• Journal of Life Science
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.796-803
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• 2008

Mutations in the APP gene lead to enhanced cleavage by ${\beta}-$ and ${\gamma}-secretase$, and increased $A{\beta}$ formation, which are closely associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD)-like neuropathological changes. Recent studies have shown that exercise training can ameliorate pathogenic phenotypes ($A{\beta}-42$, BDNF, GLUT-1 and HSP70) in experimental models of Alzheimer's disease. Here, we have used NSE/APPsw transgenic mice to investigate directly whether exercise training ameliorates pathogenic phenotypes within Alzheimer's brains. Sixteen weeks of exercise training resulted in a reduction of $A{\beta}-42$ peptides and also facilitated improvement of cognitive function. Furthermore, GLUT -1 and BDNF proteins produced by exercise training may protect brain neurons by inducing the concomitant expression of genes that encode proteins (HSP-70) which suppress stress induced neuron cell damages from APPsw transgenic mice. Thus, the improved cognitive function by exercise training may be mechanistically linked to a reduction of $A{\beta}-42$ peptides, possibly via activation of BDNF, GLUT-1, and HSP-70 proteins. On the basis of the evidences presented in this study, exercise training may represent a practical therapeutic management strategy for human subjects suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.437-442
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• 2012

Red yeast rice (RER) has been used in China for centuries for its medicinal properties and is an increasingly popular alternative lipid-lowering treatment. This study was carried out to estimate the antioxidant properties of RER extracts. The ethyl acetate extract exhibited the DPPH radical scavenging activity of 85% at 0.2 mg/mL and $IC_{50}$ 0.13 mg/mL. A significant proportion of hydroxyl radicals in a cuvette were scavenged: 44.2% at 2.5 ${\mu}g$/mL, 74.1% at 5.0 ${\mu}g$/mL, and >100% at 10 ${\mu}g$/mL. The $HepG_2$ cells pre-treated with RER ethyl acetate extract reduced the hydroxyl radicals significantly compared to the control cells. Oxidative DNA damage was measured using a Comet assay. The RER ethyl acetate extract did not induce any DNA damage per se, and appeared to enhance the resistance to DNA damage caused by an oxidant challenge with $H_2O_2$, whereas lovastatin increased the level of DNA damage in the cells in both the unstressed (no oxidant) and those stressed with $H_2O_2$. The relative gene expression of the antioxidant enzymes in $HepG_2$ cells were also affected by the RER ethyl acetate extract. The $HepG_2$ cells were pre-incubated with the RER ethyl acetate extract, and then stressed with $H_2O_2$ or left unstressed (no oxidant). In the unstressed cells, superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were increased significantly 3.25-fold and 2.67-fold, respectively, whereas in the stressed cells, the catalase (CAT) level was increased by 4.64-fold and 7.0-fold at 5 ${\mu}g$/mL and 10 ${\mu}g$/mL, respectively, compared to those of the control. From these results, RER appears to be effective in suppressing oxidative stress.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.443-450
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• 2012

Recently, NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4)-mediated generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) was proposed to accelerate adipogenesis of 3T3-L1 cell. We have previously shown that Cheonnyuncho (Opuntia humifusa) extract significantly inhibited adipocyte differentiation via downregulation of $PPAR{\gamma}$ (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma) gene expression. In this study, we focused on the molecular mechanism(s) of NOX4, G6PDH (glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase) and antioxidant enzymes in anti-oxidative activities of 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Our results indicate that Cheonnyuncho extracts markedly inhibits ROS production during adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 cells. Cheonnyuncho extracts suppressed the mRNA expression of the pro-oxidant enzyme such as NOX4 and the NADPH-producing G6PDH enzyme. In addition, treatment with Cheonnyuncho extract was found to upregulate mRNA levels of antioxidant enzymes such as Mn-SOD (manganese-superoxide dismutase), Cu/Zn-SOD (copper/zinc-SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathion reductase (GR), and catalase, all of which are important for endogenous antioxidant responses. These data suggest that Cheonnyuncho extract may be effective in preventing the rise of oxidative stress during adipocyte differentiation through mechanism(s) that involves direct down regulation of NOX4 and G6PDH gene expression or via upregulation of endogenous antioxidant responses.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.25 no.8
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• pp.947-952
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• 2015

Prostate apoptosis response-4 (Par-4) was originally identified in androgen-independent prostate cancer cells undergoing apoptosis. Par-4 is ubiquitously expressed in normal cells and tissues, but it is downregulated in several types of cancers. Par-4 is a 38 kDa tumor suppressor protein encoded by the PARW gene. Par-4 promotes apoptosis in a variety of cancerous cells, but not in normal cells. In this review, we focused on the structure, expression and function of Par-4 in apoptotic signaling pathway. Functional domains of Par-4 include two nuclear localization sequences (NLS), a leucine zipper (LZ) domain, a nuclear export sequence (NES) and selective for apoptosis in cancer cell (SAC) domain. Many studies have underlined the importance of Par-4 in preventing cancer development. The activity of Par-4 is differently regulated by localization of intracellular and extracellular Par-4. Intracellular Par-4 inhibits Akt- and NF-κB-mediated cell survival pathways and downregulates Bcl-2 expression. Extracellular Par-4 activates the extrinsic apoptotic pathway by binding to cell surface receptor GRP78, a stress response protein that is in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Endogenous Par-4 sensitizes cancer cells to various apoptotic stimuli, while exogenous Par-4 enhances SAC domain-dependent apoptosis in cancer cells, but not normal cells. Therefore, Par-4 is an attractive target for cancer therapy.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.16
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• pp.6967-6972
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• 2015

Background: Cigarette smoking and tobacco chewing are common modes of consuming tobacco all over the world. Parents need to be aware that germ cell integrity is vital for birth of healthy offspring as biological parenting begins much before birth of a child and even before conception. The present study was conducted to determine the etiology of non-familial sporadic heritable retinoblastoma (NFSHRb), by evaluating oxidative sperm DNA damage in fathers due to use of tobacco (smoking and chewing). Materials and Methods: We recruited 145 fathers of NFSHRb children and 53 fathers of healthy children (controls) in the study. Tobacco history was obtained by personal interview. Seminal reactive oxygen species (ROS) in semen, sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI) and 8 hydroxy 2' deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) levels in sperm were evaluated. The RB1 gene was screened in genomic blood DNA of parents of children with NFSHRb and controls. Odds ratios (ORs) derived from conditional logistic regression models. Results: There was significant difference in the levels of ROS (p<0.05), DFI (p<0.05) and 8-OHdG (p<0.05) between tobacco users and non-users. The OR of NFSHRb for smokers was 7.29 (95%CI 2.9-34.5, p<0.01), for tobacco chewers 4.75 (2.07-10.9, p<0.05) and for both 9.11 (3.79-39.2; p<0.01). Conclusions: This study emphasizes the adverse effect of tobacco on the paternal genome and how accumulation of oxidative damage in sperm DNA may contribute to the etiology of NFSHRb. In an ongoing parallel study in our laboratory, 11 of fathers who smoked underwent. Meditation and yoga interventions, showed significant decline in levels of highly mutagenic oxidised DNA adducts after 6 months. Thus our lifestyle and social habits impact sperm DNA integrity and simple interventions like yoga and meditation are therapeutic for oxidative damage to sperm DNA.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.299-306
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• 2017

The transcriptional activator AphB has been implicated in acid resistance and pathogenesis in the food borne pathogens Vibrio vulnificus and Vibrio cholerae. To date, the full-length AphB crystal structure of V. cholerae has been determined and characterized by a tetrameric assembly of AphB consisting of a DNA binding domain and a regulatory domain (RD). Although acidic pH and low oxygen tension might be involved in the activation of AphB, it remains unknown which ligand or stimulus activates AphB at the molecular level. In this study, we determine the crystal structure of the AphB RD from V. vulnificus under aerobic conditions without modification at the conserved cysteine residue of the RD, even in the presence of the oxidizing agent cumene hydroperoxide. A cysteine to serine amino acid residue mutant RD protein further confirmed that the cysteine residue is not involved in sensing oxidative stress in vitro. Interestingly, an unidentified small molecule was observed in the inter-subdomain cavity in the RD when the crystal was incubated with cumene hydroperoxide molecules, suggesting a new ligand-binding site. In addition, we confirmed the role of AphB in acid tolerance by observing an aphB-dependent increase in cadC transcript level when V. vulnificus was exposed to acidic pH. Our study contributes to the understanding of the AphB molecular mechanism in the process of recognizing the host environment.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.28 no.8
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• pp.931-937
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• 2018

Triptolide is a compound found in Tripterygium wilfordii and reported to have an anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant activities. A previous study shows that the dietary supplementation with triptolide increases resistance to environmental stressors, including oxidative stress, heat shock, and ultraviolet irradiation, and extends lifespan in C. elegans. Here, we investigated the underlying mechanisms involved in the lifespan-extending effect of triptolide. The effect of triptolide on age-related diseases, such as diabetes mellitus and Alzheimer's disease, was also examined using animal disease models. The longevity phenotype conferred by triptolide was not observed in the eat-2 mutant, a well-known genetic model of dietary restriction, while there was an additional lifespan extension with triptolide in age-1 and clk-1 mutants. The long lifespan of age-1 mutant is resulted from a reduced insulin/IGF-1-like signaling and the clk-1 mutant lives longer than wild-type due to dysfunction of mitochondrial electron transport chain reaction. The effect of dietary restriction using bacterial dilution on lifespan also overlapped with that of triptolide. The toxicity of high glucose diet or transgenic human amyloid beta gene was significantly suppressed by the supplementation with triptolide. These findings suggest that triptolide can mimic the effect of dietary restriction on lifespan and onset of age-related diseases. We conclude that triptolide can be a strong candidate for the development of dietary restriction mimetics.

• Environmental Mutagens and Carcinogens
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.142-148
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• 2002

Although ionizing radiation (IR) has been used to treat the various human cancers, IR is cytotoxic not only to cancer cells but to the adjacent normal tissue. Since normal tissue complications are the limiting factor of cancer radiotherapy, one of the major concerns of IR therapy is to maximize the cancer cell killing and to minimize the toxic side effects on the adjacent normal tissue. As an attempt to develop a method to monitor the degree of radiation exposure to normal tissues during radiotherapy, we investigated the transcriptional responses of human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) following IR using cDNA microarray chip containing 1,221 (1.2 K) known genes. Since conventional radiotherapy is delivered at about 24 h intervals at 180 to 300 cGy/day, we analyzed the transcriptional responses ex-vivo irradiated human PBL at 200 cGy for 24 h-period. We observed and report on 1) a group of genes transiently induced early after IR at 2 h, 2) of genes induced after IR at 6 h, 3) of genes induced after IR at 24 h and on 4) a group of genes whose expression patters were not changed after IR. Since Biological consequences of IR involve generation of various reactive oxygen species (ROS) and thus oxidative stress induced by the ROS is known to damage normal tissues during radiotherapy, we further tested the temporal expression profiles of genes involved in ROS modulation by RT-PCR. Specific changes of 6 antioxidant genes were identified in irradiated PBL among 9 genes tested. Our results suggest the potential of monitoring post-radiotherapy changes in temporal expression profiles of a specific set of genes as a measure of radiation effects on normal tissues. This type of approach should yield more useful information when validated in in vivo irradiated PBL from the cancer patients.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.205-217
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• 2005

Distraction osteogenesis is a technique of lengthening bone including soft tissue by gradual separation of surgically divided bone surfaces. Although the biomechanical, histological, and ultrastructural changes associated with distraction osteogenesis have been widely described, the molecular mechanisms governing the formation of new bone in distracted bone segments remain largely unclear. However, such information has significant clinical implications because it may enable targeted therapeutic manipulations designed to accelerate osseous regeneration. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the expression of TGF-$\beta$1, IGF-I and bFGF in distraction osteogenesis according to different distraction rates in a rabbit's mandible. When twenty-four adult rabbits underwent open osteotomy between the premolar and mental foramen, an external bilateral distraction device was applied. Latency was allowed for five days before distraction. Three different distraction rates were 0.7 mm/day (A, n=8), 1.4 mm/day (B, n=8) and 2.4 mm/day (C, n=8). The distraction device was activated with the same distraction rhythms of twice a day until 4.9 mm (A & B group) and 8.4 mm (C group) length gains was achieved. The animals were sacrificed at postoperative 3, 7, 14 and 28 days. The bony specimens were stained with H&E for histologic examination, and RT-PCR analysis was done for the identification of the expression of TGF-$\beta$1, IGF-I and bFGF. The results obtained from this study were as follows : The 0.7 mm/day and 1.4 mm/day distraction rate groups were shown to improve regenerative bone formation on radiographic and histologic examination. Also, TGF-$\beta$1, IGF-I and bFGF expression increased in the 0.7 mm/day and 1.4 mm/day distraction rate groups. But the 2.4 mm/day distraction rate group specimen was different with adjacent normal bone and hardly expressed of growth factors. These findings suggest that improved new bone formation in the 0.7 mm/day and 1.4 mm/day distraction rates is associated with enhanced expression of TGF-$\beta$1, IGF-I and bFGF by mechanical tension stress. Additionally, the 0.7 mm/day and 1.4 mm/day distraction rate groups were significantly different from the 2.4 mm/day distraction rate group in the expression of growth factors. According to the above results, it seems possible to apply a distraction rate of up to 1.4 mm/day a day in rabbit's mandible. And further studies are needed to evaluate growth factors of TGF-$\beta$1 and IGF-I, which are excellent in expression.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.396-404
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• 2007

Increased oxidative stress contributes to the progression of atherosclerosis. We measured serum antioxidant mineral concentrations, capacities of serum antioxidant enzymes and fasting lipid profile in 97 male patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and 21 male controls. Nutrient intake was assessed by the semi-quantitative food frequency method. CAD patients were divided into single-vessel disease (SVD, n=66) and multi-vessel disease (MVD, n = 31) groups on the coronary angiography. The ratio of serum LDL- to HDL-cholesterol elevated with an increasing number of diseased vessels compared to the control (control < SVD < MVD, p < 0.05). Patients with SVD and MVD had higher levels of serum lipoprotein (a) than the control (p < 0.05). The mean intake of carbohydrate, protein and cholesterol was higher in MVD patients and the intakes of vitamins C and E were lower in MVD and SVD patients than in the control (p < 0.05). Serum copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) levels were higher in MVD and SVD patients than in the control (Cu: control $75.8{\pm}5.07$, SVD $99.2{\pm}2.90$, MVD $100.1{\pm}2.32{\mu}g/dL$, p<0.01; Zn: $76.8{\pm}5.36$, $119.0{\pm}5.95$, $129.1{\pm}2.70{\mu}g/dL$, p < 0.01). And the ratio of Zn to Cu was higher in SVD and MVD patients than in the control (control $0.78{\pm}0.06$, SVD $0.88{\pm}0.05$, MVD $0.99{\pm}0.04$, P < 0.05). The activity of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) was lower in MVD than in SVD and the control (control $35.13{\pm}1.34$, SVD $35.30{\pm}1.01$, MVD $31.00{\pm}1.04 U/mg$ protein, p < 0.05). The ratio of the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) to GSH-Px was higher in MVD than in control and SVD (p < 0.05). In groups with CAD, serum Cu and Zn concentrations and their ratio were changed compared to the control. GSH-Px activity was decreased and the ratio of SOD to GSH-Px was increased in the patients with MVD. The balances between the activities of SOD and GSH-Px should also be considered a risk factor in CAD patients.