• BMB Reports
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.463-471
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• 2001

The bark of Ulmus darvidiana var. japonica Nakai (UDN) has been used for a long time to cure inflammation in oriental medicine. In the present study, two types of extracts, Ulmus water-eluted fraction (UWF) and Ulmus ethanol-eluted fraction (UEF), were prepared from the UDN stem bark, and employed to test the extracts to see if they had anti-oxidative properties against hydroxyl radicals that could alter immune reactivity in mouse immune cells. Deoxyribose assay, DNA nicking assay, and glucose/glucose oxidase assay showed that both fractions had scavenging activity against oxygen free radicals at 50 mg/ml. In addition, hydroxyl radical-mediated apoptosis in mouse thymocytes was not protected by UEF treatment, but the apoptosis was protected by UWF at the same concentration. DNA synthesis and cytokine production that were induced in splenocytes by mitogens (Concanavalin A and lipopolysaccharide) were reduced by the addition of both fractions. These results indicate that both extracts that were prepared from the UDN stem bark have anti-oxidative activities, anti-apoptotic effects, and inhibitory effects on DNA synthesis and cytokine production in mouse immune cell cultures.

• BMB Reports
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.565-571
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• 2003

The locomotor responses of human peripheral blood neutrophils and lymphocytes were measured by the change from spherical to polarized shapes in the presence of endotoxins (lipopolysaccharide, LPS) of enteric pathogens: S. dysenteriae type 1, V. cholerae Inaba 569B, S. typhimurium, and K. pneumoniae. We reported earlier that these endotoxins are chemotactic factors for the neutrophils since they stimulated cell polarization within a few minutes of incubation. Endotoxins had an inhibitory effect upon neutrophil phagocytosis of opsonized yeast and the cells engulfed fewer yeasts. Interestingly, endotoxins increased neutrophil adhesion to clean glass surfaces, but stimulated the cells to exhibit increased random locomotion (chemokinesis) through cellulose nitrate filters and show an enhanced ability to reduce nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) dye. Unlike neutrophils, lymphocytes direct from blood do not show polarized morphology towards chemotactic factors but the cells acquire locomotor capacity during 24-72 h culture with mitogens such as phytohemagglutinin (PHA), phorbol myristate acetate or concanavalin A. Stimulation of blood lymphocytes with endotoxins did not induce cell polarization in short-term but long-term culture resulted in an increase in the proportion of polarized cells that acquired locomotor morphologies. The majority of these cells were identified as esterase negative B-lymphocytes that migrated through filters. Despite the optimum time of incubation for each of these cell types being different, we found that lymphocytes respond to much lower concentrations of endotoxins than the neutrophils. These findings suggest that endotoxins of enteric pathogens modulate the functions of human blood neutrophils and lymphocytes.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.202-206
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• 2003

To determine the effect of immunopotentiating activity of cellular components of Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis, the immune function was analyzed in vitro using mice cells. When stimulated with mitogens, productions of $IFN-{\gamma}$, IL-12, $TNF-{\alpha}$, and IL-6 were enhanced in spleen cells treated with cellular components, with IL-4 production being the highest in spleen cells treated with cytoplasm fraction. Without mitogen stimulation, the productions of $IFN-{\gamma}$ and IL-12 were the highest in spleen cells treated with heat-killed whole cell. $TNF-{\alpha}$ and IL-6 productions were also high in spleen cells treated with all cellular components. Only heat-killed whole cell showed significant enhancement in natural killer cell activity. In peritoneal exudates cells, $TNF-{\alpha}$ production was enhanced significantly by all cellular components of Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis These results indicate that the cellular components of Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis are capable of stimulating immune cells to produce cytokines, and that both their cell walls and cytoplasm fraction contribute to these capacities.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.89-94
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• 2011

Fucoidan is a sulfated polysaccharide derived from brown algae that has been reported to perform multiple biological activities, including immunostimulation. In this study, we investigated whether fucoidan has beneficial effects on endotoxemia induced by LPS, a septic model in mice. The focus of this study was on survival rates and spleen function of the mice upon treatment. We found that fucoidan had prophylactic effects on the survival rate of mice with endotoxemia. Flow cytometric analysis using antibodies for subset-specific markers revealed that fucoidan profoundly reversed the depleted population of dendritic cells in mice with endotoxemia. According to Western blot analysis, the spleen cells of LPS/fucoidan-treated mice showed a higher expression of anti-apoptotic molecules compared to those of LPS-treated mice. Also, fucoidan-treated spleen cells were more responsive to mitogens. Taken together, these results demonstrate that fucoidan pre-treatment has beneficial effects on the survival rate and function of the spleen in mice with endotoxemia. This study may broaden the use of fucoidan in clinical fields, especially endotoxemia.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 1993.11a
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• pp.28-33
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• 1993

Regulation of nerve growth factor (NGF)-induced neuronal differentiation by GTPase activating protein(GAP) and its mechanism were investigated in rat pheochromocytoma cell line, PCl2. Overexpression of GAP caused the delay in the onset of neurite outgrowth of PCl2 eel Is in response to NGF. GAP has been known to inhibit p21$\^$ras/, the activated form of which induces neuronal differentiation. Therefore, the activity of p21$\^$ras/ was compared in control cells and cells overexpressing GAP indirectly by measuring the activities of B-Raf and MAP kinase that are known to be positively regulated by p21$\^$ras/. Surprisingly, NGF-induced activities of these two proteins were the same in control eells and GAP-overexpressing cells. Activities of Trk, PLC-r and SMC that act at a site upstream to p21$\^$ras/ in NGF signal transduction pathway were not also affected by GAP overexpression. Interestingly, however, the extent of tyrosine phosphorylation of SNT was found to be remarkably low in cells overexpressing GAP. It has been shown previously that neurotrophins and not mitogens induce SNT tyrosine phosphorylation in PCl2 cells. Thus it is possible that the timing of NGF-induced neuronal differntiation may be in part regulated by SNT and the slower onset of neurite outgrowth in cells overexpressing GAP may be through the inhibition of SNT by GAP.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.196-200
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• 2012

Role of metabolism by intestinal bacteria in arbutin-induced immunotoxicity was investigated in splenocyte cultures. Following an incubation of arbutin with 5 different intestinal bacteria for 24 hr, its aglycone hydroquinone could be produced and detected in the bacterial culture media with different amounts. Toxic effects of activated arbutin by intestinal bacteria on lymphoproliferative response were tested in splenocyte cultures from normal mice. Lipopolysaccharide and concanavalin A were used as mitogens for B- and T-cells, respectively. When bacteria cultured medium with arbutin was treated into the splenocytes for 3 days, the medium cultured with bacteria producing large amounts of hydroquinone induced suppression of lymphoproliferative responses, indicating that metabolic activation by intestinal bacteria might be required in arbutin-induced toxicity. The results indicated that the present testing system might be applied for determining the possible role of metabolism by intestinal bacteria in certain chemical-induced immunotoxicity in animal cell cultures.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.330-337
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• 1990

The crude polysaccharide from Panax ginseng prepared by hot water extration and precipiation with ethanol was further fractionated into neutral and acidic fractions by DEAE- cellulose ion exchange chromatography. The chemical compositions were 85.0% carbohydrorate and 15.0% protein for the neutral fraction, and 28.4% carbohydrate, 10.0% protein and 29.0% uronic acid for the acidic fraction. The acidic fraction was more effective in increasing of the ratio of spleen to body weight, the number of antibody secreting cells to SRBC and phagocytic activity of reticuloendothelial system, as well as antitumor activity against the solid form of sarcoma 180 in ICR mice than the neutral fraction. All polysaccharide fractions were mitogenic to cultured spleen cells of C57BL/6 mice. However, FA was different from FN in the co-mitogenicities with lectin mitogens. Both crude and acidic fractions potentiated remarkably the mitogenic activity of PHA-P or LPS in dose-dependent manner but neutral fraction enhanced only that of LPS. Three polysaccharide fractions had no effect on that of Con A. These results suggest that the acidic fraction may stimulate B and Td cells as well as macrophages while the neutral fraction may simulate only B cells and macropages.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.149-158
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• 2006

To determine the effects of ${\beta}$-carotene on the control of mastitis in dairy cows during the dry period, 38 dairy cows (18 mastitic cows and 20 healthy cows) were administered with 5 ml of ${\beta}$-carotene (30 mg/ml) intramuscularly twice (4 week intervals). Blood samples were taken from the cows before the injection and two weeks after the second injection, respectively, and were measured for the proportion of lymphocyte subpopulations and lymphocyte proliferation responses. With ${\beta}$-carotene injection, the proportion of cells expressing BoCD2, BoCD4 and B and N cells increased in healthy cows. In the presence of mitogens, lymphocytes from healthy cows showed significantly higher proliferation responses after ${\beta}$-carotene injection than before (p < 0.05), The somatic cell counts in ${\beta}$-carotene injected group decreased from 1,001,00 cells/ml at dry off to 647,000 cell/ml and 447 cells/ml at the stage of first and second weeks after calving, respectively (p < 0,05), This study indicated that ${\beta}$-carotene as a nonspecific immunostimulator could have a definite role for the prevention of intramammary infections in dairy cows at dry period.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.585-589
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• 1994

The effects of T-2 toxin on mitogen-induced blastogenesis of chick splenic cells were investigated. The [$^3H$] thymidine incorporation in splenic cells stimulated by lipopolysaccharide and concanavalin A were equally inhibited as the concentration of T-2 toxin was increased. The effective dose of T-2 toxin causing a 50% reduction of [$^3H$] thymidine incorporation was inbetween 1.0 and 5.0 ng/ml for both mitogens. Mitogen-induced blastogenesis in chick splenic cells showed differences among experimental groups with different exposure time of T-2 toxin, exhibiting the most inhibition in the experimental group exposed to T-2 toxin at both embryonic and chick periods.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.60 no.1
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• pp.21-28
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• 2016

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is characterized by dysregulatory production of proinflammatory cytokines and helper T (Th) cytokine-dependent autoantibody production. This study aims to investigate the protective effect of baicalin on the dysregulatory production of proinflammatory cytokines and Th cytokines in pristane-induced lupus mice. Mice were received i.p. a single injection of 0.5 ml of pristane, and then, later about 3 months, were used as a pristane-induced lupus model. The pristane-induced lupus mice were administrated orally with baicalin 50 mg/kg once in a day for 10 days. Immune cells obtained from the pristane-primed lupus control group (lupus control) and baicalin-treated pristaneprimed lupus mouse group (BAC lupus) were cultured for 24 h or 36 h with/without mitogens. These results demonstrated that LPS-induced production of macrophage and splenic TNF-${\alpha}$ and Con A-induced production of thymic IFN-${\gamma}$ were attenuated in BAC lupus compared to lupus control, while LPS-stimulated production of macrophage IL-10, Con A-stimulated production of splenic IL-10 and, $PGE_2$-reduced production of splenic IFN-${\gamma}$ enhanced. Therefore, these findings suggest that baicalin may protect from autoimmunity and disease activity in lupus via modulatory effect of proinflammatory cytokine overproduction and Th cytokine imbalance.