• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.312-318
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• 2016

Objectives: Bacterial resistant infections have become a global health challenge and threaten the society's health. Thus, an urgent need exists to find ways to combat resistant pathogens. One promising approach to overcoming bacterial resistance is the use of herbal products. Green tea catechins, the major green tea polyphenols, show antimicrobial activity against resistant pathogens. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of catechins, green tea extract, and methylxanthines in combination with gentamicin against standard and clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and the standard strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa). Methods: The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values of different agents against bacterial strains were determined. The interactions of green tea extract, epigallate catechin, epigallocatechin gallate, two types of methylxanthine, caffeine, and theophylline with gentamicin were studied in vitro by using a checkerboard method and calculating the fraction inhibitory concentration index (FICI). Results: The MICs of gentamicin against bacterial strains were in the range of $0.312-320{\mu}g/mL$. The MIC values of both types of catechins were $62.5-250{\mu}g/mL$. Green tea extract showed insufficient antibacterial activity when used alone. Methylxanthines had no intrinsic inhibitory activity against any of the bacterial strains tested. When green tea extract and catechins were combined with gentamicin, the MIC values of gentamicin against the standard strains and a clinical isolate were reduced, and synergistic activities were observed (FICI < 1). A combination of caffeine with gentamicin did not alter the MIC values of gentamicin. Conclusion: The results of the present study revealed that green tea extract and catechins potentiated the antimicrobial action of gentamicin against some clinical isolates of S. aureus and standard P. aeruginosa strains. Therefore, combinations of gentamicin with these natural compounds might be a promising approach to combat microbial resistance.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.7
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• pp.1147-1155
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• 2018

The degradation efficiency and catabolism pathways of the different methylxanthines (MXs) in isolated caffeine-tolerant strain Pseudomonas putida CT25 were comprehensively studied. The results showed that the degradation efficiency of various MXs varied with the number and position of the methyl groups on the molecule (i.e., xanthine > 7-methylxanthine ${\approx}$ theobromine > caffeine > theophylline > 1-methylxanthine). Multiple MX catabolism pathways coexisted in strain CT25, and a different pathway would be triggered by various MXs. Demethylation dominated in the degradation of N-7-methylated MXs (such as 7-methylxanthine, theobromine, and caffeine), where C-8 oxidation was the major pathway in the catabolism of 1-methylxanthine, whereas demethylation and C-8 oxidation are likely both involved in the degradation of theophylline. Enzymes responsible for MX degradation were located inside the cell. Both cell culture and cell-free enzyme assays revealed that N-1 demethylation might be a rate-limiting step for the catabolism of the MXs. Surprisingly, accumulation of uric acid was observed in a cell-free reaction system, which might be attributed to the lack of activity of uricase, a cytochrome c-coupled membrane integral enzyme.

• Journal of the korean veterinary medical association
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• v.37 no.11
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• pp.1027-1031
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• 2001

반려동물(Pets)들은 캔디(Candies), 케이크(Cakes), 쿠키(Cookies), 땅콩이 박힌 초코렛과자(Brownies), 빵재료(예 : 초코렛 칩스, 분말 코코아)와 카카오 원두 덮개(Cacao beans mulches)들을 포함, 광범위하고 다양한 초코렛과 코코아 제품들에 노출되어 질 수가 있다. 놀랄것도 없이, 반려동물들에서의 대부분의 사고발생적인 초코렛에의 노출들은 공휴일들 즉, 특히 발렌타이데이(Valentine's day), 부활절(Easter), 만성제전야제(핼로윈축제, Halloween) 및 성탄절에 발생한다. 카카오콩깍지 덮개(cocoa bean hull mulches)들은 많은 개들에게 매력적이고 그것들을 파헤쳐질때 섭취되어질 수가 있다. 이러한 개들의 무차별성 습관때문에 고양이보다 훨씬 더 영향을 끼치고 있는게 일반적이다. 초코렛속에 독성화합물들은 메칠크산틴(Methylxanthines)과 특히 디오브로민(Theobromine)과 카페인(Caffeine)이다.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.331-335
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• 1995

Asthma is a disease of the airways that is characterized by increased responsiveness of the tracheobronchial tree to a multiplicity of stimuli. A number of causes have been postulated for the increased airway reactivity of asthma is conservative as beta-adrenergic agonist, methylxanthines, glucocorticoids, anticholinergics and mast cell stabilizing agent. Stellate ganglion block for the treatment of bronchial asthma has its controversies. Stellate ganglion block was performed for the treatment of 3 patients with bronchial asthma. After stellate ganglion blocks, dyspnea, coughing and wheezing was markedly reduced. Lung function test improved with 1 st case. Two asthma cases were able to discontinue medication for asthma. No severe aggrevation of bronchial symptoms were noted after stellate ganglion blocks. It suggested that stellate ganglion block can be safely performed on bronchial asthmatic patients.

• BMB Reports
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.383-393
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• 2006

Little is known concerning the mechanisms responsible for the transplacental transfer of thiamine. So, the aim of this work was to characterize the placental uptake of thiamine from the maternal circulation, by determining the characteristics of $^3H$-thiamine uptake by a human trophoblast cell line (BeWo). Uptake of $^3H$-thiamine (50-100 nM) by BeWo cells was: 1) temperature-dependent and energy-independent; 2) pH-dependent (uptake increased as the extracellular medium pH decreased); 3) $Na^+$-dependent and $Cl^-$-independent; 4) not inhibited by the thiamine structural analogs amprolium, oxythiamine and thiamine pyrophosphate; 5) inhibited by the unrelated organic cations guanidine, N-methylnicotinamide, tetraethylammonium, clonidine and cimetidine; 6) inhibited by the organic cation serotonin, and by two selective inhibitors of the serotonin plasmalemmal transporter (hSERT), fluoxetine and desipramine. We conclude that $^3H$-thiamine uptake by BeWo cells seems to occur through a process distinct from thiamine transporter-1 (hThTr-1) and thiamine transporter-2 (hThTr-2). Rather, it seems to involve hSERT. Moreover, chronic (48 h) exposure of cells to caffeine ($1\;{\mu}M$) stimulated and chronic exposure to xanthohumol and iso-xanthohumol (1 and $0.1\;{\mu}M$, respectively) inhibited $^3H$-thiamine uptake, these effects being not mediated through modulation of the expression levels of either hThTr-1 or hSERT mRNA.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.419-424
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• 2015

The objective of this study was to investigate the physicochemical and antioxidant properties of a variety of commonly consumed commercial green tea. Green tea samples with the same commercial name produced at different regions were analyzed. High-grade tea samples showed higher values of lightness (L) and greenness (-a). Additionally, compared to other varieties of teas, high-grade tea samples showed higher levels of catechin, gallocatechin gallate (GCg), epicatechin gallate (ECg), theanine, and methylxanthines and a lower level of epigallocatechin (EGC). The antioxidant activity of green tea was also investigated using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS) radical assays. High-grade teas were observed to have higher antioxidant activities. The results of this study indicate that the catechin content, such as EGCg, GCg, and ECg levels, was found to positively influence the total antioxidant activity of green tea.

• Korean journal of food and cookery science
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• v.21 no.3 s.87
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• pp.346-353
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• 2005

CThis study used HPLC to analyze the contents of 7 kinds of catechins, 4 kinds of theaflavins, and 2 kinds of methylxanthines in the following 6 kinds of commercial Korean tea: 2 green, 2 black, 1 jasmine and loolong. The following ranges in the 13 tea components of the 6 samples by ethanol extract were evaluated in mg/g: (-)-epigallocatechin, 0(black tea and jasmine tea) to 14.19(green tea); (-)-catechin 0; (+)-epicatechin, 0.62(bran rice-green tea) to 2.91(black tea); (-)-epigallocatechin gallate, 4.59(black tea) to 43.96(jasmine tea); (-)-gallocatechin gallate, 0.58(black tea) to 5.80(jasmine tea); (-)-epicatechin gallate, 5.63(bran rice-ueen tea) to 48.06(jasmine tea): (-)-catechin gallate, 0.26(black tea): theaflavif 0 to 3.66(black tea): theaflavin-3-gallate, 0 to 6.94(black tea): theaflavin-3'-gallate, 0 to 4.01(black tea); theaflavin-3,3-digallte, 0 to 10.25(black tea); caffeine, 4.60(bran rice-peen tea) to 26.44(black tea); and theobromine, 0.10(bran rice-green tea) to 1.81(jasmine tea). The contents of all components were lower by water extract than by ethanol extract. Therefore, total catechin (100.55, 45.88 mg/g) and theobromine (1.81, 0.86 mg/g) contents in jasmine tea, and theaflavin content (24.88, 1.36 mg/g) in black tea by ethanol and water extract were the highest. Caffeine content was the highest in black tea(96.48 mg/g) for the ethanol extract, and in jasmine tea (12.38 mg/g) for the water extract.