Novel Therapeutic Effects of L. Methanol Extracts in Macular Degeneration Caused by Blue Light in A2E-Laden ARPE-19 Cells and Retina of BALB/c Mice.

Natural products with high antioxidant activity are considered as innovative prevention strategies to effectively prevent age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in the early stage because the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) leading to the development of drusen is reported as an important cause of this disease. To investigate the prevention effects of the methanol extracts of L. (MEE) on AMD, its effects on the antioxidant activity, inflammatory response, apoptosis pathway, neovascularization, and retinal tissue degeneration were analyzed in N-retinylidene-N-retinylethanolamine (A2E)-landed spontaneously arising retinal pigment epithelia (ARPE)-19 cells and BALB/c mice after exposure to blue light (BL).

Impact of the Oral Administration of Polystyrene Microplastics on Hepatic Lipid, Glucose, and Amino Acid Metabolism in C57BL/6Korl and C57BL/6-Lep/Korl Mice.

The impact of microplastics (MPs) on the metabolic functions of the liver is currently unclear and not completely understood. To investigate the effects of the administration of MPs on the hepatic metabolism of normal and obese mice, alterations in the lipid, glucose (Glu), and amino acid regulation pathways were analyzed in the liver and adipose tissues of C57BL/6Korl (wild type, WT) or C57BL/6-Lep/Korl mice (leptin knockout, Lep KO) orally administered polystyrene (PS) MPs for 9 weeks. Significant alterations in the lipid accumulation, adipogenesis, lipogenesis, and lipolysis pathways were detected in the liver tissue of MP-treated WT and Lep KO mice compared to the vehicle-treated group.

Antiadhesive Hyaluronic Acid-Based Wound Dressings Promote Wound Healing by Preventing Re-Injury: An In Vivo Investigation.

Wound dressings are widely used to protect wounds and promote healing. The water absorption and antifriction properties of dressings are important for regulating the moisture balance and reducing secondary damages during dressing changes. Herein, we developed a hyaluronic acid (HA)-based foam dressing prepared via the lyophilization of photocrosslinked HA hydrogels with high water absorption and antiadhesion properties.

Complement C3-Deficiency-Induced Constipation in FVB/N-C3/Korl Knockout Mice Was Significantly Relieved by Uridine and L. Extracts.

Complement component 3 (C3) deficiency has recently been known as a cause of constipation, without studies on the therapeutic efficacy. To evaluate the therapeutic agents against C3-deficiency-induced constipation, improvements in the constipation-related parameters and the associated molecular mechanisms were examined in FVB/N-C3/Korl knockout (C3 KO) mice treated with uridine (Urd) and the aqueous extract of L. (AEtLP) with laxative activity.

Dysbiosis of Fecal Microbiota in Tg2576 Mice for Alzheimer's Disease during Pathological Constipation.

Tg2576 transgenic mice for Alzheimer's disease (AD) exhibited significant phenotypes for neuropathological constipation, but no research has been conducted on the association of the fecal microbiota with dysbiosis. The correlation between fecal microbiota composition and neuropathological constipation in Tg2576 mice was investigated by examining the profile of fecal microbiota and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) in 9-10-month-old Tg2576 mice with the AD phenotypes and constipation. Several constipation phenotypes, including stool parameters, colon length, and histopathological structures, were observed prominently in Tg2576 mice compared to the wild-type (WT) mice.

Evaluation of the EtOAc Extract of Lemongrass () as a Potential Skincare Cosmetic Material for Acne Vulgaris.

This study evaluated the biological properties of lemongrass () extracts. The EtOAc extract of lemongrass had DPPH, TEAC, and nitric oxide-scavenging activity assay results of 58.06, 44.

Laxative Effects of Phlorotannins Derived from on Loperamide-Induced Constipation in SD Rats.

This study investigated the laxative effects of phlorotannins (Pt) derived from () on chronic constipation by evaluating alterations in stool parameters, gastrointestinal motility, histopathological structure, mucin secretion, gastrointestinal hormones, muscarinic cholinergic regulation, and fecal microbiota in SD rats with loperamide (Lop)-induced constipation subjected to Pt treatment. Stool-related parameters (including stool number, weight, and water contents), gastrointestinal motility, and length of intestine were significantly enhanced in the Lop+Pt-treated group as compared to the Lop+Vehicle-treated group. A similar recovery was detected in the histopathological and cytological structure of the mid-colon of Lop+Pt-treated rats, although the level of mucin secretion remained constant.

Enzyme-mediated biocalcification by a novel alkaliphilic Bacillus psychrodurans LC40 and its eco-friendly application as a biosealant for crack healing.

Biocalcification is a natural biochemical process, which has been regarded as a promising method for sequestering heavy metals or carbon dioxide in the environment, healing cracks in concrete structures, and stabilizing soil. One of the key factors in this process is calcium carbonate-producing bacteria. The purpose of this study was to maximize the production of calcium carbonate by alkaliphilic Bacillus psychrodurans LC40 isolated from a limestone cave, by manipulating the medium composition for fast and non-detrimental crack healing, and to investigate the mechanism of its production.

Comparison of intrinsic exercise capacity and response to acute exercise in ICR (Institute of Cancer Research) mice derived from three different lineages.

Background: As a laboratory animal resource, the ICR mouse is commonly used in a variety of research fields. However, information on differences in exercise-related characteristics in ICR mice derived from different lineages and the underlying mechanisms remains to be elucidated. In this study, we investigated the intrinsic exercise capacity and a magnitude of response to acute exercise, and sought to identify mechanisms contributing to difference in Korl:ICR (a novel ICR lineage recently established by the National Institute of Food and Drug Safety Evaluation, Korea) and two commercialized ICR lineages derived from different origins (viz.

Comparative analysis of restraint stress-induced depressive-like phenotypes in C57BL/6N mice derived from three different sources.

C57BL/6NKorl mice are a novel mouse stock recently developed by the National Institute of Food and Drug Safety Evaluation in Korea. Extensive research into the nature of C57BL/6NKorl mice is being conducted. However, there is no scientific evidence for the phenotypic response to restraint stress (RST), a stress paradigm for modeling depressive disorders, in rodents.

Comparative analysis of dose-dependent neurotoxic response to 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine in C57BL/6 N mice derived from three different sources.

MPTP, 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine is commonly used to induce nigrostriatal defects to induce parkinsonism and/or parkinsonian syndrome, to replicate the lesions seen in Parkinson's disease (PD), with use in numerous PD models in mice. It has been suggested that various biological characteristics including strain could result in differing mortality rates, sensitivity to MPTP administration, and reproducibility of lesions in mice, but there is no evidence on the sensitivity of C57BL/6 mice from different origins to MPTP and its associated pathological lesions. In this study, we investigated the magnitude of the dose-dependent response to acute MPTP administration in C57BL/6NKorl mice and two commercialized C57BL/6 stocks derived from the United States and Japan.

Anti-ulcer effect of Gallarhois extract with anti-oxidant activity in an ICR model of ethanol/hydrochloride acid-induced gastric injury.

Gallarhois (GR) is a traditional oriental herbal medicine with various pharmacological effects; however, its effect on gastric ulcer has not been previously explored. We firstly investigated the component and antioxidant activity of GR extract (EtGR) by HPLC analysis and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. The results showed that EtGR consisted of gallotannin (68.

Corrosion Properties of Ultra-Fine-Grained Cu-3 wt%Ti Alloy Fabricated by Combination of Hot Rolling and Aging Treatment.

Although deformation and aging treatments of Cu-3 wt%Ti alloys dramatically enhance their mechanical properties, the corrosion behavior of ultra-fine grained (UFG) Cu-3 wt%Ti alloys produced by a combination of hot rolling and artificial aging has not been extensively explored yet. To bridge this gap, we herein probe the corrosion behavior of an UFG Cu-3 wt%Ti alloy produced by cold rolling and artificial aging, revealing that cast sample corrosion preferentially occurs around the -Cu₄Ti phase. Compared to that of the coarse-grained Cu-3 wt%Ti alloy, the corrosion resistance of its UFG counterpart is remarkably higher, which is ascribed to the effects of grain refinement and enveloping between the -Cu matrix and -Cu₄Ti in the absence of pitting corrosion.

Bacterial indoleacetic acid-induced synthesis of colloidal AgO nanocrystals and their biological activities.

The biosynthesis and biological activity of colloidal AgO nanocrystals have not been well studied, although they have potential applications in many fields. For the first time, we developed a reducing agent free, cost-effective technique for AgO biosynthesis using Xanthomonas sp. P5.

Biological synthesis and characterisation of silver nanoparticles using H10 for pharmaceutical activity.

In the present study, silver nanoparticles (SNPs) were synthesised for the first time using H10 as reducing and stabilising agents. The synthesis of SNPs was the maximum when the culture supernatant was treated with 2.5 mM AgNO at pH 7 and 40°C for 10 h.

Erratum: Comparative analysis of basal locomotor activity-related metabolic phenotypes between C57BL/6 mice and ICR mice substrains derived from three different sources.

[This corrects the article on p. 140 in vol. 33, PMID: 28747980.

Saponin-enriched extract of Asparagus cochinchinensis alleviates airway inflammation and remodeling in ovalbumin-induced asthma model.

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by T-lymphocyte and eosinophil infiltration, mucus overproduction and airway hyper-responsiveness. The present study examined the therapeutic effects and action mechanism of a saponin-enriched extract of Asparagus cochinchinensis (SEAC) on airway inflammation and remodeling in an ovalbumin (OVA)-induced asthma model. To accomplish this, alterations of the nitric oxide (NO) level, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression levels, as well as variations in immune cell numbers, immunoglobulin E (IgE) concentration, histopathological structure and inflammatory cytokine levels were measured in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated RAW264.

Comparative analysis of basal locomotor activity-related metabolic phenotypes between C57BL/6 mice and ICR mice substrains derived from three different sources.

Animal model, as an indispensable tool for scientific purposes of biomedical researches and clinical application, is a commonly used in various researches. Regarding to this, it is necessary to establish the metabolic phenotype of animal model to minimize spurious interpretations and ensure a level of accuracy and reliability adequate for experimental research. However, the metabolic phenotype-related analysis within rodent strains derived from different source is nonexistent, especially in C57BL/6Korl mice and Korl:ICR mice (a domestic mouse strain).

In vivo study on the biocompatibility of chitosan-hydroxyapatite film depending on degree of deacetylation.

Chitosan, produced from chitin, is one of the polymers with promising applications in various fields. However, despite diverse research studies conducted on its biocompatibility, its uses are still limited. The main reason is the degree of deacetylation (DOD), which represents the proportion of deacetylated units in the polymer and is directly correlated with its biocompatibility property.

Hyaluronic Acid/PLGA Core/Shell Fiber Matrices Loaded with EGCG Beneficial to Diabetic Wound Healing.

During the last few decades, considerable research on diabetic wound healing strategies has been performed, but complete diabetic wound healing remains an unsolved problem, which constitutes an enormous biomedical burden. Herein, hyaluronic acid (HA)/poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid, PLGA) core/shell fiber matrices loaded with epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate (EGCG) (HA/PLGA-E) are fabricated by coaxial electrospinning. HA/PLGA-E core/shell fiber matrices are composed of randomly-oriented sub-micrometer fibers and have a 3D porous network structure.

Effect of vitamin D3 on production of progesterone in porcine granulosa cells by regulation of steroidogenic enzymes.

1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (VD3), an active form of Vitamin D, is photosynthesized in the skin of vertebrates in response to solar ultraviolet B radiation (UV-B). VD3 deficiency can cause health problems such as immune disease, metabolic disease, and bone disorders. It has also been demonstrated that VD3 is involved in reproductive functions.

Beneficial effect of diosgenin as a stimulator of NGF on the brain with neuronal damage induced by Aβ-42 accumulation and neurotoxicant injection.

To investigate the beneficial effects of diosgenin (DG) on the multiple types of brain damage induced by Aβ-42 peptides and neurotoxicants, alterations in the specific aspects of brain functions were measured in trimethyltin (TMT)-injected transgenic 2576 (TG) mice that had been pretreated with DG for 21 days. Multiple types of damage were successfully induced by Aβ-42 accumulation and TMT injection into the brains of TG mice. However, DG treatment significantly reduced the number of Aβ-stained plaques and dead cells in the granule cells layer of the dentate gyrus.

Therapeutic effect of ethyl acetate extract from Asparagus cochinchinensis on phthalic anhydride-induced skin inflammation.

Asparagus cochinchinensis has been used to treat various diseases including fever, cough, kidney disease, breast cancer, inflammatory disease and brain disease, while IL-4 cytokine has been considered as key regulator on the skin homeostasis and the predisposition toward allergic skin inflammation. However, few studies have investigated its effects and IL-4 correlation on skin inflammation to date. To quantitatively evaluate the suppressive effects of ethyl acetate extracts of A.

Laxative effects of Liriope platyphylla are tightly correlated with suppression of endoplasmic reticulum stress in loperamide-induced constipation of SD rats.

A dysfunction of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response can result in various diseases, including cancer, inflammation, diabetes and neurodegenerative disorders. To investigate whether ER stress response can play an essential role in the induction and treatment of chronic constipation, alterations in the key parameters for ER stress were measured in loperamide (Lop) induced constipation Sprague Dawley (SD) rats treated with aqueous extracts of Liriope platyphylla (AEtLP), which has been shown to have a laxative effect. Symptoms of chronic constipation including alteration of stool parameters and the transverse colon's structure were successfully induced by Lop treatment.

Toxicity of antioxidative extract collected from Styela clava tunics in ICR mice.

Some polymers and bioactive compounds derived from Styela clava tunic (SCT) have been reported as traditional medicine for the treatment of inflammation, oxidative stress and surgical wounds although there is little scientific evidence of their liver and kidney toxicity. To investigate the toxicity of ethanol extracts of SCT (EtSCT) in the liver and kidney of ICR mice, alterations in related markers including body weight, organ weight, urine composition, liver pathology and kidney pathology were analyzed following oral administration of 50 and 100 mg/kg body weight/day of EtSCT for 14 days. EtSCT showed a high level of free radical scavenging activity for DPPH (93.