• Applied Microscopy
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.201-209
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• 2010

Korean traditional herbs, especially Anemarrhena asphodeloides (A. asphodeloides), Salvia miltiorrhiza (S. miltiorrhiza), and Terminalia chebula (T. chebula) have been known to have the immunomodulatory, anti-tumor, and anti-inflammatory effects. However, direct cellular mechanism underlying the mast cell-mediated anaphylaxis-like reaction has poorly been understood. In the present study, the effects of the methanol extracts of A. asphodeloides (MEAA), S. miltiorrhiza (MESM), and T. chebula (METC) on anaphylactic reaction were investigated. Using in vitro and in vivo experiments, the influences of MEAA, MESM, and METC on the compound 48/80-induced anaphylaxis-like reaction and mast cell activation, and IgEmediated PCA were examined. Results are below; 1) MEAA, MESM, and METC significantly inhibited systemic anaphylaxis-like reaction, ear swelling response, and IgE-mediated PCA. 2) the compound 48/80-induced mast cell degranulation, histamine release of rat peritoneal mast cells (RPMC) were significantly inhibited by the pretreatment with MEAA, MESM, and METC, and 3) the compound 48/80-induced calcium influx in RPMC was significantly inhibited by the pretreatment with MEAA, MESM, and METC. These results suggest that MEAA, MESM, and METC may be an activity to inhibit the compound 48/80-induced or anti-DNP IgE-mediated anaphylactic reactions by blocking histamine release and calcium uptake into RPMC. MEAA, MESM, and METC potentially may serve as an effective therapeutic tool for allergic diseases.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.86-90
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• 2003

Bulla is an air-filled space within the lung parenchyma resulting from deterioration of the alveolar tissue. Molecular mechanism of the formation of the bulla is not well described. Fibroblast growth factor(FGF)-7, bone morphogenetic protein(BMP) receptor, and transforming growth factor(TGF)-$\beta$ receptor are known to have a stimulatory or inhibitory role in the lung formation. We investigated to see if these growth factor or cytokine receptors are involved in the bulla formation by immunohistochemical staining of bullous lung tissues from patients with primary spontaneous pneumothorax. Material and Method: Bullous lung tissues were obtained from 31 patients with primary spontaneous pneumothorax, including 30 males and 1 female from 15 to 39 years old. The bullous tissues were obtained by video-thoracoscopic surgery and/or mini-thoracotomy and fixed in formalin. Blocks of the specimens were embedded with paraffin and cut into 5-6 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ thick slices. The sections were deparaffinized and hydrated and then incubated with primary antibodies against FGF-7, BMP-RII, or TGF-RII. Result: Of the 31 patients, 24 were TGF-RII positive including 18 strong and 6 weak positives. Observation with high magnification showed that strong immunostaining was detected in the boundary region between bullous and normal lung tissues. In contrast, all of the sections were negative with FGF-7 or BMP-RII antibodies. Conclusion: These results suggest that overexpression of TGF- P RII may be involved in the formation of bulla, although further molecular studies are needed to find out more detailed molecular mechanisms.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.4 s.84
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• pp.522-528
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• 2007

In the present investigation, we studied the modulating effects of caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, and (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate(EGCG) on the methylation status of promoter regions of cell cycle regulator, p16, in human breast cancer T-47D cells. We demonstrated that treatment of T-47D cells with caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, or EGCG partially inhibited the methylation status of the promoter regions of p16 genes determined by methylation-specific PCR. In contrast, unmethylated p16 genes were increased with the treatment of T-47D cells with $20{\mu}M$ of caffeic acid or chlorogenic acid for 6 days. Treatment of T-47D cells with 5, 20 or $50{\mu}M$ of EGCG increased the unmethylation status of p16 gene up to 100%, and the methylation-specific bands of this gene were decreased up to 50% in a concentration-dependent manner. The finding of present study demonstrated that coffee polyphenols and EGCG have strong inhibitory effects of the cellular DNA methylation process through increased formation of S-adenosyl-homocysteine(SAH) during the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT)- mediated O-methylation of these dietary chemicals or an direct inhibition of the DNA methyltransferases. In conclusion, various dietary polyphenols could reverse the methylation status of p16 gene in human breast T-47D cells.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.22 no.8
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• pp.1052-1056
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• 2012

Undaria pinnatifada has been used as a natural diet food with few calories and as a source of iodine. Even though U. pinnatifida has been regarded as a diet food, the mechanisms of its inhibitory effects on adipocyte differentiation and the accumulation of fat in adipocytes are poorly understood. In this study, the effect and mechanism of U. pinnatifida ethanol extract on 3T3-L1 differentiation into adipocytes were investigated. The effects of U. pinnatifida ethanol extract on cell viability and the anti-adipogenic effect were investigated via MTT assay, Oil red O staining, RT-PCR, and western blot. The U. pinnatifida ethanol extract did not show toxicity up to a concentration of 50 ${\mu}g/ml$. The addition of U. pinnatifida ethanol extract decreased triglyceride contents by 40% when 50 ${\mu}g/ml$ of U. pinnatifida ethanol extract was added during 3T3-L1 differentiation and adipocyte triglyceride formation. The transcription and expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor ${\gamma}$ ($PPAR{\gamma}$), leptin, and hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) as adipocyte-specific proteins were determined by RT-PCR and western blot. The overexpression of $PPAR{\gamma}$ could accelerate adipocyte differentiation. Also, leptin was secreted for triglyceride accumulation in the adipocytes and the increase of adipocyte cell size. Thus, $PPAR{\gamma}$ and leptin were used as indicators of obesity. $PPAR{\gamma}$ and leptin were repressed by the increased addition of U. pinnatifida ethanol extract. This indicates that U. pinnatifida was effective as an anti-obesity agent by repressing the differentiation of 3T3-L1 into adipocytes and inhibiting triglyceride formation in adipocytes.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.19 no.12
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• pp.1808-1814
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• 2009

In our previous study, a new herbal preparation (HemoHIM) was developed as a functional food for the radioprotection and immunomodulatory agents. In order elucidate the mechanism involved, we examined the effect of HemoHIM on the compound 48/80-induced histamine release, and on the phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)/calcium ionophore (A23187)-induced inflammatory cytokine secretion in HMC-1. The cell culture supernatants were harvested, and the cytokines (IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-$\alpha$, GM-CSF) in the supernatants were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The total RNA of the cells was extracted, and the cytokines or c-kit/tryptase/Fc$\varepsilon$RI's messenger RNA expressions were examined using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Under low concentrations, HemoHIM inhibited histamine release in HMC-1 stimulated compound 48/80. Furthermore HemoHIM inhibited PMA/A23187-induced inflammatory cytokines' secreation or mRNA expression in a dose-dependent manner. But IL-8 secretion was not inhibited by low concentrayion of HemoHIM, respectively. The mRNA expression of c-kit and Fc$\varepsilon$RI were also inhibited in a dose-dependent manner. Tryptase mRNA expression was only inhibited by low concentration of HemoHIM. These results indicated that HemoHIM might be an useful agent for protection against allergy as well as immune modulation, especially since it is a relatively nontoxic natural product.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.293-299
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• 2004

Antioxidant activity of ethanolic extract of two giant embryonic rices, Nampung giant embryonic rice and Hwachung giant embryonic rice, were investigated mainly focusing on their ability to inhibit lipid peroxidation and scavenge reactive oxygen species in comparison with those of general rice. The results showed that germination process increased reducing power, inhibitory activity on lipid peroxidation and scavenging ability either on superoxide or hydroxyl radicals. Among the cultivars tested, increase in antioxidative action was found to be most prominent for Hwachung giant embryonic rice cultivar. For scavenging of superoxide radicals, the extract from Nampung giant embryonic rice has the most potent activity, however, increasing rate of scavenging activity by germination process was also found to be the greatest for Hwachung giant embryonic rice. We found that the scavenging mechanism for superoxide radicals was attributed to the direct scavenging of the radicals. The scavenging of hydroxyl radicals, the most toxic oxygen radical to biological system, by the rice extracts were also examined, and the results showed that either overall activity or the increasing rate of the activity to scavenge hydroxyl radicals by germination process was the greatest for Hwachung giant embryonic rice. Moreover, the results suggested that the scavenging action to hydroxyl radicals might be mediated by direct quenching of the radicals, not by chelating $Fe^{2+}$. Further studies showed that the antioxidant action of the rice extracts tested in vitro was also operative for suppressing ROS production induced in TPA-stimulated HL-60 cells.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.63 no.2
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• pp.147-152
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• 2020

Farrerol is a flavanone isolated from the traditional Chinese herb 'Man-shan-hong' (Rhododendron dauricum L.). Farrerol has been reported to have various bioactivities including anti-oxidant, anti-inflammation, and anti-fungal. However, anti-cancer effect of farrerol has not yet been reported in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. In the present study, we investigated the anti-cancer effect of farrerol on MCF-7 cells. Farrerol decreased viability and induced apoptosis of MCF-7 cells in a dose dependent manner. Ferrerol exhibited a significant anti-proliferation effect with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) values of 145.04±1.4 μM in MTT assay, when MCF-7 cells were treated with ferrerol for 48 h. Also, ferrerol induced apoptotic bodies of MCF-7 cells as evaluated by TUNEL assay and Annexin V/PI staining using FACS. By mechanism of action, ferrerol regulated the activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase and altered the expression level of BAX, Bcl-2, and Poly ADP Ribose Polymerase in MCF-7 cells. In summary, our finding demonstrated that ferrerol has anti-cancer effect through regulating the activation and expression of apoptosis-related proteins in MCF-7 cells.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.83-89
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• 2020

Osteoporosis is a worldwide disease leading to significant economic and societal burdens globally. Osteoporosis is caused by unbalanced bone remodeling between the rate of osteoclast bone resorption and osteoblast bone formation. Acer tegmentosum Maxim (AT) is a traditional herbal medicine containing multiple biological activities such as anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory purposes. However, its role in osteoporosis has not been fully studied. Therefore, we investigated whether AT has a potent inhibitory effect on osteoporosis and its mechanism through a systemic evaluation in ovariectomized (OVX) mice. OVX mice were orally administrated with the AT at doses of 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg for 10 weeks. Histological images and histomorphometry analyses were performed by H&E and Toluidine blue satin, and the expression levels of receptor activator for nuclear factor-kB ligand (RANKL), nuclear factor of activated T cells cytoplasm 1 (NFATc1), c-Fos, and matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) related to the osteoclast differentiation were investigated using immunohistochemical analysis. Administration of AT prevented bone loss and the alternations of osteoporotic bone parameters at the distinct regions of the distal femur and spongiosa region in OVX mice. Further, administration of AT increased periosteal bone formation in a dose-dependent manner. Meanwhile, AT inhibited not only the expression of NFATc1 and c-Fos, which are two major regulators of osteoclastogenesis but also reduced bone resorbed encoding expression of MMP9 and RANKL. Our results indicated that administration of AT prevented bone loss and the alternations of osteoporotic bone parameters at the distinct regions of the distal femur and spongiosa region in OVX mice. Also AT has the bone protective effect through the suppression of osteoclast and promotion of osteoblast, suggesting that it could be a preventive and therapeutic candidate for anti-osteoporosis.

• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
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• v.1 no.4
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• pp.224-229
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• 2005

Cirsii Japonici Herba (CJH) extract has been used for hundreds of years in Asian countries as a treatment for pollutant, radiation, and alcohol-induced liver damage. The reducing effect of CJH on hydrogen peroxide-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, the main cause of cell damage or death, was evaluated using the HepG2 cell line. Cell survival was determined using MTS assay. The viability of cells treated with CJH was not significantly different from oxidative-stressed HepG2 cells. A dose-dependent inhibitory effect by CJH on ROS production was shown in oxidative-stressed cells using the $H_{2}DCFDA$ assay. To identify candidate genes responsible for the anti-oxidative effects of CJH on HepG2 cells, an oligonucleotide microarray analysis was performed. The expressions of five genes were decreased, whereas nineteen genes were up-regulated in CJH plus hydrogen peroxide treated cells, compared to only hydrogen peroxide treated cells. Among them, the expression of 5 genes was decreased in hydrogen peroxide treatment when compared to control. These genes are known to regulate cell survival and progression. On the other hand, it was shown that its main compounds were not a sylimarin or its analogs. The list of differentially expressed genes may provide further insight on the action and mechanism behind the anti-oxidative effects of Cirsii Japonici Herba.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.102-108
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• 2002

In order to investigate the mechanism of growth inhibition by salt stress, lettuces were grown hydroponically in three different nutrient solutions, normal and 30 mM or 50 mM $KNO_3$-added nutrient solutions, and the electrical conductivities of these solutions were 1.0, 4.5, and 6.5 dS/m, respectively. The activities of plasma and vacuolar $H^+$-ATPases in the root tissue of lettuce were measured by specific inhibitors, 100 ${\mu}M$ vanadate and 50 mM $NO_3^-$, respectively. Microsomal ATPase activity of lettuce grown in the normal nutrient solution was $356\pm1.5$ nmol/min/mg protein. When lettuces were grown in 30 mM and 50 mM $KNO_3$-added nutrient solutions, total activities of microsomal ATPases were increased by 1.6 and 1.9 times, respectively, and the increases were mainly mediated by vacuolar $H^+$-ATPase. These results show that lettuces adapt themselves to salt-stressed condition by increasing the activities of $H^+$-ATPases. Effects of various heavy metal ions were investigated on the microsomal ATPases and various metal ions at 100 $\mu M$ inhibited the activities by 10$\sim$25%. $Cu^{2+}$ showed the highest inhibitory effect on the vacuolar $H^+$-ATPase. These results suggest that lettuce increases the activities of root ATPases, specially that of vacuolar $H^+$-ATPase, in salt-stressed growth conditions and $Cu^{2+}$ could be a useful tool to control the activity of vacuolar $H^+$-ATPase.