• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.535-543
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• 2012

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of brown rice and brown rice phytosterol on blood pressure and lipid levels in spontaneously hypertension rats (SHR). SHR were grouped according to blood pressure and fed either a control diet or experimental diets containing 50% brown rice powder or 5% brown rice phytosterol for 3 weeks. Body weight gain and epididymal fat weight were significantly reduced in the brown rice powder and brown rice phytosterol groups compared to control. Brown rice and brown rice phytosterol diets suppressed age-dependent increases in systolic blood pressure compared to control. In addition, brown rice and brown rice phytosterol diets decreased total lipid, triglyceride, and cholesterol levels in the liver, whereas serum HDL cholesterol increased. Lastly, brown rice phytosterol reduced TBARS contents in the kidney. These results suggest that brown rice and brown rice phytosterol exert antihypertensive effects that improve lipid metabolism in SHR.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.531-533
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• 2017

Background: Panax ginseng has been used as Korean medicine for various diseases. It has antioxidant, hypotensive, sedative, analgesic, and endocrine activities. Dammarane-type triterpenes from the plant have various beneficial effects. Methods: A dammarane-type triterpene saponin was isolated from P. ginseng root through chromatography such as repeated column chromatography and medium pressure liquid chromatography. Results and conclusion: New dammarane-type triterpene saponin was isolated for the first time from nature. The structure was elucidated as ginsenoside Rg12 (1) based on spectral data. There may be good materials from P. ginseng for the development of industrial applications such as nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, and cosmeceutical purposes.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.165-175
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• 1985

It has been reported that clonidine is $\alpha_2$-adrenergic agonist, potnet new hypotensive drug in human with low dose. The change in blood pressure is implicated in the concentration, release, uptake and metabalism of catecholamine and activity of catecholamine synthesizing enzyme in specific brain areas. Thus the experiment was set up to investigate the effect on the enzyme activity of clonidine alone and that of clonidine pretreated with imipramine or tranylcypromine by measuring activity of the Dopa-forming enzyme, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and epinephrine forming enzyme, phenylethanolamine-N-methyl transferase (PNMT) in brain and adrenal gland. The TH activity in brainstem and substantia nigra is decreased by intraperitoneally administered clonidine 0.1mg/kg twice a day for 5 days, but increased in the rats pretreated with imipramine 10mg/kg intraperitoneally given 26 hrs and 5 hrs before decaptitation. However the TH activity in all regions of brain is increased in rats pretreated with tranylcypromine 10mg/kg intraperitoneally twice a day for 5 days. The effect of clonidine on TH activity is due to inhibition release of norepinephrine by activation of presynaptic $\alpha_2$-adrenoreceptor, axon terminal result in the decrease of TH activity in brain. The increasing of TH activity in brain results in attenuation of the role of clonidine by pretreated with imipramine or tranylcypromine in rats. The activity of PNMT was not significantly affected by clonidine, imipramine and tranylcypromine in adrenal gland.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.235-239
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• 2007

Spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH) is believed to be a benign disease. However, numerous studies have reported serious complications related to SIH, including subdural hematoma. In this case report, a 54-year-old male patient visited the emergency room with orthostatic headache. A brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study showed diffuse mild thickening and enhancement of pachymeninges, with a suspicious minimal amount of subdural fluid collected in the left posterior parietal area. His orthostatic headache showed no improvement with conservative treatment; but his pain was almost completely relieved after two trials of cervical epidural blood patch. On the 74th day after the onset of his pain, the patient showed a drowsy mental status and slurred speech when he visited the pain clinic. Brain computerized tomography indicated a left subdural hemorrhage, and he underwent emergency operation to drain the SDH. In conclusion, pain clinicians should pay attention to abrupt changes in mental status as well as continuous headache, for the early diagnosis of SDH in SIH patients.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.123-132
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• 2010

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether self-fermented pine extract for 2 years (SFPE2) and ethyl acetate (EtOAc) fraction from self-fermented pine needle extract may affect the contractility of the isolated aortic strips and blood pressure of normotensive rats. SFPE2 ($360-1440\;{\mu}g/mL$) significantly depressed both phenylephrine ($10\;{\mu}M$)- and high potassium (56 mM)-induced contractile responses of the isolated rat aortic strips in dose-dependent fashion. The EtOAc-fraction ($400\;{\mu}g/mL$) also inhibited both phenylephrine ($10\;{\mu}M$)- and high potassium (56 mM)-induced contractile responses. Also, in anesthetized normotensive rats, intravenous injection of the EtOAc fraction (1.0~10.0 mg/kg) dose-dependently elicited hypotensive responses. The EtOAc fractions (1.0 and 3.0 mg/kg/30 min) inhibited norepinehrine-induced pressor responses. Intravenous infusion of SFPE2 fraction (3.0 and 10.0 mg/kg/30 min) also inhibited norepinehrine-induced pressor responses in both anesthetized spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) and normotensive rats. In conclusion, these results suggest that both SFPE2 and the EtOAc fraction cause vascular relaxation in the aortic strips isolated from normotensive rats and SHRs as well as vasodepressor responses. Based on these experimental data, it seems that SFPE2 or the EtOAc fraction possesses active antihypertensive components, which are available to prevent or treat hypertension in future.

• CELLMED
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.4.1-4.5
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• 2019

The medicinal plants are extensively used for curing variegated malady in day to day life. There is an emergent demand for plant based medicines, food supplements, health products, pharmaceuticals etc. Mochrus (Bombax ceiba Linn.) is one of the valuable medicinal plants used in Unani system of medicine since relic belongs to family Bombacaceae. It is a tall tree and widely distributed through India, Africa, Australia and tropical Asia. Many parts of the plant (root, stem bark, gum, leaf, prickles, flower, fruit, seed and heartwood) are used for the treatment of a variety of ailments. It is reported to possess nafe sailanur reham (beneficial in leucorrhea), mujaffif (siccative), muqawwi reham (uterine tonic), qabiz (constipative), muallide mani (production of semen), mumsik wa mughalliz mani (increase consistency of semen), dafe fasaad khoon wa safra (purifies blood and bile) etc. It is used in asthma, diarrhoea, wound, leprosy, boils and many other skin diseases. Also possess some important pharmacological activities such as antioxidant, analgesic, antipyretic, antibacterial, diuretic, hepatoprotective, anticancer, hypoglycaemic and hypotensive etc. It is reported to contain phytoconstituents like polysaccharides, naphthoquinones, anthocyanins, lupeol and naphthol etc. This paper provides a compendium review on pharmacological, phytochemical properties and therapeutic benefits of the plant.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.33-40
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• 2005

The present study was undertaken to investigate the effects of ${\beta}-eudesmol$, one of various ingredients isolated and identified from the bark of Magnolia obovata Thunberg, on arterial blood pressure and vascular contractile responses in the normotensve rats and to establish its mechanism of action. ${\beta}-Eudesmol\;(30{\sim}300\;{\mu}g/kg)$ given into a femoral vein of the normotensive rat produced a dose-dependent depressor response. These ${\beta}-eudesmol-induced$ hypotensive responses were markedly inhibited in the presence of chlorisondamine (1.0 mg/kg, i.v.) or phentolamine (2.0 mg/kg, i.v.). Interestingly, the infusion of ${\beta}-eudesmol$ (1.0 mg/kg/30min) into a femoral vein made a significant reduction in pressor responses induced by intravenous norepinephrine. Furthermore, the phenylephrine $(10^{-5}\;M)-induced$ contractile responses were depressed in the presence of high concentrations of ${\beta}-eudesmol\;(10{\sim}40\;{\mu}g/ml)$, but not affected in low concentration of ${\beta}-eudesmol\;(2.5{\sim}5\;{\mu}g/ml)$. Also, high potassium $(5.6{\times}10^{-2}\;M)-induced$ contractile responses were greatly inhibited in the presence of ${\beta}-eudesmol\;(10{\sim}40\;{\mu}g/ml)$ in a dose-dependent fashion. Taken together, these results obtained from the present study demonstrate that intravenous ${\beta}-eudesmol$ causes a dose-dependent depressor action in the anesthetized rat at least partly through the blockade of vascular adrenergic ${\alpha}_1-receptors$, in addition to the some unknown mechanism of direct vasorelaxation.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.329-335
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• 2016

Objectives: Safranal is a pharmacologically active component of saffron and is responsible for the unique aroma of saffron. The hypotensive effect of safranal has been shown in previous studies. This study evaluates the mechanism for the vasodilatory effects induced by safranal on isolated rat aortas. Methods: To study the vasodilatory effects of safranal (0.2, 0.4 and 0.8 mM), we contracted isolated rat thoracic aorta rings by using $10^{-6}-M$ phenylephrine (PE) or 80-mM KCl. Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) was used as a control. The vasodilatory effect of safranal was also evaluated both on intact and denuded endothelium aortic rings. Furthermore, to study the role of nitric oxide and prostacyclin in the relaxation induced by safranal, we incubated the aortic rings by using L-NAME ($10^{-6}M$) or indomethacin ($10^{-5}M$), each for 20 minutes. Results: Safranal induced relaxation in endothelium-intact aortic rings precontracted by using PE or KCl in a concentration-dependent manner, with a maximum relaxation of more than 100%. The relaxant activity of safranal was not eliminated by incubating the aortic rings with L-NAME ($EC_{50}=0.29$ vs. $EC_{50}=0.43$) or with indomethacin ($EC_{50}=0.29$ vs. $EC_{50}=0.35$), where $EC_{50}$ is the half maximal effective concentration. Also, the vasodilatory activity of safranal was not modified by endothelial removal. Conclusion: This study indicated that relaxant activity of safranal is mediated predominantly through an endothelium-independent mechanism.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 1994.04a
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• pp.176-176
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• 1994

Moraceae comprise a large family of sixty genera and neary 1,400 specieses, including important groups such as Artocarpus, Morus, and Ficus. In particular, Morus(mulberry) is a small genus of tree and shrubs found in temperate and subtropical regions of the Northern hemishere and has been widely cultivated in China and Korea, In addition, the root bark of mulberry tree have been used as an antiphlogic, diuretic, and expectorant in white medicine, and the crude drug is known as "Sangbaikpi" in Korea. Recently, some papers have been published reporting the hypotensive effect, antiviral effect, antifungal effect, inhibitory effect of cAMP-phosphodiesterase, and anticancer effect of this extract. Little is known about that Cortex mori could have been an antiallergic effect. The purpose of this study was the development of an antiallergic agent with an antiallergic effect from Cortex mori. For this, several in vivo and in vitro experimental models were used. Results are 1) Cortex mori inhibited the compound 48/80-induced degranu-lation, histamine release and calcium uptake of rat peritoneal mast cells, 2) compound 48/80-induced anaphylactic shock and cutaneous reaction were significantly inhibited by pretreatment of Cortex mori, and 3) Cortex mori inhibited the ovalbumin-induced late astmatic reaction. From the above results it is suggested that Cortex mori has some substances with an antiallergic activity. Our final purpose of this study is to develope the new drug with an antiallergic activity from Cortex mori

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.29 no.10
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• pp.1087-1095
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• 1996

The study was carried out to investigate a new type of functional foods with hypotensive effect which is critical in the prevention and treatment of hypertension and related circulatory diseases. The experimental diets(A, B, C) were prepared from plant based ingredients such as buckwheat, potato, perilla seed with different ratios formulated as an edible form appropriate for human consumption according to AIN-77 standard. Control group(D) was fed commercial rat chow. Twety-four 15-week-old SDR(Sprague Dawley rats) and twenty-four 20-week-old SHR(spontaneously hypertensive rats), weighing 200g respectively, were assigned to 4 treatments of 6 rats each in a completely randomized design. Blood pressure was measured at 7 day interval by tail-cuff sphygmomanometer using an IITC cuff pump and amplifier. The growth rates of both SHR and SDR were not statistically different in comparions with the control except those of diet B and C in SDR and SHR, respectively(p<0.05). When exprimental diets were fed, systolic blood pressure of SDR and SHR at day 28 had been lowered by 17-20 mmHg(ave. of 19.6mmHg for both strains) compared with the reference pressure at day 0. The levels of HDL-cholesterol were increased, while the levels of LDL-cholesterol consistently decreased in both strains when experimental diets were fed(p<.05). Plasma total cholesterol levels were not different among treatments. Plasma triglyceride levels were higher in control diet(commercial rat chow) due to two times higher fat content of control diet itself(p<.05). Atherogenic indices were lower compared to those of control when the experimental diets were fed in both strains (p,.05). The results suggest that the antihypertensive diets mainly consisting of plant-based ingredients may possibly effective in relieving hypertension as well as circulatory diseases.