• Title/Summary/Keyword: protection potential

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Investigation of Siderophore production and Antifungal activity against Phytophthora capsici as related to Iron (III) nutrition by Lysobacter antibioticus HS124

  • Ko, Hyun-Sun;Tindwa, Hamisi;Jin, Rong De;Lee, Yong-Seong;Hong, Seong-Hyun;Hyun, Hae-Nam;Nam, Yi;Kim, Kil-Yong
    • Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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    • v.44 no.4
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    • pp.650-656
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    • 2011
  • Lysobacter antibioticus HS124 isolated from pepper rhizosphere soil produced catechol type siderophore. Purified siderophore by Diaion HP-20 and silica gel column chromatography showed several hydroxyl functional groups adjacent to benzene rings by analysis of $^1H$ NMR spectroscopy. The strain HS124 showed different activities to suppress Phytophthora capsici with different concentrations of exogenous Fe (III) in minimal medium where antifungal activity with $100{\mu}M$ Fe (III) was approximately 1.5 times higher than in absence of Fe (III). Bacterial population in this Fe (III)-amended medium was also highest with $8.9{\times}10^8\;CFU\;ml^{-1}$ which also corresponded to the strongest siderophore activity. When grown in rich medium (minimal medium with N, $P_2O_5K_2O$ and glucose), HS124 exhibited approximately 2 times stronger antifungal activity compared to minimal medium. In pot trials, treatments of bacterial culture grown in rich medium with (C1) or without (C2) $100{\mu}M$ Fe (III) exhibited a high protection of pepper plants from disease, compared to medium only with (M1) or without (M2) $100{\mu}M$ Fe (III). Especially, treatment C1 showed the best disease control effect of about 70 %. Thus, the strain HS124 should be recommended as a potential biocontrol agent against P. capsici in pepper.

Mosquito Species Composition and Plasmodium vivax Infection Rates on Baengnyeong-do (Island), Republic of Korea

  • Foley, Desmond H.;Klein, Terry A.;Lee, In-Yong;Kim, Myung-Soon;Wilkerson, Richard C.;Harrison, Genelle;Rueda, Leopoldo M.;Kim, Heung-Chul
    • Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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    • v.49 no.3
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    • pp.313-316
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    • 2011
  • Vivax malaria is a significant military and civilian health threat in the north of the Republic of Korea (ROK). The island of Baengnyeong-do is the westernmost point of the ROK and is located close to the southwestern coast of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). Mosquitoes were collected using a black light trap on Baengnyeong-do, and Anopheles spp. were assayed by PCR, to identify the species, and screened for sporozoites of Plasmodium vivax. Of a subsample of 257 mosquitoes, Anopheles lesteri was the most frequently collected (49.8%), followed by Anopheles sinensis (22.6%), Anopheles pullus (18.7%), Anopheles kleini (7.8%), and Anopheles belenrae (1.2%). The overall sporozoite rate was 3.1%, with the highest rates observed in An. kleini (15.0%), An. sinensis (5.2%), and An. lesteri (1.6%). No sporozoite positive An. pullus or An. belenrae were observed. The results extend our knowledge of the distribution and potential role in malaria transmission of An. kleini, An. lesteri, and An. sinensis, for an area previously considered to be at a low risk for contracting vivax malaria.

Radioprotective Effects of Propolis on the Mouse Testis Exposed to X-ray. (프로폴리스가 X-선에 노출된 마우스 정소에 미치는 방사선 방어 효과)

  • Ji, Tae-Jung;Kim, Jong-Sik;Jeong, Hyung-Jin;Seo, Eul-Won
    • Journal of Life Science
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    • v.17 no.5 s.85
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    • pp.664-670
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    • 2007
  • The propolis is natural product produced by honeybees and is known to have many biologically useful properties such as anti-microbial, anti-oxidative and anti-tumorigenic activity. However, its radio-protective property has not been well studied. To investigate radio-protective effect of propolis on mouse testis, mice were supplemented with propolis after 5 Gy irradiation. The histological changes of testis were detected by TEM. The results indicate that propolis may protect tissue deformation which is induced by 5 Gy of ionizing radiation. Furthermore, to elucidate the potential molecular mechanisms involved in radio-protective property of propolis, we performed microarray experiments using oligo DNA microarray. We found 65 up-regulated genes and 224 down-regulated genes, whose expression levels were affected more than 2-fold by propolis treatment in mice irradiated at 5 Gy. We confirmed microarray data with reverse transcription-PCR using gene specific primers. The results of RT-PCR are highly correlated with those of microarray. These results may help understanding molecular mechanisms of radioprotective effects by propolis in mouse model.

Analysis of Coast Topography by RTK GPS and Echo Sounder

  • Lee, Jea-One;Kim, Jin-Soo
    • Korean Journal of Geomatics
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    • v.2 no.1
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    • pp.57-64
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    • 2002
  • Measuring the depth of water is very important in ensuring the protection and safety of seaside. There are many difficulties in making the contour bathymetric map, and contour line due to the limitation of continuous measurement of water depth and collimation with the conventional measuring and positioning methods. But the real-time kinematic GPS (RTK GPS) positioning using a carrier phase enables us to decide a precise position without breaking a signal even under the condition of a moving environment. It is also possible to obtain an accurate depth of water in real time with a fathometer through the measuring of time delay between sending and receiving epochs. This research aims at investigation of accuracy potential of RTK GPS in combination with Echo Sounder(E/S) for the coastal mapping. Apart from this purpose, the accuracy of ambiguity resolution with the OTF(On the Fly) method was tested with respect to the initialization time. The result shows that the accuracy is better than 1cm with 5-minute initialization in the distance of 10km baseline. The seaside topography was measured by the RTK GPS only, on the other hand the seafloor topography was surveyed in combination of RTK GPS and E/S. Comparing to the volume of seaside measured by RTK GPS and digital topographical map, the difference of only 2 % was achieved. This indicates that the coastal mapping with RTK GPS is successfully conducted. In addition it is also demonstrated that the 3-dimensional perspective model resulted from the undersea topography measured by RTK GPS and E/S is very close to that from the digital map. Through this study, it was verified that RTK GPS is to be very useful method in the analysis of coastal morphology owing to its capability of getting the precise DTM for the using of harbor reclamation, dredging, and the estimation of soil movement in a river.

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Attitudes and preferences of consumers toward food allergy labeling practices by diagnosis of food allergies

  • Ju, Se-young;Park, Jong-Hwan;Kwak, Tong-Kyoung;Kim, Kyu-earn
    • Nutrition Research and Practice
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    • v.9 no.5
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    • pp.517-522
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    • 2015
  • BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to investigate food allergens and prevalence rates of food allergies, followed by comparison of consumer attitudes and preferences regarding food allergy labeling by diagnosis of food allergies. SUBJECTS/METHODS: A total of 543 individuals living in Seoul and Gyeonggi area participated in the survey from October 15 to 22 in 2013. RESULTS: The results show that the prevalence of doctor-diagnosed food allergies was 17.5%, whereas 6.4% of respondents self-reported food allergies. The most common allergens of doctor-diagnosed and self-reported food allergy respondents were peaches (30.3%) and eggs (33.3%), respectively, followed by peanuts, cow's milk, and crab. Regarding consumer attitudes toward food labeling, checking food allergens as an item was only significantly different between allergic and non-allergic respondents among all five items (P < 0.001). All respondents reported that all six items (bold font, font color, box frame, warning statement, front label, and addition of potential allergens) were necessary for an improved food allergen labeling system. PLSR analysis determined that the doctor-diagnosed group and checking of food allergens were positively correlated, whereas the non-allergy group was more concerned with checking product brands. CONCLUSIONS: An effective food labeling system is very important for health protection of allergic consumers. Additionally, government agencies must develop policies regarding prevalence of food allergies in Korea. Based on this information, the food industry and government agencies should provide clear and accurate food labeling practices for consumers.

Astaxanthin induces migration in human skin keratinocytes via Rac1 activation and RhoA inhibition

  • Ritto, Dakanda;Tanasawet, Supita;Singkhorn, Sawana;Klaypradit, Wanwimol;Hutamekalin, Pilaiwanwadee;Tipmanee, Varomyalin;Sukketsiri, Wanida
    • Nutrition Research and Practice
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    • v.11 no.4
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    • pp.275-280
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    • 2017
  • BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Re-epithelialization has an important role in skin wound healing. Astaxanthin (ASX), a carotenoid found in crustaceans including shrimp, crab, and salmon, has been widely used for skin protection. Therefore, we investigated the effects of ASX on proliferation and migration of human skin keratinocyte cells and explored the mechanism associated with that migration. MATERIAL/METHOD: HaCaT keratinocyte cells were exposed to $0.25-1{\mu}g/mL$ of ASX. Proliferation of keratinocytes was analyzed by using MTT assays and flow cytometry. Keratinocyte migration was determined by using a scratch wound-healing assay. A mechanism for regulation of migration was explored via immunocytochemistry and western blot analysis. RESULTS: Our results suggest that ASX produces no significant toxicity in human keratinocyte cells. Cell-cycle analysis on ASX-treated keratinocytes demonstrated a significant increase in keratinocyte cell proliferation at the S phase. In addition, ASX increased keratinocyte motility across the wound space in a time-dependent manner. The mechanism by which ASX increased keratinocyte migration was associated with induction of filopodia and formation of lamellipodia, as well as with increased Cdc42 and Rac1 activation and decreased RhoA activation. CONCLUSIONS: ASX stimulates the migration of keratinocytes through Cdc42, Rac1 activation and RhoA inhibition. ASX has a positive role in the re-epithelialization of wounds. Our results may encourage further in vivo and clinical study into the development of ASX as a potential agent for wound repair.

Anti-Stress Effects of Ginseng in Immobilization-Stressed Rats

  • Choi, Eun-Ha;Lee, Hyun-Jung;Kim, Cheol-Jin;Kim, Jong-Tae;Kwun, In-Sook;Kim, Yang-Ha
    • Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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    • v.9 no.3
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    • pp.253-258
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    • 2004
  • Stress is a global menace exacerbated by the advancement of industrialization. Failure of stress management is to a breakdown of the psychological and physiological protection mechanisms against stress. The aim of present study was to investigate the anti-stress potential of ginseng against immobilization stress. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (n=24) were divided into three groups; (i) control, (ii) immobilization stress (2hr daily, for 2 weeks), and (iii) immobilization stress (2 hr daily, for 2 weeks) plus oral administration of ginseng (200 mg/kg BW Id). Immobilization stress resulted in a significant inhibition of body weight gain by 45 % and a significant decrease in the tissue weights of thymus and spleen (p < 0.05). The concentrations of blood GOT and GPT were significantly increased in the immobilization-stressed group compared to the control group (p < 0.05). There were no differences in the blood cholesterol levels among groups. Ginseng administration in the immobilization-stressed group tended to reverse the lack of body weight gain and food intake, though not significantly. The ginseng-administered group showed a significant reversal in the stress-induced effect on spleen and thymus weight, increasing the tissue weights by 16% and 20%, respectively, compared to immobilization-stressed group (p<0.05). The plasma corticosterone level was significantly increased in the stressed group by 39 % compared to the control group (p<0.05), but ginseng administration significantly reversed the stress-induced increase in plasma corticosterone by 15 % compared to the immobilization-stressed group. The present study suggests that the anti-stress effect of ginseng is mediated by normalization of stress-induced changes in the circulating hormones and a reversal of tissue weight loss, thereby returning the body to normal homeostasis.

Etoposide Induces Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Cellular Senescence in Primary Cultured Rat Astrocytes

  • Bang, Minji;Kim, Do Gyeong;Gonzales, Edson Luck;Kwon, Kyoung Ja;Shin, Chan Young
    • Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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    • v.27 no.6
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    • pp.530-539
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    • 2019
  • Brain aging is an inevitable process characterized by structural and functional changes and is a major risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases. Most brain aging studies are focused on neurons and less on astrocytes which are the most abundant cells in the brain known to be in charge of various functions including the maintenance of brain physical formation, ion homeostasis, and secretion of various extracellular matrix proteins. Altered mitochondrial dynamics, defective mitophagy or mitochondrial damages are causative factors of mitochondrial dysfunction, which is linked to age-related disorders. Etoposide is an anti-cancer reagent which can induce DNA stress and cellular senescence of cancer cell lines. In this study, we investigated whether etoposide induces senescence and functional alterations in cultured rat astrocytes. Senescence-associated ${\beta}$-galactosidase (SA-${\beta}$-gal) activity was used as a cellular senescence marker. The results indicated that etoposide-treated astrocytes showed cellular senescence phenotypes including increased SA-${\beta}$-gal-positive cells number, increased nuclear size and increased senescence-associated secretory phenotypes (SASP) such as IL-6. We also observed a decreased expression of cell cycle markers, including PhosphoHistone H3/Histone H3 and CDK2, and dysregulation of cellular functions based on wound-healing, neuronal protection, and phagocytosis assays. Finally, mitochondrial dysfunction was noted through the determination of mitochondrial membrane potential using tetramethylrhodamine methyl ester (TMRM) and the measurement of mitochondrial oxygen consumption rate (OCR). These data suggest that etoposide can induce cellular senescence and mitochondrial dysfunction in astrocytes which may have implications in brain aging and neurodegenerative conditions.

A Comparison Study of Various Water Sources for Feasibility of Expanding the use of Groundwater in Public Water Supply of South Korea (지하수 상수원 활용의 타당성 고찰을 위한 상수도 취수원의 특성 비교 연구)

  • Cha, Eun-Jee;Hyun, Yunjung
    • Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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    • v.22 no.4
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    • pp.60-70
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    • 2017
  • As water sources become more vulnerable to the effects of climate change such as drought and contamination, the diversification of water sources is important for securing water supply. This study examines the properties of five water sources for public supply, including river and river-bed water, dams, reservoirs, and groundwater, while ensuring that the quantities available from such sources are stable and the water itself is safe for use. This study also analyzes the power, chemical, repair and maintenance, and labor costs associated with each water source. The results demonstrate that groundwater has high potential as a water source because it is readily available (about $12.89billion\;m^3/yr$), but only a small portion of it is currently used. Analyses indicated that groundwater is the most efficient source of water to meet water demand below $1,000,000m^3/yr$, which covers 62.5% of water supply facilicities. With the implementation of groundwater dams, groundwater can become cost-efficient even for larger water demand. Additionally, the water source protection areas are the smallest for groundwater among the five water sources. In conclusion, the use of groundwater as an alternative water source is feasible becasue it is readily available, safe, cost-efficient, and requires the lowest amount of environmental regulations for the diversification of water supply sources.

Evaluation of the gastroprotective effects of 20 (S)-ginsenoside Rg3 on gastric ulcer models in mice

  • Zhang, Kai;Liu, Ying;Wang, Cuizhu;Li, Jiannan;Xiong, Lingxin;Wang, Zhenzhou;Liu, Jinping;Li, Pingya
    • Journal of Ginseng Research
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    • v.43 no.4
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    • pp.550-561
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    • 2019
  • Background: Gastric ulcer (GU) is a common gastrointestinal disease that can be induced by many factors. Finding an effective treatment method that contains fewer side effects is important. 20 (S)-ginsenoside Rg3 is a kind of protopanaxadiol and has shown superior antiinflammatory and antioxidant effects in many studies, especially cancer studies. In this study, we examined the treatment efficacy of 20 (S)-ginsenoside Rg3 on GU. Methods: Three kinds of GU models, including an alcohol GU model, a pylorus-ligated GU model, and an acetic acid GU model, were used. Mouse endothelin-1 (ET-1) and nitric oxide (NO) levels in blood and epidermal growth factor (EGF), superoxide dismutase, and NO levels in gastric mucosa were evaluated. Hematoxylin and eosin staining of gastric mucosa and immunohistochemical staining of ET-1, inducible nitric oxide synthase (NOS2), and epidermal growth factor receptors were studied. Ulcer index (UI) scores and UI ratios were also analyzed to demonstrate the GU conditions in different groups. Furthermore, Glide XP from $Schr{\ddot{o}}dinger$ was used for molecular docking to clarify the interactions between 20 (S)-ginsenoside Rg3 and EGF and NOS2. Results: 20 (S)-ginsenoside Rg3 significantly decreased the UI scores and UI ratios in all the three GU models, and it demonstrated antiulcer effects by decreasing the ET-1 and NOS2 levels and increasing the NO, superoxide dismutase, EGF, and epidermal growth factor receptor levels. In addition, high-dose 20 (S)-ginsenoside Rg3 showed satisfactory gastric mucosa protection effects. Conclusion: 20 (S)-ginsenoside Rg3 can inhibit the formation of GU and may be a potential therapeutic agent for GU.