• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
• /
• v.26 no.4
• /
• pp.511-518
• /
• 2012

The mechanisms of Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling have been the focus of extensive studies because TLRs are the target of therapeutic intervention on multiple diseases. In this study, we investigated the inhibitory potential of Vigna angularis (azuki bean) on the TLR signaling. The effect of Vigna angularis extract (JSD) on TLR activation was investigated by assessing NF-${\kappa}B$ and AP-1 inducible secreted embryonic alkaline phosphatase (SEAP) activity. JSD significantly inhibited SEAP activity induced by poly I:C (TLR3 ligand) and poly I (TLR7 ligand) in a dose-dependent manner at concentration below 100 ${\mu}g/ml$ with no sign of cytotoxicity. Pretreatment of JSD markedly suppressed mRNA expressions of pro-inflammatory cytokines and adhesive molecules such as TNF-${\alpha}$, IL-6, RANTES, MCP-1 and ICAM-1 induced by TLR ligands. It also diminished the phosphorylation of $I{\kappa}B$ kinase and $I{\kappa}B$, and followed by $I{\kappa}B$-mediated nuclear translocation of p50, p65, and phosphorylation of p38, JNK, and IRF signaling pathway. In conclusion, our results suggest that Vigna angularis has inhibitory activity on TLR-3 and -7 signaling and it can be further developed as a remedy in curing TLR-related multiple diseases.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
• /
• v.21 no.4
• /
• pp.822-834
• /
• 2007

This study searched the philosophical and medical thought of mutual understanding and human body. Mutual understanding is a fundamental problem in all branches of oriental studies. In other words, mutual understanding becomes the existential foundation of heaven-earth-human(三才). So human beings, heaven and the earth can't exist if there is no mutual understanding. It comes out the problem of self-consciousness in philosophy, and qi movement pattern like upward, downward, inward and outward movement in traditional korean medicine. Human beings have mutual understandings with heaven and the earth from a macroscopic standpoint, on the other side the human body from a microscopic standpoint. Qi movement is the mutual understanding and response of qi in human body, so with which the physiological functions and pathologic changes of viscera and bowels comes out. Therefore we want to present how to complete qi movement between viscera-bowels and organs to examine mutual understandings in human body closely. The results was summarized as follows; First, upbearing the clear yang and down bearing the turbid yin of spleen-stomach is main pivot of upward and downward of qi movement, and it is true form of mutual understandings between viscera and bowels, so upward, downward, inward and outward movement of whole viscera and bowels can be controlled by spleen-stomach. Second, by restraining relationships between downward heart fire and upward kidney water, heart fire and kidney water have close communications physiologically and pathologically as upper-lower, yin-yang and water-fire. Third, by restraining relationships between upbearing and effusion of liver and purification and down-sending of lung, liver and lung are outer circles of upward and downward movement, so they have antagonistic functions. Firth, by the relationships between upbearing the clear and down bearing the turbid of spleen-stomach and free coursing of liver, free coursing of liver-gallbladder is the essential requirement that it certify transportation and transformation of spleen-earth, so the disease of liver-gallbladder induce spleen-stomach disease pattern to affect its function of transportation and transformation. Fifth, by spleen and kidney, spleen yang is based on kidney yang, so the weakness of kidney yang can affect the function of transportation and transformation of spleen-stomach as it can't warm spleen earth. Sixth, by homogeny of liver-kidney, essence and blood of liver-kidney and ministerial fire of liver-kidney have mutal generation and limitation physiologically and they mutually are affected in pathologically.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
• /
• v.17 no.4
• /
• pp.969-979
• /
• 2003

Gamisoamsan is a prescription originated in Soamsan which is known as an anti-cancer remedy in the traditional Korean Medicine. To enhance the synergic effects of anti-cancer activity of Soamsan, this study reconstituted the original components of Soamsan with a slight modification and produced a novel herbal remedy, namely Gamisoamsan. To investigate the effects of Gamisoamsan on anti-cancer reaction, I studied the effects of Gamisoamsan on angiogenesis via chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay, corneal neovascularization assay and the effects on expression of growth factor which are VEGF, TGF-β, bFGF and IMUP-1. Anti-cancer effects of Gamisoamsan was also abserved through hematological parameters, tumor volume and survival rate in mice. Gamisoamsan inhibited embryonic angiogenesis of blood vessels in CAM assay and inhibited neovascularization of ral cornea. Gamisoamsan reduced cell proliferation in HT1080 cells and IC50 was 2.18 ㎎/㎖ Gamisoamsan reduced the expression of VEGF, TGF-β, bFGF and IMUP-1 which was known as vascular growth factor and this effects of Gamisoamsan was predominant than VP-16. The treatment of Gamisoamsan decreased the CT-26 cell inoculated-tumor volume in mice colon adenocarcinoma and increased mice survival which was inoculated CT-26 cells. The results of the present study suggest that Gamisoamsan extracts has a potential anti-tumor activity and may be an useful remedy to prevent and/or treat cancer.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
• /
• v.29 no.1
• /
• pp.46-50
• /
• 2015

Both Portulaca oleracea (PO) and Glechoma hederacea (GH) have been used as traditional medicine due to the multiple pharmacological activities. However, the effects of PO and GH in the pathology of periodontitis is still elusive. In this study, we examined anti-microbial activity of PO ethanol extract (POEE) and GH ethanol extract (GHEE) in vitro, and physiological effects of POEE and GHEE on the cell inflammatory responses and the severity of periodontitis were determined using the rat periodontitis model. Our results indicate that POEE and GHEE had no effects on the proliferation of streptococcus mutans and on LPS-mediated inflammatory responses in gingival fibroblast cells. Notably, ingestion of POEE and GHEE resulted in attenuating the severity of periodontitis and population change of immune cells. These data suggests that PO and GH should be considered as candidates for relieving the severity of periondontitis.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
• /
• v.36 no.4
• /
• pp.130-137
• /
• 2022

Due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, appropriate management of sequelae and treatment of infectious symptoms became increasingly important healthcare issues. Although the practice guidelines and treatment cases based on the East Asian traditional medicine have been reported, there are rare studies on the use of Korean medicine in Korea. Therefore, this study aimed to present the progress of non-contact Korean medical treatment for infected patients at a local public health center using retrospective chart review. A total of 18 patients were prescribed with 5 days of herbal decoction and medicine extract covered by the national health insurance. With the questionnaire form, the progression and improvement of symptoms before and after treatment were evaluated using the numerical rating scale (NRS), and the treatment satisfaction and opinions were obtained. The symptoms such as cough (5.56±2.23 to 2.89±2.14), sputum (6.11±1,75 to 3.28±2.47), sore throat (6.06±2.70 to 1.47±1.62), anorexia (5.56±2.63 to 1.94±2.21), nausea (3.75±1.71 to 1.17±1.11), diarrhea (3.40±2.63 to 1.50±1.51), chest tightness (4.93±2.46 to 2.29±2.30) and fatigue (6.44±1.79 to 2.67±1.88) all improved according to the NRS, and the satisfaction with herbal medicine treatment on a 5-point Likert scale was 4.24±0.90. No side effects and adverse reactions were reported. Thereupon non-contact Korean medical treatment can be concluded that it effectively reduces the COVID-19 infection mild symptoms in restrictive extent. Since the retrospective data does not include a control group, the more confirmative data is needed by multicenter and large-scale controlled clinical study afterwards.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
• /
• v.46 no.5
• /
• pp.666-674
• /
• 2022

Background: Ginsenosides and their metabolites have antidepressant-like effects, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We previously identified 14-3-3 ζ as one of the target proteins of 20 (S)-protopanaxadiol (PPD), a fully deglycosylated ginsenoside metabolite. Methods: Corticosterone (CORT) was administered repeatedly to induce the depression model, and PPD was given concurrently. The tail suspension test (TST) and the forced swimming test (FST) were used for behavioral evaluation. All mice were sacrificed. Golgi-cox staining, GSK 3β activity assay, and Western blot analysis were performed. In vitro, the kinetic binding analysis with the Biolayer Interferometry (BLI) was used to determine the molecular interactions. Results: TST and FST both revealed that PPD reversed CORT-induced behavioral deficits. PPD also ameliorated the CORT-induced expression alterations of hippocampal Ser9 phosphorylated glycogen synthase kinase 3β (p-Ser9 GSK 3β), Ser133 phosphorylated cAMP response element-binding protein (p-Ser133 CREB), and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Moreover, PPD attenuated the CORT-induced increase in GSK 3β activity and decrease in dendritic spine density in the hippocampus. In vitro, 14-3-3 ζ protein specifically bound to p-Ser9 GSK 3β polypeptide. PPD promoted the binding and subsequently decreased GSK 3β activity. Conclusion: These findings demonstrated the antidepressant-like effects of PPD on the CORT-induced mouse depression model and indicated a possible target-based mechanism. The combination of PPD with the 14-3-3 ζ protein may promote the binding of 14-3-3 ζ to p-GSK 3β (Ser9) and enhance the inhibition of Ser9 phosphorylation on GSK 3β kinase activity, thereby activating the plasticity-related CREBeBDNF signaling pathway.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
• /
• v.38 no.1
• /
• pp.1-9
• /
• 2024

Cognitive reserve (CR) is a concept that can explain the discrepancies between the pathologic burden of the disease and clinical manifestations. It refers to the individual susceptibility to age-related brain changes and pathologies related to Alzheimer's disease, thus recognized as a factor affecting the trajectories of the disease. The purpose of this study was to explore the current states of clinical studies on neural substrates of CR in Alzheimer's disease using functional magnetic resonance imaging. We searched for clinical studies on CR using fMRI in the Pubmed, Cochrane library, RISS, KISS and ScienceON on August 14, 2023. Once the online search was finished, studies were selected manually by the inclusion criteria. Finally, we analyzed the characteristics of selected articles and reviewed the neural substrates of CR. Total thirty-four studies were included in this study. As surrogate markers of CR, not only education and occupational complexity, but also composite score and questionnaire-based method, which cover various areas of life, were mainly used. The most utilized methods in resting-state fMRI were independent component analysis, seed-based analysis, and graph theory analysis. Through the analysis, we demonstrated that neuroimaging techniques could capture the neural substrates associated with cognitive reserve. Moreover, functional connectivity of brain regions centered on prefrontal and parietal cortex and network areas such as default mode network showed a significant correlation with CR, which indicated a significant association with cognitive performance. CR may induce differential effects according to the disease status. We hope that this perspective on cognitive reserve would be helpful when conducting clinical researches on the mechanisms of traditional Korean medicine for Alzheimer's disease in the future.

• Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.41 no.3
• /
• pp.252-258
• /
• 2003

The carbon utilizations of Bacillus species and Pythium species were investigated by using a Biolog$^{(R)}$ microplate assay to determine if there are differences in the carbon utilizations of selected strains of these species. It may be possible to afford a competitive advantage to bacterial biological control agents by providing them with a substrate that they can readily use as a carbon source, for example, in a seed coating formulation. Microplates, identified as SFP, SFN and YT were used to identify spore-forming bacteria, nonspore-forming bacteria, and yeast, respectively. Bacterial and mycelial suspensions were adjusted to turbidities of 0.10 to 0.11 at 600 nm. One hundred microliters of each of the bacterial and mycelial suspension were inoculated into each well of each of the three types of microplates. L-arabinose, D-galactose, D-melezitose and D-melibiose of the 147 carbohydrates tested were found to be utilized only by bacteria, and not by Pythium species, by Biolog$^{(R)}$ microplate assay, and this was confirmed by traditional shake flask culture. Thus, it indicated that the Biolog$^{(R)}$ microplate assay could be readily used to search for specific carbon sources that could be utilized to increase the abilities of bacterial biological control agents to adapt to contrived environments.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
• /
• v.1 no.2
• /
• pp.21-28
• /
• 2000

We compared the effect between CAS and WAS(root, stem) on mast cell-mediated allergic reaction. CAS, WAS-root and WAS-stem, significantly inhibited compound 48/80-induced systemic allergic reaction(1g/kg) and histamine release from RPMC(1mg/ml). CAS, WAS-root and WAS-stem also inhibited passive cutaneous anaphylactic reaction. In addition, IgE-induced $TNF-{\alpha}$ secretion from RBL-2H3 was inhibited by pretreatment of CAS, WAS-root or WAS-stem$(0.01{\mu}g/ml)$. Taken together, inhibitory effect on mast cell-mediated allergic reactions of WAS-root is greater than those of WAS-stem but less than those of CAS.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
• /
• v.1 no.2
• /
• pp.6-13
• /
• 2000

Melanin is specifically produced in melanocytes. The pathway for melanin biosynthesis is mainly controlled by tyrosinase. To estimate the inhibitory effect of melanin biosynthesis from 31 medicinal plants extracts, we tested the inhibitory effects of the tyrosinase promoter on B16 mouse melanoma cells. The result of this study demonstrated that Mori Radicis Cortex and Castena Fractus extracts only in tested medicinal plant extracts have high inhibitory effects on tyrosinase promoters with very low cytotoxicity on B16 mouse melanoma cells. Therefore, extracts of Mori Radicis Cortex and Castena Fractus were evaluated as very effective negative regulators of tyrosinase gene expression.