• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.552-562
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• 2020

Background: Ginsenosides are the unique and bioactive components in ginseng. Ginsenosides are affected by the growing environment and conditions. In New Zealand (NZ), Panax ginseng Meyer (P. ginseng) is grown as a secondary crop under a pine tree canopy with an open-field forest environment. There is no thorough analysis reported about NZ-grown ginseng. Methods: Ginsenosides from NZ-grown P. ginseng in different parts (main root, fine root, rhizome, stem, and leaf) with different ages (6, 12, 13, and 14 years) were extracted by ultrasonic extraction and characterized by Liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry. Twenty-one ginsenosides in these samples were accurately quantified and relatively quantified with 13 ginsenoside standards. Results: All compounds were separated in 40 min, and a total of 102 ginsenosides were identified by matching MS spectra data with 23 standard references or published known ginsenosides from P. ginseng. The quantitative results showed that the total content of ginsenosides in various parts of P. ginseng varied, which was not obviously dependent on age. In the underground parts, the 13-year-old ginseng root contained more abundant ginsenosides among tested ginseng samples, whereas in the aboveground parts, the greatest amount of ginsenosides was from the 14-year-old sample. In addition, the amount of ginsenosides is higher in the leaf and fine root and much lower in the stem than in the other parts of P. ginseng. Conclusion: This study provides the first-ever comprehensive report on NZ-grown wild simulated P. ginseng.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.563-572
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• 2006

The plant Rubus species (Rosaceae) mainly contains $19{\alpha}-hydroxyurane-type$ triterpenoids $(19{\alpha}-HUT)$ as bioactive components. Available functional food includes blackberry (the fruit of thornless Rubus sp.), red raspberry (R. idaeus) and black raspberry (R. occidentalis). However, the fruit of R. coreanus, which is used in Korea as a functional food, substitutes black raspberry. Rubi Fructus, which has been traditionally used as an oriental medicinal drug, designates only unripe fruit of R. coreanus but not its ripe fruit which indicates that it needs high content of $19{\alpha}-HUT$ as a crude drug. Throughout our experiment, we found that ripe fruits contain very little amount of $19{\alpha}-HUT$ when compared to unripe fruits. In addition, various and rich $19{\alpha}-HUT$ has been reported from Rubus species. The most common structure of $19{\alpha}-HUT$ of Rubus species, euscaphic acid or tormentic acid with $3{\alpha}-OH$ or $3{\beta}-OH$, respectively, can be glycosylated or oxidized to produce a number of $19{\alpha}-HUTs $as euscaphic acid and tormentic acid derivatives and even esterified to form dimeric triterpenoids. In this review, the bioactivity and biosynthetic pathway and chemical characterization of $19{\alpha}-HUTs$ found in Rubus species are discussed.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.146-152
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• 2012

Panax ginseng (PG) is a globally utilized medicinal herb. The medicinal effects of PG are primarily attributable to ginsenosides located in the root and leaf. The leaves of PG are known to be rich in various bioactive ginsenosides, and the therapeutic effects of ginseng extract and ginsenosides have been associated with immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory activities. We examined the effect of PG leaf extract and the isolated ginsenosides, on nuclear factor (NF)-${\kappa}B$transcriptional activity and target gene expression by applying a luciferase assay and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction in tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-${\alpha}$-treated hepatocarcinoma HepG2 cells. Air-dried PG leaf extract inhibited TNF-${\alpha}$-induced NF-${\kappa}B$transcription activity and NF-${\kappa}B$-dependent cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) gene expression more efficiently than the steamed extract. Of the 10 ginsenosides isolated from PG leaves, Rd and Km most significantly inhibited activity in a dose-dependent manner, with $IC_{50}$ values of $12.05{\pm}0.82$ and $8.84{\pm}0.99\;{\mu}M$, respectively. Furthermore, the ginsenosides Rd and Km inhibited the TNF-${\alpha}$-induced expression levels of the COX-2 and iNOS gene in HepG2 cells. Air-dried leaf extracts and their chemical components, ginsenoside Rd and Km, are involved in the suppression of TNF-${\alpha}$-induced NF-${\kappa}B$ activation and NF-${\kappa}B$-dependent iNOS and COX-2 gene expression. Consequently, air-dried leaf extract from PG, and the purified ginsenosides, have therapeutic potential as anti-inflammatory.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.412-418
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• 2018

Background: Ginsenoside Rg3(S) and compound K (C-K) are pharmacologically active components of ginseng that promote human health and improve quality of life. The aim of this study was to produce Rg3(S) and C-K from ginseng extract using recombinant Lactococcus lactis. Methods: L. lactis subsp. cremoris NZ9000 (L. lactis NZ9000), which harbors ${\beta}$-glucosidase genes (BglPm and BglBX10) from Paenibacillus mucilaginosus and Flavobacterium johnsoniae, respectively, was reacted with ginseng extract (protopanaxadiol-type ginsenoside mixture). Results: Crude enzyme activity of BglBX10 values comprised 0.001 unit/mL and 0.003 unit/mL in uninduced and induced preparations, respectively. When whole cells of L. lactis harboring pNZBglBX10 were treated with ginseng extract, after permeabilization of cells by xylene, Rb1 and Rd were converted into Rg3(S) with a conversion yield of 61%. C-K was also produced by sequential reactions of the permeabilized cells harboring each pNZBgl and pNZBglBX10, resulting in a 70% maximum conversion yield. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that the lactic acid bacteria having specific ${\beta}$-glucosidase activity can be used to enhance the health benefits of Panax ginseng in either fermented foods or bioconversion processes.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.57 no.4
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• pp.235-240
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• 2013

For the quality control of traditional herbal medicine, Cinnamomi Ramulus, simultaneous determination of cinnamic acid, cinnamaldehyde, and 2-methoxycinnamaldehyde was established by using a high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method with diode array detector. To separate three constituents, Eclipse XDB C18 ($5{\mu}m$, $4.6{\times}250mm$) was used with 0.1% acetic acid and acetonitrile. Validation of the chromatography method was evaluated by linearity, recovery, and precision test. Calibration curve of standard components showed excellent linearity ($R^2$ >0.9999). A simple and efficient method by HPLC was developed to evaluate the quality of traditional herbal medicines made from Cinnami Ramulus. Three major bioactive ingredients in 30 samples that are from China(8) and Vietnam(22) were separated and quantified.

• Journal of Marine Bioscience and Biotechnology
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.30-38
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• 2016

The objective of this study was to investigate the useful components and potential antioxidant activities of 30 marine algae, collected from Jeju Island in Korea. The contents of bioacitve substance of extracts from marine algae, such total polyphenol and carbohydrate, were determined. The extract of Distromium decumbens had the highest amount of total polyphenol content (21.27%), and that of Gracilaria incurvata Okamura had the highest amount of total carbohydrate content (10.18%). The antioxidant activities of extracts obtained from algae were tested through the evaluation of DPPH radical and hydroxyl radical scavenging activity. The extracts of Distromium decumbens, Sargassum hemiphyllum (Turner) C.Agardh, Sargassum serratifolium (C. Agardh) C. Agardh and Acrosorium yendoi Yamada were found to have more than 80% DPPH radical scavenging activity and that of Dictyota okamurae (Dawson) $H{\ddot{o}}tning$, Schnetter, et Prud'homme van Reine, Myagropsis myagroides (Martens ex Turner) Fensholt, Sargassum serratifolium (C. Agardh) C. Agardh and Cladophora wrightiana Harvey showed more than 50% hydroxyl radical scavenging activity. These results suggest that algae collected from Jeju Island would be good raw materials for antioxidant.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.181-187
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• 2013

Artemisia princeps Pampanini (AP) has been used as a traditional medicine in Korea, China and Japan and reported to exhibit various beneficial biological effects including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-atherogenic and lipid lowering activities; however, its antiplatelet and anticoagulant properties have not been studied. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of an ethanol extract of Artemisia princeps Pampanini (EAP) and its major flavonoids, eupatilin and jaceosidin, on platelet aggregation and coagulation. To determine the antiplatelet activity, arachidonic acid (AA)-, collagen- and ADP (adenosine diphosphate)-induced platelet aggregation were examined along with serotonin and thromboxane A2 ($TXA_2$) generation in vitro. The anticoagulant activity was determined by monitoring the activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) and prothrombin time (PT) in vitro. The data showed that EAP and its major flavonoids, eupatilin and jaceosidin, significantly reduced AA-induced platelet aggregation and the generation of serotonin and $TXA_2$, although no significant change in platelet aggregation induced by collagen and ADP was observed. Moreover, EAP significantly prolonged the PT and aPTT. The PT and/or aPTT were significantly increased in the presence of eupatilin and jaceosidin. Thus, these results suggest that EAP may have the potential to prevent or improve thrombosis by inhibiting platelet activation and blood coagulation.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.144-148
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• 2020

Corn silk (Okmi-su) was anciently adopted as a material for tea or beverage. Corn silk extracts (CSE) contain bioactive phytochemicals such as phenolic acid, flavonoids, ascorbic acid, tannins, and glycosides. Under the impact of these functional components, CSE has benefits for antioxidation, diuresis, anti-diabetes, and dyslipidemia recovery. Nonetheless, its role in whole-body adiposity was not investigated; therefore, the effects of CSE on obesity were evaluated in high-fat diet-induced obese mice. Mice were assigned to either group (n=12); 1) normal diet (18% kcal from fat), 2) high-fat diet (45% kcal from fat, the control), 3) high-fat diet with CSE (800 mg/kg diet), and 4) high-fat diet with orlistat (500 mg/kg diet, a comparable control for weight loss). Our results showed that body weight, adiposity, and energy expenditure in obese mice were not altered by CSE. Lean body mass tended to decrease by CSE, which can be explained by stimulation of diuresis (p=0.06). In conclusion, our results suggest that dietary consumption of CSE does not influence the adiposity and underlying substrate utilization in high-fat diet-induced obese mice.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.31-37
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• 2009

Recently, Korean people are consuming seaweeds almost 3.5 times more now than three decades ago. It is well known that seaweeds contain lots of soluble dietary fiber in addition to micronutrients such as ${\beta}$-carotene, iodine and some bioactive components. Seaweeds are considered to be effective for preventing chronic diseases including obesity, diabetes mellitus, atherosclerosis, cancer or constipation. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of seamustard intake on body weight gain, blood glucose level and lipid profiles in rats fed diets with different energy nutrient composition. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (average initial weight 103.7g) were divided into groups for two experiments as follows; Control, M2.5 & M5 groups (Exp. I) and M5, M10, HCM5, HCM10, HFM5 & HFM10 groups (Exp. II). The rats were fed diet and water ad libitum for 4 weeks. In general, there was no significant difference in blood glucose and triglyceride concentration among groups. In Exp. I, serum LDL-cholesterol level of rats fed diet with 5% seamustard powder (M5) was significantly lower than that of control group, while HDL-cholesterol level, TC/LDL ratio and weight of adrenal gland were higher. In Exp. II, food intake, body weight gain and EER of high fat diet with 10% seamustard group (HFM10) were the lowest among groups. Except gastrocnemius muscle, all organ weights of HFM10 group were the lowest. Fecal cholesterol excretion and serum LDL-cholesterol concentration of HFM10 group were the highest, while serum HDL-cholesterol level was the lowest among groups. Interestingly, HDL-cholesterol concentration was the highest in HCM5 group among groups. From these results, it was suggested that seamustard intake might be more effective for body weight control, but not for improving blood lipid profiles in high fat diet than in high carbohydrate diet.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.379-388
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• 2013

Diabetic nephropathy is one of the serious complications in patients with either type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus but current treatments remain unsatisfactory. Results of clinical research studies demonstrate that Panax ginseng can help adjust blood pressure and reduce blood sugar and may be advantageous in the treatment of tuberculosis and kidney damage in people with diabetes. The heat-processing method to strengthen the efficacy of P. ginseng has been well-defined based on a long history of ethnopharmacological evidence. The protective effects of P. ginseng on pathological conditions and renal damage associated with diabetic nephropathy in the animal models were markedly improved by heat-processing. The concentrations of less-polar ginsenosides (20(S)-Rg3, 20(R)-Rg3, Rg5, and Rk1) and maltol in P. ginseng were significantly increased in a heat-processing temperature-dependent manner. Based on researches in animal models of diabetes, ginsenoside 20(S)-Rg3 and maltol were evaluated to have therapeutic potential against diabetic renal damage. These effects were achieved through the inhibition of inflammatory pathway activated by oxidative stress and advanced glycation endproducts. These findings indicate that ginsenoside 20(S)-Rg3 and maltol are important bioactive constituents of heat-processed ginseng in the control of pathological conditions associated with diabetic nephropathy.