• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.209-216
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• 1985

The plasma levels of 23 free amino acids in both the umbilical circulation (umbilical vein and artery) and the maternal circulation (antecubital vein, uterine vein and iliac artery ) of 34 pregnant women were measured at delivery by the cesarean section. Each amino acid with the exception of glutamate was found to be in higher concentration in the fetal blood and the cord plasma characterized by hyperaminoacidemia with a marked increase of the lysine and ornithine levels. The linear relationships found between the amino acids concentrations of iliac artery and those of umbilical vein suggest three transport groups across the placental membrane One group consists of neutral amino acids whose slopes are equal to one and the other two groups are characterized by their slopes higher and lower than unity respectivly. This division into three groups is tentatively explained by the result of a dynamic equilibrium between active transport towards the fetus and diffusion back towards the maternal circulation.

• The Korean Journal of Zoology
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.173-180
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• 1991

The objective of this experiment was to examine the effect of polyamine depletion by polyamine biosynthesis inhibitors on microbicidal activity and tumoricidal activity in mouse mac-rophages. $\alpha$ -Difluoromethylomithine (DFMO), inhibitor of putrescine and spernidine biosynthesis, treatment in vivo for 6-8 days reduced chemiluminescence levels in thioglycollate-, lipo-polysaccharide (LPS), and BCG-treated mouse macrophages. An DFMO treatment in vitro inhibited production of tumor necrosis factor (TNF), in dose-dependent manner, and tumoricidal activity by macrophages. The effect of polyamine depletion by MO on ThF production and tumoricidal activity could be reversed by the addition of exogenous putrescine. These result indicated that the obserbed effect of DFMO on macrophage activities were mediated through inhibition of polyamines are, must be, required for optimal activities of macrophages.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.79-86
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• 2012

This study was performed to investigate the physiochemical properties and anti-diabetic effect of yacon vinegar by two-step fermentation. Yacon was matured at room temperature for 20 days. The sugar content of yacon juice prepared from mature yacon was approximately $14^{\circ}Brix$. In the first stage, yacon wine was produced from the juice at $28^{\circ}C$ for 6 days. In the second stage, acetic acid fermentation was conducted at $30^{\circ}C$ and 200 rpm for 6 days to produce yacon vinegar with 4.75% acidity. The major free sugars of yacon vinegar were glucose and fructose at 2,072.12 mg% and 463.95 mg%, respectively. The acetic acid content was the highest of the major organic acids at 3,881.44 mg%. The total free amino acid content was 62.88 mg% with the main free amino acids being proline, ${\gamma}$-amino-n-butyric acid and ornithine. The major minerals of yacon vinegar were Ca, K and Mg. The in vivo anti-diabetic activity of yacon vinegar was investigated in high-fat diet (HFD)/streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice. Diabetic mice were administered orally with 10% yacon juice and two yacon vinegars (5% and 10%) at a dose of 7 mL/kg body weight once per day for 4 weeks. Five% yacon vinegar improved the fasting blood glucose levels and glucose tolerance test significantly compared to the diabetic control group (p<0.05). Yacon vinegar increased the pancreatic C-peptide concentration in a dose-dependent manner. These results show that 5% yacon vinegar has a more potent effect on ameliorating hyperglycemia than 10% yacon juice.

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.323-334
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• 1996

Male Mongolian gerbils $(60{\sim}80g)$ were given DL-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO; 250mg/kg, ip) and methylglyoxal bis(guanylhydrazone) (MGBG; 50 mg/k, ip), respectively, 1 h prior to transient (7 min) occlusion of bilateral common carotid arteries (OBC7) and a daily dose of one of them for 6 days after recirculation, and the polyamine contents, activities of ornithine and S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylases (ODC and SAM-DC), and light microscopic findings of the hippocampus were evaluated. The hippocampal putrescine (PT) levels of the control gerbils treated with saline (STGr), markedly increased after OBC7, showing a peak level at 24 h after recirculation. The peak PT level was reduced in DFMO treated gerbils (DTCr) and in MGBG treated gerbils (MTGr). And 7 days after recirculation, the PT level of DTGr was decreased to about 75% of the PT level in the sham operated group (nonTGr) and to about 55% of the STGr level, respectively. The hippocampal spermidine (SD) level of STGr tended to decline, showing the lowest value at 8 h after recirculation. But the spermidine (SD) level of DTGr was somewhat higher at 8 h after OBC7 than those of STGr and MTGr The hippocampal spermine (SM) levels of all the experimental groups were little changed for 7 days after OBC. OBC7 markedly increased the hippocampal ODC activity. reaching a maximum (about 3 times higher than preischemic level) at 8 h and rapidly recovered to the control value by 24 h in STGr gerbils, and the OBC7-induced increase of ODC activity was significantly attenuated by DFMO or MGBG treatment. Whereas OBC7 induced a rapid decrease of the hippocampal SAMDC activity follwed by gradual recovery to the preischemic level, and the decrease of the SAMDC activity was slightly attenuated by DFMO or MGBG treatment. 7 Days after OBC7 the histological finding of the hippocampal complex stained with cresyl violet showed an extensive delayed neuronal damage in the CA1 region and to a lesser extent, in the dentate gyrus, sparing the CA3 region. And the neuronal death was aggevated by DFMO but significantly attenuated by MGBG. The immunochemical reactivity of hippocampus to anti-GFAP antibody was significantly increased in the CA1 region and to a lesser extent, in the dentate gyrus 7 days after OBC7, but was little changed in the CA3. And the increase of the anti-GFAP immunoreactivity was moderately enhanced by DFMO and significantly suppressed by MGBG. These results suggest that the polyamine metabolism may play a modulatory role in the ischemic brain damage.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.645-651
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• 2012

The food functional properties of Pleurotus eryngii cultivated with different wavelengths of light-emitting diode (LED) light were analyzed in this study. The levels of total soluble solids of Pleurotus eryngii increased with all the LED lights, except mixed LED light ($B^*R$, $B^*G$ and $R^*G$). Thirty one kinds of components were detected by analyzing the free amino acids. The total free amino acid contents had a slightly higher tendency in the control group, but the ratios of eight essential amino acids among the total amino acids of Pleurotus eryngii cultivated under all the LED lights, including the blue light (blue, $B^*R$, $B^*G$ and $B^*R^*G^*U$) and the green light, were higher than that in the control group. K was the highest-content of mineral, and Mn was the lowest-content. The Ca content increased through cultivation under all the LED lights, except the blue light, but the Fe content (under the green and $B^*R$ lights), K content (under the red and UV-A lights) and Mg content (under the $R^*G$, UV-A and red lights) increased under the exclusive LED light. The total phenolic compounds increased by cultivation under all the LED lights, except the UV-A and mixed lights ($R^*G$ and $B^*R^*G^*U$). The DPPH radical scavenging activity was also improved by all the LED lights, except the mixed light ($R^*G$).

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.273-289
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• 1994

Reversible brain ischemia was produced by occluding both common carotid arteries for 5 min, and the effects of aminoguanidine (AG), $DL-{\alpha}-difluoromethylornithine$ (DFMO), MK-801, and nimodipine (NM) on the ischemia induced changes of the polyamine, glutamate and acetylcholine levels in the hippocampus CA1 subfield and the specific $[^3H]\;MK-801$ binding to the hippocampus synaptosomal membranes were studied with a histological reference of the cresyl violet stained hippocampus. The basal putrescine level $(PT:\;74.4{\pm}8.8\;nM)$ showed a rapid increase (up to 1.7 fold) for 5 min of ischemia, remained significantly increased for 6 h, and then resumed the further increase to amount gradually up to about 3 fold 96 h after recirculation. However, the level of spermidine was little changed, and the spermine level showed a transient increase during ischemia followed by a sustained decrease to about 40% of the preischemic level after recirculation. The increase of PT level induced by brain ischemia was enhanced with AG or MK-801, but it was reduced by DFMO or NM. The basal glutamate level $(GT:\;0.90{\pm}0.l4\;{\mu}M)$ rapidly increased to a peak level of $8.19{\pm}1.14\;{\mu}M$ within 5 min after onset of the ischemia and then decreased to the preischemic level in about 25 min after recirculation. And NM reduced the ischemia induced increase of GT level by about 25%, but AG, DFMO and MK-801 did not affect the GT increase. The basal acetylcholine level $(ACh:\;118.0{\pm}10.5\;{\mu}M)$ did little change during/after brain ischemia and was little affected by AG or NM. But DFMO and MK-801, respectively, produced the moderate decrease of ACh level. The specific $[^3H]\;MK-801$ binding to the hippocampus synaptosomal membrane was little affected by brain ischemia for 5 min. The control value (78.9 fmole/mg protein) was moderately decreased by AG and MK-801, respectively but was little changed by DFMO or NM. The microscopic findings of the brains extirpated on day 7 after ischemia showed severe neuronal damage of the hippocampus, particularly CA1 subfield. NM and AG moderately attenuated the delayed neuronal damage, and DFMO, on the contrary, aggravated the ischemia induced damage. However, MK-801 did not protect the hippocampus from ischemic damage. These results suggest that unlike to the mode of anti-ischemic action of NM, AG might protect the hippocampus from ischemic injury as being negatively regulatory on the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor function in the hippocampus.