• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• 제29권4호
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• pp.229-238
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• 2016

Background: The goal of this in vitro study was to investigate the effect of lipid emulsion on vasodilation caused by toxic doses of bupivacaine and mepivacaine during contraction induced by a protein kinase C (PKC) activator, phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDBu), in an isolated endothelium-denuded rat aorta. Methods: The effects of lipid emulsion on the dose-response curves induced by bupivacaine or mepivacaine in an isolated aorta precontracted with PDBu were assessed. In addition, the effects of bupivacaine on the increased intracellular calcium concentration ($[Ca^{2+}]_i$) and contraction induced by PDBu were investigated using fura-2 loaded aortic strips. Further, the effects of bupivacaine, the PKC inhibitor GF109203X and lipid emulsion, alone or in combination, on PDBu-induced PKC and phosphorylation-dependent inhibitory protein of myosin phosphatase (CPI-17) phosphorylation in rat aortic vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) was examined by western blotting. Results: Lipid emulsion attenuated the vasodilation induced by bupivacaine, whereas it had no effect on that induced by mepivacaine. Lipid emulsion had no effect on PDBu-induced contraction. The magnitude of bupivacaine-induced vasodilation was higher than that of the bupivacaine-induced decrease in $[Ca^{2+}]_i$. PDBu promoted PKC and CPI-17 phosphorylation in aortic VSMCs. Bupivacaine and GF109203X attenuated PDBu-induced PKC and CPI-17 phosphorylation, whereas lipid emulsion attenuated bupivacaine-mediated inhibition of PDBu-induced PKC and CPI-17 phosphorylation. Conclusions: These results suggest that lipid emulsion attenuates the vasodilation induced by a toxic dose of bupivacaine via inhibition of bupivacaine-induced PKC and CPI-17 dephosphorylation. This lipid emulsion-mediated inhibition of vasodilation may be partly associated with the lipid solubility of local anesthetics.

• 대한약침학회지
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• 제19권1호
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• pp.59-69
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• 2016

Objectives: The mushroom Ganoderma lucidum has been widely used as a traditional herbal medicine for many years. Although several studies have focused on the anti-oxidative activity of this mushroom, the molecular mechanisms underlying its activity have not yet been clearly established. The present study investigated the cytoprotective effect of ethanol extract of Ganoderma lucidum (EGL) against oxidative stress (hydrogen peroxide, $H_2O_2$) and elucidated the underlying mechanisms in a C2C12 myoblast cell line. Methods: Oxidative stress markers were determined by using the comet assay to measure reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage. Cell viability and Western blotting analyses were employed to evaluate the cellular response to EGL and $H_2O_2$ in C2C12 cells. Transfection with nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)-specific small interfering ribonucleic acid (siRNA) was conducted to understand the relationship between Nrf2 expression and $H_2O_2$-induced growth inhibition. Results: The results showed that EGL effectively inhibited $H_2O_2$-induced growth and the generation of ROS. EGL markedly suppressed $H_2O_2$-induced comet-like DNA formation and phosphorylation of histone H2AX at serine 139 ($p-{\gamma}H2AX$), a widely used marker of DNA damage, suggesting that EGL prevented $H_2O_2$-induced DNA damage. Furthermore, the EGL treatment effectively induced the expression of Nrf2, as well as heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), with parallel phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of Nrf2 in the C2C12 myoblasts. However, zinc protoporphyrin IX, a HO-1 inhibitor, significantly abolished the protective effects of EGL against $H_2O_2$-induced accumulation of ROS and reduced cell growth. Notably, transient transfection with Nrf2-specific siRNA attenuated the cytoprotective effects and HO-1 induction by EGL, indicating that EGL induced the expression of HO-1 in an Nrf2-dependent manner. Conclusion: Collectively, these results demonstrate that EGL augments the cellular anti-oxidant defense capacity through activation of Nrf2/HO-1, thereby protecting C2C12 myoblasts from $H_2O_2$-induced oxidative cytotoxicity.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• 제14권4호
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• pp.322-333
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• 2020

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Arterial stiffness and endothelial dysfunction are 2 of the independent predictors for cardiovascular disease, while Acanthopanax senticosus Harms (ASH) is a traditional medicinal plant that can improve cardiovascular health. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of the fruit of ASH on vascular function in apparently healthy subjects. SUBJECTS/METHODS: A 12-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design, consisting of healthy adults with at least 2 of the following 3 conditions: borderline high blood pressure (BP; 120 mmHg ≤ systolic BP ≤ 160 mmHg or 80 mmHg ≤ diastolic BP ≤ 100 mmHg), smoking (≥10 cigarettes/day), and borderline blood lipid levels (220 ≤ total cholesterol ≤ 240, 130 ≤ low density lipoprotein cholesterol ≤ 165, or 150 ≤ triglyceride ≤ 220 mg/dL). Randomly assigned 76 subjects who received a placebo or 2 doses of ASH fruit (low, 500 mg/day; high, 1,000 mg/day) completed the intervention. Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), flow-mediated dilation, carotid intima-media thickness, and BP were measured both at baseline and following the 12-week intervention. Endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) phosphorylation was assessed by western blotting. RESULTS: Compared with the placebo group, the low-dose group showed more significant changes after the 12-week intervention period in terms of systolic BP (0.1 vs. -7.7 mmHg; P = 0.044), baPWV (31.3 vs. -98.7 cm/s; P = 0.007), and the ratio of phospho-eNOS/eNOS (0.8 vs. 1.22; P = 0.037). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that ASH fruit extract at 500 mg/day has the potential to improve BP and arterial stiffness via endothelial eNOS activation in healthy adults with smoking and the tendency of having elevated BP or blood lipid parameters.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제23권2호
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• pp.81-87
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• 1999

신성고혈압백서모델인 one-kidney, one-clip Goldblatt 고혈압백서에서 혈압과 NO생성에 미치는 고려홍삼 사포닌과 비사포닌의 영향을 규명하고자, 무마취 무제한상태에서 혈압을 측정하고, 혈중 NO와 NO합성효노에 대한 활성 및 단백량을 실시한 결과이다. 고려홍삼 사포닌은 정상혈압백서 및 신성고혈압백서에서 모두 혈압을 강하시키는 효과가 현저하였는데 혈압강하는 초기 2-4분 동안 최대를 보였으며 혈압강하와 동시에 심박수의 증가 현상이 관찰되었다. 그러나 고려홍삼 비사포닌은 혈압강하효과와 심박수의 증가현상은 사포닌에 비하여 미미 하였다. 고려홍삼 사포닌에 의한 혈압강하 현상과 NO와의 상관관계를 규명하기 위하여 혈중 NO를 측정한 결과 홍삼사포닌은 혈중 NO를 상승시켰다. NO합성효소의 활성도를 측정하기 위하여 $[^{3}H]-L-arginine$의 $[^{3}H]-L-cioulline$으로의 변환률을 측정한 결과 고려홍삼 사포닌에 의하여 NO합성효소의 활성도는 증가하였다. 이상의 결과를 종합해 볼 때 고려홍삼은 혈압을 강하시키는 효과가 있으며, 이러한 혈압강하는 주로 사포닌 성분에 의한 것으로 생각된다. 이러한 고려홍삼 혈압강하 현상은 혈중의 NO량을 증가시키는 것에 기인하며 NO의 증가는 NO합성효소의 활성도의 증가에 기인하는것으로 사료된다.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제44권6호
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• pp.799-807
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• 2020

Background: The skin acts as a barrier to protect organisms against harmful exogenous agents. Compound K (CK) is an active metabolite of ginsenoside Rb1, Rb2 and Rc, and researchers have focused on its skin protective efficacy. In this study, we hypothesized that increased expression of the serine protease inhibitor Kazal type-5 (SPINK5) may improve skin barrier function. Methods: We screened several ginsenosides to increase SPINK5 gene promoter activity using a transactivation assay and found that CK can increase SPINK5 expression. To investigate the protective effect of CK on the skin barrier, RT-PCR and Western blotting were performed to investigate the expression levels of SPINK5, kallikrein 5 (KLK5), KLK7 and PAR2 in UVB-irradiated HaCaT cells. Measurement of transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and histological changes associated with the skin barrier were performed in a UVB-irradiated mouse model and a 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (DNCB)-induced atopic dermatitis-like model. Results: CK treatment increased the expression of SPINK5 and decreased the expression of its downstream genes, such as KLKs and PAR2. In the UVB-irradiated mouse model and the DNCB-induced atopic dermatitis model, CK restored increased TEWL and decreased hydration and epidermal hyperplasia. In addition, CK normalized the reduced SPINK5 expression caused by UVB or DNCB, thereby restoring the expression of the proteins involved in desquamation to a level similar to normal. Conclusions: Our data showed that CK contributes to improving skin-barrier function in UVB-irradiated and DNCB-induced atopic dermatitis-like models through SPINK5. These results suggest that therapeutic attempts with CK might be useful in treating barrier-disrupted diseases.

• 한국임상수의학회지
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• 제28권1호
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• pp.52-56
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• 2011

Acute renal injury induced by ischemia is a major cause of high morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients and a common complication in hospitalized patients. Thus, the work with acute renal failure and renal ischemia has been studied for many years. Although serum creatinine concentration that is widely used as an index of renal function performs fairly well for estimating kidney function in patients with stable chronic kidney disease, it performs poorly in the setting of acute disease. Thus, an ideal biomarker for acute kidney injury would help clinicians and scientists diagnose the most common form of acute kidney injury in hospitalized patients, acute tubular necrosis, early and accurately, and may aid to risk-stratify patients with acute kidney injury by predicting the need for renal replacement therapy, the duration of acute kidney injury, the length of stay and mortality. In this study, renal ischemia and reperfusion were performed by clapming and un-clamping right renal artery in miniature pigs. Plasma blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine were examined at pre- clamping, after-clamping at 0, 1 and 3 hours. And we searched initial indicators in these samples. Also, renal tissue was collected and searched the initial indicator by PCR and western blotting. As a result, hypoxia inducible factor $1{\alpha}$ ($HIF1{\alpha}$), nuclear factor kappa-B ($NF{\kappa}B$), $I{\kappa}B$, erythropoietin (EPO), erythropoietin receptor (EPOR), angiopoietin-1 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were showed significant changes among the renal protein. $HIF1{\alpha}$, EPO, and EPOR were showed significant changes among the renal gene. Thus, these markers will be used as initial diagnosis of acute renal failure.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• 제21권5호
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• pp.179-190
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• 2004

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of Bee Venom and Melittin acupuncture solution on the lipopolysaccharide and sodium nitroprusside- induced expression of cytosolic phospholipase $A_2$, tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ and calcium concentration in RAW 264.7 cells, a murine macrophage cell line. Methods : The expression of cytosolic phospholipase $A_2$ and tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ was determined by western blotting with corresponding antibodies, and the generation of intracellular calcium concentration was investigated by delta scan system in RAW 264.7 cells. Results : 1. Compared with control, expressions of lipopolysaccharide-induced cytosolic phospholipase $A_2$ were decreased significantly by $5{\mu}g/mL$ of bee venom and 5, $10{\mu}g/mL$ of melittin acupuncture solution and decreased by 0.5, $1{\mu}g/mL$ of bee venom. 2. Compared with control, expressions of sodium nitroprusside-induced phospholipase $A_2$ were decreased significantly by 0.5, 1, $5{\mu}g/mL$ of bee venom and by 5, $10{\mu}g/mL$ of melittin acupuncture solution. 3. Compared with control, expressions of lipopolysaccharide-induced tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ were decreased significantly by $10{\mu}g/mL$ of melittin acupuncture solution and were not changed significantly by 0.5, 1, $5{\mu}g/mL$ of bee venom and $5{\mu}g/mL$ of melittin acupuncture solution. 4. Compared with control, expressions of sodium nitroprusside-induced tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ were decreased significantly by 1, $5{\mu}g/mL$ of bee venom and 5, $10{\mu}g/mL$ of melittin acupuncture solution and decreased by $0.5{\mu}g/mL$ of bee venom 5. Compared with control, lipopolysaccharide-induced intracellular calcium concentrations were decreased by 0.5, 1, $5{\mu}g/mL$ of bee venom and $10{\mu}g/mL$ of melittin acupuncture solution and increased by $5{\mu}g/mL$ of melittin acupuncture solution. 6. Compared with control, sodium nitroprusside-induced intracellular calcium concentrations were decreased by 0.5, 1, $5{\mu}g/mL$ of bee venom and 5, $10{\mu}g/mL$ of melittin acupuncture solution.

• 대한본초학회지
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• 제30권4호
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• pp.81-88
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• 2015

Objectives : The aim of present study was to evaluate the beneficial effect of Scutellariae Radix (SR) and Scutellariae Radix EtOH-heated at 200℃ (SR200) using lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treated intestine of mice.Methods : Extract of SR and SR200 were orally administrated. Their effects were compared with vehicletreated LPS and normal groups. Subsequently, we measured reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide in the serum and western blotting in the intestine.Results : The average weight in LPS treated (Vehicle) group was lowered significantly compare to that in non-treated normal group and this weight loss in the vehicle group was effectively prevented by the administration of SR and SR200 respectively. The increased oxidative stress biomarker levels such as reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO) in the serum was markedly decreased by treated with SR200. The decreased levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) induced by LPS injection were significantly restored by both SR and SR200 treatment. Moreover, increased inflammatory mediators and cytokines such as inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the LPS treated vehicle mice were significantly decreased through down-regulation c-JUN through reduction of oxidative stress.Conclusions : SR and SR200 could have benefit effect through down-regulation of abnormal oxidative stress in LPS induced intestine injury mice. Moreover, The anti-inflammatory activity of SR200 extract was better than SR extract in the LPS induced intestine injury mice.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제16권18호
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• pp.8503-8512
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• 2016

The purpose of this study was to provide a detailed explanation of the mechanism of bisanthracycline, WP 631 in comparison to doxorubicin (DOX), a first generation anthracycline, currently the most widely used pharmaceutical in clinical oncology. Experiments were performed in SKOV-3 ovarian cancer cells which are otherwise resistant to standard drugs such as cis-platinum and adriamycin. As attention was focused on the ability of WP 631 to induce apoptosis, this was examined using a double staining method with Annexin V and propidium iodide probes, with measurement of the level of intracellular calcium ions and cytosolic cytochrome c. The western blotting technique was performed to confirm PARP cleavage. We also investigated the involvement of caspase activation and DNA degradation (comet assay and immunocytochemical detection of phosphorylated H2AX histones) in the development of apoptotic events. WP 631 demonstrated significantly higher effectiveness as a pro-apoptotic drug than DOX. This was evident in the higher levels of markers of apoptosis, such as the externalization of phosphatidylserine and the elevated level of cytochrome c. An extension of incubation time led to an increase in intracellular calcium levels after treatment with DOX. Lower changes in the calcium content were associated with the influence of WP 631. DOX led to the activation of all tested caspases, 8, 9 and 3, whereas WP 631 only induced an increase in caspase 8 activity after 24h of treatment and consequently led to the cleavage of PARP. The lack of active caspase 3 had no outcome on the single and double-stranded DNA breaks. The obtained results show that WP 631 was considerably more genotoxic towards the investigated cell line than DOX. This effect was especially visible after longer times of incubation. The above detailed studies indicate that WP 631 generates early apoptosis and cell death independent of caspase-3, detected at relatively late time points. The observed differences in the mechanisms of the action of WP631 and DOX suggest that this bisanthracycline can be an effective alternative in ovarian cancer treatment.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제16권2호
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• pp.741-746
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• 2015

Purpose: To investigate the influence of exogenous p53 upregulated modulator of apoptosis (PUMA) expression on cell proliferation and apoptosis in human non-small cell lung cancer A549 cells and transplanted tumor cell growth in nude mice. Materials and Methods: A549 cells were divided into the following groups: control, non-carrier (NC), PUMA (transfected with pCEP4-(HA) 2-PUMA plasmid), DDP ($10{\mu}g/mL$ cisplatin treatment) and PUMA+DDP (transfected with pCEP4-(HA)2-PUMA plasmid and $10{\mu}g/mL$ cisplatin treatment). The MTT method was used to detect the cell survival rate. Cell apoptosis rates were measured by flow cytometry, and PUMA, Bax and Bcl-2 protein expression levels were measured by Western blotting. Results: Compared to the control group, the PUMA, DDP and PUMA+DDP groups all had significantly decreased A549 cell proliferation (p<0.01), with the largest reduction in the PUMA+DDP group. Conversely, the apoptosis rates of the three groups were significantly increased (P<0.01), and the PUMA and DDP treatments were synergistic. Moreover, Bax protein levels significantly increased (p<0.01), while Bcl-2 protein levels significantly decreased (p<0.01). Finally, both the volume and the weights of transplanted tumors were significantly reduced (p<0.01), and the inhibition ratio of the PUMA+DDP group was significantly higher than in the single DDP or PUMA groups. Conclusions: Exogenous PUMA effectively inhibited lung cancer A549 cell proliferation and transplanted tumor growth by increasing Bax protein levels and reducing Bcl-2 protein levels.