The Role of BF-7 on Neuroprotection and Enhancement of Cognitive Function

Amyloid beta-peptide (A beta) contributes to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD), causing neuronal death through apoptosis. In this study, the neuroprotective role of BF-7, extracted form sericultural product, was examined against A beta -induced toxicity in cultured human neuronal cell SKN-SH. In order to know if the BF-7 has positive role on the cognition and memory in human, the mixture of BF-7, DHA and EPA (BDE) was examined using Rey Kim and K-WAIS test with 50 healthy high school student. We report here that BDE significantly attenuated A beta-induced apoptosis through the reduction of ROS accumulation, and diminished caspase-like protease activity. Moreover, the memory index and memory preservation, and attentative concentration of BDE treated group for 1 month were significantly improved, in contrast to the case of placebo control treated with DHA and EPA. This result represent that the BF-7 play significant positive role on learning memory. Taken together, our result suggested the natural product BF-7 is a good substance for the brain functionally and physiologically.

The Effect of Antigen Sensitization and Development of Respiratory Allergy Disease on Severity of Atopic Dermatitis / 소아알레르기및호흡기학회지

PURPOSE: Atopic dermatitis is the most common chronic inflammatory skin disease in children. However, the role of allergy in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis is still controversial. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of antigen sensitization and development of respiratory allergy disease on severity of atopic dermatitis. METHODS: 211 children with atopic dermatitis were monitored for 2-3 years and classified into three groups: mild, moderate, severe. The severity of atopic dermatitis was compared with antigen sensitization identified by MAST CLA Korea Panel and development of respiratory allergy disease; such as asthma and allergic rhinitis. RESULTS: The frequency of mild, moderate, severe atopic dermatitis was respectively, 38.4%, 33.6%, 28.0%. Food sensitization was significantly higher in patients under 4 years old and aeroallergen sensitization was higher in patients above 5 years old. There was a good correlation between the severity of atopic dermatitis and food sensitization but not in aeroallergen. There was no significant association the severity of atopic dermatitis and development of respiratory allergy disease. CONCLUSION: This result suggests that the sensitization to food allergen is associated with the severity of atopic dermatitis, but sensitization to aeroallergen and development of respiratory allergy disease are not correlated. The restriction of sensitized diets might be helpful in management of atopic dermatitis.

The Effect of Atopy and Airway Eosinophilic Inflammation on Exercise-Induced Bronchospasm in Asthmatics / 소아알레르기및호흡기학회지

PURPOSE: Exercise-induced bronchospasm (EIB) is widely prevalent in asthmatic patients. Recently, eosinophilic airway inflammation and atopy (defined as skin sensitivity to common aeroallergens) are considered to be a important factors in the pathogenesis of asthma. Thus we studied to find out the effect of atopy and airway eosinophilic inflammation on exercise- induced bronchospasm. METHODS: We followed up the cases of 132 mild asthmatics for 2 years. On their first visit, skin prick tests, with 29 common allergens including dust mites antigen, and sputum induction were performed. And 3 days later, methacholine challenge was done. 24 hours after methacholine challenge, treadmill test was performed and the positive EIB was defined as a 15% reduction or more in FEV1 from baseline after exercise. RESULTS: EIB was observed in 54 (40.9%) of 132 asthmatic subjects. There was no significant difference in atopy between EIB positive and EIB negative asthmatics. Eosinophil and eosinophil cationic protein in induced sputum were significantly higher in EIB positive asthmatics. We also found the significant correlation between bronchial responsiveness (BR) index and maximal % fall in FEV1. CONCLUSION: The severity of bronchospasm evoked by exercise was more closely related to eosinophilic airway inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness to methacholine than atopy.

Caspase is Regulated by ROS in CT Induced Neuronal Cell Death / 대한해부학회지

Carboxy-terminal fragment of amyloid precusor protein (CT) is a candidate of causal molecule in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. Although it has been identified that CT shows cytotoxicity in various types of cells, little is known about the molecular mechanism of the cytotoxic on neuronal cells by CT. In the present study, we investigated the relevance of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation to CT induced cell death in SK-N-SH cells. We showed CT induced ROS production and antioxidant GSH inhibited the increase of ROS production, thereby preventing neuronal cell death. These results indicate that CT induce neuronal cell death through mediation of ROS. Furthermore, increase of caspase activity resulted from CT reduced by GSH. It is implicate that caspase-3 may act downstream of ROS in the pathway neuronal cell death induced by CT.

The Expression of Bcl-2 and Bax in Rat Hepatic Erythropoiesis / 대한해부학회지

Hepatic erythropoiesis is a characteristic event of the fetal liver. Generally, the erythropoiesis shows 4 phases: developing (embryonic day (ED) 10 to 14), maximum flat (ED 14 to 16), decreasing (ED 17 to 20), and disappearing day 1 to 10 after birth. In present study, TUNEL positive erythropoietic apoptotic cells were detected and increased through maximum flat phase, resulting in inducing decreasing phase. These results implicate that apoptosis is involved in the regulation of erythropoiesis in the fetal liver. Interestingly, the Bax over expressed in proerythroblasts and basophilic erythroblasts during developing phase, while Bcl-2 in polychromatic and acidophilic erythroblasts during decreasing phase. Moreover, in contrast to Bcl-2, Bax decreased from ED16, on which few erythropoietic cells were seen transiently. During disappearing phase, Bax increased by 2 to 3 times. But a rapid decline of Bcl-2 expression occurred on 1 day after birth. Thus, these results imply that the Bcl-2 and Bax play a role in proliferation and maturation of the erythropoietic cells by regulating apoptosis of the cells, in the hepatic erythropoiesis.

The Protective Role of Estrogen by Down -regulation of Bax in Ceramide Induced Neuronal Cell Death / 대한해부학회지

In the present study, we investigated effects of estrogen on cell death induced by ceramide in human neuroblastoma SK -N -SH. Estrogen, attenuated ceramide -induced cell death. To determine the molecular mechanism of protective effect of estrogen, we investigated the effect of estrogen on the increase of Bax by ceramide. Estrogen decreased Bax expression. Moreover, estrogen showed the inhibitory effect on the caspase activation by ceramide. These results suggest that estrogen attenuate ceramide -induced neuronal cell death by downregulation of Bax and subsequent inhibition of caspase activation.

Migration of Emperipoletic Erythroblasts Within Kupffer Cells in Human Hepatic Hemopoiesis: Electron Microscopic Study / 대한해부학회지

The presence of erythroblasts within Kupffer cell was studied for transmission electron microscopically with 5 human fetal livers from 11 to 23 weeks of gestation during the high activity of hepatic hemopoiesis. By using continuous series of thin sections electron microscopically, the objective of the present study was to evaluate the relevance between a migrated erythroblast and a Kupffer cell, and the migration of erythroblasts within Kupffer cells in the sinusoidal lumen. During the examined period the sinusoidal wall consisted of endothelial cells and Kupffer cells, being deficient in basement membrane. Erythropoietic cell-Kupffer cell interaction was often found as the emperipolesis and adhesion between the cells in human fetal liver under electron microscopy. The cytoplasm of the emperipoletic Kupffer cell contained several mitochondria, rough endoplasmic reticuli, clear vesicles, electron dense bodies, cellular debris with shrunken chromatin of enucleated nuclei, intact enucleated nuclei, and erythroblast bearing vacuoles as intact erythroblasts. Intracellular erythroblasts in the Kupffer cell remain unaltered with their normal structure and showed mitosis, enucleation and migration of erythroblast into the sinusoidal lumen. And a clear zone of a vacuole was readily seen around the intracellular erythroblast within Kupffer cell. On occasion, the hypertropic Kupffer cell with interacellular erythroblasts virtually occluded the sinusoidal lining cell. Processing of a migrating emperipoletic erythroblast within a Kupffer cell, the erythroblast migrated via migration pore through the luminal cell membrane of the Kupffer cell into the sinusoidal lumen. An invasion of a proerythroblast into Kupffer cell or a migration of the cell into the sinusoidal lumen had been found in human fetal liver from 11 to 13 weeks of gestation. The results demonstrate that migration of emperipoletic erythroblasts within Kupffer cells occurs in human hepatic hemopoiesis. We suggest that emperipolsis may be one of the mechanisms that support the maturation of erythroblasts in human fetal liver.

Expression pattern of transforming growth factors observed immunohistochemically in fetal rat / 대한해부학회지

The roles of TGF-beta1, beta2 and beta3 according to gestational ages and histodifferentiation were studied using immunohistochemistry with rat fetuses. 1. From day 14 to 21 of fetal rat, all the TGF-beta1, beta2 and beta3 were expressed in endocardium, myocardium, bronchiole, tunica intima of blood vessles, mucosa and serosa of intestine, striated muscle, hepatic capsule, hepatic hemopoietic cells, meninges, epidermis and dermis. 2. From day 14 to 21 of fetal rat, TGF-beta1 was not expressed in the smooth muscle of blood vessel and intestinal tract, alveolar cell and renal tubular cell. TGF-beta2 was not expressed in the smooth muscle of blood vessel and intestinal tract and alveolar cell. TGF-beta3 was not expressed in osteocyte, alveolar cell, and basement membrane of renal cuboidal epithelial cell. And TGF-betas expressed especially in early or late gestational age and the degree of expression increased or decreased with gestational age. 3. The TGF-beta1, beta2 and beta3 were expressed in tissues originated from 3 germ layers except several tissues, and those originated from mesoderm exhibited strong expression. The TGF-beta1 was expressed more widely than TGF-beta2 and beta3 during gestation. In summary, TGF-beta1, beta2 and beta3 were considered as important control factors of cell to cell interaction in the morphogenesis of tissues during fetal development.

Apoptosis in Rat Liver Development: tTG and TGF beta1 Expression Related to Apoptotic Mechanism / 대한해부학회지

This study was designed to investigate the apoptosis and the roles of TGF beta1 and tTG in apoptosis in fetal and postnatal rat livers using TUNEL and immunohistochemical staining. Results obtained were as follows: 1. Apoptosis began to appear in gestation day 15, reached the peak in gestation day 16 showing the highest activity of hepatic hemopoiesis, and gradually decreased after gestation day 18. But apoptosis repeatedly increased after postnatal day 1. 2. The cells showing apoptosis were mainly hemopoietic cells during gestation period, but were mainly hepatocytes after birth. In addition, apoptosis increased in sinusoidal endothelial cells after birth. 3. Apoptotic bodies rarely appeared in gestation day 16, increased in gestation day 18, and partly decreased after gestation day 20. Thereafter, the frequency of apoptotic bodies was relatively constant untill postnatal day 10. 4. TGF b1 began to be expressed from gestation day 14 when apoptosis occurred, was strongly expressed from gestation day 16, and became to be expressed weakly after gestation day 18. The expression of TGF beta1 was increased in sinusoidal endothelial cells after birth. 5. tTG began to be expressed in gestation day 16 during the highest activity of hemopoietic stage, and became to be expressed weakly in apoptotic bodies after gestation day 18. The expression of tTG increased again mainly in sinusoidal endothelial cells after birth. In summary, it is suggested that apoptosis is related to the control of hemopoiesis in prenatal period and the maintenance of the physiological balance of hepatic tissue after birth, and that TGF beta1 is related to the induction of the apoptosis during liver development and to the formation of apoptotic bodies through the control of the expression of tTG.

Immunohistochemical and Transmission Electron Microscopic Studies of Erythroblastic Islands in Human Fetal Liver / 대한해부학회지

Macrophages in 14 human livers from 5 to 37 weeks of gestation were studied immunohistochemically and transmission electron microscopically with 3 human fetal livers during the high activity of hepatic hemopoiesis. Author had used a highly specific mAb, CD68 to examine the distribution of mature macrophages in human fetal livers, with special reference to their presence in the hemopoietic microenvironment. Kupffer cells and macrophages were first seen in human enbryos by 7 weeks of gestation in primitive hepatic sinusoids and hepatic laminae. Thereafter numbers of CD68 labelled cells increased concomitantly with the rapid expansion of hemopoietic activity. From 11 to 26 weeks of gestation, the human fetal livers showed the maintenance of high hemopoietic activity and erythroblastic islands with various shapes. Macrophages in human fetal livers formed part of the hemopoietic stroma and their extensively spread plasma cytoplasmic processes, could be seen making intimate contacts with clusters of developing erythroblastic cells. Partly macrophages in the erythroblastic islands contained several developing erythroblastic cells (emperipolesis). Studies using the electron microscope demonstrated intact membranes surrounding the developing erythroblastic cells and lining the macrophagic vesicles. The decline of hepatic hemopoiesis after 27 weeks of gestation coincided with the decline of the size of an erythroblastic island and the disappearence of macrophage in the erythroblastic islands. The above results suggest that macrophages in the hepatic hemopoiesis participate in non-phagocytic hemopoietic cell interactions, erythroblastic island and macrophagic emperipolesis, as well as in phagocytosis of erythroblastic nuclei and dying cells.