• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.395-410
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• 2014

The genus Callophyllis is recorded as six separate species with imprecise species delimitation in Korea. To elucidate the species boundaries of Korean Callophyllis, we performed morphological observations and molecular analyses, and included three Japanese Callophyllis species from the type locality. From the results of molecular analyses using plastid rbcL and mitochondrial COI-5P genes, we confirmed ten Callophyllis species, including five cryptic ones: C. adhaerens, C. adnata, C. crispata, and C. japonica from Korea and Japan; C. hayamensis as an unrecorded species from Korea; C. cartilaginea, C. mollitia, C. repens, C. serratifolia, and C. undulata as new species from Korea. There were no Korean specimens that matched C. adnata or C. crispata from Japan, except Korean C. japonica, which formed a genetic group with the Japanese species. We obtained the interspecific divergences among the five cryptic species as 0.6-4.5% in rbcL and 2.8-8.4% in COI-5P. We recognized that the species diversity of Callophyllis has been underestimated from the northwestern Pacific region. The species boundary of Callophyllis from Korea and Japan will be a cornerstone to revealing the phylogenetic affinity of the genus distributed in both hemispheres of the western Pacific.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.49-58
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• 2005

This study was designed to observe the effects of the feeding Callophyllis japonica extracts on the improvement of the blood glucose, lipid in the serum of dietary hypercholesterolemic rats(S.D. strain, ?) fed the experimental diets for 4 weeks. Concentrations of total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol in serum were significantly lower in the Callophylis japonica extracts group than in the choloesterol supplemented diet group. Concentrations of HDL-cholesterol in serum were higher in the Callophyllis japonica extracts group than in the cholesterol supplemented diet group. Concentrations of free cholesterol, triglyceride, phospholipid and blood glucose in serum were significantly lower in the Callophyllis japonica extracts group than in the cholesterol supplemented diet group. The activities of aspatate aminotransferae(AST), alanine aminotransferase(ALT), lactate dehydrogenase(LDH) and alkaline phosphatase(ALP) in serum were lower in the CAllophyllis japonica extracts supplemented group than in the cholesterol diet group. From the above research, the physiological activity substances in Callophylis japonica extracts were effective on the improvement of the blood glucose, lipid compositions in serum of dietary hypercholesterolemic rats.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.611-615
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• 2020

A marine red algal species was collected from Pyengdae-ri, Gujwa in Jeju, Korea during a survey of marine algal flora. This alga shares the generic features of Callophyllis(Gigartinales, Kallymeniaceae), and is characterized by erect and membranous thalli, branches dichotomously or trichotomoulsy divided, margin somewhat undulate or entire and tetrasporangia scattered irregularly in the cortex. In a phylogenetic tree based on rbc L sequences, the Korean alga nests in the same clade as C. mageshimensis originally described from Japan. The genetic distance between both sequences within the clade was 0.0-0.1%. Based on the morphological and molecular data, the alga was identified as Callophyllis mageshimensis. This is the first record of C. mageshimensis in Korean marine algal flora.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.95-100
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• 2007

Background: A red seaweed, Callophyllis japonica has been traditionally eaten in the oriental area. In a recent study, it has been demonstrated that the ethanol extract of C. japonica have antioxidant activity. However, there are few studies about the effects of C. japonica on the function of immune cells. We investigated the immunomodulatory effects of C. japonica on the function of dendritic cells, the potent antigen-presenting cells. Methods: Bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (DCs) were used and the viability was measured by 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay and trypan blue exclusion test. Cytokine and nitric oxide (NO) levels were determined by using ELISA and Griess reagent, respectively. The expression levels of DC surface markers were measured by flow cytometric analysis. Results: C. japonica ethanol extract did not significantly affect the DCs viability and the IL-12 production from DCs, irrespective of the presence of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). In addition, it did not significantly change the expression of DC surface markers. However, C. japonica ethanol extract significantly inhibited the LPS-induced NO production and also increased the proliferation of allogeneic lymphocytes activated by DCs. Conclusion: Our data suggests that C. japonica ethanol extract enhances the proliferation of allogeneic lymphocytes activated by DCs which is associated with inhibition of NO production from DCs induced by LPS.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.447-454
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• 2012

The anti-obesity potential of an ethanolic extract of the edible red alga Callophyllis japonica extract (CJE) was investigated in mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD). CJE administration into HFD mice revealed suppression of body weight, adipose tissue weight, serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, and glucose levels in a dose-dependent manner. Also, it reduced serum levels of glutamic pyruvic transaminase, glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, and lactate dehydrogenase, as well as the accumulation of fatty droplets in liver tissue. CJE and its ethyl acetate fraction inhibited adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 adipocytes by down-regulating the adipocyte-specific transcriptional regulators. Taken together, these results suggest that CJE reduces obesity in mice fed an HFD by inhibiting lipid accumulation and adipogenesis in the adipose tissues.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2010

The efficacy of the radioprotective effect of Callophyllis japonica ethyl acetate (CJEA) extract was studied by comparing it to that of amifostine, a well-known radioprotective agent, and by evaluating the dose reduction factor, an indicator of radioprotective efficacy. Pretreatment with CJEA extract (100 mg/kg body weight) prior to receiving 12 Gy irradiation significantly improved the survival of jejunal crypts at 3.5 day post-irradiation, but attenuated the level of malondialdehyde compared to vehicle alone (P < 0.01). A similar gastroprotective effect was also obtained in the amifostine-treated irradiated group (P < 0.01). The efficacy of the radioprotective effect was further confirmed by the dose reduction factor, 1.41. Collectively, these results suggest that CJEA extract is a useful radioprotectant whose efficacy is similar to that of amifostine and whose radioprotective mechanism is in part the reduction of lipid peroxidation caused by gamma irradiation.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.341-347
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• 2007

Red seaweed (Callophyllis japonica) has long formed part of the diet of Asians, but the pharmacological properties of this plant have not been evaluated. In this study, we examined the effect of an ethanol extract of C. japonica on the generation of nitric oxide (NO) in RAW 264.7 cells. The C. japonica extract increased the generation of NO and tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}$ ($TNF-{\alpha}$), which were detected by the Griess method and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. The increased production of NO by C. japonica extract was inhibited by $N^G$-monomethyl-L-arginine ($100{\mu}M$), a specific inhibitor of NO production in the L-arginine-dependent pathway, and by the nuclear $factor-{\kappa}B$ ($NF-{\kappa}B$) inhibitor, pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate ($10-100{\mu}M$) in a dose-dependent manner. These findings demonstrate that C. japonica extract stimulates the production of NO and $TNF-{\alpha}$ in RAW 264.7 cells through the activation of $NF-{\kappa}B$ and that this extract might also inhibit the growth of the human leukemic cells.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.231-235
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• 2005

A limited number of studies have been conducted on the bioactivity of Callophyllis japonica (C. japonica), which is a red seaweed that is traditional in the oriental diet. In this report, the hepatoprotective effect of C. japonica was studied in a carbon tetrachloride $(CCl_4)-induced$ hepatotoxicity model in rats. A single intraperitoneal injection of 1.25 ml/kg of 20% $CCl_4$ in olive oil produced an elevated level of serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT) and increased enzyme activity of serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT). Pre-treatment with C. japonica (150 mg/kg/d) for 3 days in $CCl_4-injected$ rats reduced the levels of SGPT and SGOT compared with control levels (P < 0.05), while higher doses (300 and 600 mg/kg) were ineffective. The administration of C. japonica (150 mg/kg/d) for 3 days after the $CCl_4$ injection in rats was ineffective at reducing SGPT and SGOT. The histopathological findings in each group largely agreed with the biochemical data. The results of this study support the suggestion that C. japonica has a hepatoprotective effect on chemical-induced liver injury.

• ALGAE
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.91-97
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• 2019

Chilean species of marine macroalgae with amphitropical distributions oftentimes result from introductions out of the Northern Hemisphere. This possibility was investigated using haplotype data in an amphitropical red macroalgae present in Chile, Callophyllis variegata. Published sequence records from Canada and the United States were supplemented with new collections from Chile (April 2014-November 2015). Specimens of C. variegata were amplified for the 5′ end of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene (COI-5P) and the full length nuclear internal transcribed spacer region. Haplotype networks and biogeographic distributions were used to infer whether C. variegata was introduced between hemispheres, and several population parameters were estimated using IMa2 analyses. C. variegata displayed a natural amphitropical distribution, with an isolation time of approximately 938 ka between hemispheres. It is hypothesized that contemporary populations of C. variegata were established from a refugial population during the late Pleistocene, and may have crossed the tropics via rafting on buoyant species of kelp or along deep-water refugia coincident with global cooling, representing a rare case of a non-human mediated amphitropical distribution.

• ALGAE
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.343-353
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• 2014

Despite the extensive literature on marine algae over the past few decades, a paucity of published research and studies exists on red algae. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential therapeutic properties of the ethanol extract of the red alga Callophyllis japonica against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated macrophage inflammation. The C. japonica extract (CJE) significantly inhibited the nitric oxide (NO) production and the induced dose-dependent reduction of the protein and mRNA levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2. Additionally, the CJE reduced the mRNA levels of inflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$, interleukin (IL)-$1{\beta}$, and IL-6. We investigated the mechanism by which the CJE inhibits NO by examining the level of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) activation, which is an inflammation-induced signaling pathway in macrophages. The CJE significantly suppressed the LPS-induced phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase, extracellular signal-regulated kinase and p38 MAPK. Taken together, the results of this study demonstrate that the CJE inhibits LPS-induced inflammation by blocking the MAPK pathway in macrophages.