• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.27 no.4
• /
• pp.456-463
• /
• 2017

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of 3 types of medicinal herbs (Glycyrrhizae radix, Astragali radix and Dioscorea rhizoma) extracts on estrogen-like activities, proliferation and differentiation in osteoblast. Human breast cancer cell line MCF7 was transfected using an estrogen responsive luciferase reporter plasmid for measure the estrogen-like activity. Estrogen-like activities of extracts were in the range of 1.11~5.73 fold to that of negative control. The extract of G. radix showed the strongest estrogen-like activities. The estrogen-like activities of 50 and $500{\mu}g/ml$ extracts of G. radix were similar to that of $10^{-8}$ and $10^{-7}$ M standard solution ($17{\beta}-estradiol$), respectively. G. radix extract showed no cytotoxicity against osteoblast MC3T3-E1 cells at $1{\sim}1,000{\mu}g/ml$. The extract of A. radix showed no significant proliferation of osteoblast. However, the extract of G. radix and D. rhizome showed maximum 148% and 133% proliferation effects. The extract of G. radix also increased alkaline phosphatase activity and the maximum was 122% at $100{\mu}g/ml$ compared to that of control. The nodule formation by the method of the Alizarin red S staining increased compared to control. These results suggest that G. radix is able to perform the bone formation and prevent osteoporosis.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.39 no.3
• /
• pp.281-286
• /
• 2011

This study was performed to investigate the effects of salted and fermented shrimp ethanol extract (SFS) on serum lipid metabolism and hepatocytes in rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were administered 60% fat feed to induce hypercholesterolemia and were divided into five groups. Experimental groups were classified according to administered diet: normal diet group (NC), high cholesterol diet group (HC), high cholesterol and low dose shrimp extract (20 mg/kg) group (HC-SFSL), high cholesterol and high dose shrimp extract (200 mg/kg) group (HC-SFSH), and high cholesterol and lovastatin (20 mg/kg) group (HC-Lov). The experimental diets were fed ad libitum for 14 days. Compared with the control group, the serum cholesterol and triglycerides were 40.4 and 64.7% lower in the group fed HC-SFSH respectively. Low density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol concentration in serum decreased in the HC-SFSH group compared with the HC group. In a histological assay, hepatocytes in the HC group showed that the vacuolated cells by fat appear clear due to the large amount of intracytoplasmic fat, whereas the liver hepatocytes in the group fed SFS effectively decreased fatty liver and intracytoplasmic fats. These results suggest that the extract of salted and fermented shrimp has an antiatherosclerotic effect and may lessen the effects of cardiovascular disease by reducing the cholesterol level in serum.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.40 no.3
• /
• pp.401-408
• /
• 2011

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) is a metabolic disorder that is characterized by high blood glucose in the context of insulin resistance and relative insulin deficiency. In order to control the type 2 diabetes mellitus, anti-hyperglycemic effect of Triticum aestivum L. water extracts (TAWE) was investigated in 7 week old male diabetic C57BL6/J-ob/ob mice. For the experiments, the diabetic animal model ob/ob mice and non-diabetic animal model lean mice were divided into 3 groups: non-treatment control group (Control), and two experimental groups orally treated with 25 or 100 mg/kg/day dose of TAWE (TAWE-25 and TAWE-100, respectively). The lean mice were used as the non-diabetic normal control. TAWE was orally administrated for 6 weeks and the diabetic clinical markers, including blood glucose level, body weight, organs weight and insulin level were determined. The oral administration of TAWE-100 in ob/ob diabetic mice significantly decreased blood glucose level (78.4%) and body weight (11.9%) compared with diabetic control group. The weights of organs, including spleen, liver, kidneys, heart and lung were not different among groups, while the treatments of TAWE-100 in ob/ob diabetic mice significantly reduced blood total cholesterol (24.35%) and triglyceride (23.97%) levels compared with the diabetic control group. The levels of serum insulin and glucose tolerance were improved after TAWE-100 treatment in ob/ob diabetic mice. Moreover, the immunohistochemical staining for insulin detection in pancreatic islet $\beta$-cells expressed high level of insulin in TAWE-100 treated ob/ob mice. From the above results, the intake of TAWE may be effective in anti-hyperglycemia by the attenuation of glucose and lipid levels. TAWE-containing diets or drugs may be beneficial for controlling diabetes mellitus type 2 in human.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.45 no.4
• /
• pp.697-704
• /
• 1998

Background: Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by a marked infiltration of eosinophils in the bronchial mucosa. Asthmatic bronchial mucosa produces many factors described as being chemotactic for inflammatory cells. IL-5, RANTES, and MCP-1 alpha are the chemotactic factors for eosinophils, but their roles are controversial. Recently eotaxin that is a potent eosinophil chemoattractant cytokine was detected in a guinea-pig model of allergic airway inflammation, and human eotaxin was cloned. Eotaxin is a specific chemoattractant for eosinophils, but its role in asthma is not confirmed. We examined the in vivo expression of eotaxin in bronchi of asthmatic patients. Methods : 11 asthmatics and 2 normal controls were enrolled. All subjects were underwent bronchoscopy with bronchial biopsies in 2nd or 3rd carina. RNA extraction from biopsy samples was done by acid-guanidium method. Semi-quantitaive RT-PCR was done for evaluation of eotaxin mRNA expression The extent of eosinophil infiltration was evaluated by counting the eosinophils in submucosa in HPF of microscope. Results : Eotaxin mRNA expressed in symptomatic, uncontrolled asthma. Steroid inhibited expression of eotaxin mRNA in asthma. Expression of eotaxin mRNA correlated with eosinophil infiltration in bronchial tissues. Conclusion: Expression of eotaxin mRNA increases in uncontrolled asthma and eotaxin is involved in the recruitment of eosinophils.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.37 no.3
• /
• pp.269-275
• /
• 2008

The avocado is a widely grown and consumed fruit that is high in nutrients and low in calories, sodium, and fats. In this study, antioxidant activities and induction of apoptosis by methanol extracts from sarcocarp, seed and peel of avocado were investigated in vitro. Contents of total polyphenols in methanol extracts from sarcocarp, seed and peel were 13.89, 137.12 and $223.45{\mu}g/mg$ respectively. Radical-scavenging activities of the methanol extracts were examined by using ${\alpha},{\alpha}$-diphenyl-${\beta}$-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) assay. The methanol extracts from the peel of avocado showed higher scavenging activities against DPPH, ABTS than those from sarcocarp and seed. Apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 cells mediated by the methanol extracts of avocado was associated with the increase of activation of caspase-3 and caspase-3 target protein, PARP. Therefore, with more researches on identification and action mechanism of active compounds, the methanol extracts from peel and seed of avocado is expected to be a natural source for the developments of functional food and medical agents to prevent human breast cancer.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
• /
• v.43 no.3
• /
• pp.255-263
• /
• 2017

In this study, the antioxidant activities, cellular protective effects, and inhibitory effects on elastase of non-fermented and fermented extracts of Parthenocissus tricuspidata (P. tricuspidata) stem using Lactobacillus pentosus were investigated. The free radical scavenging activities ($FSC_{50}$) of non-fermented and fermented extracts were 42.3 and $34.5{\mu}g/mL$, respectively, in which the activity after fermentation was approximately 18.4% higher. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging activities ($OSC_{50}$) in $Fe^{3+}-EDTA/H_2O_2$ system of non-fermented and fermented extracts were 2.6 and $2.5{\mu}g/mL$, respectively. The activity after fermentation was approximately 4.2% higher. In the $^1O_2$-induced cellular damage of erythrocytes, the cellular protective effects (${\tau}_{50}$) of non-fermented and fermented extracts were 126.4 and 173.0 min at $50{\mu}g/mL$, respectively. The activity after fermentation was approximately 34.0% higher. The effect of fermented extract was 3.9 times higher than $(+)-{\alpha}$-tocopherol (${\tau}_{50}=43.4min$), known as a lipophilic antioxidant at $50{\mu}g/mL$. The inhibitory effect of elastase was investigated to predict the anti-wrinkle efficacy using Hs68 human fibroblasts cells. The elastase inhibitory activities ($IC_{50}$) of non-fermented and fermented extracts were 873.6 and $687.8{\mu}g/mL$, respectively, and the activity after fermentation was approximately 21.3% higher. These results indicated that fermented extract of P. tricuspidata stem has potentials as natural cosmetic ingredients with antioxidant and anti-wrinkle effect.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
• /
• v.44 no.2
• /
• pp.171-181
• /
• 2018

Genistein is one of the representative isoflavone compounds isolated from soybeans and has been studied very well for its anti-aging and anti-inflammatory activity through previous studies. However, although genistein exhibits high solubility in organic solvents, it shows low bioavaility due to the low water solubility. In this study, we compared directly the functional difference between genistein and genistein cyclodextrin complex which has the improved water solubility and stability by cell based assay. Cell cytotoxicity experiment were carried out on RAW264.7 with CCK-8 assay and cytotoxicity was appeared from $10{\mu}g/mL$, thereby maximum concentration was set to $10{\mu}g/mL$ in all condition. We discovered that genistein CD complex suppressed NO production and iNOS expression as concentration dependent manner in the condition of LPS rather than genistein. Also, we could understand that genistein CD complex was able to down-regulate mRNA expression of anti-inflammatory cytokines such as $IL1-{\alpha}$, $IL1-{\beta}$, IL-6, and $TNF-{\alpha}$ as concentration dependent manner in the presence of LPS. In addition, we verified that genistein CD complex increased TEER of HaCaT human keratinocyte cells as concentration dependent pattern and stimulated cell division and migration rather than genistein in cell migration assay. Thus, it is expected that it can be used as an effective cosmetic raw material for improving atopic dermatitis or skin barrier if clinical studies on skin regeneration and skin barrier of the genistein CD complex are carried out.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
• /
• v.44 no.2
• /
• pp.117-124
• /
• 2018

In this study, cosmetic materials were developed using a new method of making juice through the fermentation of raw natural materials with microorganisms in order to supplement the advantages and disadvantages of an organic solvent extraction method and a microbial fermentation method. The natural products were selected from two colors (red, green) of paprika known to be rich in various colors and vitamins. The microorganisms used for fermentation were fermented by inoculating paprika with lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus plantarum) having sugar-hydrolyzed ability. First, we investigated the changes of physiologically active substances of two kinds of paprika juice and two kinds of fermented paprika juice. Total phenols content and total flavonoids content were higher in the fermented paprika juice than in the paprika juice, and especially in the fermented red paprika juice. Free radical scavenging effect and lipid peroxidation inhibitory effect were also showed an excellent antioxidative effect on paprika fermented juice, among which the effect of red paprika fermentation juice was the highest. The expression of MMP-1 in fermented red paprika juice with high antioxidant activity was inhibited by concentration-dependent expression of MMP-1 mRNA and MMP-1 protein. In the glycation experiments with aging, the anti-glycation effect of fermented paprika juice was highly inhibited by the production of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs), which was closely related to the antioxidant effect. In addition, the activity of senescence-associated ${\beta}$-galactosidase (SA-${\beta}$-gal), an indicator of cell senescence, was measured using human dermal fibroblast (HDF). The results showed that the cell senescence was inhibited when the cells were treated with fermented paprika juice. In conclusion, fermented paprika juice using lactic acid bacteria showed better antioxidative and anti-aging effects than paprika juice. Among them, fermented red paprika juice has the best antioxidant and anti-aging effect and can be applied as natural new material of antioxidant and anti-aging.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.40 no.6
• /
• pp.669-676
• /
• 1993

Background: DNA content analysis of human solid tumor is now widely performed by flow cytometric study. One of the most interesting and potentially important observation in this field is that proliferative activity(S-Phase fraction of cell cycle) may profoundly affect prognosis. Method: S-Phase fraction(SPF) have been measured by flow cytometric method using tumor cells isolated from paraffin embedded tissue. To evaluate the prognostic significance, SPF of squamous lung cancer cell was assessed in 21 patients who died without any specific treatment. Results: 1) Mean survival time of squamous lung cancer patients was 225(${\pm}162$) days. Survival time were shortened, when TNM stage and PS scale were advanced. 2) Mean value of SPF of squamous lung cancer patients was 23.4(${\pm}11.3$)%. SPF had nothing to do with advance of TNM stage and PS scale. 3) Mean survival time of high SPF group(more than 20% of cell proliferation cycle) and low SPF group were 153(${\pm}99$) days and 342(${\pm}180$) days(p<0.01). In each identical TNM stage and PS scale, there were also statistic significant differences in mean survival time between high and low SPF group. Conclusion: On multivariate analysis including TNM stage and performance status, SPF was the significant and independent prognostic factor in the primary squamous lung cancer patients group.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.50 no.1
• /
• pp.76-83
• /
• 2001

Background : Coal workers' pneumoconiosis is a fibrotic lung disease resulting from chronic inhalation of coal dust. The precise mechanism of lung fibrosis in coal workers' pneumoconiosis is uncertain. However, a relationship between the stimulation of fibroblast proliferation and collagen production by mediators released from in flammatory and resident lung cells is thought to be a major factor. The transforming growth factor-$\beta$(TGF-$\beta$), a multifunctional cytokine and growth factor, plays a key role in the scarring and fibrotic processes due to its ability to induce extracellular matrix proteins and modulate the growth and immune function of many cell types. To determine the involvement of TGF-$\beta$ in the development of lung fibrosis in coal workers' pneumoconiosis, the TGF-${\beta}_1$ level in plasma was measured in patients with coal workers' pneumoconiosis. Methods : Plasma was collected from 40 patients with coal workers' pneumoconiosis (20 with simple coal workers' pneumoconiosis and 20 with complicated coal workers' pneumoconiosis) and from 10 normal controls. The ELISA method was used to measure the plasma TGF-${\beta}_1$ concentration. Results : Compared to the control group ($0.63{\pm}01.8$ ng/mL), there was no significant difference in the plasma TGF-${\beta}_1$ level in patients with simple coal workers' pneumoconiosis ($0.64{\pm}0.17$ ng/mL) (p>0.05). However, in patients with complicated coal workers' pneumoconiosis the plasma TGF-${\beta}_1$ level ($0.79{\pm}0.18$ ng/mL) was significantly higher than in patients with simple coal workers' pneumoconiosis and the control group (p<0.05). Conclusion : The data suggests that TGF-${\beta}_1$ has some influence in the development of lung fibrosis in coal workers' pneumoconiosis.