• KSBB Journal
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.251-256
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• 2008

The aim of this work was to investigate the fibrinolytic activity and characterization of Bacillus licheniformis HK-12, which produces the fibrinolytic enzyme excreted from naturally fermented Chungkook-Jang. Initially, the physiological and biochemical characteristics of strain HK-12 was examined. Both physiological analysis using BIOLOG system and phylogenetic analysis using 16S rRNA sequencing were performed to identify the strain, and the strain could be assigned to Bacillus licheniformis, designated as B. lichenformis HK-12, and registered in GenBank as [EU288193]. Phylogenetic analysis of B. licheniformis HK-12 was plotted based on 16S rRNA sequence comparisons. During the incubation period of B. licheniformis HK-12, the changes of bacterial growth, fibrinolytic activity, and pH were monitored. As the results, after 36 hours of incubation, the maximum fibinolytic activity was about 2.25 times than that of plasmin used as standard. Optimal conditions on the growth of B. licheniformis HK-12 associated with the fibrinolytic activity was initial pH 7.0 and 40$^{\circ}C$, respectively.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.1555-1563
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• 2007

To idenifty effect of Bojungbangam-tang kakambang on Cisplatin-Induced G2/M Phase Arrest in Human Renal Proximal Tubular HK-2 Cells. Cytotoxicity of cisplatin was detected in HK-2 cells and the value of IC50 is about $25\;{\mu}M$. The treatment of cisplatin to HK-2 showed the G2/M phase cell cycle arrest. The ethanol extract of Bojungbangam-tang kakambang (EBTKB), a new herbal prescription composed of ten crude herbs, inhibited cisplatin-induced G2/M phase arrest in HK-2 cells. EBTKB increased G0/G1 peak in cisplatin-treated HK-2 cells. p53, p21 and p27 expression were increased in cisplatin-treated HK-2 cells. Inhibitory effect of EBTKB on cisplatin-induced G2/M phase arrest was accomplished through inhibition of p53, p21 and p27 expression. Also, reduced CDK2 and cyclin A expression by cisplatin were increased by EBTKB, but cyclin E was not changed. Reduction of ERK activation and increment of p38 activation by cisplatin were increased ERK activation and decreased p38 activation by EBTKB. Cisplatin had no effect on JNK activation, but EBTKB increased JNK activation. These results can suggest that EBTKB inhibits cisplatin-induced G2/M phase arrest in HK-2 cell through reduction of p53-dependent p21 and p27 protein, ERK activation and p38 inactivation.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.533-540
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• 2023

Sweroside is a natural monoterpene derived from Swertia pseudochinensis Hara. Recently, studies have shown that sweroside exhibits a variety of biological activities, such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and hypoglycemic effects. However, its role and mechanisms in high glucose (HG)-induced renal injury remain unclear. Herein, we established a renal injury model in vitro by inducing human renal tubular epithelial cell (HK-2 cells) injury by HG. Then, the effects of sweroside on HK-2 cell activity, inflammation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) were observed. As a result, sweroside treatment ameliorated the viability, inhibited the secretion of inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, and VCAM-1), reduced the generation of ROS, and inhibited EMT in HK-2 cells. Moreover, the protein expression of SIRT1 was increased and the acetylation of p65 NF-kB was decreased in HK-2 cells with sweroside treatment. More importantly, EX527, an inhibitor of SIRT1, that inactivated SIRT1, abolished the improvement effects of sweroside on HK-2 cells. Our findings suggested that sweroside may mitigate HG-caused injury in HK-2 cells by promoting SIRT1-mediated deacetylation of p65 NF-kB.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.800-806
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• 2008

The strain HK-12 was enriched and isolated from naturally fermented soybean for the production of fibrinolytic enzyme and the proteome of this enzyme induced during the incubation period was analyzed. The activity of fibrinolytic enzyme derived from supernatants of the HK-12 culture was performed by fibrin plate method for solid fibrinolytic activity. As the result, the fibrinolytic activity of HK-12 grown on the nutrient agar media was about 2.3 times greater than that of plasmin used as standard. The purified enzyme was prepared by a series of purification process including ammonium sulfate precipitation, DEAE-cellulose, Sephadex chromatography. The molecular weight of the enzyme was determined to approximately 23kDa with SDS-PAGE. In order to examine which strain HK-12 proteins increased or decreased during the incubation period, 2-DE analysis was performed. Protein spot #1 significantly expressed on the 2-DE gel of bacteria cultivated for 36-hrs was analysed. As the result of protein sequence analysis using MALDI-TOF MS, one protein was identified as serine protein kinase (PrkA).

• Korean Journal of Crystallography
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.1-5
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• 2006

After the definition of the basis vectors of the two-dimensional direct and reciprocal lattices, various interrelations between them are derived, and additionally how to calculate $\vec{d^*}(hk)//direction\;of\;(hk),\;d(hk)=1/d^*(hk),\;[uv]$, planes belonging to a direction [uv], areas and interplanar spacing of 2-dimensional low different lattices are shown.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.72-79
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• 1995

The antiulcer effects of newly synthesized prostaglandin derivatives were investigated in various experimental ulcer models and on gastric secretion in rats. HK-3 and HK-4, PG $E_2$derivatives, prevented the formation of acute gastric ulcer induced by ethanol or aspirin in pylorus-ligated rats. The ulcer formation was moderately inhibited by HK-1 and HK-2, PG $F_{2{\alpha}}$ derivatives, and aggravated by SK-1, SK-2 and SK-3, PG $F_{2{\alpha}}$ derivatives. HK-3 and HK-4 reduced the volume, acid output and pepsin output of gastric juice in pylorus-ligated rats. The gastric perfusion with physiologic saline(pH 6.0) showed relatively constant acid secretion and indomethacin increased the acid secretion. The acid secretion was markedly decreased by PG $E_2$but PG $F_{2{\alpha}}$ caused little change. Prostaglandin derivatives, especially HK-3 arid HK-4, significantly inhibited the acid secretion induced by indomethacin. The results show that, PG $E_2$ derivatives, HK-3 and HK-4, inhibit acid secretion and also have protective effects on gastric ulceration induced by ethanol or aspirin.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.32 no.7
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• pp.491-500
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• 2022

HK shiitake mushroom mycelium (HKSMM), containing 14% β-glucan, is a health functional food ingredient individually approved by the Korea Ministry of Food and Drug Safety for liver health. The anti-inflammatory effect of a 50% aqueous ethanol extract of HKSMM (designated HKSMM50) was studied in RAW 264.7 macrophage cells treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). An active hexose correlated compound (AHCC) was used as a positive control. LPS-activated RAW 264.7 cells were treated with HKSMM50 and AHCC (0, 20, 100, 500 ㎍/ml) and cultured for 24 hr. Inflammation-related elements in the supernatant were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits, and the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) proteins in the cells was analyzed by Western blotting. The HKSMM50 lowered iNOS and COX-2 protein expressions, and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂) contents in a concentration-dependent manner as compared to LPS treatment. Similarly, the HKSMM50 lowered the content of pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) contents and increased the activity of antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT). The efficacy of the AHCC treatment was similar to that of the HKSSM50 treatments. These results indicate that HKSMM50 showed an anti-inflammatory effect in LPS-treated RAW 264.7 cells by down-regulation of NF-κB signaling and suggest that HKSMM could be used as a health functional food ingredient to help improve immune function.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.441-445
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• 2012

Cadmium is an important occupational and environmental pollutant that damages various organs, especially renal proximal tubular cells. We examined the effect of aqueous extract of Buddleja officinalis (ABO) on cadmium chloride ($CdCl_2$)-induced cytotoxicity in HK-2 human renal proximal tubular cells. HK-2 cells were preincubated with ABO (50, 100, 200 and 400 ${\mu}g/ml$) for 3 hr and then treated with 10 ${\mu}M$ $CdCl_2$ for 24 hr. The effect of ABO on $CdCl_2$-induced cytotoxicity in HK-2 cells was investigated by using MTT assay, morphological observation, flow cytometric analysis and Western blot. The results of the MTT assay and morphological observation indicated that $CdCl_2$-induced cytotoxicity was prevented by pretreatment with ABO. In flow cytometric analysis, ABO reduced sub-G1 peak (apoptotic peak) in $CdCl_2$-treated cells. $CdCl_2$-induced procaspase-3 proteolysis and PARP cleavage reduced by pretreatment with ABO. These results suggest that ABO effectively inhibited $CdCl_2$-induced cytotoxicity in HK-2 cells.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.346-351
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• 2010

The purpose of this work was to investigate the characteristics of a biosurfactant-producing bacterium isolated from crude-oil contaminated soils. During the incubation of strain HK-3 with 1% crude-oil, bacterial growth pattern, the amount of biosurfactant production, and pH changes were monitored. In order to examine the effect of supplemented carbons on the production of biosurfactant, cultivation of HK-3 cells in BH media with different carbons (e.g. glucose, dextrose, mannitol, citrate, or acetate) revealed that the production of biosurfactant reached the maximal level at the 72 h incubation with mannitol, which the area of clear zone was measured to approximately 7.64 $cm^2$. Identification test using the BIOLOG system, morphology study based on scanning electron microscopy and the 16S rRNA sequence-based phylogenetic analysis assigned strain HK-3 to a Pseudoalteromonas species, designated as Pseudoalteromonas sp. HK-3 which was registered in GenBank as [FJ477041].

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.230-237
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• 2004

In this study nitroreductase from Pseudomonas sp. HK-6 capable of degrading 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) was characterized. Through a series of purification process including ammonium sulfate precipitation, DEAE-sepharose, and Q-sepharose, three different fractions I, II, and III having the enzyme activity of NTRs whose molecular weights were approximately 27 kDa were detected in fractions from HK-6 cells. Specific activity of the three fractions were approximately 4.85 unit/mg, 5.47 unit/mg, and 5.01 unit/mg, and concentrated to 9.0-, 10.1-, and 9.3-fold compared to crude extract, respectively. The optimal pH and temperature for the three NTR fractions were approximately 7.5 and $30^{\circ}C$, respectively. Metal ions, $Ag^{＋}$ , $Cu^{ 2+}$, $Hg^{2＋}$ inhibited approximately 70% of enzymes activities of all NTR, while $Fe^{2＋}$ did not stimulate or inhibit the activities. Monitoring the effect of chemicals on the enzyme activity revealed that those NTR fractions lost enzyme activity in presence of $\beta$-mercaptoethanol, but were a little influenced by dithiothreitol, EDTA and NaCl. The three NTR fractions demonstrated enzyme activities for nitrobenzene and RDX as well as TNT.