• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.574-579
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• 2008

Propolis is the generic term for the resinous substance collected by honey bees from a variety of plant sources. In this study, we have assessed the immunomodulatory properties of propolis (P) and fermented-propolis (FP) in BALB/c mice. Mice were subjected to gavage once a day (for 14 days) with 50, 100, 200 mg/kg body weight P, FP, or vehicle. Lymphocytes were isolated from the spleen and mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN) and the immune cell proportions, proliferative activities, and cytokine production were evaluated. The P- and FP-administration induced similar, but differential, alterations in the percentage of immune cell populations and their biological functions, including cytokine production and NK cell cytotoxicity. The proportion of$ CD4^+$ and $CD8^+$ T cells in the spleen was increased slightly in the P- and FP-administered mice as compared to the vehicle-treated mice. In MLN, the percentage of $CD4^+$ T cells was increased significantly in the 200 mg/kg P-treated mice. The mice which were treated with P and FP evidenced significantly increased interferon-$\gamma$ and interleukin-4 production in concanavalin A-stimulated splenocytes, whereas the production of theses cytokines was not shown to be induced by P-treatment. In addition, NK cell activity was also increased dramatically by the administration of P and FP. Collectively, these findings showed that P and FP are wide-spectrum immunomodulators, which may modulate both innate and adaptive immune responses.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.50-58
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• 2016

The root bark of Ulmus macrocarpa has been used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various diseases such as edema, infection and inflammation. Nevertheless, the biological activities and underlying mechanisms of the immunomodulatory effects remain unclear. In this study, as part of our ongoing screening program to evaluate the immunomodulatory potential of new compounds from traditional medicinal resources, we investigated the effects of U. macrocarpa water extract (UME) on immune modulation in a murine RAW 264.7 macrophage model. As immune response parameters, the productions of as nitric oxide (NO) and cytokines such tumor necrotic factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-10 were evaluated. Although the release of IL-1β remained unchanged in UME-treated RAW 264.7 macrophages, the productions of NO, TNF-α and IL-10 were significantly increased, along with the increased expression of inducible NO synthase, TNF-α and IL-10 expression at concentrations with no cytotoxicity. UME treatment also induced the nuclear translocation of nuclear factor κB (NF-κB), and phosphorylation of Akt and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) indicating that UME activated macrophages through the activation of NF-κB, phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt and MAPKs signaling pathways in RAW 264.7 macrophages. Furthermore, pre-treatment with UME significantly attenuated the production of NO, but not TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-10, in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells suggesting that UME may be useful in preventing inflammatory diseases mediated by excessive production of NO. These findings suggest that the beneficial therapeutic effects of UME may be attributed partly to its ability to modulate immune functions in macrophages.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.197-206
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• 2003

Physiological functions of raw grain diet composed of brown rice and Job's Tear (1 : 1) were evaluated in rats raised with nutritionally unbalanced diet including 1% cholesterol, high proportion of animal lipids (lard: soybean oil : 8 : 2), sub-optimal levels of vitamin and mineral mixture along with 0.5% ethanol in drinking water for 4 weeks. Control rats were fed the AIN-93G diet for 9 weeks, and nutritionally unbalanced rats were divided into 3 groups, and fed one of the following diets with 0.5% ethanol in drinking water for another 5 weeks: unbalanced control diet (UCD), raw grain diet (RGD) (UCD +20% brown rice and Job's Tear mixture, and cooked grain diet (CGD)(autoclaved RGD at 121$^{\circ}C$ for 3 hours). Feeding UCD for 5 weeks significantly lowered the food efficiency ratio (FER) of rats than the value for control animals, and dietary supplementation of brown rice and Job's Tear mixture to UCD significantly restored the FER. Serum total cholesterol concentration was significantly lowered in rats fed RGD (24% decrease) or CGD (16% decrease) compared to the value for rats fed UCD. Feeding RGD for 5 weeks significaly lowered the serum LDL+VLDL-cholesterol concentration (26% decrease), as well as the hepatic cholesterol level (16% decrease) than the values for UCD rats. Animals fed CGD (38% decrease) or RGU (59% decrease) showed significantly lower level of hepatic thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) compared to the value for rats fed UCD (p<0.05), although hepatic activities of antioxidative enzymes were not influenced by dietary supplementation. Feeding RGD for 5 weeks significantly increased CD4$^{＋}$ T-cell population along with CD4$^{＋}$/CD8$^{＋}$ ratio of mesenteric lymph nodes compared to those for UCD rats (p<0.05). In conclusion, dietary supplementation of brown rice and Job's Tear mixture as raw grains exhibited superior activity lowering blood and hepatic levels of cholesterol, and improving mesenteric lymph nodes immune function of rats to the cooked grain mixture of identical ingredients.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.43 no.11
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• pp.1665-1673
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• 2014

The objective of this study was to compare the compositions and immuno-enhancing effects of 6-year-old red ginseng powder (RGP) with those of its fractions. RGP was subjected to extraction with 100% ethanol to obtain an ethanol fraction (E) and residue 1 (R1). Then, R1 was subjected to extraction with distilled water to obtain water fraction (W) and residue 2 (R2). Chemical compositions were as follows: 4.94% acidic polysaccharides and 1.56% ginsenosides (amounts of Rg1, Re, Rf, Rg2, Rb1, Rc, Rd, and Rg3) in RGP, 0.11% acidic polysaccharides and 6.99% ginsenosides in E, 4.93% acidic polysaccharides and 0.40% ginsenosides in R1, 0.50% acidic polysaccharides and 0.30% ginsenosides in R2, and 7.46% acidic polysaccharides and 0.61% ginsenosides in W. Immuno-enhancing effects of fractions from RGP were examined based on suppression of immune responses by cyclophosphamide. In the first fraction test, the antibody response to SRBCs increased significantly in the R1-treated group, but not the E-treated group. In the second fraction test, W showed higher immuno-enhancing effect than R1 and R2. W, which contained the highest amount of acidic polysaccharides, restored numbers of T and B cells, macrophages, as well as $CD4^+$ and $CD8^+$ T cells in the spleen suppressed by cyclophosphamide. These results suggest that acidic polysaccharides from red ginseng may be more effective than saponin in enhancing immune functions and reducing immunotoxicity of cyclophosphamide.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2017

Zerumbone is a major component of the essential oil from Zingiber zerumbet Smith, which is a kind of wild ginger. In addition, various biological functions, such as liver protection, pain relief, atherosclerosis, and antimicrobial activity have been reported. It is also known to be effective in the proliferation of immune cells and the expression of cytokines. In this study, we investigated the effects of zerumbone on monocyte activation. First, it was confirmed that the proliferation of THP-1 cells was increased by zerumbone. The strongest increase in THP-1 proliferation after lipopolysaccharide treatment was observed at $5{\mu}M$ zerumbone treatment, and the increase of cell proliferation without lipopolysaccharide was the highest at $10{\mu}M$. Conversely, when treated with $50{\mu}M$ zerumbone, a rapid decrease of proliferation was observed regardless of the presence of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The phosphorylation of signaling protein, Erk, induced by LPS was also increased by zerumbone. The strongest increase in phosphorylation was observed when treated with $50{\mu}M$ of zerumbone with reduced proliferation. The activity of transcription factor $NF-{\kappa}B$ was not significantly altered by zerumbone alone, but increased when treated with lipopolysaccharide. Furthermore, the transcription of the inflammatory cytokines $TNF-{\alpha}$ and IL-8, which are regulated by $NF-{\kappa}B$, is also increased by zerumbone. These results suggest that zerumbone can enhance the proliferation and activity of monocytes. Furthermore, it is believed that zerumbone can enhance rthe immune responses through increased monocyte activity in bacterial infections with LPS, thereby helping to treat effective bacteria.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.119-124
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• 2001

This study was performed to investigate the effects of the peptide to carrier ratio on the immune and biological functions to inhibin immunization in Hanwoo. A peptide sequence kom the alpha -subunit (19~32 peptide) of porcine inhibin was synthesized for antigen and conjugated to human serum albumin(HSA) for carrier protein. Anti-inhibin sera(AI) were produced 52 day later from rabbit after injection of inhibin-$\alpha$ -subunit peptide conjugator for antigen with the interval of 2 weeks. Immune-blotting analysis using antibody specific fur inhibin-$\alpha$ subunits revealed that the inhibin was detected at 1.0 cm bovine follicular fluid(bFF). However, each stage of corpus lutea and 0.1 cm of follicular fluid were not detected. The maximal contents of estradiol-17 $\beta$ in Hanwoo ovarian follicular fluid were detected at 2.0 cm of follicular size(diameter), but the mean total contents of these hormone decreased significantly with decreasing diameter of follicles. However, progesterone contents of follicular fluid were high at 1.0 cm of follicle. Progesterone secretion by Hanwoo granulosa cell cultured for 48 hr in vitro was significantly (p＜0.05) inhibited in 5% bFF and 5% bFF + 5% AI addition group compared with control group. Estradiol-17 $\beta$ secretion by Hanwoo granulosa cell cultured for 48 hr in vitro was significantly (p＜0.05) increased in 5% AI and 5% AI + 5% bFF addtion group compared with control group. However, the groups added 5% AI were not changed compared to control groups in progesterone and estradiol-17 $\beta$. Taken together, we suggested that inhibin in the mature FF plays a pivotal role on the biosynthesis of steroid hormone of follicular cells during follicular development.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.46-54
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• 2001

Background and Objectives : Nitric oxide(NO) is a short-lived molecule with messenger and cytotoxic functions in nervous, cardiovascular, and immune systems. Among the three distinct NOS isoforms, the neuronal isoform is expressed in small, discrete neuronal populations of CNS and PNS. Axonal injury in adult animals results in a dramatic NOS up-regulation in many types of central and peripheral neurons which normally lack the enzyme or express it only at very low levels. In previous study, we confirmed the efficacy of PEMS on the early functional recovery in rats with surgically transected and reanastomosed recurrent laryngeal nerve. Therefore, after we obtained functionally recovered rats using PEMS in this study, we studied to evaluate the expression of nNOS through the analysis of the difference between functional recovery group and non-recovery group in the recurrent laryngeal nerve. Materials and Method : Using 84 healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats, transections and primary anastomosis were performed on their left recurrent laryngeal nerves. Rats were then randomly assigned to 2 groups. The rats in group A(n=42) received PEMS by placing them in custom cages equipped with Helm-holz coils(3 hr/day, 5 days/wk, for 12 wk). The rats in group B(n=42) were handled the same way as the group A, except that they did not receive PEMS. Laryngovideoendoscopy was performed before and after surgery and followed up weekly. Laryngeal EMG was obtained in both PCA and TA muscles. Immunohistochemisty staining using monoclonal anti-neuronal nitric oxide synthase(nNOS) antibody was performed to detect nNOS in recurrent laryngeal nerve and nodose ganglion. Results : 20 rats(63%) in group A and 5 rats(17%) in the group B showed recovery of vocal fo1d motion. The number of NOS-positive cells was increased in functionally-recovered rats. NOS-staining intensity was reduced 12 weeks after nerve injury. The difference between PEMS group and non-stimulated group was not found. Conclusion : This study shows that nNOS may exert a beneficial effect on nerve regeneration and functional repair.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.116-135
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• 2013

Objectives: This study was intended to clarify how Jakyakkamchobuja-tang (hereinafter referred to JKBT) affects mice of C57BL/10 whose osteoarthritis was induced by papain. Methods: Osteoarthritis was induced in mice by injecting papain in the knee joint. Mice were divided into 4 groups (n=6). The normal group were not treated at all whereas the control group (OAC-control) were induced for osteoarthritis by papain and oral medicated with 200 ul of physiological saline per day. The positive comparison group (OAC-$Joins^{(R)}$) were injected with papain and after 7 days, 100 mg/kg of $Joins^{(R)}$ were medicated with 200 ul of physiological saline mixed. The experimental group (OAC-JKBT) were injected with papain and after 7 days were medicated with 400 mg/kg of JKBT mixed with 200 ul of physiological saline. OAC-$Joins^{(R)}$ and OAC-JKBT were oral medicated for each substance for a total of 4 weeks, once per day. After experiments (from 1 week after injection of papain to 4 weeks elapsed), the function of liver and kidney, inflammation cytokine values within serum, degree of revelation for inflammation cytokine genes, immune cells within blood, metabolism of arachidonic acid and amount of cartilage were measured and histopathological variations for knee joint structures were observed. Results: Functions of liver and kidney were not affected. IL-$1{\beta}$ (interleukin-$1{\beta}$), MCP-1 (monocyte chemoattractant protein-1) and TNF-${\alpha}$ (tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$) were significantly reduced and IL-6 (interleukin-6) was also reduced but not significantly. After analyzing inflammation cytokine in joints with mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid), revelation of IL-6, TNF-${\alpha}$, COX-2 (cyclooxygenase-2) and iNOS-II (inducible nitric oxide synthase-II) were all significantly reduced. Revelation of IL-$1{\beta}$ gene was also reduced but not significantly. Neutrophil for WBC (white blood cell) within serum was significantly reduced; monocyte was also reduced but not significantly. PGE2 (prostaglandin E2), TXB2 (thromboxane B2) were significantly reduced and LTB4 (leukotriene B4) was also reduced but not significantly. Destruction of cartilage on micro CT (computed tomography)-arthrography was reduced but had no significant differences. In terms of histopathology, infiltration of inflammation, proliferation of synovial membrane, subsidence of cartilage and bone due to penetration of excessive formation of synovial cell and destruction of cartilage were small (H&E (hematoxylin and eosin), safranine O staining). Conclusions: Based on these results, Jakyakkamchobuja-tang (JKBT) is believed to be useful for suppressing the progress of osteoarthritis and its treatments because of its anti-inflammatory effects and alleviation of pain with histopathological effective efficacy.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.295-304
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• 2013

This study aimed to understand the physiological status of the beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua at low developmental threshold temperature (LTT) through analysis of gene-expression patterns associated with different functions (metabolism, nervous system, immune, and stress). The estimated LTTs for egg, larval, and pupal developments varied with $5.5{\sim}11.6^{\circ}C$. Larvae were able to develop at the lower temperatures than eggs and pupae. However, the physiological LTT ($15^{\circ}C$) in the fifth instar was much higher than the estimated LTT ($10.3^{\circ}C$). Gene expression patterns estimated by a quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) indicate that most genes in different functional groups increased their expressions with increase of larval instars. In the same fifth instar, as the treatment temperatures increased, the gene expression levels increased. Moreover, the newly molted fifth instar larvae were different in their gene expression rates according to their previous culturing temperatures. Most gene expressions were suppressed in the fifth instar larvae at the physiological LTT ($15^{\circ}C$). However, the larvae at $15^{\circ}C$ gradually exhibited significant increase in the gene expression rates with rearing time just like those at the higher temperature. These results suggest that S. exigua at LTT exhibits a typical gene expression pattern with maintaining significantly suppressed levels.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.267-277
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• 2020

This study was conducted to assess the effect of highly concentrated onion intake on rodents. The experimental animals were divided two groups as follows; water administered group (CON) and Allium cepa administered group (ACE). The ACE group showed a slightly increases in the number of erythrocytes (RBC), hemoglobin (HGB), hematocrit (Hct) levels compared to the control group (p<0.05). Hemoglobin, monocyte, lymphocyte and neutrophil had no significant change (p>0.05) in ACE group and control group. The analysis of glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT) and glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT) levels showed a significant decrease in ACE group compared to the control group (p<0.05). The blood glucose, total protein, HDL-cholesterol were slightly high in ACE group, while triglyceride, total cholesterol levels were lower in ACE group compared to the control group (p<0.05). The levels of cytokines (interluekin-1α (IL-1α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-10 (IL-10), interferon-γ (INF-γ), interleukin-18 (IL-18), interleukin-2 (IL-2), granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF)) involved in immunity and inflammation in liver tissue and blood have all been confirmed to be within normal range. These findings could be used as basic data to show that highly concentrated dietary onion extract is not toxic to hematological indicators and immune functions.