Neuroprotective effects of fermented soybean products (Cheonggukjang) manufactured by mixed culture of Bacillus subtilis MC31 and Lactobacillus sakei 383 on trimethyltin-induced cognitive defects mice.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the beneficial effects of Cheonggukjang (CGK) manufactured by mixed culture of Bacillus subtilis MC31 and Lactobacillus sakei 383 on neurotoxic damages. METHODS: The specific aspects of brain functions were measured in Institute for Cancer Research (ICR) mice that had been pretreated for 4 weeks with three difference doses of CGK before trimethyltin (TMT) treatment. RESULTS: The short- and long-term memory loss induced by TMT treatment was significantly improved in the CGK-pretreated group in a dose-dependent manner. The number of dead cells in the granule cell layer of the dentate gyrus was decreased in the TMT/CGK-cotreated group relative to the TMT/vehicle-treated group, whereas significant suppression of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity was observed in the same group. Additionally, a dose-dependent increase in nerve growth factor (NGF) concentration, activation of the NGF receptor signaling pathway including the TrkA high affinity receptor and p75(NTR) low affinity receptor, and decline in Bax/Bcl-2 level was measured in all TMT/CGK-treated groups, although a decrease in the active form of caspase-3 was observed in the TMT/H-CGK-treated group. Furthermore, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was enhanced in the TMT/CGK-treated group, whereas the level of malondialdehyde (MDA), a marker of lipid peroxidation, was 43-58% lower in the TMT/CGK-treated group than the TMT/vehicle-treated group. DISCUSSION: These results demonstrate that CGK fermented by mixed culture of B. subtilis and L. sakei could exert a wide range of beneficial activities for neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer, Parkinson, and Huntington disease.

The usefulness of soluble transferrin receptor in the diagnosis and treatment of iron deficiency anemia in children.

PURPOSE: Soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) is a truncated extracellular form of the membrane transferrin receptor produced by proteolysis. Concentrations of serum sTfR are related to iron status and erythropoiesis in the body. We investigated whether serum sTfR levels can aid in diagnosis and treatment of iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in children. METHODS: Ninety-eight patients with IDA were enrolled and were classified according to age at diagnosis. Group 1 comprised 78 children, aged 6-59 months, and group 2 comprised 20 adolescents, aged 12-16 years. RESULTS: In group 1, patients' serum sTfR levels correlated negatively with mean corpuscular volume; hemoglobin (Hb), ferritin, and serum iron levels; and transferrin saturation and positively with total iron binding capacity (TIBC) and red cell distribution width. In group 2, patients' serum sTfR levels did not correlate with ferritin levels and TIBC, but had a significant relationship with other iron indices. Hb and serum sTfR levels had a significant inverse relationship in both groups; however, in group 1, there was no correlation between Hb and serum ferritin levels. In 30 patients of group 1, serum sTfR levels were significantly decreased with an increase in Hb levels after iron supplementation for 1 month. CONCLUSION: Serum sTfR levels significantly correlated with other diagnostic iron parameters of IDA and inversely correlated with an increase in Hb levels following iron supplementation. Therefore, serum sTfR levels can be a useful marker for the diagnosis and treatment of IDA in children.

Utilization of real-time PCR to detect Rangifer Cornu contamination in Cervi Parvum Cornu.

Cervi parvum cornu (CPC) is a well-known ethnopharmacological source, whereas Rangifer cornu (RC) is not considered to be a major source. CPC is distributed in sliced form. Addition of RC to CPC has become an issue in CPC distribution because the appearance of sliced RC is not different from sliced CPC. Therefore, a real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method was developed in this study to detect contaminating RC in CPC. The C-VIC and R-FAM primer/probe sets were designed to specifically amplify CPC and RC DNA, respectively. The specificities and sensitivities of real-time PCR using two primer/probe sets and the applicability of the real-time PCR to powder mixtures, which involved mixtures of powdered CPC and powdered RC in diverse ratios, were evaluated. Real-time PCR using C-VIC and R-FAM primer/probe sets specifically and sensitively amplified both CPC and RC DNA. Furthermore, real-time RCR sensitively detected RC DNA in the powder mixtures of CPC and RC. These results indicate that this real-time PCR method using two primer/probe sets is sufficiently applicable for the detection of contaminant RC in CPC.

Compounds from Viburnum sargentii Koehne and evaluation of their cytotoxic effects on human cancer cell lines.

Compounds were isolated from a methanol extract of the dried stem barks of Viburnum sargentii Koehne. The structures of the compounds, namely 9'-O-methylvibsanol (3), furcatoside A (4) and lareciresinol (5) were elucidated by analysis of spectroscopic data and comparison with values for previously known analogues. In addition, (+)-catechin (1), (+)-epicatechin (2) were also isolated. This work also examined the cytotoxic effects of three compounds 3-5 (25-100 microM) in MCF-7 and A549 cells after 24, 48 and 72 h of exposure. Our results showed that 9'-O-methylvibsanol (3) exhibited strong concentration-dependent anticancer effects according to the MTT assay and produced morphological changes consistent with apoptosis, as confirmed by Ho3342 staining analysis revealed that more apoptotic cells were observed after 9'-Omethylvibsanol (3) treatment.