• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.371-376
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• 2016

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Chronic ultraviolet (UV) exposure-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) are commonly involved in the pathogenesis of skin damage by activating the metalloproteinases (MMP) that break down type I collagen. Adenophora remotiflora (AR) is a perennial wild plant that inhabits Korea, China, and Japan. The present study investigated the protective effects of AR against UVB-induced photo-damage in keratinocytes. MATERIALS/METHODS: An in vitro cell-free system was used to examine the scavenging activity of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical and nitric oxide (NO). The effect of AR on ROS formation, antioxidant enzymes, elastase, MMP-1 level, and mRNA expression of MMP-1 were determined in UVB-irradiated human keratinocyte HaCaT cells. RESULTS: AR demonstrated strong DPPH free radical and NO scavenging activity in a cell-free system exhibiting $IC_{50}$ values of 1.88 mg/mL and 6.77 mg/mL, respectively. AR pretreatment dose-dependently attenuated the production of UVB-induced intracellular ROS, and antioxidant enzymes (catalase and superoxide dismutase) were enhanced in HaCaT cells. Furthermore, pretreatment of AR prevented UVB-induced elastase and collagen degradation by inhibiting the MMP-1 protein level and mRNA expression. Accordingly, AR treatment elevated collagen content in UVB-irradiated HaCaT cells. CONCLUSION: The present study provides the first evidence of AR inhibiting UVB-induced ROS production and induction of MMP-1 as a result of augmentation of antioxidative activity in HaCaT human keratinocytes. These results suggest that AR might act as an effective inhibitor of UVB-modulated signaling pathways and might serve as a photo-protective agent.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.1 no.4
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• pp.285-290
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• 2007

The leukocyte recruitment and transmigration across the endothelial barrier into the vessel wall are crucial steps in atherosclerosis. Leukocyte trafficking on the endothelium is elicited by induction of endothelial adhesion molecules, and its transmigration is mediated by degradation of basement membrane proteins through enzymatic activity of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP). The current study investigated whether resveratrol, a polyphenol present in grapes and red wine, was capable of inhibiting leukocyte adhesion to tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-${\alpha}$-activated endothelium. It was found that resveratrol inhibited the TNF-${\alpha}$-activated endothelial expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, resveratrol hampered THP-1 monocyte adhesion to activated endothelial cells. This study further examined whether resveratrol interfered with transendothelial migration of leukocytes. The MMP-2 gelatinolytic activity of endothelial cells was enhanced by TNF-${\alpha}$, which was attenuated by an addition of ${\geq}25{\mu}M$ resveratrol. In addition, 25 ${\mu}M$ resveratrol mitigated the MMP-9 activity of THP-1 cells, followed by a marked inhibition of transendothelial migration. These results demonstrated that resveratrol suppressed monocyte adhesion and migration induced by TNF-${\alpha}$ through modulating expression of adhesion molecules and gelatinolytic activity of MMP. These findings suggest that dietary resveratrol may be therapeutic agent for inhibiting leukocyte recruitment into the subendothelium during inflammatory atherosclerosis.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.9 no.7
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• pp.149-154
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• 2018

This article intended to examine the anti-plaque activity of 4 essential oils of Lavender, Tea tree, Eucalyptus, Lemongrass against Streptococcus mutans. In the results of measuring the anti-plaque effect against Streptococcus mutans, Minimum anti-adhesive concentration of Lavender oil was 1.0% and that of Tea tree, Eucalyptus, lemongrass essential oils was 0.5 %. Also, it was confirmed that the essential oils have the effect of inhibiting acid generation by Streptococcus mutans. It was confirmed that pH of the concentration was lowered by the acid generation under the MAC by measuring pH of the solution after incubating Streptococcus mutans and the essential oils in the thermostatic bath varying their concentration. From these results, the essential oils, particularly, Tea tree, Eucalyptus, Lemongrass essential oils are the natural material inhibiting the plaque generation and the potential that they can be used to develop the oral care products was confirmed.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.95-101
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• 2014

Cardiovascular disease is the prime cause of morbidity and mortality and the population ages that may contribute to increase in the occurrence of cardiovascular disease. Arginase upregulation is associated with impaired endothelial function in aged vascular system and thus may contribute to cardiovascular disease. According to recent research, Korean Red Ginseng water extract (KRGE) may reduce cardiovascular disease risk by improving vascular system health. The purpose of this study was to examine mechanisms contributing to age-related vascular endothelial dysfunction and to determine whether KRGE improves these functions in aged mice. Young ($10{\pm}3$ weeks) and aged ($55{\pm}5$ weeks) male mice (C57BL/6J) were orally administered 0, 10, or 20 mg/mouse/day of KRGE for 4 weeks. Animals were sacrificed and the aortas were removed. Endothelial arginase activity, nitric oxide (NO) generation and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) coupling, vascular tension, and plasma peroxynitrite production were measured. KRGE attenuated arginase activity, restored nitric oxide (NO) generation, reduced ROS production, and enhanced eNOS coupling in aged mice. KRGE also improved vascular tension in aged vessels, as indicated by increased acetylcholine-induced vasorelaxation and improved phenylephrine-stimulated vasoconstriction. Furthermore, KRGE prevented plasma peroxynitrite formation in aged mice, indicating reduced lipid peroxidation. These results suggest KRGE exerts vasoprotective effects by inhibiting arginase activity and augmenting NO signaling and may be a useful treatment for age-dependent vascular diseases.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.164-167
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• 2005

The growth responses of materials extracted from Juniperus virginiana leaves against Bifidobacterium bifidum, B. longum, Clostridium perfringens, Escherichia coli, Lactobacillus acidophilus, L. casei, and Streptococcus mutans were examined using impregnated paper disk agar diffusion. The biologically active constituent isolated from the J. virginiana extracts was characterized as ${\alpha}$-cedrene using various spectroscopic analyses including IR, EI-MS, and NMR. The responses varied according to the dose, chemicals, and bacterial strain tested. Methanol extracts of J. virginiana leaves exhibited a strong and moderate inhibitory activity against C. perfringens and E. coli at 5 mg/disk, respectively. However, in tests conducted with B. bifidum, B. longum, L. acidophilus, L. casei, and S. mutans, the methanol extracts showed no or weak inhibitory response. At 2 mg/disk, a-cedrene strongly inhibited the growth of C. perfringens and moderately inhibited the growth of E. coli and S. mutans, without any adverse effects on the growth of four lactic acid-bacteria. Of the commercially available compounds originating from J. virginiana leaves, cedrol and ${\alpha}$-pinene exhibited strong and moderate growth inhibition against C. perfringens, and ${\alpha}$-copaene revealed moderate growth inhibition against E. coli at 1 mg/disk. Furthermore, cedrol exhibited moderate and weak growth inhibition against S. mutans at 2 and 1 mg/disk, respectively. However, little or no activity was observed for camphene, (+)-2-carene, p-cymene, limonene, linalool, and a-phellandrene against B. bifidum, B. longum, C. perfringens, L. acidophilus, L. casei, and S. mutans at 2 mg/disk. The observed inhibitory activity of the J. virginiana leaf-extracted materials against C. perfringens, E. coli, and S. mutans may be an indication of at least one of the pharmacological actions of the J. virginiana leaf.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.763-767
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• 2006

The anticoagulant properties of compounds derived from fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Gaertner) fruits were evaluated using a platelet aggregometer and compared with aspirin. The active constituents of fennel fruits were isolated and identified as (+)-fenchone and extragole by various spectral analysis techniques. With regard to the 50% inhibitory concentration ($IC_{50}$), (+)-fenchone effectively inhibited platelet aggregation induced by treatment with collagen ($IC_{50}$, $3.9\;{\mu}M$) and arachidonic acid (AA) ($IC_{50}$, $27.1\;{\mu}M$), and estragole inhibited collagen-induced platelet aggregation ($IC_{50}$, $4.7\;{\mu}M$). By way of comparison, (+)-fenchone and estragole proved to be significantly more potent than aspirin at inhibiting platelet aggregation induced by collagen. The inhibitory activity of (+)-fenchone toward platelet aggregation induced by AA was 1.3 times stronger than that of aspirin. These results indicate that (+)- fenchone and estragole may be useful as lead compounds for inhibiting platelet aggregation induced by arachidonic acid and collagen.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.138-142
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• 2008

The composition of essential oils from Chrysanthemum zawadskii var. latilobum and C. indicum were analyzed and compared. The results of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry revealed there were distinctly different compositional patterns between C. zawadskii var. latilobum and C. indicum essential oils. The combinatorial effect of the oil of C. zawadskii var. latilobum and C. indicum, with various antibiotics was assessed against antibiotic-susceptible and -resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae. The essential oil fraction significantly inhibited most of the tested antibiotic-susceptible and -resistant strains of S. pneumoniae, with minimum inhibiting concentrations (MICs) ranging from 0.5 to 4.0 mg/ml. The fractional inhibiting concentration indices (FICIs) of the oils when combined with antibiotics against S. aureus and S. pneumoniae ranged from 0.26 to 0.75, and showed synergistic or additive effects.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.113-117
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• 2001

CKD602, a camptothecin derivative, is a synthetic and water-soluble anticancer agent possessing of topoisomerase I inhibiting activity. DPPC and DSPE-PEG liposomal formulations entrapped with CKD602 were developed. DSPE-PEG liposome, or PEGylated liposome, encapsulating CKD602 composed of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC), cholesterol and distearoyl-N-monoethoxy poly (ethyleneglycol) succinylphosphatidylethanolamine $(DSPE-PEG_{2000})$ (22:11:2) was prepared by reverse-phase evaporation method. Formed liposomes were characterized in terms of the morphology, size and encapsulation efficiency. To elucidate the in vitro stability, PEGylated liposome was incubated in human plasma, and the adsorbed proteins onto the surface of liposomes were applied to the SDS-PAGE. In vitro cytotoxicity of CKD602 encapsulated in PEGylated liposome was studied in human cervical cancer cell line (HeLa). CKD602 in PEGylated liposome was found to be 40-fold more effective $(IC_{50}=1\;nM)$ than free CKD602 $(IC_{50}=40\;nM)$ in inhibiting the growth of HeLa cells in vitro.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.9
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• pp.1443-1446
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• 2018

In the present study, we examined whether Lactobacillus johnsonii CJLJ103 (LJ) could alleviate cholinergic memory impairment in mice. Oral administration of LJ alleviated scopolamine-induced memory impairment in passive avoidance and Y-maze tasks. Furthermore, LJ treatment increased scopolamine-suppressed BDNF expression and CREB phosphorylation in the hippocampi of the brain, as well as suppressed $TNF-{\alpha}$ expression and $NF-{\kappa}B$ activation. LJ also increased BDNF expression in corticosterone-stimulated SH-SY5Y cells and inhibited $NF-{\kappa}B$ activation in LPS-stimulated microglial BV2 cells. However, LJ did not inhibit acetylcholinesterase activity. These findings suggest that LJ, a member of human gut microbiota, may mitigate cholinergic memory impairment by increasing BDNF expression and inhibiting $NF-{\kappa}B$ activation.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.420-427
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• 2012

Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were orally administered with NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), which inhibits or blocks the production of nitric oxide from L-arginine in vascular endothelial cells and vessel tissue. We examined the effects of nitric oxide on some physiological changes such as blood pressure and heart rate, and confirms the apoptosis induced by the suppressed nitric oxide activity in the kidney. This study was performed to investigate correlation between the activities of nitric oxide and apoptosis by immunohistochemical changes of apoptotic control proteins with regulated chronic inhibition of nitric oxide. In the kidney from L-NAME-treated group, immunohistochemical reaction to the antigens of apoptosis inhibiting proteins such as bcl-2 and bcl-xL, exhibited a time-dependent reduction. The expression of apoptosis-inhibiting proteins such as bax and p53 increased expression in proportion to the duration of treatment. The most sensitive apoptosis regulating proteins to L-NAME were p53 in stimulation and bcl-2 in inhibition, respectively.