characterized in ICR mice. Hop extract administered orally (from 25 to 100 mg/kg) showed an antinociceptive effect in a dose-dependent manner as measured in the acetic acid-induced writhing test. Antinociceptive action of hop extract was maintained at least for 60 min. Moreover, cumulative response time of nociceptive behaviors induced with intraplantar formalin injection was reduced by hop extract treatment during the 2nd phases. Furthermore, the cumulative nociceptive response time for intrathecal injection of substance P ($0.7{\mu}g$) or glutamate ($20{\mu}g$) was diminished by hop extract. Intraperitoneal pretreatment with naloxone (an opioid receptor antagonist) attenuated antinociceptive effect induced by hop extract in the writhing test. However, methysergide (a 5-HT serotonergic receptor antagonist) or yohimbine (an ${\alpha}_2$-adrenergic receptor antagonist) did not affect antinociception induced by hop extract in the writhing test. Our results suggest that hop extract shows an antinociceptive property in various pain models. Furthermore, the antinociceptive effect of hop extract may be mediated by opioidergic receptors, but not serotonergic and ${\alpha}_2$-adrenergic receptors.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.50-62
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• 2003

Objective: Bee Venom(BV) has been used for various kinds of inflammatory or painful conditions in Oriental Medicine clinics, and there publishes reports on its therapeutic effects and the probable mechanism of those therapeutic effects, where CDs and cytokines plays important role. This study investigated the influences of bee venom on the expressions of CDs and cytokines of HMC cell line Methods: In this study we analysed the expression profile of HMC cell line treated with BV of 10-2ug/ml in relation to that of HMC cell line treated with vehicle by way of CD/cytokine microarray hybridization with 342 genes on it. Results: There were no upregulated genes by more than 3 fold, while there showed some downregulated genes by less than 1/3 fold as follows: colony stimulating factor 2, CD122, IL-7, CD112, TNF-alpha, CD138, CD166, TGFbetaR2, CD42b, CD62L, CD111, interleukin 10 receptor alpha, colony stimulating factor 1(macrophage), CD38 antigen(p45), CD121a, CD33 antigen(gp67), colony stimulating factor 1 receptor, B cell linker protein (SLP65) mRNA, CD94, alanyl(membrane) aminopeptidase, immunoglobulin(CD79A) binding protein 1, CD205, CD241, CD207, CDw121b, integrin alpha L(CD11a), integrin beta 1(CD29), CD91, CD42b. Conclusions: Bee venom treatment induced downregulation of some CDs or cytokines including $TNF-{\alpha}$. IL-1R with its possible implication in an antiinflammatory action of BV. Further research on expression profile changes induced by BV treatment is expected.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.900-907
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• 2017

This study was performed to investigate the body fat-lowering effect of garlic powder in peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor ${\gamma}$ coactivator-$1{\alpha}$(PGC-$1{\alpha}$)-luciferase transgenic mice (TG). In this study, we generated transgenic mice with a PGC-$1{\alpha}$ promoter (-970/+412 bp) containing luciferase as a reporter gene. Mice were fed a 45% high-fat diet for 8 weeks to induce obesity. Subsequently, mice were maintained on either a high-fat control diet (CON), or high-fat diets supplemented with 2% (GP2) or 5% (GP5) garlic powder for an additional 8 weeks. Dietary garlic powder reduced the body weight in the GP2 and GP5 groups, compared to the CON group. Furthermore, garlic supplementation significantly decreased the plasma levels of triglycerides, total cholesterol, and leptin in the GP5 group, compared to the CON group. Specifically, luciferase activity in liver, white adipose tissue (WAT), and brown adipose tissue (BAT) was increased by garlic supplementation in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggest that the body fat-lowering effect of garlic powder might be related to PGC-$1{\alpha}$ by the increase in luciferase activity in liver, WAT, and BAT. Furthermore, transgenic mice might be useful for evaluating the body fat-lowering effect of various health functional foods.

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.2 no.1 s.2
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• pp.41-48
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• 1966

The author studied the adrenotropic receptors of the non-pregnant uteri of the rabbit and rat, using epinephrine (alpha and beta activator), phenoxybenzamine(alpha blocking agent) and nethalide (beta blockade), and obtained the following results: 1. The spontaneous motility of isolated non-pregnant uteri from rabbits were stimulated by epinephrine, whereas that of isolated non-pregnant rat uterus was inhibited by epinephrine. 2. Both alpha and beta adrenergic receptors were present in the uterine muscle of both animals. 3. In the non-pregnant rabbit uterus, alpha receptors were predominant, whereas in the non -pregnant rat uterus, beta receptors preponderated over alpha receptors.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.324-330
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• 2015

In this study, the anti-diabetic activity of a cold water extract of Korean mistletoe (KME) was investigated in C57BL/6J Lep ob (ob/ob) mice. Oral administration of KME (50 or 100 mg/kg/d) significantly inhibited the level of blood glucose of ob/ob mice after 5 days from the beginning of KME treatment. And the anti-diabetic effect of KME was stabilized 10 days after oral administration, showing a substantial reduction of blood glucose levels by more than 20% as compared with control mice. The results of oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) revealed that oral administration of KME gave rise to a remarkable improvement in overall glucose response. Oral administration of KME in ob/ob diabetic mice also significantly reduced blood total cholesterol (TCHO) and triglyceride (TG) levels compared with the diabetic control mice. Moreover, in an in vitro experiment using C2C12 myotubes, treatment of KME prominently increased glucose uptake. Interestingly, KME significantly increased the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-${\alpha}$ ($PGC-1{\alpha}$), a head regulator of mitochondrial biogenesis and oxidative metabolism, and $PGC-1{\alpha}$-associated genes such as glucose transporter type 4 (GLUT4), estrogen-related receptor-${\alpha}$ ($ERR-{\alpha}$), nuclear respiratory factor-1 (NRF-1), and mitochondrial transcription factor A (TmfA) in C2C12 cells. These results suggest that KME has potential as a novel therapeutic agent for diabetes, and its anti-diabetic activity may be related to the regulation of mitochondrial biogenesis.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.263-268
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• 1994

This study was conducted to characterize the in vivo pharmacology of KR-30988, KR-30992 and losartan, new AT antagonists, given as i.v. cumulative doses, in two antimal models of high renin, conscious renal artery-ligated hypertensinve rats (RHRs) and nomotensive rats anesthetized with urethane (90 mg/kg, i.p.) and .alpha.-chloralose (90 mg/kg, i.p.), with a special emphasis on the phamacological characterization of the latter model. In conscious RHRs, KR-30988, KR-30992, losartan and captopril caused a dose-dependent decrease in blood pressure, their relative potencise ($ED_{20}$) being 0.057, 0.028, 0164 and 0.018 mg/kg, i.v., repectively. In anesthetized rats, 2 hours after anesthesia, plasma renin activity was increased from 7.31 tp 34.07 ng/ml/h, the level approximately 1.5 times greater than the highest level in RHRs. In anesthtized rats, the $ED_{20}$s for all four compounds were 0.004 mg/kg i.v., respectively. By comparison, $ED_{20}$sfrom anesthetized rats were 4 to 5 times smaller than those from conscious RHRs, with a good correlation (.gamma. = 0.999) noted between thetized rats to the hypotensive activity of the compounds and the same order of potencies intwo models. These results suggest that, in addition to PHRs, the normotensive rats anesthetized as above can serve as a suitable model for the rapid phamacological evaluation of $AT_1$ receptor antagonists.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.28-33
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• 2003

Ginsenosides, major active ingredients of Panax ginseng, are known to regulate excitatory ligand-gated ion channel activity such as nicotinic acetylcholine and NMDA receptor channel activity. However, it is not known whether ginsenosides affect inhibitory ligand-gated ion channel activity. We investigated the effect of ginsenosides on human recombinant $GABA_A$ receptor (${\alpha}_1{\beta}_1{\gamma}_{2s}$) channel activity expressed in Xenopus oocytes using a two-electrode voltage-clamp technique. Among the eight individual ginsenosides examined, namely, $Rb_1$, $Rb_2$, Rc, Rd, Re, Rf, $Rg_1$ and $Rg_2$, we found that Rc most potently enhanced the GABA-induced inward peak current ($I_{GABA}$). Ginsenoside Rc alone induced an inward membrane current in certain batches of oocytes expressing the $GABA_A$ receptor. The effect of ginsenoside Rc on $I_{GABA}$ was both dose-dependent and reversible. The half-stimulatory concentration ($EC_{50}$) of ginsenoside Rc was 53.2$\pm$12.3 $\mu$M. Both bicuculline, a $GABA_A$ receptor antagonist, and picrotoxin, a $GABA_A$ channel blocker, blocked the stimulatory effect of ginsenoside Rc on $I_{GABA}$. Niflumic acid (NFA) and 4,4'-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid (DIDS), both $CI^{-1}$ channel blockers, attenuated the effect of ginsenoside Rc on I$I_{GABA}$. This study suggests that ginsenosides regulated $GABA_A$ receptor expressed in Xenopus oocytes and implies that this regulation might be one of the pharmacological actions of Panax ginseng.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.41-51
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• 1996

The present study was undertaken to investigate the physiological characteristics of the adrenergic responses in the tilapia dorsal aorta. Epinephrine, norepinephrine, clonidine and methoxamine in the presence of propranolol($3{\times}10^{-6}$M), induced only endothelium-independent and concentration-dependent vasocontractions in tilapia dorsal aorta. The rank order of potency of adrenergic agonists inducing vasocontraction was epinephrine>norepinephrine>phenylephrine>clonidine>ethoxamine, Yohimbine produced a parallel shift of the concentration-vascontraction curves of epinephrine, norepinephrine, phenylephrine and clonidine to the right, while prazosin depressed the maximum responses of epinephrine and norepinephrine. Calcium-free physiological solution and verapamil markedly reduced epinephrine or norepinephrine-induced vasocontractions. These results suggest that a-adrenergic agonists produce only on endothelium-inedpenent casoconstrictions in tilapia dorsal aorta and these effect of a-adrenergic agonists, which might be associated with both calcium release from intracellular stores and calcium influx through voltage-dependent calcium channel.