• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.19 no.11
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• pp.1364-1368
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• 2009

Lysosomes, as a cell organelle type, are safe biological control agents that may be possible replacements for chemical antimicrobial agents because they are simply isolated from egg white. In this study, it was found that the lysosomes isolated from egg white exhibited pH-dependent antimicrobial activity, with the optimal activity found at pH 6.0. The efficiency of lysosomes in inhibiting bacterial growth and activity was evaluated over a 12-h treatment period. Seven different microorganisms were used as bacterial strains, and the lysosomes showed a significant antimicrobial effect against all strains. In addition, the antimicrobial activity was maintained for 100 days, and there did not appear to be any resistance of E. coli to the lysosomal activity up to the eighth culture. However, the lysosomes did not affect the viability of mammalian cells, suggesting the biocompatibility of lysosomes. These highly effective lysosomes have a bright future in the application of novel antimicrobial sources as a cell organelle type.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.558-563
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• 2000

Effect of inhibitors on Vibrio parahaemolyticus cell growth and its urease activity was studied. The growth of the bacterium and the enzyme activity were inhibited by the addition of 0.02% p-hydroxymercuric benzoate, $HgCl_2$and $AgNO_3$. However, same concentration of boric acid, thallium acetate and $Pb(NO_3)_2$ did not affect the cell growth but inhibited urease activity by 25%, 29%, and 38%, respectively. Acetohydroxamic acid was the most potent inhibitor on cell growth by inhibiting 40% but did not affect urease activity. To investigate the effect of inhibitors on urease activity, urease was purified and confirmed on SDS-PAGE. The purified urease was inhibited 100% by the addition of 1 mM acetohydroxamic acid and $AgNO_3$but no inhibition was occurred by the addition of the same concentration of thallium acetate. and the addition of 0.01 mM of $HgCl_2$ and acetohydroxamic acid inhibited the purified urease activity by 39% and 24%, respectively. On 0.1 millimolar basic, acetohydroxamic acid and $HgCl_2$inhibited 4 times more active in urease inhibition than p-hydroxymercuric benzoate whereas no inhibition was occurred either thallium acetate or $Pb(NO_3)_2$.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.126-130
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• 2008

Water extract from Prunella vulgaris L. (PVW) was tested for colon cancer chemopreventive activity by measuring the activities of cytochrome P450 1A1, phase Ⅱ detoxification enzyme [quinone reductase (QR) and glutathione S-transferase (GST)] and ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) and glutathione (GSH) levels in cultured human colorectal adenocarcinoma HT-29 cells. PVW significantly inhibited 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA)-induced cytochrome P450 1A1 activity at 10 and 50 ${\mu}g/ml$. PVW induced QR activity in a dose-dependent manner over a concentration range of $1{\sim}50\;{\mu}g/ml$. GST activity was also induced with the treatment of PVW in HT-29 cells. In addition GSH levels were increased with PVW. PVW inhibited ODC activity, a key enzyme of polyamine biosynthesis, which is enhanced in tumor promotion. These results suggest that Prunella vulgaris L. has colon cancer chemopreventive activity by inhibiting cytochrome P450 1A1 and ODC activities and by increasing phase Ⅱ enzyme activity and GSH levels.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.9-15
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• 2000

This study was conducted to investigate the antimicrobial activity of grapefruit extracts and polylysine mixture against food-borne pathogens. The mixture was showed a potent and quick antibacterial activity for 5 major bacteria causing food poisoning i.e. Escherichia coli, Escherichia coli O-157, Salmonella typhi, Staphylococcus aureus, Vibrio cholerae. The antibacterial effect of the mixture on the ordinary bacteria inhibiting on the surface of lettuce was lasted even 6 hrs after the treatment, however the mixture was non-effective on the color, smell and taste of lettuce. The treatment with 10% mixture solution of the foods such as fish, meat, rice and bread suppressed the growth of the bacteria and kept the foods more freshly than the untreated foods.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.54-62
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• 2002

Objectives : This study was undertaken to investigate the effects of Amydae Carapax (AC) on parameter related to bone metabolism in ovariectomized rats. Methods : We measured alkaline phosphatase activity and contents of estrogen, calcium, hydroxyproline, osteocalcin, calcitonin and parathyroid hormone after the ovariectomized rats were treated with AC for 30 days. Results : Serum estrogen, calcium and calcitonin contents in ovariectomized rats significantly decreased, but increased after AC treatment. [Significant increase of serum alkaline phosphatase activity, parathyroid hormone activity and osteocalcin content in ovariectomized rats was remarkably decreased by AC treatment. Increase of urinary calcium and hydroxyproline content in ovariectomized rats was decreased by AC treatment.] Conclusions : These results shows that AC has the ability to counteract abnormal calcium metabolic processes due to sex hormone inequality, promoting bone absorption and inhibiting bone formation.

• BMB Reports
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.331-335
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• 1995

Simian virus 40 (SV40) small-t antigen (small-t) has been known to regulate the activity of a cellular enzyme, protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A), composed of A. B, and C subunits, via binding to the A subunit In the study presented here, the stoichiometry of the binding of small-t to PP2A was determined to be 1: 1. It was also shown that small-t binds to the AC form of PP2A with a higher apparent affinity than it binds to the free A subunit. We also characterized the interaction of PP2A with wild-type and various mutant small-ts. A single-point mutant (Val134Met) and a double-point mutant (Trp147Gly;Leu152 Pro) of small-t exhibited 3-fold and 5-fold lower potencies in inhibiting PP2A activity. respectively. This suggests that the region around amino acids between 134 and 152 of small-t might be important in regulating the enzyme activity of PP2A.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.35 no.2 s.137
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• pp.147-151
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• 2004

Water extracts from Thesium chinense Tunczaninov (TCTW) and Prunella vulgaris L. (PVW) were tested for aromatase and cyclooxygenase activities. TCTW and PVW were capable of suppressing aromatase in a human placenta microsomal assay. PVW was shown to be more effective than TCTW in the suppression of aromatase activity. TCTW significantly inhibited cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) activity at the concentration of 0.25 (p<0.05), 0.5 (p<0.01) and 2.5 mg/ml (p<0.005). PVW also inhibited COX-2 activity in a dose-dependent manner in a concentration range of $0.05{\sim}2.5\;mg/ml$. The expression of COX-2 was inhibitied by TCTW and PVW in western blot analysis. These results suggest that TCTW and PVW may have breast cancer chemopreventive potentials by inhibiting aromatase and cyclooxygenase activities.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.111-115
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• 1995

Natural products, total number of 175, were screened to test for their effect on the replication of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). Five of them, such as Eriobotrya japonica, Eugenia caryphyllata, Cuscuta chinensis, Glycyrrhiza uralensis, and Coptis chinensis were shown to be effective in inhibiting the replication of HIV-1 in tissue culture and their selectivity indexes were 42, 40, 14, 18 and 65, respectively. To further fractionate Coptis chinensis, which is shown to be highest anti-HIV-1 activity, methanol extracts of Coptis chinensis were fractionated into methylene chloride at pH3, pH10 and water residue. The selectivity Indexes of CH$_2$C1$_2$(pH 3), CH$_2$C1$_2$(pH 10) and water residue were 50, 22 and 98 respectively. Our results show that the water residue of Coptis chinensis was the most effective for anti-HIV-1 activity.

• Ocean Science Journal
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.113-119
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• 2006

Seventeen lactic acid bacterial strains (LAB) were isolated using MRS agar medium from Jeotgal, a Korean fermented food, purchased at the Jukdo market of Pohang. To identify the strains isolated, they were tested by examining their cell morphologies, gram-staining, catalase activity, arginine hydrolase activity, D-L lactate form and carbohydrate fermentation. According to the phenotypic characteristics, three strains were tentatively identified as Lactobacillus spp., ten were Enterococcus spp. (or Streptococcus spp., or Pediococcus spp.) and the rest were Leuconostoc spp. (or Weissella spp.). Five strains among 17 were chosen by preliminary bacteriocin activity test. Four bacterial strains which inhibited both indicator microorganisms were identified by 16S rRNA sequencing. The results are as follows; Leuconostoc mesenteroides (HK 4), Leuconostoc mesenteroides (HK 5), Leuconostoc mesenteroides(HK 11), Streptococcus salivarius(HK 8). In order to check LAB which are showing a high survival rate in gut, we investigated three strains inhibiting both indicator microorganisms in artificial gastric acid and bile juice -all except HK8. The three strains mentioned above grew in extreme low acid conditions.

• ALGAE
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.355-360
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• 2003

A Gram (-), rod-shaped bacterium in size of 1.6-2.8 $\times$ 0.4 μm was isolated from a eutrophic reservoir, which exhibited growth-inhibiting effect against a bluegreen alga (Anabaena cylindrica). This isolate showed positive reactions for catalase and oxidase, and optimal conditions of 35-40°C and pH 9.0. This isolate was designated AC-1 in this manuscript. In a mixed-culture of A. cylindrica and AC-1, their growth patterns were inversely correlated and the bluegreen algal vegetative cells completely disappeared within 24-36 hours. AC-1 showed similar lytic activity in natural water as in an artificial medium. The lytic activity of AC-1 was dependent on the photosynthetic activity of A. cylindrica. When observed under phase contrast microscope, the isolate lysed vegetative cells of A. cylindrica in scattered state in a liquid medium, whereas heterocysts have not been lysed.