Journal of Biotechnology & Biomaterials
Open Access

Abstract

For the innate immune defense, the surfaced mucoglycan and mucoprotein of the lower animal such as fish and amphibian are covered with skin mucus that acts as a mechanical and a biochemical barrier. Although several mucus sources have been isolated and studied for their biochemical and immunological functions, the precise acting mechanim(s) remains unknown yet. During the study on Japanese eel, Anguilla japonica , we have observed the anti-inflammatory activity of n-hexane extracts from the eel. In this study, it was additionally found the surfaced mucoglycan as a promising candidate to be usedfor an anti- inflammatory and anti-tumor therapy. Using leukemic cells, a blood or bone marrow cancer caused by unusual proliferation of white blood cells, pharmacological activity of the eel skin mucus on k562 human leukemia cells has been examined.The results show that the viability of K562 cells was decreased by the isolated eel skin mucus in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The released levels of cytosolic cytochrome c that is an intermediate in apoptosis were increased by the eel skin mucus. Furthermore, change in expression ratio of Bcl-2 and BAX proteins was observed after treatment of the eel skin mucus. It is evident that in saccharide level, exogeneously treated lactose residues blocked the mucus-mediated apoptosis, indicating that the lactose in the leukemia cells is counterpart of the mucus for interaction. Taken together, these results suggest that eel skin mucus could induce mitochondria-mediated apoptosis through membrane interactionwith the mucusin K562 cells.

Biography

Choong Hwan Kwak graduated from Food and Biotechnology Department, KyungSung University, Busan, Korea in 2010. He obtained his Master of Science from the Molecular and Cellular Glycobiology Lab, Department of Biological Science, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Korea in 2012 and presently PhD candidate at the same laboratory under supervisor Prof Cheorl-Ho Kim, Sungkyunkwan University. His research interests are Glycan structure and biosynthesis of glycoproteins, glycoconjugates and glycolipids and NeuGc synthesis by CMP-N-acetylneuraminic acid hydroxylase. He was recipient of Travelling award, 8th International Symposium on Glycosyltransferases (GlycoT2012, June 4-9), held in Hanover, Germany.