The effect of MeOH extract of Cibotium barometz (or Cibaro) on nogo-A expression was studied by neurite cone collapse and neurite outgrowth assay. The degrees of mRNA expression of BDNF, GDNF, and Caspase-3 in nogo-A were also examined with SK-N-SH cell lines using RT-PCR and confocal microscopy methods. We have shown that Cibaro treatment inhibits nogo-A activation in SK-N-SH cell lines. It has been shown that Cibaro increases the expression rates of neurofilament and enhances neurite outgrowth in neuroblastoma cells as increasing the amount of Cibaro. It has been also shown that Cibaro increases the expression rates of BDNF, GDNF mRNA in neuroblastoma cells as increasing the amount of Cibaro. These results suggest that Cibaro induces neutrite outgrowth by nogo-A inactivation and is, therefore, crucial for the treatments against anaplastic disc and spinal neuronal anesthesia.

For the evaluation of anti-tumor activity of Korean Oldenlandia Herb (KOH) and Radix (KOR), our experiment was performed with methanol extracts of KOH and KOR. They did not shown any cytotoxicity against HT1080 cell lines. However, they effectively showed anti-metastatic activity through inhibition of the adhesion of HT1080 cells to gelatin, downregulated the expression of MMP2 and uPA and upregulated the expression of TIMP2. They also inhibited tube formation of HUVECs induced by bFGF. However, they did not affect DNA topoisomerase I activity. Simiarly, the T/Cs % in KOH and KOR treated mice were increased 134.9% and 171 %, respectively at 2500 mg/kg. These results suggest that KOH and KOR exert anti-tumor activity via anti-metastatic and anti-angiogenic activities. The further study for isolation of effective compounds and its exact mechanism and comparative study with Chinese Oldenlandia Herba will be required.

Seven compounds, euscaphic acid (1), nepehinol (2), ursolic acid (3), phytol (4), ${\beta}-amyrin$ (5), scopoletin (6), and rutin (7) were isolated from the aerial parts of Synurus excelsus which has been used as Korean traditional medicine to treat rheumatic arthritis and dysmenorrhea. Their structures were established by chemical and spectroscopic methods. All compounds were isolated for the first time from this plant.

This study was conducted to investigate the safety and efficacy of an oriental herbal composition, Kamihonghwatang(KH-19), for the reduction of the side effects of chemotherapeutic drug. KH-19 prevented the reduction of white blood cells including lymphocytes, monocytes and eosinophiles in C57BL/6 mice injected with fluorouracil, a commonly used anticancer drug. KH-19 also prevented the reduction of cell densities in bone marrow and spleen of fluorouracil-injected mice. To evaluate the safety of KH-19, single-dose toxicity test was conducted using SD rats. No dead animal was found and the minimum lethal dose of KH-19 was more than 5000 mg/kg.

Aconitum triphyllum Nakai, the Korean spontaneous perennial herb, is one of the most important materials of oriental drug Fu-zi(aconite) and has long been used as cardiotonic for arrhythmia, analgesic and antiinflammatory drug in oriental countries. Although the plant is widely used for the preparation of aconite, the composition and amount of the toxic aconitine type alkaloids have not studied so far. As the preliminary study for seasonal variation of major constituents in mother tuber and daughter tuber of the plant, the authors tried to elucidate phytochemical characteristics of $C_{19}-diterpenoid alkaloids by $^{13}C-NMR$ spectra and seasonal variation of the alkaloidal contents by high performance liquid chromatography.

A bioassay-guided fractionation of the whole extract of Viscum album var. coloratum Ohwi (Loranthaceae) led to the isolation of two triterpenoidal components; oleanolic acid (1) and ${\beta}-amyrin$ acetate (2), and a flavonoid, homoflavoyadorinin B (3) as well as large quantity of free fatty acid mixtures as active ingredients of the extract responsible for the antitumoral property. The EtOAc soluble fraction and BuOH soluble fraction of the extract demonstrated a significant inhibition on the proliferation of cultured human tumor cells such as A549 (non small cell lung), SK-OV-3 (ovary), SK-MEL-2 (melanoma), XF498 (central nerve system), and HCT-15 (colon) in vitro, whereas the remaining water soluble fraction exhibited a poor inhibition. The intensive phytochemical investigation of the EtOAc soluble fraction and BuOH soluble fraction of the extract indicated that the oleanolic acid (1) and large amounts of free fatty acid mixtures might be attributed to the in vitro antitumoral property of the whole extract of Viscum album var. coloratum.

One anthraquinone and four flavonoids were isolated from the extract of leaves and twigs of Rhamnus taquetii. By physicochemical and spectral methods, their structures were identified as physcion (1), keampferol (2), rhamnocitrin (3), quercetin (4), and 3-O-methyl quercetin (5).

The effects of the MeOH and water extracts from the marine algae Pelvetia siliquosa were evaluated on hyperlipidemic rats induced by cholesterol rich diet or poloxamer-407. The MeOH and water extracts, when administered orally for 3 consecutive days in hyperlipidemic rats induced by poloxamer-407 (1 ml of 30%), were found to cause a significant decrease in plasma cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations. Both extracts also showed a significant inhibition of serum total cholesterol and triglyceride level in rats treated with cholesterol rich diet. HDL-cholesterol, however, was increased significantly.

Water extracts from Thesium chinense Tunczaninov (TCTW) and Prunella vulgaris L. (PVW) were tested for aromatase and cyclooxygenase activities. TCTW and PVW were capable of suppressing aromatase in a human placenta microsomal assay. PVW was shown to be more effective than TCTW in the suppression of aromatase activity. TCTW significantly inhibited cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) activity at the concentration of 0.25 (p<0.05), 0.5 (p<0.01) and 2.5 mg/ml (p<0.005). PVW also inhibited COX-2 activity in a dose-dependent manner in a concentration range of $0.05{\sim}2.5\;mg/ml$. The expression of COX-2 was inhibitied by TCTW and PVW in western blot analysis. These results suggest that TCTW and PVW may have breast cancer chemopreventive potentials by inhibiting aromatase and cyclooxygenase activities.

The bioassay-guided fractionation of the MeOH extract of the flowers of Magnolia denudata led us to the isolation of six compounds identified as fargesin(1), kobusin(2), aschantin(3), magnolin(4), rel-[7s,8s,8's]-3,4,3',4'-tetra- methoxy-9,7'- dihydroxy-8,8',7.O.9'-lignan(5) and oplodiol(6), respectively. Among the isolated compounds, fargesin(1) showed most potent inhibitory effect on the melanin polymer biosynthesis in cultured B-16 mouse melanoma cell lines$(IC_{50},\;45.7\;{\mu}M)$.

Twenty two polyphenols containing ten gallotannins, seven ellagitannins, two phenylpropanoids and three stilbenes isolated from the higher plants were tested inhibitory effects on melanogenesis in cultured B-16 mouse melanoma cell lines. Among the tested samples, 1-desgalloyleugeniin exhibited the most potent inhibitory effect on melanogenesis in cultured cell lines.

The flavonoids are a very large and important group of polyphenolic natural products, which are united by their derivatization from the heterocycle, flavone. They are distributed in higher plants and occur widely in the fruits and vegetables that make up the human diet. They exhibit a wide range of biological properties, including antitumor, antiinflammatory, hepatoprotective, antimicrobial, insecticidal and estrogenic activities. They are also major components of many plant drugs and it is possible that they contribute to the curative properties. For the purpose of developing anticancer agent of natural origin, we have evaluated forty four kinds of naturally occurring flavonoids for the inhibitory activity upon the proliferation of cultured human tumor cells such as A549 (non small cell lung), SK-OV-3 (ovary), SK-MEL-2 (melanoma), XF498 (central nerve system) and HCT-15 (colon) in vitro.

In order to examine the anti-ohyul (anti-inflammatory) activity of rhubarb, we investigated the effects of stilbene derivatives obtained from rhizomes of Rheum undulatum on the carrageenan-induced hind paw edema in rats. Administration of stilbene aglycon (rhapontigenin) at doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg exhibited the anti- edema effect in dose dependent manner and stilbene glycosides $(rhaponticin,\;piceatannol-3'-O-{\beta}-D-glucopyranoside)$ at a dose of 100 mg/kg also showed inhibitory effect on the carrageenan-induced edema. These inhibitory effects may ascribed, at least in part, to the anti-ohyul activity of rhubarb.

The cricket has been used in East Asia as crude drugs for treating fever and hypertension, and is presently reared as a pharmaceutical insect in China and a food for animals. For the purpose of evaluating protective extracts against alcohol-induced toxicity, the extracts of the cricket (Gryllus bimaculatus) were examined in animal models acutely administered alcohol by the cricket in ICR-mice. Water and methanol extracts from the cricket, were found to cause a significant decrease (37%) in the blood ethanol concentration as well as enhancement of liver mitochondrial alcohol dehydogenase (ADH) and acetaldehyde dehydogenase (ALDH) activitieson on a single intraperitoneal administration in mice. Futhermore methanol extract was demonstrated to exhibit more potent enhancing activity on ethanol metabolism than water extract. These results suggest that water/alcohol extract of G. bimaculatus may be used as a food for reducing the toxicity of alcohol.