• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.481-490
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• 2016

This study was designed to examine the effects of Allium hookeri (AH) on plasma blood glucose and fat profile levels in diabetic rats. Diabetes mellitus was induced in male Sprague-Dawley rats through injection of streptozotocin (STZ) dissolved in citrate buffer into tail veins at a dose of 45 mg/kg of body weight. Sprague-Dawley rats were then fed for 4weeks, with the experimental groups receiving a modified diet containing 5% or 10% powder derived from AH roots. The experimental groups were divided into four groups, consisting of a control group, STZ-control group, and diabetic fed with AH 5% & 10% treated groups. Rats' body weights, blood glucose, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglyceride (TG), and free fatty acid (FFA) values in plasma were measured along with hematocrit (Hct) values and aminotransferase activities. Body weight losses were observed in the STZ-control group, whereas the STZ-AH group of diabetic rats gained weight. There was a significantly decrease in brain weight of the STZ-AH group but no significant differences in kidney and liver weights of the STZ-AH 5% & STZ-AH 10% groups compared to the STZ-control group. Blood glucose was significantly reduced in the STZ-AH 5% & STZ-AH 10% diabetic groups. There were no significant differences in total cholesterol and TG levels among the diabetic groups. HDL-cholesterol significantly increased while FFA significantly decreased in the STZ-AH 5% & STZ-AH 10% diabetic groups. The Hct level of the STZ-AH group was lower than that of the STZ-control group. Aspartate aminotransferase activity was significantly reduced in the STZ-AH 5% & STZ-AH 10% diabetic groups. These results indicate that supplementation with Allium hookeri root may have beneficial effects on diabetic complications as a potential therapeutic candidate.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.832-839
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• 2015

The study analyzed the antioxidant and whitening activities of fractions from hot-air-dried Allium hookeri (HADAH). The total polyphenol contents in fractions from HADAH extract showed the highest value ($171.07{\pm}7.55mg/g$ GAE) in ethyl acetate fraction of roots. Antioxidant activities of leaf and root parts were significantly higher in the ethyl acetate fraction. HADAH showed higher whitening activity (n-hexane fraction of leaf; 52.22% melanin production) than arbutin (65.82% melanin production), which is known as a whitening ingredient. These results suggest that HADAH extracts can be used as antioxidant and whitening materials. Thus, study of HADAH extracts showing effective whitening and physiological activities can provide efficient data for industrial use of Allium hookeri.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.867-877
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• 2015

In this study, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of water, methanol, and ethanol extracts obtained from Allium hookeri root were evaluated. The ethanol extract of A. hookeri was found to possess the strongest reducing power and also exhibited dominant effects on scavenging of nitrites, DPPH radicals, and superoxide radicals. The water extract showed more efficient DPPH and hydroxyl radical-scavenging activities than those of the methanol extract. Furthermore, the inhibitory activity against nitric oxide (NO) production in RAW 264.7 macrophages was evaluated to elucidate the anti-inflammatory properties of the extracts. Results indicated that all the extracts of A. hookeri exerted inhibitory activities against NO production, especially the ethanol extract ($IC_{50}29.13{\mu}g/mL$). Total phenolic and total flavonoid contents were found to be abundant in the ethanol extract, with values of 24.96 mg gallic acid equivalent/g extract and 4.27 mg rutin equivalent/g extract, respectively. Total thiosulfinate content was determined for the first time and a high amount was present in the ethanol extract ($14.2{\mu}M/g$ extract). These results suggest that A. hookeri root has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and could be used as a natural source for the development of pharmaceutical agents or functional foods.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.141-147
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• 2017

As an ongoing study about Allium hookeri (Liliaceae), this study was performed to evaluate the anti-oxidative effect of the leaves of this plant. Ethanol extract of A. hookeri leaves was successively partitioned as methylene chloride, ethyl acetate, n-butanol and $H_2O$ soluble fractions. The ethyl acetate soluble fraction showed the most potent DPPH radical scavenging and superoxide quenching activities among those fractions. To prove antioxidant activity of ethyl acetate fraction of A. hookeri leaves, we checked the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase, and intracellular ROS level and oxidative stress tolerance in Caenorhabditis elegans. In addition, to verify if increased stress tolerance of C. elegans by treating of ethyl acetate fraction was due to regulation of stress-response gene, we checked SOD-3 expression using transgenic strain. As a consequence, the ethyl acetate fraction increased SOD and catalase activity of C. elegans, and reduced intracellular ROS accumulation in a dose-dependent manner. Besides, the ethyl acetate fraction-treated CF1553 worms showed higher SOD-3::GFP intensity.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.41 no.11
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• pp.1645-1648
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• 2012

Allium hookeri, a member of the onion family, has long been mainly cultivated for food and medicinal use in Southeast Asia countries owing to its various biological properties. However, no studies of the anti-inflammatory effects of A. hookeri extracts have been conducted to date. Therefore, this study was investigated the potential of the methanol extract of A. hookeri to suppress the inflammation in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced mouse macrophage RAW264.7 cells. This study was performed on macrophage cells that were pretreated with $0{\sim}500{\mu}g/mL$ of methanol extract of A. hookeri root prior to LPS treatment. Treatment with methanol extract of A. hookeri root significantly inhibited LPS-induced nitric oxide formation in dose-dependent manner. Treatment of A. hookeri root also significantly decreased LPS-induced TNF-${\alpha}$ and IL-6 production. The results of this study provide new evidence of the anti-inflammatory properties of A. hookeri and indicate that it may have a potential therapeutic use for the prevention and treatment of macrophage derived chronic immune diseases.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.18-25
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• 2017

This study describes the preliminary evaluation of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of Allium hookeri. A. hookeri was extracted using crude extract and then fractionated sequentially with n-hexane, $CH_2Cl_2$, EtOAc, and n-BuOH. To screen for antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents effectively, we first examined the inhibitory effect of A. hookeri extracts on production of oxidant stresses (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, xanthine oxidase, and superoxide). In addition, we examined the inhibitory effects of A. hookeri on production of pro-inflammatory factors (nitric oxide, prostaglandin $E_2$, inducible nitric oxide synthase, and cyclooxygenase-2) in murine macrophage RAW 264.7 cells stimulated with lipopolysaccharide. Of the sequential solvent fractions of A. hookeri, EtOAc fractions showed decreased production of oxidant stresses, and $CH_2Cl_2$ and EtOAc fractions of A. hookeri inhibited production of pro-inflammatory factors. EtOAc fraction inhibited production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-6 and -$1{\beta}$). These results suggest that A. hookeri has significant effects on oxidant stresses and pro-inflammatory factors and is a possible antioxidant and anti-inflammatory therapeutic and preventive material.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.78-83
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• 2015

This study was conducted to verify the potential of Allium hookeri to control glucose metabolism in a diabetes model. We fed the experimental diets (AL, AR, Dex) supplemented with the powder of leaf, root, or dextrin as a positive control, respectively at 3% of diet to the diabetic mice (C57BLKS/J, db/db) for 8 weeks. Control mice were fed with the diet supplemented with cornstarch (Cont) at 3% level of diet. At 8th week of feeding the diets, we measured body weight, blood glucose, HbA1c, and plasma insulin levels and conducted an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and staining insulin immunoreactive cells in islets of pancreas. AL group treated with the leaf of A. hookeri showed significantly lower blood glucose and HbA1c levels, higher plasma insulin levels, and increased density of insulin immunoreactive cells compared with the Cont group. During the OGTT, AL group showed lower blood glucose levels than the Cont group for 120 min. Based on these results, leaf of A. hookeri is considered to be effective in improving glucose tolerance by partially affecting insulin secretion and it may be used to prevent and treat diabetic disease.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.148-153
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• 2015

Allium hookeri is a plant species native to India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and China. The plant is widely cultivated in Korea lately as a medicinal food item. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of Allium hookeri (A. hookeri) on lipid metabolism in Type II diabetic mice (n=8/group, 5 groups). High fat diets with dextrin as a positive control (Dex), leaf (AL), root (AR), and fermented root (FAR) at 3% of diet were fed to all experimental mouse, respectively for 8 weeks. Body weight gain, liver and epididymal fat weights, and excreted fecal lipid levels were measured. Serum and hepatic lipid profiles were analyzed, and fat accumulation in liver was evaluated. In this study, body weight gain and epididymal fat weight were lower in the FAR group, while serum HDL-cholesterol level and excreted fecal total lipid and triglyceride levels were higher in AL or FAR groups. These results suggest that A. hookeri, specially fermented root can be a useful food item to control lipid metabolism in diabetic mice.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.57-62
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• 2016

The present study was undertaken to determine the changes of physicochemical and antioxidant activity using leaf and root in hot air-dried Allium hookeri (HA) and freeze-dried Allium hookeri (FA). The leaf of HA was higher level of moisture and crude fat compared with those of the leaf of FA. The crude fat content in root of HA was higher than that in FA. However, moisture, crude ash, crude protein and carbohydrate did not show any differences between two different drying methods. The organic acid contents of Allium hookeri root including oxalic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, succinic acid, lactic acid, formic acid, acetic acid showed the differences between hot air-drying and freeze-drying methods. The major minerals were Ca, K and Mg, which were higher level of the leaf of HA compared with those of FA. The leaf of HA showed the highest vitamin C content (801.65 mg/100 g). The content of vitamin E in the leaf of FA was higher than that of HA. The contents of total polyphenol and total flavonoid in the FA leaf were higher than that in HA. The DPPH radical-scavenging activity in leaf of HA (65.73%) was significantly higher than that of FA (57.73%).

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.161-169
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• 2023

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of Allium hookeri (AH) root on growth performance, serum antioxidant enzyme activity, cecal short-chain fatty acid profiles, and tight junction-related gene expression of broiler chickens. On day 10, 96 birds were allocated to one of two dietary treatments with 6 replicate cages, and 8 birds per cage in a randomized complete block design. The experimental diets consisted of a corn-soybean meal-based control diet and a diet supplemented with 0.3% AH root powder at the expense of the corn in the control diet. The experimental diets were formulated to meet or exceed the nutrients requirements of broilers recommended by Aviagen for each phase (from day 10 to 21 and from day 21 to 28). On day 28, a bird representing the median body weight in each cage was selected, and then blood, cecal digesta, and jejunum tissue samples were collected. No significant differences were observed in body weight gain and feed intake among dietary treatments. However, birds fed the diet containing AH showed a greater gain-to-feed ratio compared to the control group at 21 days of age and throughout the entire experimental period (P<0.05). Serum antioxidant enzyme activity, cecal short-chain fatty acid profiles, and tight junction-related gene expression were not affected by the dietary AH supplementation. Based on the results of the present study, dietary AH supplementation may improve the gain-to-feed ratio, but not gut health markers in broiler chickens from day 10 to 28.