• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.93-98
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• 2009

Stephania delavayi Diels. has been used as an immune activator or an anti-inflammatory drug in China. We examined the immune modulation effect and 7-days repeated-dose toxicity to validate its biological safety and efficiency. Mice were repeatedly administrated with 50 mg/kg S. delavayi Diels. daily by I.P for 7 days. S. delavayi Diels. induced B cell activation but had no effect on other immune cells such as T cell, natural killer (NK) cell, and macrophage ($M{\varphi}$). S. delavayi Diels.-treated group exhibited no statistical significance from the control group in physical conditions; body weight, complete blood count (CBC), serum biochemical indexes etc. There was no difference between the control group and S. delavayi Diels.-treated group in gross findings such as histopathological alteration. In conclusion, S. delavayi Diels. is safe above the dose of immune modulation.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.11.1-11.8
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• 2017

Juvenile black sea bream, Acanthopagrus schlegelii, were exposed to waterborne zinc (Zn) at concentrations of 0, 200, and $400{\mu}g/L$, at temperatures of 18 or $26^{\circ}C$ for 4 weeks. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities in the liver and gill of A. schlegelii significantly increased following exposure to waterborne Zn. Significant reduction in glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity in the liver and gill was observed following exposure to waterborne Zn. Glutathione (GSH) concentrations in the liver and gill also significantly decreased following exposure to waterborne Zn. Phagocytosis and lysozyme in the plasma and kidney were significantly increased following exposure to waterborne Zn. High water temperature increased alterations in the antioxidant and immune responses. The results of the present study suggest that waterborne Zn induced significant alterations in oxidative stress, increased immune responses and high temperature that trigger Zn toxicity.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.171-176
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• 2013

The aim of this study was to investigate the in vivo toxicity of di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), on the immune system of the rock bream, Oplegnathus fasciatus. Fish were injected twice intraperitoneally with DEHP (200, 400, and 800 mg/kg BW), and the cellularity and functional activity of phagocytes in the spleen and head kidney were measured. The number of head kidney leukocyte cells was significantly greater in fish treated with 800-mg DEHP/kg BW. Nonspecific immunity, as determined by the phagocytic index, was significantly decreased at 800-mg DEHP/kg BW in the head kidney. A significant reduction in phagocytic capacity was observed in the head kidney at ${\geq}$400-mg DEHP/kg BW. Furthermore, significantly increased levels of serum glutamic oxaloacetate transaminase and glutamic pyruvate transaminase indicated a marked hepatic dysfunction in immunosuppressed fish. Total serum protein was significantly reduced at ${\geq}$400-mg DEHP/kg BW; however, there were no significant changes in lysozyme activity. These results demonstrate that immune responses in the rock bream, Oplegnathus fasciatus can predict immunotoxicity at doses ${\geq}$400-mg DEHP/kg BW.

• Journal of Haehwa Medicine
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.11-21
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• 2012

New onset diabetes is a major complication after kidney transplantation. However, the natural course of posttransplantation diabetes mellitus (PTDM) remains unclear. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the detailed natural courses of PTDM according to the onset and persistency of hyperglycemia, and to investigate risk factors for development of different courses of PTDM in renal allograft recipients. The purpose of this study is to develop novel immune suppressants for PTDM using of action mechanism of them. The use of immunosuppressive drugs in transplanted patients is associated with the development of diabetes, possibly due to ${\beta}$-cell toxicity. To better understand the mechanisms leading to post-transplant diabetes, we investigated the actions of prolonged exposure of ${\beta}$-cells to therapeutical levels of tacrolimus (FK506) or cyclosporin A(CsA). The immunosuppressive drug cyclosporine(CsA) is a potent agent widely used after organ transplantations and various autoimmune disorders. After using CsA, some patients suffer severe complications including renal and vascular toxicity. The renal or vascular toxicity is influenced by the degree of the endothelial damage. FK506(tacrolimus) is a widely used immunosuppressive agent in the treatment of various medical conditions, including autoimmune disease, bone marrow and organ transplantations. We found some interesting clusters and confirmed the feasibility of cDNA microarray in the study of Immunosuppressant. In this study, we investigated gene expression patterns induced by Immunosuppressant in RIN-m5F of rat insulinoma cell line. Gene expressions evaluated using cDNA microarry in two clusters were increased or decreased. this study provides comprehensive comparison of the patterns of gene expression changes induced by CsA and FK506 in ${\beta}$-cells. This study could establish that the mode of action mechanism by which currently used insulin inhibitors inducing PTDM could be elucidated at least in part, which raises the possibility that novel immune suppressive PTDM can be developed. The molecular biological study on PTDM will also contribute the progress in diabetes research field as well as in that of PTDM.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.84-92
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• 2019

Listeria monocytogenes is a major cause of serious foodborne illness in the dairy foods. Although Caenorhabditis elegans model is well established as a virulence model of pathogenic bacteria, its application on L. monocytogenes is critically unclear. The objective of this study was to carry out an evaluation of L. monocytogenes toxicity using C. elegans nematode as a simple host model. We found that C. elegans nematodes have high susceptibility to L. monocytogenes infection, as a consequence of accumulation of bacteria in the worms' intestine. However, L. innocua, which is known to be non-toxic, is not accumulate in the intestine of worms and is not toxic similarly to Escherichia coli OP50 known as the normal feed source of C. elegans. Importantly, immune-associated genes of C. elegans were intensely upregulated more than 3.0-fold when they exposed to L. monocytogenes. In conclusion, we established that C. elegans is an effective model for studying the toxicity of L. monocytogenes and we anticipate that this system will result in the discovery of many potential anti-listeria agents for dairy foods.

• Journal of Haehwa Medicine
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.1-16
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• 2012

In order to study the effect of CPS in the treatment of atopic dermatitis (AD), its role on various immune related cytokines were tested. Levels of liver and kidney function markers such as ALT, AST, BUN in NC/Nga mice were all normal indicating no toxicity in CPS treated group. Significant recovery from AD could be observed in CPS treated group through naked eye observation. Dermatitis index was significantly decreased after 11, 12, and 13 weeks of treatment. CD4+, CD8+, CD3+ /CD69+ immune cell ratio in DLN were decreased significantly by 37.2%, 49%, 20.8% in CPS treated group. CD4+ and CD11b+ /Gr-1+ immune cell ratio in dorsal skin were decreased significantly by 50.8% and 59.2% in CPS treated group. Expression of IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-13 and TNF-${\alpha}$ in spleen were decreased by 78.8%, 97.8%, 64.7%, 73.6%, and 68.4%, respectively in CPS treated group. The results above strongly indicated the significant immune modulatory effect of CPS and thus clinical application of CPS on AD treatment.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.14 no.1_2
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• pp.65-73
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• 1999

Dioxins refer to a family of chemicals comprising 75 polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin (PCDD) and 135 polychlorinated dibenzo-p-furan (PCDF) congeners, which may cause skin disorder, human immune system disruption, birth defects, severe hormonal imbalance, and cancer. The effects of exposure of dioxin-like compounds such as PCBs are mediated by binding to the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), which is a ligand-activated transcription factor. To grasp physicochemical factors affecting human toxicity of dioxins, six geometrical and topological indices, eleven thermodynamic variables, and quantum mechanical descriptors including ESP (electrostatic potential) were analyzed using QSAR and semi-empirical AM1 method. Planar dioxins with high lipophilicity and large surface tension show the probability that negative electrostatic potential in the lateral oxygen may make hydrogen bonding with DNA bases to be a carcinogen.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.51-57
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• 2015

Vaccines are the most effective and cost-efficient method for preventing diseases caused by infectious pathogens. Despite the great success of vaccines, development of safe and strong vaccines is still required for emerging new pathogens, re-emerging old pathogens, and in order to improve the inadequate protection conferred by existing vaccines. One of the most important strategies for the development of effective new vaccines is the selection and usage of a suitable adjuvant. Immunologic adjuvants are essential for enhancing vaccine potency by improvement of the humoral and/or cell-mediated immune response to vaccine antigens. Thus, formulation of vaccines with appropriate adjuvants is an attractive approach towards eliciting protective and long-lasting immunity in humans. However, only a limited number of adjuvants is licensed for human vaccines due to concerns about safety and toxicity. We summarize current knowledge about the potential benefits of adjuvants, the characteristics of adjuvants and the mechanisms of adjuvants in human vaccines. Adjuvants have diverse modes of action and should be selected for use on the basis of the type of immune response that is desired for a particular vaccine. Better understanding of current adjuvants will help exploring new adjuvant formulations and facilitate rational design of vaccines against infectious diseases.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.181-186
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• 2011

Beta-amyloid (A${\beta}$) is considered as one of the major causes of Alzheimer's disease. This study examined the neuroprotective effects of chlorogenic acid, a naturally occurring polyphenol which is distributed widely in plants, fruits and vegetables, against A${\beta}$-induced toxicity. A${\beta}$ decreased significantly the viability of PC12 cells. This was accompanied by an increase in the intracellular calcium levels and cleaved caspase-3. In addition, A${\beta}$ induced an increase in Bax, and a decrease in Bcl-2 compared to the controls. However, a pre-treatment with chlorogenic acid rescued the PC12 cells from A${\beta}$ by attenuating the elevated intracellular calcium levels and reducing the levels of the apoptosis related proteins, including caspase-3, Bcl-2 and Bax. These results suggest that the protective effects of chlorogenic acid are, at least in parts, by attenuating the intracellular calcium influx and reducing apoptosis induced by A${\beta}$.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.742-749
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• 2010

We investigated the antioxidant efficacy of quercetin (0% Diet 1, 0.25% Diet 2, and 0.5% Diet 3) pretreatment for 30 and 60 days in response to cadmium (Cd) toxicity in the olive flounder, and measured the plasma lysozyme activity to understand the immune effects of quercetin. The lysozyme activity with Diets 2 and 3 was higher than with Diet 1. Based on this result, to examine the immune ability and antioxidant role of quercetin, we exposed olive flounder fed quercetin to Cd and then measured the expression and activity of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT)) and lipid peroxidation (LPO). With Diets 2 and 3, the expression and activity of antioxidant enzymes and the $H_2O_2$ concentration were lower than with Diet 1. In addition, the LPO levels were lower than with Diet 1, which protected the cell membrane. Therefore, quercetin removed the reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by Cd, indicating that quercetin has antioxidant ability. In addition to its antioxidant ability, quercetin has immune effects.