• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.157-162
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• 2003

Various extracts of higher plants have been used in traditional medicine systems for centuries. While tropical and sub-tropical plants have received considerable attention from the researchers for evaluation of their bioactivity, temeperate plants have always been neglected somewhat. Similarly, seeds of the plants have not been considered seriously compared to other plant parts, e.g. leaves, stems, roots, flowers, etc. as a potential source for biologically active compounds. As part of our on-going evaluation of the extracts of the seeds of temperate plants, especially from Scotland, for biological activity, Achillea millefolium, Angelica sylvestris and Phleum pratense have been chosen for the present study. Both A. millefolium and A. sylvestris are well known for their traditional medicinal uses in Europe and also in the orient, but there is no report on any medicinal properties of P. pratense available to date. Extracts of the seeds of these plants have been assessed for their antioxidant and antibacterial potential and also for general toxicity. Both DCM and MeOH extracts of A. millefolium showed the most significant broad spectrum antibacterial activity among the three plants and inhibited the growth of almost all test strains of bacteria. The DCM extracts of all three species were active against methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Citrobacter freundii $(MIC=6.25{\times}10^{-1}\;mg/mL)$. While the MeOH extracts of A. millefolium and P. pratense were active against C. freundii, that of P. pratense was also active against MRSA. The MeOH extract of A. sylvestris did not show any antibacterial activity against any of the eight bacterial strains at test concentrations. The MeOH extract of P. pratense showed the most prominent antioxidant activity $(IC_{50}=145\;{\mu}g/ml)$ and there was no antioxidant activity observed with the DCM extract of A. millefolium. The DCM extract of P. pratense was the most toxic $(LC_{50}=20\;{\mu}g/ml)$ among the extracts.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.264-276
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• 2009

To elucidate the distribution of halophytes in Korea, we surveyed 95 coastal salt marsh and sand dune areas. As a result, 62 halophytes of 57 species, 4 varieties and 1 form belonging to 44 genera and 21 families were recorded from coastal regions and islands of South Korea. Of these, 33 taxa were plants growing on sand dunes and the other 29 in salt marsh. Fifty eight taxa were found on the west coast, which was surveyed at 61 areas. The most common species among them were Suaeda glauca (Bunge) Bunge, Suaeda japonica Makino, Phragmites communis Trin., Zoysia sinica Hance, Carex scabrifolia Steud. in salt marsh, and Salsola komarrovii Iljin, Lathyrus japonicus Willd., Limonium tetragonum (Thunb.) A.A. Bulloc, Calystegia soldanella Roem. & Schult. on sand dunes. On the other hand, only 45 taxa were found on the southern coast, surveyed at 15 areas. On the east coast, surveyed at 13 areas, 44 taxa were found. The most common species were Salsola komarrovii Iljin, Lathyrus japonicus Willd., Calystegia soldanella Roem. & Schult., on sand dunes and Linaria japonica Miq., which on the Korean peninsula is found only on the east coast. On Jeju Island, surveyed at 6 areas, 30 taxa of halophytes were found. Canavalia lineata (Thunb.) DC. is found in Korea only on Jeju Island. About half of the Korean halophytes were members of three families (Chenopodiaceae: 12 species, Poaceae: 12 species and Asteraceae: 7 species).

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.82-88
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• 2012

Chrysanthemum indicum L. (Asteraceae) is a traditional herbal medicine that has been used for the treatment of inflammation, hypertension, and respiratory diseases due to its strong antagonistic activity against inflammatory cytokines. The effects of Chrysanthemum indicum L. Extract (CIE) for increasing cell growth, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, and collagen content were totally inhibited, suggesting that the effect of CIE might be partly involved with estrogen activity. Furthermore, the protective effects of CIE on the response of osteoblasts to oxidative stress were evaluated. Osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells were incubated with hydrogen peroxide and/or CIE, and markers of osteoblast function and oxidative damage were examined. CIE significantly increased cell survival, ALP activity, and calcium deposition, and decreased the production of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and Tumor Necrosis Factor-${\alpha}$ (TNF-${\alpha}$) in osteoblasts. Taken together, these results indicate that the enhancement of osteoblast function by CIE may prevent osteoporosis and inflammatory bone diseases.

• Korean Journal of Weed Science
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.49-70
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• 2011

This study was conducted to examine the change of flora and plant species diversity between 2005 and 2010 in Yangjaecheon (stream) which was divided among three different types of vegetation management method; ecological vegetation management (weeding vines and invasive plants; EVM), plant cultivation (PC) and uncared for vegetation (UC). There were total 478 taxa, composed by 429 spontaneous taxa and 49 cultivated taxa in 2005 and total 424 taxa composed by 318 spontaneous taxa and 106 cultivated taxa in 2010. In spontaneous plants, 201 taxa were distributed over total area, 197 taxa were distributed in only EVM area, 10 taxa in only PC area and 59 taxa in only UC area. Also, the most dominant family (Asteraceae${\rightarrow}$Poaceae) and number of rare taxa (reduced) and wide distributed taxa (increased) was changed from 2005 to 2010. The rate of perennial taxa was found to be increased in only EVM area. In conclusion, EVM is thought to be a more efficient method for plant species diversity of restored stream.

• FLOWER RESEARCH JOURNAL
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.271-278
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• 2009

The attempts to develop natural antioxidants have been made with aerial part of 16 Compositae species by analyzing their phenolic compound contents, scavenging activities on 1,l-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) radicals, ferrous ion chelating effects and inhibition effects on peroxidation of linoleic acids. Total polyphenol and flavonoid contents were highest in Matricaria recutica. Scavenging activity on DPPH and ABTS radicals were highest with extracts of Echinacea angustifolia and Serratula coronata var. insularis f. insularis, respectively. Aerial palt extracts of all species showed lower DPPH scavenging activity than ascorbic acid and 2,6-Di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol (BHT). But Serratula coronata var. insularis f. insularis demonstrated higher ABTS scavenging activity than ascorbic acid and BHT. In Hieracium pilosella, Echinacea angustifolia, Matricaria reculica extracts showed higher ABTS scavenging activity than BHT. Ferrous ion chelating effects was highest with Matricaria recutica extract, but the effects were much lower than ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). The inhibition activity in lipid peroxidation of linoleic acids was highest in Eupatorium japonicum with 90.06% inhibition 4 days after reaction and 40.52% after 24 days. This demonstrated higher inhibition activity and longer lasting than BHT. Aerial part of Matricaria recutica for extraction source, rather than flower, has higher potential for antiox.idant material. In conclusion, development of natural antioxidants in Compositae is possible by studying antioxidant activity of each species.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.220-227
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• 2019

Stevia rebaudiana (Asteraceae), a perennial plant, has been used as a low-calorie sweetener and is being developed as a therapeutic agent for diabetes, hypertension, myocardial diseases, and microbial infections. Despite the common use of its leaves and stem, the bioavailability of the components present in S. rebaudiana flowers, when used as ingredients of cosmetics, has not been well investigated. Herein, we investigated the antioxidative and antimelanogenic effects of an aqueous extract of S. rebaudiana flowers (Stevia-F). Total flavonoid and phenolic content in Stevia-F were determined to be $8.64{\pm}0.23mg$ of quercetin equivalents/100 g and $631.5{\pm}2.01mg$ of gallic acid equivalents/100 g, respectively. The $IC_{50}$ values of Stevia-F for reducing power, and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate radical, hydrogen peroxide, and nitric oxide scavenging activities were 5541.96, 131.39, 466.34, and $10.44{\mu}g/mL$, respectively. Stevia-F showed inhibitory effects on the tyrosinase ($IC_{50}=134.74{\mu}g/mL$) and ${\alpha}$-glucosidase ($IC_{50}=114.81{\mu}g/mL$) activities. No significant cytotoxicity of Stevia-F was observed in B16F10 cells, treated with up to $100{\mu}g/mL$ of the extract for 24 and 48 h (p > 0.05). Stevia-F ($1-100{\mu}g/mL$) suppressed ${\alpha}$-melanocyte stimulating hormone-induced melanin production in B16F10 cells (p < 0.05) and also inhibited the cellular tyrosinase activity (p < 0.05). Overall, our results show that Stevia-F possesses potential for inhibiting tyrosinase and ${\alpha}$-glucosidase activities and has significant antioxidant capacity. The antimelanogenic potential of Stevia-F should extend the usage of S. rebaudiana flowers in the development of skin-whitening products.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.363-369
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• 2018

Since the establishment of the Korean Society of Plant Taxonomists (KSPT) on Dec. 13, 1968, the professional manpower training and research activities have been analyzed. The survey method was based on the homepage of the KSPT and the Korean J. Pl. Taxon, and on data provided by each university about professional manpower. Over the past 50 years, a total of 680 specialists in plant taxonomy have been trained, consisting of 537 master's degree holders (274 males, 263 females) from 30 universities and 143 PhDs (97 males, 46 females) from 26 universities, and the number has increased significantly since 1998. With regard to changes in the field of research over the last ten years, revision papers were the most common in the period of 1988-1997 (72%), but this rate has decreased to 51% over the last ten years, while the number of unrecorded papers has increased to 28%. In the 629 revision papers on taxa, 49% of the taxa belong to Asteraceae, Ranunculaceae, Cyperaceae, Liliaceae, Rosaceae, Fabaceae, Apiaceae, Lamiaceae, Orchidaceae, Oleaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Polygonaceae, and Amaryllidaceae. With regard to changes in research methods, the number of morphological papers increased from 6% to 51%, while pollen papers have decreased from a rate of 20% to only 2%. Chromosome studies account for 3-4%, chemotaxonomic studies 2%, and DNA studies remain low at 3-16%. The percentage of papers in English now stands at 43%, mainly due to the increased number of papers on unrecorded species.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.7
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• pp.762-768
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• 2019

Doellingeria scabra Thunb. (syn. Aster scaber Thunb.), a perennial herb in the family Asteraceae, is frequently found in the wild mountain regions of Korea. This aim of this work was to measure the characteristics of patchiness of D. scabra in a local population on Mt. Maebong in Taeback-ci, Gangwon-do. The spatial distribution pattern of this species was estimated by analyzing ecological data by methods including the index of dispersion, Lloyd's mean crowding, and Morisita's index. The mean population density of the D. scabra population was 2.94. The D. scabra individuals were uniformly or randomly distributed in small-scale plots and were aggregately distributed in two large-scale plots ($16{\times}32m^2$ and $32{\times}32m^2$). The mean crowding ($M^*$) was 0.916. The mean patchiness index (PAI) was 0.796. Morisita's coefficient tended to decrease the density of the population as the plot size increased. The expected value of Eberhardt's index ($I_E$) in the local population was 2.623. Moran's I of D. scabra significantly differed from the expected value in 6 of 8 cases (75.0%). The first five classes were positive, with four showing statistical significance, indicating similarity among individuals in the first four distance classes (I-IV, 8 m), The results presented here could provide a theoretical basis for the conservation of D. scabra (Korean: chamchwi) and for the rehabilitation and sustainable management of forest ecosystems on Mt. Maebong, as well as on other mountains.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.9
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• pp.977-985
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• 2019

Aster yomena (Kitam.) Honda is an edible vegetable and perennial herb belonging to the Asteraceae family, and has been used for a long time for the prevention and treatment of various diseases. Although leaf extracts of A. yomena are known to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, accurate efficacy assessments are still inadequate. In this study, we investigated whether the antioxidant efficacy of ethanol extract of A. yomena leaf (EEAY) is correlated with the anti-inflammatory effect in RAW 264.7 macrophages. The results showed that EEAY significantly inhibited the hydrogen peroxide ($H_2O_2$)-induced growth inhibition in RAW 264.7 cells, which was associated with increased expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor-2 (Nrf2) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1). EEAY pretreatment also effectively prevented $H_2O_2$-induced reactive oxygen species generation and apoptosis through inhibition of caspase-3 activation and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase degradation. Additionally, EEAY significantly increased the expression and production of interleukin-10, a representative anti-inflammatory cytokine, which was associated with increased expression of toll-like receptor 4 and myeloid differentiation factor 88 at transcriptional and translational levels. Furthermore, the increased production of nitric oxide (NO) by lipopolysaccharide was markedly abolished under the condition of EEAY pretreatment, and the inhibitory effect of NO production by EEAY was further increased by hemin, an HO-1 inducer. Overall, our results suggest that EEAY is able to activate the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway to protect RAW 264.7 macrophages from oxidative and inflammatory stress.

• Plant Breeding and Biotechnology
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.334-343
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• 2017

Eclipta prostrata and E. alba are annual herbal medicinal plants and have been used as Chinese medicinal tonics. Both species are widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions as well as in Korea. Both species have similar morphological features but E. alba has smoother leaf blade margins compared with E. prostrata. Although both species are utilized as oriental medicines, E. prostrata is more widely used than E. alba. Morphological semblances have confounded identification of either species. Here, we report the complete chloroplast genomes of both species to provide an authentication system between the two species and understand their diversity. Both chloroplast genomes were 151,733-151,757 bp long and composed of a large single copy (83,285-83,300 bp), a small single copy (18,283-18,346 bp), and a pair of inverted repeats (25,075-25,063 bp). Gene annotation revealed 80 protein coding genes, 30 tRNA genes and four rRNA genes. A phylogenetic analysis revealed that the genus Eclipta is grouped with Heliantheae tribe species in the Asteraceae family. A comparative analysis verified 29 InDels and 58 SNPs between chloroplast genomes of E. prostrata and E. alba. The low chloroplast genome sequence diversity indicates that both species are really close to each other and are not completely diverged yet. We developed six DNA markers that distinguish E. prostrata and E. alba based on the polymorphisms of chloroplast genomes between E. prostrata and E. alba. The chloroplast genome sequences and the molecular markers generated in this study will be useful for further research of Eclipta species and accurate classification of medicinal herbs.