• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.113-117
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• 2008

Morphine is a potent analgesic with significant abuse potential, because of drug craving and psychological dependence. It is reported that repeated treatment of morphine can produce conditioned place preference (CPP) showing a reinforcing effect in mice. Previously, we have reported the inhibitory effect of the methanolic extract of Coptis japonica (MCJ) on morphine-induced CPP in mice. The present study was employed whether p-CREB expression is involved in the inhibitory effect of MCJ on the morphine-induced CPP in the mouse hippocampus. Repeated administration of MCJ 100 mg/kg inhibited morphine-induced CPP. Expression of p-CREB was increased in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus that had undergone morphineinduced CPP. This increase of expression was significantly inhibited by administration of MCJ 100 mg/kg, compared to the morphine control group. Taken together, these results suggest that MCJ inhibits morphine-induced CPP through the regulation of p-CREB expression in the mouse dentate gyrus of the hippocampus.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.29 no.9
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• pp.757-761
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• 2006

Six protoberberine alkaloids were isolated from the chloroform layer of the rhizome of Coptis japonica Makino (Ranunculaceae). The structures of the isolated compounds were determined to be 6-([1,3]dioxolo[4,5-g]isoquinoline-5-carbonyl)-2,3-dimethoxy-benzoic acid methyl ester (1), oxyberberine (2), 8-oxo-epiberberine (3), 8-oxocoptisine (4), berberine (5) and palmatine (6) by physicochemical and spectroscopic methods. The compound 3 (8-oxo-epiberberine) was first isolated from natural sources. The compounds were tested for cytotoxicity against five tumor cell lines in vitro by SRB method, and also tested for the MDR reversal activities. Compound 4 was of significant P-gp MDR inhibition activity with ED50 value $0.018\;{\mu}g/mL$ in MES-SA/DX5 cell and $0.0005\;{\mu}g/mL$ in HCT15 cell, respectively.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.246-253
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• 1996

Coptis rhizoma was extracted with methanol or hot water. Methanol extracts had higher berberine content than water extracts, whereas the contents of Ca, Mg, Zn and K were higher in the water extracts. Rats were fed on the purified diets rich in 0.12% cholesterol only or supplemented with 0.5% of each extracts for four weeks. The concentration of total serum cholesterol was significantly lower in the rats given the extracts, irrespective of the extractants. Although the concentration of serum HDL-cholesterol was comparable among the groups, the ratio of HDL-/total-cholesterol was higher in rats given the extracts. The concentration of serum free fatty acids and ketone body were significantly elevated in rats given the extracts. On the other hand, the extracts supplements significantly decreased the contents of liver cholesterol and triacylglycerol. The amount of fecal bile acids was markedly higher in rats given the extracts, especially in those given water extracts. The results show an effective hypocholesterolemic action of Coptis rhizoma and it seems that the lower concentration of serum and liver cholesterol is resulted from the increased fecal bile acids in rats.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.157-168
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• 1997

The purpose of this study is the separation of biologically active ingredients from Coptidis Rhizoma which has been widely used as one of oriental herbal medicine for body fever. In this study, berberine-type alkaloids were tested on their biological activities in the aspect of antibacterial, antitumor, anti-herpetic and anti-HIV activity. Contents of five major alkaloids for the various origin of Coptidis Rhizoma were assayed by HPLC. As the results, the content of berberine from Coptis chinensis and Coptis japonica were 6.78% and 7.09%, respectively. The contents of coptisine, jatrorrhizine, berberastine from Coptis chinensis were higher than those of Coptis japonica. The amount of palmatine from both species were almost the same. Surprisingly for antitumor experiment, all compounds have been shown remarkable activity, especially against SNU-l(human stomach cancer) cell line. Among the compounds purified through column chromatography, palmatine, coptisine, and jatrorrhizine inhibited the growth of K-562(human chronic myelogenous leukemia) cell line whereas jatrorrhizine has been shown the effective inhibition of A-549 (human lung) cell line at the same time.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.1402-1407
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• 2005

The fungicidal activities of Coptis japonica (Makino) extracts and their active principles were determined against Botrytis cineria, Erysiphe graminis, Phytophthora infestans, Puccinia recondita, Pyricularia grisea, and Rhizoctonia solani using a whole plant method in vivo, and compared with natural fungicides. The responses varied according to the plant pathogen tested. At 2,000 mg/l, the chloroform and butanol fractions obtained from methanolic extracts of C. japonica exhibited strong/moderate fungicidal activities against B. cinerea, E. graminis, P. recondita, and Py. grisea. Two active constituents from the chloroform fractions and one active constituent from the butanol fractions were characterized as isoquinoline alkaloids, berberine chloride, palmatine iodide, and coptisine chloride, respectively, using spectral analysis. Berberine chloride had an apparent $LC_{50}$ value of approximately 190, 80, and 50 mg/l against B. cinerea, E. graminis, and P. recondita, respectively; coptisine chloride had an $LC_{50}$ value of 210,20, 180, and 290 mg/l against B. cinerea, E. graminis, P. recondita, and Py. grisea, respectively; and palmatine iodide had an $LC_{50}$ value of 160 mg/l against Py. grisea. The isoquinoline alkaloids were also found to be more potent than the natural fungicides, curcumin and emodin. Therefore, these compounds isolated from C. japonica may be useful leads for the development of new types of natural fungicides for controlling B. cinerea, E. graminis, P. recondita, and Py. grisea in crops.

• Korean Journal of Oriental Medicine
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.236-254
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• 1996

This study was carried out to investigate the tracheal muscle relaxation of water extracts of three kinds of Coptis rhizoma and also compare their effects with berberine and palmatine, which are the important alkaloid components of Coptis rhizoma, in isolated rat tracheal smooth muscle. As a result Coptis chinenis showed significant tracheal muscle relaxation on KCI-induced contraction and more markedly on carbachol-induced contraction in dose-dependent manner. Coptis japoinin exhibited also tracheal muscle relaxation on both contraction with slightly weaker activities than those of Coptis chinensts. The activities of the root hair of Coptis chinensis were the most weakest in three rhizomas. Berberine and palmatine had strong tracheal muscle relaxation, especially, on carbachol-induced contraction, however, their activities on KCI-induced contraction were weaker than that of Coptis chinenis. The inhibitory effects of three kinds of Coptis rhizoma on the contraction by KCI and carbachol were investigated to explain the process of their tracheal muscle relaxation. All rhizomas inhibited the contraction by both agents, among them, Coptis japonica showed the most significant effect, so indicating that the tracheal muscle relaxation of Coptis rhizoma may be concerned with the blocking of muscarine receptor and $Ca^{2+}$channel.

• Proceedings of the Korea Contents Association Conference
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• 2014.06a
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• pp.327-328
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• 2014

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.41 no.8
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• pp.600-604
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• 1998

Methanol extracts from 53 species of oriental medicinal plants in 34 families were tested for their fungicidal activities against Pyricularia grisea, Rhizoctonia solani, Phytophthora capsici, Phytophthora infestans, Collectotrichum dematium, Botryospaeria dothidea, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum, Botrytis cinerea, Puccinia recondita, and Erysiphe graminis. In in vitro study using impregnated paper disc method, the efficacy varied with both plant pathogen and plant species tested. Methanol extracts of Asarum sieboldii roots, Sinomenium acutum roots, Pinus densiflora leaves, Rheum undulatum root barks, Coptis japonica roots, and Phellodendron amurense barks showed potent fungicidal activities against the various pathogens when treated with 10 mg/disc. In a whole plant test, methanol extracts of P. densiflora leaves and roots and C. japonica roots were highly effective against a variety of plant pathogens. As a naturally occurring fungicide, P. densiflora- and C. japonica-derived materials could be useful as new fungicidal products against various plant diseases induced by plant pathogenic fungi.

• Korean Journal Plant Pathology
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.57-62
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• 1997

This experiment was conducted to test the control effect of methanol extracts of 10 medicinal plants on apple storage diseases caused by Botryosphaeria berengeriana, Glomerella cingulata and Penicillium expansum. Out of the 10 medicinal plants, methanol extracts of Coptis japonica and Anemarrhena asphodeloides inhibited effectively the mycelial growth of B. berengeriana, G. cingulata and P. expansum in vitro, for which the inhibition ratios of the two plant extracts were 100.0% and 89.3%, 73.7% and 94.1%, and 100.0% and 51.6%, respectively. Spore germination of the three fungi was inhibited 100% only by C. japonica extract, but only P. expansum was inhibited 100% by A. asphodeloides extract. No lesion was formed y the fungi at 5$^{\circ}C$ up to 2 weeks after inoculation. Lesion sizes produced by the three fungi at the temperature ranges of 1$0^{\circ}C$ to $25^{\circ}C$ and infection of B. berengeriana and G. cingulata were inhibited by C. japonica extract, but not by A. asphodeloides extract, while no lesion was formed by the fungi at 5$^{\circ}C$. Infections of the fungi on apples were somewhat stimulated by A. asphodeloides extract.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.139-142
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• 1998

The effects of MeOH extracts from 28 herbal medicines on monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity were investigated. MAO was purified from mouse brain and its activity was determined by fluoro-photometry using kynuramine as a substrate. Three MeOH extracts, Coptis japonica, Cinnamomum cassia and Poncirus trifoliate from the herbal medicines showed a strong inhibitory effect with less than $100\;{\mu}g/ml$ in their inhibitory amounts of $50\%$ ($IC_{50}$ values) on MAO activity. Four MeOH extracts including Evodia officinalis exhibited a mild inhibition of MAO activity with $100-200\;{\mu}g/ml$ in their $IC_{50}$ values.