• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.640-646
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• 2018

Cassia obtusifolia L. is commonly used as medicinal foods to treat gastrointestinal disease in many countries. This study evaluated the anti-constipation effects of ethanolic extract of Cassia obtusifolia L. in rats with loperamide-induced constipation. Diffferent concentrations of ethanolic extract of Cassia obtusifolia L. (0, 10, 250, and 500 mg/kg) was administered to rat orally once daily for 3 weeks following loperamide treatment. Six-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats (N=25) were randomly divided into five groups: normal control and experimental groups and injected loperamide intraperitoneally to induce constipation in the latter four experimental groups. Following the induction of loperamide-induced constipation, a marked decrease was observed in the fecal weight and water content discharged for over 1 week and intestinal transit time while an increase was observed in the number of fecal pellets remaining in the colonic lumen as compared with the normal control group. These conditions were significantly alleviated following the administration of the two doses (250 and 500 mg/kg) of ethanolic extract of Cassia obtusifolia L. when compared to the loperamide-treated (constipation control) group. More specifically, the number of fecal pellets in the colon was 3, 5, 4, 2.8, and 1.2 in the five groups, respectively and the corresponding GIT ratio was 70.77, 56.59, 58.67, 66.81, and 72.10%, respectively. The fecal water content, transit distance, and GIT ratio in the high-dose treatment group were significantly higher than that in the medium-dose treatment group, but a significant decrease in the number of fecal pellets in the colon. In conclusion, the Cassia obtusifolia L. extract is suggested to have beneficial effects as a therapeutic and preventive strategy to alleviate constipation and to relieve the symptoms of constipation such as pain, flatulence, distention, bloating, and unpleasant taste.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.564-569
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• 2019

Heavy drinking disrupts the nervous system by activation of GABA receptors and inhibition of glutamate receptors, thereby preventing short-term memory formation. Degradation of cognition by alcohol induces blackouts, and it can lead to alcoholic dementia if repeated. Therefore, drugs need to be developed to prevent alcohol-induced blackout. In this study, we confirmed the effect of an ethanol extract of Cassia obtusifolia seeds (COE) on alcohol-induced memory impairment. The effects of COE and ethanol on cognitive functions mice were examined using the passive avoidance and Y-maze tests. The manner in which alcohol affects long-term potentiation (LTP) in relation to the learning and memory was confirmed by electrophysiology performed on mouse hippocampal slices. We also measured N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-mediated field excitatory synapses (fEPSPs), which have a known association with cognitive impairment caused by ethanol. Ethanol caused memory impairments in passive avoidance and Y-maze tests. COE prevented these ethanol-induced memory impairments in these tests. Ethanol also blocked LTP induction in the mouse hippocampus, and COE prevented this ethanol-induced LTP deficit. Ethanol decreased NMDA receptor-mediated fEPSPs in the mouse hippocampus, and this decrease was prevented by COE. These results suggest that COE might be useful in preventing alcohol-induced neurological dysfunctions, including blackouts.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.442-446
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• 2005

Fungicidal activities of Cassia obtusifolia extracts and their active principles were tested against Botrytis cinerea, Erysiphe graminis, Phytophthora infestans, Puccinia recondita, Pyricularia grisea, and Rhizoctonia solani, and compared with synthetic fungicides and two dihydroxyanthraquinones. At 1 g/l, the chloroform fraction of C. obtusifolia extracts showed fungicidal activity against B. cinerea, E. graminis, P. infestans, and Py. grisea, and the ethyl acetate fraction showed fungicidal activity against E. graminis and P. infestans. Danthrone was chromatographically isolated from the chloroform fraction and showed fungicidal activity against B. cinerea, E. graminis, P. infestans, and Py. grisea with 68, 100, 78, and $91\%$ control values at 0.5 g/l, respectively. Specifically, alizarin and quinizarin inhibited E. graminis, P. infestans, and Py. Grisea, but did not inhibit the growth of P. recondita and R. solani. These results indicate at least one of the fungicidal actions of danthrone.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.109-114
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• 2010

The in vivo and in vitro effects of oriental herb extracts of Cassia obtusifolia, Taraxacum platycarpum and Ulmusmacrocarpa on anti-atopic allergic reaction were evaluated in this study. A mixture of these extracts exhibited more potent anti-allergic activities in human mast cells than those from individual extracts. The herbal mixture significantly inhibited the release of compound 48/80-induced $\beta$-hexosaminidase release in the human mast cell line, HMC-1. The mixture also suppressed the production of PMA and A23187-induced inflammatory cytokines in HMC-1 cells. To further investigate the in vivo effects of the herbal mixture, a Dermatophagoides farinae (DF)-induced atopic dermatitis mouse model was utilized. Oral administration of the herbal mixture significantly decreased the ear thickness and swelling in DF treated NC/Nga mice in a dose dependent manner. Furthermore, serum levels of IgE and interleukin-4 (IL-4) were significantly decreased, whereas interferon-gamma (IFN-$\gamma$) levels were increased in the mixture administrated groups when compared to the control. Taken together, our data indicate the possibility of using a mixture of the oriental herb extract to relieve symptoms of atopic dermatitis.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.25-32
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• 2015

Objectives : In this study, we investigated the effect of Cassia obtusifolia Linne (Cassiae Semen; CS) extract on ovalbumin (OVA)-induced allergic asthma in mice. Methods : CR was extracted with 70% ethanol. For in vitro study, HMC-1, human mast cells were treated with CS extract at 0.2 and $0.5mg/m{\ell}$ for 1 h, and then stimulated with compound (C) 48/80 for 30 min. Primary spleenocytes were isolated from the spleen of mice, treated with CS extract for 1 h, and then stimulated with ConA for 24 h. For in vivo study, mice were sensitized at day 0, 7 and 14 with 0.2% OVA and then airway challenged using neublizer at day 21, 23, 25, and 27 to induced allergic asthma. CS extract at doses of 100 and 300 mg/kg body weight was orally administered during OVA challenge once per a day. The levels of allergic mediators such as histamine, OVA-specific IgE, IL-4, and $IFN-{\gamma}$ were measured in the sera of mice or culture supernatants by EIA and ELISA, respectively. The expression of IL-4 and $IFN-{\gamma}$ gene was determined by RT-PCR. The histopathological change of lung tissues was observed with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and Periodic acid Schiff (PAS) staining. Results : The treatment of CS extract in HMC-1 cells significantly inhibited C48/80-induced degranulation, and histamine release. The treatment of CS extract in spleenocytes suppressed the expression of IL-4 and $IFN-{\gamma}$ mRNA. The administration of CS extract in OVA-induced asthmatic mice significantly decreased the levels of OVA-specific IgE, and IL-4 in a dose-dependent manner with OVA-control group. In addition, CS extract inhibited the infiltration of inflammatory cells and bronchiolar damage with epithelial thickening in lung tissues of OVA-induced asthma mice, and also mucin accumulation. Conclusions : These results indicate that CS extract prevents asthmatic damage through regulating the allergic immune response.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.19-22
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• 1986

As a continuation of the previous work, a second group of sixty solvent fractions prepared from twenty plant species were screened for their inhibitory effects on adenosine 5'-diphosphate (ADP)-, arachidonic acid (AA)- or collagen-induced rat platelet aggregation. The results suggested that five plant species including Angelica koreana, Cassia obtusifolia, Gastrodia elata, Paeonia lactiflora and Salvia miltiorrhiza are potential sources of inhibitors of platelet aggregation.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.400-402
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• 2007

Tacrine is an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor that is approved for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. However, tacrine treatment for Alzheimer's disease results in reversible hepatotoxicity in 30-50% of patients, which seriously limits its clinical use. Accordingly, the identification of constituents in natural products that have protective effects on tacrine-induced hepatotoxicity would be valuable. In the present study, an immortalized human hepatoma cell line, HepG2 was employed to screen for agents that protect against tacrine-induced hepatotoxicity. The bioassay-guided fractionation of water extract of Cassiae Semen furnished two anthraquinones, aurantio-obtusin (1) and obtusifolin (2). Compounds 1 and 2 showed hepatoprotective effects with the protection ratio values of 55.3 +/- 0.5% and 41.2 +/- 0.8% at $160{\mu}M$, respectively.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.246-250
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• 1998

The cytotoxic activity of methanol extracts of 25 leguminous seeds in vitro was evaluated by sulforhodamine B assay, using the five human solid A549 lung, SK-OV-2 ovarian, SK-MEL-2 melanoma, XF-498 CNS and HCT-15 colon tumor cell lines. The responses varied with both cell line arid leguminous seed used. Extracts of Canavalia lineata and Glycine soja revealed potent cytotoxic activity against A549 arid SK-MEL-2 cell lines. Moderate activity was observed in the extracts of Cassia obtusifolia and Glyeine max var. chungtae, and C. lineata and Vigna angulasis against SK-MEL-2 and HCT-15 cell lines, respectively. The other seed extracts were ineffective against model tumor cell lines. Because of their potent cytotoxic activities, the activity of each solvent fraction from C. lineata and G. soja was determined and the potent activity was produced from their chloroform fractions. As a naturally occurring therapeutic agent, leguminous seeds described could be useful for developing new types of anti-tumor agents.

• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.21-27
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• 1998

Methanol extracts from 25 leguminous seeds were tested for their fungicidal activities toward six phytopathogenic fungi, using whole plant test in a greenhouse. The efficacy varied with both the plant pathogen and legume species used. At 5 mg/pot, potent fungicidal activities were produced from extracts of Cassia obtusifolia, Glycine max var. solitae, G. max var. yagkong, G. max var. hooktae, Phaseolus multiflorus, P. radiatus var. aurea, and Vigna sinensis against Botrytis cinerea, Puccinia recondita, and Erysiphe graminis. These seed extracts were highly effective against three B. cinerea strains resistant to carbendazim, procymidone, and diethofencarb. All leguminous seed extracts revealed weak or no fungicidal effect against Rhizoctonia solani, Pyricularia grisea, and Phytophthora infestans. As a naturally occurring fungicide, leguminous seed-derived materials described could be useful as new fungicidal products against various plant diseases induced by phytopathogenic fungi.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.1-5
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• 2001

The methanol extracts of 25 leguminous seeds in vitro was evaluated for inhibitory activities against the small intestinal $\alpha$-glucosidase of Sprague Dawley male rats. The responses varied both with leguminous seed types and concentrations used. At the concentration of 0.5 mg/ml, the methanol extracts of Cassia obtusifolia, Glycine max var. yagkong, Glycine max var. hooktae, Glycine max var. geumdu, Glycine max var. mejukong, Glycine soja, Phaseolus multiflorus, Pisum sativum, and Vigna sinensis inhibited over 50% of the enzyme activity. The extracts of G. max var. yagkong and V. sinensis showed relatively strong inhibitory activities against $\alpha$-glucosidase at the concentration of 0.1 mg/ml. The activity of each solvent fraction from G. max var. yagkong and V. sinensis was determined, and potent activities were detected from chloroform and butanol fractions, respectively. $IC_{50}$ values of G. max var. yagkong and V. sinensis were 0.06 and 0.19 mg/ml, respectively. As a naturally occurring therapeutic agents, leguminous seeds examined could be useful for developing new types of antidiabetic agents.