• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
• /
• 2019.10a
• /
• pp.92-92
• /
• 2019

Excessive or chronic inflammation contributes to the pathogenesis of many inflammatory diseases such as sepsis, rheumatoid arthritis, and ulcerative colitis. Hibiscus syriacus L. has been used as a medicinal plant in many Asian countries, even though its anti-inflammatory activity has been unclear. Therefore, we investigated the anti-inflammatory effect of anthocyanin fractions from the H. syriacus L. varieties Pulsae (PS) on the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced expression of proinflammatory mediators and cytokines in RAW264.7 macrophages. PS suppressed LPS-induced nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin $E_2$ ($PGE_2$) secretion concomitant with downregulation of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression. Furthermore, PS inhibited the production of proinflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha ($TNF-{\alpha}$), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and IL-12 in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages. Further study showed that PS significantly decreased LPS-induced nuclear translocation of the nuclear $factor-{\kappa}B$ ($NF-{\kappa}B$) subunits, p65 and p50. Molecular docking data showed that many anthocyanins from PS fit into the hydrophobic pocket of MD2 and bound to Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), indicating that PS inhibits the TLR4-MD2-mediated inflammatory signaling pathway. Especially, apigenin-7-O-glucoside most powerfully bound to MD2 and TLR4 through LYS122, LYS122, and SER127 at a distance of $2.205{\AA}$, $3.098{\AA}$, and $2.844{\AA}$ and SER441 at a distance of $2.873{\AA}$ (docking score: -8.4) through hydrogen bonding, respectively. Additionally, PS inhibited LPS-induced TLR4 dimerization/expression on the cell surface, which consequently decreased MyD88 recruitment and IRAK4 phosphorylation. PS completely blocked LPS-mediated mortality in zebrafish larvae by diminishing the recruitment of neutrophil and macrophages accompanied by low levels of proinflammatory cytokines. Taken together, our results indicate that PS attenuates LPS-mediated inflammation in both in vitro and in vivo by blocking the TLR4/MD2-MyD88/IRAK4-$NF-{\kappa}B$ axis. Therefore, PS might be used as a novel modulatory candidate for effective treatment of LPS-mediated inflammatory diseases.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
• /
• v.110 no.1
• /
• pp.116-127
• /
• 2021

In this study, insect pest communities and major insect pest species were investigated and compared among 30 cultivars of Hibiscus syriacus. Insects on H. syriacus were observed with the naked eye over 3 years (from 2018 to 2020) in Busan and Suwon. Except for Aphis gossypii (79,059 and 23,654 individuals in Busan and Suwon, respectively), 20 species (1,147 individuals) and 31 species (2,240 individuals) were found in Busan and Suwon, respectively. The number of insect pest species and individuals did not differ among H. syriacus cultivars, but there were differences according to study locations. The dominant insect pest species were A. gossypii, Rehimena surusalis, Rusicada privata, Halyomorpha halys, Haritalodes derogata, Dolycoris baccarum, and Plautia stali; the number of individuals in dominant species differed according to study location and year but not among H. syriacus cultivars. In summary, insect pest communities did not differ among 30 H. syriacus cultivars, but the matrix of surrounding environments where H. syriacus are planted may be more important.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
• /
• v.66 no.1
• /
• pp.87-96
• /
• 2021

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) remote soil moisture control system including soil sensing, automatic water supply chain, and remote alarming system was established on reclaimed land and operated stably. The system was operated using river water around the reclaimed land without fertilizer. On applying this system to control soil moisture, the kenaf germination rate was improved up to two times. Kenaf biomass was 4,748 kg/10a and was higher than that of untreated soil moisture management. When the nutritious liquid fertilizer was used, kenaf yield reached 8,390 kg/10a, which was lower than 10,848 kg/10a of the non-reclaimed land treated with standard chemical fertilizers. As the soil moisture was managed stably through the ICT remote soil moisture control system, the quality of the kenaf crop was improved, resulting in a 7% increase in dry weight, and a 11.5% increase in plant hardness. The estimated kenaf yield was 5,039 kg/10a when 800 tonnes of water were supplied by the ICT remote soil moisture control system with the stream water around Saemangeum reclaimed land without chemical fertilizers and organic matter.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.32 no.12
• /
• pp.989-996
• /
• 2022

Some flowers have high sensual appealability due to their unique shapes, colors, smells, and tastes. Such edible flowers receive social attention as a noble ingredient of functional teas. In this study, methanol extracts of 23 commercial flower teas (CFTs) were prepared, and their color differences were compared. No tar color pigments were detected in the 23 CFT. The average content of total polyphenol of the 23 CFTs was 80.2±50.92 mg/g and the extracts of jin-dal-rae (Rhododendron mucronulatum Turcz), mae-hwa (Prunus mume), mae-mil (Fagopyrum esculentum), mok-ryun (Magnolia kobus), and sal-gu (Prunus armeniaca var. ansu Maxim) flowers showed total polyphenol contents greater than 150 mg/g. The average content of total sugar of the 23 CFTs was 187.4±166.5 mg/g and the extracts of chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile), kuk-hwa (Chrysanthemum morifolium), dong-baek (Camellia japonica L.), and won-chu-ri (Hemerocallis fulva) flowers showed total sugar contents greater than 400 mg/g. Among the 23 CFTs, the extract of jang-mi (Rosa hybrida hortorum) flower has prominent anti-thrombosis activity, and the extracts of dal-ma-ji (Oenothera lamarckiana), dong-baek, hibiscus (Hibiscus syriacus), and mae-mil flowers showed strong inhibitions against thrombin and blood coagulation factors. Also, the extracts of jang-mi, kum-jan-hwa (Tagetes erecta L.), mae-mil, mok-ryun dong-baek, and jin-dal-rae flower showed strong radical scavenging activities against DPPH, ABTS, and nitrite and reducing power. Our results suggest that the flowers of jang-mi, mae-mil, and dong-baek can be developed as promising anti-thrombosis treatments.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
• /
• v.61 no.3
• /
• pp.481-496
• /
• 2022

In order to establish an effective pest control strategy, we investigated the occurrence of lepidopteran insects in the major trees growing in urban forests from 2019 to 2021. In total, we recorded 76 species of 14 families in Prunus spp., 40 species of eight families in Acer spp., 43 species of 10 families in Zelkova serrata, 28 species of seven families in Rhododendron spp., and 10 species of four families in Hibiscus syriacus. Among these, Hyphantria cunea and Lymantria dispar were recorded from all five tree taxa monitored. The most frequently occurring species in the different tree groups were as follows: H. cunea and Phalera flavescens in Prunus yedoensis, Epinotia ulmicola in Z. serrata, and Rehimena surusalis in H. syriacus. H. cunea also occurred in Rhododendron spp. and Acer spp., although the numbers were lower than those recorded in Prunus spp. and Z. serrata. Our results highlight the importance of focusing on the frequency of occurrence of lepidopteran insects in Prunus spp. and Z. serrata, whereas the presence of these insects in both Acer spp. and Rhododendron spp. Appears to be less problematic. From the perspective of reducing the risks to human health, our findings indicate that the application of pheromones for monitoring lepidopteran species and the use of mating disruptors would be desirable approaches that would contribute to minimizing the spraying of pesticides in urban forests.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
• /
• v.10 no.4
• /
• pp.161-170
• /
• 2023

We attempted to estimate the carbon accumulation of Hibiscus hamabo and Paliurus ramosissimus, semimangroves native to Jeju Island, by remote sensing and to build an artificial intelligence model that predicts its spatial variation with climatic factors. The aboveground carbon accumulation of semi-mangroves was estimated from the aboveground biomass density (AGBD) provided by the Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) lidar upscaled using the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) extracted from Sentinel-2 images. In Jeju Island, carbon accumulation per unit area was 16.6 t C/ha for H. hamabo and 21.1 t C/ha for P. ramosissimus. Total carbon accumulation of semi-mangroves was estimated at 11.5 t C on the entire coast of Jeju Island. Random forest analysis was applied to predict carbon accumulation in semi-mangroves according to environmental factors. The deviation of aboveground biomass compared to the distribution area of semi-mangrove forests in Jeju Island was calculated to analyze spatial variation of biomass. The main environmental factors affecting this deviation were the precipitation of the wettest month, the maximum temperature of the warmest month, isothermality, and the mean temperature of the wettest quarter. The carbon accumulation of semi-mangroves predicted by random forest analysis in Jeju Island showed spatial variation in the range of 12.0 t C/ha - 27.6 t C/ha. The remote sensing estimation method and the artificial intelligence prediction method of carbon accumulation in this study can be used as basic data and techniques needed for the conservation and creation of mangroves as carbon sink on the Korean Peninsula.

• Journal of Korea Technical Association of The Pulp and Paper Industry
• /
• v.36 no.5 s.108
• /
• pp.44-52
• /
• 2004

It is well known that Korean traditional Hanji have lots of predominant physical and optical properties such as high density, high air permeability, long lasting quality and lightness. The paper-making raw materials of traditional Korean Hanji are the bast fibre cooked from the Korean paper mulberry as a fibrous materials and sticky aqueous material from the root of Hibiscus anihot L. as additives for good dispersion of stock. Additionally, the mechanical properties of Hanji varies according to the cooking methods of bast tissues of Korean paper mulberry, the treatment methods of fibrous raw materials such as bleaching and refining, the wet formation types of sheet-making such as 'Oebal-chiji' and 'Ssangbal-choji', and the finishing treatment like stamping. This study was carried out to investigate and evaluate the quality properties of Korean traditional hand-made Hanji, and compared with commercial machine-made paper and modified prepared sheets. The physical quality comparisons of different kinds of Hanji were focused on the methods of hand-sheet making, the types of raw materials, the treatment of stamping, and the properties of ink reception and spreading.

• Mycobiology
• /
• v.45 no.2
• /
• pp.114-118
• /
• 2017

In September 2013 and 2014, a significant number of kenaf plants showing symptoms of leaf spots with approximately 50% incidence were found in experimental plots in Iksan and Namwon, Korea. Leaf spots were circular to irregular, more or less vein-limited, reaching to 10 mm in diameter. The spots were initially uniformly brown to reddish brown, turning pale brown with a purplish margin and showing grayish patches on the lesion due to heavy fructification. The causative agent of the leaf spot disease was identified as Cercospora malayensis. The pathogenicity test was conducted with similar results, which fulfilled Koch's postulates. This is the first report of C. malayensis infection of kenaf in Korea.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
• /
• v.9 no.3
• /
• pp.232-237
• /
• 2009

The effect of arogh, a polyherbal formulation-PHF [each 3 g powder contained Nelumbo nucifera G. (0.24 g), Hemidesmus indicus R. (0.24 g), Zingiber officinale R. (0.24 g), Terminalia chebula R. (0.24 g), Quercus infectoria O. (0.12 g), Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L. (0.24 g), Rosa damascene M.(0.24 g), Eclipta alba H.(0.24 g), Glycyrrhiza glabra L. (0.24 g)] was investigated in various experimental models of pain and inflammation. Analgesic activity of PHF was studied in mice using acetic acid induced writhing, tail immersion and hot plate methods. Anti-inflammatory activity of PHF was studied in rats using carrageenan induced hind paw edema and formalin induced rat paw edema methods. PHF significantly (P < 0.05) reduced the number of writhings, increased latency to flick tail in tail immersion method and elevated the mean basal reaction time in hot plate method. PHF significantly (P < 0.05) inhibited carrageenan induced hind paw edema and formalin induced rat paw edema. The PHF was tested at dose of 30, 100, 300 and 500 mg/kg.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
• /
• v.28 no.4
• /
• pp.392-400
• /
• 2013

The purpose of this study was to determine the optimal amounts and mixing condition of skim milk powder (A), and roselle (B) for the production of yogurt prepared with roselle. The experiment was designed according to the central composite design for estimating the response surface method, which yielded ten experimental points, including two replicates for the skim milk powder and roselle. The physicochemical and mechanical analysis of each sample, including pH (P<0.001), titratable acidity (P<0.001), color (P<0.05), viscosity (P<0.001), showed significant differences. Antioxidant properties (total phenolic content, DPPH free radical scavenging activity) and viable cell counts of lactic acid were significantly different (P<0.05). The sensory measurements were significantly different in color, flavor, sourness, texture, and overall quality (P<0.05). The optimal formulation, calculated by numerical and graphical methods, was 7.82 g of skim milk powder and 2.09 g of roselle. From findings of this study, the roselle may be used in yogurt and can be applied for other food industries.