• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.298-306
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• 2023

Objectives: Cucumis sativus L. (C. sativus) is vegetable commonly used for managing blood pressure and often consumed in combination with standard antihypertensive therapy, despite lack of scientific evidence supporting their use. Combination of herbs and standard medication could have positive or negative effects. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the antihypertensive activity of C. sativus and the combined effect with losartan in the hypertensive rat model induced by angiotensin II. Angiotensin II is a component of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system that, upon binding to its receptor, constricts blood vessels leading to elevation of blood pressure. Methods: In an antihypertensive study, rats received C. sativus orally at doses of 9, 18, 27, and 36 mg/kg (full dose); while in a combination study, animals received losartan 2.25 mg/kg combined by either with C. sativus 9 or 18 mg/kg. The standards group received losartan 2.25 mg/kg or 4.5 mg/kg (full dose). Results: Blood pressure was measured using the tail-cuff method. C. sativus significantly attenuated angiotensin II-induced hypertension as observed in groups receiving C. sativus at 9, 18, 27, and 36 mg/kg at 30 minutes after induction showed the average change (Δ) of systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) with respect to time zero were 28.8/18.3, 24.8/15.8, 22.8/15.5, and 11.5/9.0 mmHg, respectively. Whereas the average change (Δ) of SBP and DBP in the rats receiving the combination of half doses of C. sativus and losartan were 8.8/9.0 mmHg, respectively. These diminished effects were better than a full dose of C. sativus and comparable with a full dose of losartan (6.5/7.8 mmHg). Conclusion: The present findings indicate that C. sativus dose-dependently blocks blood pressure elevation induced by angiotensin II. The combination of half dose of C. sativus and losartan has an additive effect in lowering blood pressure.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.31 no.7
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• pp.467-472
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• 2009

Seedling growth test is used to assess toxicity of nanoparticles (NPs). This study evaluates toxicity of zinc, zinc oxide NPs on Cucumis sativus using two methods; phytagel and filter paper. From the comparison, phytagel method prevents precipitation of water insoluble NPS. Seeding length was negatively related to the exposed concentration of Zn, ZnO NPs in filter method. The median effective concentrations (EC50) for C. sativus exposed to Zn, ZnO NPs were estimated about 598, 600 mg/L in filter method. Bioaccumulation increased with the exposed concentration of Zn, ZnO NPs in only filter method. The results showed that the filter paper method was much better protocol than phytagel method.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2004.04a
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• pp.198-200
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• 2004

Four crop plant species were tested to assess an ecotoxicity in arsenic-amended soils. Test plants were Sorghum bicolor, Cucumis sativus, Triticum aestivum, and Phaseolus radiatus. The presence of arsenic decreased the root and shoot growths. Arsenite was more toxic than arsenate to all test plants. Root growths of Phaseolus radiatus and Cucumis sativus seem to be a good protocol to assess ecotoxicity of soils contaminted by arsenic.

• Korean Journal of Plant Tissue Culture
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.201-206
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• 1998

To develop the fruits of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) producing high yields of superoxide dismutase (SOD), the MnSOD cDNA from pea (Pisum sativum) under the control of the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter was introduced into cucumber using Agrobacterium tumefaciens (strain LBA 4404)-mediated transformation. The kanamycin-resistant shoots were selected on the selection medium containing MS basal salt, 1.0 mg/L zeatin, 0.1 mg/L IAA, 300 mg/L claforan, and 100 mg/L kanamycin. After 6 weeks of culture on the selection medium, the shoots were transferred to MS medium containing 0.2 mg/L NAA to induce roots. PCR analysis using the primers for neomycin phosphotransferase (NPTII) gene revealed that three plantlets were transformed. The fruits of one transgenic plant had approximately 3.2-fold higher SOD activity than those of non-transgenic plants. MnSOD isoenzyme band was strongly detected on native gel in fruits of transgenic plants.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.56-62
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• 2005

Chemical analyses are generally used to assess contaminated soils and to monitor the efficiency of soil remediation. In this study, the ecotoxicological methods was suggested to evaluate soil pollution by using a battery of bioassay. Plant assay and earthworm assay were conducted to evaluate ecotoxicity o soils contaminated by heavy metals (cadmium and copper) and oil (BTEX compounds, toluene). Test plants were Zea may, Triticum aestivum, Cucumis sativus, and Sorghum bicolor. The presence of heavy metals decreased the seedling growth. Cucumis sativus and Sorghum bicolor seemed to be good indicator plants which are sensitive to heavy metal pollution as well as BTEX contamination. An earthworm bioassay was performed to predict the ecotoxicity in toluene-contaminated soils, based on a simple contact method. Perionyx excavatus was adopted as a test earthworm species, and the severity of response increased with increasing toluene concentration. The present study demonstrated that ecotoxicological methods could be a quantitative approach to evaluate contaminated soils.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.51-54
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• 2000

Leaf explants of the cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) were cultured on Murashige and Skoog's (MS) medium supplemented with various concentrations of $\alpha$-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) and 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP). Direct shoot orgnogenesis as well as callus formation with somatic embryos and multiple shoots was observed from leaf explants of cvs. Shinhukjinju and Chungjang. The highest frequency of shoot formation 80% was observed on MS medium supplemented with NAA/BAP (5.0 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$/2.5 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$), with explants forming 3-7 shoots. Shoots formation occured within 3 to 4 weeks. Only one subculture of calli was required for plant regeneration on normal growth regulator-free medium. Plantlets transferred to soil developed into plants of normal appearance, which flowered and set fruits.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.225-231
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• 2005

Five day old cotyledon explants of Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L) cv Poinsett 76 were cocultivated with two Agrobacterium strains (EHA105 and LBA 4404) each carrying GUS as the reporter gene and npt-II as the selection marker gene in the T-DNA region of the vector. Transformed shoots were selected at 150 mg/L kanamycin. A two day cocultivation coupled with $20\;{\mu}M$ acetosyringone increased the frequency (8.2 and 15.4 shoots) of GUS expression in the shoots of transformed plant. Among the two Agrobacterium strains, EHA 105 performed better than LBA 4404 in bringing two-fold increase in transformation efficiency (14%) than LBA 4404 (7.4%). PCR analysis was done to confirm the integration of T-DNA into cucumber genome.

• BMB Reports
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.353-357
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• 2000

A new assay method of ${\alpha}-Oxidase$ (fatty acid : oxygen dioxygenase, 1-decarboxylating) was developed using a bioluminescence reaction system of marine luminous bacterium, Photobacterium phosphoreum. ${\alpha}$-Oxidase was isolated from a cucumber (Cucumis sativus). Pentadecanoic acid was used as a substrate, and the product, tetradecanal, was analyzed with a bacterial luciferase-coupled reaction. Initial light intensity was directly related to the concentration of tetradecanal in the range of 1 nM to 10 ${\mu}M$. Optimal pH and temperature were 7.5 and $25^{\circ}C$, respectively. Optimal pentadecanoic acid concentration in a standard assay of ${\alpha}$-oxidase was 0.1 mM. The Km value of pentedecanoic acid was $85{\mu}M$. This method is straightforward, rapid, convenient, and easy. Its needs no treatment or extraction of reaction mixture.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.540-545
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• 2009

Aloe (Aloe vera L.), cucumber (Cucumis sativus L. var. tuberculatus Gabaj.) and sponge.gourd (Luffa cylindrica L.) are well utilized in Asian countries as traditional medicines and cosmetics, or foods. And we carried out an experiment to see if there are some specific ratios among trace metals on the plants. Though the metal concentrations varied significantly depending on the sampling periods, aloe gel is high in iron (Fe) and calcium (Ca). Cucumber fruit juice is also high in iron (Fe) and potassium (K). Sponge.gourd sap contains a high amount of zinc (Zn) and calcium (Ca). The uses of the previous 3 plant parts are considered to have some relations to their different ratios and of their trace metals.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.18 no.7
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• pp.1019-1022
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• 2008

The chromosome numbers and compositions were investigated in four cultivated species of Cucurbitaceae; Cucumis sativus L., Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. et Nakai, Cucumis melo L., Luffa cylindrica (L.) Roemer. through general aceto-orcein staining method. The chromosome compositions of four species were diploids of 2n=22, 2n=24 and 2n=26 respectively. The chromosomes were relatively small and showed gradual length degradation from $2.50\;{\mu}m$ to $2.16\;{\mu}m$ in Cucumis sativus, $3.71\;{\mu}m$ to $2.11\;{\mu}m$ in Cucumis melo, $3.20\;{\mu}m$ to $2.40\;{\mu}m$ in Citrullus lanatus and $3.17\;{\mu}m$ to $1.97\;{\mu}m$ in Luffa cylindrica. The chromosome types consisted of all metacentrics in Cucumis sativus, seven pairs submetacentrics and five pairs metacertrics in C. melo, four pairs of submetacentrics and seven pairs metacertrics in Citrullus lanatus, and two pairs submetacentrics and eleven pairs metacentrics in Luffa cylindrica (L.) Roemer.. The satellites were found in a pair of chromosomes in C. melo and two pairs in Luffa cylindrica. The chromosome compositions in these four species showed species-specific patterns and seemed to provide useful informations for breeding and molecular cytogenetic works on Cucurbitaceae.