• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.223-228
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• 2010

This experiment was conducted to select optimal cultivars of long leaf vase life for flower arrangements among 21 Hosta cultivars that were selected based on their ornamental value. As a result of the investigation, the cultivar with the longest leaf vase life was 'June' with 29 days record. The cultivars with a more than 10 days record were 'Remember Me', H. lancifolia var. grandiflora, 'Grand Marquee', 'Dress Blue', 'Blue Dimples', 'Frosted Dimples', 'Birchwood Park's Gold', 'Krossa Regal', and 'Paradise Power'. These 10 cultivars had a high chlorophyll content, and had low chlorophyll content changes over time and were high in water absorption. The 10 selected cultivars had equal characteristics of increase in chlorophyll content within a certain period of time. These cultivars have a longer vase life when compared to others. This indicates the potential to develop better materials be use with flower arrangements.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.173-178
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• 2009

A variety of herbs and plants have been traditionally used in oriental folk medicine for the treatment of inflammatory diseases. In our attempt to search for anti-inflammatory agents from natural products, we investigated 64 methanol extracts from 42 medicinal plants belonging to 10 families which were evaluated for inhibitory activities of NO production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated macrophage RAW 264.7 cells. Among them, 16 extracts exhibited inhibitory activities of NO production ($IC_{50}$ values ranging from 59.6 to 94.7 ${\mu}g/m{\ell}$). Only the extract from aerial parts of Hosta lancifolia (H. lancifolia) did not exert cytotoxic effects at the concentrations tested. The extract from H. lancifolia decreased the mRNA and protein levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and pro-inflammatory cytokines in activated macrophage RAW 264.7 cells in dose-dependent manner. The results suggest that the extract may contain bioactive compounds that suppress expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, which may prove beneficial with regard to the development of natural agents for prevention and treatment of inflammatory diseases.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.397-400
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• 2004

The chromosome numbers and karyotypes were investigated in four Korean native species of the genus Hosta. The chromosome complements were diploid of 2n=60 in H. japonica var. lancifolia Nakai and H. capitata Nakai, aneuploid of 2n=59 in H. minor (Bak.) Nakai, and modified triploid of 2n=92 in H. longipes (Fr. et Sav.) Matsumura. All the species carried four sets of distinctly large chromosomes of which the chromosome types were telocentrics or subtelocentrics with $4.4{\sim}7.2\;{\mu}m$ in length. The other chromosomes were meta-, submeta, subtelo-, or telocentric types and showed gradual length degradation in the range of $1.0{\sim}3.0\;{\mu}m$. The satellites appeared vestigially in a pair or a triplet set of chromosomes which depends on the species. New chromosome number and karyotype in H. longipes were the first report in this species. The structural rearrangement was suggested to explain the modified triploid composition of 2n=92.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.89-94
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• 2007

The effects of angiogenesis inhibitor from the extract libraries of Korean and Chinese medicinal plants were investigated using a protein microarray chip. Protein chip was constructed by immobilization of integrin ${\alpha}_5{\beta}_1$ on protein chip base plates and employed far screening active extracts that inhibit the integrin-fibronectin interaction from the extract libraries. The 100 extracts of medicinal plants were obtained from extract bank of National Institute of Crop Science, RDA. The 14 extracts among 100 extract libraries were shown efficient inhibition activity for the interaction between integrin-fibronectin. The medicinal plants of 14 extracts were Vitex negundo var. incisa (Lam.) C.B. Clarke, Epimedium koreanum Nakai, Cedrela sinensis A. Juss, Ipomea aquatica Forsk, Schisandra chinensis Baill, Pulsatilla koreana Nakai, Paeonia lactiflora Pall. var.hortensis Makino, Oenothera odorata, Allium chinense, Allium victorialis var. platyphyllum MAKINO, Polygonatum odoratum Druce var. pluriflorum Ohwi, Hosta lancifolia, Agrimonia pilosa L. var. japonica Nakai and Potentilla chinensis SER. The Paeonia lactiflora, Oenothera, and Agrimonia pilosa from these 14 extracts libraries were shown strong inhibition activity of integrin ${\alpha}_5{\beta}_1$.