• 한국자원식물학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국자원식물학회 2021년도 춘계학술대회
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• pp.11-11
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• 2021

Ferns have been consumed as food in many countries for centuries. As rich sources of protein, fiber, minerals, vitamins, essential amino acids, and fatty acids, ferns provide important nutrients to humans. Eastern bracken (Pteridium aquilinum var. latiusculum (Desv.) Underw. ex A. Heller) is the most popular edible fern in South Korea where, additionally, it has long been used as an edible wild leaf vegetable. Recently, the production of eastern brackens in South Korea (2018) has reached 14,032 tons, for an annual revenue of 83.5 billion won, and even more eastern brackens are marketed if imports are taken into account as well. Most of the common ferns can be propagated using spores. However, fern farmers cultivate seedlings through traditional propagation methods, such as root pruning or rhizome division. These propagation methods exhibit limitations in forming roots and growing-points and are labor intensive. Quality seedlings of eastern bracken can be obtained through spore propagation, but the spores are fine and difficult to handle in the field. In addition, it would require appropriate environmental control. The production of synthetic seeds using encapsulation technology is easy to establish and it can be used to achieve high productivity at low cost. Synthetic seeds contain explants embedded into a seed foam, and they overcome the limitations of micropropagation and offer the possibility of using plug seedlings. Synthetic seed matrix, such as sodium alginate, has the advantages of low cost, low toxicity, and gel stability. The present study aimed to develop and produce synthetic seeds for the commercial exploitation of eastern bracken. Furthermore, we verified spore germination and the extent of gametophyte and sporophyte development achieved with our new synthetic seeds, whose production was intended to solve current problems with the handling, storage, and transportation of eastern bracken.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제13권12호
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• pp.6047-6053
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• 2012

Bracken fern [Pteridium aquilinem (L.) kuhn (Dennstaedtiaceae)] is one of the most common species on the planet. It has been consumed by humans and animals for centuries. Use by some human groups is because they believe bracken fern is good for health as plant medicine. However, it is also one of the few known plants that can cause tumors in farm animals. Many interested groups have focused their attention on bracken fern because of these interesting features. In order to evaluate the biological effects of exposure to this plant in cellular level, human cancer cell lines were treated with the fern dichloromethane extracts and the genotoxic and cytotoxic effects were studied. Anti-proliferative/cytotoxic effects were evaluated by cell count, MTT assay and flow cytometry methods with three different cancer cell lines, TCC, NTERA2, and MCF-7, and two normal cells, HDF1 and HFF3. Pro-apoptotic effects of the extracts were determined by DAPI staining and comet assay, on TCC cancer cells compared to the normal control cell lines. Cellular morphology was examined by light microscopy. Our present study showed that the extract caused DNA damage and apoptosis at high concentrations ($200{\mu}g/mL$) and also it may induce cell cycle arrest (G2/M phase) at mild concentrations (50 and $30{\mu}g/mL$) depending on the cell type and tumor origin. These results indicate that bracken fern extract is a potent source of anticancer compounds that could be utilized pharmaceutically.