This work includes the synthesis of 15 final compounds (6a-h and 7b-h) as prod rugs of 5-ASA in the form of the acid itself, esters and amides linked by an amide linkage through a spacer to the endocyclic ring N of nicotinamide. Also, 15 new intermediate compounds were prepared. The target compounds (6b, 6f, 7b, and 7e-h) revealed potent analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities in comparison to sulfasalazine and 5-ASA. In addition, ulcerogenicity, $LD_{50}$, in vivo and in vitro metabolism of compound 7f were determined.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of a series of $C_4$-modified acanthoic acid analogs are reported. Among them, the analog 7 and 10 exhibit potent cellular inhibitory activity in NO inhibition assay.

A number of thioflavones has been synthesized and evaluated for their iNOS inhibitory activities. Thiowogonin (6) was obtained from naturally occurring chrysin in 5 steps. Other thioflavones were prepared from the corresponding flavones in a single step by the reaction with Lawesson's reagent. The biological activities of thioflavones were not enhanced by the functional group conversion from carbonyl to thiocarbonyl. Compounds 11 and 13 showed potent. NO inhibitory activity at high concentration (40 uM), leading to the possible development of novel neuroprotective agents based on wogonin.

A new biflavonol glycoside named as solanoflavone (1) was isolated from aerial part of Solanum melongena. The chemical structure was elucidated as isorhamnetin-3-O-$\beta$-D-glucopyranoside-(4'$\to$O$\to$4"')-galangin-3"-O-$\to$-D-glucopyranoside on the basis of physicochemical and spectroscopic methods, including 2D NMR spectral techniques.

The intestinal microbiota are important to the host with regard to resistance they impart against bacterial infections and their involvement in mediating metabolic functions. Lactic acid producing bacteria such as Lactobacillus play an important physiological role in these matters. The aim of the present study was to isolate Lactobacillus sp. that inhibits enteric pathogens. Initially, 17 isolates from healthy Koreans were collected on Lactobacillus selective medium. Resistance of the isolates to antibiotics including rifampicin, streptomycin, clindamycin and vancomycin was measured. One of the isolate was identified as Lactobacillus ruminus on the basis of bacterial cell morphology, cultural characteristic and biochemical characteristics, 16S rRNA sequence analysis and PCR-RAPD. Antimicrobial activity of the bacterium against Vancomycin Intermediate Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VISA) and Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci (VRE) was measured. About $10^4$ cells of VISA or VRE were mixed with 1, 5, and 9 mL of L. ruminus SPM 0211 and the final volume was adjusted to 10 mL with brain heart infusion (BHI) broth. The cell suspension was incubated for 3, 6, 9, and 24 h, serially diluted and then plated on BHI agar plates. As numbers of L. ruminus SPM 0211 were increased, viable cell count of VISA and VRE decreased. The strongest antimicrobial activity of SPM 0211 was observed after 9 h incubation in any mixture, almost completely inhibiting the growth of these two bacteria. The results suggest that the freshly isolated L. ruminus SPM 0211 may be used as a pro-biotic microbe that prevents the colonization of enteric pathogens and can thereby promote good gastrointestinal health.

The leaves of Persimmon (Diospyros kaki L.) has long been used for tea in Korea since it was thought to be effective against hypertension. An anticoagulant fraction was purified through gel filtration G-100, hydrophobic, gel filtration G-150, and FPLC, Phenyl superpose column chromatographies. The purified fraction was homogenous and its Mr was estimated 10,000 Da by gel filtration and SDS-PAGE. The purified fraction was sensitive to treatment of subtilisin B, but not to heat and its activity was not changed after periodate oxidation, indicating that the activity was not due to carbohydrates. It delayed thrombin time (TT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), and prothrombin time (PT) using human plasma. TT was more sensitive than APTT and PT, suggesting that the anticoagulant activity may be caused by a degradation or a defect of fibrin or thrombin. It did not cause the hydrolysis of fibrin after incubation. However, it inhibited thrombin-catalyzed fibrin formation with a competitive inhibition pattern. These results indicate that it may be an antithrombotic agent and that it is bound to fibrinogen binding sites of thrombin.

Eight furoquinoline alkaloids were purified from two plants belonging to the Rutaceae family. Kokusaginine. skimmianine, evolitrine, and confusameline were purified from Melicope confusa, and haplopine, robustine, dictamine, and $\gamma$-fagarine from Dictamnus albus. In this study, the eight furoquinoline alkaloids were examined for inhibitory potency against human phos-phodiesterase 5 (hPDE5A) in vitro. DNA encoding the catalytic domain of human PDE5A was amplified from the mRNA of T24 cells by RT-PCR and was fused to GST in an expression vector. GST-tagged PDE5A was then purified by glutathione affinity chromatography and used in inhibition assays. Of the eight alkaloids, $\gamma$-fagarine was the most potent inhibitor of PDE5A, and its single methoxy group at the C-8 position was shown to be critical for inhibitory activity. These results clearly illustrate the relationship between PDE5A inhibition and the methoxy group position in furoquinoline alkaloids.

Ginseng, the root of Panax ginseng CA Meyer, is well known as a tonic medicine for restoring and enhancing human health. In traditional medicine, ginseng is utilized for the alleviation of emesis, which includes nausea and vomiting. However, it has not yet been demonstrated whether ginseng exhibits in vivo anti-nausea and anti-vomiting properties. In this study, we examined the anti-emetic effect of Korean red ginseng total extract (KRGE) on cisplatin-induced nausea and vomiting using ferrets. Intraperitoneal administration (i.p.) of cisplatin (7.5 mg/kg) induced both nausea and vomiting with one-hour latency. The episodes of nausea and vomiting reached a peak after 1.5 h and persisted for 3 h. Treatment with KRGE via oral route significantly reduced the cisplatin-induced nausea and vomiting in a dose-dependent manner. The anti-emetic effect was 12.7 $\pm$ 8.6, 31.8 $\pm$ 6.9, and 67.6 $\pm$ 4.0$\%$ with doses of 0.3, 1.0, and 3.0 g/kg of KRGE, respectively. Pretreatment with KRGE via oral route 1 and 2 h before cisplatin administration also significantly attenuated the cisplatin-induced nausea and vomiting. However this did not occur with a pretreatment 4 h before cisplatin administration. These results are supportive of KRGE being utilized as an anti-emetic agent against nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy (i.e. cisplatin).

We recently reported that the ginseng saponin metabolite, compound K (20-O-$\beta$-D-glucopyra-nosyl-20(S)-protopanaxadiol, IH901), inhibits the growth of U937 cells through caspase-dependent apoptosis pathway. In this study, we further characterized the effects of compound K on U937 cells and found that, in addition to apoptosis, compound K induced the arrest of the G1 phase. The compound K treated U937 cells showed increased p21 expression; an inhibitory protein of cyclincdk complex. The up-regulation of p21 was followed by the inactivation of cyclin D and the cdk4 protein, which act at the early $G_1$ phase, and cyclin E, which acts at the late $G_1$ phase. Furthermore, compound K induced the activation of JNK and the transcription factor AP-1, which is a downstream target of JNK. These findings suggest that the up-regulation of p21 and activation of JNK in the compound K treated cells contribute to the arrest of the $G_1$ phase.

Phlorotannins, the polyphonic compounds found in brown Eisenia and Ecklonia algae, have several pharmacologically beneficial effects such as anti-inflammation. In addition, our recent data show that these compounds may improve the cognitive functions of aged humans suggesting the potential ability to enhance memory in several neurodegenerative disorders. To examine the experimental hypothesis that two effective components of Ecklonia cava, dieckol and phlorofucofuroeckol (PFF), have memory-enhancing abilities, both were administered orally to mice before a passive avoidance test. The repeated administration of either dieckol or PFF dose-dependently reduced the inhibition of latency by the administration of ethanol. To investigate the mode of memory-enhancing actions, the levels of major central neurotransmitters in three different regions (striatum, hippocampus, and frontal cortex) of the mouse brain were measured. The levels of some of the neurotransmitters were significantly changed by ethanol. Both dieckol and PFF altered the levels of some neurotransmitters modified by the ethanol treatment. It is noteworthy that both dieckol and PFF increased the level of acetylcho-line, and they exerted anticholinesterase activities. Overall, the memory-enhancing abilities of dieckol and PFF may result from, at least in part, the increment of the brain level of acetylcho-line by inhibiting acetylcholinesterase.

The present study was designed to investigate the effect of naloxone, a well known opioid antagonist, on the secretion of catecholamines (CA) evoked by cholinergic stimulation and membrane-depolarization in the isolated perfused rat adrenal glands, and to establish its mechanism of action. Naloxone ($10^{-6}\~10^{-5}$ M), perfused into an adrenal vein for 60 min, produced dose- and time-dependent inhibition of CA secretory responses evoked by ACh ($5.32\times10^{-3}$ M), high K+ ($5.6\times10^{-2}$ M), DMPP ($10^{-4}$ M) and McN-A-343 ($10^{-4}$ M). Naloxone itself also failed to affect the basal CA output. In adrenal glands loaded with naloxone ($3\times10^{-6}$ M), the CA secretory responses evoked by Bay-K-8644, an activator of L-type $Ca^{2+}$ channels, and cyclopiazonic acid, an inhibitor of cytoplasmic $Ca^{2+}$-ATPase, were also inhibited. In the presence of met-enkephalin ($5\times10^{-6}$ M), a well known opioid agonist, the CA secretory responses evoked by ACh, high $K^+$, DMPP, McN-A-343, Bay-K-8644 and cyclopiazonic acid were also significantly inhibited. Taken together, these results suggest that naloxone greatly inhibits the CA secretion evoked by stimulation of cholinergic (both nicotinic and muscarinic) receptors as well as that by membrane depolarization. It seems that these inhibitory effects of naloxone does not involve opioid receptors, but might be mediated by blocking both the calcium influx into the rat adrenal medullary chromaffin cells and the uptake of $Ca^{2+}$ into the cytoplasmic calcium store, which are at least partly relevant to the direct interaction with the nicotinic receptor itself.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of atropine on peripheral vasodilation and the mechanisms involved. The isometric tension of rat mesenteric artery rings was recorded in vitro on a myograph. The results showed that atropine, at concentrations greater than 1$\mu$M, relaxed the noradrenalin (NA)-precontracted rat mesenteric artery in a concentration-dependent manner. Atropine-induced vasodilatation was mediated, in part, by an endothelium-dependent mechanism, to which endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor may contribute. Atropine was able to shift the NA-induced concentration-response curve to the right, in a non-parallel manner, suggesting the mechanism of atropine was not mediated via the ${\alpha}_1$-adrenoreceptor. The $\beta$-adrenoreceptor and ATP sensitive potassium channel, a voltage dependent calcium channel, were not involved in the vasodilatation. However, atropine inhibited the contraction derived from NA and $CaCl_2$ in $Ca^{2+}$-free medium, in a concentration dependent manner, indicating the vasodilatation was related to the inhibition of extracellular $Ca^{2+}$ influx through the receptor-operated calcium channels and intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ release from the $Ca^{2+}$ store. Atropine had no effect on the caffeine-induced contraction in the artery segments, indicating the inhibition of intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ release as a result of atropine most likely occurs via the IP3 pathway rather than the ryanodine receptors. Our results suggest that atropine-induced vasodilatation is mainly from artery smooth muscle cells due to inhibition of the receptor-mediated $Ca^{2+}$-influx and $Ca^{2+}$-release, and partly from the endothelium mediated by EDHF.

Fluoxetine is an anorexic agent known to reduce food intake and weight gain. However, the molecular mechanism by which fluoxetine induces anorexia has not been well-established. We examined mRNA expression levels of neuropeptide Y (NPY) and proopiomelanocortin (POMC) in the brain regions of rats using RT-PCR and in situ hybridization techniques after 2 weeks of administering fluoxetine daily. Fluoxetine persistently suppressed food intake and weight gain during the experimental period. The pair-fed group confirmed that the reduction in body weight in the fluoxetine treated rats resulted primarily from decreased food intake. RT-PCR analyses showed that mRNA expression levels of both NPY and POMC were markedly reduced by fluoxetine treatment in all parts of the brain examined, including the hypothalamus. POMC mRNA in situ signals were significantly decreased, NPY levels tended to increase in the arcuate nucleus (ARC) of fluoxetine treated rats (compared to the vehicle controls). In the pair-fed group, NPY mRNA levels did not change, but the POMC levels decreased (compared with the vehicle controls). These results reveal that the chronic administration of fluoxetine decreases expression levels in both NPY and POMC in the brain, and suggests that fluoxetine-induced anorexia may not be mediated by changes in the ARC expression of either NPY or POMC. It is possible that a fluoxetine raised level of 5-HT play an inhibitory role in the orectic action caused by a reduced expression of ARC POMC ($\alpha$-MSH).

With the aim to improve the specificity and to reduce the cytotoxicity of polyethylenimine (PEI), we have synthesized the conjugates of the branched PEI (25 kDa) with transferrin. The trans-ferrin-PEI (TP) conjugates with five compositions were synthesized using periodate oxidation method and confirmed by FT-IR spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatography. The free amine contents of TP conjugates, which were able to condense and deliver DNA, increased as the amount of PEI increased. TP/DNA polyplexes were characterized by measuring gel elec-trophoresis, ethidium bromide fluorescence quenching, particle size and zeta potential of complexes. Complete complexation of the polyplexes was observed above the N/P ratio of 5 in TP/DNA, and above 3 in PEI/DNA, respectively. The zeta potential of the complexes decreased as the amount of transferrin in TP conjugates increased. Transfection efficiency of TP conjugates was evaluated in HeLa cell and Jurkat cell systems. Among the five compositions of TP conjugates, TP-2 system mediated a higher $\beta$-galactosidase gene expression than PEI system in Jurkat cell which was known to express elevated numbers of transferrin receptors. From the results of the cell viability based on MTT assay, TP conjugates showed lower cytotoxicity com-pared with the PEI system. We expect that the TP conjugate can be used efficiently as a non-viral gene delivery vector.

Nine polymorphic modifications of doxazosin mesylate have been obtained by recrystallization in organic solvents under variable conditions. Different polymorphs of doxazosin mesylate were characterized by powder X-ray crystallography diffractometry (PXRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermogravimetric analysis (TG). Transformation of Form 1 and Form 2 was not occurred in three relative humidities ($0\%$, $51\%$, and $99\%$) at 20$\pm$0.5 for 30 days.

Xyloglucan (XG), which exhibits thermal sol to gel transition, non-toxicity, and low gelation concentration, is of interest in the development of sustained release carriers for drug delivery. Drug-loaded XG beads were prepared by extruding dropwise a dispersion of indomethacin in aqueous XG solution (2 wt.-$\%$) through a syringe into corn oil. Enteric coating of XG bead was performed using Eudragit L 100 to improve the stability of XG bead in gastrointestinal (GI) track and to achieve gastroresistant drug release. Release behavior of indomethacin from XG beads in vitro was investigated as a function of loading content of drug, pH of release medium, and concentration of coating agent. Adhesive force of XG was also measured using the tensile test. Uniform-sized spherical beads with particle diameters ranging from 692 $\pm$ 30 to 819 $\pm$ 50 $\mu$m were obtained. The effect of drug content on the release of indomethacin from XG beads depended on the medium pH. Release of indomethacin from XG beads was retarded by coating with Eudragit and increased rapidly with the change in medium pH from 1.2 to 7.4. Adhesive force of XG was stronger than that of Carbopol 943 P, a well-known commercial mucoadhesive polymer, in wet state. Results indicate the enteric-coated XG beads may be suitable as a carrier for oral drug delivery of irritant drug in the stomach.