• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.670-674
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• 2005

The respiratory quinone profile was used as a tool for the study on microbial community structure in the mine tailings of abandoned mines over the depth. For the study, the area of Jingok mine located in Bongwha, Korea has been selected. The distributions of Cd, Cu, Pb, Al, Fe and Mn showed the following common patterns; the highest values in the upper part of mine failings (0-20 cm), rapid decrease with increasing depth. The dominant quinone species of the mine tailings were UQ-9 followed by UQ-10, suggesting that microbes had contributed to heavy metal degradation. The quinone contents in mine tailings ranged from 5.0 to 24.9 nmol/kg. The microbial diversity in the upper part of mine tailings (0-40 cm) was higher than that of lower part of mine tailings (100-120 cm).

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.152-158
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• 2002

The present study elucidated the effect of $\beta$-carbolines (harmaline and harmalol) on brain mitochondlial dysfunction caused by the tyrosinase-induced oxidation of dopamine. Harmaline, harmalol and antioxidant enzymes (SOD and catalase) attenuated the dopamine-induced alteration of membrane potential, cytochrome c release and thiol oxidation in mitochondria. In contrast, antioxidant enzymes failed to reverse mitochondrial dysfunction induced by dopmnine plus tyrosinase. $\beta$-Carbolines decreased the damaging effect of dopamine plus tyrosinase against mitochondria, except no effect of harmalol on thiol oxidation. Antioxidant enzymes decreased the melanin formation from dopamine in the reaction mixture containing mitochondria but did not reduce the formation of dopamine quinone caused by tyrosinase. Both harmalol and harmaline inhibited the formation of reactive quinone and melanin. Harmalol being more effective for quinone formation and vise versa. The results indicate that compared to MAO-induced dopamine oxidation, the toxic effect of dopamine in the presence of tyrosinase against mitochondria may be accomplished by the dopamine quinone and toxic substances other than reactive oxygen species. $\beta$-Carbolines may decrease the dopamine plus tyrosinase-induced brain mitochondrial dysfunction by inhibition of the formation of reactive quinone and the change in membrane permeability.

• BMB Reports
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.442-449
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• 2003

NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase is a ubiquitous enzyme that is known to directly reduce quinone substrates to hydroquinones by a two-electron reaction. We report the identification of NADPH quinone oxidoreductase from Kluyveromyces marxianus (KmQOR), which reduces quinone substrates directly to hydroquinones. The KmQOR gene was sequenced, expressed in Escherichia coli, purified, and characterized. The open-reading frame of the KmQOR gene consists of 1143 nucleotides, encoding a 380 amino acid polypeptide. The nucleotide sequence of the KmQOR gene was assigned to EMBL under accession number AY040868. The $M_r$ that was determined by SDS-PAGE for the protein subunit was about 42 kDa, and the molecular mass of the native KmQOR was 84 kDa, as determined by column calibration, indicating that the native protein is a homodimer. The KmQOR protein efficiently reduced 1,4-benzoquinone, whereas no activities were found for menadiones and methoxyquinones. These observations, and the result of an extended sequence analysis of known NADPH quinone oxidoreductase, suggest that KmQOR possesses a different action mechanism.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.81-88
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• 1997

NAD(P)H:quinone reductase (QR) is one of the protective phase II enzymes against toxicity that accomplishes the capacity of detoxification by modulating the effects of mutagens and carcinogens. The detoxification mechanism is that quinone reductase promotes the 2-electron reduction of quinones to hydroquinones which are less reactive. This study is to search new inducers of quinone reductase from natural products, which can be used as cancer chemopreventive agents. Plant extracts were evaluated by using quinone reductase generating system With Hepa 1c1c7 murine hepatoma cell lines for enzyme inducing properties and crystal violet staining method for the measurement of cytotoxicity provoked. We have tested approximately 106 kinds of natural products after partition into n-hexane, ethyl acetate and aqueous layers from 100% methanol extracts of natural products. The ethyl acetate fractions of Vitex rotundifolia $(fruits,\;2FC:\;12.7\;{\mu}g/ml)$, Cnidium officinale $(aerial\;parts,\;2FC:\;10.5\;{\mu}g/ml)$, Chrysanthemum sinese $(flowers,\;2FC:\;17.4{\mu}g/ml)$ and the hexane fractions of Angelica gigas $(roots,\;2FC:\;13.2\;{\mu}g/ml)$, Smilax china $(roots,\;2FC:\;l1.9\;{\mu}g/ml)$, Sophora flavescens $(roots,\;2FC:\;16.3\;{\mu}g/ml)$ revealed the significant induction of quinone reductase in a murine hepatic Hepa 1c1c7 cell culture system.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.98-103
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• 2014

NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) is a flavoprotein that catalyzes the two electron reduction of diverse substrates, including quinones. It uses NADH or NADPH as a cofactor for enzymatic machinery. In the metabolism of quinones, NQO1 has two conflicting functions because of the different stability of converted hydroquinones. The stable form of hydroquinone is excreted from cells by conjugation with glutathione or glucuronic acid. The unstable form of hydroquinone induces cell death by induction of oxidative stress and DNA damage. Certain quinones known as bio-reductive agents have a cytotoxic function following reduction by NQO1. Bio-reductive agents, such as ${\beta}$-lapachone or mitomycin C, induce the depletion of NAD(P)H and the generation of oxidative stress in an NQO1-dependent manner. NQO1 is highly expressed in several cancer tissues. Therefore, NQO1 is a good therapeutic target for cancer treatment with bio-reductive agents.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.40 no.6
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• pp.493-499
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• 2007

Celastrus orbiculatus (CO) has been used as a traditional herb medicine to treat fever, chill, joint pain, edema, rheumatoid arthritis and bacterial infection in China and Korea. In this study, we investigated anticarcinogenic effects of Celastrus orbiculatus (CO). CO was extracted with methanol (COM), and then further fractionated into four different types: methanol (COMM), hexane (COMH), butanol (COMB) and aqueous (COMA) partition layers. We determined the cytotoxicity of these four partitions in four kind of cancer cell lines, such as HepG2, MCF-7, HT29 and B16F10 Cells by MTT assay. Among various partition layers of CO, the COMM showed the strongest cytotoxic effects on cancer cell lines we used. We also observed quinone reductase (QR) induced effects in all partition layers of CO on HepG2 cells. The QR induced effects of COMM on HepG2 cells at 80 ${\mu}$ g/mL concentration indicated 3.28 to a control value of 1.0. The COMM showed the highest induction activity of quinone reductase on HepG2 cells among the other partition layers. Although further studies are needed, the present work suggests that CO may be a chemopreventive agent for the treatment of human cells.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.652-658
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• 1999

To reveal the inhibitory mechanism of NO-dependent vasorelaxation by quinone derivatives (OQ1 and OQ21), we have compared the generation of free radicals by oxidative stress and the formation of cellular adducts by arylation. First, we measured oxygen consumption by quinone derivatives as a marker of oxidative stress in order to investigate whether these quinone compounds could generate reactive oxygen species. Both OQ1 and OQ21 generated free radicals and OQ21 was more potent. These results suggested that free radicals be involved in the inhibition of vasorelaxation by quinones. Next, we measured the binding capacity of quinone derivatives with intracellular GSH and protein thiols (-SH) in order to investigate whether these quinones have arylation capacity. Compared to positive control groups (menadione), both OQ1 and OQ21 depleted intracellular GSH and protein thiols very slightly. These compounds have low toxicities in mammalian tissues. From these results, we concluded that the inhibition of vasorelaxation by quinone derivatives (OQ1, OQ21) may be cuased by generation of free radicals.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.59-62
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• 2004

A novel chlorinated diterpene quinone methide; chlorosmaridione (7-chloro-11-hydroxy-abeita-7,9(11),13-triene-6,12-diode) was isolated from petroleum ether extract of the stems of Rosemarinus officinalis L. growing in Egypt. In addition, ${\beta}-sitosterol$, stigmasterol, lupeol acetate, ${\alpha}-amyrin,\;{\beta}-amyrin$, lupeol, acetyloleanolic acid, acetylursolic acid taxodione, horminone, and cryptotanshinone were also identified. Chemical structures of the isolated compounds have been elucidated on the bases of physical, chemical, and spectral data including IR, UV, MS, 1D-and 2D-NMR spectra.

• Korea-Australia Rheology Journal
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• v.12 no.3_4
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• pp.151-155
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• 2000

A semiconducting poly(naphthalene quinone) radical (PNQR) was synthesized from Friedel-Craft acylation between naphthalene and phthalic anhydride and used as dispersing particles of a dry-base electrorheological (ER) material in silicone oil. Under an applied electric field (E), the dynamic yield stress (${\tau}_{dyn}$) of this ER fluid, obtained from a steady shear experiment with a controlled shear rate mode, was observed to increase with $E^{1.45}$ Based on this relationship, we propose a universal correlation curve for shear viscosity, which is independent of E using a scaling analysis.

• Journal of Photoscience
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.61-64
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• 1996

Photoaddition reactions of p-quinones to 1, 4-diphenylbubl-en-3-yne (BEY) have been investigated. Irradiation (300 nm) of BEY and 1, 4-benzoquinones in dichloromethane afforded quinone methides. I rradiation of 1, 4-naphthoquinone and BEY leaded to the formation of unstable spiro oxetene intermediate, followed by the rearrangement to give quinone methide, and finally the oxidative photocyclization. In contrast, irradiation 2, 3-dichloro-1, 4-naphthoquinone (or anthraquinone) and BEY yielded another type of quinone methides in one pot.