• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.561-567
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• 2012

Ellagic acid (EA) is a phenolic compound in fruits and nuts including raspberries, strawberries, grapes and walnuts. Previous studies have indicated that EA possesses antioxidant activity, growth-inhibition and apoptosis-promoting activity in cancer cells. However, macrophage mediated cytotoxicity and immunomodulating effects on cancer cells have not been clarified. In the present study, we show that EA increased effects on macrophage mediated tumoricidal activity and NO production without direct tumor cell cytotoxicity. To further determine whether TLR4 (toll like receptor 4) is involved in anti-tumor activity, cells were treated TLR4 signaling inhibitor, CLI-095 in the presence of EA. CLI-095 treatment partially reduced macrophage-mediated tumoridial activity. EA also has inhibitory effects of NO production induced by LPS, whereas phagocytic activity was not changed. These results suggest that EA induces macrophage mediated tumoricidal activity which is partially related to TLR4 signaling and has a potential adjuvant in cancer therapy.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.99-103
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• 2009

The in-vitro immunomodulatory function of murine natural-killer (NK) cells induced by red-ginseng acidic polysaccharide (RGAP) in ovariectomized (OVX) rats was examined in this study. The IL-2-induced NK cell activity was significantly decreased in the OVX rats compared to the sham groups, but the normally induced NK cell activity was not. RGAP, however, increased the NK cell activity in both groups, and this effect involved iNOS expression. The inhibition of iNOS activity did not increase the NK cell cytotoxicity by RGAP in the OVX rats. The data that were obtained also demonstrated that the expression of iNOS was increased in the spleen of the OVX rats. These results indicate that RGAP increases the tumoricidal activity of the NK cell in the OVX rats, which is a primed or activated state of innate immune cells resulting from the changes in cytokine production induced by estrogen-deficient stress. Therefore, RGAP has a synergistic effect on the NK cell activities, which are regulated by the iNOS signals in OVX rats. This suggests that RGAP is useful for potential therapeutic strategies as a nutrient in regulating the NK cells in OVX rats.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.1-4
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• 2003

Plants are known as important source in the search for new drugs. The twelve compounds from Viscum album (Loranthaceae), lupeol (1), betulonic acid (2), betulinic acid (3), terminic acid (4), ursolic acid (5), $\beta$-sitosterol (6), $\alpha$-spinasterol (7), oleanolic acid (8), 5-hydroxy-1-(4′-hydoxyphenyl)-7-(4"-hydroxyphenyl)-hepta-1-en-3-on (9), 2′-hydroxy-4′,6′-dimethoxychalcone-4-O-glucoside (10), 2′-hydroxy-4′,6′-dimethoxychalcone-4-O-[apiosyl(l$\longrightarrow$2)]glucoside (11) and syringin (12) were evaluated for their immunomodulatory properties. Compounds 6 and 11 induced the macrophage tumoricidal activity and the lymphocyte blastogenesis. In addition, these compounds stimulated the macrophages to induce the production of TNF-$\alpha$ and NO. These findings suggest that compounds 6 and 11 are modulating various elements of the host immune response.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.498-502
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• 2010

The immune system may play an important role in aging and the changes in the immune status are associated with treatment of various immunomodulators. This study examined the effects of $\beta$-glucans isolated from mushroom fungi, Coriolus versicolor on macrophages functions in young (8-weeks-old) and aged (82-weeks-old) male C57BL/6 mice. When peritoneal macrophages were treated with various concentrations of $\beta$-glucan ($1-100\;{\mu}g/ml$) for 24 hrs, tumoricidal activity, NO production and phagocytic activity were significantly increased in the young mice, whereas there are no effects in the aged mice. These results suggest that $\beta$-glucans has differential effects on the macrophage functions in young and aged mice and age nutrition might need to be considered to select proper immunomodulator. In addition, $\beta$-glucan could be used clinically for the treatment of diseases such as cancer therapy in the young.

• Proceedings of the Ginseng society Conference
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• 2006.05a
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• pp.83-88
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• 2006

In this study we examined the potential for the synergistic augmentation of the activity of inflammatory mouse peritoneal macrophages by stimulation with RGAP combined with IFN-$\gamma$. The moderate augmentative effect induced by preincubation with RGAP was observed in the production of IL-1, IL-6 and NO but not TNF-$\alpha$. In addition, IFN-$\gamma$ had a low activating effect. Following preincubation with both RGAP A and IFN-$\gamma$, a marked enhancement of secretory activity and tumoricidal activity was noted in mouse peritoneal macrophages. Treatment of peritoneal macrophage with combination increased the generation of IL-1, IL-6, TNF-$\alpha$ and NO, whereas the production of reactive oxygen species were not altered. These results demonstrate the synergistic effects on macrophage function of RGAP in combination with IFN-$\gamma$ and suggest that the ability of IFN-$\gamma$ to prime macrophages to produce secretory molecules in response to RGAP may have implications for immunotherapy with this combination.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.105-109
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• 2006

Pinus densiflora belongs to the Pinaceae family which has been widely used for health promoting purposes as folk medicine or as a food. Various curative effects of different parts of the pine have been reported including as a remedy for carcinoma. We examined the effects of pine needle water extracts (PNE) on macrophage function using peritoneal macrophage, pre-osteoclast bone macrophage (Raw 264.7 cell) and brain macrophage (C6 microglia). When peritoneal macrophages were treated with various concentrations of PNE ($1{\sim}100{\mu}g/mL$) for 24 hours, phagocytic activity was significantly increased, whereas it had no effect on tumoricidal activity and NO production. However, the treatment of Raw 264.7 with PNE resulted in the enhancement of NO production at high concentration ($100{\mu}g/mL$). Furthermore, the treatment of C6 with PNE increased the production of NO in a concentration-dependent manner, whereas PNE suppressed NO production in $LPS/IFN-{\gamma}-stimulated$ microglia. These results suggest that PNE has differential immunomodulatory effects on macrophages.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.267-273
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• 1999

In this study we examined the potential for the synergistic augmentation of the antitumor activity of inflammatory mouse peritoneal macrophages by stimulation with protein A combined with $IFN-\gamma$. The moderate augmentative effect induced by preincubation with protein A was demonstrated to be concentration-dependent, whereas IFN-, had a very low activating effect. Following preincubation with both protein A and $IFN-\gamma$, a marked enhancement of macrophage activity was noted. In addition, based on the utilization of neutralizing antibody to TNF-$\alpha$ or the inhibition of NO Production, TNF-$\alpha$ and NO were proven to be involved as mediators during the activation of tumoricidal macrophages by protein A in combination with $IFN-\gamma$. We also demonstrated that supernatants from macrophages treated with protein A plus $IFN-\gamma$ contained both TNF-$\alpha$ and NO at markedly increased levels. Thus, tumor cell lysis in the combined system was mediated via TNF-$\alpha$ or NO. These results demonstrate the synergistic effects on mouse pertioneal macrophage function of protein A in combination with $IFN-\gamma$ and suggest that combinations of such agents may serve as the basis for future in vivo immunotherapy.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.399-405
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• 2010

Rosa rugosa has been used as a folk medicine with various pharmacological properties for a long time in Asia. Recently, it has been reported that the extract of fractions from different parts of Rosa rugosa have various pharmacological effects on diverse diseases including diabetes, inflammatory diseases and tumor. We investigated effects of fructus extracts of Rosa rugosa(RRF) and semen extracts of this herb(RRS) on macrophage to evaluate the possibilities as a biological response modifier. We showed increased effects on tumoricidal activity, phagocytic activity, TNF-$\alpha$ and NO production in RRF-treated groups without direct tumor cell cytotoxicity. RRS-treated groups increased direct tumor cell cytotoxicity at high dose without tumoricial activity except increasing of TNF-$\alpha$ release. These results provide further possibilities for the beneficial immunomodulating effects of RRF on immune system with relatively larger safety margin rather than RRS.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.78-84
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• 1997

As a part of our ongoing effort to develop new antineoplastic immunostimulator from natural sources, bioassay-directed fractionationn of polysaccharides from Korean red ginseng was carried out by observing the proliferation of marine spleen cells and the generation of lymphoklne activated killer (LAK) cells. The acidic polysaccharide fractions proliferated spleen cells and generated LAK cells in proportion to their acidity in vitro. The LAK cell which was induced by ginseng showed tumoricidal activity against both NK celt sensitive and insensitive tumor target cells without major histocompatibility (MHC) restriction. Adherent macrophages and CD4+helper T cells were involved in the generation of the LAK cells. The acidic polysaccharide from Korean red ginseng synerglzed with recombinant IL-2 (rIff-2) at lower than 3 U/ml. The optimal doses of the acidic polysaccharide from Korean red ginseng for the proliferation of spleen cells and for the generation of LAK cells were 1 mg/ml and 100 $\mu\textrm{g}$/ml, respectively; this means that the mechanisms for the both activities may be different from each other.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.11
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• pp.4991-4998
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• 2016

Objective: This research was conducted to explore mechanisms behind the potency of quercetin in inhibiting colon cancer induced in an experimental model. Materials and Methods: Forty adult male rats of Wistar strain were distributed into 4 groups; a negative control group, a colon cancer bearing group, a quercetin-treated group and a 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-treated group. Serum TAG72 and GAL3 levels were quantified by ELISA. Colonic Wnt5a and Axin-1 gene expression was estimated by PCR. In addition, colonic tissues were subjected to immunohistochemical examination of Bax expression and histological investigation of histopathological alterations. Results: Quercetin elicited significant reduction in serum TAG72 and GAL3 levels, in addition to significant suppression of colonic Wnt5a gene expression and amplification of colonic Axin-1 gene expression. Also, it caused moderate positive reaction for Bax in mucosal epithelium. Conclusion: The present research provides experimental evidence about the activity of quercetin in the colon cancer of rats. Inhibitory effects on cancer development might be ascribable to regulatory action on Wnt signaling and induction of apoptosis.