• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.519-531
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• 2014

Objectives: Diabetic nephropathy is the most common cause of end stage renal disease. Transforming growth factor (TGF)-${\beta}1$, type IV collagen, advanced glycation end-products (AGEs), and angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1) are the main factors of diabetic nephropathy. We investigated the effects of Prunus on renal function and histopathological changes of diabetic nephropathy rat model induced by unilateral nephrectomy and streptozotocin. Methods: Diabetes was induced in male Sprague-Dawley rats ($290{\pm}10g$) by injecting streptozotocin (55 mg/kg) into the tail vein after unilateral nephrectomy. Rats were divided into 3 groups (n=6): normal, control, and Prunus. After 8 weeks of oral administration of Prunus extract on the Prunus group from 3 days after streptozotocin injection, we checked weight, 24 hrs urine, blood biochemistry and renal tissue to evaluate renal function and histopathological changes by examining parameters including albuminuria, BUN, creatinine, cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL), triglyceride, TGF-${\beta}1$, type IV collagen, AGEs, and AT1. We also measured mRNA expression of TGF-${\beta}1$, type IV collagen, AGEs, and AT1 by Real Time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results: Prunus decreased the amount of 24 hrs proteinuria, and inhibited histopathological changes of diabetic nephropathy including the expression and accumulation of TGF-${\beta}1$, type IV collagen and AGEs which could promote development of diabetic nephropathy. Prunus also inhibited mRNA expression of TGF-${\beta}1$, type IV collagen. Conclusions: These findings suggest that Prunus might protect the renal function and inhibit the development of renal injury by regulating factors including TGF-${\beta}1$, type IV collagen, AGEs, except AT1, so Prunus can be used for diabetic patients to prevent the progression of diabetic nephropathy.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.646-652
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• 2003

This study was performed to determine the iron status of the adolescent Korean girls before and after menarche. The 101 subjects aged 11-13 years who attending in an elementary school in Mokpo were recruited. They were divided into pre-menarche (A) group or post-menarche (B) group based on their menstruation status. The latter subjects were sub-divided into one of the four groups according to the times of their menstruation B-I( $\geq$ 3 times), B-II (4-6 times), B-III (7-9 times) or B-W ( $\geq$ 10 times). In the total subjects, dietary iron intake, 11.3 mg/day, was below the Korean RDA for iron, the percentage of heme iron to total iron intake, 15%, and the bioavailability of dietary iron, 12.3%, seemed to be low. And their body iron storage, 140.8 mg, seemed to be insufficient. However, they tended to meet body's iron requirement in the cell level. Red blood cell number (RBC), hematocrit (Hct), and hemoglobin (Hb) level in the total subjects were 4.5 1012/I, 39.3%, and 13.0 g/㎗, respectively. The subjects in B group had lower (p<0.05) RBC and Hct compared to those in A group and the prevalence of iron-deficiency anemia tended to be high. Serum iron, ferritin, and soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) and sTfR:ferritin ratio were 86.7 $\mu\textrm{g}$/d, 17.6 $\mu\textrm{g}$/l, 3.58 mg/1, and 230, respectively. Those four indices were not significantly different among the groups. The results of this study imply that, although there a tendency to affect negatively iron status, menstrual blood loss in adolescent females does not deteriorate obviously their iron status during the relatively short period up to 1 you. However, it should be better to improve their iron status after starting menarche by increasing iron intake, especially heme-iron, and enhancing factors for iron absorption.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.15-21
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• 1995

Several populations of lymphocytes possess receptors for autonomic neurotransmitter, which make lymphocytes susceptible to autonomic stimulation. This study was to evaluate the functional alternation of effector cells of the immune system. Female Balb/C mice, 15-20 g, were injected with MA subcutaneously under various conditions. Mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) showed certain T cell subsets were affected by MA. The level of interleukin-2 (IL-2) production was inhibited due to a defect in expression of the IL-2 receptor. In mice injected with 20 mg MA/kg, 1 day before assay, phagocytosis of peritoneal macrophages showed $14.07\pm3%$, which was similar degree to 5 mg MA/kg treatment for 4 consecutive days. Phagocytosis was almost recovered to that of control after 4 day in 20 mg/kg injected mice. Maximum inhibition of plaque forming cell (PFC) occurred when MA was given early, indicating the inductive time point of antibody production was affected. The cortisol level increased in the MA treated group (0.05, 0.20, and $0.08{\mu}g$/dl for control, low, and high dose-MA treated mice, respectively). Based on these results, MA has general suppression effects on the immune systems by functional alteration of effector cells. Considering the increment of serum cortisol levels, MA partially impacts the neuroendocrine system to lead to failure of immune response.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.10-21
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• 2001

Objective : This study was performed to investigate the protective effect of Stephania tetrandra(ST) against ischemic brain damage after a middle cerebral artery(MCA) occlusion. The effect was evaluated using histological tests, neurobehavioral tests, and biochemical tests. Methods : Rats(Sprague-Dawley) were divided into four groups : sham operated group, MCA occluded group, post MCA occlusion Stephania tetrandra administrated (7.6mg/l00g) group, and normal group. The MCA was occluded by intraluminal method. Stephania tetrandra was administrated orally twice at 1 and 4 hours after MCA occlusion. The neurobehavioral test was performed at 3, 6, 9 and 24 hours after MCA occlusion by posture reflex test and swimming behavioral test. All groups were sacrificed then. The brain tissues were stained with 2% triphenyl tetrazolium chloride(TTC) or 1 % cresyl violet solution, to examine infarct size, volume and cell number. Tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}$ level was measured from sera using Enzyme-Linked Immunoabsorbent Assay(ELISA). The mRNA expression level of inflammatory cytokines and related receptor type I and II, $IL-1{\beta}$, IL-6, and IL-10 6hours after MCA occlusion were also studied by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction(RTPCR). Results : The results showed that : Stephania tetrandra (1) reduced infarct size and total infarct volume by 52.2% compared to the control group; (2) attenuated significantly in neuronal death, which was shown by a decrease in cell number(P<0.01) and size(P<0.01) in the boundary area of the infarction; (3) significantly reduced serum $TNF-{\alpha}$ level, and increased the mRNA level of IL-10 in the cortex region(P<0.01). However, there was no significant effect on motor deficit in swimming behavioral test. Conclusions : In conclusion, Stephania tetrandra has protective effects against ischemic brain damage at the early stage of ischemia.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.210-216
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• 2014

The distribution of S-haplotypes and genetic relationships were evaluated for 47 accessions of 'Danji' radish (Raphanus sativus L. var. hortensis Baker f. gigantissimus Makino) originating from Jeju Island in South Korea. A total of 22 S-haplotype-specific SCAR markers for the S locus glycoprotein (SLG) and S receptor kinase (SRK) loci were tested, and six primer sets amplified locus-specific PCR fragments from at least one 'Danji' radish accession. S5 and S21 alleles atthe SLG locus were the most frequently distributed, and detected from 87.5% and 64.6% of the accessions, respectively. The frequency of the class-II haplotype at the SLG locus was 75%, more frequent than the class-I haplotype. The S23 allele at the SRK locus was detected from 7 accessions. Grouping of the accessions based on S-allele composition revealed three major groups, while 8 accessions showed a unique allelic composition. The genetic diversity of 47 'Danji' radishes and 1 'Gwandong' radish were also evaluated with 38 RAPD primers. A total of 312 bands were scored, and showed that 138 bands (44.2%) were monomorphic among the accessions, whereas 174 (55.8%) bands were polymorphic. Polymorphism rates ranged from 0.2 to 1.0, indicating significant variations in detecting polymorphism across RAPD primers. The genetic similarity coefficients among all pairs of the 48accessions varied from 0.62 to 0.93, and 42% of the comparisons exhibited values higher than 0.85. All the cultivars could be distinguished based on the DNA fingerprints revealed by RAPD. The comparisons between the dendrograms based on S-haplotypes and RAPDs indicate an unrelated and sporadic distribution for several accessions; however, there was a tendency for accessions with the same S-allelic composition to group into the same cluster.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.23 no.8
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• pp.1107-1115
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• 2013

The Cyt1Aa protein of Bacillus thuringiensis susbp. israelensis elaborates demonstrable toxicity to mosquito larvae, but more importantly, it enhances the larvicidal activity of this species Cry proteins (Cry11Aa, Cry4Aa, and Cry4Ba) and delays the phenotypic expression of resistance to these that has evolved in Culex quinquefasciatus. It is also known that Cyt1Aa, which is highly lipophilic, synergizes Cry11Aa by functioning as a surrogate membrane-bound receptor for the latter protein. Little is known, however, about whether Cyt1Aa can interact similarly with other Cry proteins not primarily mosquitocidal; for example, Cry2Aa, which is active against lepidopteran larvae, but essentially inactive or has very low toxicity to mosquito larvae. Here we demonstrate by ligand binding and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays that Cyt1Aa and Cry2Aa form intermolecular complexes in vitro, and in addition show that Cyt1Aa facilitates binding of Cry2Aa throughout the midgut of C. quinquefasciatus larvae. As Cry2Aa and Cry11Aa share structural similarity in domain II, the interaction between Cyt1Aa and Cry2Aa could be a result of a similar mechanism previously proposed for Cry11Aa and Cyt1Aa. Finally, despite the observed interaction between Cry2Aa and Cyt1Aa, only a 2-fold enhancement in toxicity resulted against C. quinquefasciatus. Regardless, our results suggest that Cry2Aa could be a useful component of mosquitocidal endotoxin complements being developed for recombinant strains of B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis and B. sphaericus aimed at improving the efficacy of commercial products and avoiding resistance.

• Journal of Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.86-92
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• 2019

The aim of this study was to investigate effects of hyaluronidase during IVM on oocyte maturation, oxidative stress status, expression of cumulus expansion-related (PTX, pentraxin; GJA1, gap junction protein alpha 1; PTGS2, prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2) and fatty acid metabolism-related (FADS1, delta-6 desaturase; FADS2, delta-5 desaturase; PPARα, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha) mRNA, and embryonic development of porcine oocytes. The cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) were incubated with 0.1 mg/mL hyaluronidase for 44 h. Cumulus expansion was measured at 22 h after maturation. At 44 h after maturation, nuclear maturation, intracellular glutathione (GSH) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels were measured. Gene expression in cumulus cells was analyzed using real time PCR. The cleavage rate and blastocyst formation were evaluated at Day 2 and 7 after insemination. In results, expansion of cumulus cells was suppressed by treatment of hyaluronidase at 22 h after maturation. Intracellular GSH level was reduced by hyaluronidase treatment (p < 0.05). On the other hand, hyaluronidase increased ROS levels in oocytes (p < 0.05). Only PTGS2 mRNA was enhanced in COCs by hyaluronidase (p < 0.05). Population of oocytes reached at metaphase II stage was higher in control group than hyaluronidase treated group (p < 0.05). Both of cleavage rate and blastocyst formation were higher in control group than hyaluronidase group (p < 0.05). Our present results showed that developmental competence of porcine oocytes could be reduce by hyaluronidase via inducing oxidative stress during maturation process and it might be associated with prostaglandin synthesis. Therefore, we suggest that suppression of cumulus expansion of COCs could induce oxidative stress and decrease nuclear maturation via reduction of GSH synthesis and it caused to decrease developmental competence of mammalian oocytes.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.135-143
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• 2018

Tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}$ ($TNF{\alpha}$) and the angiotensin system are involved in inflammatory diseases and may contribute to acute kidney injury. We investigated the mechanisms by which $TNF{\alpha}$-converting enzyme (TACE) contributes to lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced renal inflammation and the effect of TACE inhibitor treatment on LPS-induced cellular injury in human renal proximal tubule epithelial (HK-2) cells. Mice were treated with LPS (10 mg/kg, i.p.) and HK-2 cells were cultured with or without LPS ($10{\mu}g/ml$) in the presence or absence of a type 1 TACE inhibitor ($1{\mu}M$) or type 2 TACE inhibitor ($10{\mu}M$). LPS treatment induced increased serum creatinine, $TNF{\alpha}$, and urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin. Angiotensin II type 1 receptor, mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK), and TACE increased, while angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) expression decreased in LPS-induced acute kidney injury and LPS-treated HK-2 cells. LPS induced reactive oxygen species and the down-regulation of ACE2, and these responses were prevented by TACE inhibitors in HK-2 cells. TACE inhibitors increased cell viability in LPS-treated HK-2 cells and attenuated oxidative stress and inflammatory cytokines. Our findings indicate that LPS activates renin angiotensin system components via the activation of TACE. Furthermore, inhibitors of TACE are potential therapeutic agents for kidney injury.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.295-300
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• 2004

Serotonin (5-hydroxytroptamine, 5-HT) has been shown to affect the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) in the cortex such as the hippocampus, the visual cortex and the prefrontal cortex. Fluoxetine, as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, is used in the management of a wide variety of psychological diseases. To study the effect of fluoxetine on the induction of LTP, we recorded the field potential in layer II/III of the frontal cortex from 3-wk-old. LTP was induced in horizontal input by theta burst stimulation (TBS). TBS with two-folds intensity of the test stimulation induced LTP, which was blocked by application of D-AP5 $(50 {\mu}M)$, an NMDA receptor antagonist. Whereas bath application of 5-HT $(10 {\mu}M)$ inhibited the induction of LTP, treatment with the 5-HT depleting agent, para-chloroamphetamine $(PCA,\;10{\mu}M)$, for 2hr did not affect the induction of LTP. Bath application of fluoxetine (1, 3, and $10 {\mu}M)$ suppressed the induction of LTP in concentration-dependent manner, however, fluoxetine did not inhibit the induction of LTP in 5-HT-depleted slices. These results indicate that fluoxetine may inhibit the induction of LTP by modulating serotonergic mechanism in the rat frontal cortex.

• BMB Reports
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.21-26
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• 2014

Znf45l, containing classical $C_2H_2$ domains, is a novel member of Zinc finger proteins in zebrafish. In vertebrates, TGF-${\beta}$ signaling plays a critical role in hematopoiesis. Here, we showed that Znf45l is expressed both maternally and zygotically throughout early development. Znf45l-depleted Zebrafish embryos display shorter tails and necrosis with reduced expression of hematopoietic maker genes. Furthermore, we revealed that znf45l locates downstream of TGF-${\beta}$ ligands and maintains normal level of TGF-${\beta}$ receptor type II phosphorylation. In brief, our results indicate that znf45l affects initial hematopoietic development through regulation of TGF-${\beta}$ signaling.