• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.85-92
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• 2008

Objectives : This study was performed to efficiently make Black Panax Ginseng (BPG) and evaluate its antitumor activity. Methods : Panax ginseng was steamed at $95^{\circ}C$ for 3 h, dried and steamed again at $115^{\circ}C$ for 6 h. The main ginsenosides of BPG were $Rg_{3}$, $Rk_{1}$ and $Rg_{5}$. Results : Among the saponins in BPG, the amount of ginsenoside $Rg_{3}$ was determined by HPLC method. The 11.48 mg of ginsenoside $Rg_{3}$ was obtained from lg of dried BPG. The crude saponin fraction (CSF) of BPG was tested in vitro for its cytotoxic activities against various human cancer cell lines, such as ACHN, NCI-H23, HCT-15 and PC-3. The CSF of BPG exhibited stronger cytotoxic activity than that of red Panax ginsneng. CSF of BPG exhibited good cytotoxic activities against ACFIN, HCT-15, and PC-3 cell lines with $IC_{50}$ values of 60.3-90.8 ${\mu}g$/ml. However, CSF of BPG did not show any cytotoxic activity against NCI-H23 cell line. Conclusions : BPG produced by new manufacturing is more effective than BPG produced by existing processing in anticancer activity. And new BPG has a possibility of investigation because of high contents of Rg3, Rk1 and Rg5 that have various phisological activities.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.303-311
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• 2017

This study was performed to evaluate the quality characteristics and the antioxidant activities of yanggeng added with the aged black chestnut inner shells (ACI). The levels of ACI addition to Yanggeng were 0%, 1%, 3%, or 5%. The moisture content and the reducing sugar contents of Yanggeng increased with the amount of ACI. The pH of Yanggeng with ACI decreased with the amount of ACI, but the acidity increased. Depending on the amount of ACI added, the lightness (L) and yellowness (b) values of Yanggeng with ACI decreased in the Hunter color system, and the redness (a) value increased. Textural properties by TPA showed that hardness, springiness and chewiness decreased as increase in the amount of ACI added. Total phenol content in the Yanggeng added with ACI increased with the amount of ACI added. Increasing amount of ACI addition enhanced antioxidant activities of Yanggeng, as evidenced by DPPH radical scavenging activity and hydroxyl radical scavenging activity assays. In the preference test, Yanggeng added with 3% ACI showed the highest overall preference and texture. Based on these results, when 3% ACI was added to Yanggeng the quality characteristics, antioxidant property and sensory properties were excellent.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.718-723
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• 2002

CKD-602 (7-[2-(N-isopropylamino)ethyl]-(20S)-camptothecin) is a recently-developed synthetic camptothecin analogue and currently under clinical development by Chong Kun Dang Pharm (Seoul, Korea). CKD-602 showed potent topoisomerase inhibitory activity in vitro and broad antitumor activity against various human tumor cells in vitro and in vivo in animal models. This study describes the pharmacodynamics of the immediate and delayed cytotoxicity induced by CKD-602 in a human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line, HT-29, and its intracellular drug accumulation by HPLC. The present study was designed to address whether the higher activity of CKD-602 with prolonged exposure is due to delayed exhibition of cytotoxicity and/or an accumulation of anti proliferative effect on continuous drug exposure. The drug uptake study was performed to determine whether the delayed cytotoxicity is due to a slow drug accumulation in cells. CKD-602 produced a cytotoxicity that was exhibited immediately after treatment (immediate effect) and after treatment had been terminated (delayed effect). Both the immediate and delayed effects of CKD-602 showed a time dependent decrease in 4IC_{50}$ values. Drug uptake was biphasic and the second equilibrium level was obtained as early as at 24hr, indicating that the cumulative and delayed antitumor effects of CKD-602 were not due to slow drug uptake. On the other hand, CKD-602 treatment was sufficient to induce delayed cytotoxicity after 4hr, however, longer treatment (＞24hr) enhanced its cytotoxicity due to the intracellular accumulation of the drug, which requires 24hr to reach maximum equilibrium concentration. In addition, $C^n$$\times$T=h analysis (n=0.481) indicated that increased exposure times may contribute more to the overall antitumor activity of CKD-602 than drug concentration. Additional studies to determine the details of the intracellular uptake kinetics (e.g., concentration dependency and retention studies) are needed in order to identify the optimal treatment schedules for the successful clinical development of CKD-602.

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.131-137
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• 1993

Human neutrophil elastase (HNE, EC 3,4,21, 11), a mediator of tissue breakdown, was inhibited by tetracycline, oxytetracycline and demeclocycline. Among them, oxytetracycline showed the most potent inhibitory effect on the activity of HNE. IC50 of this drug at our specific condition was less than 1 mM. Tetracycline inhibited human neutrophil elastase non-competitively, and oxytetracycline inhibited competitively. Ki values of tetracycline and oxytetracycline were 4.9 mM and 0.39 mM, respectively. Structural modified tetracycline, de-dimethylaminotetracycline, which showed no antibiotic activity since the active dimethylamino radical was removed from the position #4 of the tetracycline, showed similar inhibition effect on the activity of human neutrophil elastase to that of tetracycline. Thus, we speculated that inhibition of human neutrophil elastase by tetracyclines was not depended on the dimethylamino radical which is a critical active site for antibiotic effect, rather it was depended on the hydoxyl radical of tetracyclines. Therefore, the property of inhibiting elastase may be an additional molecular biochemical mechanism of action of these drugs at the inflammatory sites.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.562-570
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• 2018

Background: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. In this study, we used a bioactivity-guided isolation technique to identify constituents of Korean Red Ginseng (KRG) with antiproliferative activity against human lung adenocarcinoma cells. Methods: Bioactivity-guided fractionation and preparative/semipreparative HPLC purification were used with LC/MS analysis to separate the bioactive constituents. Cell viability and apoptosis in human lung cancer cell lines (A549, H1264, H1299, and Calu-6) after treatment with KRG extract fractions and constituents thereof were assessed using the water-soluble tetrazolium salt (WST-1) assay and terminal deoxyribonucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining, respectively. Caspase activation was assessed by detecting its surrogate marker, cleaved poly adenosine diphosphate (ADP-ribose) polymerase, using an immunoblot assay. The expression and subcellular localization of apoptosis-inducing factor were assessed using immunoblotting and immunofluorescence, respectively. Results and conclusion: Bioactivity-guided fractionation of the KRG extract revealed that its ethyl acetate-soluble fraction exerts significant cytotoxic activity against all human lung cancer cell lines tested by inducing apoptosis. Chemical investigation of the ethyl acetatesoluble fraction led to the isolation of six ginsenosides, including ginsenoside Rb1 (1), ginsenoside Rb2 (2), ginsenoside Rc (3), ginsenoside Rd (4), ginsenoside Rg1 (5), and ginsenoside Rg3 (6). Among the isolated ginsenosides, ginsenoside Rg3 exhibited the most cytotoxic activity against all human lung cancer cell lines examined, with $IC_{50}$ values ranging from $161.1{\mu}M$ to $264.6{\mu}M$. The cytotoxicity of ginsenoside Rg3 was found to be mediated by induction of apoptosis in a caspase-independent manner. These findings provide experimental evidence for a novel biological activity of ginsenoside Rg3 against human lung cancer cells.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.29 no.10
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• pp.859-865
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• 2006

With an approach to study the anti-tumor effects and mechanism of selenium compound, we investigated the anti-tumor activity and mechanism of $Na_5SeV_5O_{18}{\cdot}3H_2O$ (NaSeVO) in K562 cells. The results showed that $0.625{\sim}20\;mg/L$ NaSeVO could significantly inhibit the proliferation of K562 cells in vitro in a time- and concentration-dependent manner as determined by microculture tetrazolium (MTT) assay, the IC50 values were 14.41 (4.45-46.60) and 3.45 (2.29-5.22) mg/L after 48 hand 72 h treatment with NaSeVO respectively. In vivo experiments demonstrated that i.p. administration of 5, 10 mg/kg NaSeVO exhibited an significant inhibitory effect on the growth of transplantation tumor sarcoma 180 (S180) and hepatoma 22 (H22) in mice, with inhibition rate 26.8% and 58.4% on S180 and 31.3% and 47.4% on H22, respectively. Cell cycle studies indicated that the proportion of G0/G1 phase was increased at 2.5 mg/L while decreased at 10 mg/L after treatment for 24, 48 h. Whereas S phase was decreased at 2.5-5 mg/L and markedly increased at 10 mg/L after treatment for 48 h. After treatment for 24 h, 10 mg/L NaSeVO also markedly increased S and G2/M phases. Take together, the result clearly showed that NaSeVO markedly increased S and G2/M phases at 10 mg/L. The study of immunocytochemistry showed that the expression bcl-2 is significantly inhibited by 10 mg/L NaSeVO, and bax increased. Morphology observation also revealed typical apoptotic features. NaSeVO also significantly caused the accumulation of $Ca^{2+}$ and $Mg^{2+}$, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the reduction of pH value and mitochondrial membrane potential in K562 cells as compared with control by confocal laser scanning microscope. These results suggest that NaSeVO has anti-tumor effects and its mechanism is attributed partially to apoptosis induced by the elevation of intracellular $Ca^{2+}$, $Mg^{2+}$ and ROS concentration, and a reduction of pH value and mitochondria membrane potential (MMP).

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.29 no.10
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• pp.898-903
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• 2006

The antiplatelet and antithrombotic activities of Korean Red Ginseng (KRG) were examined on rat carotid artery thrombosis in vivo, and platelet aggregation in vitro and ex vivo. Administration of KRG to rats not only prevented carotid artery thrombosis in vivo in a dose-dependent manner, but also significantly inhibited ADP- and collagen-induced platelet aggregation ex vivo, while failed to prolong coagulation times such as activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and prothrombin time (PT), indicating the antithrombotic effect of KRG might be due to its anti platelet aggregation rather than anticoagulation effect. In line with the above observations, KRG inhibited U46619-, arachidonic acid-, collagen- and thrombin-induced rabbit platelet aggregation in vitro in a concentration-dependent manner, with $IC_{50}$ values of $620{\pm}12$, $823{\pm}22$, $722{\pm}21$ and $650{\pm}14\;{\mu}g/mL$, respectively. Accordingly, KRG also inhibited various agonists-induced platelet serotonin secretions as it suppressed platelet aggregation. These results suggest that KRG has a potent antithrombotic effect in vivo, which may be due to antiplatelet rather than anticoagulation activity, and KRG intake may be beneficial to the individuals with high risks of thrombotic and cardiovascular diseases.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.55-60
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• 2012

In a previous report, we demonstrated that ginsenoside Rc, one of major ginsenosides from Panax ginseng, enhances ${\gamma}$-aminobutyric acid (GABA) $receptor_A$ ($GABA_A$)-mediated ion channel currents. However, little is known about the effects of ginsenoside metabolites on $GABA_A$ receptor channel activity. The present study investigated the effects of ginsenoside metabolites on human recombinant $GABA_A$ receptor (${\alpha}_1{\beta}_1{\gamma}_{2s}$) channel activity expressed in Xenopus oocytes using a two-electrode voltage clamp technique. M4, a metabolite of protopanaxatriol ginsenosides, more potently inhibited the GABA-induced inward peak current ($I_{GABA}$) than protopanaxadiol (PPD), a metabolite of PPD ginsenosides. The effect of M4 and PPD on $I_{GABA}$ was both concentration-dependent and reversible. The half-inhibitory concentration ($IC_{50}$) values of M4 and PPD were 17.1${\pm}$2.2 and 23.1${\pm}$8.6 ${\mu}M$, respectively. The inhibition of $I_{GABA}$ by M4 and PPD was voltage-independent and non-competitive. This study implies that the regulation of $GABA_A$ receptor channel activity by ginsenoside metabolites differs from that of ginsenosides.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.492-501
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• 2019

Nitrogen-containing heterocycles such as quinoline, quinazolinones and indole are scaffolds of natural products and have broad biological effects. During the last years those structures have been intensively synthesized and modified to yield new synthetic molecules that can specifically inhibit the activity of dysregulated protein kinases in cancer cells. Herein, a series of newly synthesized isoquinolinamine (FX-1 to 8) and isoindoloquinazolinone (FX-9, FX-42, FX-43) compounds were evaluated in regards to their anti-leukemic potential on human B- and T- acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cells. Several biological effects were observed. B-ALL cells (SEM, RS4;11) were more sensitive against isoquinolinamine compounds than T-ALL cells (Jurkat, CEM). In SEM cells, metabolic activity decreased with $10{\mu}M$ up to 26.7% (FX-3), 25.2% (FX-7) and 14.5% (FX-8). The 3-(p-Tolyl) isoquinolin-1-amine FX-9 was the most effective agent against B- and T-ALL cells with IC50 values ranging from 0.54 to $1.94{\mu}M$. None of the tested compounds displayed hemolysis on erythrocytes or cytotoxicity against healthy leukocytes. Anti-proliferative effect of FX-9 was associated with changes in cell morphology and apoptosis induction. Further, influence of FX-9 on PI3K/AKT, MAPK and JAK/STAT signaling was detected but was heterogeneous. Functional inhibition testing of 58 kinases revealed no specific inhibitory activity among cancer-related kinases. In conclusion, FX-9 displays significant antileukemic activity in B- and T-ALL cells and should be further evaluated in regards to the mechanisms of action. Further compounds of the current series might serve as templates for the design of new compounds and as basic structures for modification approaches.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.101-108
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• 2018

Objectives : This study aimed to effects antioxidant activity of citrus peel extract (CPE) and effect on its glucose metabolism in L6 rat skeletal muscle cells. Methods : Antioxidative activities were evaluated by using 10 kinds of natural materials, and total polyphenol and flavonoid contents were examined. The L6 muscle cells toxicity of CPE was examined by MTT assay. Expression of glucose-related genes in L6 muscle cells by CPE treatment was analyzed by real-time PCR and western blotting. Results : The $IC_{50}$ values of DPPH and ABTS free radical scavenging activity of CPE were ($15.47{\pm}0.26{\mu}g/m{\ell}$ and $12.07{\pm}1.23{\mu}g/m{\ell}$, respectively), effectively clearing DPPH and ABTS. CPE showed total polyphenol and flavonoid contents ($20.30{\pm}0.38$ and $64.20{\pm}0.52$, respectively). The selected CPE were used in experiments using an effective concentration that is not toxic in L6 muscle cells. We investigated insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase regulatory (PI3KR), Akt, and glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4). mRNA analysis by realtime PCR showed no significant difference, but CPE-treated cells showed a tendency to increase in concentration-dependent manner. However, analysis of protein expression of Akt and GLUT4 by western blotting showed that CPE treatment significantly increased concentration dependent (p<0.001). Conclusions : As a result, citrus peel extract with high antioxidant activity regulates glucose metabolism in L6 muscle cells. Therefore, CPE can be a potential treatment for the treatment of diabetes.