• Journal of Korean Dental Science
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• 제2권1호
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• pp.11-18
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to investigate the possibility to reduce the toxicity of oil based root canal sealers containing calcium hydroxide using MTT & agar overlay assays. Thus some formulations of traditional root canal sealers were replaced with oil-soluble solvents and experimental root canal sealers manufactured. In MTT assay, Cell viability of all experimental sealers in addition with oil soluble solvents were observed significantly higher than both control groups, especially according to replace zinc and/or calcium ion components. Also agar overlay assay was appeared moderate to no cell responses into modifying both zinc and/or calcium ion components and oil soluble solvent weight. Authors found the reducing effect of cell toxicity through significant role of oil soluble solvent factor into root canal sealer containing calcium hydroxide.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• 제35권7호
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• pp.1933-1938
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• 2014

Despite increasing importance of in vitro cell-based assays for the assessment of nanoparticles (NPs) cytotoxicity, their suitability for the assessment of NPs toxicity is still in doubt. Here, limitations of widely used cell viability assay protocol (i.e., MTT asssay) for the cytotoxicity assessment of P25 $TiO_2$ NPs were carefully examined and an alternative toxicity assessment method to overcome these limitations was proposed, where the artifacts caused by extracellularly formed formazan and light scattered by agglomerated NPs were minimized by measuring only the intracellular formazan via image cytometric methods.

• 대한의생명과학회지
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• 제28권4호
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• pp.307-311
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• 2022

The extract of EA lacks studies showing its efficacy other than that it contains caffeic acid, an active compound that has antioxidant and neuroprotective effects on nerve cells. Therefore, in this study, we attempted to determine the effectiveness of EA extraction. In this study, we performed a DPPH assay to determine the antioxidant potential of EA. And then, the cytotoxic concentration of EA in HaCaT keratinocytes was determined, and the antioxidant effect was determined by measuring the malondialdehyde (MDA). The results of DPPH, a chemical antioxidant assay, clearly demonstrated the antioxidant capacity of EA extracted with distilled water. In addition, cell-based assays provide useful information on the protective effect of EA on oxidative stress-induced apoptosis.

• International Journal of Stem Cells
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• 제17권2호
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• pp.130-140
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• 2024

Cardiac organoids have emerged as invaluable tools for assessing the impact of diverse substances on heart function. This report introduces guidelines for general requirements for manufacturing cardiac organoids and conducting cardiac organoid-based assays, encompassing protocols, analytical methodologies, and ethical considerations. In the quest to employ recently developed three-dimensional cardiac organoid models as substitutes for animal testing, it becomes imperative to establish robust criteria for evaluating organoid quality and conducting toxicity assessments. This guideline addresses this need, catering to regulatory requirements, and describes common standards for organoid quality and toxicity assessment methodologies, commensurate with current technological capabilities. While acknowledging the dynamic nature of technological progress and the potential for future comparative studies, this guideline serves as a foundational framework. It offers a comprehensive approach to standardized cardiac organoid testing, ensuring scientific rigor, reproducibility, and ethical integrity in investigations of cardiotoxicity, particularly through the utilization of human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiac organoids.

• Toxicological Research
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• 제29권4호
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• pp.249-255
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• 2013

Erythritol is a sugar alcohol that is widely used as a natural sugar substitute. Thus, the safety of its usage is very important. In the present study, short-term genotoxicity assays were conducted to evaluate the potential genotoxic effects of erythritol. According to the OECD test guidelines, the maximum test dose was 5,000 ${\mu}g$/plate in bacterial reverse mutation tests, 5,000 ${\mu}g/ml$ in cell-based assays, and 5,000 mg/kg for in vivo testing. An Ames test did not reveal any positive results. No clastogenicity was observed in a chromosomal aberration test with CHL cells or an in vitro micronucleus test with L5178Y $tk^{+/-}$ cells. Erythritol induced a marginal increase of DNA damage at two high doses by 24 hr of exposure in a comet assay using L5178Y $tk^{+/-}$ cells. Additionally, in vivo micronucleus tests clearly demonstrated that oral administration of erythritol did not induce micronuclei formation of the bone marrow cells of male ICR mice. Taken together, our results indicate that erythritol is not mutagenic to bacterial cells and does not cause chromosomal damage in mammalian cells either in vitro or in vivo.

• 한국식생활문화학회지
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• 제35권2호
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• pp.215-223
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• 2020

Ganjang and doenjang are known as major fermented soy-based foods in Koreans. Current investigations have proved that fermented soybean foods impart anti-cancer, anti-obesity, and anti-diabetic effects. The aim of this study was to evaluate the anti-cancer activities of commercialized soy food, Ganjang, as a function of aging period. The test groups were classified into four time periods-short (under 5 years, S group), mid (under 10 years, M group), long (under 15 years, L group), and eternal (over 15 years, E group). The anti-cancer effects of Ganjang were determined by cell cytotoxicity assay of three types of cancer cell lines and splenocyte proliferation assay. Besides these assays, we also analyzed NK cell activity for cancer immunotherapy. The results show that the anti-cancer effect increased in the S and M period aging groups for all three cancer cell lines. Interestingly, similar to the anti-cancer result, splenocyte proliferation and NK activity showed the highest effect in the S and M groups. In contrast, Japanese ganjang-treated (JG1, JG2) groups and E group showed significantly reduced splenocyte proliferation. Collectively, these results suggest that the short and middle periods of traditional fermented Ganjang might have potential anti-cancer activities.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제15권4호
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• pp.261-265
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• 2007

Hydroxyproline (HYP) is a post-translational product of proline hydroxylation catalyzed by an enzyme prolyl 4-hydroxylase (P4H) which plays a crucial role in the synthesis of all collagens. Considering the role of collagen and its significance in many clinically important diseases such as liver fibrosis, a great deal of attention has been directed toward the development of an assay at cell-based system. The reason is that cell-based assay system is more efficient than enzyme-based in vitro system and takes much less time than in vivo system. Several assay procedures developed for P4H are laborious, time-consuming and not feasible for the massive-screening. Here, we report the cell-based assay method of prolyl 4-hydroxylase in immortalized rat hepatic stellate HSC-T6 cells. To optimize the cell culture condition to assay for HYP content, various concentrations of reagents were treated for different times in HSC-T6 cells. Our data showed that the treatment with ascorbate in a hypoxic condition for 24 h resulted in the maximal increase of HYP by 1.8 fold. Alternatively, cobalt chloride ($5\;{\mu}M$) and ascorbate ($50\;{\mu}M$) in normoxic states exhibited similar effect on the production of HYP as in a hypoxic condition. Therefore, cobalt chloride can be substituted for a hypoxic condition when an anaerobic chamber is not available. Rosiglitazone and HOE077, known as inhibitors of collagen, synthesis decreased P4H enzyme activity by 32.3% and 15%, respectively, which coincided with previous reports from liver tissues. The level of the smooth muscle ${\alpha}$-actin, a marker of activated stellate cells, was significantly increased under hypoxia, suggesting that our experimental condition could work for screening the anti-fibrotic compounds. The assay procedure took only 3 days after treatment with agents, while assays from the primary stellate cells or liver tissues have taken several weeks. Considering the time and expenses, this assay method could be useful to screen the compounds for the inhibitor of prolyl 4-hydroxylase.

• BMB Reports
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• 제41권5호
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• pp.369-375
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• 2008

Polygonatum cyrtonema Lectin (PCL), which is classified as a monocot mannose-binding lectin, has received great regards for its uniquely biological activities and potentially medical applications in cancer cells. This paper was initially aimed to study apoptosis of PCL on Hela cells. Thus, 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) method was carried out. Through observation of cell morphologic changes and Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity-based cytotoxicity assays, PCL induced HeLa cell apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. To further gain structural basis, multiple alignments, homology modeling and docking experiments were performed to analyze the correlation between its biological activities and mannose-binding sites. Eventually, considering docking data, chemical modification properties on the three mannose-binding sites were analyzed by a series of biological experiments (e.g., hemagglutinating and mitogenic activity assays, fluorescence and Circular Dichrosim (CD) spectroscopy) to profoundly identify the role of some key amino acids in the structure-function relationship of PCL.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제46권12호
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• pp.764-777
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• 2023

Recombinant immunotoxins (RITs) are fusion proteins consisting of a targeting domain linked to a toxin, offering a highly specific therapeutic strategy for cancer treatment. In this study, we engineered and characterized RITs aimed at mesothelin, a cell surface glycoprotein overexpressed in various malignancies. Through an extensive screening of a large nanobody library, four mesothelin-specific nanobodies were selected and genetically fused to a truncated Pseudomonas exotoxin (PE24B). Various optimizations, including the incorporation of furin cleavage sites, maltose-binding protein tags, and tobacco etch virus protease cleavage sites, were implemented to improve protein expression, solubility, and purification. The RITs were successfully overexpressed in Escherichia coli, achieving high solubility and purity post-purification. In vitro cytotoxicity assays on gastric carcinoma cell lines NCI-N87 and AGS revealed that Meso(Nb2)-PE24B demonstrated the highest cytotoxic efficacy, warranting further characterization. This RIT also displayed selective binding to human and monkey mesothelins but not to mouse mesothelin. The competitive binding assays between different RIT constructs revealed significant alterations in IC₅₀ values, emphasizing the importance of nanobody specificity. Finally, a modification in the endoplasmic reticulum retention signal at the C-terminus further augmented its cytotoxic activity. Our findings offer valuable insights into the design and optimization of RITs, showcasing the potential of Meso(Nb2)-PE24B as a promising therapeutic candidate for targeted cancer treatment.

• 한국자원식물학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국자원식물학회 2019년도 춘계학술대회
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• pp.121-121
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• 2019

In Islamic dietary guidelines, Halal foods are allowed as edible blessed food. Most foods were categorized within halal for Muslims. The main point of Halal food is that foods are clean in every process and based on Halal standard which might be different in each country. Most pancreatic ${\beta}$ cells synthetize, store, and release insulin. Specific molecular, functional as well as ultrastructural traits of pancreatic ${\beta}$ cells could control their insulin secretion properties and survival phentoype. Insulin-secreting pancreatic ${\beta}$-cells are essential regulators of mammalian metabolism. In addition, the pancreatic ${\beta}$ cell plays an important role in the pathogenesis of type 1 and type 2 diabetes as improving glucose homeostasis by preserving, expanding and improving the function of this key cell type. However, the pharmacological effect of halal food has not been unclear yet, especially food habit-dependent diabetes. The aim of the this study was to determine the preventive effect of Iran plants extract (Almond, Garlic, Cumin, Ginkgo biloba, Holy basil, Psyllium, Satureja khuzistanica, Fenugreek, Green tea, Ipomoea betatas, Blueberry) on RINm5F cells and MIN6 cells as pancreatic ${\beta}$ cell line. The cytotoxicity of the extracts of Iran plants on RINm5F cells and MIN6 cells were measured by using MTT assays. The preventive effects of Iran plant extracts were measured by WST-8 cell proliferation assay on streptozotocin (STZ)-induced cell death in MIN6 cells. In presented result showed that all extract of Iran plants (0.01-10mg/ml) did not show cytotoxicity in RINm5F cells and MIN6 cells. Among non-cytotoxic extract, the protective effects could be detect in high dose concentration. These results suggest that the extract of Iran plants may serve as a potential therapy for diabetes.