PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE) on the proliferation of cultured human Tenon capsule fibroblasts (HTCF). METHODS: Free radical scavenging activity of GBE was assessed with a DPPH assay. Primarily cultured HTCF were exposed to 10 and 100 microgram/ml of GBE, and the effect of this extract on HTCF survival was assessed. Following 48 hr exposure to the media with or without serum, cellular survival and nitrite production were assessed by MTT and Griess assays. To evaluate whether GBE had a cytoproptective effect, HTCF were cultured in a combination of GBE and either sodium cyanide or hydrogen peroxide. RESULTS: GBE showed free radical scavenging activity. GBE increased the cellular survival of HTCF significantly in a dose-dependent manner and provided a cytoprotective effect when cells were exposed to sodium cyanide or were deprived of serum, but not when hydrogen peroxide was added to the medium. GBE decreased nitric oxide production but not to a statistically degree. CONCLUSIONS: GBE promotes proliferation of HTCF and has a cytoprotective effect in serum-deprived or hypoxic conditions. This suggests that GBE may be involved in the regulation of conjunctival wound healing by increasing the survival of HTCF.
Fibroblasts* ; Ginkgo biloba* ; Humans* ; Hydrogen Peroxide ; Nitric Oxide ; Sodium Cyanide ; Tenon Capsule* ; Wound Healing

PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE, EGb-761) on the survival of cultured human trabecular meshwork cells (HTMC). METHODS: Free radical scavenging activity of GBE was assessed with a DPPH assay. Primarily cultured HTMC were exposed to 10 and 100 microgram/ml of GBE. 0.3 mM sodium cyanide and 100 micrometer hydrogen peroxide were added to the culture medium with GBE for 48 hr. Cellular survival and nitrite production were assessed by MTT assay and Griess assay, respectively. RESULTS: GBE showed free radical scavenging activity. GBE increased the cellular survival of HTMC significantly in a dose-dependent manner under hypoxia or serum-deprived condition, but not to hydrogen peroxide. GBE increased nitric oxide production but not to statistically significant levels. CONCLUSIONS: GBE promotes proliferation and has cytoprotective effects in the context of HTMC exposed to serum-deprived or hypoxic conditions. However oxidative stress induced by hydrogen peroxide did not have an effect on proliferation of HTMC. In addition these effects were not related to the production of nitric oxide.
Anoxia ; Ginkgo biloba* ; Humans* ; Hydrogen Peroxide ; Nitric Oxide ; Oxidative Stress ; Sodium Cyanide ; Trabecular Meshwork*

Cyanide poisoning is expected to be antagonized by the administration of oxygen, when it is administered in combination with the conventional cyanide antidote, sodium,thiosulfate. However, the antidotal efficacy and its exact mechanism of oxygen in cyanide poisoning is still a controversial one. To test the effect of oxygen on the antidotal action of thiosulfate ,in cyanide poisoning, author designed this study on the dose-mortality patterns for potassium cyanide in mice. Potency ratios derived from LDso values were compared in groups of mice treated with sodium thiosulfate alone and sodium thiosulfate with oxygen. These results indicated that oxygen enhances the anti-dotal effect of sodium thiosulfate, effectively. This fact demonstrates that oxygen is of importance in the treatment of cyanide poisoning.
Animals ; Mice ; Oxygen* ; Poisoning* ; Potassium Cyanide ; Sodium

This study was undertaken to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of ATP depletion-induced membrane transport dysfunction and cell death in renal proximal tubular cells. ATP depletion was induced by incubating cells with 2.5 mM potassium cyanide (KCN)/0.1 mM iodoacetic acid (IAA), and membrane transport function and cell viability were evaluated by measuring Na+-dependent phosphate uptake and trypan blue exclusion, respectively. ATP depletion resulted in a decrease in Na+-dependent phosphate uptake and cell viability in a time-dependent manner. ATP depletion inhibited Na+-dependent phosphate uptake in cells, when treated with 2 mM ouabain, a Na+ pump-specific inhibitor, suggesting that ATP depletion impairs membrane transport functional integrity. Alterations in Na+-dependent phosphate uptake and cell viability induced by ATP depletion were prevented by the hydrogen peroxide scavenger such as catalase and the hydroxyl radical scavengers (dimethylthiourea and thiourea), and amino acids (glycine and alanine). ATP depletion caused arachidonic acid release and increased mRNA levels of cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2). The ATP depletion-dependent arachidonic acid release was inhibited by cPLA2 specific inhibitor AACOCF3. ATP depletion-induced alterations in Na+-dependent phosphate uptake and cell viability were prevented by AACOCF3. Inhibition of Na+-dependent phosphate uptake by ATP depletion was prevented by antipain and leupetin, serine/cysteine protease inhibitors, whereas ATP depletion-induced cell death was not altered by these agents. These results indicate that ATP depletion-induced alterations in membrane transport function and cell viability are due to reactive oxygen species generation and cPLA2 activation in renal proximal tubular cells. In addition, the present data suggest that serine/cysteine proteases play an important role in membrane transport dysfunction, but not cell death, induced by ATP depletion.
Adenosine Triphosphate ; Amino Acids ; Antipain ; Arachidonic Acid ; Arachidonic Acids ; Catalase ; Cell Death ; Cell Survival ; Cytosol ; Diminazene ; Hydrogen Peroxide ; Hydroxyl Radical ; Iodoacetic Acid ; Membranes ; Ouabain ; Peptide Hydrolases ; Phospholipases A2 ; Potassium Cyanide ; Protease Inhibitors ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; RNA, Messenger ; Trypan Blue

The records of 255 cyanide poisoning deaths obtained from National Forensic Service (NFS) headquarters, located in Seoul of Korea, from 2005 to 2010 were retrospectively reviewed. The mean age was 41.88 +/- 13.09 and range was 6~80 years (unknown in seven cases). The number of deaths of males and females were 200 and 53, respectively (unknown in two cases). The largest number of cases occurred in people aged 40-49 years (81 cases, 31.8%), followed by the age groups 30~39 years (51 cases, 20%), 50~59 years (44 cases, 17.2%) and 20~29 years (43 cases, 16.9%). The total number of deaths among other age groups (below 10, 10~19, 60~69, 70~79, over 80 years and unknown) were 36, representing only 14.1%. Of all cyanide poisoning deaths, 97.3% were due to suicide, and 14.5% of the total number who died received medical treatment. The most frequent site for ingestion was the person's own residence (120 cases, 47.1%) and the route of administration was mainly oral (252, 98.8%). From the total of 255 cyanide poisoning cases, white powders were submitted for analysis in 92 cases. Potassium cyanide and sodium cyanide occupied 51 and 41 cases, respectively. This study showed that poisoning deaths due to cyanide are one of the continuously reported public health problems in Korea. Enforcement of regulations and safety education to prevent cyanide poisoning should be carried out by the government.
Aged ; Eating ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Potassium Cyanide ; Powders ; Public Health ; Retrospective Studies ; Social Control, Formal ; Sodium Cyanide ; Suicide

Amygdalin is known as vitamain B17, and it was called laetrile. Amygdalin is composed of two molecules of glucose, one molecule of benzaldehyde which induces an analgesic action, and one molecule of hydrocyanic acid which is an anti-neoplastic compound. Amygdalin had been used to treat cancers and relieve pain. In order to evaluate whether the analgesic action of amygdalin is related with descending pain control system, we performed patch clamp study. In the present study, the modulatory effects of amygdalin on glycine- and glutamate-induced ion currents in periaqueductal gray (PAG) neurons were investigated using the nystatin-perforated patch clamp method. Continuous application of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) on PAG neurons resulted in increased glycine-induced ion current, and in decreased glutamate-induced ion current. In contrast, continuous application of amygdalin with LPS resulted in decreased glycine-induced ion current increased by LPS, and increased glutamate- induced ion current decreased by LPS in concentration- and time-dependent fashion. These results demonstrate that amygdalin modulates neuronal activity of PAG by modulation of glycine and glutamate. Based on the present results, it can be suggested that amygdalin participates in the regulation of the descending pain control system in the level of PAG neurons. The present study demonstrated that activation of the descending pain control system is one of the possible analgesic mechanisms of amygdalin.
Amygdalin ; Animals ; Benzaldehydes ; Cyclooxygenase 2 ; Glucose ; Glutamic Acid ; Glycine ; Hydrogen Cyanide ; Lipopolysaccharides ; Neurons ; Periaqueductal Gray ; Rats

Enzymatic preparations obtained from young plants and cell cultures of capulin were screened for hydroxynitrile lyase activity. The three week old plants, grown under sterile conditions, were used to establish a solid cell culture. Crude preparations obtained from this plant material were evaluated for the transformation of benzaldehyde to the corresponding cyanohydrin (mandelonitrile). The results show that the crude material from roots, stalks, and leaves of young plants and calli of roots, stalks, internodes and petioles biocatalyzed the addition of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) to benzaldehyde with a modest to excellent enantioselectivity.
Acetonitriles ; metabolism ; Aldehyde-Lyases ; metabolism ; Benzaldehydes ; metabolism ; Biocatalysis ; Cells, Cultured ; Hydrogen Cyanide ; metabolism ; Nitriles ; metabolism ; Prunus ; cytology ; enzymology

In this study, bacterial strains were isolated from soils from 30 locations of Samcheok, Gangwon province. Of the isolated strains, seven showed potential plant growth promoting and antagonistic activities. Based on cultural and morphological characterization, and 16S rRNA gene sequencing, these strains were identified as Paenibacillus species. All seven strains produced ammonia, cellulase, hydrocyanic acid, indole-3-acetic acid, protease, phosphatase, and siderophores. They also inhibited the mycelial growth of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. radicis-lycopersici in vitro. The seven Paenibacillus strains enhanced a range of growth parameters in tomato plants under greenhouse conditions, in comparison with non-inoculated control plants. Notably, treatment of tomato plants with one identified strain, P. polymyxa SC09-21, resulted in 80.0% suppression of fusarium crown and root rot under greenhouse conditions. The plant growth promoting and antifungal activity of P. polymyxa SC09-21 identified in this study highlight its potential suitability as a bioinoculant.
Ammonia ; Cellulase ; Crowns* ; Fusarium* ; Gangwon-do ; Genes, rRNA ; Hydrogen Cyanide ; Lycopersicon esculentum* ; Paenibacillus* ; Plants ; Plasmodiophorida ; Siderophores ; Soil*

According to National Emergency Management Agency in Korea, numbers of death and injured in firefighters were 34 and 1,555 persons, respectively, between 2003 and 2007. Firefighting is a very dangerous and difficult work because of physical, chemical, and biological hazards. Firstly, physical hazards include burn induced by smoke and other combustion products, heat, noise, and ergonomic factors. Secondly, chemical hazards include chemical asphyxiants such as carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, and hydrogen sulfide, simple asphyxiants such as carbon dioxide, chemical irritants including as hydrogen chloride, and acrolein, and so on, and other carcinogens. Finally, biological hazards include infectious agents such as hepatitis, tuberculosis, and so forth. We expect this study to help management andpromotion of firefighters' health.
Acrolein ; Biological Factors ; Burns ; Carbon Dioxide ; Carbon Monoxide ; Carcinogens ; Emergencies ; Firefighters ; Fires ; Hepatitis ; Hot Temperature ; Humans ; Hydrochloric Acid ; Hydrogen Cyanide ; Hydrogen Sulfide ; Irritants ; Korea ; Noise ; Smoke ; Tuberculosis

Armeniacae semen (AS) has been considered a toxic herb in the Korean medicine as it contains hydrogen cyanide and amygdalin, especially in its endocarp. Therefore, prebrewed AS that is devoid of endocarp has been traditionally used. In the present study, amygdalin content of the prebrewed AS was significantly lower (2.73 +/- 0.32 microg/ml; p < 0.01) than the content in the extract that contained the endocarps (28.50 +/- 6.71 microg/ml); amygdalin content corresponded to 10% of the extract in the present study. Because of single oral dose toxicity of prebrewed AS according to the recommendation of Korea Food and Drug Administration Guidelines (2009-116, 2009), which was based on single oral dose toxicity study of prebrewed AS, mortality due to toxic principles was significantly reduced. In this study, 2,000 mg/kg of prebrewed AS led to death of 1 female rat and 1 male rat at the end of 2 hr of administration. Based on these results, the 50% lethal dose in both male and female rats was determined to be 9279.5 mg/kg. Seizure, loss of locomotion, and increases in respiration and heart rate were observed as prebrewed AS treatment-related toxicological signs; these signs were restrictedly manifested in the prebrewed AS (2,000 mg/kg)-treated rats. In addition, no changes were observed in body weight, organ weight, gross features, and histopathological parameters with 2,000 mg/kg of AS in both male and female rats. These findings serve as direct evidence that amygdalin in AS is the toxic principle, which can be reduced by the traditional prebrewing method involving the exclusion of endocarp.
Amygdalin ; Animals ; Body Weight ; Female ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Hydrogen Cyanide ; Korea ; Locomotion ; Male ; Organ Size ; Rats ; Respiration ; Seizures ; Semen ; United States Food and Drug Administration