• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• 제55권4호
• /
• pp.425-428
• /
• 2017

Human diphyllobothriasis is a parasitic disease caused by ingestion of larvae (plerocercoids) in raw or undercooked fish and commonly found in temperate areas. Rare cases were reported in tropical or subtropical areas especially in children. The first documented case of pediatric diphyllobothriasis in Taiwan had been reported 11 years ago. Here, we report another 8-year-old girl case who presented with a live noodle-like worm hanging down from her anus, with no other detectable symptoms. We pulled the worm out and found the strobila being 260 cm in length. Examination of gravid proglottids showed that they were wider than their lengths, containing an ovoid cirrus sac in the anterior side and the rosette-shaped uterus. Eggs extracted from the uterus were ovoid and operculated. Diphyllobothrium latum was confirmed by molecular analysis of the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) gene. The girl was treated with a single oral dose of praziquantel, and no eggs or proglottids were observed from her stool in the subsequent 3 months. The reemergence of human diphyllobothriasis in non-endemic countries is probably due to prevalent habit of eating imported raw fish from endemic areas. This pediatric case raised our concern that human diphyllobothriasis is likely underestimated because of unremarkable symptoms.

• 대한본초학회지
• /
• 제32권3호
• /
• pp.71-78
• /
• 2017

Objectives : The various grape extracts derived from grape pulp, seed and skin, containing various types of polyphenols and flavonoids, have been known to have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and improve cardiovascular condition as well as sun's damaging effects. However, there have been rare reports of various beneficial effects of grape fruit stem extract (GFSE), one of the waste products of grapes. We investigated anti-inflammatory and melanogenesis inhibitory effects of GFSE. Methods : One-hundred gram of grape fruit stem was extracted with 80% ethanol at room temperature for 3 days. After filtration, the ethanol was removed using vacuum evaporator, then lyophilized to obtain the dry extract which was stored at $-20^{\circ}C$ until used. NO levels were measured by using Greiss reagent. Prostaglandin $E_2$ ($PGE_2$) production was measured by ELISA assay. The expression levels of iNOS, COX-2, TRP-1 and TRP-2 were evaluated by western blot analysis. Results : GFSE reduced the level of nitric oxide and prostaglandin $E_2$ ($PGE_2$) production in a dose-dependent manner, compared to control. Expressions of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) protein were also effectively inhibited by the GFSE. In a tyrosinase inhibitory activity, GFSE significantly reduced the tyrosinase activity and melanin content in a dose dependent manner, compared to control. GFSE also decreased the expression of tyrosinase related protein-1 (TRP-1) and tyrosinase related protein-2 (TRP-2), known as a melanocyte-specific gene product involved in melanin synthesis. Conclusions : Therefore, these results indicated that GFSE had powerful anti-inflammatory and anti-melanogenic effects.

• BMB Reports
• /
• 제40권2호
• /
• pp.189-195
• /
• 2007

Although the incidence and severity of atopic dermatitis (AD) is steadily increasing at an alarming rate, its pathogenic mechanisms remain poorly understood yet. Recently, we found that the expression of Grb7 protein was markedly decreased in AD patients using proteomic analysis. In the present study, human Grb7 gene was fused with PEP-1 peptide in a bacterial expression vector to produce a genetic in-frame PEP-1-Grb7 fusion protein. The expressed and purified PEP-1-Grb7 fusion proteins transduced efficiently into skin cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner when added exogenously in culture media. Once inside the cells, the transduced PEP-1-Grb7 protein was stable for 48 h. In addition, transduced PEP-1-Grb7 fusion protein markedly increased cell viability in macrophage RAW 264.7 cells treated with LPS by inhibition of the COX-2 expression level. These results suggest that the PEP-1-Grb7 fusion protein can be used in protein therapy for inflammatory skin disorders, including AD.

• 생명과학회지
• /
• 제33권6호
• /
• pp.471-480
• /
• 2023

본 연구에서는 LPS로 자극된 RAW 264.7 세포에서 생물전환 루모라고사리 추출물(B-RAE)의 항염증 효과 및 작용기전을 연구하였다. B-RAE의 총 폴리페놀과 총 플라보노이드 함량을 측정한 결과 379.26±7.77 mg/g과 50.85±3.08 mg/g으로 각각 나타났다. B-RAE의 항산화효과를 측정한 결과 DPPH, ABTS, superoxide anion radical을 농도의존적으로 소거하는 것으로 확인되었다. 또한, B-RAE는 세포생존에 영향을 미치지 않으면서 NO 생성을 처리 농도의존적으로 저해하였다. 전염증성 사이토카인(TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6) 발현에 미치는 영향을 정량적 실시간 PCR로 측정한 결과 전염증성 사이토카인의 mRNA발현량을 LPS 처리군과 비교하여 B-RAE 처리 농도 의존적으로 유의성 있게 감소시키는 것으로 나타났다. 염증 관련 단백질(iNOS, COX-2)의 발현 및 전사인자인 NF-κB와 MAPK 신호경로 단백질의 인산화에 미치는 영향을 Western blot분석으로 평가하였다. 그 결과 LPS 처리에 의하여 증가된 iNOS와 COX-2의 발현을 유의적으로 억제하였다. 또한, LPS 처리에 의하여 증가된 NF-κB와 IκB의 인산화가 B-RAE 처리에 의하여 감소되는 것으로 나타났다. MAPK 신호경로 단백질의 인산화에 미치는 영향을 측정한 결과 ERK와 p38 MAPK 단백질의 인산화는 농도의존적으로 감소하는 것으로 나타났으나 JNK의 인산화는 증가하는 것으로 나타났다. 따라서 이러한 B-RAE의 항염증 효과는 높은 항산화 활성, iNOS와 COX-2 발현 억제를 통한 NO 생성 억제, NF-κB경로 저해, MAPK 신호경로 조절 및 전염증성 사이토카인 발현 저해에 의해 가능하다는 것을 제시한다.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• 제22권5호
• /
• pp.390-399
• /
• 2014

Chalcones (1,3-diaryl-2-propen-1-ones), a flavonoid subfamily, are widely known for their anti-inflammatory properties. Propenone moiety in chalcones is known to play an important role in generating biological responses by chalcones. In the present study, we synthesized chalcone derivatives structurally modified in propenone moiety and examined inhibitory effect on nitric oxide (NO) production and its potential mechanisms. Among the chalcone derivatives used for this study, TI-I-174 (3-(2-Hydroxyphenyl)-1-(thiophen-3-yl)prop-2-en-1-one) most potently inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated nitrite production in RAW 264.7 macrophages. TI-I-174 treatment also markedly inhibited inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression. However, TI-I-174 did not significantly affect production of IL-6, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ (TNF-${\alpha}$), implying that TI-I-174 inhibits production of inflammatory mediators in a selective manner. Treatment of macrophages with TI-I-174 significantly inhibited transcriptional activity of activator protein-1 (AP-1) as determined by luciferase reporter gene assay, whereas nuclear factor-${\kappa}B$ (NF-${\kappa}B$) activity was not affected by TI-I-1744. In addition, TI-I-174 significantly inhibited activation of c-Jun-N-Terminal kinase (JNK) without affecting ERK1/2 and p38MAPK, indicating that down-regulation of iNOS gene expression by TI-I-174 is mainly attributed by blockade of JNK/AP-1 activation. We also demonstrated that TI-I-174 treatment led to an increase in heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression both at mRNA and protein level. Transfection of siRNA targeting HO-1 reversed TI-I-174-mediated inhibition of nitrite production. Taken together, these results indicate that TI-I-174 suppresses NO production in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages via induction of HO-1 and blockade of AP-1 activation.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• 제16권1호
• /
• pp.23-29
• /
• 2015

Background: Current cancer therapy mainly focuses on identifying novel targets crucial for tumorigenesis. The FoxM1 is of preference as an anticancer target, due to its significance in execution of mitosis, cell cycle progression, as well as other signal pathways leading to tumorigenesis. FoxM1 is partially regulated by oncoproteins or tumor suppressors, which are often mutated, lost, or overexpressed in human cancer. Since sustaining proliferating signaling is an important hallmark of cancer, FoxM1 is overexpressed in a series of human malignancies. Alarge-scale gene expression analysis also identified FoxM1 as a differentially-expressed gene in most solid tumors. Furthermore, overexpressed FoxM1 is correlated with the prognosis of cancer patients, as verified in a series of malignancies by Cox regression analysis. Thus, extensive studies have been conducted to explore the roles of FoxM1 in tumorigenesis, making it an attractive target for anticancer therapy. Several antitumor drugs have been reported to target or inhibit FoxM1 expression in different cancers, and down-regulation of FoxM1 also abrogates drug resistance in some cancer cell lines, highlighting a promising future for FoxM1 application in the clinic.

• 한국버섯학회지
• /
• 제13권4호
• /
• pp.330-333
• /
• 2015

영지버섯과 기타 약용버섯류를 에탄올 용매로 추출하여 농축한 뒤, $100{\mu}g/ml$의 농도로 처리하여 아질산염 소거능을 실험한 결과 양성대조구인 Ascorbic acid는 25%의 소거능을 보이는데 반해 영지버섯 중 ASI 7080은 40%이상 소거하는 것으로 나타났으며, 그 다음으로는 상황버섯이 37%를 보였다. ASI 7002도 양성대조구보다 높게 나타났고, 그 이외의 다른 실험구는 양성대조구인 Ascorbic acid보다 낮은 아질산염 소거능을 보였다. NO assay 실험을 한 결과, 양성대조구로 쓰인 Ascorbic acid는 항염증 효능이 55%인데 반해 ASI 7002는 78.5%로 가장 높은 항염증 효능을 보였으며, 그 다음으로 ASI 7063이 67.5%를 보였다. 기타 약용버섯류인 동충하초는 71.2%로 가장 높게 나타났으며, 노루궁뎅이 버섯은 59.7%의 소거능을 보였다. 영지버섯 ASI 7002를 에탄올 용매로 추출하여 농축한 뒤, 농도별(10, 50, $100{\mu}g/ml$)로 처리하고 LPS $10{\mu}g/ml$ 처리한 RAW 264.7 cell 에서 RNA를 추출하여 cDNA를 합성한 후 Real-time PCR kit를 이용하여 염증 관련 유전자인 iNOS와 COX-2와 TNF-a의 primer를 Table 1과 같이 제작하였고, iNOS와 COX-2와 TNF-a의 발현정도를 본 결과 세 유전자 모두 농도 의존적으로 발현이 억제되는 것을 확인할 수 있었다.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• 제14권10호
• /
• pp.5915-5920
• /
• 2013

Aim: Although aberrant miRNA expression has been documented, altered miR-101 expression in cervical cancer and its carcinogenic effects and mechanisms remain unexplored. The aim of our study was to investigate the role of miR-101 alteration in cervical carcinogenesis. Methods: Expression of miR-101 was examined by quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR) in Hela cells. After modulating miR-101 expression using miR-101 mimics, cell growth, apoptosis and proliferation, and migration were tested separately by MTT or flow cytometry and cell wound healing assay and protein expression was detected by qRT-PCR. The expression of COX-2 in Hela cell was also examined by immunohistochemical staining and the correlation with miR-101 expression was analysed. Results: The miR-101 demonstrated significantly low expression in Hela cell. When we transfected miR-101 mimics into Hela cells, the modulation of miR-101 expression remarkably influenced cell proliferation, cycling and apoptosis: 1) The expression of microRNA-101 tended to increase after transfection; 2) Overexpression of miR-101 was able to promote cell apoptosis, the apoptosis rate being markedly higher (97.6%) than that seen pre-transfection (12.2%) (P<0.05); 3) The miR-101 negatively regulates cell migration and invasion, scratch results being lower ($42.7um{\pm}2um$) than that observed pre-transfection ($181.4um{\pm}2um$); 4) miRNA-101 inhibits the proliferation of Hela cells as well as the level of COX-2 protein, which was negatively correlated with miR-101 expression. Conclusions: Overexpression of miR-101 has obvious inhibitory effects on cell proliferation, migration and invasion. Thus reduced miR-101 expression could participate in the development of cervical cancer at least partly through loss of inhibition of target gene COX-2, which probably occurs in a relative late phase of carcinogenesis. Our data suggest an important role of miR-101 in the molecular etiology of cancer and indicate potential application of miR-101 in cancer therapy.

• 대한예방한의학회지
• /
• 제11권1호
• /
• pp.9-21
• /
• 2007

This study was performed to evaluate the effect of Carthami tinctorius(HH) on osteoblast function and gene expression. The osteoblasts separated from the rat calvariae were cultivated to evaluate the cell function, and MG-63 cell was also cultivated for the test of mRNA synthesis. In this experiments, cell proliferation of rat calvarial cells was increased by HH. PKC activity, intracellular free calcium level and collgen synthesis from calvarial cells were increased by HH, but not PKA activity. And the mRNA of $PLA_2$, COX-2, and $PGE_2$ synthase from MG-63 were decreased by HH, but the mRNA of prostacyclin synthase was increased. It is concluded that HH might increase the proliferation of calvarial cell resulted from augumentation of osteoblast activity and its mRNA synthesis.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• 제52권6호
• /
• pp.673-676
• /
• 2014

Until 2012, a total of 48 cases of diphyllobothriasis had been reported in Korea, all of which were morphologically identified as Diphyllobothrium latum. However, some of these specimens were analyzed by nucleotide sequencing of the mitochondrial cox1 gene, which showed that all were D. nihonkaiense, not D. latum. After that, 3 further cases of diphyllobothriasis were confirmed as D. nihonkaiense. In the present study, 3 new cases of D. nihonkaiense were detected from 2011 through 2013. The hosts were infected through consumption of salmonid fishes, such as the trout or salmon, and 2 of them experienced severe diarrhea prior to proglottid passage. All of the tapeworms were confirmed to be D. nihonkaiense by genetic identification. This proved again that most diphyllobothriasis in Korea have been caused by D. nihonkaiense.