• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.100-107
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• 2014

We evaluated preventive effects of Suaeda japonica (SJ) and Spergularia marina Griseb (SMG) on the insulin resistance in Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rats. The 10-week old OLETF rats were fed diets containing 3% (w/w) SJ and SMG for 18 weeks. Fasting blood glucose levels in SJ and SMG groups, measured using the oral glucose tolerance test, were lower than that of the control rats. The SMG group showed significantly lower levels of insulin, glycated hemoglobin, triglyceride, and total cholesterol than the control group. In addition, these levels were relatively lower in the SJ group than those in the control rats. The SJ and SMG groups had relatively lower protein levels of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-${\kappa}B$) p65 in adipose tissue and serine phosphorylated insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS-1) in skeletal muscle than the control group. These results suggest that SJ and SMG prevent insulin resistance and SMG in particular reduces blood triglyceride and total cholesterol levels.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.112-119
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• 2015

The anti-inflammatory effect of Sargassum coreanum ethanolic extract (SCEE) was investigated using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory responses in this study. It was shown that there was no cytotoxicity in the viability of macrophages treated with SCEE when compared to the control. The production of NO was considerably suppressed by SCEE, approximately up to 50% at 100 μg/ml. This significantly decreased levels of IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1β. In addition, the expression of iNOS, COX-2, NF-κB was suppressed by SCEE treatment. In in vivo testing, the croton oil-induced mouse ear edema was attenuated by SCEE and there were no mortalities in mice administered with 5000 mg/kg body weight of SCEE over a 2 week observation period. From these results, SCEE inhibits the release of LPS-induced pro-inflammatory cytokines and mediators, suggesting that SCEE could be a potential agent for anti-inflammatory therapies.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.65 no.2
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• pp.113-120
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• 2022

We examined the anti-inflammatory properties of Nostoc commune HCW0811 in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophage cells. The anti-inflammatory activity of HCW0811 on viability of treated cells was assessed by measuring the level of expression of NO, prostaglandin E₂ and pro-inflammatory cytokines, namely interleukin-1β, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α in HCW0811 treated RAW 264.7 macrophages. HCW0811 was non-toxic to cells and inhibited the production of cytokines in a concentration-dependent manner. In addition its treatment suppressed the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in a dose-dependent manner, and concomitantly decreased the protein expressions of inducible NO synthase and cyclooxygenase-2. Moreover, the levels of the phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinase family proteins such as extracellular signal-regulated kinase, c-Jun N-terminal kinase, p38, and nuclear factor kappa B were reduced by HCW0811. These findings suggest that the HCW0811 collected from Daejeon National Cemetery have anti-inflammatory effects, and demonstrated its efficacy in cell-based in vitro assays.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.631-640
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• 2014

The inhibitory effects of Boswellia serrata (BW) extracts on degenerative osteoarthritis were investigated in primary-cultured rat cartilage cells and a monosodium-iodoacetate (MIA)-induced osteoarthritis rat model. To identify the protective effects of BW extract against $H_2O_2$ ($800{\mu}M$, 2 hr) in vitro, cell survival was measured by MTT assay. Cell survival after $H_2O_2$ treatment was elevated by BW extract at a concentration of $20{\mu}g/mL$. In addition, BW extract treatment significantly reduced and normalized the productions of pro-inflammatory factors, nuclear transcription factor ${\kappa}B$, cyclooxygenase-2, tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$, and interleukin-6 at a concentration of $20{\mu}g/mL$. Treatment of chondrocytes with BW extract significantly reduced 5-lipoxygenase activity and production of prostaglandin E2, especially at a concentration of $10{\sim}20{\mu}g/mL$. For the in vivo animal study, osteoarthritis was induced by intra-articular injection of MIA into knee joints of rats. Consumption of a diet containing BW extract (100 and 200 mg/kg) for 35 days significantly inhibited the development and severity of osteoarthritis in rats. To determine the genetic expression of arthritic factors in articular cartilage, real-time PCR was applied to measure matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-3, MMP-9, and MMP-13), collagen type I, collagen type II, and aggrecan, and BW extract had protective effects at a concentration of 200 mg/kg. In conclusion, BW extract was able to inhibit articular cartilage degeneration by preventing extracellular matrix degradation and chondrocyte injury. One can consider that BW extract may be a potential therapeutic treatment for degenerative osteoarthritis.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.628-635
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• 2022

Background: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is the large intestine disease that results in chronic inflammation and ulcers in the colon. Rg3-enriched Korean Red Ginseng extract (Rg3-RGE) is known for its pharmacological activities. Persicaria tinctoria (PT) is also used in the treatment of various inflammatory diseases. The aim of this study is to investigate the attenuating effects of Rg3-RGE with PT on oxazolone (OXA)-induced UC in mice. Methods: A total of six groups of mice including control group, OXA (as model group, 1.5%) group, sulfasalazine (75 mg/kg) group, Rg3-RGE (20 mg/kg) group, PT (300 mg/kg) group, and Rg3-RGE (10 mg/kg) with PT (150 mg/kg) group. Data on the colon length, body weight, disease activity index (DAI), histological changes, nitric oxide (NO) assay, Real-time PCR of inflammatory factors, ELISA of inflammatory factors, Western blot, and flow cytometry analysis were obtained. Results: Overall, the combination treatment of Rg3-RGE and PT significantly improved the colon length and body weight and decreased the DAI in mice compared with the treatment with OXA. Additionally, the histological injury was also reduced by the combination treatment. Moreover, the NO production level and inflammatory mediators and cytokines were significantly downregulated in the Rg3-RGE with the PT group compared with the model group. Also, NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-𝛋B) were suppressed in the combination treatment group compared with the OXA group. Furthermore, the number of immune cell subtypes of CD4⁺ T-helper cells, CD19⁺ B-cells, and CD4⁺ and CD25⁺ regulatory T-cells (Tregs) was improved in the Rg3-RGE with the PT group compared with the OXA group. Conclusion: Overall, the mixture of Rg3-RGE and PT is an effective therapeutic treatment for UC.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.1-6
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• 2017

Objectives : Corni Fructus (CF) is traditional herbal medicine used on polyuria, low back pain, and tinnitus. This study aimed to evaluate inhibits skin wrinkle formation effect of CF. Methods : To evaluate the produce inhibition effect of CF, SD-rats were distributed into four groups; normal rats (Nor), AGEs (advenced glycation end product)-induced rats (Con), AGEs-induced rats treated with 100mg/kg CF (CF). To induce AGEs, streptozotocin (50mg/kg) was administered intraperitoneally and after 3 days oral administrated 100mM methyl glyoxal for 3 weeks. Results : The oral administration of CF suppressed the reactive oxygen specis (ROS) in serum. The AGEs in skin tissues was significantly reduced through treatment of CF. Furthermore, the expressions of AGEs related proteins such as polyclonal anti-$N^e$-(carboxymethyl)lysine (CML), anti-$N^e$-(carboxyethyl)lysine (CEL), AGE receptors (RAGE) were decreased in CF treated group compared with the control group in skin tissues. Inflammation-related proteins such as Nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-kB), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6) reduced in CF treatment group than control group. AGE-induced rats exhibited that the significant decreased collagen however, CF treatment (100mg/kg of body weight) up regulated collagen by improved the expression levels of skin fibril-related genes such as Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP-1). Conclusion : Taken together, our study suggests that CF regulates ROS to prevent accumulation of AGEs and inhibits skin wrinkles. Our finding indicate that CF may be an effective agent for inhibits AGEs formation, and improved skin wrinkle.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.107-116
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• 2018

The aim of this study is to investigate the antioxidant and intracellular anti-inflammatory efficacy of blueberry leaf extracted with hot water (BLW), 70% ethanol (BLE), and 70% acetone (BLA) in RAW 264.7 macrophages. In order to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of blueberry leaf extracts, RAW 264.7 macrophages were stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to induce the production of inflammation-related factors, which were measure by Western blotting and real-time PCR methods. i-NOS, COX-2 protein, and mRNA expression showed concentration-dependent decrease. The decreases in the mRNA expression levels of interleukin-$1{\beta}$ (IL-$1{\beta}$), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ (TNF-${\alpha}$), and prostaglandin $E_2$ ($PGE_2$) were concentration-dependent. Further, the antioxidant effects of blueberry leaf on total polyphenol contents, electron donating ability and $ABTS^+$ radical scavenging activity were evaluated. The total polyphenol contents of BLW, BLE, and BLA were $217.04{\pm}2.98$, $156.72{\pm}3.90$, and $182.88{\pm}3.02mg\;TAE/g$, respectively, while the electron donating abilities at $1,000{\mu}g/mL$ of BLW, BLE, and BLA were 81.7, 79.6, and 79.3%, respectively. The $ABTS^+$ radical scavenging activity was fond to be concentration dependent. The nitric oxide (NO) production inhibition activities at $50{\mu}g/mL$ of BLW, BLE, and BLA were 35.1, 42.4 and 42.7%, respectively. In conclusion, the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory test results indicate that blueberry leaf extracts (BLW, BLE, and BLA) can be used as potential anti-inflammatory agents.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.146-156
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• 2018

Spermidine is a naturally occurring polyamine compound that has recently emerged with anti-aging properties and suppresses inflammation and oxidation. However, its mechanisms of action on anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects have not been fully elucidated. In this study, the potential of spermidine for reducing pro-inflammatory and oxidative effects in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated macrophages and zebrafish was explored. Our data indicate that spermidine significantly inhibited the production of pro-inflammatory mediators such as nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin $E_2$ ($PGE_2$), and cytokines including tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}$ and $interleukin-1{\beta}$ in RAW 264.7 macrophages without any significant cytotoxicity. The protective effects of spermidine accompanied by a marked suppression in their regulatory gene expression at the transcription levels. Spermidine also attenuated the nuclear translocation of $NF-{\kappa}B$ p65 subunit and reduced LPS-induced intracellular accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in RAW 264.7 macrophages. Moreover, spermidine prevented the LPS-induced NO production and ROS accumulation in zebrafish larvae and was found to be associated with a diminished recruitment of neutrophils and macrophages. Although more work is needed to fully understand the critical role of spermidine on the inhibition of inflammation-associated migration of immune cells, our findings clearly demonstrate that spermidine may be a potential therapeutic intervention for the treatment of inflammatory and oxidative disorders.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.365-372
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• 2015

Aripiprazole (ARI) is a commonly prescribed medication used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. To date, there have been no studies regarding the molecular pathological and immunotoxicological profiling of aripiprazole. Thus, in the present study, we prepared two different formulas of aripiprazole [Free base crystal of aripiprazole (ARPGCB) and cocrystal of aripiprazole (GCB3004)], and explored their effects on the patterns of survival and apoptosis-regulatory proteins under acute toxicity and cytotoxicity test conditions. Furthermore, we also evaluated the modulatory activity of the different formulations on the immunological responses in macrophages primed by various stimulators such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS), pam3CSK, and poly(I:C) via toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), TLR2, and TLR3 pathways, respectively. In liver, both ARPGCB and GCB3004 produced similar toxicity profiles. In particular, these two formulas exhibited similar phospho-protein profiling of p65/nuclear factor $(NF)-{\kappa}B$, c-Jun/activator protein (AP)-1, ERK, JNK, p38, caspase 3, and bcl-2 in brain. In contrast, the patterns of these phospho-proteins were variable in other tissues. Moreover, these two formulas did not exhibit any cytotoxicity in C6 glioma cells. Finally, the two formulations at available in vivo concentrations did not block nitric oxide (NO) production from activated macrophage-like RAW264.7 cells stimulated with LPS, pam3CSK, or poly(I:C), nor did they alter the morphological changes of the activated macrophages. Taken together, our present work, as a comparative study of two different formulas of aripiprazole, suggests that these two formulas can be used to achieve similar functional activation of brain proteins related to cell survival and apoptosis and immunotoxicological activities of macrophages.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.30 no.9
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• pp.804-812
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• 2020

The giant mealworm beetle, Zophobas atratus (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) has been used as a protein source for small pets and mammals. Recently, it was temporarily registered in the list of the Food Code. We previously performed an in silico analysis of the Zophobas atratus transcriptome to identify putative antimicrobial peptides and identified several antimicrobial peptide candidates. Among them, we assessed the antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities of zophobacin 1 that was selected bio-informatically based on its physicochemical properties against microorganisms and mouse macrophage Raw264.7 cells. Zophobacin 1 showed antimicrobial activities against microorganisms without inducing hemolysis and decreased the nitric oxide production of the lipopolysaccharide-induced Raw264.7 cells. Moreover, ELISA and Western blot analysis revealed that zophobacin 1 reduced expression levels of pro-inflammatory enzymes such as inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). We also investigated expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-6 and interleukin-1β) production through quantitative real time-PCR and ELISA. Zophobacin 1 markedly reduced the expression level of cytokines through the regulation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling. We confirmed that zophobacin 1 bound to bacterial cell membranes via a specific interaction with lipopolysaccharides. These data suggest that zophobacin 1 could be promising molecules for development as antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory therapeutic agents.