• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.427-432
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• 2005

This study was performed to investigate the effect of natural plant extracts on acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity and the free radical scavenging activity. The methanolic extracts of plants were tested for AChE inhibitory activity using Ellman's colorimetric method in 96-welled microplates and antioxidant activity as the scavenging effect of 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl radical (DPPH). The results showed that AChE activities were inhibited (about 20-30%) in whole plant extract of Daucus carota var. sativa, Hypericum erectum and Fragaria yezoensis. AChE activities were inhibited (about 32-34%) in stems extract of Gingko biloba and leaves extract of Rhododendrondron yedoensa var. poukhanense. Fruit extract of Zanthoxylum schinifolium inhibited (about 18%) AChE activity. And the DPPH scavenging effects as antioxidant activity were similar to L-ascorbic acid in whole plant extract of Fragaria yezoensis and fruits extract of Comus officinalis.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.1332-1340
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• 2017

In this study, we assessed antioxidant, anti-diabetic, and anti-Alzheimer activities of Opuntia ficus-indica var. saboten (OFI) at harvest time. OFIs were cultivated December 2015~November 2016 in Jeju island. The 70% ethanol extracts of OFI were used to investigate total polyphenol and flavonoid contents, antioxidant(DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging assay), anti-diabetic(yeast ${\alpha}$-glucosidase and rat ${\alpha}$-glucosidase inhibition assay), and anti-Alzheimer(Acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase inhibition assay) activities. Total polyphenol and flavonoid contents of OFIs were $17.40{\sim}23.11{\mu}g$ garlic acid/mg Ex and 2.17~6.22 ug (+)-catechine/mg Ex, respectively. DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activity of OFIs were 131.98~184.90 mg ascorbic acid(AA) eq/100 g and 63.60~101.83 mg AA eq/100 g, respectively. In the anti-diabetic and anti-Alzheimer activities, 70% ethanol extracts of OFI exhibited moderate inhibition activity, compared to control (acarbose and beberine). Total polyphenol and flavonoid contents, antioxidant, anti-diabetic, and anti-Alzheimer activities were no significant differences by season, respectively. Therefore, information on comparative biological evaluations of OFI may be a beneficial in exploring functional food and drug development.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.308-315
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• 2012

Opuntia humifusa known as the Eastern prickly pear have been used as a treatment of burns, diarrhea, asthma, rheumatism, gonorrhea, and diabetes in alternative medicine. O. humifusa is widely cultivated in the middle and southern provinces of Korea and distributed in North America. The aim of this study is to investigate anti-diabetic effect of O. humifusa stem (OHS) water or 80% MeOH extract using 3T3-L1 adipocytes and db/db mice animal models. OHS 80% MeOH extract at a dose of $250{\mu}g/ml$ significantly increased the glucose uptake and lipid accumulation compared with the control in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Blood glucose, plasma total cholesterol and triglyceride levels were significantly reduced by oral treatment of OHS 80% MeOH extract (200 mg/kg BW) for 6 weeks in db/db mice. Also, the oral treatment of OHS 80% MeOH extract slightly changed the plasma insulin and insulin resistance levels in db/db mice, but were no significance in comparison to control. Glucose transporter(GLUT)4 expressions of adipose tissue and muscle were significantly increased more than that in the control. Therefore, these results suggest that OHS 80% MeOH extract inhibits the blood glucose level through regulation of lipid profile, insulin resistance, and GLUT4 expression in db/db mice and its diabetic effect is effective more than water extract.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.78-85
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• 2023

In this study, synthetic fibers were applied to reduce shrinkage cracks that may occur in mortar produced by 3D printer. We used a biopolymer in powder form made from cactus stem (CS) as an admixture. The material properties of 3D printed mortar were experimentally evaluated. Replacing methylcellulose(MC) with 10% CS increases compressive strength by 9.84-23.92% regardless of the casting method. In addition, regardless of the casting method, shrinkage change, freeze-thaw resistance, and crack resistance are more effective than Plain. Incorporation of CS increases the polysaccharide macromolecular structure and improves durability. Mortars reinforced with synthetic fibers do not affect compressive strength and freeze-thaw. It is also effective for shrink deformation and crack resistance. Incorporating CS and fibers from 3D-printed mortar was found to be effective for durability and crack resistance.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.48-56
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• 2009

This study was conducted to examine the effects of Opuntia ficus-indica complexes(OCB) on the intake of water and food, body weight, blood glucose levels, glucose tolerance and lipid metabolism in streptozotocin(STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Thirty-two male Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to four different groups; non-diabetic control(NC), diabetic control (DC), diabetic OCB of 2%(OCB-2), and diabetic OCB of 5%(OCB-5). The animals were fed on each experimental diet for 3 weeks. The DC, OCB-2 and OCB-5 groups showed a higher intake of water and food than the NC group. The fasting blood glucose levels were 100 $ mg/d{\ell}$ and 416 $ mg/d{\ell}$ for the NC and DC groups, respectively. The OCB-5 group presented a significantly low fasting glucose level of 21%(P<0.05), while OCB-2 group had a decrease of 13% compared to the DC group. As for the results of the glucose tolerance test, the highest blood glucose level was observed for all the groups at 30 minutes after the glucose injections as well as higher plasma insulin levels in the OCB-5 group. Plasma total cholesterol, triglyceride, non-esterified fatty acids(NEFA) and LDL-cholesterol concentrations were also lower in the OCB-2 and OCB-5 groups. The experimental diet did not affect the HDL-cholesterol levels. The overall results suggest that the higher intake of food by the OCB-2 and OCB-5 groups improved the blood glucose levels and lipid metabolism in STZ-induced diabetic rats.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.663-669
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• 2016

This study was conducted to analyze the nutrient compositions of stem and fruit of Opuntia ficus-indica var. saboten (OF) and Opuntia humifusa (OH). The results of the two-way analysis of variance test indicated that the parts, varieties and parts*varieties had influence on nutrient content except crude protein, soluble dietary fiber, Fe, Se, I, vitamin E, niacin and vitamin C. Moisture and crude ash content was higher in stem than in fruit, while crude lipid and insoluble dietary content was higher in fruit than in stem. Mineral content revealed that K (1,313.67 mg% in OF, 1,351.38 mg% in OH) was the highest in fruit and Ca (5,146.29 mg% in OF, 1,388.19 mg% in OH) was the highest in stem. Vitamin C was the most abundant vitamin in the fruit of OF (199.98 mg%) and OH (187.12 mg%). Polyunsaturated fatty acid was the highest among fatty acids (66.9~70.1%), with higher content in the stem (753.89 mg%) than fruit (578.01 mg%) in OF, while higher in the fruit (1,093.63 mg%) than stem (475.07 mg%) in OH. Moisture, crude protein, Mg, Se and riboflavin was higher in OF than OH; whereas, crude lipid, insoluble dietary fiber, total dietary fiber and monounsaturated fatty acid were higher in OH than OF. These results indicated that OF and OH could be a good food source for Ca, K and Vitamin C. Also, different nutrient content by parts and varieties, can be helpful in choice of parts or varieties for consumer purposes.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.43 no.12
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• pp.1827-1834
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• 2014

Colon cancer is the third highest cause of death in Korea. Known dietary causes of colon cancer include a diet rich in fat and red meat as well as inadequate intake of dietary fiber, fruits, and vegetables. Therefore, recent research has focused on the anticancer effects of natural products. Opuntia humifusa is a type of prickly pear that is known to contain biologically active compounds that can be used in the treatment of diabetes mellitus, arteriosclerosis, and hyperglycemia. The aim of this study was to determine whether or not O. humifusa extract affects proliferation, cell death, and DNA fragmentation in human carcinoma HT-29 cells. O. humifusa is rich in carbohydrates, minerals (Mg, K, and Ca), and total phenolics. HT-29 cells were treated with extracts of O. humifusa at concentrations of 0, 0.25, 0.5, 1, and 2 mg/mL for 24 or 48 hours. O. humifusa extracts inhibited HT-29 cell growth in a dose-dependent manner. Hoechst 33342/PI double staining and Comet assay were performed to observe changes in nuclei of cancer cells undergoing cell death. The results of both tests showed that O. humifusa extract induced cell shrinkage, DNA fragmentation, and chromatin condensation dose-dependently in HT-29 cells. The results of this study suggest that O. humifusa extract inhibits the growth of HT-29 via induction of DNA fragmentation and chromatin condensation.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.235-242
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• 2018

BACKGROUND: About 81% of nitrous oxide ($N_2O$) emissions from agricultural land to the atmosphere is due to nitrogen (N) fertilizer application. Mitigation of $N_2O$ emissions can be more effective in controlling biochemical processes such as nitrification and denitrification in the soil rather than decreasing fertilizer application. The use of urease inhibitors is an effective way to improve N fertilizer efficiency and reduce $N_2O$ emissions. Several compounds act as urease inhibitors, but N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide (NBPT) has been used worldwide. METHODS AND RESULTS: Hot pepper and chinese cabbage were cultivated in five treatments: standard fertilizer of nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium(N-P-K, $N-P_2O_5-K_2O$: 22.5-11.2-14.9 kg/ha for hot pepper and $N-P_2O_5-K_2O$: 32.0-7.8-19.8 kg/ha for chinese cabbage), no fertilizer, and NBPT-treated fertilizer of 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 times of nitrogen basal application rate of the standard fertilizer, respectively in Gyeonggi-do Hwaseong-si for 2 years(2015-2016). According to application of NBPT-treated fertilizer in hot pepper and chinese cabbage, $N_2O$ emission decreased by 19-20% compared to that of the standard fertilizer plot. CONCLUSION: NBPT-treated fertilizer proved that $N_2O$ emissions decreased statistically significant in the same growth conditions as the standard fertilization in the hot pepper and chinese cabbage cultivated fields. It means that NBPT-treated fertilizer can be applied for N fertilizer efficiency and $N_2O$ emissions reduction.