• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.52 no.12
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• pp.1337-1347
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• 2009

Purpose:Taurine (2-aminoethanesulfonic acid) is a simple sulfur-containing amino acid. It is abundantly present in tissues such as brain, retina, heart, and skeletal muscles. Current studies have demonstrated the neuroprotective effects of taurine, but limited data are available for such effects during neonatal period. The aim of this study was to determine whether taurine could reduce hypoxic-ischemic (HI) cerebral injury via anti-apoptosis mechanism. Methods:Embryonic cortical neurons isolated from Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats at 18 days gestation were cultured in vitro. The cells were divided into hypoxia group, taurine-treated group before hypoxic insult, and taurine-treated group after HI insult. In the in vivo model, left carotid artery ligation was performed in 7-day-old SD rat pups. The pups were exposed to hypoxia, administered an injection of 30 mg/kg of taurine, and killed at 1 day, 3 days, 1 week, 2 weeks, and 4 weeks after the hypoxic insult. We compared the expressions of Bcl-2, Bax, and caspase-3 among the 3 groups by using real- time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and western blotting. Results:The cells in the taurine-treated group before hypoxic insult, although similar in appearance to those in the normoxia group, were lesser in number. In the taurine-treated group, Bcl-2 expression increased, whereas Bax and caspase-3 expressions reduced. Conclusion:Taurine exerts neuroprotective effects onperinatal HI brain injury due to its anti-apoptotic effect. The neuroprotective effect was maximal at 1-2 weeks after the hypoxic injury.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.10-23
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• 2014

Objectives: This study evaluated the effects of Guibi-tang (GBT) on neuronal apoptosis and cognitive impairment induced by beta amyloid ($A{\beta}$), (1-42) injection in the hippocampus of ICR mice. Methods: $A{\beta}$ (1-42) was injected unilaterally into the lateral ventricle using a Hamilton syringe and micropump ($2{\mu}g/3{\mu}{\ell}$, $0.6{\mu}{\ell}/min$). Water extract of GBT was administered orally once a day (500 mg/kg) for 3 weeks after the $A{\beta}$ (1-42) injection. Acquisition of learning and retention of memory were tested using the Morris water maze. Neuronal damage and $A{\beta}$ accumulation in the hippocampus was observed using cresyl violet and Congo red staining. The anti-apoptotic effect of GBT was evaluated using TUNEL labeling in the hippocampus. Results: GBT significantly shortened the escape latencies during acquisition training trials. GBT significantly increased the number of target headings to the platform site, the swimming time spent in the target quadrant, and significantly shortened the time for the 1st target heading during the retention test trial. GBT significantly attenuated the reduction in thickness and number of CA1 neurons, and $A{\beta}$ accumulation in the hippocampus produced by $A{\beta}$ (1-42) injection. GBT significantly reduced the number of TUNEL-labeled neurons in the hippocampus. Conclusion: These results suggest that GBT improved cognitive impairment by reducing neuronal apoptosis and $A{\beta}$ accumulation in the hippocampus. GBT may be a beneficial herbal formulation in treating cognitive impairment including Alzheimer's disease.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.44 no.9
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• pp.1270-1278
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• 2015

In vitro anticancer effects of black soybean doenjang on HT-29 human colon cancer cells were studied. SD (soybean doenjang prepared with nine-time baked bamboo salt) and BD (black soybean doenjang prepared with nine-time baked bamboo salt) were compared with CD (commercial doenjang). There were no significant differences between experimental groups in terms of pH, amino-type nitrogen, and ammonia-type nitrogen levels of the doenjang samples. BD showed the highest antioxidative effect, followed by SD and CD in that order. BD also showed the highest total polyphenol concentration of all samples. CD, SD, and BD extracts showed no toxic effects on normal RAW 264.7 cells at a concentration ranging from 0.1 to 0.5 mg/mL. BD exhibited anticancer effect on HT-29 cells by MTT assay. Also, BD manipulated mRNA expressions in certain factors; it suppressed pro-inflammatory cytokines such as $TNF-{\alpha}$, IL-6, and COX-2, promoted cell-cycle-related genes of p21, and p53, suppressed expression of cyclin D1, and suppressed anti-apoptotic Bcl-2; such manipulation by BD was the strongest, followed by SD and CD in order. From the results above, BD exhibited the highest anticancer effects by inhibiting growth of HT-29 cells, probably by regulating pro-inflammatory cytokines, cell cycling related genes, etc. These results might be due to using black soybeans containing high levels of polyphenol, including anthocyanins.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.926-936
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• 2003

Overexpression of human Bcl-2 protein in recombinant Chinese hamster ovary (rCHO) cells producing humanized antibody (SH2-0.32) considerably suppressed sodium butyrate (NaBu)-induced apoptosis during batch culture by using commercially available serum-free medium, which extended the culture longevity. Due to the extended culture longevity provided by the anti-apoptotic effect of Bcl-2 overexpression, the final antibody concentration of 14C6-bcl-2 culture (Bcl-2 high producer, $23\;\mu\textrm{g}\;ml^{-1}$) was 2 times higher than that of the $SH2-0.32-{\Delta}bcl-2$ culture (cells transfected with bcl-2-deficient plasmid, $10.5\;\mu\textrm{g}\;ml^{-1}$) in the presence of NaBu. To determine the effect of NaBu/Bcl-2 overexpression on the molecular integrity of protein products, antibodies purified from 14C6-bcl-2 and $SH2-0.32-{\Delta}bcl-2$ cultures in the presence of NaBu were characterized by using various molecular assay systems. For comparison, antibody purified from the parental rCHO cell culture (SH2-0.32) in the absence of NaBu was also characterized. No significant changes in molecular weight of antibodies could be observed by SDS-PAGE. From GlycoSep-N column analysis, it was found that the core oligosaccharide structure ($GlcNAc_2Man_3GlcNAc_2$) was not affected by NaBu/Bcl-2 overexpression, while the microheterogeneity of N-linked oligosaccharide structure was slightly affected. Compared with the antibody produced in the absence of NaBu, the proportion of neutral oligosaccharides was increased from 10% (14C6-bcl-2) to 16% ($SH2-0.32-{\Delta}bcl-2$) in the presence of NaBu, which was accompanied by the reduced proportion of acidic oligosaccharides, especially of monosialylated and disialylated forms. The changes in microheterogeneous oligoformal structures of antibody in turn affected the mobility of antibody isoforms in isoelectric focusing (IEF), resulting in the occurrence of some more basic antibody isoforms produced in the presence of NaBu. However, the antigen-antibody binding properties were not changed by alteration of glycosylation pattern. The competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) showed that the antibody produced by NaBu/Bcl-2 overexpression maintained its antigen-antibody binding properties with binding affinity of about $2.5{\times}10^9{\;}M^{-1}$. Taken together, no significant effects of NaBu/Bcl-2 overexpression on the molecular integrity of antibodies, produced by using serum-free medium, could be observed by the molecular assay systems.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.75 no.1
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• pp.9-17
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• 2013

Background: In cancer cells, autophagy is generally induced as a pro-survival mechanism in response to treatment-associated genotoxic and metabolic stress. Thus, concurrent autophagy inhibition can be expected to have a synergistic effect with chemotherapy on cancer cell death. Monensin, a polyether antibiotic, is known as an autophagy inhibitor, which interferes with the fusion of autophagosome and lysosome. There have been a few reports of its effect in combination with anticancer drugs. We performed this study to investigate whether erlotinib, an epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor, or rapamycin, an mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor, is effective in combination therapy with monensin in non-small cell lung cancer cells. Methods: NCI-H1299 cells were treated with rapamycin or erlotinib, with or without monensin pretreatment, and then subjected to growth inhibition assay, apoptosis analysis by flow cytometry, and cell cycle analysis on the basis of the DNA contents histogram. Finally, a Western blot analysis was done to examine the changes of proteins related to apoptosis and cell cycle control. Results: Monensin synergistically increases growth inhibition and apoptosis induced by rapamycin or erlotinib. The number of cells in the sub-$G_1$ phase increases noticeably after the combination treatment. Increase of proapoptotic proteins, including bax, cleaved caspase 3, and cleaved poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, and decrease of anti-apoptotic proteins, bcl-2 and bcl-xL, are augmented by the combination treatment with monensin. The promoters of cell cycle progression, notch3 and skp2, decrease and p21, a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, accumulates within the cell during this process. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that concurrent autophagy inhibition could have a role in lung cancer treatment.

• Journal of Korean Ophthalmic Optics Society
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.95-101
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• 2008

Purpose: Hydrogen peroxide which is one of the reactive oxygen species has been seen to cause various diseases, various cellular disinfections, gene transformation and cell death. The goals of this study were to determine the protective effect of EGCG against $H_2O_2$-induced apoptotic death in conjunctival cell lines. Methods: We measured cell viability by MTT assay and analyzed DNA fragmentation to check up a distinctive feature in cell death and measured the removal ability of free radicals by DPPH free radical scavenging assay and evaluated the oxygen free radical's quantity in the cell by DCFH-DA assay. The mRNA expression in the cell were examined by RT-PCR. Results: Cell viability and free radical scavening activites was significantly increased in dose dependently after cell was exposed to EGCG. And DNA fragmentation and intracellular ROS was decreased. It was showed the mRNA expression which increase of bcl-2, bcl-xL expression and decrease of bax expression. Conclusions: From these results, it suggests that EGCG has an antioxidant effect and protects conjunctival cell lines from the $H_2O_2$-mediated apoptosis through the modulation of the mRNA expression.

• Proceedings of the Microbiological Society of Korea Conference
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• 2000.05a
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• pp.23-36
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• 2000

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is the causative agent of a mosquito-borne encephalitis and is transmitted to human via persistently infected mosquito vectors. Although the virus is known to cause only acute infection, there were reports that showed neurological sequelae, latent infection in peripheral mononuclear cells, and recurrence of the disease after acute encephalitis. Innate resistance of certain cell lines, abnormal SN1 expression of the virus, and anti-apoptotic effect of cullular bcl-2 have been suggested as probable causes of JEV persistence even in the absence of defective interfering (DI) particles. Although possible involvement of DI particles in JEV persistence was suggested, neither has a direct evidence for DI presence nor its molecular characterization been made. Two questions asked in this study are whether the DI virus plays any role in JEV persistent infection if it is associated with and what type of change(s) can be made in persistently infected cells to avoid apoptosis even with the continuous virus replication, DI-free standard stock of JEV was infected in BHK-21, Vero, and SW13 cells and serial high multiplicity passages were performed in order to generate DI particles. There different-sized DI RNA species which were defective in both structural and nonstructural protein coding genes. Rescued ORFs of the DI genome maintained in-frame and the presence of replicative intermediate or replicative form RNA of the DI particles confirmed their replication competence. On the other hand, several clones with JEV persistent infection were established from the cells survived acute infections during the passages. Timing of the DI virus generation during the passages seemed coincide to the appearance of persistently infected cells. The DI RNAs were identified in most of persistently infected cells and were observed throughout the cell maintenance. One of the cloned cell line maintained the viral persistence without DI RNA coreplication. The cells with viral persistence released the reduced but continuous infectious JEV particle for up to 9 months and were refractory to homologous virus superinfection but not to heterologous challenges. Unlike the cells with acute infection these cells were devoid of characteristic DNA fragmentation and JEV-induced apoptosis with or without homologous superinfection. Therefore, the DI RNA generated during JEV undiluted serial passage on mammalian cells was shown to be biologically active and it seemed to be responsible, at least in part, for the establishment and maintenance of the JEV persistence in mammalian cells. Viral persistence without DI RNA coreplication, as in one of the cell clones, supports that JEV persistent infection could be maintained with or without the presence of DI particles. In addition, the fact that the cells with JEV persistence were resistant against homologous virus superinfection, but not against heterologous one, suggests that different viruses have their own and independent pathway for cytopathogenesis even if viral cytopathic effect could be converged to an apoptosis after all.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.151-159
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• 2014

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether light-emitting diodes (LED) irradiation could be effective in a noninvasive, therapeutic device for the treatment of osteoarthritis(OA). METHODS: Twenty-four male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups: Vehicle control (saline); monosodium iodoacetate-injection (MIA); LED irradiation after MIA injection (MIA-LED); indomethacin-treatment after MIA injection (MIA-IMT). OA was induced by intra-articular injection of 3 mg MIA through the patellar ligament of the right knee. Vehicle control rats were injected with an equivalent volume of saline. The LED was irradiated for 15 min/day for a week after 7 days of MIA treatment. To compare with the effect of LED irradiation, the indomethacin was administrated 20 mg/kg twice a week orally after 7 days of MIA treatment. Knee joints were removed and fixed overnight in 10% neutral buffered formalin and decalcified by EDTA for 2 week before being embedded in paraffin. The assessment of OA induction were monitored by knee movement and radiographic finding. Histologic analysis were performed following staining with hematoxylin and eosin, safranin O-fast green, or toluidine blue, picrosirius red, and histologic changes were scored according to a modified Mankin system. Apoptotic cell in tissue sections was detected using TUNEL method. RESULTS: Radiographic examination could not show the differences between the MIA-treated and the MIA-LED-treated rats. In the histologic analysis, however, LED irradiation prevented cartilage damage and subchondral bone destruction, and significantly reduced mononuclear inflammatory cell infiltration and pannus formation. LED irradiation also reduced apoptosis of cartilage cells, but it prevented apoptosis of infiltrated inflammatory cells in synovium. In addition, LED irradiation showed an increase of collagen production in the meniscus. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the 840 nm LED irradiation would be a suitable non-thermal phototherapy for the treatment of OA, as a cartilage protection and anti-inflammatory modality.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.207-214
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• 2008

In Asia Saussurea lappa (SL) has been used as a traditional herbal medicine to treat abdominal pain and tenesmus. Recently, in vitro cell culture studies have shown that SL has anti-ulcer, anti-inflammatory, and anti-tumor properties. To explore its potential chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic effects in colon cancer, we examined whether the hexane extract of SL (HESL) could inhibit the growth of HT-29 human colon cancer cells, and investigated the mechanisms for this effect. The cells were cultured with various concentrations (0-5 ${\mu}g/mL$) of HESL. The results indicated that HESL markedly decreased the numbers of viable HT-29 cells; whereas at the concentration of 5 ${\mu}g/mL$, HESL slightly decreased the viable cell numbers of CCD 1108Sk human skin normal fibroblasts at 72 hr. HESL substantially increased the numbers of cells in the sub G1 phase, and dose-dependently increased apoptotic cell numbers. Western blot analysis of the total cell lysates revealed that HESL increased Bax protein levels, but did not affect Bcl-2 levels. HESL induced the cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase and caspases 8, 9, 7, and 3. This study demonstrated that HESL inhibits cell growth and induces apoptosis in HT-29 cells, which may be mediated by its ability to increase Bax levels and activate the caspase pathway. These findings may lead to the development of new therapeutic strategies for colon cancer treatment.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.87-96
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• 2023

This study was conducted to discover substances that regulate skin surface acidification using human epidermal keratinocyte cell lines, and to investigate their effects on the moisturizing ability and skin barrier function of the stratum corneum. Prunella vulgaris (P. vulgaris) is an herb widely distributed in Northwest Africa and North America that has been studied for its anti-apoptotic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects. However, research on the regulation of NHE1 expression and the restoration of skin barrier function has not been conducted. Analysis of P. vulgaris revealed the presence of rosmarinic acid and caffeic acid as active ingredients, which were tested for toxicity in human epidermal keratinocyte cell lines (HaCaT), and showed no toxic effects were observed at high concentarion (100 ㎍/mL or 100 µM). It is known that sodium-hydrogen ion exchange pumps (NHE1) decrease in expression in aging skin to maintain the acidic pH of the stratum corneum, and it is hypothesized that this decrease plays an important role in the impaired restoration of skin barrier function in aging skin. P. vulgaris extract and caffeic acid increased the expression of NHE1 in keratinocytes, increased the expression of natural moisturizing factor (NMF) precursor filaggrin and ceramide synthesis enzyme serine palmitoyl transferase (SPT). In addition, P. vulgaris and caffeic acid decreased the extracellular pH of keratinocytes, indicating a direct effect on skin pH regulation. Taken together, these results suggest that P. vulgaris and caffeic acid can regulate skin pH through NHE1 modulation, and may help to restore skin barrier function by increasing NMF and ceramide synthesis. These results show the possibility that honeysuckle and caffeic acid can have a positive effect on skin health, and can be the basis for the development of new skin protection products using them.