• Journal of Life Science
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.567-572
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• 2014

Extracts of Platycodon grandiflorum have been reported to show anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-metastatic, and hepato-protective effects. This study was designed to evaluate T-cell activation and M1/M2 differential macrophage activation by extracts of P. grandiflorum or P. grandiflorum containing various medicinal herbs. Using real-time RT-PCR, we analyzed expression levels of c-fos, and CD40L (T-cell activation markers) in splenocytes and iNOS, Ym1, and ARG1 in RAW 246.7 cells after treatment of CC (hot water extract of P. grandiflorum), MAEK (hot water extract of P. grandiflorum [82%] and six different plants), and HWAL (hot water extract of P. grandiflorum [7%] and eight different plants. The results showed that MAEK significantly elevated the expression of T-cell activation markers of splenocytes, with the c-fos gene activated more than 10-fold and the CD40L gene activated more than 6-fold. Although CD40L was significantly increased by CC and HWAL, the increase was only about 2-fold. In addition, CC and HWAL did not significantly activate the expression of the c-fos gene. On the other hand, CC elevated the M1 activation marker iNOS, and HWAL elevated the M2 activation marker Ym1 and ARG1 gene expression. In conclusion, MAEK could be used as an immune stimulant because of its ability to activate T cells (elicited c-fos and CD40L gene expression), whereas HWAL could serve as an anti-inflammatory agent because of its differential activation of M2 macrophages.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.201-207
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• 1995

Chinese yam (Dioscorea Opposita Thanb) has been cultivated as medicinal crop and food. The experiment was carried out to determine the effect of tuber head origin and fertilizer application method on its agronomic characters of shoot and root tuber to get some imformation on its cultivation. The tuber head cultivated were cut from normal or branched root tuber. 37-28-32-2000 : N-P-K-Humus(Kg/10a) by dispersal but 30% N reduction of Con(RN) or strip application on the two-side of hill(SRN), were applied but N and K were given by the above method with the rate of 40% in March, 30% in June and 30% in July. Agronomic characteristics related to shoot and root tuber were measured and their relationship was analyzed. Tuber head origin had no effect on emergence rate, vine length, branch and node of vine, while emergence date of the tuber head from the normal root which showed the greatest emergence rate, vine length and node in Con treatment was earlier than the others. The tuber head from the normal root, furthermore, had greater length and diameter of root tuber harvested from the field and fresh weight per plant of per 10a compared to the tuber head from the branched root, whereas in both the normal and the branched tuber head RN had the worst result in the characters related to tuber yield except tuber diameter. The tuber head from the normal root produced heavier root tuber than that from the branched tuber and SRN had the best economic yield among the application methods, which resulted from production of less branched root tubers and their rate. In both the normal and the branched tuber head, moreover, yield per plant and economic yield were positively correlated to tuber length but negatively done to number. of branch of vine.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.42 no.7
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• pp.1015-1021
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• 2013

Glycyrrhiza inflata Batal, an important species of licorice, is one of the most widely used medicinal plants for over 4000 years. Glycyrrhiza plant species has been well known for its various therapeutic activities such as anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, and anti-ulcer. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of Glycyrrhiza inflata Batal ethanol extracts (GBE) on adipocyte and osteoblast differentiation. Mesenchymal C3H10T1/2 cells were treated with sub-cytotoxic doses of GBE, and its effects on adipocyte differentiation were assessed. We found that GBE dose-dependently increased lipid accumulation and also induced the expression of adipocyte markers, such as $PPAR{\gamma}$ and its target genes, aP2, and adiponectin, in C3H10T1/2 cells. Consistently, similar effects of GBE on lipid accumulation were also observed in preadipocyte 3T3-L1 cells that further supports the pro-adipogenic activities of GBE. We also investigated the effects of GBE on osteoblast differentiation of mesenchymal C3H10T1/2 cells. As a results, we found that GBE increased the activity of alkaline phosphatase in a dose-dependent manner and also promoted the expression of osteoblast markers, such as ALP and RUNX2, during osteoblast differentiation of C3H10T1/2 cells. Similar pro-osteogenic effects of GBE were also observed in preosteoblast MC3T3-E1 cells. Finally, our data show that a major bioactive compound found in Glycyrrhiza inflata Batal, licochalcone A (LA) but not glycyrrhizic acid (GA), can mediate the pro-adipogenic and pro-osteogenic effects of GBE. Taken together, this study provides data to show the possibility of GBE and its bioactive component LA as putative strategies for type 2 diabetes and bone diseases.

• Korean journal of food and cookery science
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• v.22 no.5 s.95
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• pp.720-727
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• 2006

The purpose of this study was to investigate the functional properties of medicinal plant extracts. Four kinds of medicinal plants, Dioscorea batatas(DB), Armeniacae Semen(AS) Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge(CP) and Ponciri Fractus(PF), were extracted with water and 70% ethanol and the extracts were tested for their electron donating ability(EDA), nitrite scavenging ability(NSA) and inhibitory effects on cancer cells(MDA cell and A549 cell)growth. EDA at 100-1,000 ppm of water extract ranged from 3% to 14%, 14% to 36%, 29% to 72% and 14% to 43%, and that of ethanol extract ranged from 9% to 62%, 27% to 59%, 33% to 89% and 14% to 44%, in DB, AS, CP and PF, respectively. NSA of extracts measured at various pH(1.2, 3.0, 4.2, 6.0) showed the highest ability in all extracts at pH 1.2 and decreased with increasing pH. The highest NSA of water extracts of 1,000 ppm at pH 1.2 was 6%, 31%, 55% and 44% and that of ethanol extract was15%, 32%, 69% and 52%, in DB, AS, CP and PF, respectively Inhibition ratio of water and ethanol extracts on MDA cell growth was 24% and 17%, 51% and 93%, 46% and 69%, and 48% and 47%, while that on A549 cell was 18% and 9%, 6% and 3%, 7% and 3%, and 43% and 11%, at 1,000 ppm, in DB, AS, CP and PF, respectively.

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.323-334
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• 1996

Male Mongolian gerbils $(60{\sim}80g)$ were given DL-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO; 250mg/kg, ip) and methylglyoxal bis(guanylhydrazone) (MGBG; 50 mg/k, ip), respectively, 1 h prior to transient (7 min) occlusion of bilateral common carotid arteries (OBC7) and a daily dose of one of them for 6 days after recirculation, and the polyamine contents, activities of ornithine and S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylases (ODC and SAM-DC), and light microscopic findings of the hippocampus were evaluated. The hippocampal putrescine (PT) levels of the control gerbils treated with saline (STGr), markedly increased after OBC7, showing a peak level at 24 h after recirculation. The peak PT level was reduced in DFMO treated gerbils (DTCr) and in MGBG treated gerbils (MTGr). And 7 days after recirculation, the PT level of DTGr was decreased to about 75% of the PT level in the sham operated group (nonTGr) and to about 55% of the STGr level, respectively. The hippocampal spermidine (SD) level of STGr tended to decline, showing the lowest value at 8 h after recirculation. But the spermidine (SD) level of DTGr was somewhat higher at 8 h after OBC7 than those of STGr and MTGr The hippocampal spermine (SM) levels of all the experimental groups were little changed for 7 days after OBC. OBC7 markedly increased the hippocampal ODC activity. reaching a maximum (about 3 times higher than preischemic level) at 8 h and rapidly recovered to the control value by 24 h in STGr gerbils, and the OBC7-induced increase of ODC activity was significantly attenuated by DFMO or MGBG treatment. Whereas OBC7 induced a rapid decrease of the hippocampal SAMDC activity follwed by gradual recovery to the preischemic level, and the decrease of the SAMDC activity was slightly attenuated by DFMO or MGBG treatment. 7 Days after OBC7 the histological finding of the hippocampal complex stained with cresyl violet showed an extensive delayed neuronal damage in the CA1 region and to a lesser extent, in the dentate gyrus, sparing the CA3 region. And the neuronal death was aggevated by DFMO but significantly attenuated by MGBG. The immunochemical reactivity of hippocampus to anti-GFAP antibody was significantly increased in the CA1 region and to a lesser extent, in the dentate gyrus 7 days after OBC7, but was little changed in the CA3. And the increase of the anti-GFAP immunoreactivity was moderately enhanced by DFMO and significantly suppressed by MGBG. These results suggest that the polyamine metabolism may play a modulatory role in the ischemic brain damage.