본 연구는 저온, 상압, 긴 시간에 추출되는 더치 coffee grounds에 대하여 상대적으로 고온, 고압, 짧은 시간에 추출되는 에스프레소 coffee grounds와 비교하여 화장품 소재로서 가능성을 확인하는 것이다. 이를 위해서 본 저자들은 더치 coffee grounds의 에탄올 추출물을 사용하여 항산화, 주름개선, 항균효과에 대한 생물학적 활성 평가를 수행하였다. 총 폴리페놀 화합물 함량은 더치 coffee grounds 추출물의 경우 90.39 ± 0.04 mg/g로 64.96 ± 0.38 mg/g의 에스프레소 coffee grounds 추출물보다 더 높은 결과를 나타났으며, 참고로 기준물질인 원두 coffee beans 추출물은 113.63 ± 0.22 mg/g을 나타내었다. DPPH 라디칼 소거능 및 SOD 유사 활성능 결과에서 기준물질인 원두 coffee bean 추출물에 대하여, 더치 coffee grounds 추출물이 에스프레소 coffee grounds 추출물 보다 좋은 소거능이 제시되었 다. Elastase 활성 저해능을 측정 결과에서 원두 coffee bean 추출물을 기준으로, 더치 coffee grounds 추출물이 에스프레소 coffee grounds 추출물 보다 높은 저해능을 나타냈다. 또한 항균 활성 측정 결과에서는 더치 coffee grounds 추출물은 Escherichia coli, Bacillus, Propionibacterium acnes에서 항균 효과가 나타났으며 기준물질인 원두 coffee bean 추출물과 clear zone 크기의 차이가 거의 없었다. 상기 실험 결과로부터 더치 coffee grounds의 우수한 항산화, 주름개선, 항균효능을 확인하였으며 향후 천연 화장품 원료로 사용될 가능성을 확인하였다.

본 연구에서는 CyanoHABs를 제어하기 위해 주요 우점종인 Microcystis aeruginosa에 대한 항균 펩타이드의 살조 활성을 조사하고, 구조적 특이성을 바탕으로 새로운 M. aeruginosa 제어 펩타이드를 제작하였다. 본 실험에서 CAMA 유래 펩타이드 CMA1, CMA2와 Helicobacter pylori 유래 펩타이드 HPA3P, HPA3NT3는 처리 48시간 후 각각 67.3, 73.1, 76.7, 69.8%의 최대 살조 효율을 보였다. 또한, 신규 펩타이드 K160242~5는 처리 48시간 후 각각 64.0, 64.1, 66.4, 70.1%의 최대 살조 효율을 보였다. CA-MA 유래 펩타이드는 처리 24시간 이후 세포의 재성장이 관찰되었으므로 세포 표면과의 정전기 인력을 통해 세포를 응집하고 간접적으로 제어하는 것으로 조사되었다. 반면에, 양친매성 펩타이드는 세포의 재성장이 관찰되지 않았으므로 세포 응집과 더불어 세포 내 침투를 통해 직·간접적으로 세포를 제어하는 것으로 추정되었다. 또한, 펩타이드의 살조 기작 및 효율에는 구성 아미노산의 종류, 수, 구조 및 펩타이드의 분자량, 처리 농도 등이 복합적으로 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 그러나 펩타이드를 이용한 CyanoHABs의 제어 가능성을 제고하기 위해서는 정확한 기작과 관련 인자들의 확인 및 증명이 요구된다.

Poultry play an important role in meeting the protein demand through the supply of chicken meat and eggs, and antimicrobial-resistant bacteria can be transmitted from poultry to humans through the food chain. In this study, 716 E. coli isolates were collected from poultry industry in Korea during the period from 2016-2018. Among the cephalosporin antimicrobial, the rate of resistance to first-cephalosporins (cefazolin and cephalexin) was more than 18.0% but secondcephalosporins (cefoxitin and cefuroxime) and four-cephalosporins (cefepime) was less than 10.0%, without any differences based on the poultry. In quinolone antimicrobial, the rate of resistance to nalidixic acid was more than 46.0% in all poultry but ciprofloxacin was more than 44.0% in broiler farm and chicken meat and less than 18.0% in layer farm and egg. In addition, the rate of resistance to ampicillin and tetracycline was more than 30.0% without any differences in poultry, but the rate of resistance to amoxicillin - clavulanate, trimethoprim - sulfamethoxazole, imipenem and gentamicin was higher in broiler farm and chicken meat than in layer farm and egg. MDR was detected in 120 (60.6%), 113 (79.6%), 80 (37.0%), and 75 (46.9%) isolates from broiler farm, chicken meat, layer farm, and egg, respectively, with an overall prevalence of 54.2% (388/716).

Royal jelly (RJ) is a well-known functional and medicinal food for human health promotion. Major royal jelly proteins (MRJPs), which are the major protein components in RJ, exhibit antimicrobial activities. However, the identities of the MRJPs of RJ responsible for its antioxidant effects have remained unclear. Here, we report that honeybee (Apis cerana) MRJP 2 (AcMRJP2) acts as an antimicrobial and antioxidant agent in RJ. Using recombinant AcMRJP2, which was produced in baculovirus-infected insect cells, we established the antimicrobial and antioxidant roles of MRJP 2. AcMRJP2 bound to the surfaces of bacteria, fungi, and yeast, which then induced structural damage in the microbial cell walls and led to a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activities. AcMRJP2 protected mammalian and insect cells via the direct shielding of the cell against oxidative stress, which led to reduced levels of caspase-3 activity and oxidative stress-induced cell apoptosis, followed by increased cell viability. Moreover, AcMRJP2 exhibited DNA protection activity against reactive oxygen species (ROS). Our data indicate that AcMRJP2 could play a crucial role as an antimicrobial agent and antioxidant in RJ, suggesting that MRJP 2 is a component responsible for the antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of RJ.

Toll and IMD pathways play an important role in producing antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) through NF-κB in insects. The functions of IκB kinase (IKK) complex regulating the NF-κB signaling cascade have not yet been investigated in Tenebrio model. Here, we identified TmIKK-β (or TmIrd5) which contains 2,112 bp encoding 703 amino acid residues. Domain analysis shows that TmIKK-β contains one Serine/Threonine protein kinases catalytic domain. Developmental expression patterns indicate that TmIKK- β gene was highly expressed in early pupal (P1) and adult (A5) stages. Tissue specific profiles show that TmIKK-β was highly expressed in the integuments in last instar larvae, and fat body and hemocytes in 5 day-old adults. TmIKK-β1 transcripts were strongly induced at 3 and 12 h-post injection of E. coli, and 3 h-post injection of S. aureus or C. albicans in hemocytes. In gut, TmIKK-β transcripts were slightly induced by E. coli (at 6, 9 and 24 h) and C. albicans (at 24 h), while it was not induced by S. aureus challenge. Moreover, it was highly induced at 6 h-post injection of E. coli and then it was gradually decreased in the fat body. To understand the immunological role of TmIKK-β, gene specific RNAi and mortality assay was performed. Depletion of TmIKK-β mRNA leads to increase microbial susceptibility of larvae against E. coli, S. aureus and C. albicans. In addition, induction patterns of fourteen AMP genes in response to microbial challenge was tissue specifically investigated in TmIKK-β–silenced T. molitor larvae. The results suggest that expression of ten AMP genes out of fourteen genes were drastically decreased by TmIKK-β RNAi in fat body, suggesting that TmIKK-β plays an important role in antimicrobial innate immune responses.

It has been well known that IKK-β, -ε and –γ play a pivotal role in IMD pathway. In this study, TmIKK-ε was identified and their functions in countering pathogenic infections were investigated. We identified TmIKK-ε gene which including 2,196 bp nucleotides (encoding 731 amino acid residues). Domain analysis of TmIKK-ε indicates that there is one Serine/Threonine protein kinases catalytic domain. TmIKK-ε gene was highly expressed in 2 day-old pupal stage and the expression was gradually decreased until 1 day-old adults. Then the expression was slightly increased until 4 day-old adult stage. Tissue specific expression of TmIKK-ε mRNA was high in the gut, integuments and hemocytes in last instar larvae, and fat body, Malpighian tubules and testis in 5-daysold adult. In hemocytes, TmIKK-ε was drastically induced by E. coli injection after 3 h and by S. aureus at 3 and 12 h-post injection. In gut, expression level of TmIKK-ε was high at 6 h-post injection of microbial injection. Expression of TmIKK-ε in fat body was drastically induced by E. coli at 3 and 24 h-post injection while it was not significantly induced by S. aureus and C. albicans. To understand the immunological role of TmIKK-ε, gene specific RNAi and mortality assay were performed. TmIKK-ε RNAi caused increased larval mortality against E. coli, not S. aureus and C. albicans. Finally, to investigate the induction patterns of Tenebrio fourteen AMP genes in response TmIKK-ε RNAi, three microorganisms were treated into TmIKK-ε-silenced T. molitor larvae. Nine out of fourteen AMP genes were not induced by microbial challenge in TmIKK-β dsRNA-injected group. Taken together, our results indicate that TmIKK-ε may regulates nine antimicrobial peptide genes in response to microbial challenge in T. molitor fat body.

IKK-γ is an essential protein to form IKK complex which regulate NF-κB. We identified TmIKK-γ (or TmKenny) gene which has 1,521 bp of nucleotides encoding 506 amino acid residues. Domain analysis of TmIKK-γ shows that there are one NF-κB essential modulator (NEMO) domain and a leucine zipper domain. Expression of TmIKK-γ gene was gradually increased from egg to 2-day-old pupal stage, dramatically decreased until 7 day-old pupal stage, and then it was gradually increased. TmIKK-γ transcripts were highly expressed in fat body and hemocytes in late instar larvae and integuments, fat body and Malpighian tubules in 5 day-old adult. TmIKK-γ was drastically induced by E. coli after 3 h challenges and by S. aureus at 3 and 12 h-post injection in hemocytes. TmIKK-γ was not induced by C. albicans although it was significantly induced by E. coli (at 3, 6 and 24 h) and S. aureus (at 9 h) in gut. In fat body, expression of TmIKK-γ was drastically induced by E. coli at 3 and 24 h-post injection while it was not significantly induced by S. aureus and C. albicans. To understand the immunological role of TmIKK-γ, gene specific RNAi and mortality assay was performed. larval mortality against microbial challenge was dramatically increased by TmIKK-γ RNAi. Furthermore, we investigate the tissue specific induction patterns of fourteen AMP genes in response TmIKK-γ dsRNA-treatment. In fat body, ten AMP genes out of fourteen was not significantly induced by microbial challenge in TmIKK-γ dsRNA-treated group. Based on these results, TmIKK-γ might play an important role in antimicrobial innate immune responses in Tenebrio molitor.