Jung-Hee Jang

[6]-Gingerol attenuates β-amyloid-induced oxidative cell death via fortifying cellular antioxidant defense system.

β-Amyloid (Aβ) is involved in the formation of senile plaques, the typical neuropathological marker for Alzheimers disease (AD) and has been reported to cause apoptosis in neurons via oxidative and/or nitrosative stress. In this study, we have investigated the neuroprotective effect and molecular mechanism of [6]-gingerol, a pungent ingredient of ginger against Αβ(25-35)-induced oxidative and/or nitrosative cell death in SH-SY5Y cells. [6]-Gingerol pretreatment protected against Aβ(25-35)-induced cytotoxicity and apoptotic cell death such as DNA fragmentation, disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential, elevated Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, and activation of caspase-3. To elucidate the neuroprotective mechanism of [6]-gingerol, we have examined Aβ(25-35)-induced oxidative and/or nitrosative stress and cellular antioxidant defense system against them. [6]-Gingerol effectively suppressed Aβ(25-35)-induced intracellular accumulation of reactive oxygen and/or nitrogen species and restored Aβ(25-35)-depleted endogenous antioxidant glutathione levels. Furthermore, [6]-gingerol treatment up-regulated the mRNA and protein expression of antioxidant enzymes such as γ-glutamylcysteine ligase (GCL) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), the rate limiting enzymes in the glutathione biosynthesis and the degradation of heme, respectively. The expression of aforementioned antioxidant enzymes seemed to be mediated by activation of NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2). These results suggest that [6]-gingerol exhibits preventive and/or therapeutic potential for the management of AD via augmentation of antioxidant capacity.

Attenuation of -Amyloid-Induced Oxidative Cell Death by Sulforaphane via Activation of NF-E2-Related Factor 2

β-amyloid peptide (Aβ), a major component of senile plaques, plays important roles in neuropathology of Alzheimers disease (AD). An array of in vitro and in vivo data indicates that Aβ-induced neuronal death is mediated by oxidative stress. In this study, we aimed to investigate effects of sulforaphane (SUL), an isothiocyanate in cruciferous vegetables, on Aβ-induced oxidative cell death in SH-SY5Y cells. Cells treated with Aβ 25–35 exhibited decreased cell viability and underwent apoptosis as determined by MTT assay and TUNEL, respectively. Aβ 25–35-induced cytotoxicity and apoptotic characteristics such as activation of c-JNK, dissipation of mitochondrial membrane potential, altered expression of Bcl-2 family proteins, and DNA fragmentation were effectively attenuated by SUL pretreatment. The antiapoptotic activity of SUL seemed to be mediated by inhibition of intracellular accumulation of reactive oxygen species and oxidative damages. SUL exerted antioxidant potential by upregulating expression of antioxidant enzymes including γ-glutamylcysteine ligase, NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase-1, and heme oxygenase-1 via activation of NF-E2-related factor 2(Nrf2). The protective effect of SUL against Aβ 25–35-induced apoptotic cell death was abolished by siRNA of Nrf2. Taken together, the results suggest that pharmacologic activation of Nrf2 signaling pathway by SUL might be a practical prevention and/or protective treatment for the management of AD.

Cellular antioxidant adaptive survival response to 6-hydroxydopamine-induced nitrosative cell death in C6 glioma cells

Parkinsons disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative movement disorder characterized by selective loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. 6-Hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) is a catecholaminergic neurotoxin widely used to produce experimental models of PD and has been reported to cause oxidative and/or nitrosative stress. In this study, we have investigated 6-OHDA-induced nitrosative cell death and its self-defense mechanism in C6 glioma cells. Treatment of C6 cells with 6-OHDA increased expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and subsequent production of nitric oxide (NO). Furthermore 6-OHDA treatment led to peroxynitrite generation and nitrotyrosine formation. 6-OHDA-induced nitrosative stress ultimately caused apoptotic cell death as determined by decreased Bcl-2/Bax ratio, activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and cleavage of caspase-3 and poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase (PARP), which were attenuated by peroxynitrite decomposition catalyst, 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-sulfonatophenyl)prophyrinato iron(III) (FeTPPS). In another experiment, exposure of C6 glioma cells to 6-OHDA resulted in an increased expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and 6-OHDA-induced cytotoxicity was effectively suppressed by the HO-1 inducer SnCl(2) and aggravated by HO-1 inhibitor zinc protoporphyrin (ZnPP), supporting the cytoprotective role of HO-1. To elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying 6-OHDA-mediated HO-1 induction, we have examined the possible involvement of NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), which plays an important role in the transcriptional regulation of phase II detoxifying and antioxidant enzymes. 6-OHDA treatment increased nuclear translocation and transcriptional activity of Nrf2, which seemed to be partly mediated by activation of upstream kinases such as Akt/protein kinase B (PKB). Taken together these findings suggest that HO-1 up-regulation via Nrf2 activation may mediate the cellular adaptive survival response to 6-OHDA-induced nitrosative cell death in C6 glioma cells.

Protective effect of Codium fragile against UVB-induced pro-inflammatory and oxidative damages in HaCaT cells and BALB/c mice

Acute exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation causes pro-inflammatory responses via diverse mechanisms including oxidative stress. Codium fragile is a green alga of Codiales family and has been reported to exhibit anti-edema, anti-allergic, anti-protozoal and anti-mycobacterial activities. In this study, we have investigated a novel anti-inflammatory potential of C. fragile using in vitro cell culture as well as in vivo animal models. In HaCaT cells, buthanol and ethylacetate fractions of 80% methanol C. fragile extract (CFB or CFE) and a single compound, clerosterol (CLS) isolated from CFE attenuated UVB (60 mJ/cm(2))-induced cytotoxicity and reduced expression of pro-inflammatory proteins including cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF- α). Moreover, CFB, CFE and CLS effectively suppressed UVB-induced production of pro-inflammatory mediators such as prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and nitric oxide (NO). In another experiment, topical application of CFB, CFE or CLS prior to UVB irradiation (200 mJ/cm(2)) on BALB/c mice, inhibited the UVB-elevated protein levels of COX-2, iNOS, and TNF-α. Furthermore, CFB, CFE and CLS suppressed oxidative damages caused by UVB irradiation for example lipid peroxidation and/or protein carbonylation, which seemed to be mediated by up-regulation of antioxidant defense enzymes. These results suggest that C. fragile could be an effective therapeutic agent providing protection against UVB-induced inflammatory and oxidative skin damages.

Effect of high-fat diet on cognitive impairment in triple-transgenic mice model of Alzheimer's disease

High-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity is a risk factor for cognitive impairment in Alzheimers disease (AD). It has been reported that two typical neuropathological markers of AD, β-amyloid (Aβ) peptide and hyperphosphorylated protein tau can cause neuronal apoptosis via oxidative stress, which ultimately leads to cognitive dysfunction. In this study, we tried to explore the molecular pathway underlying memory impairment in young AD transgenic mice model in response to HFD. We maintained non-transgenic control mice (non-Tg) and triple transgenic AD (3xTg-AD) mice aged 8 weeks on either normal diet (ND) containing 10% fat or HFD (60% fat) for 16 weeks. Cognitive functions were evaluated by Morris water maze and Y-maze tests. Behavioral tests showed a significant memory impairment in 3xTg-AD mice fed with HFD. HFD did not alter the levels of Aβ and phospho-tau protein in the cortical region regardless of groups. However, 3xTg-AD mice fed with HFD exhibited increased neuronal oxidative stress and apoptosis as assessed by augmentation of lipid peroxidation, activation of caspase-3 and elevated ratio of Bax/Bcl-2. Furthermore, HFD markedly reduced the activation of redox-sensitive transcription factor NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) by suppressing its up-stream regulatory protein kinase B/Akt as well as down-stream targets such as heme oxygenase-1 and manganese superoxide dismutase in these mice. Our findings suggest that HFD may accelerate cognitive impairment by enhancing oxidative stress and aggravating neuronal apoptosis via inactivation of Nrf2 signaling pathway.

Sargassum fulvellum Protects HaCaT Cells and BALB/c Mice from UVB-Induced Proinflammatory Responses

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation has been reported to induce cutaneous inflammation such as erythema and edema via induction of proinflammatory enzymes and mediators. Sargassum fulvellum is a brown alga of Sargassaceae family which has been demonstrated to exhibit antipyretic, analgesic, antiedema, antioxidant, antitumor, fibrinolytic, and hepatoprotective activities. The purpose of this study is to investigate anti-inflammatory effects of ethylacetate fraction of ethanol extract of Sargassum fulvellum (SFE-EtOAc) in HaCaT keratinocytes and BALB/c mice. In HaCaT cells, SFE-EtOAc effectively inhibited UVB-induced cytotoxicity (60 mJ/cm2) and the expression of proinflammatory proteins such as cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). Furthermore, SFE-EtOAc significantly reduced UVB-induced production of proinflammatory mediators including prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and nitric oxide (NO). In BALB/c mice, topical application of SFE-EtOAc prior to UVB irradiation (200 mJ/cm2) effectively suppressed the UVB-induced protein expression of COX-2, iNOS, and TNF-α and subsequently attenuated generation of PGE2 and NO as well. In another experiment, SFE-EtOAc pretreatment suppressed UVB-induced reactive oxygen species production and exhibited an antioxidant potential by upregulation of antioxidant enzymes such as catalase and Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase in HaCaT cells. These results suggest that SFE-EtOAc could be an effective anti-inflammatory agent protecting against UVB irradiation-induced skin damages.

Anti-aging Effects of Marine Natural Extracts against UVB-induced Damages in Human Skin Cells

피부는 끊임없이 외부환경에 노출되며 가장 주요한 스트레스 요인 중 하나는 자외선방사이다. 자외선 방사로 인하여 피부에 염증, 착색, 광노화 및 피부암을 포함하는 생물학적 영향을 끼치게 된다. 본 연구에서는 해양천연소재 (김, 다시마, 모려, 모자반, 미역, 석결명, 우뭇가사리, 청각, 톳, 파래)로부터 피부보호 항산화제를 조사하기 위해 자외선으로부터 기인된 세포보호 효과를 증명하였으며 세포독성, 산화에 의한 세포사멸, 항노화 효과에 대하여 평가를 실시하였다. 그 결과, 모자반, 한천, 석결명, 청각 에탄올 추출물을 처리한 군이 자외선으로 유도된 세포독성 및 세포사멸을 효과적으로 억제하는 것으로 나타났다. 또한 다른 실험에서 자외선에서 인한 세포사멸은 세포내 축적이나 ROS로부터 매개되지만 해양추출물을 처리함으로써 현저하게 감소되었다. 이러한 해양추출물의 보호효과 증가는 Type I collagen과 Type I procollagen에 의해 매개하는 것과 연관되는 것으로 사료된다. 이들의 결과는 해양추출물이 노화예방 및 항산화제로서의 우수한 특성으로 피부손상에 의한 산화적 스트레스에 대응하는 새로운 기능성 소재로서의 가능성을 가지는 것으로 평가된다. 【The skin is continuously exposed to environmental stresses. One of the most important stress factor is UV radiation. UV radiation causes a variety of biological effects on the skin, including inflammation, pigmentation, photoaging and cancer. Therefore in this study, we tried to search for skin-protective antioxidant materials from marine natural products (Porphyra Thalli, Laminariae japonicae thallus, Ostreae Concha, Sargassum Thallus, Undaria thallus, Haliotidis Concha, Agar, Codium thalli, Hizikia fusiforme thalli; HFE, Thalli) which exhibit protective activities against UVB-induced cytotoxicity and oxidative cell death and antiaging effects. As a results, UVB-induced cytotoxicity and cell death were effectively suppressed by treatment of Sargassum Thallus, Agar, Haliotidis Concha, Codium thalli, Thalli ethanol extracts. UVB-induced cell death was mediated by intracellular accumulation or ROS, which was significantly inhibited by treatment with marine natural products extracts. Also, The protective effect of these marine natural products seemed to be mediated by increased expression of type I collagen and Type I procollagen. These results suggest that marine natural products may have anti-aging effects new functional materials against oxidative stress-mediated skin damages.】

Mechanism of acute endosulfan intoxication-induced neurotoxicity in Sprague-Dawley rats.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the molecular mechanism underlying oxidative and inflammatory neuronal cell death induced by endosulfan, a pesticide belonging to the chemical family of organochlorines. The cortical and hippocampal tissues derived from Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats treated with endosulfan exhibited increased intracellular accumulation of reactive oxygen species and oxidative damages to cellular macromolecules such as depletion of glutathione, lipid peroxidation, and protein carbonylation. Conversely, the expression of antioxidant enzymes including γ-glutamylcysteine ligase (GCL), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) was markedly reduced in the brain tissues exposed to endosulfan. Moreover, during endosulfan-induced neuronal cell death, mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) was elevated, which seemed to be mediated by the activation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) by phosphorylation of p65 subunit. These results suggest a new molecular mechanism underlying the endosulfan-induced acute neurotoxicity via induction of oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory responses.

Amelioration of Scopolamine-Induced Learning and Memory Impairment by α-Pinene in C57BL/6 Mice

Increasing evidence suggests that neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimers disease (AD) are mediated via disruption of cholinergic neurons and enhanced oxidative stress. Therefore, attention has been focused on searching for antioxidant phytochemicals for the prevention and/or treatment of AD through their ability to fortify cholinergic function and antioxidant defense capacity. In this study, we have investigated the neuroprotective effect of α-pinene (APN) against learning and memory impairment induced by scopolamine (SCO, 1 mg/kg, i.p.), a muscarinic receptor antagonist in C57BL/6 mice. Administration of APN (10 mg/kg, i.p.) significantly improved SCO-induced cognitive dysfunction as assessed by Y-maze and passive avoidance tests. In Morris water-maze test, APN effectively shortened the mean escape latency to find the hidden platform during training days. To further elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the neuroprotective effect of APN, the expression of proteins involved in the acetylcholine metabolism and antioxidant system was examined. Particularly, APN treatment increased mRNA expression of choline acetyltransferase in the cortex and protein levels of antioxidant enzymes such as heme oxygenase-1 and manganese superoxide dismutase in the hippocampus via activation of NF-E2-related factor 2. These findings suggest the possible neuroprotective potentials of APN for the management of dementia with learning and memory loss.

Neuroprotective Effect and Molecular Mechanism of [6]-Gingerol against Scopolamine-Induced Amnesia in C57BL/6 Mice

We have investigated the neuroprotective and memory enhancing effect of [6]-gingerol (GIN), a pungent ingredient of ginger, using an animal model of amnesia. To determine the neuroprotective effect of GIN on cognitive dysfunction, scopolamine (SCO, 1 mg/kg, i.p.) was injected into C57BL/6 mice, and a series of behavioral tests were conducted. SCO-induced behavior changes and memory impairments, such as decreased alteration (%) in Y-maze test, increased mean escape latency in water maze test, diminished step-through latency in passive avoidance test, and shortened freezing time in fear condition test, were significantly prevented and restored by the oral administration of GIN (10 or 25 mg/kg/day). To further verify the neuroprotective mechanism of GIN, we have focused on the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). The administration of GIN elevated the protein expression of BDNF, which was mediated via the activation of protein kinase B/Akt- and cAMP-response element binding protein (CREB) signaling pathway. These results suggest that GIN may have preventive and/or therapeutic potentials in the management of memory deficit and cognitive impairment in mice with amnesia.