• Journal of Nutrition and Health
• /
• v.30 no.9
• /
• pp.1102-1108
• /
• 1997

The purpose of this study was to find the extent of lipid peroxidation of erythrocytes in cigarette smokers, and to determine the relative effectiveness of $\beta$-carotene, canthaxanthin , and $\alpha$-tocopherol as antioxidants. Thirty smokers and 30 nonsmokers participated in this study . No significant differences according to age, sex, and height were shown. Cigarette smokers in this study had higher hemoglobin concentrations and more oxidation of hemoglobin than non-smokers. In addition, the erythrocytes of cigarette smokers had significantly higher MDA concentrations than crythrocytes of nonsmokers, which suggests that smokers may have tocopherol were studied in vitro by measuring the concentration of malondialdehyde(MDA) and precent hemolysis of erythrocytes. The addition of any antioxidant to erythrocytes significantly decreased MDA concentrations(p<0.05) while antioxidants showed nonsignificant inhibition of hemolysis. Among the antioxidant used in this study, canthaxanthin showed the greatest inhibition of both lipid peroxidationand hemolysis. Meanwhile, $\alpha$-tocopherol showed potent inhibition of lipid peroxidation, but not of hemolysis.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
• /
• v.14 no.3
• /
• pp.207-216
• /
• 1991

Pseudixus japonicus agglutinin (PJA) was isolated. And its characteristics were compared with those of concanavalin A (Con A). PJA is a glycopritein composed of 49.3% carbohydrate and 50.7% protein which had relatively high percentages of glutamic acid, aspartic acid and phenylalanine residues. The hemagglutinating activity of PJA was approximately one-eighth of that of Con A when tested with mouse crythrocytes. PJA failed to simulate the proliferation or transformation of human and mouse lymphocytes in contratst to Con A. PJA and Con A showed cytotoxicities against SNU-1 (human stomach cancer cells), SNU-CI (human colon cancer cells) and mouse Sarcoma 180 cells when tested by 3-(4, 5-dimethyl thiazol-2-yl)2. 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MIT) colorimetric assay. The antitumor activity of the lectin in vivo was also tested in Sarcoma 180 bearing mice. There was no significant difference in prologation of lifc span of the mice after the treatment with PJA and Con A for 10 consecutive days.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
• /
• v.19 no.1
• /
• pp.39-44
• /
• 1995

Total saponin from Korean red ginseng changed thermodynamic parameters of membranes from dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) and ghost erythrocytes of human. In liposomes from DPPC, temperature of the main transition (Lb'-La) in liquid-crystalline phase increases by 0.2$^{\circ}C$ in average, but enthalpy does not change. Total saponin at a concentration of smaller than $10^5$% "stabilizes" the timid bilayers. At larger than 0.07 of saponin/DPPC ratio, saponin leads to an exclusion of the bound lipid molecules from the main phase transition into lamella liquid crystalline La-phase. Total saponin influences specifically all erythrocyte membrane transitions in a concentration-dependent manner, i.e. on the structures of all the main membrane skeleton proteins. A high structural specificity of saponin with membrane proteins, could be a base of specificity of physiological response of not only erythrocytes, but also other cells.her cells.