• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.262.2-263
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• 2002

The fruits of various Actinidia species are known to be used as a folk remedy for treatment of various inflammatory and analgesic ailments. Effects of the ethanol extracts and fractions from the fruits of Actinidia polygama (Sieb. et Zucc.) Maxim (Actinidiaceae) were studied using various in vivo and in vtro models of inflammation in mice and rats. (omitted)

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.36 no.1 s.140
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• pp.26-33
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• 2005

Korean folk medicine 'Da Rae Ip' has been used to cure intestinal catarrh, stomach cancer and acute gastritis. The botanical origin of the crude drug has never been studied pharmacognostically. To clarify the botanical origin of 'Da Rae Ip', the morphological and anatomical characteristics of the leaves of Actinidia species growing in Korea and Japan; i.e. A. arguta, A. arguta var. rufinervis, A. kolomikta, A. polygama, A. rufa were studied. As a result, it was clarified that 'Da Rae Ip' was the leaf of Actinidia arguta and Actinidia polygama.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.26-31
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• 2012

Actinidia arguta (Actinidiaceae) has been reported to have several pharmacological effects such as anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, and anti-oxidant activities. The present study investigated the protective activity of an ethanol extract from the leaf and stem of A. arguta against glutamate-induced neurotoxicity using cultured rat cortical neurons. Exposure of cultured cortical neurons to $500{\mu}M$ glutamate for 12 h triggered neuronal cell death. A. arguta inhibited glutamate-induced neuronal death and apoptosis, which were measured by a 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and Hoechst 33342 staining, respectively. The increase of pro-apoptotic proteins, Bax and c-caspase-3, in glutamate-treated neurons was significantly inhibited by treatment with A. arguta. A. arguta also inhibited $500{\mu}M$ glutamate-induced elevation of intracellular calcium concentration ($[Ca^{2+}]_i$) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, which were measured by fluorescent dyes, Fluo-4 AM and $H_2DCF$-DA, respectively. These results suggest that A. arguta may prevent glutamate-induced apoptotic neuronal death by inhibiting $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ elevation and ROS generation and, therefore, may have a therapeutic role for the prevention of neurodegeneration in cerebral ischemic diseases.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.143-154
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• 2020

Background: Korean wild boars (Sus scrofa coreanus Heude), because of their adaptability, are a widespread large mammal; however, they sometimes cause problems by invading farms and eating the crops, creating insufficiencies of some foods in South Korea. To understand the diet composition of Korean wild boars according to sex and body size, we collected their feces from Mt. Jeombongsan, Seoraksan National Park, South Korea. The sizes of fecal samples were measured, and genomic DNA was extracted from the samples. We amplified specific loci targeting plants (rbcL and trnL) and animals (COI) to detect the food sources of this omnivore and amplified the ZF and SRY regions to determine the sex. Results: In the wild boar feces, Rosaceae and Bryophyte were the most frequently detected plant food sources at the family level and Diptera and Haplotaxida were the most frequently detected animal food sources at the order level. As a result of sex determination, the sex ratio of wild boars collected in the Mt. Jeombongsan area was approximately 1:1. Our result suggested that there is no significant difference between the diet composition of male and female boars. Based on the average cross-sectional area of the feces, the top 25% were classified into the large body size group and the bottom 25% were classified into the small body size group. The large body size group mainly preferred Actinidiaceae, and the small body size group most frequently consumed Fagaceae. The diet of the large body size group was more diverse than the small body size group. Conclusions: Our results showed that the wild boars preferred Rosaceae, especially Sanguisorba and Filipendula, as plant food sources, and Diptera and Coleoptera of Insecta as animal food sources. Based on the results, the dietary preferences of wild boar appear to be distinguished by not their sex but their body size. Our study could help to elucidate the feeding ecology and population structure of wild boar, as well as address conservation and management issues.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.285-295
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• 2013

The genus Actinidia has been recorded as having total six taxa, composed of four species and two varieties, in Korea. However, its taxonomy remains complex because of disagreement on taxonomic characters used for species boundaries. Based upon morphological, anatomical, and palynological characters, we re-evaluated species delimitations in the genus Actinidia. Critical observation of wild populations and extensive herbarium materials including types were also carried out. It is generally considered that leaf thickness and shape, hair type and color were important diagnostic characters to identify species, but these characters were insufficient to be diagnostic characters because of their wide variation ranges. On the other hands, pith pattern, winter bud protrusion rate, scale leaf number, anther color, fruit shape, and maturity season were taxonomic significance. A. arguta var. platyphylla and A. arguta var. rufinervis have been identified by hair type and color, but these characters showed continuous variation in A. arguta. Therefore, two varieties are treated as synonyms of A. arguta. Consequently four species are recognized in Korea: A. polygama, A. kolomikta, A. rufa, and A. arguta. A key is provided, as well as complete descriptions of the species examined, including information on nomenclatural types, and synonymies.