• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.58 no.2
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• pp.173-179
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• 2020

Leishmaniasis is a prevalent cause of death and animal morbidity in underdeveloped countries of endemic area. However, there is few vaccine and effective drugs. Antimicrobial peptides are involved in the innate immune response in many organisms and are being developed as novel drugs against parasitic infections. In the present study, we synthesized a 5-amino acid peptide REDLK, which mutated the C-terminus of Pseudomonas exotoxin, to identify its effect on the Leishmania tarentolae. Promastigotes were incubated with different concentration of REDLK peptide, and the viability of parasite was assessed using MTT and Trypan blue dye. Morphologic damage of Leishmania was analyzed by light and electron microscopy. Cellular apoptosis was observed using the annexin V-FITC/PI apoptosis detection kit, mitochondrial membrane potential assay kit and flow cytometry. Our results showed that Leishmania tarentolae was susceptible to REDLK in a dose-dependent manner, disrupt the surface membrane integrity and caused parasite apoptosis. In our study, we demonstrated the leishmanicidal activity of an antimicrobial peptide REDLK from Pseudomonas aeruginosa against Leishmania tarentolae in vitro and present a foundation for further research of anti-leishmanial drugs.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.55-72
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• 1983

These studies were done to find out any difference, ultrastructural, physical or chemical, between the shells of diapausing and non-diapausing eggs of the silkworm, Bombyx mori L. 1. From the electron-microscopic observation, the egg shells have four distinctive layers. In addition to the four layers, the shells in the diapausing eggs has another layer with low electron density on its surface. 2. The permeability of the egg shell to hydrochloride was much lower in diapausing egg than in non-diapausing egg. Also the permeability changed in the opposite directions with the egg age: the diapausing eggs decreased while non-diapausing ones increased. 3. The permeability increased when the diapausing egg shell was treated with HCl. When they were treated with ether, however, the increase in permeability was much smaller. It seems there was an ether soluble material involved in the content of the egg shell. 4. The diapausing eggs were also much more resistant to desiccation than the non-diapausing ones. The former, when treated with HCl or chilling, became less resistant to desiccation. 5. The positive histochemical response of the egg shell to PAS-Alcian blue and protein stainings suggests presence of abundant proteins and carbohydrates in the egg shell. On the other hand, the staining response to lipid was more positive in the inner layers than in the outer layer of the shell. 6. The egg shell adhesives seems to be mucopolysaccharides produced by colleterial glands, since the oviposited eggs showed a positive responses to carbohydrate and negative to lipid-staining chemicals, but not the mature oocytes in the ovarioles. 7. There were two bands on the electrophoretic pattern of the SH proteins extracted from the egg shells both in the diapausing egg and non-diapausing one: a slow moving major component and a fast moving minor one. However, the electrophoretic mobility showed a difference in the minor components between them. It is evident that the fast moving minor one of non-diapausing egg ran a little further than that of diapausing egg. 8. In amino acids analysis, no significant differences were found in their composition between diapausing and non-diapausing egg and SH proteins contain relatively more glycine and less cystine.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.233-241
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• 2005

Plants have considerable advantages for the production of antigenic proteins because they provide an inexpensive source of protein and an easy administration of vaccine. Since a publication describing edible plant vaccine of HBsAg in 1992, a number of laboratories around the world have studied the use of plants as the bioreactor to produce antigenic proteins of human or animal pathogens. Over the last ten years, these works have been mainly focused on three major strategies for the production of antigenic proteins in plants: stable genetic transformation of either the nuclear or plastid genome, or transient expression in plants using viral vectors. As many antigenic proteins have been expressed in tobacco, also several laboratories have succeeded to express genes encoding antigenic proteins in other crop plants: potato, tomato, maize, carrot, soybean and spinach. At present many works for the production of edible plant vaccine against bacteria-mediated diseases have mostly performed the studies of enterotoxins and adhesion proteins. Also the development of new-type antigens (pili, flagella, surface protein, other enterotoxin and exotoxin etc.) is required for various targets and more efficacy to immunize against microorganism pathogens. Many works mostly studied in experimental animals had good results, and phase I clinical trial of LTB clearly indicated its immunogenic ability. On the other hand, edible plant vaccines have still problems remained to be solved. In addition to the accumulation of sufficient antigen in plants, human health, environment and agriculture regulation should be proven. Also oral tolerance, the physiological response to food antigens and commensal flora is the induction of a state of specific immunological unresponsiveness, needs to be addressed before plant-derived vaccine becomes a therapeutic option.

• Journal of Dental Rehabilitation and Applied Science
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.61-72
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• 2021

A beautiful smile is made when it is symmetrical and gums are displayed less than 2 - 3 mm. Excessive gingival display also known as "gummy smile" is often recognized to be unaesthetic. Causes of gummy smile can be caused by delayed eruption, vertical maxillary excess, hypermobile upper lip, or a short upper lip. Meanwhile botulinum toxin which is an exotoxin produced from Clostridium botulinum, works by blocking the release of acetylcholine from the cholinergic nerve end plates leading to inactivity of the muscles. The application site and weakens the muscle tone is drawing attention as a gummy smile treatment caused by hypermobile upper lip. There have been many studies about the method of injecting botulinum toxin into muscles around the lips, but there is still no standardized research method and treatment method, so there is controversy over the therapeutic effect. The aim of this study is to review the previous studies about the predictors of indication and effects of gummy smile treatment using botulinum toxin injection. Especially we tried to propose a protocol for optimal dose and efficient injection point through the anatomical considerations for gummy smile treatment using botulinum toxin.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.430-440
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• 2023

The type three secretion system (T3SS) is a major virulence system of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa). The effector protein Exotoxin S (ExoS) produced by P. aeruginosa is secreted into the host cells via the T3SS. For the purpose of an experiment on inhibitors with regard to ExoS secretion, we developed a sandwich-type enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) system. Quercetin was selected because it has a prominent ExoS inhibition effect and also is known to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects on mammalian cells. In this study, we investigated the effects of quercetin on the expression and secretion of ExoS using ELISA and Western blot analysis methods. The results showed that the secretion of ExoS was significantly decreased by 10 and 20 µM of quercetin. Also, popB, popD, pscF, and pcrV which are composed of the T3SS needle, are reduced by quercetin at the mRNA level. We also confirmed the inhibitory effect of quercetin on cytokines (IL-6, IL-1β, and IL-18) in P. aeruginosa-infected H292 cells by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and ELISA. Collectively, quercetin inhibits the secretion of ExoS by reducing both ExoS production and the expression of the needle protein of T3SS. Furthermore, these results suggest that quercetin has the potential to be used as an anti-toxic treatment for the inflammatory disease caused by P. aeruginosa infection.