Athyrium acutipinnulum, called as Ulleungdo ladyfern (Seom-go-sa-ri), is a native plant of South Korea. A. acutipinnulum has been consumed as foods and also traditionally used for the treatment of epilepsy, gonorrhea and nerve disorder. The methanolic extract and EtOAc soluble fraction of A. acutipinnulum showed the antioxidant activity. Fractionation using various chromatographic techniques resulted in the isolation of 13 compounds. The structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic methods as seven phenolic compounds, methyl 2-hydroxy-3-phenylpropanoate (1), protocatechualdehyde (2), caffeic acid (3), trans-p-coumaric acid (4), (-)-4-E-caffeoyl-L-threonic acid (5), 5-O-caffeoyl shikimic acid (6) and 5-O-caffeoyl quinic acid (7), three flavonoids, quercetin 3-O-β-glucoside (8), naringenin-7-O-β-glucoside (9) and sutchenoside A (10), two steroids, ponasterone A (11) and ecdysone (12) and a coumarin, esculetin (13). Among them, compounds 5 and 10 were first reported from Athyrium spp and compounds 2, 5, 6 and 7 showed the antioxidant activity.

Clerodendrum trichotomum has been widely used as a traditional medicine for the treatment of numerous diseases, including pain management. However, there have been extremely limited pharmacological and phytochemical studies on Clerodendrum trichotomum up to now. In this study, we investigated the effects of the methanolic extract of Clerodendrum trichotomum (MCT) on nociceptive pain in mice. Our finding demonstrate that MCT treatment significantly extended the latency time in both the tail-immersion test and hot-plate test. Additionally, MCT treatment reduced acetic acid-induced writhing motions. These results suggest that MCT possesses strong anti-nociceptive activities against thermal and chemical nociception. In the formalin test, mice fed with MCT exhibited reduced licking time during both the early and late phases, thereby confirming the therapeutic potential of MCT in central and peripheral nociception. Furthermore, in combination tests using naloxone, the MCT-mediated anti-nociception was slightly reduced, indicating that MCT might act as a partial opioid receptor agonist. Based on these results, MCT may be a valuable candidate for the development of anti-nociceptive agents.

Ethyl acetate (EA) soluble fraction of the Berberis amurensis (Berberidaceae) methanol extract showed the potent DPPH radical scavenging activity through Caenorhabditis elegans model system. The EA fraction was measured for the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, and oxidative stress tolerance by using C. elegans along with reactive oxygen species (ROS) level. In addition, SOD-3 expression was conducted using a transgenic strain (CF1553) to confirm that the regulation of the stress response gene is responsible for the increased stress tolerance of C. elegans treated by the EA fraction. As a result, the EA soluble fraction of B. amurensis increased SOD and catalase activity, and decreased ROS accumulation in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, the EA fraction-treated CF1553 worm showed higher SOD-3::GFP intensity than the control worm.

MRSA is Staphylococcus aureus resistant to β-lactam antibiotics, and is a worldwide infectious disease. Even with the discovery of new antibiotics, resistance develops rapidly, so new alternatives are needed. Jakyakgamcho-tang (JGT) is a combination of Jakyak and Gamcho, and has been mainly used as an antispasmodic and analgesic in oriental medicine. This study was conducted to find out whether there is an effect on MRSA in relation to the anti-inflammatory effect of JGT and the antibacterial effect of Jakyak and Gamcho found in previous studies. In this study, in order to investigate the antibacterial activity of JGT and the combined effect of existing antibiotics, after extracting JGT with 70% EtoH, the disc diffusion method, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), drug combination effect (FICI), and time-kill analysis (Time-kill assay), metabolic inhibition, Western blot and qRT-PCR analysis were used to confirm the antibacterial activity mechanism of MRSA of JGT. As a result of the experiment, all of MRSA showed antibacterial activity in JGT's disc diffusion method, and the MIC was 250-1000 ㎍/mL. When existing antibiotics and JGT were combined with drugs, most had synergy or partial synergy. In addition, it was confirmed that the degree of bacterial growth was suppressed over time when simultaneous administration for 24 hours. JGT showed a synergistic effect when administered together with the ATPase-inhibitor DCCD, suggesting that it affected the inhibition of ATPase. As a result of observing the expression of PBP2a, and hla protein in the JGT-treated group and the untreated control group through wstern blot, it was confirmed that the protein expression of the JGT-treated group was significantly suppressed, and the expression levels of mecA, mecR1 and hla genes were also suppressed during JGT treatment. was observed by qRT-PCR. Combining the results of the experiment, it can be seen that JGT has antibacterial activity in MRSA, and when combined with existing antibiotics, the effect was increased compared to treatment with the drug alone. This suggests that JGT can be an alternative to treatment for antibiotic resistance of MRSA.

Rancidity changes were examined for 6 herbal medicines, namely Persicae Semen, Armeniacae Semen, Lini Semen, Trichosanthis Semen, Arecae Semen, Myristicae Semen known to have relatively high fat content. In order to reduce rancidity of herbal medicines, samples were stored at 3 different conditions of room, refrigerating and freezing temperatures, and the rancidity was measured for 10 months with every 2 month interval. Fat content was extracted by using ethyl ether, and acid values and peroxide values, which are generally accepted indicators of fat rancidity, were measured. When storing Persicae Semen, Lini Semen and Arecae Semen at room temperature, the acid values increased as the storage period increased, and it was higher than when stored in refrigeration or freezing. The measurement of peroxide value showed more significantly higher initial degree of rancidity when Persicae Semen, Trichosanthis Semen, Arecae Semen and Myristicae Semen were stored at room temperature. It was observed that storing herbal medicines in refrigeration or freezing inhibited their rancidity compared to storing them at room temperature. To investigate the quality changes according to rancidity, the analysis of aflatoxins and indicator components showed that aflatoxins B₁ and B₂ were detected in Armeniacae Semen, Arecae Semen and Myristicae Semen, and the amount of amygdalin was well maintained within the specification standard.