• Journal of Life Science
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.92-97
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• 2014

Cordycepin, an active component originally isolated from the traditional medicine Cordyceps militaris, is a derivative of the nucleoside adenosine, which has been shown to possess a number of pharmacological properties, including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, immunological stimulation, and antitumor effects. This study was conducted on cultured human prostate carcinoma LNCap cells to elucidate the possible mechanisms by which cordycepin exerts its anticancer activity, which, until now, has remained poorly understood. Cordycepin treatment of LNCap cells resulted in dose-dependent inhibition of cell growth and the induction of apoptotic cell death as detected by an MTT assay, cleavage of poly ADP-ribose polymerase, and annexin V-FITC staining. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that cordycepin resulted in G2/M arrest in cell cycle progression and downregulation of cyclin B1 and cyclin A expression in a concentration-dependent manner. Moreover, the incubation of cells with cordycepin caused a striking induction in the expression of the cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitor p21Waf1/Cip1 without affecting the expression of the tumor suppressor p53. It also resulted in a significant increase in the binding of CDK2 and CDC2 to p21. These findings suggest that cordycepin-induced G2/M arrest and apoptosis in human prostate carcinoma cells is mediated through p53-independent upregulation of the CDK inhibitor p21.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.163-173
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• 2007

Jeungaektang (JAT) is the herbal formula, has the effect of moistening the dryness by activating lung Qi and by nourishing Yin, has being used for dryness syndromes. Generally the herbal formulae for moistening dryness are used for exogenous or endogenous dryness syndromes. JAT has been clinically used for the treatment of endogenous dryness syndromes. It is composed of Scrophulariae Radix. Rehmanniae Radix and Liriopis Tuber. Recent studies showed that JAT has a protective effect against $CCl_{4}-induced$ hepatotoxicity and anti-inflammatory effects against ear swelling of mouse induced by Crotonis Fructus. However, the effect of JAT on the immunological activity was rarely studied. Therefore, this study evaluated the effects of JAT the regulatory mechanism of nitric oxide (NO) and cytokines in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. After the treatment of JAT water extract, cell viability was measured by MTT assay, NO production was monitored by measuring the nitrite content in culture medium. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX -2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) were determined by immunoblot analysis, and levels of cytokine were analyzed by sandwich immunoassays. Results provided evidence that JAT inhibited the production of nitrite and nitrate ($0.1{\sim}1.0$ mg/ml), iNOS ($0.1{\sim}1.0$ mg/ml), $interleukin-1{\beta}$ ( $0.1{\sim}1.0$ mg/ml) and tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}$ ($0.1{\sim}1.0$ mg/ml) in RAW 264.7 cells activated with LPS. Furthermore, JAT inhibited the expression of COX-2 expression and production of prostagladin E2 ($0.1{\sim}1.0$ mg/ml). These findings suggest that JAT can produce anti-inflammatory effect, which may play a role in adjunctive therapy in Gram-negative bacterial infections.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.73-80
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• 2017

Periodontal diseases occur from the interplay between increased bacterial response and the response of the host immune system over time. Anxiety and depression can impair immunological defense mechanisms, causing accumulation of periodontopathogens and thus exacerbating periodontal disease. We investigated the relationship of anxiety and depression to periodontal diseases in Korean women. In this study, 3,551 women aged ${\geq}19$ years were evaluated based on data from the first year (2010) of the Fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The analysis of the factors that caused periodontal diseases revealed that dental floss or interdental toothbrush nonuse behaviors have been shown to increase the risk of periodontal disease (odds ratio [OR], 1.49; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.14~1.95). After adjusting for conditions such as age, marital status, income, educational level, economic activity, diabetes mellitus, smoking, drinking, and frequencies of toothbrushing and interdental cleaning, we found that anxiety and depression increased the risk of developing periodontal diseases (OR, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.04~2.09). People with anxiety and depression have a higher prevalence of periodontal diseases than people without anxiety and depression. Thus, periodic periodontal care and effective self-care education are needed to manage periodontal diseases.

• The Journal of Dong Guk Oriental Medicine
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• v.9
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• pp.51-71
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• 2000

The present experiments were designed to study the influence of WalgookwhanhabBojoongikgitang on immune functions of Balb/c mice under stress condition. WalgookwhanhabBojoongikgitang was orally administered to the mice for 15 days. On the 10th day the mice were immunized with sheep red blood cells (SRBC) and then subjected to electric footshock for 5 days (2 sessions a day, 11 footshocks a 31 min-session). The immune responses to SRBC were determined by means of hemagglutination and BIT cell populations in the spleen were studied by FACS analysis on the 16th day. The results were as follows. 1. After electric footshock, IDlce became sluggish and crowded to one side of the cage. Increased antibody titer for SRBC, increased B cell population, and decreased T cell population in the spleen were also observed. These results confirm that electric footshock caused stress inducing immunological and behavioral changes in Balblc mice. 2. Walgookwhanhab-Bojoongikgitang administration significantly antagonized the effect of electric footshock on the antibody titer for SRBC. As a result, antibody titers for SRBC in the mice treated with Walgookwhanga-Bojoongikgitang were maintained at the similar levels as those of control group mice even after the electric foots hock. 3. Walgookwhanhab-Bojoongikgitang administration also antagonized the effect of electric footshock on the BIT populations in spleen. As a result, Band T populations in the mice treated with Walgookwhanhab-Bojoongikgitang were maintained at the similar levels as in the control group mice even after the electric footshock. Taken together, Walgookwhanhab-Bojoongikgitang seem to help Balb/c mIce to maintain their humoral immune response and immune cell populations at a normal range under the stress conditions, suggesting its possible therapeutic use as a immune function modulator.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.174-180
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• 2016

In this study, the effects of fermented goat milk (F-GM) on immunological activity and physical strength were examined. Splenocytes obtained from mice administered with F-GM showed increased responsinveness to mitogens, concanavalin-A (ConA), and lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Treatment with F-GM also significantly augmented production of interleukin (IL)-2 and interferon (IFN)-${\gamma}$, but not IL-4 or IL-10 from ConA-stimulated splenocytes. The activity of F-GM administration to enhance production of IL-2 and IFN-${\gamma}$ was confirmed based on mRNA expression of these cytokines by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. After immunization with keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH, 20 mg/mouse), mice administered F-GM showed significantly higher antibody titers against KLH than those of phosphate-buffered saline-treated mice, and showed the highest titer 5 weeks after KLH immunization. Analysis for determining isotypes of antibodies revealed that administration of F-GM elicited KLH-specific antibody titers of IgG1, IgG2a, and IgM. In a delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) test carried out 7 weeks after the primary immunization, F-GM-treated mice showed a higher DTH reaction than the control mice. Furthermore, the swimming test found that administration of F-GM significantly increased swimming time. These results suggest that administration of F-GM enhances not only immune responses against antigens but also physical strength.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.103-125
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• 1997

An epidemiologic study on pleuropneumonia in the slaughter pigs(Chonan and Asan area, Chungnam province, Korea) during the period of January 1994 through December 1995 was conducted. Isolation of A pleuropneumoniae was attempted in 425 pigs with pneumonic lesions. Biochemical properties, antimicrobial susceptibility, serotypes and pathogenicity of isolated A pleuropneumoniae were investigated. In addition, outer membrane protein(OMP) of the Isolates were extracted to determine its properties and immunogenicity in both mice and piglets The results obtained through this study were summarized as followed ; 1. Of 3, 395 slaughter pigs, pleuropneumonia was observed in 425 pigs(10.6%). A pleuropneumoniae was isolated from 22 pigs(5.2%) out of 425 pigs with pneumonic lesions. The biochemical properties of all isolates were same as those of reference A pleuropneumoniae strain. Among 22 isolates, 9, 1 and 12 isolates were serovar 2, 3 and 5, respectively. 2. The results of antimicrobial susceptibility test revealed that the isolates showed high susceptibility to ciprofloxacin and cephalothin, moderate susceptibility to amikacin, gentamicin, kanamycin and streptomycin, and low susceptibility to erythromycin, tylosin and sulfadimethoxin. 3. The isolates were varied in pathogenicity to mice. Median lethal dose of LE9402(serovar 2) and LE9511(serovar 5) were $9.2{\times}10^7$ CFU and $2.8{\times}10^7$%CFU, respectively. Specific pneumonic lesions were observed from the infected mice with clinical signs. Bacteria recovery rate was high in the lung, but low In heart blood and tracheas. 4. Serovar 2 was found to be more pathogenic than serovar 5 in guinea pig. Mortality on guinea pigs inoculated with serovar 2($5.4{\times}10^8-5.4{\times}10^6$CFU) and serovar 5($2.8{\times}10^8-2.8{\times}10^6$ CFU) was 20~40% and 40~80%, respectively. A severe hemorrhagic lesions and focal pneumonic lesions were observed from dead guinea pigs. Bacteria recovery rate was relatively higher in the lung than that of other organs. 5. In the SDS-PAGE analysis, OMP-enriched fractions of both isolates and reference strains contain common peptide bands equivalent to molecular weight of 17, 27, 42, 52 and 95Kd. In addition to common peptide bands, the bands which are specific to each isolate were also observed. The profiles of Sephadex G25 fractions showed 3 major peaks. The common peptide bands which were observed by SDS-PAGE of the crude OMPs were found in the peaks 1 and 2. 6. The OMPs extracted from serovar 2(LE9402) and serovar 5(LE9511) provided high level of protection in mice(70~80%) and pigs(100%). All animals inoculated with OMPs were seroconverted, showing micro-agglutination titer of 640 to 1280.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.9 s.89
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• pp.1224-1231
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• 2007

Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and IGF-II have structure like insulin. In contrast to insulin, however, the bioavaility of IGFs is modulated by the IGF-binding protein (IGFBPs). Each of IGFBPs was different with molecular masses, biological characteristics, and immunological properties.. Human fibroblasts secrete IGFBPs that can modify IGF-I action. In diabetes mellitus, the most study of IGF systems have been investigated in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, and streptozotocin-in-duced animals in vivo. Recently, a little research regarding the IGFs system has been proposed in por-tion of cell in vitro. In this study, effects of low or high glucose condition on IGFBP-5 in GM10 was investigated. By western blotting analysis, IGFBP-5 level decreased in cells cultured at high glucose, but IGFBP-5 level of mRNA didn't change. IGFBP-5 protease that cleaves IGFBP-5 in conditioned me-dium had was inhibited by EDTA and heparin, like serine protease and metalloprotease. Furthermore, the protease activity was increased in high glucose cultivated condition. In results of gelatin zymog-raphy, molecular weight of proteolytic metalloenzymes was indentified 69-kDa and protease activity was increased in time-dependent manner. Although the mechanism has yet to be determined, IGFBP-5 proteolysis in GM10 cells cultured with high glucose may increase effects of IGFs to decrease the glu-cose level through dissociation of IGFs from IGFBPs. Therefore, we suggest that IGF- I and IGFBPs could be potential models in study of pathophysiology such as diabetes mellitus.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.432-442
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• 1992

To identify the histological site of synthesis of yolk protein precursor, vitellogenin, by immunocytochemical method in the freshwater crab Eriocheir japonicus, we purified the yolk protein, vitellin, from crude egg extracts, and prepared the anti-rabbit serum against vitellin. Then, the site of vitellogenin synthesis was demonstrated by immunotytochemical method with PAP(peroxidase-antiperoxidase) reaction using the rabbit antiserum aganist vitellin. Female specific serum protein was identified in female serum by immunoelectrophoresis and Ouchterlony's immunodiffusion test for mature male and female sera. Based on the immunoelectrophoresis and Ouchterlony's diffusion test for mature male and female sera and crude egg extracts using antiserum against vitellogenic female serum absorbed with male serum, the female specific serum protein was identified as vitellogenin, detected in female serum only. The major yolk protein, vitellin, was purified from the crude egg extracts by DEAE-cellulose ion exchange chromatography, followed by sepharose CL-4B gel filteration chromatography. The molecular weight of vitellin was estimated to be about 245,000 dalton by sepharose CL-4B gel filteration chromatography. from the results of immunological analysis for vitellin, it was found that the vitellin antiserum contained the antibody against vitellogenin. In the results of immunocytochemical reaction by PAP method with the rabbit antiserum against vitellin, the vitellogenic oocytes and the hepatopancreas of mature female showed positive PAP reaction, but not in follicle cells and previtellogenic oocytes nf ovary, muscle of female and mature male hepatopancreas. Therefore, it showed that the hepatopancreas of mature female is the site of vitellogenic synthesis.

• Journal of Marine Bioscience and Biotechnology
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.34-39
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• 2007

Penaeidins are members of a special family of antimicrobial peptides existing in several species of shrimp and play a crucial role in the immunological defense of shrimp. In this study, we isolated and characterized one EST clone (penaeidin) from cDNA library of fleshy prawn Fenneropenaeus chinensis hemocytes. Amino acids sequence comparison and phylogenetic analysis with other known penaeidins revealed that our clone was completely identical to F. chinensis Penaeidin 3-2 (Accession no. ABC33920), which composed of 71 amino acids with a putative signal peptide (1-19) and a cysteine-rich domain (C-terminal part). The expression and distribution of Penaeidin 3-2 transcripts in shrimp were detected in hemocytes, hepatopancreas, and muscles, and that Penaeidin 3-2 was constitutively expressed mainly in hemocytes. The artificial infection of white spot syndrome virus to F. chinensis resulted in Penaeidin 3-2 mRNA up-regulation in hemocytes, suggesting that the possible role of Penaeidin 3-2 in host defense system of F. chinensis.

• Journal of Aquaculture
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.83-92
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• 1996

This study was conducted to compare the immunochemical properties of female-specific serum proteins (vitellogenin, VTG) and egg yolk proteins in female fusilier, Caesio diagramma. VTG of fusilier was identified and characterized by using immunochemical analysis. Two types of VTG (VTG1 and VTG2) reacted clearly with antiserum against egg proteins, were confirmed in the serum of mature female. The results of sephacryl S-300 showed that the molecular weights of VTG1 and VTG2 were 560,000 and 410,000, respectively. Yolk proteins, E2 and E3, were isolated from egg extracts, and molecular weights of them were estimated 410,000 and 170,000, respectively. The treatment of $17\beta$-estradiol ($E_2$) to males has induced the synthesis of VTG of which immunological characteristics seems to be similar to the yolk proteins. The results suggest that VTG can be synthesized in the liver by the action of $E_2$ stimulation, and incorporated into the oocytes through the blood circulation. The level of serum $E_2$ was moderately high throughout the spawning period of June. The level of serum VTG was also sustained at high in May and June. The concentration changes of serum $E_2$ and VTG were corelated to the ovarian development in female fusilier. The results indicated that $E_2$ may have some important roles for the vitellogenesis in female fusilier. Also) the VTG can be a precursor protein of yolk not only because it could be synthesized in the liver then incorporated into the oocytes but also because an egg yolk protein had the similiar molecular weights and antigenecity with VTG.