• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.35 no.1 s.136
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• pp.28-34
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• 2004

DNA damage induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS) seems to play an important role in the induction of mutation and cancer. Hydrogen peroxide $(H_2O_2)$ has been shown to induce a variety of genetic alterations, probably by the generation of hydroxyl radicals via Fenton reaction. In this study, we examined the ability of medicinal herbs in the suppression of $H_2O_2$-induced mutagenesis. Human fibroblast GM00637 cells were treated with $H_2O_2$ in the presence or absence of medicinal herbs, and $H_2O_2$-induced mutant frequency was measured at the hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (HPRT) locus. Treatment of cells with various doses of $H_2O_2$ caused a significant increase of the HPRT mutant frequency. However, pretreatment of cells with several medicinal herbs reduced $H_2O_2$-induced mutant frequency. The strong antimutagenic effects were observed from the methylene chloride and ethyl acetate fractions of Selaginella tamariscina, Panax ginseng, and Angelica acutiloba; ethyl acetate fractions of Rehmania glutinosa, Leonurus sibiricus, Curcuma zedoaria and Commiphora molmol; butanol fractions of Scutellaria barbata, Tribulus terrestris, Curcuma zedoaria, Cyperus rotundus and Carthamus tinctorius, which were more than 60% inhibition of $H_2O_2$-induced mutant frequency at the HPRT locus.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.6 no.5
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• pp.312-317
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• 1985

${\beta}$-Glucuronidase (EC 3.2.1.31) which hydrolizes D-glucuronate from ${\beta}$-D-glucuronide was purified from rat liver, using ammonium sulfate fractionation, DEAE-cellulose chromatography, Concanavalin-A Sepharose 4B chromatography and gel filtration on Sephadex G-200. This enzyme has the molecular weight of 280,000 daltons by gel filtration and 75,000 daltons by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. As its funtion is reverse of detoxification in the liver, the inhibition of the enzyme was tested with extracts of several food products and medicinal herbs, some are known as anti-cancer agents. Among them, Panax ginseng and Cortnellus shiiake inhibited the enzyme competitively and the $K_1$ values were $9.22 {\times}\;10^{-2}$ and 0.102 mg/ml, respectively. These inhibitors strongly bound to DEAE-cellulose. The negatively charged amino acids, L-aspartate and L-glutamate, inhibited the enzyme, and $K_1$ value of L-aspartate was 0.80 mM. The interaction between ${\beta}$-glucuronidase and p-nitrophenyl-${\beta}$-D-glucuronide was found to involve ionic forces by the effect of ionic strength on the kinetic constant, Vmax/Km. It was inferred from these findings that cationic group at the active center of the enzyme is probably involved in attacking the substrate.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.314-321
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• 2015

Background: Ginseng belongs to the genus Panax. Its main active ingredients are the ginsenosides. Interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs) are the pacemaker cells of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. To understand the effects of ginsenoside Re (GRe) on GI motility, the authors investigated its effects on the pacemaker activity of ICCs of the murine small intestine. Methods: Interstitial cells of Cajal were dissociated from mouse small intestines by enzymatic digestion. The whole-cell patch clamp configuration was used to record pacemaker potentials in cultured ICCs. Changes in cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) content induced by GRe were investigated. Results: Ginsenoside Re ($20-40{\mu}M$) decreased the amplitude and frequency of ICC pacemaker activity in a concentration-dependent manner. This action was blocked by guanosine 50-[${\beta}-thio$]diphosphate [a guanosine-5'-triphosphate (GTP)-binding protein inhibitor] and by glibenclamide [an adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-sensitive $K^{+}$ channel blocker]. To study the GRe-induced signaling pathway in ICCs, the effects of 1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one (a guanylate cyclase inhibitor) and RP-8-CPT-cGMPS (a protein kinase G inhibitor) were examined. Both inhibitors blocked the inhibitory effect of GRe on ICC pacemaker activity. L-NG-nitroarginine methyl ester ($100{\mu}M$), which is a nonselective nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor, blocked the effects of GRe on ICC pacemaker activity and GRe-stimulated cGMP production in ICCs. Conclusion: In cultured murine ICCs, GRe inhibits the pacemaker activity of ICCs via the ATP-sensitive potassium ($K^{+}$) channel and the cGMP/NO-dependent pathway. Ginsenoside Re may be a basis for developing novel spasmolytic agents to prevent or alleviate GI motility dysfunction.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.164-177
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• 1990

This study was carried out to obtain some useful data for increasing an effective ginseng production. There was a direct relationship (r=0.2645) between spore germination of Fusarium solani and soil pH, and (r=0.315) between Cylindrocarpon destructans and soil pH. On the other hand, there was a direct relationship (r=0.19) between relative hyphal growth of Rhizoctonia solani and soil pH. There was a direct relationship (r=0.21) between number of total bacteria and F. solani, (r=0.37) between actinomycetes and F. solani and (r=0.20) between celluloytic bacteria and F. solani. However, there was an inverse relationship (r=-0.20) between number of total fungi and F. solani. There was a direct relationship (r=0.24) between number of actinomycetes and R. solani. Each ginseng pathogen-suppressive soil screened was 40 in F. solani, 20 in C. destructans and 9 soil samples in R. solani among 146 soil samples, respectively. The mean contents of K, Ca and Mg were fairly lower in each ginseng pathogen-suppressive soil than conducive soil, whereas Na were somewhat lower. The mean contents of organic matter were over 2 times higher in each ginseng pathogen-suppressive soil than conducive soil. The mean contents of phosphate were fairly lower in F. solani and R. solani-suppressive soil than conducive soil and, on the other hand, were somewhat higher in C. destructans-suppressive soil than conducive soil. The mean soil pH was somewhat lower in each ginseng pathogen-suppressive soil than conducive soil. The mean contents of sand were about 2 times higher in each ginseng pathogen­suppressive soil than conducive soil, whereas silt and clay were somewhat lower. The microbial numbers of total bacteria, total fungi and celluloytic fungi were higher in F. solani-suppressive soil than conducive soil, whereas actinomycetes and celluloytic bacteria were lower. Each microbial number of total bacteria or total fungi indicated a significant difference (p=0.05) between F. solani­suppressive and conducive soil, and the microbial number of actinomycetes was a highly significant difference (p=0.01) between F. solani-suppressive and conducive soil. The microbial numbers of total bacteria, total fungi, actinomycetes and celluloytic fungi were higher in C. destructans-suppressive soil than conducive soil, whereas celluloytic bacteria were about 2 times lower. On the other hand, the microbial numbers of total fungi were higher in R. solani-suppressive soil than conducive soil, whereas total bacteria, actinomycetes, celluloytic bacteria and celluloytic fungi were lower. Fourteen of 16 F. solani-suppressive soils tested were suppressive to ginseng root rot, whereas fifteen of 16 C. destructans-suppressive soils were suppressive. Ginseng root rots of ginseng disease-suppressive soils were in the range of 1.0-17.4% in F. solani-suppressive soil and 0.2-20.4% in C. destructans-suppressive soil, respectively.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.25-31
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• 1981

The ginsenosides of Korean ginseng decomposed profoundly to produce artifact products of prosapogenin $A_{1}$, $A_{2}$ and $A_{3}$ from ginsenoside Rg$_{1}$, prosapogenin $C_{1}$, $C_{2}$ and $C_{3}$ from ginsenoside Re, and prosapogenin E$_{1}$, E$_{2}$ and E$_{3}$ from ginsenoside Rb$_{1}$ by the acid treatment under physiological condition such as 37.deg.C incubation in 0.1 N HCI. 2. The chemical structures of the artifact substances were determined by the analysis CMR and mass spectra of TMS derivatives as following; table omitted.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.289-293
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• 2003

Antioxidant activity and nicotine degradation activity (NDA) of 21 medicinal herbs were determined by using a 1,1-diphenol-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method and a PLC/PRF5 human liver cell line method, respectively, to develop an anti-smoking aid. The highest and lowest antioxidant activities represented by $IC_{50}$/ value were 30 $\mu$g/mL of Eugenia caryophyllus and 3,270 $\mu$g/mL of Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer, respectively. Antioxidant activity of Eugenia caryophyllus was equal to 38.0$\pm$1.2 mg VCEAC(vitamin C equivalent antioxidant capacity)/ g herb. The highest and lowest NDA values were 1.81 of Astrgalus membranaceus Bunge and 1.01 of Raphani seed and Lespedeza tomentosa Sieb, respectively. Eleven medicinal herbs with high antioxidant activity and/or NDA were selected to make an herbal tea. The herbal tea had high antioxidant activity (50 $\mu$g/mL $IC_{50}$/ and 22.4$\pm$1.4 mgVCEAC/g) and NDA (1.243). The medicinal herb tea could help smokers quitting smoking by degrading and exhausting nicotine accumulated in body and removing reactive oxygen species.

• Proceedings of the Botanical Society of Korea Conference
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• 1995.06a
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• pp.40-56
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• 1995

During the past two decades, China has seen her great progress in plant biotechnology. Since the Chinese market of herb medicine is huge, while the plant resources are shrinking, particular emphasis has been placed in plant tissue and cell cultures of medicinal plants, this includes fast propagation, protoplast isolation and regeneration, cell suspension cultures and large scale fermentation. To optimize culture conditions for producing secondary compounds in vitro, various media, additives and elicitors have been tested. Successful examples of large scale culture for the secondary metabolite biosynthesis are quite limited : Lithospermum ery throrhizon and Arnebia euchroma for shikonin derivatives, Panax ginseng, P. notoginseng, P. quinquefolium for saponins, and a few other medicinal plants. Recent development of genetic transformation systems of plant cells offered a new approach to in vitro production of secondary compounds. Hairy root induction and cultures, by using Ri-plasmid, have been reported from a number of medicinal plant species, such as Artemisia annua that produces little artemisinin in normal cultured cells, and from Glycyrrhiza uralensis. In the coming five years, Chinese scientists will continue their work on large scale cell cultures of a few of selected plant species, including Taxus spp. and A. annua, for the production of secondary metabolites with medicinal interests, one or two groups of scientists will be engaged in molecular cloning of the key enzymes in plant secondary metabolism.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.16-22
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• 2005

cDNA for oxidosqualene cyclase was cloned by a homology-based PCR method and sequenced from Centella asiatica. In a sequences analysis, the putative polypeptide of C. asiatica cycloartenol synthase (CaCYS) deduced from the 2,274 bp nucleotide sequence, consisted of 758 amino acids and had a molecular mass of 86.3 kD. The predicted amino acid sequence exhibited high homology to that of PNX (cycloartenol synthase) from Panax ginseng ($89\%$). Southern blot analysis suggests that CaCYS may be present in one copy of the C. asiatica genome. If methyl jasmonate (MJ) is applied exogenously to plants, not only triterpene saponins are accumulated in tissues, but also it produces effects such as growth inhibition and the promotion of ethylene production. In order to investigate the effect of MJ and thidiazuron (TDZ), a cytokinin that plays a role as an antisenescence agent in several plants, on the level of CaCYS mRNA, we performed northern blot analysis. When MJ is alone treated by adding to culture medium, CaCYS transcripts were inhibited. However, sustained levels of the expression of CaCYS, by adding TDZ to the medium despite MJ treatments, were demonstrated in C. asiatica leaves.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.251-256
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• 2003

The polyphenol fractions of Korean ginseng were purified using Sephadex LH-20, MCI gel, Bondapak $C_{18}$ TLC, and HPLC from the 60% acetone soluble fraction. Fraction I showed 48.16%, 79.71% and 43.55% inhibition at 150 ppm against lipid oxidation in the presence of copper ion, superoxide and hydrogen peroxidation. Electron donating abilities of fraction II showed 35.17% inhibition at 200 ppm. Fraction III showed 48.49% and 25% inhibition at 150 ppm against lipid oxidation in the presence of ferrous ion and hydroxy radical ion. The phospholipase $A_2$ inhibitory effect of fraction III was 48.9% at the concentration of $60\;{\mu}g/ml$. The cytotoxic effects of fraction II was the highest (73.29% at 0.25 mg/ml) among the tested polyphenol fractions.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.1466-1475
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• 2021

Compound K (20-O-β-(_D-glucopyranosyl)-20(S)-protopanaxadiol) is an active ingredient of ginsenosides. Compound K has been known to produce from biotransformation by β-glucosidase action of human intestinal microbes after oral admistration of ginseng. We have investigated the cytotoxicity of compound K obtained from bio-converted ginseng extract. As a result, compound K showed no significant cytotoxicity in the concentration of 0.001 to 1 ㎍/mL and inhibited the production of TNF-α, MCP-1, IL-6 and NO in RAW 264.7 cells induced by LPS inflamation. In the same concentration, HaCaT cells induced by inflammation with TNF-α and IFN-γ decreased IL-8 production due to compound K treatment. In the brine shrimp lethality assay, the LC₅₀ of compound K was 0.37 mg/mL indicating some toxicity, but the bioconverted product containing 35% compound K showed relatively low toxicity with an LC₅₀ of 0.87 mg/mL. These results suggest that the compound K enriched extract is a potential functional material for acne relief cosmetic products.