• Korean Journal of Oriental Medicine
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.229-239
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• 1997

The superoxide anion radical$(O_2)$ poses a threat to macromocules and cell organelles of the living cells. This toxicity damage to all groups of proteins results in loss of enzyme function concerned with metabolism and ion transport, and peroxidation of unsaturated fatty acids and cholesterol results in a change of permeability characteristics of the membrane, and oxidative of nucleic acids results in genomic damage and thereby cause mutation, potential carcinogenesis and somatic damage that produce cellular aging Superoxide dismutase(SOD) has received substantial attention as a potential therapeutic agent. It has been investigated as a possible agent for the prevention of ontogenesis, the reduction of cytotoxic effect of anticancer drugs, and protection against damage in ischemic tissue. It is suggest that $O_2$ is concerned with cellular aging, thereafter we need to investigate herb that activated to SOD.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.39-45
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• 2006

As the antioxidant and free radical scavenger, glutathione (GSH) participates in the preservation of cellular redox status and defense against reactive oxygen species and xenobiotics. Glutamate-cysteine ligase (GCL; also known as ${\gamma}$-glutamylcysteine synthetase, EC 6.3.2.2) is the rate limiting enzyme in GSH synthesis. In the present study, the accurate method for determination of GCL activity in crude liver extracts was developed by measuring both ${\gamma}$-glutamylcysteine and GSH from cysteine in the presence of glutamate, glycine and an ATP-generating system. We added glycine to promote the conversion of ${\gamma}$-glutamylcysteine to GSH, and to minimize the possibility of ${\gamma}$-glutamylcysteine metabolism to cysteine and oxoproline by ${\gamma}$-glutamylcyclotransferase. We established optimal conditions and substrate concentrations for the enzyme assay, and verified that inhibition of GCL by GSH did not interfere with this assay. Therefore, this assay of hepatic GCL under optimal conditions could provide a more accurate measurement of this enzyme activity in the crude liver extracts.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.93-98
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• 2003

To investigate the cyclohexane and xylene mixture treatment on the liver damage, the rats were treated by the mixture of cyclohexane and xylene (CH＋X) and then, liver damage was demonstrated by liver function findings based on liver weight/body weight, serum level of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), xanthine oxidase (XO) and then compared with cyclohexane treated group (CH group) and xylene-treated group (X). The CH＋X group showed merely severer liver damge than CH or X group. On the other hand, CH＋X group showed lower activity of hepatic cytochrome P-450 dependent aniline hydroxylase (CYPdAH) than CH or X group, but no statical differences were demonstrated among three experimental groups. Especially the hepatic GSH content was merely declined than CH or X group and the activity of hepatic GST was higher in CH＋X group than CH or X group. In conclusion, cyclohexane and xylene mixture treated animals showed merely severer liver damage than cyclohexane or xylene treated group and such a fact may be caused by inhibition of cyclohexane or xylene metabolism and oxygen free radical.

• Environmental Mutagens and Carcinogens
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.97-103
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• 2005

The genotoxic effect of antimalarial drugs amodiaquine (AQ), mefloquine (MQ) and halofantrine (HF) was investigated in.at liver cells using the alkaline comet assay. AQ, MQ and HF at concentrations between $0-1000{\mu}mol/L$ significantly increased DNA strand breaks of rat liver cells dose-dependently. The order of induction of strand breaks was AQ>MQ>HF. The rat liver cells exposed to AQ and HF (200 and 400 ${\mu}mol/L$) and treated with (Fpg) the bacterial DNA repair enzyme that recognizes oxidized purine showed greater DNA damage than those not treated with the enzyme, providing evidence that AQ and HF induced oxidation of purines. Such an effect was not observed when MQ was treated with the enzyme. Treatment of cells with catalase, an enzyme inactivating hydrogen peroxide, decreased significantly the extent of DNA damage induced by AQ, and HF but not the one induced by MQ. Similarly quercetin, an antioxidant flavonoid at $50{\mu}mol/L$ attenuated the extent of the formation of DNA strand breaks by both AQ and HE. Quercetin, however, did not modify the effects of MQ. These results indicate the genotoxicity of AQ, MQ and HF in rat liver cells. In addition, the results suggest that reactive oxygen species may be involved in the formation of DNA lesions induced by AQ and HF and that, free radical scavengers may elicit protective effects against genotoxicity of these antimalarial drugs.

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.197-205
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• 1991

Local extravasation during intravenous administration of adriamycin (doxorubicin HCl) can cause severe skin ulceration and necrosis. To investigate the mechanism of adriamycin-induced skin toxicity, effects of adriamycin on reactive oxygen radical metabolism using cultured skin cells of fetal rat. Adriamycin produced significant release of lactic dehydrogenase from cultured skin cell preparations dose- and time-dependently. The production of superoxide anion in sonicated suspensions of cultured skin cells was significantly increased by adriamycin under the presence of NADPH and NADH. The drug also stimulated malondialdehyde (MDA) production, an index of lipid peroxidation, in NADPH- and NADH-supported cell preparations. The increased production of MDA was significantly inhibited by oxygen radical scavengers (superoxide dismutase, catalase, thiourea) and antioxidants (butylated hydroxytoluene, ${\alpha}-tocopherol$). Treatment of cultured skin cells with 1, 3,-bis (2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU), an inhibitor of glutathione reductase, enhanced the lipid peroxidation induced by adriamycin. The present study suggests that lipid peroxidation which is resulted from the stimulated production of reactive oxygen radical causes cellular damage in adriamycin-treated skin cells of rat.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.387-397
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• 2003

During the first half of twentieth century, even though the importance of non-calorie essential micronutrients of 13 vitamins and 17 minerals has been known to alleviate nutritional disorder; the primary objective of agriculture and plant breeding programs has been to increase the productivity and seed yields, and macronutrients of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates made up the bulk of foodstuff which were used primarily as an energy source. In the last decade it has been found that non-essential micronutrients encompass a vast group of phytochemicals including antioxidants that are not strictly required in the diet but when present at sufficient levels work as health-promoting chemicals. Nowadays agricultural crops are grown for health rather than for food or fiber, and modifying the nutritional compositions of plant foods has become an urgent health issue. To ensure an adequate intake of essential vitamins and minerals, and to increase the consumption of health-promoting phytochemicals, the researches on plant secondary metabolism have been made. The attempt to improve nutritional quality of crops has been blocked by a lack of basic knowledge of plant metabolism. The advent of genomics era enabled new approaches to make crossing regardless of species, family, or phylum barriers, and the accumulation in our basic knowledge on plant secondary metabolism during the coming decade would be tremendous. As the major staple crops contain insufficient amount of many micronutrients, fortification strategy will be a necessary practice. Elevated intake of specific vitamins, C, E, and $\beta$-carotene, mineral selenium, antioxidants, and phytochemicals significantly reduces the risk of chronic disease such as cancer, cardiovascular disorder, diabetis, and other degenerative disease associated with aging. As the attempt to improve the nutritional quality of crops requires the basic knowledges on plant metabolism, plant biochemistry, human physiology, and food chemistry, strong interdisplinary collaboration among plant biotechnologists, human nutritionists, and food scientists will be needed. Inhibition of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and other degenerative disorder may be the biggest goal facing nutritional plant breeders. But the assumption that simply increasing dietary level of any compound will necessarily improve human health is a dangerous idea because many plant secondary products and dietary contaminants have paradoxical (hermetic) effects. Before biotechnical manipulation is undertaken to elevate or reduce any individual constituent of crops, the contribution of the micronutrient to human health must first be investigated.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.55-61
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• 2011

Objectives: Reactive Oxygen Species(ROS) are continuously produced at a high rate as a by-product of aerobic metabolism. Since tissue damage by free radical, ROS such as hydrogen peroxide($H_2O_2$), nitric oxide(NO) increases with age. Several lines of evidence provided that ROS appears to cause to develop aging-related various diseases such as cancer, arthritis, cardiovascular disease. In this study, we have conducted to investigate the pharmacological effects of red ginseng for the development possibility to pharmacopuncture drug sources or healthy aid foods. Methods: For our aims, it was investigated the biological activities of Red Ginseng ethanol extracts (RGEE) by measuring total polyphenol contents, total flavonoid contents, DPPH radical scavenging activity, ABTS radical scavenging activity and cell viability of MCF 10A and SK-MEL-2 in vitro with MTT assay method. Results: The total polyphenol contents of RGEE was 3.06${\pm}$0.11mg/g in 10mg/ml, the total flavonoid contents of RGEE was 1.35${\pm}$0.01mg/g in same concentration. The ABTS radical scavenging activity was about 80% and that of DPPH activity was 65% in 50mg/ml of RGEE. The cell viability of SKMEL-2, skin cancer cell line was decreased and that of MCF 10A, skin normal cell line was increased. Conclusions: We conclude that RGEE may be useful as potential functional foods or pharmacopuncture drug sources on the diseases induced by oxidant stress.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.965-972
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• 2004

In the present study, it is observed that Monascus diet may have a hepatoprotective effect on the liver damage induced by bromobenzene in rats. By treatment with bromobenzene (400 mg/kg, i.p.) once a day for 3 consecutive days, the liver damage was reduced in rats fed 2% Monascus diet, based on the liver functional and histopathological findings. Furthermore, retreatment of bromobenzene to the animals with damaged liver showed higher decreasing rate of hepatic glutathione content and increasing rate of cytochrome P450 dependent aniline hydroxylase activity at 4 h in rats fed 2% Monascus diet than those fed STD diet, and V$_{max}$ in glutathione S-transferase was higher in liver of rats fed 2% Monascus diet than those fed STD diet. On the other hand, activities of antioxidant enzymes such as hepatic glutathione S-transferase, catalase and superoxide dismutase were generally higher both in bromobenzene and 2% Monascus diet treated group than those fed STD diet. In conclusion, the rats fed 2% Monascus diet showed lower liver damage than those fed STD diet, which may be due to the acceleration of bromobenzene metabolism and detoxication of oxygen free radicals.s.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.47-54
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• 2000

Transition metal ions including $Se^{2+},\;Cd^{2+},\;Hg^{2+}\;or\;Mn^{2+}$ have been thought to disturb the bone metabolism directly. However, the mechanism for the bone lesion is unknown. In this study, we demonstrated that MC3T3E1 osteoblasts, exposed to various transition metal ions; selenium, cadmium, mercury or manganese, generated massive amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The released ROS were completely quenched by free radical scavengers-N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), reduced glutathione (GSH), or superoxide dismutase (SOD). First, we have observed that selenium $(10\;{\mu}M),$ cadmium $(100\;{\mu}M),$ mercury $(100\;{\mu}M)$ or manganese (1 mM) treatment induced apoptotic phenomena like DNA fragmentation, chromatin condensation and caspase-3-like cysteine protease activation in MC3T3E1 osteoblasts. Concomitant treatment of antioxidant; N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), reduced-form glutathione (GSH), or superoxide dismutase (SOD), prevented apoptosis induced by each of the transition metal ions. Catalase or dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) has less potent inhibitory effect on the apoptosis, compared with NAC, GSH or SOD. In line with the results, nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) stain shows that each of the transition metals is a potent source of free radicals in MC3T3E1 osteoblast. Our data show that oxidative damage is associated with the induction of apoptosis in MC3T3E1 osteoblasts following $Se^{2+},\;Cd^{2+},\;Hg^{2+}\;or\;Mn^{2+}$ treatment.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.267-279
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• 2018

Neurolathyrism is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by spastic paraplegia resulting from the excessive consumption of Lathyrus sativus (Grass pea). ${\beta}$-N-Oxalyl-L-${\alpha},{\beta}$-diaminopropionic acid (L-ODAP) is the primary neurotoxic component in this pea. The present study attempted to evaluate the proteome-wide alterations in chick brain 2 hr and 4 hr post L-ODAP treatment. Proteomic analysis of chick brain homogenates revealed several proteins involved in cytoskeletal structure, signaling, cellular metabolism, free radical scavenging, oxidative stress and neurodegenerative disorders were initially up-regulated at 2 hr and later recovered to normal levels by 4 hr. Since L-ODAP mediated neurotoxicity is mainly by excitotoxicity and oxidative stress related dysfunctions, this study further evaluated the role of L-ODAP in apoptosis in vitro using human neuroblastoma cell line, IMR-32. The in vitro studies carried out at $200{\mu}M$ L-ODAP for 4 hr indicate minimal intracellular ROS generation and alteration of mitochondrial membrane potential though not leading to apoptotic cell death. L-ODAP at low concentrations can be explored as a stimulator of various reactive oxygen species (ROS) mediated cell signaling pathways not detrimental to cells. Insights from our study may provide a platform to explore the beneficial side of L-ODAP at lower concentrations. This study is of significance especially in view of the Government of India lifting the ban on cultivation of low toxin Lathyrus varieties and consumption of this lentil.