{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,26]],"date-time":"2026-09-26T02:45:15Z","timestamp":1790390715933,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":40,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,8]],"date-time":"2026-03-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1772928000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100003624","name":"Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100003624","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJMS"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Fermented soybean-based foods contain diverse bioactive compounds with recognized health benefits. Among them, doenjang is widely consumed in East Asia and has been associated with protective effects against several disorders, including immunosuppression. This study evaluated the immunoenhancing effects of doenjang sourced from four regions of Korea in cyclophosphamide (CP)-induced immunosuppressed rats. Four-week doenjang administration restored spleen weight and improved hematological parameters, including white blood cell, lymphocyte, neutrophil, and monocyte counts. Additionally, doenjang intake enhanced immune function, as evidenced by increased splenic natural killer cell activity, increased splenocyte proliferation under lipopolysaccharide- and concanavalin A-stimulated conditions, and higher levels of interleukin (IL)-2, IL-12, interferon-\u03b3, and immunoglobulin G. Furthermore, the suppressed phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases\/nuclear factor kappa B signaling was recovered, accompanied by improved splenic structure. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that the regional varieties of doenjang effectively mitigate CP-induced immune dysfunction, indicating their potential as functional dietary interventions.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms27052492","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,9]],"date-time":"2026-03-09T10:16:12Z","timestamp":1773051372000},"page":"2492","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Traditional Korean Doenjang Restores Splenic and NK Cell Function in Cyclophosphamide-Induced Immunosuppressed Rats"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"27","author":[{"given":"Hak Yong","family":"Lee","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"INVIVO Co., Ltd., 121, Daehak-ro, Nonsan 32992, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Young Mi","family":"Park","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"INVIVO Co., Ltd., 121, Daehak-ro, Nonsan 32992, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dong Yeop","family":"Shin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"INVIVO Co., Ltd., 121, Daehak-ro, Nonsan 32992, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hai Min","family":"Hwang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"INVIVO Co., Ltd., 121, Daehak-ro, Nonsan 32992, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sung Hak","family":"Chun","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"INVIVO Co., Ltd., 121, Daehak-ro, Nonsan 32992, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sang Jin","family":"Lim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"INVIVO Co., Ltd., 121, Daehak-ro, Nonsan 32992, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7061-0782","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hee-Jong","family":"Yang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Microbial Institute for Fermentation Industry (MIFI), Sunchang-gun 56048, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Gwang Su","family":"Ha","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Microbial Institute for Fermentation Industry (MIFI), Sunchang-gun 56048, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5164-4995","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Myeong Seon","family":"Ryu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Microbial Institute for Fermentation Industry (MIFI), Sunchang-gun 56048, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ji Won","family":"Seo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Microbial Institute for Fermentation Industry (MIFI), Sunchang-gun 56048, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Do-Youn","family":"Jeong","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Microbial Institute for Fermentation Industry (MIFI), Sunchang-gun 56048, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6650-2340","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jun Sang","family":"Bae","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pathology, College of Korean Medicine, Wonkwang University, Iksan 54538, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4764-7640","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jae Gon","family":"Kim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"INVIVO Co., Ltd., 121, Daehak-ro, Nonsan 32992, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e70080","DOI":"10.1111\/1541-4337.70080","article-title":"Fermented soy products: A review of bioactives for health from fermentation to functionality","volume":"24","author":"Harahap","year":"2025","journal-title":"Compr. 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