• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제14권10호
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• pp.5849-5854
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• 2013

Background: Apoptosis may be induced after Bcl-2 expression is inhibited in proliferative cancer cells. This study focused on the effect of autophagy activation by ABT737 on anti-tumor effects of epirubicin. Methods: Cytotoxic effects of ABT737 on the HepG2 liver cancer cell line were assessed by MTT assay and cell apoptosis through flow cytometry. Mitochondrial membrane potential was measured by fluorescence microscopy. Monodansylcadaverin (MDC) staining was used to detect activation of autophagy. Expression of p53, p62, LC3, and Beclin1, apoptotic or autophagy related proteins, was detected by Western blotting. Results: ABT737 and epirubicin induced growth inhibition in HepG2 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Both ABT737 and epirubicin alone could induce cell apoptosis with a reduction in mitochondrial membrane potential as well as increased apoptotic protein expression. Further increase of apoptosis was detected when HepG2 cells were co-treated with ABT373 and epirubicin. Furthermore, our results demonstrated that ABT373 or epirubicin ccould activate cell autophagy with elevated autophagosome formation, increased expression of autophagy related proteins and LC3 fluorescent puncta. Conclusions: ABT737 influences cancer cells through both apoptotic and autophagic mechanisms, and ABT737 may enhance the effects of epirubicin on HepG2 cells by activating autophagy and inducing apoptosis.

• 대한한의학회지
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• 제26권3호
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• pp.239-248
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• 2005

Objectives : Electroacupuncture (EA)-induced analgesia has been known to be mediated through the activation of opioid, noradrenergic and serotonergic receptors. However, little study on serotonergic mechanism has been performed in an animal model of chronic pain. The present study was designed to elucidate the type of serotonergic receptors responsible for EA analgesia in the chronic pain model. Methods : In rats with complete Freund's: adjuvant-induced inflammation and spinal nerve injury, spinal wide dynamic range (WDR) cell responses to graded electrical stimulation of afferent C fiber were recorded before and after spinal application of selective 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) receptor antagonists. EA stimulation (2Hz, 0.5msec, 3mA) was applied to the contralateral Zusanli point for 30 min. Results : In both models of chronic pain, WDR cell responses were greatly inhibited after EA stimulation. EA-induced inhibition of WDR celt responses was significantly attenuated by spinal application of non-selective 5-HT receptor antagonist, dihydroergocristine Of 5-HT receptor antagonists tested, 5-HT1A (WAY 100635) and 5-HT2 (LY53857) receptor antagonists strongly reduced an ability of EA stimulation to inhibit WDR cell responses. However, 5-HT1B (GR55562) and 5-HT3 (LY278584) receptor antagonists also had weak but significant blocking action on EA-induced inhibitory effect on chronic pain. Conclusions : Dorsal hem cell responses, afferent C fiber stimulation, chronic pain, electroacupuncture, serotonergic receptors.

• 대한의생명과학회지
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• 제13권4호
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• pp.279-285
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• 2007

Although retinoic acid has been known as either anti-inflammatory or pro-inflammatory molecule, depending on the cell type, its exact role in mature human neutrophils has not been fully explored. In this study, we investigate the effects of retinoic acid on neutrophil apoptosis and the associated mechanism and found that 9-cis retinoic acid (9CRA) significantly inhibits the spontaneous apoptosis of neutrophils. Its effect is increased by co-treatment with $TNF-\alpha$ (P<0.05). The 9CRA-induced inhibition is blocked by the following enzyme inhibitors: Ly 294002, phosphoinoside (PI)-3 kinase inhibitor, U73122, a phospholipase C (PLC) inhibitor, PP2, Src family protein inhibitor, SB202190, p38 MAPK inhibitor, and BAY-11-7085, NF-kB inhibitor. This study also demonstrates that all-trans retinoic acid suppresses spontaneous apoptosis, similar to the mechanism of inhibition exhibited by 9CRA. Phosphorylation of p38 MAPK decreases by 9CRA treatment. $Ik-B{\alpha}$ is degraded until 30 minutes after a time-dependent 9CRA treatment, but degradation can be inhibited by Ly 294002. These results indicate that 9CRA decreases p38 MAPK activation, induces NF-kB activation via PI-3 kinase, and also blocks cleavage of caspase 3. As these findings suggest, 9CRA has a molecular mechanism which may help pro-inflammatory response by blocking neutrophil apoptosis.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• 제20권1호
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• pp.15-23
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• 2016

Acetaminophen (APAP) overdose is one of the most common causes of acute liver failure. The study aimed to investigate the protective effect of carnosic acid (CA) on APAP-induced acute hepatotoxicity and its underlying mechanism in mice. To induce hepatotoxicity, APAP solution (400 mg/kg) was administered into mice by intraperitoneal injection. Histological analysis revealed that CA treatment significantly ameliorated APAP-induced hepatic necrosis. The levels of both alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) in serum were reduced by CA treatment. Moreover, CA treatment significantly inhibited APAP-induced hepatocytes necrosis and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) releasing. Western blot analysis showed that CA abrogated APAP-induced cleaved caspase-3, Bax and phosphorylated JNK protein expression. Further results showed that CA treatment markedly inhibited APAP-induced pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-${\alpha}$, IL-$1{\beta}$, IL-6 and MCP-1 mRNA expression and the levels of phosphorylated $I{\kappa}B{\alpha}$ and p65 protein in the liver. In addition, CA treatment reduced APAP- induced hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA) contents and reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation. Conversely, hepatic glutathione (GSH) level was increased by administration of CA in APAP-treated mice. Mechanistically, CA facilitated Nrf2 translocation into nuclear through blocking the interaction between Nrf2 and Keap1, which, in turn, upregulated anti-oxidant genes mRNA expression. Taken together, our results indicate that CA facilitates Nrf2 nuclear translocation, causing induction of Nrf2-dependent genes, which contributes to protection from acetaminophen hepatotoxicity.

• 한국연초학회지
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• 제27권2호
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• pp.171-177
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• 2005

Coconut based activated carbon and silica-gels were impregnated with 3-aminopropyltri ethoxysilan(APS) and N-(2-aminoethyl)-3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane (AEAPS) in order to investigate the effect of the amine group and the pore size of the supports on the removal of hydrogen cyanide(HCN) and aldehydes in mainstream smoke(MS). The physicochemical properties of the supports were analyzed by using thermal gravity analyzer(TGA), $N_2$ adsorption and desorption isotherms$(BET,\;N_2)$, and SEM-EDS. According to our experimental data, there was no significant difference in the delivery amount of HCN and aldehydes of non-functionalized silica-gels having meso-pores bigger than $20\AA$. In the case of silica-gels functionalized with APS(APS silica-gel), the delivery amounts of hydrogen cyanide(HCN) and aldehydes decreased with the increase of APS concentration. Silica-gel functionalized with AEAPS(AEAPS silica-gel) showed higher removal efficiency than that of APS silica-gels. The delivery amounts of HCN and aldehydes of activated carbon impregnated with APS and AEAPS increased with the increase of the APS and AEAPS concentrations. In accordance with the specific surface area analysis results, APS and AEAPS molecules decreased the specific surface area by blocking the micro-pores of the activated carbon. The volatile organic components removal efficiency by the micro-pores was higher than that of the amine group impregnated into the activated carbon.

• Toxicological Research
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• 제31권1호
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• pp.11-16
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• 2015

Our body's immune system has defense mechanisms against pathogens such as viruses and bacteria. Immune responses are primarily initiated by the activation of toll-like receptors (TLRs). In particular, TLR4 is well-characterized and is known to be activated by gram-negative bacteria and tissue damage signals. TLR4 requires myeloid differentiation factor 2 (MD2) as a co-receptor to recognize its ligand, lipopolysaccharides (LPS), which is an extracellular membrane component of gram-negative bacteria. Gambogic acid is a xanthonoid isolated from brownish or orange resin extracted from Garcinia hanburyi. Its primary effect is tumor suppression. Since inflammatory responses are related to the development of cancer, we hypothesized that gambogic acid may regulate TLR4 activation. Our results demonstrated that gambogic acid decreased the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines ($TNF-{\alpha}$, IL-6, IL-12, and $IL-1{\beta}$) in both mRNA and protein levels in bone marrow-derived primary macrophages after stimulation with LPS. Gambogic acid did not inhibit the activation of Interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) induced by TBK1 overexpression in a luciferase reporter gene assay using IFN-${\beta}$-PRD III-I-luc. An in vitro kinase assay using recombinant TBK1 revealed that gambogic acid did not directly inhibit TBK1 kinase activity, and instead suppressed the binding of LPS to MD2, as determined by an in vitro binding assay and confocal microscopy analysis. Together, our results demonstrate that gambogic acid disrupts LPS interaction with the TLR4/MD2 complex, the novel mechanism by which it suppresses TLR4 activation.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• 제44권3호
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• pp.229-234
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• 2017

Photoperiod is one of the factors affecting productivity of cucumber plant by inducing ethylene hormone production and so triggering flower sex differentiation into female flower. However, only few studies have been perfomed in order to reveal the effect of photoperiod in molecular level in relation to the flower differentiation. Therefore, in this study, Mercy cultivar of cucumber (andromonoecious) was treated with photoperiod of 8, 12, 16 hours of light, while control received no treatment of additional light. Photoperiod of 8 hours was achieved by blocking the sunlight with shade net and 16 hours by giving longer light exposure using white LEDs. Cucumber's flowers were quantified and the apical and lateral shoots were extracted to evaluate the gene profile related to the photoperiod, ethylene production, and female flower differentiation, which were CsACS2, CsETR1, CsCaN, and CsPIF4 using PCR method. Photoperiod of 8 hours affected the production of female flower with average number of 6.7 flowers in main stem and 8.0 flowers in lateral stem, compared to photoperiod of 12 and 16 hours which produced 3.7 and 2.0 flowers in main stem with 7.0 and 11.3 in lateral stem, respectively. In silico studies in this experiment resulted in proposed model of signal transduction that showed the connection between ethylene production and flower differentiation. PCR analysis confirmed the expression of CsACS2, CsETR1, and CsCaN, that was positively correlated with numbers of female flowers in cucumber, but the expression of CsPIF4 that represent photoperiod haven't been confirmed correlated with the ethylene production and flower differentiation.

• 생약학회지
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• 제51권3호
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• pp.178-185
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• 2020

In this study, the effect of complex hot water extracts of Cirsium jaonicum, Artemisia annua and Curcuma longa (CAC) on the improvement of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) was investigated. CAC inhibited fatty acid synthesis and lipid accumulation in HepG2 cells cultured with free fatty acid (FFA). In the NAFLD animal model, CAC extract suppressed the increase in body weight, liver, and epididymis fat weight, and suppressed the increase in hepatocyte fat and blood triglyceride. In addition, by blocking the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway, cells were protected from oxidative stress in hepatocytes. Moreover, CAC inhibited the expression of COX-2, iNOS, TNF-α and IL-17 in hepatocytes. These results suggest the possibility that CAC extract can be applied in the field of health functional foods and pharmaceuticals for improvement and prevention of NAFLD.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제37권8호
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• pp.628-635
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• 2014

2-(Trimethylammonium) ethyl (R)-3-methoxy-3-oxo-2-stearamidopropyl phosphate [(R)-TEMOSPho], a derivative of an organic chemical identified from a natural product library, promotes highly efficient megakaryopoiesis. Here, we show that (R)-TEMOSPho blocks osteoclast maturation from progenitor cells of hematopoietic origin, as well as blocking the resorptive function of mature osteoclasts. The inhibitory effect of (R)-TEMOSPho on osteoclasts was due to a disruption of the actin cytoskeleton, resulting from impaired downstream signaling of c-Fms, a receptor for macrophage-colony stimulating factor linked to c-Cbl, phosphoinositol-3-kinase (PI3K), Vav3, and Rac1. In addition, (R)-TEMOSPho blocked inflammation-induced bone destruction by reducing the numbers of osteoclasts produced in mice. Thus, (R)-TEMOSPho may represent a promising new class of antiresorptive drugs for the treatment of bone loss associated with increased osteoclast maturation and activity.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• 제14권6호
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• pp.727-731
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• 2005

Synthesized Ile-Ala-Val-Pro (IAVP) peptide, which has the highest hypocholesterolemic effect among a number of synthesized derivatives of Ile-Ala-Val-Pro-Gly-Glu-Val-Ala (IAVPGEVA) isolated from 11S globulin of soy protein by pepsin digestion, was selected for investigation in the present study. Using a recombinant Syrian hamster 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMGR), we studied in detail the inhibition of this enzyme by IAVP and compared the action of this peptide to that of lovastatin, a known competitive inhibitor of this enzyme. The concentration of IAVP required for 50% inhibition ($IC_{50}$) of HMGR activity in given experimental conditions was $340\;{\mu}M$. Kinetic analysis revealed that the studied peptide is a competitive inhibitor of HMGR with respect to both 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH), with an equilibrium constant of inhibitor binding ($K_i\;=\;[E][I]/[EI]$) of $61{\pm}1.2\;{\mu}M$ and $157{\pm}4.4\;{\mu}M$, respectively. At the same conditions, $K_i$ and $IC_{50}$ for lovastatin were $2.2{\pm}0.1\;nM$ and 12.5 nM, respectively. Thus, the given peptide interacts with HMGR as a bisubstrate, consequently blocking access of both substrates to the active sites. The achieved results suggest the design of new peptide sequences having a higher relative affinity to binding sites of this enzyme and an enhancement of their hypocholesterolemic properties.