• Journal of Life Science
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.370-376
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• 2014

Although the grasshopper Oxya chinensis sinuosa has long been used as food in Korea, there is little data on its functional effects. In this study, we investigated the anti-inflammatory effect of O. c. sinuosa ethanol extract (OCE) in RAW 264.7 mouse macrophage cells treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for induction of inflammation. First, we determined that there is no cytotoxicity at $2,000{\mu}g/ml$ or less of OCE in RAW 264.7 cells. To evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects of OCE, we investigated expression levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-${\alpha}$ and interleukin (IL)-6, and pro-inflammatory enzymes such as inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2) in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells. In addition, we examined whether OCE could inhibit translocation of NF-${\kappa}B$ p65 into the nucleus in LPS induced RAW 264.7 cells. As a result, we found that the mRNA and protein levels of TNF-${\alpha}$ and IL-6 decreased in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells after treatment with OCE in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, we confirmed a $2,000{\mu}g/ml$ concentration of OCE inhibited translocation of NF-${\kappa}B$ p65 by immunnostaining and Western blot analysis, and a decrease in the protein expression levels of iNOS and COX-2. Accordingly, we suppose that OCE has an anti-inflammatory effect through down-regulation of TNF-${\alpha}$, IL-6, iNOS, and COX-2 related to ${\kappa}B$ p65 inflammatory signaling pathways.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.1226-1232
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• 2003

Bamboo trees have been used for a long time as folk remedies for treatment of hypertension and stroke symptoms in Oriental regions. These pharmaceutical effects of bamboos look like to be related to its antioxidant capacity and phytochemicals in bamboos. To evaluate the antioxidative effects of bamboo trees, five kinds of bamboo varieties dominant in Korean peninsular were chosen and determined its total antioxidaive activities, free radical scavenging activities and nitrite scavenging activities by TEAC (Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity) assay, DPPH and Griess reagent assay using in vitro system, respectively. To evaluate the correlation between antioxidative activities and Maillard reaction during hot water extraction, contents of reducing sugar and total nitrogen and brown color intensity at 420 nm were determined. When total antioxidative activities, free radical scavenging activities and nitrite scavenging activities of five kinds of bamboo trees were compared, wang-dae (Phyllostachys bambusoides S. et Z.) showed the strongest effect among samples, although all kinds of extracts showed relatively strong effects against oxidation. The bamboo culms extract showed stronger antioxidative effects than that of bamboo leaves. In each fraction obtained from 70% ethanol extract, antioxidative effect were increased in order of dichloromethane>ethyl acetate>butanol>water>hexane fraction. In reducing sugar analysis of extracts, reducing sugar contents of water extracts were higher than that of 70% ethanol extracts and wang-dae water extract showed the highest level which was 708.92 mg/g. Total nitrogen contents of the extracts were $1.785{\sim}2.605\;mg%$ and contents in water extracts were lower than that in 70% ethanol extracts. Brown color intensity at 420 nm showed similar tendency with results in reducing sugar contents.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.19-28
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• 2005

Scuticociliatosis has badly settled one of most damaging diseases during the seedling production process of olive flounder. Paralichthys olivaceus in Korea. We isolated a new type of Scuticociliate from flounder. The parasite metamorphoses to ciliate and cyst phases with each other by environmental changes and survive for a relatively long span. The ciliate was measured average 41.8 ${\mu}m$ in length and 21.0 ${\mu}m$ in width, and cyst was 17.0 ${\mu}m$ and 13.5 ${\mu}m$, respectively. Nutritional condition was determined as a major parameter of metamorphosing between ciliate and cyst stages. The ciliate transforms to a cyst stage because of food shortage, and the cyst returns to a ciliate stage with a favorite environmental condition and shows active growth and reproduction. The ciliate multiplied at the maximal density of $2.9 {\times} 10^5 {m\ell}^{-1}$cells in vitro cultivation at $15 ^{\circ}C$temperature using MS BHI medium and bacterial food sources. The ciliate could be proliferated at a 2.5 to $30 ^ \circ}C$ temperature range, pH 6 to 9, and 1 to 55 ppt salinity. Particularly, it survived over one week at $0 ^{\circ}C$temperature showing a high resistance against unfavorable environmental conditions. And the cyst survived for 320 days in the condition of $5 ^{\circ}C$with no feeding, but its survival period was markedly shortened in higher temperature conditions. The chemotherapeutants (formalin and hydrogen peroxide) were clarified as effective chemicals against the ciliate during in vitro trials, but the effect of therapeutants differed in proportion, depending upon the density and the bathing time of chemical compounds.

• Sijohaknonchong
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• v.30
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• pp.21-52
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• 2009

This study observed what roles and identity the Taoist Hermits have when they appear in Korean Verse, SiJo, which was preoccupied by the illustrious-officials in Choseon Dynasty. This study has found that languages of Taoist Hermit frequently appear in SiJo, through the historical study documents focusing on only the mountain wizards in terma of the genre, SiJo. Of those terms used by Taoist Hermit, most prominent was 'JeokSongJa', which was expressed as that sought by the illustrious-officials-they were using the sentence, 'I will follow JeokSongJa' to the extent that it is an idiom. This suggests that the illustrious officials in ChoSeon Dynasty meant if one was going to be entitled to become a Taoist Hermit, he should seek 'JeokSongJa' first. We can see those illustrious officials were using the words with a ideological tone, affected by then 'JangRyang' or 'BeomRyo' who were devoting themselves to finding 'JeokSongJa' with a belief that they could become a Taoist Hermit and live forever, which had been handed down as a legend or a myth. Meanwhile, Li Po is a profile who can not considered, separately in the history of Korean Literature. Li Po recited poems, as a great poet and a hard drinker, who were incited in SiJo of those illustrious officials as a intimate person. In contrast, among those who were accepted as a negative profile, were a Chinese Emperor JinSi and HanMuje. These two emperors, who were looking for a herb of eternal youth and Mt. BongRae, figures who had lost their positions in the real political circle. In addition, they couldn't make their dreams to get perennial youth and long life come true, which stimulated the illustrious officials of that time to recite those poems indicating there is no ideal Utopia so it's better be satisfied with the reality living up to the realistic idea of Confucianism. In this sense, those two emperors are negative. There are also women Taoist Hermits present in SiJo, including MaGo nymphs, SeoWangMo, MuSanShinNyo, and Hang-A. MaGo nymphs were grandmothers who superintend the longevity, often incited as a beautiful woman; SeoWangMo was a Toast Hermit who had an elixir of life; MuSanShinNyo is a beautiful woman who was representing the attachment of cloud friendship; and Hang-A is expressed as a goddess who betrayed her husband and as a result staying lonely in the moon palace. These women goddesses were characterized by their beautiful appearances, generous and delicate personalities. widely incited in romantic poems.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.197-206
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• 2013

The present study investigated whether leukemia-maintaining cells reside in a differentiation-resistant fraction using a megakaryocytic differentiation model of K562 cells. Treatment with phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) significantly inhibited the colony-forming efficiency of the K562 cells. At a PMA concentration of 1 nM or higher, colony was not formed, but approximately 40% of K562 cells still survived in soft agar. Approximately 70% of colony-forming cells that were isolated following the removal of PMA after exposure to the agent were differentiated after treatment with 10 nM PMA for 3 days. The differentiation rate of the colony-forming cells was gradually increased and reached about 90% 6 weeks after colony isolation, which was comparable to the level of a PMA-treated K562 control. Meanwhile, imatinib-resistant variants from the K562 cells, including K562/R1, K562/R2, and K562/R3 cells, did not show any colony-forming activity, and most imatinib-resistant variants were CD44 positive. After 4 months of culture in drug-free medium, the surface level of CD44 was decreased in comparison with primary imatinib-resistant variants, and a few colonies were formed from K562/R3 cells. In these cells, Bcr-Abl, which was lost in the imatinib-resistant variants, was re-expressed, and the original phenotypes of the K562 cells were partially recovered. These results suggest that leukemia-maintaining cells might reside in a differentiation-resistant population. Differentiation therapy to eliminate leukemia-maintaining cells could be a successful treatment for leukemia if the leukemia-maintaining cells were exposed to a differentiation inducer for a long time and at a high dose.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Traditional Landscape Architecture
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.14-25
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• 2016

This study aims to investigate what flowering plant Jeongjo loved, the attitudes and the reasons, and their implications. The study method was to investigate the contents and meaning in the historical records and to describe their interpretation. Jeongjo's life was consistent with very abstinent life style. His food, clothing and shelter were simple, and he did not show the interests in music, various arts and craft, women, and so on. He did not even show his interest in the flowers and plants of fairyland, beautiful flowers and plants. Jeongjo knew various kinds of flowers, and he was proficient in artistic expressions such as literature or painting with flower material. Due to this kind of attitude, there were few cases to demonstrate his taste on the specific flowering plant. The only one that Jeongjo revealed as his favorite flower was the pomegranate. However, the pomegranate was not the simple flowering plant as the subject of enjoying to Jeongjo. The pomegranate has the meaning of indicator plant to indicate the season of rice farming. Therefore, he made it to be the intermediary to indicate the farming season, which counted a few. Besides, Jeongjo who was threatened by the trials of assassination to him in his early throne period utilized 5,600 pomegranate flowerpots as the barricade of his shelter by arraying them with the type of stone piles in $B{\bar{a}}zh{\grave{e}}nt{\acute{u}}$(八陣圖). The use of Jeongjo's pomegranate flowerpots was not related to the visual utilization like ornament at all, which was very unique case. From multiple records, it was found that the pomegranate was the flower to be with Jeongjo in his period of reign. It is remarkable that the reason why Jeongjo kept pomegranate for a long time like this had the difference from enjoying practice on the ordinary flowering plant. This study has the limitation to be conducted depending on the Korean translated data. Further studies are required according to the translation performance of new historical records.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.10
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• pp.885-897
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• 2021

Schisandrae Fructus (SF) and Corni Fructus (CF) have been used for a long time for the prevention and treatment of various diseases. Although reports have highlighted the possibility of inhibiting the onset and progression of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), studies on related mechanisms are still lacking. In this study, we investigated the potential of SF and CF in improving BPH by using a dihydrotestosterone (DHT)-induced in vitro BPH model using LNCaP prostate carcinoma cells. According to our results, water and ethanol extracts of SF and CF significantly inhibited the proliferation of LNCaP cells by DHT treatment and markedly downregulated the expression of DHT-induced BPH biomarkers and growth factors. They also regulated the expression of apoptosis regulatory factors and significantly reduced DHT-mediated oxidative stress. In addition, the protective effect on major factors involved in the pathogenesis of BPH was more effective in the ethanol extract treatment group than in the water extract group. Furthermore, the improvement effect on BPH was higher in the 1:1 combined treatment group than in the ethanol extract alone treatment group of SF and CF, and 60% ethanol extracts showed a better effect than 40% ethanol extracts. Therefore, our findings demonstrate that SF and CF can protect against BPH by preventing the hyperproliferation of prostate cells through the inhibition of the androgen signaling pathway, which was correlated with their antioxidant activities. Therefore, SF and CF extracts may be useful in the clinical treatment of BPH, and the combination of these two extracts can be synergistic.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.9
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• pp.787-795
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• 2021

Eupatorium chinensis var. simplicifolium (EUC) has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Young sprouts of EUC have been used as food for a long time, and the whole EUC plant has been used as an herbal remedy in oriental medicine. Arteriosclerosis, or chronic inflammation in arterial vessels, is a cardiovascular disease and is involved in various disorders. Cardiovascular diseases such as restenosis and neuropathic hyperplasia are mainly caused by abnormal growth and movement due to multiple growth factors in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) is a mitogen released from damaged vessel walls and is involved in the proliferation and migration of VSMCs. To determine the effects of EUC on the abnormal proliferation and migration of VSMCs, the present study investigated intracellular signaling pathways in PDGF-BB-induced VSMCs treated with and without EUC. Pretreating PDGF-BB-induced VSMCs with EUC tended to effectively decrease cell proliferation and migration. Subsequently, the intracellular growth-related signaling pathways of AKT, phospholipase C gamma (PLC-γ), and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) were investigated using western blotting to confirm inhibited phosphorylation. Furthermore, flow cytometry data showed that EUC blocked the cell cycle of VSMCs. These results suggest that EUC can inhibit the proliferation and migration of VSMCs by controlling the cell cycle and growth factor receptors. Furthermore, this indicates that EUC can be used as a preventative against cardiovascular disease resulting from abnormal proliferation and migration of VSMCs.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.688-696
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• 2019

This study investigated changes in triglyceride and cholesterol synthesis and tyrosinase activity induced by ice plant (Mesembryanthemum crystallinum L.) extract, which cannot be stored for long periods of time due to its high moisture content when it was fermented to improve its storage stability. The accumulation of triglyceride and cholesterol in HepG2 cells inhibited the accumulation with a relatively large magnitude in n-butanol and aqueous fractions that generally have high polarity, however, changes in inhibition potency due to the fermentation were not significant. As for the effect to inhibit tyrosinase activity, when L-tyrosine was used as a substrate, the inhibitory activity was the highest for the aqueous fraction at $60.58{\pm}4.03%$ and $63.35{\pm}4.35%$, before and after fermentation, respectively, which amounted to 72% of that of the positive control group (arbutin, $100{\mu}g/ml$). In addition, when L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA) was used as a substrate, the inhibitory activity was also found the highest for the aqueous fraction at $56.85{\pm}1.57%$ and $59.38{\pm}1.74%$, before and after fermentation, respectively, which amounted to at least 88% of that in the positive control (kojic acid, $100{\mu}g/ml$). Overall, the activity of the fermented ice plant extract was similar or a little higher compared to that of the one without fermentation, indicating that fermentation can be a good approach to improve the storage stability of the ice plant.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.10
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• pp.1104-1110
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• 2019

Recently, there has been an increase in the elderly population of the world. Consequently, bone metabolic diseases such as osteoporosis are emerging as a social problem. Osteoclasts play a role in bone resorption, and osteoporosis is induced when bone resorption occurs excessively. Because currently used bone resorption inhibitors may cause side effects when used for a long period of time, it is necessary to develop a new material that effectively inhibits osteoclast differentiation. This study aimed to confirm the inhibitory effect of ethanol extract of Locusta migratoria on RANKL-induced osteoclast differentiation and its mechanism. The toxicity and proliferation effects of LME on RAW264.7 osteoclasts were measured by an MTS assay. There was no cytotoxicity or proliferation when the osteoclasts were treated with up to $2,000{\mu}g/ml$ of LME. In order to confirm the effect of LME on the differentiation of osteoclasts, osteoclasts were treated with RANKL alone or with LME for 3 days. As a result of a TRAP (tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase) assay, the increasing osteoclast differentiation by RANKL decreased in a concentration-dependent manner with the treatment of LME. In addition, LME suppressed the expression of differentiation-related marker genes (TRAP, RANK, NFATc1, and CK) and proteins (NFATc1 and c-Src) that had been increased by RANKL. Also, LME influenced the $NF-{\kappa}B$, ERK and JNK signaling pathways, resulting in the inhibition of osteoclast differentiation. These results suggest that LME may be used as a novel functional material for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis by playing a role in inhibiting bone absorption.