Effect of amaranth seed extracts on glycemic control in HepG2 cells / 한국영양학회지

Purpose@#This study was carried out to investigate the effect of amaranth seed extracts on glycemic regulation in HepG2 cells. The 80% ethanol extracts of amaranth seeds were used to evaluate α-amylase and α-glucosidase activities, cell viability, glucose uptake and messenger RNA (mRNA) expression levels of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), glucose transporter (GLUT)-2, GLUT-4, insulin receptor substrate (IRS)-1 and IRS-2. @*Methods@#The samples were prepared and divided into 4 groups, including germinated black amaranth (GBA), black amaranth (BA), germinated yellow amaranth (GYA) and yellow amaranth (YA). Glucose hydrolytic enzyme, α-amylase and α-glucosidase activities were examined using a proper protocol. In addition, cell viability was measured by MTT assay. Glucose uptake in cells was measured using an assay kit. The mRNA expression levels of ACC, GLUT-2, GLUT-4, IRS-1 and IRS-2 were measured by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. @*Results@#The inhibitory activities of α-amylase and α-glucosidase were highly observed in GBA, followed by BA, GYA and YA. Similar results were observed for glucose. The GBA effect was similar compared to the positive control group. The mRNA expression levels of ACC, GLUT-2, GLUT-4, IRS-1, and IRS-2 were significantly increased. The potential hypoglycemic effects of amaranth seed extracts were observed due to the increase in glucose metabolic enzyme activity, and glucose uptake was mediated through the upregulation of ACC, GLUT-2, GLUT-4, IRS-1, and IRS-2 expression levels. @*Conclusion@#Our findings suggest that the amaranth seed is a potential candidate to prevent a diabetes. The present study demonstrated the possibility of using amaranth seeds, especially GBA and BA for glycemic control.

The Effect of Autophagy to Cell Death in Nutrient-Deprived H460 Cells / 결핵및호흡기질환

BACKGROUND: Autophagy is an important adaptive mechanism in normal development and in response to changing environmental stimuli in cancer. Previous papers have reported that different types of cancer underwent autophagy to obtain amino acids as energy source of dying cells in nutrient-deprived conditions. However, whether or not autophagy in the process of lung cancer causes death or survival is controversial. Therefore in this study, we investigated whether nutrient deprivation induces autophagy in human H460 lung cancer cells. METHODS: H460, lung cancer cells were incubated in RPMI 1640 medium, and the starved media, which are BME and RPMI media without serum, including 2-deoxyl-D-glucose according to time dependence. To evaluate the viability and find out the mechanism of cell death under nutrient-deprived conditions, the MTT assay and flow cytometry were done and analyzed the apoptotic and autophagic related proteins. It is also measured the development of acidic vascular organelles by acridine orange. RESULTS: The nutrient-deprived cancer cell is relatively sensitive to cell death rather than normal nutrition. Massive cytoplasmic vacuolization was seen under nutrient-deprived conditions. Autophagic vacuoles were visible at approximately 12 h and as time ran out, vacuoles became larger and denser with the increasing number of vacuoles. In addition, the proportion of acridine orange stain-positive cells increased according to time dependence. Localization of GFP-LC3 in cytoplasm and expression of LC-3II and Beclin 1 were increased according to time dependence on nutrient-deprived cells. CONCLUSION: Nutrient deprivation induces cell death through autophagy in H460 lung cancer cells.

Effects of Artemisia Capillaris Thunberg on Apoptosis in HeLa Cells

This study analyzes the apoptosis of HeLa cells to see if we can use the Artemisia capillaris Thunberg for the prevention of chronic degenerative diseases. We used the HeLa cells to see what effects the A. capillaris Thunberg had on apoptosis of the cancer cells. We checked the cell activity, cell morphological change, DNA fragmentation, and DNA content after administering 0, 100, 500, 1000, and 2000 microgram/ml methanol, ethyl acetate, n-butanol extract of the A. capillaris Thunberg. As for the cell viability, the increase of concentration of methanol and ethyl acetate decreased the survival rate of the cell, but the phenomenon was much weakened in n-butanol extract and was not observed in aqueous extract. The higher the density of the methanol, ethyl acetate, n-butanol and aqueous extract was, the lower the survival rate of the HeLa cell was. These extracts obstructed the cell cohesion and caused the blebbing of the cell membrane and fragmentation of the nucleus, both of which are symptoms of apoptosis. Laddering-pattern DNA fragmentation was observed in the groups that were treated with the 1000 microgram/ml and 2000 microgram/ml of methanol extract. The DNA content of the cells apoptosis measured by fluorescent-activated cell sorter (FACS) increased as the density of the methanol, ethyl acetate and butanol extract increased. The result of the study shows that A. capillaris Thunberg fosters the apoptosis of HeLa cells, which suggests that the A. capillaris Thunberg has a great potential value as food additives, medicinal supplements for patients with chronic diseases, and preventive measures against cancer.

A Case of Generalized Argyria Secondary to Silver Pills in a Uremic Patient on Maintenance Hemodialysis / 대한신장학회잡지

Generalized hyperpigmentation has a wide range of causes, including endocrine diseases, uremia, drugs, and heavy metals. Cutaneous pigmentation observed in 70% of uremic patients on hemodialysis. However, it is clinically difficult to define the exact cause of hyperpigmentation in chronic renal failure patients. We experienced a case of cutaneous hyperpigmentation caused by generalized argyria in chronic hemodialysis patient. A 38-year-old male patient presented with slowly progressive blue-black discoloration of skin. He had been on maintenance hemodialysis for 5 years and took sliver pills 36 g daily during 2.5 years to relieve thirst. The other source of silver exposure could not be determined. Pathologic examination of skin biopsy specimen showed focal deposits of fine, uniform, brownish granules along the basement membrane zone of hair in the dermis, which is characteristic findings of argyria. The silver deposits were also confirmed by increase in serum silver level and silver amount in liver and skin tissue. Argyria should be suspected in chronic hemodialysis patients presenting with a diffuse bluish-gray discoloration of the skin and nails and evaluated carefully by skin biopsy with quantitation of tissue silver level.

A Case of Generalized Argyria Secondary to Silver Pills in a Uremic Patient on Maintenance Hemodialysis / 대한신장학회잡지

Generalized hyperpigmentation has a wide range of causes, including endocrine diseases, uremia, drugs, and heavy metals. Cutaneous pigmentation observed in 70% of uremic patients on hemodialysis. However, it is clinically difficult to define the exact cause of hyperpigmentation in chronic renal failure patients. We experienced a case of cutaneous hyperpigmentation caused by generalized argyria in chronic hemodialysis patient. A 38-year-old male patient presented with slowly progressive blue-black discoloration of skin. He had been on maintenance hemodialysis for 5 years and took sliver pills 36 g daily during 2.5 years to relieve thirst. The other source of silver exposure could not be determined. Pathologic examination of skin biopsy specimen showed focal deposits of fine, uniform, brownish granules along the basement membrane zone of hair in the dermis, which is characteristic findings of argyria. The silver deposits were also confirmed by increase in serum silver level and silver amount in liver and skin tissue. Argyria should be suspected in chronic hemodialysis patients presenting with a diffuse bluish-gray discoloration of the skin and nails and evaluated carefully by skin biopsy with quantitation of tissue silver level.

Evaluation of clinical course in patients with eosinophilic bronchitis: A prospective follow up study / 천식및알레르기

BACKGROUND: Eosinophilic bronchitis (EB) presents as a chronic cough and sputum eosinophilia without airflow limitation and bronchial hyperreactivity. The long-term clinical courses remain unknown. OBJECTIVE AND METHOD: The aim of this study was to evaluate how frequently EB recurs and whether it develops into chronic airway obstruction. Cough severity, FEV1, PC20 methacholine and sputum eosinophil percentages were serially measured in 36 subjects for up to 48 months. RESULT: Five subjects developed recurrent episodes of EB (RG) between 4 to 6 months after the first episode of EB. Asthma developed in the 9th month of the study in one of these subjects and a progressive FEV1 reduction exceeding 20% was observed in two. Nineteen subjects had no recurrence of EB (NRG). However, sputum eosinophilia recurred between 4 and 24 months in 10 subjects of the NRG, though this was without cough or FEV1 reduction. The follow-up eosinophil percentages were significantly higher in the RG than NRG group with recurrent sputum eosinophilia. CONCLUSION: About 14% of EB cases experience repeated episodes of EB and in about 30%, the EB recurs as asymptomatic sputum eosinophilia. Moreover, the extent of sputum eosinophilia was found to be associated with the recurrence of eosinophilic bronchitis, which leads to an airflow rate deterioration. These results suggest that repeated episode of EB is a risk factor for the development of asthma or chronic airway obstruction.

Alteration of airway hyperresponsiveness and expression of MMP-9 and TIMP-1 in bronchial tissue by nebulized IFN-gamma in murine model of asthma / 천식및알레르기

BACKGROUND: A bronchial asthma is characterized with airway inflammation, tissue damage, and deposition of extracellular matrix protein, which may be mediated, in part, through released matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1). Recent studies suggest that interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) may attenuate the inflammation of bronchial asthma. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effects of rIFN-gamma administered by ultrasonic nebulization through the airway on airway hyperresponsiveness and expression of MMP-9 and TIMP-1 in murine model of asthma. METHODS: Six-week-old female BALB/c mice were sensitized by means of intraperitoneal injection of ovalbumin (OVA) or saline, and then exposed to aerosolized OVA or saline. The rIFN-gamma treatment group pretreated with inhalation of aerosolized rIFN-gamma 1 day before OVA or saline inhalation. Twenty-four hour later after last challenge, the airway hyperreactivity was measured by placing mice in a barometric plethysmography. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluids, peripheral blood, and lung tissue were obtained from individual mouse twenty-four hours after measurement of airway hyperreactivity. RESULTS: The administration of aerosolized IFN-gamma decreased OVA induced eosinophil recruitment in BAL fluid, specific IgE to OVA, airway hyperresponsiveness, and MMP-9 expression on bronchial tissue. The active MMP-9 was not observed in IFN-gamma pretreated-group in contrast to OVA-group in gelatin zymography of BAL fluids. CONCLUSION: Our study indicates that aerosolized IFN-gamma prevents pathophysiologic alterations of bronchial asthma including expression of MMP-9, and therefore IFN-gamma may be a good therapeutic strategy in clinical practice.

A Case of Severe Thyrotoxicosis Induced by Hydatidiform Mole / 대한내분비학회지

Human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) is one of the glycoproteins families synthesized by the placenta, and consists of 2 noncovalently joined subunits, namely, alpha and beta. The alpha and beta-subunits have a structural homology with the alpha and beta-subunits of TSH and LH. The thyrotropic action of HCG results from its structural similarity to TSH, so beta-HCG can bind to the TSH receptor in the thyroid gland. A high level of HCG, accompanied by an increased thyroid hormone level, can be observed in gestational trophoblastic diseases (GTD), such as a hydatidiform mole or a choriocarcinoma. However, the clinical symptoms of hyperthyroidism in GTD are rarely observed. A 27-years-old woman, admitted due to an amenorrhea of 11 weeks duration, with thyrotoxic symptoms, such as weight loss, palpitation, sweating, tremor, heat intolerance and anxiety, was evaluated. Her serum free T4 level was 8 times higher than normal, and her serum beta-HCG level was over 1,000,000IU/L. She had a curettage operation, with the pathological findings of a complete hydatidiform mole. These thyrotoxic symptoms developed due to a hydatidiform mole, and were accompanied with a highly increased serum beta-HCG level. After evacuation of the molar tissue, the thyroid hormone and thyrotoxic symptoms normalized. Here, this case is reported, with brief review of the literature.