• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.9-13
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• 2009

Flos Sophora japonica L. (Leguminosae), commonly called scholar tree, is a well-known traditional medicine used for the treatment of bleeding and as an antihemorrhagic agent. This research was conducted to determine biofunctional activities of Flos Sophora japonica extract. Methanolic extract from Flos Sophora japonica was partitioned by using organic solvents, including n-hexane, ethyl acetate, n-butanol, and water. Ethyl acetate soluble fraction showed the strongest antioxidant activity ($RC_{50}=3.13{\mu}g/mL$) among the fractions. In antimicrobial activity assays, ethyl acetate soluble fraction was effective to bacterial inhibition, such as Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumonia, with minimum inhibitory concentrations in $125{\mu}g/mL$. In anticomplementary activity assays, water soluble fraction was the most effective exhibiting 21% inhibitory activity.

• Culinary science and hospitality research
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.67-70
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to measure the changes of regional cerebral blood flow(rCBF) and blood pressure(BP) in rats, following the intravenous injection of Flos Sophora japonica L.(FSJ) water extract. The measurement was continually monitored by Laser-Doppler Flowmeter and pressure transducer in anaesthetized adult Sprague-Dawley rats for 2 hours to 2 hours and a half through the data acquisition system. FSJ increased the changes of rCBF in rat significantly. The rCBF of FSJ did not change by pretreated propranolol, atropine, L-NNA($N^G$-nitro-L-argininine) and indomethacin. But the rCBF of Flos Sophora japonica L. was increased by pretreated methylene blue. FSJ decreased the changes of BP, significantly. The BP of FSJ did not change by pretreated propranolol, atropine, L-NNA and indomethacin. But the BP FSJ was decreased by pretreated methylene blue. There results indicated that FSJ can increase the rCBF and decrease the BP, that is related to guanylyl cyclase activity.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.171-180
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• 2007

The purpose of this study is to determine the possibility of using Flos Sophora japonica as natural health food source. To accomplish this purpose, the contents of general and antioxidative nutrients of Flos Sophora japonica a were measured. The contents of carbohydrate, crude protein, crude lipid and ash are 67.76%, 19.87%, 4.61% and 7.76%. And the calories of Flos Sophora japonica Linne was 318.32 Kcal. Total dietary fiber was 25.35% of total carbohydrates. The percentages of water soluble dietary fiber to insoluble dietary fiber were 1.80 % and 23.56 %, respectively. The protein were contained total 18 different kinds of amino acids. The contents of non-essential and essential amino acids were 4,898.78mg and 5,953.51mg. The K was the largest mineral followed by Ca, P and Mg, which means Flos Sophora japonica Linne is alkali material. The contents of saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids were 29.69%, 34.93% and 35.38%. Therefore, the amount of the total unsaturated fatty acid was higher than that of any other plant. The content of vitamin C in Flos Sophora japonica Linne was higher than that of any other plant, which suggest that it could increase blood elasticity. The content of rutin, which is responsible for capillary vessel permeability, was 22.60%. The contents of water soluble antioxidative materials in 1 mL of water-extracted Flos Sophora japonica Linne were 3.9 ${\mu}$g which is comparable to 1233.0 mmol of vitamin C in antioxidant effect. The general nutrients and other antioxidatant bioactive materials in Flos Sophora japonica Linne were also potential materials for good health food. It is expected that follow up study of Flos Sophora japonica Linne through developing processed food and evaluation of their functional properties would provide useful information as a source of medicinal foods.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.22-28
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• 2017

Sophora japonica has been used for treatment of liver and blood-related diseases in herbology. We evaluated whitening activities of Sophorae Flos and Fructus. Sophorae Flos and Fructus were extracted with methanol (MeOH) and divided into petroleum ether, ethyl acetate(EtOAC) and water fraction. For whitening effect by western blot in B16 F10 cells, we analyzed it by investigating the effect of tyrosinase, TRP-l (tyrosinase-related protein 1), TRP-2 (tyrosinase-related protein 2) and MITF (microphthalmia-associated transcription factor) protein expression. The protein expressions of tyrosinase, TRP-1, TRP-2 and MITF in B16 F10 cells treated with Sophorae Flos and Fructus extract were reduced in a dose-dependant manner. Therefore, these results suggest that Sophorae Flos and Fructus have useful plant resource to be developed as functional cosmetic.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.349-354
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• 2014

Elevation of intracellular calcium ($Ca^{{+}{+}}$) triggers degranulation of mast cells by bypassing receptor activation. Flos Sophora japonica L. has been used as a natural dying source and has been reported to have biological activities such as anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effects through $Fc{\varepsilon}RI$ and IgE crosslinking. In the present investigation, we report the regulatory effect of ethanolic extract of Flos Sophora japonica L. (S.F) on allergic mediators produced by $Ca^{{+}{+}}$ ionophore activation in mast cells. S.F significantly inhibited calcium ionophore (A23187)-induced interleukin (IL)-4 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-${\alpha}$ production as well as mast cell degranulation. Furthermore, administration of S.F suppressed allergic reactions in a 2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB)-induced allergic dermatitis mouse model. Both oral administration and ear painting using 50 mg/kg of S.F significantly reduced levels of cytokines such as IL-4, TNF, and interferon-${\gamma}$ in ear tissues compared to the DNFB alone-treated group. Serum IgE level in the S.F-treated group also decreased compared to the DNFB alone-treated group. Weights of spleens and lymph nodes in the S.F-treated groups also decreased compared to the control group. Considering the data, we conclude that S.F mediates its anti-allergic effects not only through $Fc{\varepsilon}RI$ stimulation but also $Ca^{{+}{+}}$ influx in mast cells.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.22-28
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• 2014

Flos Sophorae, the dried flower bud of Sophora japonica L, possesses anti-inflammatory properties, prevents and treats blood capillary and hypertension diseases and can also be used as a hemostat. However, the effect of Flos Sophorae on breast cancer invasion is unknown. Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), which degrades the extracellular matrix, is a major component in cancer cell invasion. In this study, we investigated the inhibitory effect of Flos Sophorae extract (FSE) on 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) expression and cell invasion, as well as the molecular mechanisms involved in Michigan Cancer Foundation-7 (MCF-7) cells. FSE inhibited the TPA-induced transcriptional activation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-${\kappa}B$). These results indicate that FSE-mediated inhibition of TPA-induced MMP-9 expression and cell invasion involves the suppression of NF-${\kappa}B$ pathway in MCF-7 cells. Thus, FSE may have therapeutic potential for controlling breast cancer invasiveness.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.838-848
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• 2012

Orally administered herbal glycosides are metabolized to their hydrophobic compounds by intestinal microflora in the intestine of animals and human, not liver enzymes, and absorbed from the intestine to the blood. Of these metabolites, some, such as quercetin and kaempherol, are mutagenic. The fecal bacterial enzyme fraction (fecalase) of human or animals has been used for measuring the mutagenicity of dietary glycosides. However, the fecalase activity between individuals is significantly different and its preparation is laborious and odious. Therefore, we developed a fecal microbial enzyme mix (FM) usable in the Ames test to remediate the fluctuated reaction system activating natural glycosides to mutagens. We selected, cultured, and mixed 4 bacteria highly producing glycosidase activities based on a cell-free extract of feces (fecalase) from 100 healthy Korean volunteers. When the mutagenicities of rutin and methanol extract of the flos of Sophora japonica L. (SFME), of which the major constituent is rutin, towards Salmonella typhimurium strains TA 98, 100, 102, 1,535, and 1,537 were tested using FM and/or S9 mix, these agents were potently mutagenic. These mutagenicities using FM were not significantly different compared with those using Korean fecalase. SFME and rutin were potently mutagenic in the test when these were treated with fecalase or FM in the presence of S9 mix, followed by those treated with S9 mix alone and those with fecalase or FM. Freeze-dried FM was more stable in storage than fecalase. Based on these findings, FM could be usable instead of human fecalase in the Ames test.