• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
• /
• v.64 no.1
• /
• pp.47-51
• /
• 1984

Hybrids among some southern pines, Pinus rigida, Pinus taeda and Pinus serotina, were tested in Chunbuk area in order to investigate their adaptability to Korean climate and soils. The results were summarized as follows; 1) Hybrids between P. rigida and P. raeda showed good growth among interspecific hybrids of southern pines tested. In particular, P. taeda${\times}$P. rigida showed remarkable growth in Chunbuk area. 2) The survival rate of P. taeda was extremely low, probably because of cold susceptibility. 3) Volume growth was correlated with width and length of cone, length of needle and needle sheath at the 1% level. 4) Hybrids were generally located between the parents in cluster analysis.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
• /
• 2023.04a
• /
• pp.55-55
• /
• 2023

With the COVID-19 pandemic, there is increasing interest in anti-obesity strategies. According to the National Statistical Office, the obesity rate in Korea was 38.3% in 2020 and 37.1% in 2021. Obesity is a risk factor for several severe diseases, including stroke, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer. Pinus rigida × Pinus taeda is a hybrid of Pinus rigida Mill and Pinus taeda Linn, and its cones are considered a by-product. Although previous studies have investigated their pharmacological effects on antioxidant activity and protection against oxidative DNA damage, few researchers have explored their potential as functional natural materials. Therefore, we evaluated the anti-obesity effects of the cone of ethyl acetate fraction of P. rigida × P. taeda (ERT), specifically its ability to inhibit lipid accumulation. Our analysis showed that ERT contains phytochemicals (catechin and caffeic acid) which are known to improve immune function and inhibit cell damage. ERT inhibited lipid droplet accumulation at the cellular levels through Oil Red O staining. Furthermore, ERT suppressed the expression of adipogenic transcription factors (PPARγ and CEBP/α) as well as downstream lipogenic target genes (FAS and SREBP-1) thereby inhibiting adipogenesis. ERT also down-regulated key adipogenic markers, including aP2α, while inducing the phosphorylation of AMPK. It has been reported that PPARγ and CEBP/α are expressed in the early stages of adipose differentiation, while SREBP-1 is expressed in the late stage. Therefore, our findings suggest that ERT activates AMPK signaling pathways, which inhibits adipogenic transcription factors (PPARγ, C/EBPα, and SREBP1) and lipogenic genes (FAS and aP2α), thereby blocking lipid accumulation and preventing obesity and related disorders. ERT showed potential as a new resource for developing a functional material for anti-obesity agents.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
• /
• 2023.04a
• /
• pp.56-56
• /
• 2023

The cone of Pinus rigida × Pinus taeda (PRT), a plant in the Pinaceae family, has long been used in traditional medicine to treat hemostasis, bruises, and burns. Previous research has shown that regulating oxidation-reduction reactions in reactive oxygen species can help inhibit melanogenesis, the process of melanin synthesis, which is a common target for addressing hyperpigmentation. Inhibiting tyrosinase is also known to be effective in this regard. Based on these findings, we conducted an investigation into the inhibitory effect of the ethyl acetate fraction of PRT (ERT) on melanogenesis in B16 F10 cells. We know that the expression levels of melanin biosynthesis-related proteins, including tyrosinase, TRP-1, and TRP-2, are regulated by MITF (microphthalmia-associated transcription factor) and cAMP, with cAMP affecting the activity of protein kinase A (PKA). PKA can reduce melanogenesis, and CREB reduces the phosphorylation of melanin-producing enzymes. In addition, the MAPK signaling pathway, composed of ERK, JNK, p38, and other factors, is also known to play a role in the inhibition of melanogenesis in melanocytes. Our immunoblotting results showed that ERT inhibited the expression of melanin production-related proteins (tyrosinase, TRP-1, TRP-2, and MITF) that were significantly increased by a-MSH treatment to promote melanin production. Furthermore, the phosphorylation levels of factors related to cAMP/PKA/CREB and MAPK signaling pathways were significantly reduced without affecting the total form. In conclusion, we believe that treatment with ERT can inhibit melanin synthesis by modulating the phosphorylation of cAMP/PKA/CREB and MAPK signaling pathways at the cellular level. These findings suggest the potential of ERT as a raw material for functional cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, thanks to its antioxidant activity and ability to inhibit melanogenesis. We thought that these findings of ERT as a natural plant resource will inspire further research and development in this area.

• Journal of Convergence for Information Technology
• /
• v.10 no.11
• /
• pp.168-176
• /
• 2020

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) damage DNA and cause cancer. Therefore, the research is being conducted on the development of antioxidants for the removal of ROS. This study was performed to investigate antioxidant activity and protective effect against oxidative DNA damage using ethyl acetate fractions from the cone of Pinus rigida × taeda (ERT). The antioxidant activity was evaluated using the DPPH, ABTS radical scavenging assay, reducing power assay, and Fe2+ chelating assay. Also, the contents of phenolic compounds and vitamin C related to antioxidant activity were analyzed to confirm phytochemicals. The DNA protective effect against oxidative stress was confirmed by the φX-174 RF I plasmid DNA cleavage assay. As a result, ERT showed DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities in a concentration-dependent manner. The results of reducing power and Fe2+ chelating activities were 77.32 ± 2.28% and 64.09 ± 1.01% at 200 ㎍/㎖. Also, ERT showed a DNA protective effect against oxidative stress.