• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.12
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• pp.4753-4758
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• 2014

In recent times, a number of studies have provided evidence that biotoxins present great potential as antitumor agents, such as snake venom, bee venom, some bacteria toxins and plant toxins, and thus could be used as chemotherapeutic agents against tumors. The biodiversity of venoms and toxins make them a unique source from which novel anticancer agent may be developed. Biotoxins, also known as natural toxins, include toxic substances produced by plants, animals and microorganisms. Here, we systematically list representative biological toxins that have antitumor properties, involving animal toxins, plant toxins, mycotoxins as well as bacterial toxins. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge involving biotoxins and the active compounds that have anti-cancer activity to induce cytotoxic, antitumor, immunomodulatory, and apoptotic effects in different tumor cells in vivo or in vitro. We also show insights into the molecular and functional evolution of biotoxins.

• Proceedings of the Korea Environmental Mutagen Society Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.117-117
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• 2003

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.1449-1455
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• 2004

Bufonis venenum (dried toad venom; Chinese name, Chan su) is a traditional Chinese medicine obtained from the skin venom gland of the toad. It has long been used in treating arrhythmia and other heart diseases in China and other Asian countries. Additionally, Bufonis venenum has been reported to selectively inhibit the growth of various lines of human cancer cells. In the present study, it was examined the effects of extract of Bufonis venenum (EBV) on the growth of human bladder carcinoma cell line T24 in order to investigate the anti-proliferative mechanism and induction of apoptosis by EBV. Treatment of T24 cells to EBV resulted in the growth inhibition, morphological change and induction of apoptotic cell death in a dose-dependent manner. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that EBV treatment caused G2/M phase arrest of the cell cycle and down-regulation of cyclin A, cyclin B1 and Cdc2, which was associated with a marked up-regulation of cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks) inhibitor p21 (WAF1/CIP1) in a p53-independent manner. The Cdc25C expression was also significantly inhibited by EBV treatment, however Wee1 kinase expression was not affected. The induction of apoptotic cell death by EBV was connected with down-regulation of anti-apoptotic Bcl-XS/L expression without alteration pro-apoptotic Bax expression. Taken together, these findings suggest that EBV may be a potential chemotherapeutic agent for the control of human bladder carcinorma cells and further studies will be needed to identify the active compounds that confer the anti-cancer activity of EBV.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.534-537
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• 2004

We produced twelve monoclonal antibodies(mAbs) against thyroglobulin and characterized the bindig profiles. Among them, three mAbs(TN-1, TN-2 and TN-3) were further characterized their binding specificities. TN-2 had a potent lupus anticoagulant activity and potentiated the anticoagulant effect of venom phospholipase A₂. he anticoagulant mechanism of TN-2 was elongation of the partial thromboplastin time and binding to phosphatidylserine which may have a pivot role in blood coagulation. And TN-2 was cross-reacted with ss-DNA and ds-DNA and had a characteristic of autoantibody. These results suggest that TN-2 may provide a useful tool for studying the correlation between autoimmune thyroiditis and its therapeutic effect.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.49-58
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• 2009

목적 : 파킨슨 병은 기저핵 흑질의 치밀부에서 도파민성 신경세포의 퇴행으로 인하여 발생하는 질병으로 신경 염증이 주요 병인으로 밝혀져 있다. 이 연구는 MPTP 유발 파킨슨 병 동물 모델에서 신수혈($BL_{23}$)에 대한 봉독 약침의 항염증 효과 및 그 기전을 확인하기 위해 시행되었다. 방법 : $C57_{BL}$/6쥐를 무처치군, MPTP+saline군, MPTP+BVA(0.06mg/kg)군, MPTP+BVA(0.6mg/kg)군의 4군으로 나눈 뒤 무처치군을 제외한 모든 그룹에 총 8시간 동안 2시간 간격으로 MPTP-HCl(20mg/kg per dose$\times$4)을 복강내로 주입하였다. MPTP+BVA 군에서 봉독약침은 마지막 MPTP 주입 2시간 후부터 48시간 간격으로 신수혈($BL_{23}$)에 양측으로 각 20${\mu}\ell$씩 주입하였고 MPTP+saline군에서는 봉독약침 대신 Saline을 주입하였다. 마지막 MPTP 주입 후 7일째에 쥐의 뇌를 적출한 후 면역조직화학법을 시행하였다. 결과 : MPTP 유발 파킨슨 병 동물 모델에서 신수혈에 대한 봉독약침은 농도 의존적으로 TH-Immunoreactivity neuron의 감소와 microglial activation을 억제하였다. HSP70-IR neuron은 모든 군에서 나타나지 않았다. 결론 : 봉독약침이 용량의존적으로 microglial activation을 억제하는 효과를 통해 도파민성 신경세포의 파괴를 억제함으로써 항염 효과를 나타냄을 알 수 있었다. 이 결과는 봉독약침이 microglial activation 억제를 통해 임상적으로 파킨슨 병과 같은 신경 퇴행성 질병에 있어 유용한 치료수단이 될 수 있음을 시사한다.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.1347-1355
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• 2004

In this study, the immunological effect of a traditional Korea herbal acupuncture, that has been widely used for the treatment of various immunological disorders including inflammation in Korea, was examined in vitro and in vivo. In our previous study demonstrated that BV increased the expression of IFN-γ mRNA, that plays pivotal role in T cell response. This study was designated to evaluate the effect of BV on helper T cell development by monitoring Th1/Th2 specific cytokine secretion patterns in artificially induced Th1/Th2 polarized condition and in vivo. The results demonstrated that BV didn't have mitogenic effects on the unstimulated CD4+ T cell, but increased the CD4+ T cell proliferation upon activation with anti-CD3/CD28 antibody. The Th1 cells were over-populated dramatically in Th1 driven condition with BV treatment, while the Th2 cells were increased slightly in Th2 skewed condition. Furthermore, under Th1-skewed conditions, the level of IFN-γ was considerably increased with BV treatment. Besides, the expression of T-bet, a transcription factor that plays pivotal role in Th1 lineage programming, was increased with BV treatment. The expressions of IFN-γ and T-bet were also significantly increased in vivo. The results that Th1 specific cytokine secretion were considerably increased and Th2 specific cytokine secretion were not significantly changed in vitro and in vivo indicated that BV enhances Th1 lineage development, Therefore, these results suggest that BV might be desirable agent for correction of Th1 dominant pathological disorders.

• BMB Reports
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.284-291
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• 2006

In this study, the cDNA of a new peptide from the venom of the scorpion, Buthotus saulcyi, was cloned and sequenced. It codes for a 64 residues peptide (Bsaul1) which shares high sequence similarity with depressant insect toxins of scorpions. The differences between them mainly appear in the loop1 which connects the $\beta$-strand1 to the $\alpha$-helix and seems to be functionally important in long chain scorpion neurotoxins. This loop is three amino acids longer in Bsaul1 compared to other depressant toxins. A comparative amino acid sequence analysis done on Bsaul1 and some of $\alpha$-, $\beta$-, excitatory and depressant toxins of scorpions showed that Bsaul1 contains all the residues which are highly conserved among long chain scorpion neurotoxins. Structural model of Bsaul1 was generated using Ts1 (a $\beta$-toxin that competes with the depressant insect toxins for binding to $Na^+$ channels) as template. According to the molecular model of Bsaul1, the folding of the polypeptide chain is being composed of an anti-parallel three-stranded $\beta$-sheet and a stretch of $\alpha$-helix, tightly bound by a set of four disulfide bridges. A striking similarity in the spatial arrangement of some critical residues was shown by superposition of the backbone conformation of Bsaul1 and Ts1.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.33-46
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• 2006

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent form of neurodegenerative disease associated with aging in the human population. This disease is characterized by the extracellular deposition of beta-amyloid peptide $(A{\beta})$ in cerebral plaques. $A{\beta}$ is derived from the ${\beta}-amyloid$ precursor protein (APP) by the enzymes, ${\beta}-$ and ${\eta}o-secretase$. Compounds that ${\beta}-$ or ${\eta}o-secretase$ inhibit activity, can reduce the production of $A{\beta}$ peptides, and thus have therapeutic potential in the treatment of AD. Increasing body of evidence has been demonstrated that Bee Venom(BV) Acupuncture could compete with complex protein involving in multiple step of $NF-{\kappa}B$ activation and exert the anti-inflammatory potential of combined inhibition of the prostanoid and nitric oxide synthesis systems by inhibition of IKK and $NF-{\kappa}B$. In this study, I investigated possible effects of BV on memory dysfunction caused by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and $A{\beta}$ through inhibition of secretases activities and $A{\beta}$ aggregation. I examined the improving effect of BV on the LPS (2.5 mg/Kg, i.p.)-induced memory dysfunction using passive avoidance response and water maze tests in the mice. BV (0.84, $1.67\;{\mu}g/ml$) reversed the LPS-induced memorial dysfunction in dose dependent manner. BV also dose-dependently attenuated LPS-induced ${\beta}$ and ${\eta}o-secretase$ activities in cerebral cortex and hippocampus of the mice brain. This study therefore suggests that BV acupuncture method may be useful for prevention of development or progression of AD.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.186-193
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• 2016

The whole herbs of solanum nigrum L were extracted in boiling water (SNL-W), and the extracts were separated with butyl alcohol fraction (SNL-W/B) and aqueous fraction (SNL-W/W) by the solvent extraction method. The total alkaloid and total saponin content mensuration were used to identify the alkaloid composition of methanol fraction extracted from the aqueous fraction. The venom of honey bee was used to induce the rat peritoneal mast cell to secreting the histamine. The results show that the water soluble alkaloid composition of solanum nigrum L (SNL-W/W/M) has a significant inhibitory effect on the histamine release.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.201-204
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• 2001

The Red-Back Spiders (Latrodectus hasselti) were found in all parts of Australia except in the hottest deserts and on the coldest mountains. The spider is now generally recognized as being the same family as the Katipo Spider of New Zealand and the Black Widow Spider of America. This species is the only representative of the genus Latrodectus in Australia. The Red-Back Spider was probably the most common cause of serious spider bites between 1927, when records were first kept, and 1956, when an anti-venom became available. The authors redescribe and figured detailly Red-Back Spider,L. hasselti, which was collected during a field trip of Australia.