Jae Hwan Lim

Protective effect of the extracts from Cnidium officinale against oxidative damage induced by hydrogen peroxide via antioxidant effect

The dried rhizomes of Cnidium officinale are used as herbal drugs in the treatment of pain, inflammation, menstrual disturbance and antivitamin deficiency disease, and also act as a blood pressure depressant. In addition, there are several reports suggesting that they have pharmacological properties to tumor metastasis and angiogenesis, and that they act as an inhibitor of high glucose-induced proliferation of glomerular mesangial cells. However, little has been known about the functional role of the extracts from C. officinale on oxidative DNA damage and apoptosis caused by ROS. In this work, we have investigated the DPPH radical, hydroxyl radical and intracellular ROS scavenging capacity, and Fe(2+) chelating activity of the extracts from C. officinale. In addition, we evaluated whether the extracts are capable of reducing H(2)O(2)-induced DNA and cell damage in the human skin fibroblast cell. These extracts showed a dose-dependent free-radical scavenging capacity and a protective effect on DNA damage and the lipid peroxidation causing the cell damage by ROS. These antioxidant activities and inhibitory effects of the extracts on DNA and cell damage may further explain that C. officinale is useful as a herbal medicine for cancer chemoprevention.

Protective Effects of Crude Mucin and Saponin from Dioscorea Rhizoma on Gastric Ulcer Induced by Alcohol in Rats

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of crude mucin and saponin from Dioscorea Rhizoma on acute gastric ulcers in rats. The gastric ulcer group (GU group) and mucin-applied group (DR-M group) exhibited serious bleeding of the mucous membrane of the stomach due to the ulcers, as well as blood congestion for three days. The saponin-applied group (DR-S group) exhibited less mucous membrane bleeding, and reddened and inflamed membranes recovered dramatically within 24 hours. After developing an acute pgastric ulcer, the tissues of the stomach, intestine, and liver in the control group and the DR-M group exhibited edema in the submucous membrane, as well as seri- ous bleeding. However, the DR-S group recovered quickly from mucous membrane bleeding due to gastric ulcer. The DR-M group did not show any notable changes in serum formation or activity of antioxidant enzymes compared to the GU rats. Increased AST and ALT activities were detected from the first day with saponin application in the gastric ulcer rats. As the AST and ALT activities de- creased, the gastric ulcers recovered with the increased activities of the antioxidant enzymes. Accordingly, this study suggest that mucin in Dioscorea Rhizomahas no effect on the recovery of damaged stomachs due to gastric ulcers, but saponin is mainly responsible for decreasing tissue dam- age by activating antioxidant enzymes.

Effect of Dendranthema indicum Extracts on Cell and DNA Damage Induced by Oxidative Stress

In this study, we evaluated the protective effects of ethanol extracts from Dendranthema indicum on cell and DNA damages induced by oxidative stress. Antioxidant activities of D. indicum extracts are higher than scavenging activities of DPPH free radical and hydroxyl radical by 92.8% and 73.8%, respectively, and higher than ferrous iron chelating effects by 59.4%. D. indicum extracts showed a protective effect on oxidative cell damage by inhibiting lipid peroxidation by 90.3% in the control group, and inhibiting expression level of p21 protein by 79.6% for the control group. This means D. indicum extracts have a great protective effect against oxidative stress. DNA fragmentation inhibition in D. indicum extracts were 89.6% for the control group, which makes the movement of DNA tail reduced, and phosphorylation of H2AX was 20.2% of the radical experiment group. This means that D. indicum extracts effectively inhibit DNA fragmentation and H2AX phosphorylation. Taken together, we suggest that ethanol extract from D. indicum has a role as a useful chemopreventor against oxidative damage.

Protective Effect of Semisulcospira libertina Extract on Induced Hepatitis in Rats

본 연구는 다슬기(Semisulcospira libertine) 열수 추출물이 D-galactosamine에 의해 급성 간독성이 유도된 흰쥐에 미치는 보호 효과를 조사하였다. 다슬기 열수 추출물은 D-galactosamine에 의해 유발된 간 조직 내 국소적 지방 변성과 염증세포 침윤을 크게 완화하여 대조군과 유사하게 보호하는 경향을 보였다. 또한 다슬기 열수 추출물을 처리한 실험군은 간 손상 지표 효소인 AST와 ALT, LDH 및 ALP의 활성이 대조군 수준으로 유지되었으며 간조직 내 지질함량과 과산화지질함량이 감소되는 것으로 나타나 다슬기 열수 추출물이 D-galactosamine으로 인한 혈중 효소 활성과 조직 내 지질함량을 개선하는 것으로 조사되었다. 또한 다슬기 열수 추출물을 처리한 실험군은 염증반응을 촉진시켜 조직 상해 및 괴사를 유도하는 TNF-α의 발현을 억제하고 있어 염증 반응에서 세포 손상을 감소시키는 데 관여하는 것으로 나타났다. 따라서 다슬기 열수 추출물은 D-galactosamine에 의한 조직 괴사를 감소시키고 혈중 효소의 활성과 조직 내 지질함량을 개선하는 효과를 나타내고 있으며 염증 반응 인자의 발현과 항산화효소 활성을 조절하여 간독성에 대해 보호 효과가 높을 것으로 생각된다.This study aimed to investigate the protective effect of Semisulcospira libertina extract on liver injury induced by D-galactosamine in rats. After the administration of S. libertina extract, the local fat degeneration and infiltration of inflammatory cells in liver tissues were significantly decreased and peripheral hemorrhages around portal triads and central necrosis around central veins were found to be protective. The elevated levels of plasma ALT, AST, and LDH, the ALP activation lipid peroxidation, and the lipid contents of a damaged liver were recovered in experimental rats administrated with S. libertina extract, suggesting its role in blood enzyme activation and lipid content restoration within damaged rat liver tissues. Moreover, the expression rate of TNF-α, which accelerates inflammation and induces tissue damage and necrosis, was significantly decreased. In addition, the activities of antioxidant enzymes were more effectively upregulated compared to those of the control group induced hepatotoxicity. All data showed that S. libertina extract has a preventive role against liver damages, such as inflammation and tissue necrosis, as instigated with D-galactosamine by improving the activities of blood enzymes and antioxidant enzymes and modulating the expression of inflammation factor, suggest S. libertina extract is an effective medicinal resource for the restoration of hepatotoxicity.

Antioxidant Enzyme Activities in Tissues of Papilio xuthus during Pupal Stage

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the activities of five different antioxidant enzymes in various tissues of Papilio xuthus during pupal stage. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in haemolymph was the highest just after pupation and then decreased gradually until 7 days after pupation but the activity in other tissue was constant during metamorphosis. This result indicates that primary antioxidant process of reactive oxygen species proceed in haemolymph. Catalase (CAT) activity in studied tissues was also the highest just after pupation and its relative activity was also high during pupal stage, suggesting that CAT is the primary enzyme in catalysis of hydrogen peroxide. Glutathion peroxidase (GPX) activity was constant and its relative activity was very low in all tested tissues. Glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity in haemolymph was high at 3 days and 5 days after pupation, and the activity in fat body was the highest at the 1 day after pupation and then decreased gradually for 7 days after pupation. Glutathion reductase (GR) activity in haemolymph and fat body was high at 1 day after pupation, but relatively low GR activity was detected in the rest tissues. Based on these results, GST activity was higher than that of GPX and GR, and it is also believed that GST was more involved in reduction process through lipid peroxidation than GPX.