• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2000.10b
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• pp.16-17
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• 2000

Aralia elata is found in mountain areas all over Korean peninsula. Aralia elata is the scientific name for Japanese angelica tree. The tree belongs to the family Araliaceae, commonly known as ginseng family. Bud sprouts from apical shoot tip of the plants are rich in flavor and thus mainly used for both folk medicine and vegetable. The stalks with apical buds are gathered in the early spring and planted in sandy soil or water in the greenhouse. The sprouting buds are then collected and sold as fresh vegetable. Although the plants have been used for food, they have been cultivated in a very small scale. In spring, local farmers just go around mountain areas to search the trees and gather the stalks as much as they get and sell them to the market. No conservation efforts have been made to stop the exploitation or to save the dwindling population. We tried to provide local farmers with the plants that may be used as an alternative to stalks from wild populations. This will hel! p conserve the wild populations. However, it is hard to propagate them either by conventional cuttings or by seed germination in a short period of time. Mass propagation using tissue culture systems have shown a great promise with several woody plants. Recently we developed a mass propagation technique via somatic embryogenesis system using mature and/ or juvenile explants for Aralia elata. Several factors affecting somatic embryogenesis system including SE(somatic embryo) induction, embryogenic callus proliferation, SE germination, plant regeneration and transplanting to field will be presented. And some problems arising for the somatic embryogenesis system will be also discussed.lso discussed.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.329-337
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• 2010

'Angelicae Pubescentis Radix' (APR) is an important oriental medical preparation. In Korea, Aralia continentalis has been recognized as the source plant of APR. Aralia cordata, which is difficult to distinguish from A. continentalis, and Heracleum moellendorffii, which is frequently used in lieu of A. continentalis, are traded in Korean herbal markets. In contrast, in China, Angelica pubescens is recognized as the source plant of APR. In this study, we devised a method not only to discriminate A. contientalis from A. cordata, but also to discriminate both A. contientalis and A. cordata from H. moellendorffii and A. pubescens. Based on the discrepancy in the sequences of specific regions of ITS, we designed a Cont F/ Cont R primer set to amplify a 173 bp PCR band that appears only in A. continentalis. Additionally, we designed an Ara F/ Ara R primer set to amplify a 278 bp PCR band that appears in both A. continentalis and A. cordata. Using these primer sets and the ST R primer to confirm the PCR amplification results, we developed a simple multiplex PCR method for differentiating A. continentalis from A. cordata and to concurrently differentiate both A. continentalis and A. cordata from other APR herbs.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.366-370
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• 1993

This study was conducted to determine the optimum culture conditions for inducing callus and regenerating plantlets from cultured leaf tissues of Aralia elata. Young leaf tissues(1cm) of A. elata plant were cultured on MS medium supplemented with 2, 4-D and Thidiazuron. Embryogenic callus was induced along the leaf veins, more efficiently on the medium containing 1.0mg /1 Thidiazuron in 4 weeks after culture initiation. Calli were subcultured to proliferate on MS media containing 2, 4-D, Dicamba, Picloram, and Thidiazuron. Callus was better proliferated on the medium containing Dicamba than on the others.. However, callus subcultured on the medium containing Thidiazuron was more embryogenic and light green-colored, of which some showed embryoid-like structure on the surface. Hormone-free medium was more efficient to regenerate plantlets than media supplemented with Kinetin, BA, and Thidiazuron.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.74-79
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• 2015

Objectives: Here we investigated the anti-lipogenic potential of kaurenoic acid (KA), a diterpene derived from Aralia continentalis, in a cellular model of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Methods: HepG2 cells were treated with palmitate for 24h to induce intracellular lipid accumulation. To assess the influence of KA on steatotic HepG2 cells, various concentration of KA was co-administered. After palmitate treatment, Intracellular triglyceride content was measured. Expression level of several lipogenic genes, sterol regulatory element-binding transcription factor-1c (SREBP-1c), acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), fatty acid synthase (FAS), and stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 (SCD-1) were measured using Western-blot analyses or RT-PCR. Results: Palmitate markedly increased intracellular triglyceride level and expression of related lipogenic genes in HepG2 cells, and which was relieved by co-administered KA. Conclusions: It is conceivable that that KA may have a pharmacological potential to reduce lipid accumulation in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.161-167
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• 2006

독활(Aralia continentalis)로부터 항균활성 물질을 찾아내기 위한 일환으로 항균실험과 분리실험을 병행하여 실시하였다. 항균활성물질 분리는 독활을 클로로포롬으로 추출하여 실리카겔($SiO_2$)과 분취용액체크로마토그래피(prep-HPLC)법으로 2종의 화합물을 분리하여 핵자기공명(NMR) 등 분광학적인 기법으로 이용하여 구조동정을 하였다. 이때 2종의 화합물은 (-)-pimara-8(1),15-diene-19-oic acid와 (24E)-stagmasta-5,22-dien-$3{\beta}-ol$임이 확인되었다. 2종의 화합물에 대한 메티실린 내성 황색포도상구균(MRSA) 및 메터실린 감응 황색포도상구균(MSSA)의 표준균주와 임상분리균주(MRSA)에서의 최소억제농도(MIC)가 $8-16{\mu}g/mL$로 나타났다. 그러므로 본 연구의 결과로부터 화합물(-)pimara-8(1),15-diene-19-oic acid은 항생제 내성균에 대한 치료제로서 개발 가능성을 확인할 수 있었다.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.57 no.3
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• pp.181-187
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• 2017

Antihypertensive effects of ethanol extracts of Aralia elata (Miq.) Seem. (AE) were investigated in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). SHR aged 14 weeks were treated for 8 weeks with AE (10 or 50 mg/kg/day) or amlodipine besylate (Am; 10 mg/kg/day) orally. Hypertension results in injury to several organs and can produce a significant increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) content as a result of lipid peroxidation and endothelial dysfunction. In this study, oral administration of AE and Am significantly reduced systolic blood pressure, organ weight index, and MDA content in tissues but increased significantly the plasma nitrite and nitrate concentrations. The endothelium-dependent relaxant activities of acetylcholine ($10^{-10}-10^{-3}M$) in norepinephrine (NE)-precontracted aorta were increased in AE- and Am-treated rats. Particularly strong endothelium-dependent relaxant activities were observed in AE-treated (50 mg/kg) rats. The endothelium-independent relaxant activities of sodium nitroprusside ($10^{-10}-10^{-3}M$) in NE-precontracted aorta were not changed. The results of this study suggest that AE has both antihypertensive and end-organ protective effects in SHR.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.301-305
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• 2014

The aim of our study is to investigate the anti-nociceptive and anti-inflammatory properties of an ethanol extract of the leaf and stem of Aralia cordata. Writhing responses induced by acetic acid, tail immersion test, and formalin-induced paw pain response for nociception and formalin-induced paw edema for inflammation were evaluated in mice. A. cordata (50 - 200 mg/kg, p.o.) and ibuprofen (100 mg/kg, p.o.), a positive non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), inhibited the acetic acid-induced writhing response, but they did not protect the thermal nociception in tail immersion test. However, morphine (5 mg/kg, s.c.) used as positive opioid control alleviated both the acetic acid-induced writhing response and thermal nociception in tail immersion test. In the formalin test, A. cordata (50 - 200mg/kg) and ibuprofen (200mg/kg) inhibited the second phase response (peripheral inflammatory response), but not the first phase response (central response), whereas morphine inhibited both phase pain responses. Both A. cordata (100 mg/kg) and ibuprofen (200 mg/kg) significantly alleviated the formalin-induced increase of paw thickness, the index of inflammation. These results show for the first time that the leaf and stem of A. cordata has a significant anti-nociceptive effect that seems to be peripheral, but not central. A. cordata also displays an anti-inflammatory activity in an acute inflammation model. The present study supports a possible use of the leaf and stem of A. cordata to treat pain and inflammation.

• Korean Journal of Plant Tissue Culture
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.129-134
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• 2001

Winter bud explants from 15 individual angelica tree (Aralia elata) were cultured in vitro to find out optimal conditions for somatic embryo induction as well as plant regeneration. Calli are induced and grown on MS medium supplemented with 1.0 mg/L 2,4-D for 4 weeks and subcultured on a half-strength MS medium without phytohormones to induce somatic embryos. Inter-simple sequence repeat (I-SSR) markers were analyzed with total DNAs extracted from the trees. Genotype effects on somatic embryo induction were examined by cluster analysis. Callus induction rate varied from 58.5 to 100% among the genotypes. Somatic embryo induction rate also greatly varied from 0 to 100% among the genotypes. There was a significant difference in somatic embryo induction rate even among the individual trees that showed close genetic relationships each other. This suggested that somatic embryo induction rate in Aralia elata be influenced by a few major specific genes rather than whole genomic similarity among individual trees. Four individuals of Ulneong-7, Cheju-1, Shingu and China, which are recalcitrant to somatic embryo induction, turned out to have a close genetic relationship, suggesting that both physiological and genetic factors affect somatic embryo induction. The results suggest that genotype selection be the most important factor to achieve an efficient propagation, although cultural optimization through medium and explant manipulation may also play crucial roles in somatic embryogensis as well as plant regeneration of these species.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.213-216
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• 2008

Continentalic acid (CA, (-)-pimara-8(14), 15-diene-19-oic acid) was isolated from the roots of Aralia cordata (Araliaceae) using bioassay-guided fractionation of a crude chloroform extract. The antibacterial activity of CA against Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus gallinarium was estimated by determining minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs). CA exhibited potent activity against standard vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) and vancomycin-susceptible enterococci (VSE), with MICs and MBCs values between 4 and $8{\mu}g/mL$ and 4 and $16{\mu}g/mL$, respectively. This compound exhibited potent activity against strains of VRE, which are highly resistant to clinically useful antibiotics. These findings suggest that continentalic acid may be useful in controlling enterococcal infection.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.439-443
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• 2006

This study was conducted to investigate the potential acute toxicity of Aralia elata by a single oral dose in ICR mice. Thirty mice of each sex were randomly assigned to three groups of 10 mice each. The test articles were administered once by the gavage to mice at dose levels of 0, 2,500 and 5,000 mg/kg body weight. The mortality and changes on body weight and clinical signs of gross observation were monitored for 14 days after dosing. At the end of 14-day observation period, all animals were sacrificed and complete gross postmortem examinations were performed. There were no dead animal and adverse effects on clinical signs, the body weight and the gross finding. As the results, we could not find any toxic effect at the dose levels of 2,500 or 5,000 mg/kg in mice and the minimal lethal dose was considered to be over 5,000 mg/kg body weight in mice.