• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.199-205
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• 2012

An extract of Alnus japonica (Betulaceae) cortex has been traditionally used for purifying blood, and curing feces containing blood, enteritis, diarrhea, alcoholism and cut wounds. In the present study, we demonstrated that the ethanol extract of Alnus japonica (EAJ) exhibited significantly cytotoxicity in human colon adenocarcinoma HT-29 cells. The results showed that the induction of apoptosis in HT-29 cells by EAJ was characterized by chromatin condensation and activation of caspase-3. EAJ-induced activation of caspase-9 and -3 caused the cleavage of poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) and the release of cytochrome c. The expressions of Bcl-2 and Bid were reduced by EAJ in HT-29 cells, whereas pro-apoptotic protein Bak was increased in the cells. EAJ-induced, dose-dependent induction of apoptosis was accompanied by sustained phosphorylation of MAP kinases (JNK and p38 MAPK), ASK1, and p53. NAC administration, a scavenger of ROS, reversed EAJ-induced cell death. In conclusion, these results indicated that EAJ can cause apoptosis through a ROS-mitochondria-caspases-dependent pathway in human HT-29 cells.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.17-23
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• 2000

The spatial distribution of allelic frequencies was studied in the natural population of three species (Ligustrum obtusiflolium, Alnus japonica, and Pinus densflora). The distributional patterns of the crown-cover centers were compared between two populations in forests. L. obtusifolium and p. densiflora showed a significantly positive spatial autocorrelation as measured by Moran's I. In P densiflora, the genetic similarity was shown by individuals within up to a scale of 18 m distance and this is partly due to combination of pollen dispersal and long distance seed dispersal by wind or men. In L. obtusifolium, population structure in the distribution of allelic frequencies is related to mating systems and is consisted of a scale of 12.5 m intervals. No spatial structuring of allele frequencies was found for polymorphic enzyme loci within a natural population of Alnus japonica. The results also in- dicate that positive associations between L. obtusifolium and P densiflora can occur when both select the same habitat or have the same environmental requirements.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.201-206
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• 2004

The activities of antioxidation and alcohol dehydrogenase in hibitionin methanol extracts of thirty two medical herbs were tested using the method of DPPH activity, nitrite scavenging effect and alcohol dehydrogenase assay in vitro. In DPPH method, Eugenia caryophyllata, Thea sinensis, Paeonia suffruticosa, Alnus japonica showed over 90 % of free radical scavenging activities. The nitrite scavenging ability appeared Zanthoxylum bungeanum, Alnus japonica, Thea sinensis, Hovenia dulcis(cortex) and Illicium verum showed the high value. In connection with in vivo alcohol metabolism, thirteen medicinal herbs were screened for inhibition. As a reasult, we found significant inhibition of ADH by methanolic extracts of Glycyrrhiza uralensis, Pueraria thunbergiana(radix), Alnus japonica. These results indicate that the antioxidative effect was strongly related with alcohol dehydrogenase inhibitor; Thea sinensis and Alnus japonica.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.34 no.2 s.133
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• pp.190-192
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• 2003

Anitioxidative activities againt 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical were evaluated for ten diarylheptanoids, $1,7-bis-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-heptane-3-O-{\beta}-D-glucopyranosyl(1{\rightarrow}3)-{\beta}-D-xylopyranoside(1)$, $1,7-bis-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-heptane-3-O-{\beta}-D-apiofuranosyl(1{\rightarrow}6)-{\beta}-D-glucopyranoside(2)$, $1,7-bis-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-heptane-5-O-{\beta}-D-glucopyranoside(3)$, 1,7-bis-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-5-hydroxyheptane(4), $1,7-bis-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-heptane-3-one-5-O-{\beta}-D-glucopyranoside(5)$, oregonin(6), hirsutanonol(7), hirsutenone(8), $1,7-bis-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-5-hydroxyheptane-3-O-{\beta}-D-xylopyranoside(9)$ and platyphylloside(10), which were isolated from Alnus japonica. Aglycones (4,7 and 8) and mono glycosides (3,6 and 9) showed more strong antioxidative activities than diglycosides (1 and 2) against the DPPH radical. Especially, hirsutenone(8) showed superior activity among ten diarylheptanoid.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.263-268
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• 1999

It was found that the level of alcohol concentration in both mouse and human sera can be significantly decreased up to 42% by oral administration of the mixtures of the extracts of Hovenia dulcis THUNB and Alnus japonica Steud. A single treatment of extract from Hovenia dulcis reduced the serum alcohol concentration to 32%, compared to 13% in treating the extract of Alnus japonica. Similar patterns were observed in enhancing alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and glutathion-S-transferase (GST) activity in the liver. The inhibition of cathepsin activity was also greatly reduced by administrating the mixture of both extracts : however, the extract of Alnus japonica did not affect the acitivity of cathepsin. It was concluded that the mixture of both extracts had synergic effect on reducing serum alcohol concentration and improving the detoxification process due to alcohol administration in the liver.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.209-212
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• 2011

Korean folk medicine 'ORiNaMu' has been used mainly to cure toothache and alcoholism. With regard to the botanical origin of 'ORiNaMu', it has been considered to designate the branch of Alnus species (Betulaceae), but there was no pharmacognostical confirmation on it. To clarify the botanical origin of 'ORiNaMu', the anatomical characteristics of the branch of Alnus firma, A. hirsuta, A. japonica and A. maximowiczii were studied. As a result, it was found the morphological criteria for the four Alnus species that could discriminate them the number of cork cell layer, fiber, stone cell and diameter of vessel. According to there criteria, it was clarified that the commercial folk medicine 'ORiNaMu' was the branch of Alnus firma.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.72-78
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• 2012

Alnus japonica Steud (A. japonica) have long been used in the traditional medicine for gastric disorder, hepatitis and fatty liver in Korea. Antiulcer effects of A. japonica hot water extract (AJ ext) were evaluated by in vitro antibacterial activity against H. pylori, by the inhibitory action against the in vitro gastric $H^+/K^+$-ATPase and using rat models of gastric mucosal damage and gastric ulcer induced by HCl-ethanol, indomethacin, and restraint and water-immersion stress. For the determination of antibacterial activity of AJ ext against H. pylori, the activity of urease which released from H. pylori was measured in culture. AJ ext showed weak antibacterial activity against H. pylori with the growth inhibitions of 37% and 61% by adding final concentrations of 500 and $1000{\mu}g/ml$ culture, respectively at 24 h. To observe the inhibitory activity of AJ ext against the $H^+/K^+$-ATPase in hog gastric membrane vesicle, $IC_{50}$ value of AJ ext was $806.3{\mu}g/ml$. Pretreatment of AJ ext (200, 500 mg/kg, p.o.) prevented in a dose-dependent manner the acute gastritis in HCl-ethanol model and the formation of gastric ulcer in indomethacin model and restraint and water-immersion stress model. These results suggest that the AJ ext can be used for prevention and treatment of gastric mucosal damage and ulcers induced by various stress.

• Proceedings of the National Institute of Ecology of the Republic of Korea
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.188-197
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• 2021

This study aimed to obtain fundamental data for demonstrating biodiversity of vegetation of East Asian alder (Alnus japonica) Forest Wetland of Heonilleung Royal Tombs. A total of 166 vascular plants (159 species, three subspecies, three varieties, and one cultivar) belonging to 132 genera and 59 families were found, accounting for 8.3% of 1,996 vascular plant species found in Seoul. Therophyte was the most common life-form of plants in Heonilleung Wetland. As for rare plant species, one Least Concern (LC) species was found. There were 15 floristic regional indicator species in the research area. Three of them belonged to floristic grades III and IV. This indicates that their habitats are discontinuous and isolated to some degree. Nineteen invasive alien plant species were found, most of which were introduced from North America after the year 1964 with a spread rate of V (widespread, WS).

• Proceedings of the Zoological Society Korea Conference
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• 1999.10b
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• pp.258.1-258
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• 1999

No Abstract, See Full Text

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.81-87
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• 2015

This study was carried out in the peatland for estimating the paleoenvironment based on the analysis from its fossils plant and radiocarbon at the Hwayang-ri, Hyeondeok-myeon, Pyeongtaek-city, South Korea. Variety of fossil was collected from the peatland which could discriminated with naked eye and sorted into seeds, leaves, stems from four-stage of standard sieve. During analysis for the large plant fossil within the peatland, the dead plants were largely divided into 3 fossil zones according to its peatland. In the fossil zone III (the oldest layer; 6,970~6,070 yr $C^{14}$ B.P.), the observation of leaves of hydrophyte such as Trapa sp. and stems of Alnus japonica which appeared in wetland means that the environment was influenced by the climate changes such as rainfall increasing and sea level rise. In the fossil zone II (the middle layer; 6,070~5,800 yr C14 B.P.), the occurrence of Gramineae, Cyperaceae and Fagaceae indicate that the environmental condition might be more or less dry by decreasing rainfall and drop in sea level. The fossil zone I (the recent layer; 5,800~4,540 yr $C^{14}$ B.P.) where lots of herbaceous plants, increasing of Fagaceae, decreasing of A. japonica. and distribution of Pinaceae were showed, was inferred to be repeated both dry and wet environment due to human disturbance.