Essential oils are generally not only antibiotic and anticarcinogenic, 1,2) but also have a sedative effect on stress. It has been shown that these essential oils contain ketone, terpene, and phenolic ether for sedation.3) Although essential oils have been regarded as useful sedatives, 4) there is little information on the antimicrobial or antifungal activities of essential oils extracted from coniferous trees. Essential oils with antimicrobial properties from medicinal as well as other edible plants have been recognized since antiquity.2) In addition, essential oils are used as food flavoring agents, and have a broad spectrum of in vitro antimicrobial activities attributed to the high content of phenolic derivatives. 5) More recently, plant extracts have been developed and proposed for use in foods as natural antioxidants. 6) In the present study, we investigated the antimicrobial and antifungal activities of several essential oils extracted from the coniferous trees Pinus densiflora, Pinus koraiensis, and Chamaecyparis obtusa against bacteria and fungi that commonly cause foot rot and other diseases. The essential oils were quantified using gas chromatography (GC) and identified in gas chromatography-mass spectrometric (GC-MS) analysis. In addition, the antibacterial effects against grampositive and gram-negative bacteria and antifungal effects against fungi were assayed using essential oils distilled from the needles of coniferous trees. MATERIALS AND METHODS Essential Oil ExtractionThe needles of the Japanese red pine (P. densiflora), Korean pine (P. koraiensis), and Japanese cypress (C. obtusa) were collected at the Reforestation Experiment Site of Chungbu Forest Experiment Station, Gyeonggi province, Korea. The essential oil from freshly cut needles of each species was obtained by steam distillation using a manufactured apparatus with a condenser. Distillation continued for 2-3 h at 100°C, and the volatile compounds containing the water-soluble fraction were allowed to settle for 20 min. The essential oil layer was separated and finally purified through a microfiltering and dehydration process.Measurement of Refractive Index The refractive index of chemical compounds is considered important because it indicates characteristic physical properties. We determined the index of the oils using an Abbe refractometer equipped with a sodium lamp (Bausch & Lomb, GD8804, U.S.A.).Quantification and Identification Each essential oil compound was quantified using a gas chromatograph (GC, Shimadzu GC-14A, Japan) equipped with a Shimadzu CPB-20 capillary column (0.2 mm inner diameterϫ50 m length). First, the calibration curves for several standard essential oils were obtained, and the calibration equation of each compound was used for quantification. GC analysis was carried out using helium carrier gas with an FID detector, and the injection and detection temperatures were 150 and 200°C, respectively. The oven temperature was increased from 50 to 200°C at intervals of 2°C/min over 75 min. Some other essential oils were id...
Vitamin D maintains calcium homeostasis and is required for bone development and maintenance. Recent evidence has indicated an interrelationship between vitamin D and health beyond bone, including effects on cell proliferation and on the immune system. New developments in our lab related to the function and regulation of target proteins have provided novel insights into the mechanisms of vitamin D action. Studies in our lab have shown that the calcium-binding protein, calbindin, which has been reported to be a facilitator of calcium diffusion, also has an important role in protecting against apoptotic cell death in different tissues including protection against cytokine destruction of osteoblastic and pancreatic beta cells. These findings have important implications for the therapeutic intervention of many disorders including diabetes and osteoporosis. Recent studies in our laboratory of intestinal calcium absorption using calbindin-D(9k) null mutant mice as well as mice lacking the 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) (1,25(OH)(2)D(3)) inducible epithelial calcium channel, TRPV6, provide evidence for the first time of calbindin-D(9k) and TRPV6 independent regulation of active calcium absorption. Besides calbindin, the other major target of 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) in intestine and kidney is 25(OH)D(3) 24 hydroxylase (24(OH)ase), which is involved in the catabolism of 1,25(OH)(2)D(3). In our laboratory we have identified various factors that cooperate with the vitamin D receptor in regulating 24(OH)ase expression including C/EBP beta, SWI/SNF (complexes that remodel chromatin using the energy of ATP hydrolysis) and the methyltransferases, CARM1 and G9a. Evidence is also presented for C/EBP beta as a nuclear coupling factor that coordinates regulation of osteopontin by 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) and PTH. Our findings define novel mechanisms that may be of fundamental importance in understanding how 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) mediates its multiple biological effects.
This study was undertaken to compare the sensitivity of screening test methods and to investigate the structure-activity relationships of the estrogenic activity of alkylphenolic compounds (APs) using in vitro and in vivo assays. Two in vitro systems, MCF-7 cell proliferation (E-screen assay) and competitive binding assay to estrogen receptor (ER), were selected to evaluate the estrogenic effects. Uterotrophic assay and Calbindin-D9K (CaBP9K) mRNA expression were also examined in ovariectomized Sprague-Dawley female rats. A series of APs with various alkyl groups were examined, namely, 4-propylphenol, 4-butylphenol, 4-t-butylphenol, 4-pentylphenol, 4-nonylphenol, 4-octylphenol, 4-t-octylphenol, and 4-phenylphenol, and 17beta-estradiol (E2) was used as a positive control. In the E-screen assay, E2 was found to induce maximum proliferation of MCF-7 cells at 1 nM. Among the APs, 4-t-octylphenol and 4-nonylphenol were found to be considerably more potent than any other compound and estrogenic effects were detectable at 1 and 10 microM, respectively. 4-t-Octylphenol and 4-nonylphenol inhibited the binding of E2 to the ER of MCF-7 cells in a competitive ER binding assay. The uterotrophic effects to APs (10, 50, 200, and 400 mg/kg/d) were compared to E2 (1 microg/kg) in ovariectomized rats after treatment for 3 d. 4-Nonylphenol, 4-t-octylphenol, and 4-phenylphenol produced dose-dependent increases in the uterine weights of ovariectomized rats. In the CaBP-9K mRNA expression test, CaBP-9K mRNA levels were detected in the uteri of ovariectomized rats treated with 4-pentylphenol (400 mg/kg), 4-nonylphenol, 4-phenylphenol (200 and 400 mg/kg), and 4-t-octylphenol (50 mg/kg and above), respectively. In the dot blot assay, CaBP-9K mRNA levels were significantly increased in rats exposed to 4-t-octylphenol (200 and 400 mg/kg), 4-pentylphenol, 4-nonylphenol, and 4-phenylphenol (400 mg/kg), respectively. Among the APs, compounds with bulky alkyl groups or higher carbon numbers possessed higher estrogenic capacity. In addition, the pattern of CaBP-9K expression correlated with that of the 3-d uterotrophic assay. Therefore, our results suggest that the CaBP-9K gene might be used as a potential biomarker for the screening of endocrine disruptors.
Glucocorticoids (GCs) appear to downregulate active calcium-transporting genes in the duodenum, resulting in GC-induced calcium-absorbing disorder. In this study, we examined the effects of GCs on calcium-processing genes in the duodenum and kidney and the compensatory mechanism in calbindin-D9k (CaBP-9k) and calbindin-D28k (CaBP-28k) knockout (KO) mice. In the duodenum, we observed compensatory increases in transient receptor potential vanilloid 6 (TRPV6) mRNAs in both calbindin KO mice and CaBP-9k transcripts in CaBP-28k KO mice, and their expressions were decreased by addition of a synthetic GC, dexamethasone (Dex, 10 mg kg −1 ). In addition, the expression of plasma membrane calcium ATPase 1b (PMCA1b) underwent a compensatory increase in CaBP-9k KO mice, and was blocked by Dex, while the mRNA level of duodenal sodium-calcium exchanger 1 was not altered by KO status or Dex. The renal transcriptional levels of TRPV5 in CaBP-9k KO and CaBP-9k in CaBP-28k KO mice were upregulated in a compensatory manner, while the TRPV6 gene was downregulated following treatment with Dex in the kidney of CaBP-28k KO mice. The immunological location of these duodenal proteins as a primary target of Dex-involved regulation was not altered by Dex or KO status. To elucidate potential mechanism(s) of Dex-induced compensatory gene expression, the levels of GC receptor (GR), vitamin D receptor (VDR) and parathyroid hormone receptor (PTHR) mRNA was also measured in these tissues. Duodenal VDR transcripts were induced in a compensatory manner in both types of KO mice, and were decreased by Dex. In addition, serum corticosterone levels in both KO mice were lower than in wild-type mice. In conclusion, these results suggest that duodenal TRPV6 and CaBP-9k genes appear to be a primary target for GCinduced calcium-absorbing disorder, through direct regulation of duodenal VDR transcription.
Cyclosporine A (CsA) is a powerful immunosuppressive drug with side effects including the development of chronic nephrotoxicity. In this study, we investigated CsA treatment induced apoptotic and autophagic cell death in pituitary GH3 cells. CsA treatment (0.1 to 10 µM) decreased survival of GH3 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Cell viability decreased significantly with increasing CsA concentrations largely due to an increase in apoptosis, while cell death rates due to autophagy altered only slightly. Several molecular and morphological features correlated with cell death through these distinct pathways. At concentrations ranging from 1.0 to 10 µM, CsA induced a dose-dependent increase in expression of the autophagy markers LC3-I and LC3-II. Immunofluorescence staining revealed markedly increased levels of both LC3 and lysosomal-associated membrane protein 2 (Lamp2), indicating increases in autophagosomes. At the same CsA doses, apoptotic cell death was apparent as indicated by nuclear and DNA fragmentation and increased p53 expression. In apoptotic or autophagic cells, p-ERK levels were highest at 1.0 µM CsA compared to control or other doses. In contrast, Bax levels in both types of cell death were increased in a dose-dependent manner, while Bcl-2 levels showed dose-dependent augmentation in autophagy and were decreased in apoptosis. Manganese superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD) showed a similar dose-dependent reduction in cells undergoing apoptosis, while levels of the intracellular calcium ion exchange maker calbindin-D9k were decreased in apoptosis (1.0 to 5 µM CsA), but unchanged in autophagy. In conclusion, these results suggest that CsA induction of apoptotic or autophagic cell death in rat pituitary GH3 cells depends on the relative expression of factors and correlates with Bcl-2 and Mn-SOD levels.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.