• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.86-95
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• 2016

Background: The present study was designed to examine the functional recovery following spinal cord injury (SCI) by adjusting the parameters of impact force and dwell-time using the Infinite Horizon (IH) impactor device. Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats (225-240 g) were divided into eight injury groups based on force of injury (Kdyn) and dwell time (seconds), indicated as Force-Dwell time: 150-4, 150-3, 150-2, 150-1, 150-0, 200-0, 90-2 and sham controls, respectively. Results: After T10 SCI, higher injury force produced greater spinal cord displacement (P < 0.05) and showed a significant correlation (r = 0.813) between the displacement and the force (P < 0.05). In neuropathic pain-like behavior, the percent of paw withdrawals scores in the hindpaw for the 150-4, 150-3, 150-2, 150-1 and the 200-0 injury groups were significantly lowered compared with sham controls (P < 0.05). The recovery of locomotion had a significant within-subjects effect of time (P < 0.05) and the 150-0 group had increased recovery compared to other groups (P < 0.05). In addition, the 200-0 and the 90-2 recovered significantly better than all the 150 kdyn impact groups that included a dwell-time (P < 0.05). In recovery of spontaneous bladder function, the 150-4 injury group took significantly longer recovery time whereas the 150-0 and the 90-2 groups had the shortest recovery times. Conclusions: The present study demonstrates SCI parameters optimize development of mechanical allodynia and other pathological outcomes.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.206-214
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• 2005

The health function food law has been carried into effect from January 31, 2004 just after the proposal of 'a draft of a proposed law concerning the health function foods for the promotion of a nation health' on November 29, 2000 in Korea. After enforcement of health functional food law, there have been difficult market penetration with overall stagnancy of business activities and the current of health functional food within the country divided two groups. In standardized health functional foods the present condition, nutrition supplementary products (938 items) and red ginseng products (351 items) are prevalent and total 32 products are registered containing lactobacilli (297 items), glucosamine (295 items), ginseng (182 items), yeast(136 items) so on. In 2005, five products (products containing green tea extract, soybean protein, plant sterol, fructooligo sugar and Monascus sp. products are newly notified and raw material or component of total 21 products containing xylitol, teanin extract, sardine peptide are recognized as individual authorized health functional foods. Efficacies of ginseng are studied in many-sided researches but benefits of the ginseng in the health functional food law limited to 3 items (staminaresume, immune enhancement, nourishment robustness). To enlarge functionalities of ginseng it needs raw material and ingredient approval through data application to Korea Food and Drug Administration and this procedure acts as barrier of the functional food development in the ginseng industry. It is necessary to develop the authorized health functional foods for leading health functional food market in the future.

• Journal of Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.2-11
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• 2024

Background: The small intestine plays a crucial role in animals in maintaining homeostasis as well as a series of physiological events such as nutrient uptake and immune function to improve productivity. Research on intestinal organoids has recently garnered interest, aiming to study various functions of the intestinal epithelium as a potential alternative to an in vivo system. These technologies have created new possibilities and opportunities for substituting animals for testing with an in vitro model. Methods: Here, we report the establishment and characterisation of intestinal organoids derived from jejunum tissues of adult pigs. Intestinal crypts, including intestinal stem cells from the jejunum tissue of adult pigs (10 months old), were sequentially isolated and cultivated over several passages without losing their proliferation and differentiation using the scaffold-based and three-dimensional method, which indicated the recapitulating capacity. Results: Porcine jejunum-derived intestinal organoids showed the specific expression of several genes related to intestinal stem cells and the epithelium. Furthermore, they showed high permeability when exposed to FITC-dextran 4 kDa, representing a barrier function similar to that of in vivo tissues. Collectively, these results demonstrate the efficient cultivation and characteristics of porcine jejunum-derived intestinal organoids. Conclusions: In this study, using a 3D culture system, we successfully established porcine jejunum-derived intestinal organoids. They show potential for various applications, such as for nutrient absorption as an in vitro model of the intestinal epithelium fused with organ-on-a-chip technology to improve productivity in animal biotechnology in future studies.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.75-82
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• 2012

Natural moisturizing factors (NMFs) are hydrophilic and water-soluble components in stratum corneum of the skin. NMFs absorb water from outer environment and enhance the water-holding capacity of stratum corneum and thereby, prevent the dryness and increase flexibility and plasticity of skin. NMFs are mainly composed of amino acids and their metabolites that are produced from the degradation of filaggrin. Here we established a simultaneous quantification method for 22 amino acids in tape-stripped stratum corneum samples using UPLC-PDA. With this method, we analyzed amino acid contents from tape-stripped stratum corneum samples of forearm and forehead regions from 15 healthy volunteers. Amino acid contents of inner (or upper) region were higher than outer (or lower) region of stratum corneum. Amino acid contents of stratum corneum of forearm were higher by 1.5 fold than forehead region. Of note, total amino acid contents were significantly and inversely correlated with trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL), an index for skin barrier function. Especially, Ser, Glu, Gly, Ala and Thr were determined to positively affect skin mositurizing activities. In conclusion, we could demonstrate that amino acid contents of stratum corneum are closely linked with skin barrier and moisturizing function, providing an important and fundamental methodology for the study of amino acids in skin physiology.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.81-98
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• 1992

Hairless mice (Skh:HR-1) exposed to single doses (0.5, 1.0 and 3. OMED) of UV-B radiation were displayed remarkable changes of barrier function and surface morphology. Trans- epidermal water loss (TEWL) as an index of barrier function was measured by evaporimeter, and wrinkle density (WD) as an index of morphological alteration was measured by image analyzer. Significant changes of TEWL were not observed in the control and 0. SMED group, but 1.OMED and 3. OMED groups noted significant difference. TEWL of 3. OMED group was rapidly increased to the 3rd day and decreased until the 14th day when it reached nearly to normal level, Time-courses of TBWL for 1. OMEB and 3. OMED groups displayed similar pattern, but different only in the magnitude. WD were significantly decreased during the 3rd-5th day in all of the irradiated groups and then increased during the last period to the 14th day, but did not recover the normal level at the 14th day. Time-courses of WD for all groups exhibited similarity, and were entirely dependent on the exposed doses. We also observed histological changes which included hyperplasia, sunburn cell (SBC) formation, accumulation of polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMNs), and loss of collagen of UVB- exposed hairless mouse skin. Changes of TEWL and WD are helpful in understanding of epidermal and dermal damages by single exposure of UVB.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.189-194
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• 2017

Skin has a strong barrier function to protect the body from external harmful factors. This strong barrier function of the skin makes for any effective substance difficult to permeate through the skin. The purpose of this study was to evaluate skin permeability of the reduced particle size by non-invasive method. The particles were prepared by high-pressure emulsification. The niacinamide prepared in a high-pressure emulsification was absorbed 1.56 times higher than the control sample. In addition, it was found from the sixth layer of keratin that was removed by tape-stripping method. This was significantly deeper penetration. The whitening efficacy of the sample containing niacinamide was evaluated before and after 6 weeks of use. The skin color was significantly improved in both pigmented area and non-pigmented area. Through this study, it was possible to visually and quantitatively confirm the permeability confirm the permeability of the reduced particle sample into skin.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.8
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• pp.1446-1451
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• 2016

Clostridium difficile toxin A causes acute gut inflammation in animals and humans. It is known to downregulate the tight junctions between colonic epithelial cells, allowing luminal contents to access body tissues and trigger acute immune responses. However, it is not yet known whether this loss of the barrier function is a critical factor in the progression of toxin A-induced pseudomembranous colitis. We previously showed that NADH:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) KO (knockout) mice spontaneously display weak gut inflammation and a marked loss of colonic epithelial tight junctions. Moreover, NQO1 KO mice exhibited highly increased inflammatory responses compared with NQO1 WT (wild-type) control mice when subjected to DSS-induced experimental colitis. Here, we tested whether toxin A could also trigger more severe inflammatory responses in NQO1 KO mice compared with NQO1 WT mice. Indeed, our results show that C. difficile toxin A-mediated enteritis is significantly enhanced in NQO1 KO mice compared with NQO1 WT mice. The levels of fluid secretion, villus disruption, and epithelial cell apoptosis were also higher in toxin A-treated NQO1 KO mice compared with WT mice. The previous and present results collectively show that NQO1 is involved in the formation of tight junctions in the small intestine, and that defects in NQO1 enhance C. difficile toxin A-induced acute inflammatory responses, presumably via the loss of epithelial cell tight junctions.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.32 no.8
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• pp.611-621
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• 2022

Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is commonly used as control or vehicle solvent in preclinical research of neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) due to its ability to dissolve lipophilic compounds and cross the blood brain barrier. However, the biochemical effects of DMSO on the outcomes of preclinical research are often overlooked. In the present study, we investigated whether the long-term oral administration of 5% DMSO affects the neurological, functional, and histological disease phenotype of the copper/zinc superoxide dismutase glycine 93 to alanine mutation (SOD1-G93A) mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. SOD1-G93A transgenic mice showed shortened survival time and reduced motor function. We found that administration with DMSO led to increased mean survival time, reduced neurological scores, and improved motor performance tested using the rotarod and grip strength tests. On the other hand, DMSO treatment did not attenuate motor neuron loss in the spinal cord and denervation of neuromuscular junctions in the skeletal muscle. These results suggest that DMSO administration could improve the quality of life of the SOD1-G93A mouse model of ALS without affecting motor neuron denervation. In conclusion, the use of DMSO as control or vehicle solvent in preclinical research may affect the behavioral outcomes in the SOD1-G93A mouse model. The effect of the vehicle should be thoroughly considered when interpreting therapeutic efficacy of candidate drugs in preclinical research.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.59-65
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• 2023

We validated the physiological activity of Syzygium claviflorum (Roxb.) Wall. ex A.M. Cowan & Cowan (S. claviflorum) extracts (leaves, stems, fruits, and flowers) as a cosmetic ingredient. Firstly, S. claviflorum extracts removed over 80% of free radicals at various concentrations in antioxidant experiments using the DPPH and ABTS assay. In cytotoxicity experiments using human epidermal keratinocytes, S. claviflorum extracts showed low cytotoxicity. In addition, S. claviflorum extracts significantly increased the expression of keratin (KRT)1, KRT2, KRT9, KRT10, which are differentiation markers of keratinocytes, as well as genes involved in the maintenance of skin barrier function, including involucrin (IVL), loricrin (LOR), filaggrin (FLG), and claudin1 (CLDN1). In particular, the expression of FLG protein, inhibited by interleukin (IL)-4/IL-13 in atopic dermatitis, was restored by S. claviflorum extracts in in vitro experiments. Therefore, S. claviflorum extracts with excellent antioxidant efficacy and skin barrier improvement function will be useful materials for the development of future atopic dermatitis treatments and cosmetics.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.65 no.5
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• pp.1040-1052
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• 2023

The objective of this study was to investigate the protective effects of functional nutrients including various functional amino acids, vitamins, and minerals on chicken intestinal epithelial cells (cIECs) treated with oxidative stress. The cIECs were isolated from specific pathogen free eggs. Cells were exposed to 0 mM supplement (control), 20 mM threonine (Thr), 0.4 mM tryptophan (Trp), 1 mM glycine (Gly), 10 μM vitamin C (VC), 40 μM vitamin E (VE), 5 μM vitamin A (VA), 34 μM chromium (Cr), 0.42 μM selenium (Se), and 50 μM zinc (Zn) for 24 h with 6 replicates for each treatment. After 24 h, cells were further incubated with fresh culture medium (positive control, PC) or 1 mM H₂O₂ with different supplements (negative control, NC and each treatment). Oxidative stress was measured by cell proliferation, whereas tight junction barrier function was analyzed by fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-dextran permeability and transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER). Results indicated that cell viability and TEER values were less (p < 0.05) in NC treatments with oxidative stress than in PC treatments. In addition, FITC-dextran values were greater (p < 0.05) in NC treatments with oxidative stress than in PC treatments. The supplementations of Thr, Trp, Gly, VC, and VE in cells treated with H₂O₂ showed greater (p < 0.05) cell viability than the supplementation of VA, Cr, Se, and Zn. The supplementations of Trp, Gly, VC, and Se in cells treated with H₂O₂ showed the least (p < 0.05) cellular permeability. In addition, the supplementation of Thr, VE, VA, Cr, and Zn in cells treated with H₂O₂ decreased (p < 0.05) cellular permeability. At 48 h, the supplementations of Thr, Trp, and Gly in cells treated with H₂O₂ showed the greatest (p < 0.05) TEER values among all treatments, and the supplementations of VC and VE in cells treated with H₂O₂ showed greater (p < 0.05) TEER values than the supplementations of VA, Cr, Se, and Zn in cells treated with H₂O₂. In conclusion, Thr, Trp, Gly, and VC supplements were effective in improving cell viability and intestinal barrier function of cIECs exposed to oxidative stress.