• 한국환경보건학회지
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• 제32권5호
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• pp.492-498
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• 2006

Ultraviolet(UV) radiation causes a variety of biological effects on the skin, including inflammation, pigmentation, photoaging and cancer. Free radicals are involved in inflammatory skin reactions induced by UVB radiation. In this study, we investigated the effects of antioxidants(Tea, Korean red ginseng, Ginkgo biloba extract) on UVB-induced skin damage. Tea, KRG and EGb 761 were topically treated to dorsal skin of ICR mouse. The mice were also treated soon after IMED ($1.4KJ/m^{2}$) of UVB irradiation. Skin pigmentation of irradiated mouse was observed by a chromameter after 2 weeks. Topical application of Tea, KRG and EGb 761 for 2 weeks decreased skin pigmentation compared to DVB control group(p<.05). Tea, KRG and EGb 761 also reduced UVB-induced infiltration of inflammatory cells. These results showed that Tea, KRG and EGb 761 as a topical application may have preventive effect against UVB-induced skin damage.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제32권3호
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• pp.250-256
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• 2008

Red ginseng is a medicinal herb widely used in East-Asia for a long time. Recently there have been a lot of studies about the effect of red ginseng on the immune responses. We investigated the differences between Korean red ginseng and Chinese red ginseng in the lymphocyte proliferation and cytokine production. The rats were divided into 3 groups, KRG(Korean Red Ginseng) group, CRG(Chinese Red Ginseng) group, and the Control group. Experimental groups were administered with Korean and Chinese red ginsengs for three months respectively. Then we obtained the lymphatic cells from spleen and compared the ability of KRG on the lymphocyte proliferation and the cytokine production after mitogen-stimulated culture to CRG. The proliferation of lymphocyte and level of $IL-1{\alpha}$ were significantly increased only in KRG group. There were significant increases in the level of $INF-{\gamma}$ in both KRG and CRG groups. There were no significant differences in the level of IL-2 and $TNF-{\alpha}$. These results indicate that KRG can induce infection-relevant immune responses much faster and higher than CRG. Furthermore, functional activation of CD8+ T-cell may be activated by red ginsengs.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제38권1호
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• pp.34-39
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• 2014

Cigarette smoke is considered a major risk factor for vascular diseases. There are many toxic compounds in cigarette smoke, including acrolein and other ${\alpha},{\beta}$-unsaturated aldehydes, which are regarded as mediators of inflammation and vascular dysfunction. Furthermore, recent studies have revealed that acrolein, an ${\alpha},{\beta}$-unsaturated aldehyde in cigarette smoke, induces inflammatory mediator expression, which is known to be related to vascular diseases. In this study, we investigated whether Korean Red Ginseng (KRG) water extract suppressed acrolein-induced cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 expression in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Acrolein-induced COX-2 expression was accompanied by increased levels of phosphorylated p38 in HUVECs and KRG inhibited COX-2 expression in HUVECs. These results suggest that KRG suppresses acrolein-induced COX-2 expression via inhibition of the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway. In addition, KRG exhibited an inhibitory effect on acrolein-induced apoptosis, as demonstrated by annexin Vepropidium iodide staining and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling assay. Consistent with these results, KRG may exert a vasculoprotective effect through inhibition of COX-2 expression in acrolein-stimulated human endothelial cells.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제37권2호
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• pp.219-226
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• 2013

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of extrusion conditions (moisture content 20% and 30%, screw speed 200 and 250 rpm, barrel temperature $115^{\circ}C$ and $130^{\circ}C$) on the acidic polysaccharide, ginsenoside contents and antioxidant properties of extruded Korean red ginseng (KRG). Extruded KRGs showed relatively higher amounts of acidic polysaccharide (6.80% to 9.34%) than non-extruded KRG (4.34%). Increased barrel temperature and screw speed significantly increased the content of acidic polysaccharide. The major ginsenosides (Rb1, Rb2, Rc, Rd, Re, Rf, Rg2s, Rg3s, Rh1, and Rg3r) of KRG increased through extrusion, while the ginsenoside (Rg1) decreased. The EX8 (moisture 30%, screw speed 250 rpm, and temperature $130^{\circ}C$) had more total phenolics and had a better scavenging effect on 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radicals than those of extruded KRG samples. The extrusion cooking showed a significant increase (6.8% to 20.9%) in reducing power. Increased barrel temperature significantly increased the values of reducing power, the highest value was 1.152 obtained from EX4 (feed moisture 20%, screw speed 250 rpm, and temperature $130^{\circ}C$). These results suggest that extrusion conditions can be optimized to retain the health promoting compounds in KRG products.

• 대한수의학회지
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• 제51권2호
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• pp.159-164
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• 2011

Alcohol abuse and its medical and social consequences are a major health problem in many areas of the world. Korean red ginseng (KRG) has been traditionally used for the treatment of liver disease. This study was conducted to evaluate the hepatoprotective effects of KRG against hepatotoxicity in Sprague- Dawley rats treated with ethanol (EtOH). Administration of EtOH for 20 days induced significant changes in serum biochemical parameters (aspartate aminotransferase, alanine transaminase, and glucose) accompanied by histological changes in the liver tissue. Treatment with KRG prior to administration of EtOH inhibited the EtOH-induced biochemical and histological changes of the liver. In perfused rat livers, administration of EtOH caused an increase in lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release into the perfusate and activated the pro-apoptotic Bax protein but inhibited the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein. Pretreatment with KRG prior to administration of EtOH decreased the EtOH-induced LDH release and inhibition of Bcl-2 protein. These results suggest that KRG exerts anti-apoptotic effects and alleviated EtOH-induced liver injury in rats.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제47권2호
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• pp.329-336
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• 2023

Background: Panax ginseng Meyer is a medicinal plant well-known for its antiviral activities against various viruses, but its antiviral effect on coronavirus has not yet been studied thoroughly. The antiviral activity of Korean Red Ginseng (KRG) and ten ginsenosides against Human coronavirus OC43 (HCoV-OC43) was investigated in vitro. Methods: The antiviral response and mechanism of action of KRG extract and ginsenoside Rc, Re, Rf, Rg1, Rg2-20 (R) and -20 (S), Rg3-20 (R) and -20 (S), and Rh2-20 (R) and -20 (S), against the human coronavirus strain OC43 were investigated by using plaque assay, time of addition assay, real-time PCR, and FACS analysis. Results: Virus plaque formation was reduced in KRG extract-treated and HCoV-OC43-infected HCT-8 cells. KRG extract decreased the viral proteins (Nucleocapsid protein and Spike protein) and mRNA (N and M gene) expression, while increased the expression of interferon genes. Conclusion: KRG extract exhibits antiviral activity by enhancing the expression of interferons and can be used in treating infections caused by HCoV-OC43.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제36권4호
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• pp.391-395
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• 2012

Alopecia areata (AA) is an autoimmune disease that can affect any hair-bearing area. AA is known to be caused by immunological disorder but still, the pathogenesis is not fully understood. Many therapeutic modalities have been used to treat alopecia areata, with variable efficacy and safety profiles. Unfortunately, none of these agents is definitely curative or preventive alone. We studied hair growth efficacy and safety of Korean red ginseng (KRG) in AA comparing corticosteroid intra-lesional injection (ILI) alone patient group with ILI with KRG taking patient group using Folliscope 2.5 for 12 wk. Herein, we would like to report the efficacy of KRG in the treatment of AA and recommend KRG as a useful complimentary food for gaining efficacy of treatment for AA.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제45권3호
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• pp.450-455
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• 2021

Korean Red Ginseng (KRG) is an herbal oriental medicine known to alleviate cardiovascular dysfunction. To analysis the expression of diabetic cardiac complication-associated genes in db/db mice, we studied the cardiac gene expression following KRG treatment. In result, a total of 585 genes were found to be changed in db/db mice. Among the changed expression, 245 genes were found to 2-fold upregulated, and 340 genes were 2-fold downregulated. In addition, the changed gene expressions were ameliorated by KRG. In conclusion, KRG may be possible to normalize cardiac gene expressions in db/db mice.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제37권3호
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• pp.273-282
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• 2013

The present study was designed to investigate the cardioprotective effects of Korean Red Ginseng extract (KRG) on isoproterenol (ISO)-induced cardiac injury in rats, particularly in regards to electrocardiographic changes, hemodynamics, cardiac function, serum cardiac enzymes, components of the myocardial antioxidant defense system, as well as inflammatory markers and histopathological changes in heart tissue. ISO (150 mg/kg, subcutaneous, two doses administered at 24-hour intervals) treatment induced significant decreases in P waves and QRS complexes (p<0.01), as well as a significant increase in ST segments. Moreover, ISO-treated rats exhibited decreases in left-ventricular systolic pressure, maximal rate of developed left ventricular pressure ($+dP/dt_{max}$) and minimal rate of developed left ventricular pressure ($-dP/dt_{max}$), in addition to significant increases in lactate dehydrogenase, aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase and creatine kinase activity. Heart rate, however, was not significantly altered. And the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase were decreased, whereas the activity of malondialdehyde was increased in the ISO-treated group. ISO-treated group also showed increased caspase-3 level, release of inflammatory markers and neutrophil infiltration in heart tissue. KRG pretreatment (250 and 500 mg/kg, respectively) significantly ameliorated almost all of the parameters of heart failure and myocardial injury induced by ISO. The protective effect of KRG on ISO-induced cardiac injury was further confirmed by histopathological study. In this regard, ISO treatment induced fewer morphological changes in rats pretreated with 250 or 500 mg/kg of KRG. Compared with the control group, all indexes in rats administered KRG (500 mg/kg) alone were unaltered (p>0.05). Our results suggest that KRG significantly protects against cardiac injury and ISO-induced cardiac infarction by bolstering antioxidant action in myocardial tissue.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제35권3호
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• pp.352-359
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• 2011

Korean red ginseng (KRG) is used worldwide as a popular traditional herbal medicine. KRG has shown beneficial effects on cardiovascular diseases, such as atherosclerosis, diabetes, and hypertension. Up-regulation of a cytoprotective protein, heme oxygenase (HO)-1, is considered to augment the cellular defense against various agents that may induce cytotoxic injury. In the present study, we demonstrate that KRG water extract induces HO-1 expression in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and possible involvement of the anti-oxidant transcription factor nuclear factor-eythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2). KRG-induced HO-1 expression was examined by western blots, reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and immunofluorescence staining. Specific silencing of Nrf2 genes with Nrf2-siRNA in HUVECs abolished HO-1 expression. In addition, the HO inhibitor zinc protoporphyrin blunted the preventive effect of KRG on $H_2O_2$-induced cell death, as demonstrated by terminal transferase dUTP nick end labeling assay. Taken together, these results suggest that KRG may exert a vasculoprotective effect through Nrf2-mediated HO-1 induction in human endothelial cell by inhibition of cell death.