• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.36-40
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• 1996

Chemical constituents of Uncaria hooks were studied. Four compounds were isolated from the ether soluble fraction by chromatographic purification process. They were ident ified as isocorynoxeine-N-oxide, anti-isorhynchophylline-N-oxide, physcion and ursolic acid by spectral evidences. Their contents analyzed by HPLC or GC method were physcion 0.04%, ursolic acid 0.26%, isocorynoxeine-N-oxide 0.04% and anti-isorhynchophylline-N-oxide 0.03% respectively. Isocorynoxeine-N-oxide was not reported in nature so far.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.960-966
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• 2002

Ramulus et Uncus Uncariae (JGD) has sweet in flavour and slightly cold in property, acting on the liver and pericardium channels. This drug was described in a medical classic as having the ability to remove 'heat', check hyperfunction of the liver and relieve dizziness, tremors, and convulsions, and subdue 'endogenous wind'. So this study was estimated to check the anti-neuropathological effect of JGD on the Alzheimer in βAPP overexpression in neuroblastoma cell line and JGD extract was showed significantly anti-alzheimer effects (50 and 100 μg/㎖ of JGD extracts) compared with control group. Ramulus et Uncus Uncariae has anti-alzheimer effects on the βAPP overexpression in neuroblastoma cell line. So we expect that Ramulus et Uncus Uncariae may be used as a drug for neurodegenerative disease, such as stroke, Alzheimer's disease (AD). These results indicate that Ramulus et Uncus Uncariae possess strong inhibitory effect in the nervous system of apoptosis and repair effect against the degeneration of Neuroblastoma cells by βAPP expression.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.1111-1119
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• 2004

In this study, we investigated that the effects of corynoxeine on the apoptosis by inducible CT105 in PC 12 cells and neuronpathogenic agent as CT105 confirmed with apoptosis, DNA fragmentation, neurite outgrowth and immunocytochemistry analysis This study examines whether corynoxeine have an anti-alzhmeimer agent by inhibition of apoptosis by CT105 and induces neurite outgrowth. Cytotoxicity was assessed in PC12 cell cultures by DNA fragmentation and measuring lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in the culture media. The treatment of corynoxeine in exposure of cultures to CT105 and provided complete protection against cytotoxicity. CT105-induced cytotoxicity was blocked by apoptotsis, repaired by DNA fragmentation, neurite outgrowth and exposure to CT105 expression and regenerated with neurite outgrowth and immunocytochemistry by corynoxeine. These results indicate that in neuronal cell cultures, damage of T105, repaired excitotoxicity by corynoxeine and CT105-induced cytotoxicity is blocked primarily by the activation of anti-apoptosis.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2002

Objectives: Uncariae Ramulus Et Uncus extract is clinically used in Korea to treat ischemic cerebral damage. The present study was undertaken to study the neuroprotective effect of Uncariae Ramulus Et Uncus extract in middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) rats. Methods: Changes of extracellular levels of dopamine, DOPAC, HVA. and HIAA in striatum were collected at 20 minutes interval by in vivo microdialysis and then analyzed by HPLC (high performance liquid chromatography) in rats subjected to permanent focal cerebral ischemia induced by 2 hours of MCAO. Uncariae Ramulus Et Uncus extract was orally administrated before MCAO. Different animals were used for measurement of cerebral infarction volume induced by 24 hours of MCAO with TIC staining and image analysis. Results: Extracellular levels of dopamine decreased after treatment with Uncariae Ramulus Et Uncus extract, while extracellular levels of DOPAC and HVA significantly increased. Cerebral infarction volume also significantly decreased after treatment with Uncariae Ramulus Et Uncus extract. Conclusions: These results provided evidence that Uncariae Ramulus Et Uncus extract can produce a neuroprotective effect on cerebral ischemia by regulating extracellular excitatory neurotransmitters.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.1-18
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• 2000

To study the effects of Ramulus et Uncus Uncariae (REUU) on oxygen free radical-mediated damage by hydrogen peroxide $(H_{2}O_{2})$ on cultured spinal sensory neurons, in vitro assays such as MTT assay, NR assay, neurofilament enzymeimmuno assay (EIA), sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay, assay for lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity and assay for lipid peroxidation were used in cultured spinal dorsal root ganglion neurons derived from mice, Spinal dorsal root ganglion neurons were cultured in media containing various concentrations of $H_{2}O_{2}$ for 5 hours, after which the neurotoxic effect of $H_{2}O_{2}$ was measured by in vitro assay. The protective effect of the herb extract, Ramulus et Uncus Uncariae (REUU) against H2O2-induced neurotoxicity was also examined. The results are as follows. 1. In NR assay and MTT assay, $H_{2}O_{2}$ significantly decreased the cell viability of cultured mouse spinal dorsal root ganglion neurons according to exposure concentration in these cultures. An additional time course study was done on these cultures. 2. Cultured spinal dorsal root ganglion neurons which were exposed to various concentrations of $H_{2}O_{2}$ showed a quantitative decrease of neuronal cells by EIA and of total protein by sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay, while they showed an increase of both lipid peroxidation and LDH activity. 3. The effect of Ramulus et Uncus Uncariae (REUU) on $H_{2}O_{2}$ induced neurotoxicity showed a quantitative increase in both neurofilament and total protein, but showed a decrease of lipid peroxidation and LDH activity. These results suggest that $H_{2}O_{2}$ has a neurotoxic effect on cultured spinal dorsal root ganglion neurons from mice and that the herb extract, Ramulus et Uncus Uncariae (REUU), was very effective in protecting $H_{2}O_{2}$ induced neurotoxicity by decreasing lipid peroxidation and LDH activity.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.160-168
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• 2004

Background and Objectives: Tinnitus is on the increase due to the increase in the elderly population, industrial pollution and noise pollution. This symptom is especially marked in patients with a hearing problem and the relationship between cause, mechanism and treatment is poorly understood. The characteristics of tinnitus and other hearing problems are well brought out using an animal model with salicylate ototoxicity. Therapeutic effects of Uncariae Ramulis and Testudinis Plastrum were expected in tinnitus and hearing problems; therefore we experimented on an animal model with salicylate ototoxicity. Salicylate is one of the most commonly prescribed drugs, although it has been recognized that salicylate induces hearing loss and tinnitus reversibly. The purpose of this study was to find the therapeutic effects of this by the morphologic study using salicylate ototoxicity. Materials and Methods : Twelve healthy Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups: normal, control and sample. The sample group was treated with the extract of Uncariae Ramulis and Testudinis Plastrum (1cc/100g, once a day for 6 days). Then, to induce the salicylate ototoxicity in the control and sample groups, rats were injected intraperitoneally with sodium salicylate (500mg/kg). We observed the morphologic changes in the cochlea of the rats every 2, 3, 4 and 5 hours after injection. Results : The outer hair cells showed marked changes. Vacuolization formed in the cuticular plate and the endoplasm of the control group. The endoplasm and the cuticular plates of the sample group after 2 hours were similar to the control group, but the cuticular plates of the sample group observed after 3, 4 and 5 hours were not similar. Conclusions : The results suggest that an extract of Uncariae Ramulis and Testudinis Plastrum has therapeutic effects on an animal model with salicylate ototoxicity.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.20 no.3 s.39
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• pp.66-76
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• 1999

The purpose of this study was to asses the etlect of Uncaria rhynchophylla (UR). one of the oriental herbs having a capability to block calcium channels, on affecting vestibular compensation (VC) in Sprague - Dawley rats. Animals were divided into a drug treatment group receiving, UR per oral for 10 days preceding unilateral labyrinthectomy (ULX) and a control group with saline ingestion, To evaluate behavioral changes. horizontal spontaneous nystagmus (SN) and roll head tilt (RHT) were recorded by a video camem with zoom lens in the course of vestibular compensation (VC). Immunohistochemical staining was performed by conventional ABC method to visualize cFos-like immunoreactive (cFLI) neurons in the medial vestibular nuclei (MVN) and cFLI cells were counted by image analyzer. Bodyweight was increased significantly, about 35g, by UR treatment for 10 clays before ULX. Compared with the control group, the drug group showed significant reduction of RHT 6 hrs after ULX as well as fast disappearance of SN at early stages of vestibular compensation. Also, recovery of the spatial and temporal cFLI expressions in the bilateral MVN was accelerated 24 hrs after ULX. These results suggest that Uncaria rhynchophyila has a beneficial effect to ameliorate vestibular compensation in unilateral labryinthectomized rats.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.181-189
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• 2003

The goal of this study is to investigate whether Uncariae Ramulus et Uncus can protect nerve cells against ischemic neuronal damage is caused by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in rats' brains and to investigate whether the neuroprotective effect of Uncariae Ramulus et Uncus is concerned with IEGs(immediate early genes) expression. Uncariae Ramulus et Uncus(l00mg/kg) was administered immediately after 2 hours of MCAO and maintained for 7 days. On 7th days after 2 hours of MCAO, the brains of rats were sliced through the hippocampus. c-Fos immunohistochemistry stain and Cresyl violet stain were done for microscopic examination. Each number of viable neurons and c-Fos immunoreactive cells in CA1 was counted. The density of neurons and c-Fos immunoreactive cells were significantly decreased in MCAO-operated ischemic rats compared to that sham-operated rats. Administration of Uncariae Ramulus et Uncus group significantly elevated MCAO-induced decrease in density of neurons, and elevated MCAO-induced decrease in c-Fos immunoreactive cells. These results suggest that the neuroprotective effect of Uncariae Ramulus et Uncus against focal cerebral ischemia. Also, we hypothesized that neuroprotective mechanism of Uncariae Ramulus et Uncus is related to IEGs expression.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.119-128
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• 2005

Objective : The purpose of this study was to estimate the effects of Ramulus et Uncus Uncariae DM fraction on memory enhancing in rats Methods : We oral administered Ramulus et Uncus Uncariae DM fraction to rats then executed passive avoidance test and observed figure of pyramidal neuron on CA1 Results : Findings from our experiments have shown that REUD(>1mg/100g/ml) was effective in memorial improvement. and oral administration of REUD(100mg/100g/ml) for 2 weeks was found to induced the figure of pyramidal neuron on CA1 in rat hippocampus injured by scopolamine. Conclusions : As the result of this study, Decrease of memory induced by injection of scopolamine into rat was also attenuted by REUD, based on passive avoidance test, and REUD was found to reduce the activity of AChE and induced about the CA1 in rat hippocampus. Base on these findings, REUD may be beneficial for the treatment of AD.

• The Journal of Korean Society for Radiation Therapy
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.120-125
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• 1992

This study was prepared to observe the charge of tissues weight, glutamate oxaloacetate transminase(GOT) and glutamate pyruvate transminase(GPT) activities in the liver and kidney treated with red ginseng extract injection in the gamma ray(5.0 Gy) irradiated mice groups were divied in to control, red ginseng extract injection, irradiation after saline injection and irradiation after red ginseng extract injection. The GOT activity showed earlier recovery at irradiation after red ginseng extract injection group than irradiation after saling injection group in the liver and kidney. The GPT activity showed earlier recovery at irradiation after red ginseng extract injection group than irradiation after saling injection group in the liver and kidney. The above result suggest that red ginseng extract have the protection effect on the change of GOT and GPT activity after radiation injury in the liver and kidney.