• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
• /
• v.37 no.1
• /
• pp.29-37
• /
• 2022

This study will evaluate the effect of fermented Morinda citrifolia L. extracts and its marker compounds to provide baseline data for utilizing Morinda citrifolia L. as functional health products. Morinda citrifolia L. and six marker compounds were processed on RAW 246.7 macrophage to test for XTT Cytotoxicity, measure Nitric Oxide and Cyokine formation, and analyze the expression of immune marker genes. Furthermore, LPS and fermented red ginseng extract, a common functional ingredient, are used as positive controls. Our results showed that fermented Morinda citrifolia L and six bioactive compounds did not have any cytotoxic effect in all treatment concentrations and groups. Among six bioactive compounds, SCP and ASE confirmed the formation of NO. In addition, the ASE treatment group showed increased formation of IL-6 and IL-1β and the expression of iNOS and TNF-α. Also, fermented Morinda citrifolia L extract activated the macrophage by enhancing the production of nitric oxide (NO), interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-1β, and the expression of COX2 compared to Morinda citrifolia L. extracts. The result of the study showed that Fermented Morinda citrifolia L. (Noni) and marker compound enhance the innate immunity activity and suggested that the bioactive compound could be applied as a marker compound. Thus, Fermented Morinda citrifolia L. (Noni) could be used as functional food material to develop immunity-enhancing products, and highly functional marker compounds can be utilized as the effective components.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.13 no.11
• /
• pp.5353-5361
• /
• 2012

Interleukin-18 (IL-18) is an immune-stimulatory cytokine with antitumor activity in preclinical models. It plays pivotal roles in linking inflammatory immune responses and tumor progression and is a useful candidate in gene therapy of lymphoma or lymphoid leukemia. A phase I study of recombinant human IL-18 (rhIL-18) in patients with advanced cancer concluded that rhIL-18 can be safely given in biologically active doses to patients with advanced cancer. Some viruses can induce the secretion of IL-18 for immune evasion. The individual cytokine activity might be potentiated or inhibited by combinations of cytokines. Here we focus on combinational effects of cytokines with IL-18 in cancer progression. IL-18 is an important non-invasive marker suspected of contributing to metastasis. Serum IL-18 may a useful biological marker as independent prognostic factor of survival. In this review we cover roles of IL-18 in immune evasion, metastasis and angiogenesis, applications for chemotherapy and prognostic or diagnostic significance.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
• /
• v.40 no.1
• /
• pp.16-21
• /
• 2020

Humans use insects as food and traditional medicine for many years. Hemolymph is the circulating fluid of insects and is a key component of their immune system. However, limited information is available regarding hemolymph identification, development, and differentiation, as well as the related cellular immune responses. In a previous study, hemolymph extracts prepared from Bombyx mori larvae were found to exert anti-inflammatory effects. In this study, we aimed to identify and compare the antioxidant activity of immune-challenged and unchallenged B. mori hemolymph extracts in vitro. For this purpose, human epithelial Caco-2 cells were first exposed to oxidative stress and then treated with various concentrations and incubation times of either immune-challenged or unchallenged B. mori hemolymph extracts. Next, we determined the effect of treatment on the relative expression of GPX-1, SOD-1, and SOD-2 antioxidant marker genes. We found that the expression rates of the three marker genes were markedly higher at a immune-challenged hemolymph extract concentration of 80 ppm compared to those at other concentrations, and the antioxidant effects were enhanced after treatment for 48 hr. Thus, B. mori hemolymph extracts showed antioxidant activity within the limited time and dose. Especially, the immune-challenged B. mori hemolymph extracts showed higher the antioxidant activities than unchallenged one. The activity of silkworm hemolymph extracts could facilitate the development of new types of functional foods, feed additives, and biomaterials with antioxidant properties.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.18 no.9
• /
• pp.1510-1517
• /
• 2008

Expresssed sequence tag (EST) analysis was developed from three cDNA libraries constructed from cells of the digestive tract, gonad, and liver of sea squirt. Randomly selected cDNA clones were partially sequenced to generate a total of 922 ESTs, in which 687 unique ESTs were identified respectively. Results of BLASTX search showed that 612 ESTs (89%) have homology to genes of known function whereas 75 ESTs (11%) were unidentified or novel. Based on the major function of their encoded proteins, the identified clones were classified into ten broad categories. We also identified several kinds of immune-related genes as identifying novel genes. Sequence analysis of ESTs revealed the presence of microsatellite-containing genes that may be valuable for further gene mapping studies. The accumulation of a large number of identified cDNA clones is invaluable for the study of sea squirt genetics and developmental biology. Further studies using cDNA microarrays are needed to identify the differentially expressed transcripts after disease infection.

• Genomics & Informatics
• /
• v.2 no.2
• /
• pp.75-80
• /
• 2004

In a variety of animal species, the perinatal exposure of experimental animals to the 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo­p-dioxin (TCDD) leads to the immune dysfunction, which is more severe and persistent than that caused by adult exposure. We report here the changes of gene expression and the identification of the marker-genes representing the dioxin exposure. The expressions of the transcripts were analyzed using the 11 K oligonucleotide­microarray from the bone marrow cells of male C57BL/6J mice after an intraperitoneal injection of $1{\mu}g$ TCDD/kg body weight at various time intervals: gestational 6.5 day(G6.5), 13.5 day(G13.5), 18.5 day(G18.5), and postnatal 3 (P3W)and 6 week (P6W). The type of self-organizing maps(SOM) representing the specific exposure dioxin could be identified as follows; G6.5D(C14), G13.5D(C0, C5, C10, C18), G18.5D(7): P3W(C2, C21), and P6W(C4, C15, C20). The candidate marker-genes were restricted to the transcripts, which could be consistently expressed greater than $\pm$2-fold in three experiments. The resulting candidates were 85 genes, the characteristics of that were involved in cell physiology and cell functions such as cell proliferation and immune function. We identified the biomarker-genes for dioxin exposure: smc -like 2 from SOM C14 for the dioxin exposure at G6.5D, focal adhesion kinase and 6 other genes from C0, and protein tyrosine phosphatase 4a2 and 3 other genes from C5 for G13.5D, platelet factor 4 from C7 for G18.5D, fos from C2 for P3W.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.44 no.5
• /
• pp.356-362
• /
• 2021

An increasing number of studies have revealed an interaction between gut microbiota and tumors. The enrichment of specific bacteria strains in the intestines has been found to modulate tumor growth and influence the mechanisms of tumor treatment. Various bacteria are involved in modulating the effects of chemotherapeutic drugs currently used to treat patients with cancer, and they affect not only gastrointestinal tract tumors but also distant organ tumors. In addition, changes in the gut microbiota are known to be involved in the antitumor immune response as well as the modulation of the intestinal immune system. As a result, the gut microbiota plays an important role in modulating the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors. Therefore, gut microbiota could be considered as an adjuvant treatment option with other cancer treatment or as another marker for predicting treatment response. In this review, we examine how gut microbiota affects cancer treatments.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
• /
• v.10 no.2
• /
• pp.184-193
• /
• 2008

Purpose: Anxiety and depression are the concepts that commonly used as an emotional approach in the nursing researches and most of researches have been used questionnaires as a marker of anxiety and depression. There were few researches using physiological markers in measuring anxiety and depression. Methods: Journals published between 1950 and 2007 that include depression and anxiety measuring through physiological markers were reviewed. Results: As in the case of the hypothlamus-pituitary-adrenal axis system, it appeared that cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine belonged to the category of hormones which were responsive to anxiety and depression. Plasma norepinephrine was a marker of the anxiety whereas plasma cortisol was a marker of the depression. The anxiety and depression were correlated with immune and taste, but it considered as an outcome variable not a physiological marker. Conclusion: Catecholamine and cortisol reflect anxiety and depression state. Our findings suggest that further researches are needed to distinguish between markers and outcomes of depression and anxiety using physiological markers.

• The Korea Genome Conference
• /
• 2004.07a
• /
• pp.46.2-46.2
• /
• 2004

• Genomics & Informatics
• /
• v.2 no.3
• /
• pp.126-130
• /
• 2004

T helper-type 2 cytokines, such as IL-4 and IL-13, may play a central role in allergic diseases. The protein known as signal transducers and activators of transcription 6 (STAT6) is a key transcription factor involved in both IL-4- and -13-mediated biological responses. Two polymorphisms of the STAT 6 gene (exon 1 and G2964A variant) have been found. We investigated whether these STAT6 gene polymorph isms were associated with allergic rhinitis. Blood samples for genetic analysis were obtained from 285 individuals with allergic rhinitis and from 271 healthy subjects without atopic disease. The G2964A variant of the STAT6 gene was genotyped using PCR-RFLP analysis. The GT repeat polymorphism in exon 1 of the STAT6 gene was genotyped by fragment analysis. There was no association between the 2964A variant and GT repeat polymorphism in exon 1 of the STAT6 and allergic rhinitis in a Korean population (both p > 0.05). Our results suggest that a combination of STAT6 gene polymorphisms is not a useful marker for predicting allergic rhinitis.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
• /
• v.10 no.2
• /
• pp.182-187
• /
• 2016

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Supplementation with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) has been shown to generally decrease levels of innate immune markers and inflammatory cytokines, but the specific associations between blood levels of PUFAs and those of innate immune markers have not been investigated. Thus, the present study was conducted to test the hypothesis that innate immune markers as well as cytokines are negatively associated with n-3 PUFAs but positively associated with n-6 PUFAs in healthy adults. MATERIALS/METHODS: One hundred sixty-five healthy Korean adults aged 25-70 years old were included in this cross-sectional study. RESULTS: Serum levels of n-3 PUFAs, such as 18:3n3, 20:5n3, 22:5n3, and 22:6n3 were negatively correlated with eosinophil and basophil counts and $TNF-{\alpha}$, $IFN-{\gamma}$, IL-4, and IL-10 levels. Multivariate analysis also showed that serum levels of n-3 PUFAs were negatively associated with monocyte, eosinophil, and basophil counts and $TNF-{\alpha}$, $IFN-{\gamma}$, IL-4, and IL-12 levels. Additionally, the ratio of 20:4n6 to 20:5n3 was positively correlated with eosinophil counts and associated with $TNF-{\alpha}$, $IFN-{\gamma}$, and IL-4 levels. However, NK cell activity was not associated with serum fatty acid composition. CONCLUSIONS: Innate immune markers such as eosinophil, monocyte, and basophil counts were inversely associated with serum levels of n-3 PUFAs, but were positively associated with the 20:4n6/20:5n3 ratio in this population.