RESUMO
Cnidium monnieri fructus is widely used in traditional Oriental medicine for treating female genital disorders, male impotence, frigidity, and skin-related conditions in East Asia. However, the role of C. monnieri fructus extract (CMFE) in melanin synthesis is not well elucidated. This study aimed to investigate the anti-melanogenesis effect and mechanism of action of CMFE in α-MSH-stimulated B16F10 cells. Intracellular melanin content and tyrosinase activity were measured in α-MSH-stimulated B16F10 cells treated with various concentrations of CMFE (0.5-5 µg/mL). mRNA and protein levels of tyrosinase and MITF were evaluated using qRT-PCR and ting. CMFE's effect on the proteasomal degradation of tyrosinase was confirmed using a proteasomal degradation inhibitor, MG132. CMFE treatment activated p38, a protein associated with proteasomal degradation. Treatment with CMFE at up to 5 µg/mL showed no significant cytotoxicity. CMFE significantly reduced α-MSH-stimulated melanin production (43.29 ± 3.55% decrease, p < 0.05) and cellular tyrosinase activity (31.14 ± 3.15% decrease, p < 0.05). Although mRNA levels of MITF and tyrosinase increased, CMFE suppressed tyrosinase protein levels. The suppressive effect of CMFE on tyrosinase protein was blocked by MG132. CMFE inhibited melanogenesis by promoting the proteasome degradation of tyrosinase through p38 activation. These findings suggest that CMFE has the potential to be a natural whitening agent for inhibiting melanogenesis.
RESUMO
BACKGROUND: This study aimed to examine factors influencing depression according to gender in people during COVID-19. METHODS: This study was conducted on 61,147 elderly individuals over the age of 65 who participated in the 2020 Community Health Survey (CHS). Data analysis was conducted using SAS 9.4. RESULTS: Elderly females had a higher perceived fear of COVID-19 than males. The common factors affecting depression in elderly individuals were age, monthly income, economic activity, stress, subjective health status, and social support. Among elderly women, changes in residential areas and daily life due to COVID-19 were identified as factors affecting depression. CONCLUSIONS: Therefore, during COVID-19, it was necessary to provide customized depression relief programs for the elderly, and it was necessary to find ways for them to positively perceive their health status and increase healthcare efficacy. In the future, it is necessary to pay attention to elderly women living in rural areas and make efforts to ensure that their daily lives are not interrupted by infectious diseases.
RESUMO
The CRISPR-Cas nickase system for genome editing has attracted considerable attention owing to its safety, efficiency, and versatility. Although alternative effectors to Cas9 have the potential to expand the scope of genome editing, their application has not been optimized. Herein, we used an enhanced CRISPR-Cas12a nickase system to induce mutations by targeting genes in a human-derived cell line. The optimized CRISPR-Cas12a nickase system effectively introduced mutations into target genes under a specific directionality and distance between nickases. In particular, the single-mode Cas12a nickase system can induce the target-specific mutations with less DNA double-strand breaks. By inducing mutations in the Thymine-rich target genes in single- or dual-mode, Cas12a nickase compensates the limitations of Cas9 nickase and is expected to contribute to the development of future genome editing technologies.