• BMB Reports
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• v.56 no.11
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• pp.594-599
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• 2023

A number of therapeutic drugs have been developed from functional chemicals found in plants. Knowledge of plants used for medicinal purposes has historically been transmitted by word of mouth or through literature. The aim of the present study is to provide a systemic platform for the development of lead compounds against breast cancer based on a traditional medical text. To verify our systematic approach, integrating processes consisted of text mining of traditional medical texts, 3-D virtual docking screening, and in vitro and in vivo experimental validations were demonstrated. Our text analysis system identified rutin as a specific phytochemical traditionally used for cancer treatment. 3-D virtual screening predicted that rutin could block EGFR signaling. Thus, we validated significant anti-cancer effects of rutin against breast cancer cells through blockade of EGFR signaling pathway in vitro. We also demonstrated in vivo anti-cancer effects of rutin using the breast cancer recurrence in vivo models. In summary, our innovative approach might be proper for discovering new phytochemical lead compounds designing for blockade of malignant neoplasm including breast cancer.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.374-387
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• 2008

This study was carried out to investigate the distribution of the useful resources plants and the flora of the sand dune on South Coast and Jeju Island. The flora of sand dune on South Coast and Jeju Island was investigated from February to November in 2006. Vascular plants of this area consist of total 171 taxa; 1 forma, 18 varieties, 152 species, 130 genera, 51 families. The dominant species in the vegetations of the south coast sand dune were Calystegia soldanella, Ischaemum anthephoroides, Vitex rotundifolia, Carex pumila, Carex kobomugi. It corresponds to 11.1 % of totally 4,071 taxa appeared in Korea. Useful plants of this area were investigated 113 taxa. It corresponds to 66% of collected plants in this area under our study. Among the useful plants, there are 73 taxa of edible source, 61 taxa of medicinal source, 22 taxa of pasture source, 16 taxa of ornamental source, 7 taxa of fiber source, 1 taxa of timber source. Korean endemic plants were composed 1 taxa.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.103-110
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• 2005

Opuntia ficus-indica, commonly known as prickly pear cactus, is commercially grown as a food and medicinal plant in Jeju Island, Korea. The crushed pads and fruits of Opuntia ficus-indica were dried in a freeze-dryer and ground into flour to be used for food materials. The major components of proximate compositions were part of a nitrogen free extract. The major minerals were Ca (4391.2-2086.9㎎%), K (1932.1-2608.7㎎%), and Mg (800.6-1984.8㎎%). The major amino acid was glutamic acid, comprising 16.3% of total amino acids in fruit and 25.2% in pad. Dihydroflavonols were identified as (+)-trans-dihydrokaempferol and (+)-trans-dihydroquercetin. Citric acid methyl esters extracted from fruits showed inhibitory activities against monoamine oxidase-B. The presence of trimethyl citrate has been reported in other plants, but 1,3-dimethyl citrate and 1-monomethyl citrate have not been previously reported. The results of pharmacological efficacy tests, including serum biochemical and hematological parameters, autonomic nervous system, anti-inflammatory, analgestic activity, anti-diabetic activity, antithrombotic, anticoagulant, dopamine beta-hydroxylase, monoamine oxidase activity, hyperlipidemia, the respiratory system, antigastic, and anti-ulcerative actions indicate that the fruit and pad of the Opuntia ficus-indica are rich sources of food and medicinal materials.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.139-145
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• 2017

Background: Invasion of these invasive plants in the ecosystem threatens the habitat of endemic species, reduces biodiversity, and causes a disturbance in the ecological system. Hypochaeris radicata L. (Asteraceae), the most invasive plant in Korea, particularly in Jeju Island, invades farmlands, and autochthonous forests, resulting in the establishment of monocultures and modification of the ecosystem structure. Methods and Results: In this study was, we evaluated the biological activity of 70% ethanolic extracts from different parts of Hypochaeris radicata L. The biological activities of 70% ethanolic extracts of different parts, such as flower, leaf, stem, and root, of H. radicata were investigated. The total polyphenol content was highest in flower extracts ($50.82{\pm}3.16mg{\cdot}QE/g$). In addition, the highest flavonoid content was observed in flower extract ($15.19{\pm}2.03mg{\cdot}QE/g$). The flower extract of H. radicata exhibited stronger DPPH radical-scavenging activities, ABTS radical scavenging activities, and reducing power than the other parts. The flower extract of H. radicata was observed to have the highest tyrosinase and ${\alpha}-glucosidase$ inhibitory activities. Conclusions: The flower extracts of H. radicata exhibited remarkable antioxidant activity as well as tyrosinase and ${\alpha}-glucosidase$ inhibitory effects. These activities might be related to the phenolic compounds present in the H. radicata flower extract.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2021.04a
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• pp.37-37
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• 2021

Calystegia soldanella L. is a perennial herbaceous halophyte belonging to the convolvulaceae family, which mainly grows in coastal sand dunes in Korea. Shoots and rhizomes are edible, and roots called 'Hyoseon Chogeun' are known to have medicinal effects such as antipyretic, sterilization, and diuretic. In addition, physiological activities of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antifungal and PTP-1B (protein tyrosine phosphate-1B) inhibition have been reported. In this study, in vitro induction cell lines of C. soldanella L. collected from the coastal sand dunes in Jeju island was redifferentiated into adventitious roots that can be used as medicinal resources. Also the biomass of mass-proliferated adventitious roots using a bioreactor were evaluated. Plants of C. soldanella L. were collected from the crevice of the seashore in the coastal area of Taeheung 2-ri, Namwon-eup, Seogwipo-si. Then, it was separated into leaves, stems, rhizomes, and roots, and surface sterilized with 70% ethyl alcohol and 2% NaOCl (sodium hypochlorite). After washing with sterilized water, each organ section was cultured in Hormone-free MS medium (Murashige & Skoog Medium). As a result, the induction response rates were evaluated at 85% and 55%, respectively, in terms of callus formation and shoot generation in the rhizome segment. In the case of the adventitious roots morphological characteristics induced by single-use treatment of auxin-based plant growth regulators IBA and NAA from redifferentiated shoots were compared. Most efficient adventitious root culture method as a rooting rate, number, length, and biomass proliferation in the bioreactor system was confirmed when treated by culturing in MS salts, Sucrose 30 g·L^-1, and IBA 1mg·L^-1 for 4 weeks. In this study, the medium composition and culture period were confirmed using a bioreactor system to mass-proliferate adventitious roots derived from C. soldanella L. in Jeju island. Also this adventitious root line developed a new medicinal material could increase value of the bio-industry ingredient through quantitative and qualitative screening of phyto-bioactive compounds.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.43-48
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• 2013

Oreorchis coreana Finet is threatened globally by over-collection from its natural habitats for horticultural purposes. Its rarity in nature makes this plant one of the most endangered species in Korea. In this study, we investigated the effects of sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) on orchid seed viability and seed germination. An in vitro bioassay swelling test using immature seeds was compared with a standard chemical procedure using triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC) to test seed viability. In general, the bioassay was more appropriate for estimating embryo viability after a prolonged pre-treatment (more than 1 h) in 1% NaOCl, a surface sterilant often used to enhance germination of seeds of terrestrial plants. Therefore, an efficient method for investigating in vitro swelling of immature seeds is urgently needed. We established a method for determining the viability and swelling of O. coreana seeds via in vitro examination of immature seeds. Treatment of immature seeds with 1% NaOCl for 10 min greatly enhanced the extent of swelling of immature zygote embryos when compared to untreated seeds. These data obtained here appear to be comparable to viability and swelling that occurs in O. coreana seeds via asymbiotic germination.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.357-366
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• 2015

Isorhamnetin (3-methylquercetin) is a flavonoid derived from the fruits of certain medicinal plants. This study investigated the photoprotective properties of isorhamnetin against cell damage and apoptosis resulting from excessive ultraviolet (UV) B exposure in human HaCaT keratinocytes. Isorhamnetin eliminated UVB-induced intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and attenuated the oxidative modification of DNA, lipids, and proteins in response to UVB radiation. Moreover, isorhamnetin repressed UVB-facilitated programmed cell death in the keratinocytes, as evidenced by a reduction in apoptotic body formation, and nuclear fragmentation. Additionally, isorhamnetin suppressed the ability of UVB light to trigger mitochondrial dysfunction. Taken together, these results indicate that isorhamnetin has the potential to protect human keratinocytes against UVB-induced cell damage and death.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.62-67
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• 2016

Anti-oxidant activity of 600 medicinal plants from Jeju was analyzed. Extracts from the leaves of Distylium racemosum have the highest anti-oxidant activity. D. racemosum is an oriental medicinal plant belonging to the Hamamelidacea and grows in the wild in Jeju. This study was conducted to evaluate the antioxidant and cell viability of different fractions (n-hexane, methylene chloride, ethyl acetate, buthanol, DW) from D. racemosum. Anti-oxidant activity was measured using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity test and total phenolic content. Cell viability was determined by 3-[4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) cell viability assay on HepG2 and A549 cells. Among various extracts, the ethyl acetate fraction showed the highest DPPH radical scavenging activity, reaching approximately 93% at 0.5 mg/mL, higher than that of quercetin used as a positive control. Ethyl acetate fractions showed the highest total phenolic content at 505 mg GAE/g. The phenolic content of each extract showed association with DPPH radical scavenging activity. The ethyl acetate extracts were resistant against hydrogen peroxide ($H_2O_2$) treatment in the MTT cell viability assay and showed a higher cell protective effect than other fraction extracts. These results suggest that the ethyl acetate fraction might be a source of anti-oxidants of D. racemosum.

• BMB Reports
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• v.52 no.6
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• pp.409-414
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• 2019

Natural compounds isolated from medicinal herbs and plants have immense significance in maintaining bone health. Hydrolysable tannins have been shown to possess a variety of medicinal properties including antiviral, anticancer, and anti-osteoclastogenic activities. As a part of a study on the discovery of alternative agent against skeletal diseases, we isolated a hydrolysable tannin, 2-O-digalloyl-1,3,4,6-tetra-O-galloyl-${\beta}$-D-glucose (DTOGG), from Galla Rhois and examined the effect on osteoclast formation and function. We found that DTOGG significantly inhibited receptor activator of nuclear factor-${\kappa}B$ ligand (RANKL)-induced osteoclast differentiation by downregulating the expression of the key regulator in osteoclastogenesis as well as osteoclast-related genes. Analysis of RANKL/RANK signaling revealed that DTOGG impaired activation of $I{\kappa}B{\alpha}$ and p65 in the nuclear factor kappa-lightchain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-${\kappa}B$) signaling pathway. Furthermore, DTOGG reduced bone resorbing activity of osteoclasts, compared to the vehicle-treated control. These results suggest that DTOGG could be a useful natural compound to manage osteoclast-mediated skeletal diseases.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.120-125
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• 2014

Halophytes are plants of saline habitats that grow under conditions that may vary in extremes of temperatures (freezing to very hot), water availability (drought to water logging) and salinity (mild to almost saturation). Halophytes may also face sudden micro-environmental variations within their habitats. In this study, we examine some of the factors that determine the ability of seeds of Artemisia fukudo to germinate when conditions are optimal for seedling growth and survival. Germination percentage was the highest at 77.5% when treated in 0% seawater and seedling growth was best in 0% seawater plug cell tray. Physiological quality (chlorophyll contents) and mean germination time were best in the condition in which seeds were treated with 0% seawater (control). Germination performance index in the control group showed the highest value to 3.8. Seedling growth, seedling vigor index in the length of seedling growth andthe relative growth rate were the highest values of 0.76 cm, 1.43, 0.0099, respectively.