• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.594-601
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• 2015

In the present study, the total content of polyphenols and flavonoids, the antioxidant activities, and cytotoxic effects of the ethanol extracts from different parts of Taraxacum coreanum Nakai were investigated for their use as functional foods. The extract yields of the flower, leaf, and root were $32.15{\pm}3.21%$, $31.63{\pm}0.63%$, and $27.48{\pm}2.47%$, respectively. Total polyphenol and flavonoid content of the flower extract were $61.29{\pm}2.11mg/g$ and $46.11{\pm}1.88mg/g$, respectively, which were much higher than those of any other plant parts. The antioxidant activities of the flower, leaf, and root extracts were $89.99{\pm}2.83%$, $85.29{\pm}2.22%$, and $37.88{\pm}2.34%$, respectively, at a concentration of 1.0 mg/mL. Cell cytotoxicity effects of AGS (human gastric carcinoma), HCT116 (human colon carcinoma), and A549 (human pulmonary carcinoma) cells were the highest in the flower extract, with values of $62.85{\pm}4.63%$, $69.89{\pm}3.44%$, and $85.72{\pm}4.17%$, respectively, at a concentration of 400 mg/kg. Both the antioxidant activities and cytotoxic effects of the ethanol extracts from all the parts of the T. coreanum Nakai increased dose-dependently. These results provide preliminary data for the development of T. coreanum Nakai as an edible functional food material.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.46 no.12
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• pp.764-777
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• 2023

Recombinant immunotoxins (RITs) are fusion proteins consisting of a targeting domain linked to a toxin, offering a highly specific therapeutic strategy for cancer treatment. In this study, we engineered and characterized RITs aimed at mesothelin, a cell surface glycoprotein overexpressed in various malignancies. Through an extensive screening of a large nanobody library, four mesothelin-specific nanobodies were selected and genetically fused to a truncated Pseudomonas exotoxin (PE24B). Various optimizations, including the incorporation of furin cleavage sites, maltose-binding protein tags, and tobacco etch virus protease cleavage sites, were implemented to improve protein expression, solubility, and purification. The RITs were successfully overexpressed in Escherichia coli, achieving high solubility and purity post-purification. In vitro cytotoxicity assays on gastric carcinoma cell lines NCI-N87 and AGS revealed that Meso(Nb2)-PE24B demonstrated the highest cytotoxic efficacy, warranting further characterization. This RIT also displayed selective binding to human and monkey mesothelins but not to mouse mesothelin. The competitive binding assays between different RIT constructs revealed significant alterations in IC₅₀ values, emphasizing the importance of nanobody specificity. Finally, a modification in the endoplasmic reticulum retention signal at the C-terminus further augmented its cytotoxic activity. Our findings offer valuable insights into the design and optimization of RITs, showcasing the potential of Meso(Nb2)-PE24B as a promising therapeutic candidate for targeted cancer treatment.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.655-662
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• 2013

The antioxidant and anticancer effects of the edible mushrooms Lentinus edodes (LE, Pyogo mushroom) and Agaricus blazei (AB, Agaricus mushroom), and the medicinal mushrooms Cordyceps militaris (CM, Dong chunghacho), Ganoderma lucidum (GL, Youngji mushroom), Inonotus obliquus (IO, Chaga mushroom), and Phellinus linteus (PL, Sangwhang mushroom) were studied in vitro. The bioactive components were extracted by methanol. The antioxidant effects were evaluated using the DPPH and hydroxyl radical scavenging assays. The antioxidant activities of medicinal mushrooms (35~90%) were higher than edible mushrooms (4~23%). The in vitro anticancer effects of the mushrooms were evaluated using the MTT assay in AGS gastric adenocarcinoma cells, HCT-116 colon carcinoma cells, and HepG2 hepatoma cells. The medicinal mushrooms CM, GL, IO, and PL showed 28~91% inhibition, while the edible mushrooms LE and AB exhibited 5~40% inhibition. The medicinal mushrooms, compared to edible mushrooms, effectively down-regulated the gene expression of the anti-apoptosis related gene Bcl-2 and inflammation-related genes iNOS and COX-2, and up-regulated the pro-apoptosis gene Bax (p<0.05). Total polyphenol and flavonoids contents of the medicinal mushrooms were 9.1~35.7 mg/g, while the edible mushrooms showed 0~13.3 mg/g. This study showed that antioxidant activities and anticancer activities in vitro increased in the order LE, AB, GL, CM, IO and PL. LE and AB showed the lowest effects among the samples, GL and CM had medium effects, and IO and PL exhibited the highest effects in the antioxidant and anticancer effect for three different human cancer cells. Taken together, PL resulted in the highest and LE the lowest effects in this study.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.38 no.8
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• pp.996-1002
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• 2009

This study was carried out to improve quality and increase anticancer effect of baechu kimchi by changing various kinds of salt. The baechu cabbages were brined with purified salt (P), natural sea salt (NS), natural sea salt without bittern (NS-B) or baked (Guwun) salt (G) and mixed with other ingredients. Thereafter, the kimchis were fermented for 7 days at $15^{\circ}C$. The changes in pH and acidity of the P and G kimchis were slower than those of NS and NS-B kimchis. NS-B and G kimchis promoted the growth of Leuconostoc sp.; however, it inhibited the growth of Lactobacillus sp. when compared with P and NS brined kimchis. The sensory evaluation results indicated that NS-B and G kimchis were better than P and NS kimchi in taste, color and overall acceptability. Rheological property of texture (cutting strength) of NS-B and G brined kimchis was also much better. Anticancer effects of the kimchi juices and methanol extracts were investigated on AGS human gastric adenocarcinoma cells and HT-29 human colon carcinoma cells by MTT assay. NS-B and G kimchis significantly retarded the growth of both cancer cells compared to P and NS kimchis. From these results, kind of salt is very important when kimchi is prepared. It proved that removing bittern from natural sea salt is good ancient tradition when brining the cabbage. Using the baked salt is also a better method to improve the quality and anticancer effect of kimchi.