• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.35 no.8
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• pp.2460-2464
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• 2014

Recently studies indicate that the microcalorimetry is a suitable measurement for metabolic activities of organisms by recording the rate of heat outputs. In this work, we investigated the growth thermogenic curves of Escherichia coli (E. coli) affected by three kinds of Glycyrrhiza extracts by microcalorimetry. The power-time and exponential phase power-time curves of the E. coli growth at various concentrations of extracts were generated. The kinetic parameters such as the growth rate constants (C), maximum power outputs (Pm), peak times (Tm), and inhibition ratios were calculated and the relationships between Pm or Tm and C were established. Also, the clear correlations among the antimicrobial effects, Pm and C were obtained. The results revealed the Glycyrrhiza extracts had inhibitory activities towards E. coli while the Glycyrrhiza polysaccharides showed the most potent effects.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.29-35
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• 2003

A crude polysaccharide fraction (GU-3) from the roots of Glycyrrhiza uralensis (licorice root), a screened herbal plant used in the preparation of herbal kimchi, enhanced Peyer's patch mediated bone marrow cell proliferation and NK cell-mediated tumor cytotoxicity against Yac-1 cells. GU-3 was further purified by DEAE-Sepharose CL-6B yielding fractions designated as GU-3I, and 3IIa∼3IIe. GU-3IIa is mainly composed of arabinose, galactose and galacturonic acid, and showed the highest bone marrow cell proliferation activity. In addition, GU-3IIb had arabinose, galactose, rhamnose and galacturonic acid as the component sugars with a small quantity of protein; GU-3IIb also enhanced activity of NK cell-mediated tumor cytotoxicity. After these fractions were further fractionated via gel filtration on Sepharose CL-6B or Sephacryl S-300, two immunological active polysaccharides, GU-3IIa-2 and 3IIb-1 were purified from the respective fractions. GU-3IIa-2 mostly contained neutral sugars (75%) such as arabinose and galactose (molar ratio; 1.0 : 0.7) in addition to a considerable amount of galacturonic acid (20%), whereas GU-3IIb-1 was composed of arabinose, galactose, rhamnose and galacturonic acid (molar ratio; 0.3 : 0.5 : 0.1 : 1.0). Methylation analysis indicated that GU-3IIa-2 was composed mainly of terminal, 4- or 5-linked and 3,4- or 3,5-branched arabinose, 3-linked, 4-linked and 3,6-branched galactose, and terminal and 4-linked galacturonic acid whereas GU-3IIb-1 contained various glycosidic linkages such as terminal and 4- or 5-linked arabinose, 2,4-branched rhamnose, terminal and 4-linked galactose, and terminal and 4-galacturonic arid. Single radial gel diffusion indicated that only GU-3IIa-2 strongly reacted with β-D-glucosyl-Yariv antigen. These results suggest that bone marrow cell proliferating activity and enhancement of NK cell-mediated tumor cytotoxicity of GU-3 are caused by polysaccharides containing a pectic arabinogalactan (GU-3IIa-2) and pectic polysaccharide (GU-3IIb-1).

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 1998.11a
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• pp.125-125
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• 1998

Glycyrrhizin (18$\beta$-glycyrrhetic acid $\beta$-D-glucuronyl a-D-glucuronic acid, GL), a main component of liquore extract (Glycyrrhiza glabra), is ingested orally as a component in the oriental medicine. By human intestinal bacteria, glycyrrhizin (18$\beta$-glycyrrhetinic acid $\beta$-D-glucuronyl a-D-glucuronic acid, GL) was metabolized to glycyrrhetinic acid (GA): main pathway metabolizing GL to GA by glucuronidases of Bacteroides J-37 (Kim et al., 1997) and Eubacterium sp strain GLH (Akao et al., 1987) and minor pathway metabolizing GL to GA via 18$\beta$-glycyrrhetic acid D-glucuronic acid (GAMG) by $\beta$-glucuronidase of Streptococcus LJ-22 and glucuronidases of Bacteroides J-37 / E. coli. $\beta$-Glucuronidase from Streptococcus LJ-22 hydrolyzed GL to GAMG, not GA. $\beta$-Glucuronidase of Streptococcus LJ-22 hydrolyzed $\beta$-glucuronic acid conjugates of polysaccharides rather than aglycone-$\beta$-glucuronides Optimal pH of Streptococcus LJ-22 $\beta$-glucuronidase was 5-6 and its molecular weight was 250 kDaltons. Km for GL was 0.37mM.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.323-329
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• 2009

The prescriptions (DB-1-DB-5) were prepared with the active herbal medicines, Acanthopanax senticosus, Glycyrrhiza uralensis, Polygonatum odoratum, and Cichorium intybus. The most active crude polysaccharide fraction (DB-2-3), which was isolated through the fractionation of hot-water extract from DB-2, was significantly reduced by periodate oxidation (52.7 and 63.7%) on intestinal immune system modulating and anticancer activity. When DB-2-3 was further fractionated by column chromatographies, DB-2-3IIc-2 showed the most potent activities. In addition, DB-2-3IIc stimulated the proliferation of bone marrow cells via Peyer's patch in dose-dependent pattern by oral administration. The metastasis of colon 26-M3.1 lung carcinoma had significantly inhibited in mice fed DB-2-3IIc at 1 mg/mouse (43.8%). DB-2-3IIc-2 mainly contained uronic acid (46.1%) and 42.5% of neutral sugar with a small amount of protein (7.6%), and component sugar analysis also showed that DB-2-3IIc-2 was composed Ara, Gal, and GalA (molar ratio; 0.50:0.63:1.00). It may be suggested that activities of DB-2-3IIc-2 are resulted from pectic polysaccharides containing a polygalacturonan moiety with side chain of neutral sugars, such as Ara and Gal.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.41 no.11
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• pp.1521-1527
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• 2012

Medicinal herbs have long been used as a remedy for diverse diseases in Asia owing to their various pharmacological effect. In this study, the immuno-enhancing activity of medicinal herbs was investigated using macrophage cell lines. Specifically, we examined the effects of extracts of twelve medicinal herbs on nitric oxide (NO) production in RAW 264.7 cells, and selected five that were highly effective (Glycyrrhiza glabra, Rehmannia glutinosa, Angelica gigas, Platycodon grandflorum, and Actinidia polygama) for further immune related studies. The effects of extracts from five theses medicinal herbs, which were mainly composed of polysaccharides and proteins on the production of immune-related cytokines in the RAW 264.7 macrophage cell line and the Molt-4 T cell line were investigated. The extracts of all investigated medicinal herbs increased the production of NO and cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-${\alpha}$), interleukin-1beta (IL-$1{\beta}$), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-10 (IL-10). Additionally, they slightly increased the proliferation of T-cells when compared to the control. Overall, the result of this study suggests that the five medicinal herb extracts investigated herein are useful natural immune enhancing agents.