• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• 제54권1호
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• pp.1-9
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• 2021

This review describes the risk factors of the nutrition crisis in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections and suggests precision nutrition against long-term psychological and physiological stress. The mandatory quarantine and the social distancing are associated with an interruption of the lifestyle routine, resulting in psychological (i.e., boredom) and physiological stress. The stress with multiple causes and forms induces over-compensation of energy-dense food, such as sugary comfort food, and is defined as "food craving" because carbohydrates positively affect the psychological stability with serotonin secretion. The consumption of foods that promote an immune response against viral infections (vitamins & minerals; Cu, folate, Fe, Se, Zn, and Vit A, B6, B12, C, and D), reduce inflammatory cytokines (w-3 fatty acids, Vit D, fibers, and Mg), contain antioxidants (beta-carotene, Vit E, C, Se, and phenolics), and sleep-inducing proteins (serotonin, melatonin, and milk products) is essential. In addition, a reduced Vit D deficiency in winter due to less time spent outdoors under quarantine has been reported to be associated with viral infections. The case fatality rate of COVID-19 was significantly dependent on age, sex, race, and underlying health condition. To prevent malnutrition and cachexia in elderly people, weight loss and muscle wasting should be monitored and controlled. Inadequate protein intake, sedentary lifestyle, and inflammation are significant risk factors for sarcopenia. Moreover, relatively high intakes of fat or carbohydrate compared to low protein intake result in abdominal obesity, which is defined as "sarcopenic obesity." Keeping the food-safety guidelines of COVID-19, this study recommends the consumption of fresh and healthy foods and avoiding sugar, fat, salt, alcohol, and commercially frozen foods.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제32권7호
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• pp.877-884
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• 2022

Probiotics are microorganisms that can benefit host health when ingested in a live state, and lactic acid bacteria are the most common type. Among fungi, Saccharomyces boulardii (SB) is the only strain known to have a probiotic function with beneficial effects on colitis; however, information on other probiotic yeast strains is limited. Therefore, this study aimed to discover yeast strains expressing intestinal anti-inflammatory activities by exhibiting probiotic properties in dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis mice model. Nuruk (Korean traditional fermentation starter) containing various microbial strains was used as a source for yeast strains, and S. cerevisiae 28-7 (SC28-7) strain was selected with in vitro and in vivo characteristics to enable survival in the intestines. After 14 days of pretreatment with the yeast strains, DSS was co-administered for six days to induce colitis in mice. The results revealed that the disease activity index score was lowered by SC28-7 treatment compared to the DSS group, and the colon length and weight/length ratio were recovered in a pattern similar to that of the normal group. SC28-7 administration significantly reduced the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the serum and modified the mRNA expression of inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-1β, transforming growth factor-β, and interferon-γ) and proteins involved in gut barrier functions (mucin 2, mucin 3, zonula occludens-1, and occludin) in colon tissues. These results indicate that SC28-7 attenuates DSS-induced colon damage and inflammation, supporting its future use as a probiotic yeast for treating and preventing intestinal inflammatory diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제46권5호
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• pp.646-656
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• 2022

Background: In addition to its use as a health food, ginseng is used in cosmetics and shampoo because of its extensive health benefits. The ginsenoside, Rh2, is a component of ginseng that inhibits tumor cell proliferation and differentiation, promotes insulin secretion, improves insulin sensitivity, and shows antioxidant effects. Methods: The effects of Rh2 on cell survival, extracellular matrix (ECM) protein expression, and cell differentiation were examined. The antioxidant effects of Rh2 in UV-irradiated normal human dermal fibroblast (NHDF) cells were also examined. The effects of Rh2 on mitochondrial function, morphology, and mitophagy were investigated in UV-irradiated NHDF cells. Results: Rh2 treatment promoted the proliferation of NHDF cells. Additionally, Rh2 increased the expression levels of ECM proteins and growth-associated immediate-early genes in ultraviolet (UV)-irradiated NHDF cells. Rh2 also affected antioxidant protein expression and increased total antioxidant capacity. Furthermore, treatment with Rh2 ameliorated the changes in mitochondrial morphology, induced the recovery of mitochondrial function, and inhibited the initiation of mitophagy in UV-irradiated NHDF cells. Conclusion: Rh2 inhibits mitophagy and reinstates mitochondrial ATP production and membrane potential in NHDF cells damaged by UV exposure, leading to the recovery of ECM, cell proliferation, and antioxidant capacity.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• 제21권2호
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• pp.20.1-20.13
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• 2020

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (APP) causes a form of porcine pleuropneumonia that leads to significant economic losses in the swine industry worldwide. The apxIBD gene is responsible for the secretion of the ApxI and ApxII toxins and the pnp gene is responsible for the adaptation of bacteria to cold temperature and a virulence factor. The apxIBD and pnp genes were deleted successfully from APP serotype 1 and 5 by transconjugation and sucrose counter-selection. The APP1ΔapxIBDΔpnp and APP5ΔapxIBDΔpnp mutants lost hemolytic activity and could not secrete ApxI and ApxII toxins outside the bacteria because both mutants lost the ApxI- and ApxII-secreting proteins by deletion of the apxIBD gene. Besides, the growth of these mutants was defective at low temperatures resulting from the deletion of pnp. The APP1ΔapxIBDΔpnp and APP5ΔapxIBDΔpnp mutants were significantly attenuated compared with wild-type ones. However, mice vaccinated intraperitoneally with APP5ΔapxIBDΔpnp did not provide any protection when challenged with a 10-times 50% lethal dose of virulent homologous (APP5) and heterologous (APP1) bacterial strains, while mice vaccinated with APP1ΔapxIBDΔpnp offered 75% protection against a homologous challenge. The ΔapxIBDΔpnp mutants were significantly attenuated and gave different protection rate against homologous virulent wild-type APP challenging.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제46권5호
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• pp.675-682
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• 2022

Background: Korean Red Ginseng (KRG) was reported to play an anti-inflammatory role, however, previous studies largely focused on the effects of KRG on priming step, the inflammation-preparing step, and the anti-inflammatory effect of KRG on triggering, the inflammation-activating step has been poorly understood. This study demonstrated anti-inflammatory role of KRG in caspase-11 non-canonical inflammasome activation in macrophages during triggering of inflammatory responses. Methods: Caspase-11 non-canonical inflammasome-activated J774A.1 macrophages were established by priming with Pam3CSK4 and triggering with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Cell viability and pyroptosis were examined by MTT and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assays. Nitric oxide (NO)-inhibitory effect of KRG was assessed using a NO production assay. Expression and proteolytic cleavage of proteins were examined by Western blotting analysis. In vivo anti-inflammatory action of KRG was evaluated with the LPS-injected sepsis model in mice. Results: KRG reduced LPS-stimulated NO production in J774A.1 cells and suppressed pyroptosis and IL-1β secretion in caspase-11 non-canonical inflammasome-activated J774A.1 cells. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that KRG suppressed the direct interaction between LPS and caspase-11 and inhibited proteolytic processing of both caspase-11 and gasdermin D in caspase-11 non-canonical inflammasome-activated J774A.1 cells. Furthermore, KRG significantly ameliorated LPS-mediated lethal septic shock in mice. Conclusion: The results demonstrate a novel mechanism of KRG-mediated anti-inflammatory action that operates through targeting the caspase-11 non-canonical inflammasome at triggering step of macrophage-mediated inflammatory response.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• 제21권1호
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• pp.7.1-7.11
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• 2023

The gram-positive bacterium Listeria monocytogenes is an important foodborne intracellular pathogen that is widespread in the environment. The functions of hypothetical proteins (HP) from various pathogenic bacteria have been successfully annotated using a variety of bioinformatics strategies. In this study, a HP Imo0888 (NP_464414.1) from the Listeria monocytogenes EGD-e strain was annotated using several bioinformatics tools. Various techniques, including CELLO, PSORTb, and SOSUIGramN, identified the candidate protein as cytoplasmic. Domain and motif analysis revealed that the target protein is a PemK/MazF-like toxin protein of the type II toxin-antitoxin system (TAS) which was consistent with BLASTp analysis. Through secondary structure analysis, we found the random coil to be the most frequent. The Alpha Fold 2 Protein Structure Prediction Database was used to determine the three-dimensional (3D) structure of the HP using the template structure of a type II TAS PemK/MazF family toxin protein (DB ID_AFDB: A0A4B9HQB9) with 99.1% sequence identity. Various quality evaluation tools, such as PROCHECK, ERRAT, Verify 3D, and QMEAN were used to validate the 3D structure. Following the YASARA energy minimization method, the target protein's 3D structure became more stable. The active site of the developed 3D structure was determined by the CASTp server. Most pathogens that harbor TAS create a crucial risk to human health. Our aim to annotate the HP Imo088 found in Listeria could offer a chance to understand bacterial pathogenicity and identify a number of potential targets for drug development.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• 제27권2호
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• pp.157-165
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• 2023

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive subtype of breast cancer and current therapeutic strategies are limited in their effectiveness. The expressions of Rab5 and the M2 tumor-associated macrophage marker CD163 in tissues were detected by Western blot. The migration and invasion of cells were determined using a Transwell assay. The expressions of the exosome markers were evaluated by Western blot. The polarization of human macrophages (THP-1) was determined by incubation of THP-1 cells with conditioned medium or exosomes collected from MDA-MB-231 cells with indicated transfections or by a coculture system of THP-1 and MDA-MB-231 cells. The M1 and M2 macrophage markers were evaluated by qRT-PCR. The expression of Rab5 in TNBC was significantly higher than that in normal breast tissue. Rab5 expressions in triple-negative and luminal A breast cancer were higher than those in other molecular subtypes. Higher CD163 expression was observed in triple-negative breast cancer and in triple-negative and luminal B subtypes. Rab5 knockdown suppressed but Rab5 overexpression promoted the migration and invasion capacity of MDA-MB-231 cells. The levels of CD63 and CD9 in the medium of Rab5 knockdown cells were lower than those in control cells, whereas higher levels of CD63 and CD9 were observed in Rab5 overexpression cells. Rab5 knockdown decreased the excretion but did not alter the diameter of the exosomes. Knockdown of Rab5 facilitated the anti-tumor polarization of macrophages, which was partially reversed by Rab5 overexpression. Therefore, Rab5 is expected to be a potential therapeutic target for triple-negative breast cancer.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• 제16권1호
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• pp.75-84
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• 2016

Cancer is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide; therefore there is a need to discover new therapeutic modules with improved efficacy and safety. Immune-(cell) therapy is a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of intractable cancers. The effectiveness of certain chemotherapeutics in inducing immunogenic tumor cell death thus promoting cancer eradication has been reported. Ginsenoside Rg3 is a ginseng saponin that has antitumor and immunomodulatory activity. In this study, we treated tumor cells with Rg3 to verify the significance of inducing immunogenic tumor cell death in antitumor therapy, especially in DC-based immunotherapy. Rg3 killed the both immunogenic (B16F10 melanoma cells) and non-immunogenic (LLC: Lewis Lung Carcinoma cells) tumor cells by inducing apoptosis. Surface expression of immunogenic death markers including calreticulin and heat shock proteins and the transcription of relevant genes were increased in the Rg3-dying tumor. Increased calreticulin expression was directly related to the uptake of dying tumor cells by dendritic cells (DCs): the proportion of CRT⁺CD11c⁺cells was increased in the Rg3-treated group. Interestingly, tumor cells dying by immunogenic cell death secreted IFN-γ, an effector molecule for antitumor activity in T cells. Along with the Rg3-induced suppression of pro-angiogenic (TNF-α) and immunosuppressive cytokine (TGF-β) secretion, IFN-γ production from the Rg3-treated tumor cells may also indicate Rg3 as an effective anticancer immunotherapeutic strategy. The data clearly suggests that Rg3-induced immunogenic tumor cell death due its cytotoxic effect and its ability to induce DC function. This indicates that Rg3 may be an effective immunotherapeutic strategy.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• 제31권1호
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• pp.79-89
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• 2006

구강 내에 발생되는 질환의 대부분이 타액의 영향을 받는다는 사실과 타액에 영향을 주는 전신적인 요소 중에서도 스트레스가 중요하다는 것은 이미 잘 알려져 있으나, 스트레스가 타액선에 미치는 영향에 관해서는 자율신경에 의한 거시적 반응에 대하여만 소개가 되었을 뿐 세포수준의 미시적 변화에 대하여는 별다른 언급이 없었다.. 이에 본 연구에서는 다양한 스트레스 조건하에서 백서의 악하선이 어떠한 변화를 보이는지를 clusterin 의 발현양상을 관찰함으로써 유추해보고자 하였다. 부여할 스트레스 조건을 급성 구속스트레스와 만성 저강도 스트레스의 두 가지로 정하고 7주된 Sprague-Dawley계 웅성백서 51마리를 사용하여 정해진 기간동안 급성 구속스트레스와 만성 저강도 비예측성 스트레스 (CUMS)를 가한 후 희생하여 악하선을 절취하고 역시 면역조직화학법과 웨스턴 면역점적법을 이용하여 악하선에서 clusterin발현의 시간에 따른 변화를 관찰하였으며, 그 결과는 다음과 같다: 1. 급성 구속스트레스 군에서, Clusterin 이 발현된 모든 선포의 합은 1시간 군을 제외한 모든 실험군 (9시간, 24시간, 72시간, 120시간, 그리고 168시간 군) 에서 대조군에 비하여 유의성 있게 감소하는 경향을 보였다 (p<0.001). 2. 만성저강도스트레스 군에서, 대조군에 대한 clusterin이 발현된 모든 선포의 합은, 2주군(p<0.01)에서 대조군에 비하여 유의하게 증가되는 모습을 보여주었고, 4주군(p<0.01)과 5주군(p<0.001)에서 대조군에 비하여 유의성 있게 감소하는 경향을 보였다. 3. 만성 저강도 스트레스 실험에서 4주째까지는 대조군과 실험군간의 당선호도 차이에 있어서 유의한 변화가 보이지 않았으나, 5주째에 유의성 있는 감소를 나타내었다(p<0.001). 4. 만성 저강도 스트레스 부여군은 5주째 대조군에 비하여 유의성 있는 체중변화(p<0.001)를 보여주었으나, 수분섭취량의 변화는 유의성 있는 상관관계를 보여주지 못하였다. 5. 면역점적검사를 시행한 결과, 구속스트레스 군에서는 clusterin의 발현이 시간에 따라 일정하게 감소하는 것으로 표현되었고, CUMS 군에서는 2주째까지는 증가하다가 3주 이후부터 실험 전기간에 걸쳐 감소하는 것으로 나타났으며 이는 당선호도 및 몸무게 변화의 양상의 변화와 크게 다르지 않았다. 따라서 위의 실험결과를 놓고 볼 때, 타액선 clusterin의 발현이 급성과 만성에 관계없이 스트레스 부여 후에 감소하였지만, 다른 문헌에서 제안된 것처럼 clusterin 의 고갈에 의한 세포자사적 변화는 관찰되지 않았다. 따라서 향후 보다 강화된 강도의 급성스트레스를 부여하는 방법과 더 장기적으로 진행된 연구를 통하여 고강도 스트레스에서 clusterin의 발현감소와 함께 세포의 변성이나 자사가 초래되는지, 저강도 스트레스의 경우 장기간 시간이 경과함에 따라 원래의 상태에 가깝게 회복되는지, 다른 열 충격 단백질이나 세포 사멸 시에 나타나는 단백질들을 동시에 확인하여 보는 것이 필요할 것으로 사료된다.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제60권5호
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• pp.554-563
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• 2006

연구 배경: 대도시의 대기오염은 점차 악화되어 시민의 건강을 위협하고, 심 폐 질환의 발병률과 이 로 인한 사망률을 증가시키고 있다. 서울시 도로가의 PM이 $TNF-{\alpha}$와 $IL-1{\beta}$의 생성에 직접적으로 어떠한 영향을 미치는지와 PM의 노출이 LPS의 $TNF-{\alpha}$와 $IL-1{\beta}$의 생성효과에는 어떠한 영향을 미치는지를 평가하고자 하였다. 방 법: 폐렴이 있는 흰쥐와 SPF 흰쥐의 폐포대식세포 각각에 PM을 농도별로 처리하여 분비되는 $TNF-{\alpha}$와 $IL-1{\beta}$의 농도를 측정하였다. 측정 방법으로는 western blot, ELISA 및 세포면역화학염색법을 이용하였다. 또한 동일 PM 농도에서 배양시간을 달리하여 위와 같이 측정하였다. 결 과: SPF인 흰쥐에서 분리된 페포대식세포에 PM을 단독으로 투여하였을 때 대조군에 비해서 $TNF-{\alpha}$와 $IL-1{\beta}$의 생성도가 모든 투여군에서 유의하게 증가하였으나, 투여용량의 증가에 따른 유의성은 없었다. 그러나 염증성인 쥐에서 분리된 폐포대식세포에서는 모든 투여군에서 대조군에 비하여 통계학적으로 유의하게 증가하였으며, PM 투여농도의 증가에 따른 생성량도 유의하게 증가하였다. 결 론: PM을 장기간 혹은 일정 농도 이상으로 흡입할 경우 폐포대식세포의 $TNF-{\alpha}$와 $IL-1{\beta}$의 분비에 영향을 미쳐 새로운 폐질환을 유발할 수 있다. 그러므로 기존에 염증성 폐질환이나 기관지천식이 있는 환자가 미세먼지를 흡입할 경우에는 $TNF-{\alpha}$와 $IL-1{\beta}$의 생성에 커다란 영향을 미쳐 호흡기 질환을 더욱 악화시킬 가능성이 있을 것으로 추정된다.