• CELLMED
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.15.1-15.14
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• 2014

Andrographis paniculata (Burm. F.) Wall. Ex Nees (Family: Anthaceae) is a traditionally known Ayurvedic medicinal plant. Several well-controlled clinical trials conducted during recent years have consistently reconfirmed that Andrographis paniculata extracts are effective in suppressing cardinal symptoms of diverse inflammatory and infectious diseases. Despite extensive efforts though, many questions concerning bioactive constituents of such extracts and their modes of actions still remain unanswered. Amongst diverse diterpene lactones isolated to date from such extracts, andrographolide is often considered to be the major, representative, or bioactive secondary metabolite of the plant. Therefore, it has attracted considerable attention of several drug discovery laboratories as a lead molecule potentially useful for identifying structurally and functionally novel drug. Critical analysis of available preclinical and clinical information on Andrographis paniculata extracts and pure andrographolide strongly suggest that they are pharmacologically polyvalent and that they possess adaptogenic properties. Aim of this communication is to summarize and critically analyze such data, and to point out some possibilities for more rationally exploiting their adaptogenic properties for discovering novel therapeutic leads, or for obtaining pharmacologically better standardized phyto-pharmaceuticals.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.764-770
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• 2006

Dihydrochalcomycin (GERI-155), produced by Streptomyces sp. KCTC-0041BP isolated from Korean soil, is a 16-membered macrolide antibiotic consisting of two deoxysugar moieties at C-5 and C-20 positions of a branched lactone ring. The cloning and sequencing of a gene cluster for dihydrochalcomycin biosynthesis revealed a 63-kb nucleotide region containing 25 open reading frames (ORFs). The products of all of these 25 ORFs playa role in dihydrochalcomycin biosynthesis and self-resistance against the compounds synthesized. At the core of this cluster lies a 39.6-kb polyketide synthase (PKS) region encoding eight modules in five giant multifunctional protein-coding genes (gerSI-SV). The genes responsible for the biosynthesis of deoxysugar moieties, D-chalcose and D-mycinose, and their modification and attachment were found on either side of this PKS region. The involvement of this gene cluster in dihydrochalcomycin biosynthesis was confirmed by disruption of the dehydratase (DH) domain in module 3 of the PKS gene and by metabolite analysis.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.3 no.3_4
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• pp.39-51
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• 1988

Effects of ${\alpha}$-tocopherol and perilla oil on the toxicity of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) in male rat were studied. Rats were fed ad libitum for 6 weeks with the animal diet which contains PCB 30 ppm and 100 ppm. Perilla oil (0.5 g/kg body weight) and ${\alpha}$-tocopherol (30 mg/kg body weight) were administered intraperitoneally twice a week for 6 weeks. Rats fed with PCB showed enlargement of liver and spleen, increase in aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, sereum lipid and cytochrome P 450 and decrease in body weight and glutathione. When perilla oil was administered to rats fed with PCB increase in aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, serum lipid and cytochrome P45O and decrease in body weight and glutathione were significantly augmented, compared to rats fed with PCB alone. This means that perilla oil potentiates the toxicity of PCB. On the other hand when ${\alpha}$-tocopherol was administered to rats fed with PCB increase in aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, serum lipid and cytochrome P45O and decrease in body weight and glutathione were signigicantly reduced, compared to rats fed with PCB alone. This means that u-tocopherol reduces the toxicity of PCB. From the above results, it may be concluded that PCB is metabolized by microsomal mixed function oxidase and the metabolite causes the toxicity and microsomal glutathione plays a role of protection on the toxicity of PCB.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.35-41
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• 2012

Passive exposure to tobacco smoke significantly contributes to morbidity and mortality in children. Children, in particular, seem to be the most susceptible population to the harmful effects of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). Paternal smoking inside the home leads to significant maternal and fetal exposure to ETS and may subsequently affect fetal health. ETS has been associated with adverse effects on pediatric health, including preterm birth, intrauterine growth retardation, perinatal mortality, respiratory illness, neurobehavioral problems, and decreased performance in school. A valid estimation of the risks associated with tobacco exposure depends on accurate measurement. Nicotine and its major metabolite, cotinine, are commonly used as smoking biomarkers, and their levels can be determined in various biological specimens such as blood, saliva, and urine. Recently, hair analysis was found to be a convenient, noninvasive technique for detecting the presence of nicotine exposure. Because nicotine/cotinine accumulates in hair during hair growth, it is a unique measure of longterm, cumulative exposure to tobacco smoke. Although smoking ban policies result in considerable reductions in ETS exposure, children are still exposed significantly to tobacco smoke not only in their homes but also in schools, restaurants, child-care settings, cars, buses, and other public places. Therefore, more effective strategies and public policies to protect preschool children from ETS should be consolidated.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.552-555
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• 1989

A 150-fold purified preparation of NADPH-specific glutamate dehydrogenase of Corynebacterium glutamicum (1) was used for the determination of kinetic parameters of the substrates, NADPH, NH$_4$Cl, and $\alpha$-ketoglutarate in the direction of glutamate synthesis. The kinetic constants determined from this study suggest a biosynthetic role for the enzyme, Based on the analysis of the result derived from initial velocity, the reaction mechanism was postulated to be ordered addition with NADPH as a first substrate to bind in the forward direction. Of the several metabolites tested for a possible function in the regulation of glutamate dehydrogenase activity, only malate and citrate were appeared to have an appreciable influence on the enzyme, Potassium chloride showed to be the most effective for the enzyme activity.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.250-255
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• 2018

Pine wilt disease, caused by the nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, is one of the most devastating conifer diseases decimating several species of pine trees on a global scale. Here, we report the draft genome of Raoultella ornithinolytica MG, which is isolated from mountain-cultivated ginseng plant as an bacterial endophyte and shows nematicidal activity against B. xylophilus. Our analysis of R. ornithinolytica MG genome showed that it possesses many genes encoding potential nematicidal factors in addition to some secondary metabolite biosynthetic gene clusters that may contribute to the observed nematicidal activity of the strain. Furthermore, the genome was lacking key components of avermectin gene cluster, suggesting that nematicidal activity of the bacterium is not likely due to the famous anthelmintic agent of wide-spread use, avermectin. This genomic information of R. ornithinolytica will provide basis for identification and engineering of genes and their products toward control of pine wilt disease.

• Proceedings of the Microbiological Society of Korea Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.27-30
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• 2002

Ralstonia eutrupha JMP134 is a well-known soil bacterium which can metabolite diverse aromatic compounds and xenobiotics, such as phenol, 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2, 4-D), and trichloroethylene (TCE), etc. Phenol is degraded through chromosomally encoded phenol degradation pathway. Phenol is first metabolized into catechol by a multicomponent phenol hydroxylase, which is further metabolized to TCA cycle intermediates via a meta-cleavage pathway. The nucleotide sequences of the genes for the phenol hydroxylase have previously been determined, and found to composed of eight genes phlKLMNOPRX in an operon structure. The phlR, whose gene product is a NtrC-like transcriptional activator, was found to be located at the internal region of the structural genes, which is not the case in most bacteria where the regulatory genes lie near the structural genes. In addition to this regulatory gene, we found other regulatory genes, the phlA and phlR2, downstream of the phlX. These genes were found to be overlapped and hence likely to be co-transcribed. The protein similarity analysis has revealed that the PhlA belongs to the GntR family, which are known to be negative regulators, whereas the PhlR2 shares high homology with the NtrC-type family of transcriptional activators like the PhlR. Disruption of the phlA by insertional mutation has led to the constitutive expression of the activity of phenol hydroxylase in JMP134, indicating that PhlA is a negative regulator. Possible regulatory mechanisms of phenol metabolism in R. eutropha JMP134 has been discussed.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.20 no.3 s.50
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• pp.209-213
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• 2005

Due to steady increase of childhood asthma, exposure to air toxics including PAHs have been thought as an etiology for the asthma. PAHs -involvement in airway inflammation, such as IgE production, is the potential mechanism of the PAHs-induced asthma. Cytochrome P450s (CYPs), particularly CYP1A1 is known enzyme to metabolite PAHs and to be induced by PAHs. The CYP1A1 expression has been emphasized as an biomarker for PAHs - exposure. The present study was performed to clarify the etiology of childhood asthma with PAHs-exposure using mRNA expression of CYP1A1 . The study Objects were Korean children who were asthma patients (cases) or other hospital controls (N=20; age,3 $\~$ 16; boys,56$\%$). As result, we detected expression of the CYP1A1 in all peripheral blood specimens which were collected from the subjects. Moreover, we found approx. 300 fold-higher expression of the CYP1A1 in the cases than that in the controls (p(<)0.01). When we considered age which was related to Asthma, the above significant trend was somewhat diluted, however, the relation between asthma and the Cypih i expression waL stronger than that between asthma and age (chi square,7.99 vs. 3.34). Therefore, our study supports that PAHs induce or worse childhood asthma and suggests application of expression of the CYP1A1 as an initiation or progress biomarker for PAHs - induced childhood asthma.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.67-77
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• 2015

Purpose: Fungal secondary metabolite (mycotoxin) contamination in foods can pose a serious threat to humans and animals. Spectroscopic techniques have proven to be potential alternative tools for early detection of mycotoxins. Thus, the aim of this review is to provide an overview of the current developments in nondestructive food safety testing techniques, particularly regarding fungal contamination testing in grains, focusing on the application of spectroscopic techniques to this problem. Methods: This review focuses on the use of spectroscopic techniques for the detection of fungi and mycotoxins in agricultural products as reported in the literature. It provides an overview of the characteristics of the main spectroscopic methods and reviews their applications in grain analysis. Results: It was found that spectroscopy has advantages over conventional methods used for fungal contamination detection, particularly when combined with chemometrics. These advantages include the rapidness and nondestructive nature of this approach. Conclusions: While spectroscopy offers many benefits for the detection of mycotoxins in agricultural products, a number of limitations exist, which must be overcome prior to widespread adoption of these techniques.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.185-189
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• 2002

International Olympic Committee (IOC) prohibits the use of cyclofenil for male. To prove whether cyclofenil product was taken or not, the analytical method in urine using GC/MS was established. The extraction recoveries of cyclofenil and its metabolites were higher in the range of pH 5-9. Because the parent drug (cyclofenil) was not excreted in urine, metabolites were detected and theses were used as a criteria of cyclofenil dose. Therefore the metabolites were hydrolyzed, extracted at pH 9.6, derivatized with MSTFA and analyzed by GC/MS.