Beneficial effects of natural Jeju groundwaters on lipid metabolism in high-fat diet-induced hyperlipidemic rats

Yan-chao Wang,Jin-miao Lu,Hui-zi Jin,Ai-niu Ma,Jin-yang Zhang,Nian Gong,Qi Xiao,Bin Zhu,Ying-fang Lv,Na Yu,Wei-dong Zhang,Yong-xiang Wang 한국영양학회 2014 Nutrition Research and Practice Vol.8 No.2

BACKGROUND: Groundwater is believed to possess many beneficial effects due to its natural source of various minerals. In this study, we examined the effects of natural Jeju groundwater S1 (SamdasooTM), S2 and S3 pumped up from different locations of Jeju Island, Korea, along with local tap water, on body weight gain, serum lipids and lipoproteins, and liver histopathology in high-fat diet-induced hyperlipidemic rats. MATERIALS/METHODS: Rats were randomly and equally divided into 6 groups. Different water samples were supplied to the hyperlipidemic rats as their daily drinking water and the widely-used anti-hyperlipidemic drug simvastatin was used as a positive control. Body weight, serum lipids and lipoproteins were measured weekly. Liver weight, liver index and liver histopathology were examined after the execution of the rats. RESULTS: After drinking Jeju groundwaters for two months, S2 but not S3 significantly reduced weight growth and serum triglycerides levels and increased high density lipoprotein-C (HDL-C) without affecting total cholesterol or LDL-C. S1 and particularly S2 significantly reduced the severity of liver hypertrophy and steatosis. All Groundwaters had much higher contents of vanadium (S3>S2>S1>>tap water) whereas S1 and S2 but not S3 markedly blocked autoxidation of ferrous ions. CONCLUSION: Jeju Groundwater S1 and particularly S2 exhibit protective effects against hyperlipidemia and fatty liver and hypothesize that the beneficial effect of Jeju Groundwaters may be contributed from blockade of autoxidation of ferrous ions rather than their high contents of vanadium.

Evaluation of reference genes for miRNA expression analysis in Galeruca daurica (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) using qRT‐PCR

Hai-Chao WANG,Ling LI,Yan-Yan LI,Yao TAN,Bao-Ping PANG 한국곤충학회 2021 Entomological Research Vol.51 No.8

The selection of suitable reference genes (RGs) for data normalization is a crucial step for obtaining reliable results from gene expression analysis using the quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Expression stability of eleven putative RGs (miR-100-5p, miR-92a-3p, miR-998-3p, miR-279d-3p, miR-305-5p, miR-276a-3p, miR-275-3p, miR-9a-5p, miR-2a-3p, U6 snRNA and 5S rRNA) was assessed by using a web-based tool: RefFinder, which integrates four algorithms (Delta Ct, geNorm, NormFinder, and BestKeeper), and the best combination number of RGs was calculated by geNorm. Validation of selected RGs was performed by an expression analysis of let-7-5p under different experimental conditions. The best combinations of RGs were shown as follows: miR-100-5p + miR-275-3p for temperature treatment, miR-100-5p + miR-305-5p for adult tissues, miR- 276a-3p + miR-9a-5p for genders, miR-2a-3p + miR-276a-3p for days after eclosion, U6 snRNA + miR-9a-5p + miR-2a-3p for developmental stages, and U6 snRNA + miR-279d-3p for all above conditions, and there was no one RG suitable for all experimental conditions. Incorrect RG selection affected the evaluation of let-7-5p abundance. Our findings demonstrate that an integrated approach of multiple algorithms is necessary to identify reliable, stable RGs for miRNA evaluation, and provide a basis for further studies on expression and function analysis of miRNAs and their target genes in Galeruca daurica, a new pest with great outbreaks in Inner Mongolia since 2009.

Pathogenicity of Five Strains of Toxoplasma gondii from Different Animals to Chickens

Shuai Wang,Guang-Wei Zhao,Wang Wang,Zhen-Chao Zhang,Bo Shen,I. A. Hassan,Qing Xie,Ruo-Feng Yan,Xiao-Kai Song,Li-Xin Xu,Xiang-Rui Li 대한기생충학열대의학회 2015 The Korean Journal of Parasitology Vol.53 No.2

Panax ginseng and its ginsenosides: potential candidates for the prevention and treatment of chemotherapy-induced side effects

Yan Wan,Jing Wang,Jin-feng Xu,Fei Tang,Lu Chen,Yu-zhu Tan,Chao-long Rao,Hui Ao,Cheng Peng 고려인삼학회 2021 Journal of Ginseng Research Vol.45 No.6

Chemotherapy-induced side effects affect the quality of life and efficacy of treatment of cancer patients. Current approaches for treating the side effects of chemotherapy are poorly effective and may causenumerous harmful side effects. Therefore, developing new and effective drugs derived from natural nontoxiccompounds for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced side effects is necessary. Experimentsin vivo and in vitro indicate that Panax ginseng (PG) and its ginsenosides are undoubtedly non-toxic andeffective options for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced side effects, such as nephrotoxicity, hepatotoxicity,cardiotoxicity, immunotoxicity, and hematopoietic inhibition. The mechanism focus on antioxidation,anti-inflammation, and anti-apoptosis, as well as the modulation of signaling pathways, suchas nuclear factor erythroid-2 related factor 2 (Nrf2)/heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), P62/keap1/Nrf2, c-jun Nterminalkinase (JNK)/P53/caspase 3, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MEK)/extracellular signalregulatedkinases (ERK), AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)/mammalian target of rapamycin(mTOR), mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 4 (MKK4)/JNK, and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase(PI3K)/AKT. Since a systemic review of the effect and mechanism of PG and its ginsenosides onchemotherapy-induced side effects has not yet been published, we provide a comprehensive summarizationwith this aim and shed light on the future research of PG.

Characterization of the Methylation Status of Pax7 and Myogenic Regulator Factors in Cell Myogenic Differentiation

Chao, Zhe,Zheng, Xin-Li,Sun, Rui-Ping,Liu, Hai-Long,Huang, Li-Li,Cao, Zong-Xi,Deng, Chang-Yan,Wang, Feng Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2016 Animal Bioscience Vol.29 No.7

Epigenetic processes in the development of skeletal muscle have been appreciated for over a decade. DNA methylation is a major epigenetic modification important for regulating gene expression and suppressing spurious transcription. Up to now, the importance of epigenetic marks in the regulation of Pax7 and myogenic regulatory factors (MRFs) expression is far less explored. In the present study, semi-quantitative the real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analyses showed MyoD and Myf5 were expressed in activated and quiescent C2C12 cells. MyoG was expressed in a later stage of myogenesis. Pax7 was weakly expressed in differentiated C2C12 cells. To further understand the regulation of expression of these genes, the DNA methylation status of Pax7, MyoD, and Myf5 was determined by bisulfite sequencing PCR. During the C2C12 myoblasts fusion process, the changes of promoter and exon 1 methylation of Pax7, MyoD, and Myf5 genes were observed. In addition, an inverse relationship of low methylation and high expression was found. These results suggest that DNA methylation may be an important mechanism regulating Pax7 and MRFs transcription in cell myogenic differentiation.

D101 is critical for the function of AttJ, a repressor of quorum quenching system in Agrobacterium tumefaciens

Chao Wang,Chunlan Yan,Yong-Gui Gao,Lian-Hui Zhang 한국미생물학회 2015 The journal of microbiology Vol.53 No.9

The quorum quenching system of Agrobacterium tumefaciens is specifically activated upon entering the stationary phase. Evidence has shown that this system includes two key components: the IclR-type transcriptional factor AttJ (also named as BlcR) and the AHL-lactonase AttM (also named as BlcC). At exponential phase, AttJ binds to the promoter region of attM and thus suppresses the expression of attM. At stationary phase, however, the small molecule SSA directly binds to AttJ and relieves its inhibition of AttJ and thereby triggers the expression of attM. While the regulation of AttM has been extensively investigated, little is known about the regulation of AttJ. In this study, we demonstrated the D101 amino acid of AttJ is essential for the AttJ function. In vitro, the variant protein of AttJD101H appeared to be readily aggregated. In vivo, the D101H mutation in AttJ entirely abolished the inhibitory activity of AttJ and overexpressed attM in A. tumefaciens A6. In addition, D101H mutation led to an overexpression of attJ, indicating an auto-regulatory mechanism for the attJ regulation. Put together, these findings demonstrate that D101 is an important amino acid for the transcription activity of AttJ and the transcription of attJ is regulated by a negative feedback loop. These results expand previous biochemical characterization of AttJ and provide new mechanistic insights into the regulation of quorum quenching in A. tumefaciens.

Rare ginsenoside Ia synthesized from F1 by cloning and overexpression of the UDP-glycosyltransferase gene from Bacillus subtilis: synthesis, characterization, and in vitro melanogenesis inhibition activity in BL6B16 cells

Wang, Dan-Dan,Jin, Yan,Wang, Chao,Kim, Yeon-Ju,Perez, Zuly Elizabeth Jimenez,Baek, Nam In,Mathiyalagan, Ramya,Markus, Josua,Yang, Deok-Chun The Korean Society of Ginseng 2018 Journal of Ginseng Research Vol.42 No.1

Background: Ginsenoside F1 has been described to possess skin-whitening effects on humans. We aimed to synthesize a new ginsenoside derivative from F1 and investigate its cytotoxicity and melanogenesis inhibitory activity in B16BL6 cells using recombinant glycosyltransferase enzyme. Glycosylation has the advantage of synthesizing rare chemical compounds from common compounds with great ease. Methods: UDP-glycosyltransferase (BSGT1) gene from Bacillus subtilis was selected for cloning. The recombinant glycosyltransferase enzyme was purified, characterized, and utilized to enzymatically transform F1 into its derivative. The new product was characterized by NMR techniques and evaluated by MTT, melanin count, and tyrosinase inhibition assay. Results: The new derivative was identified as (20S)-$3{\beta},6{\alpha},12{\beta}$,20-tetrahydroxydammar-24-ene-20-O-${\beta}$-D-glucopyranosyl-3-O-${\beta}$-D-glucopyranoside(ginsenoside Ia), which possesses an additional glucose linked into the C-3 position of substrate F1. Ia had been previously reported; however, no in vitro biological activity was further examined. This study focused on the mass production of arduous ginsenoside Ia from accessible F1 and its inhibitory effect of melanogenesis in B16BL6 cells. Ia showed greater inhibition of melanin and tyrosinase at $100{\mu}mol/L$ than F1 and arbutin. These results suggested that Ia decreased cellular melanin synthesis in B16BL6 cells through downregulation of tyrosinase activity. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first study to report on the mass production of rare ginsenoside Ia from F1 using recombinant UDP-glycosyltransferase isolated from B. subtillis and its superior melanogenesis inhibitory activity in B16BL6 cells as compared to its precursor. In brief, ginsenoside Ia can be applied for further study in cosmetics.

A Fiber Model Based on Secondary Development of ABAQUS for Elastic–Plastic Analysis

Yan-Li Shi,Hua-Wei Li,Wen-Da Wang,Chao Hou 한국강구조학회 2018 International Journal of Steel Structures Vol.18 No.5

With the aim to provide an effi cient platform for the elastic–plastic analysis of steel structures, reinforced concrete (RC) structures and steel–concrete composite structures, a program iFiberLUT based on the fi ber model was developed within the framework of ABAQUS. This program contains an ABAQUS Fiber Generator which can automatically divide the beam and column cross sections into fi ber sections, and a material library which includes several concrete and steel uniaxial material models. The range of applications of iFiberLUT is introduced and its feasibility is verifi ed through previously reported test data of individual structural members as well as planar steel frames, RC frames and composite frames subjected to various loadings. The simulation results indicate that the developed program is able to achieve high calculation accuracy and favorable convergence within a wide range of applications.

Mechanism and modeling of rain-wind induced in-plane vibration on high-voltage transmission line

Chao Zhou,Yan-ping Liu,Yu-wang Song 대한기계학회 2014 JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Vol.28 No.4

In the planning of ultra high-voltage transmission lines that crossover southeast regions of China, one of the key questions is the predictionof vibrations in the conditions of a complex terrain, rainfalls and wind. As the presence of raindrops in the wind filed influencesthe dynamic stability of the transmission line, the objective of this paper is reveal the mechanism of rain-wind induced in-plane vibrationby analyzing the effects of time-varying mass of raindrops and the motion of upper rivulet that is suspended to the high-voltage transmissionline. A rain-wind induced in-plane vibration model with time-varying mass is proposed base on the finite element method and thecentral difference method. Applying our method to the Tuo-chang transmission line, we use the finite element method to develop thenumerical model of the transmission line movement under the action of wind and corona forces, while time discretization is made withthe central difference method. The results show that the time-varying mass of raindrops and moving upper rivulet have obvious effects,and the model enables better comprehension of the rain-wind induced in-plane vibrations of transmission lines.

An Innate Bactericidal Oleic Acid Effective Against Skin Infection of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus: A Therapy Concordant with Evolutionary Medicine

( Chao Hsuan Chen ),( Yan Han Wang ),( Teruaki Nakatsuji ),( Yu Tsueng Liu ),( Christos C. Zouboulis ),( Richard L. Gallo ),( Liangfang Zhang ),( Ming Fa Hsieh ),( Chun Ming Huang ) 한국미생물 · 생명공학회 2011 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.21 No.4

Free fatty acids (FFAs) are known to have bacteriocidal activity and are important components of the innateimmune system. Many FFAs are naturally present in human and animal skin, breast milk, and in the bloodstream. Here, the therapeutic potential of FFAs against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is demonstrated in cultures and in mice. Among a series of FFAs, only oleic acid (OA) (C18:1, cis-9) can effectively eliminate Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) through cell wall disruption. Lauric acid (LA, C12:0) and palmitic acid (PA, C16:0) do not have this ability. OA can inhibit growth of a number of Gram-positive bacteria, including hospital and community-associated MRSA at a dose that did not show any toxicity to human sebocytes. The bacteriocidal activities of FFAs were also demonstrated in vivo through injection of OA into mouse skin lesions previously infected with a strain of MRSA. In conclusion, our results suggest a promising therapeutic approach against MRSA through boosting the bacteriocidal activities of native FFAs, which may have been co-evolved during the interactions between microbes and their hosts.