• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
• /
• v.24 no.3
• /
• pp.223-230
• /
• 1993

Antineoplastic activity against human gastric, colon and hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines were measured in 100 extracts from 80 medicinal plants using MTT (3-[4, 5-dimethyl thiazol-2-yl]-2, 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) method. Seventeen extracts from fourteen plants, all of which have previously been reported to have antineoplastic effect, had $IC_{50}$(50% inhibitory concentration) values of less than $230{\;}{\mu}g/ml$ in at least one of the three cell lines. Extracts from remaining sixty-six medicinal plants failed to show significant cytotoxic effect at the concentration of less than $230{\;}{\mu}g/ml$.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
• /
• v.22 no.4
• /
• pp.239-247
• /
• 2019

Objectives: Allium jesdianum (Aj) is a medicinal plant that has highlighted pharmacological features. In this study, the effects of Aj extract were examined on acetaminophen (APAP)-induced hepatic failure in rats. Methods: Methanolic fraction of hydro-alcoholic extract of Aj was obtained by silica gel column chromatography method. Animals were randomly divided into four groups each containing six rats and treated by gavage as follows: the first and second groups received normal saline, the third and fourth groups were received with 50 and 100 mg/kg of Aj extract, respectively. After two consecutive weeks, the groups 2-4 were given a single dose of APAP (2 g/kg). After 48 hours, blood and liver samples were collected for biochemical and histological examinations. Results: The findings of the study demonstrated that APAP caused a significant increase in ALT (P < 0.001), AST (P < 0.001), LDH (P < 0.001), ALP (P < 0.001) serum levels, hepatic lipid peroxidation (LPO; P < 0.001) and nitric oxide (NO; P < 0.001). In this regard, APAP led to the depletion of the total antioxidant capacity (TAC; P < 0.001), glutathione and total thiol groups (TTGs; P < 0.001), and structural change in the liver. In the Aj extract groups, a considerable improvement was found in the hepatic function alongside the histopathologic changes. Conclusion: This investigation indicated that the influential effects of Aj extract in APAP-induced hepatic failure might depend on its effect on improving oxidant/antioxidant balance in hepatic tissue.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
• /
• v.16 no.6
• /
• pp.1072-1077
• /
• 2007

Bacterial endospores, especially those of Bacillus and Clostridium genera, are the target of sterilization in various foods. We used Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633 spores to screen novel antimicrobial substances against spores from medicinal plants. We collected 79 types of plant samples, comprising 42 types of herbs and spices and 37 types of medicinal plants used in traditional medicine in Korea and China. At a concentration of 1%(w/v), only 14 of the ethanol extracts exhibited antimicrobial activity against B. subtilis spores of at least 90%. Crude extracts of Torilis japonica, Gardenia jasminoides, Plantago asiatica, Fritllaria, and Arctium lappa showed particularly high sporicidal activities, reducing the spore count by about 99%. Consideration of several factors, including antimicrobial activity, extraction yields, and costs of raw materials, resulted in the selection of T. japonica, G. jasminoides, A. lappa, and Coriandrum sativum for the final screening of novel antimicrobial substances. Verification tests repeated 10 times over a 4-month period showed that the ethanol extract of T. japonica fruit reduced aerobic plate counts of B. subtilis spores the most, from $10^7$ to $10^4\;CFU/mL$ (99.9%) and with a standard deviation of 0.21%, indicating that this fruit is the most suitable for developing a novel antimicrobial substance for inactivating B. subtilis spores.

• Food Engineering Progress
• /
• v.21 no.3
• /
• pp.286-291
• /
• 2017

This study was conducted to certify the effect of aqueous extracts from fifty medicinal plants on the activities of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) in vitro. Each aqueous extract was prepared by combining one-part medicinal plants with twenty-parts distilled water at $80^{\circ}C$ for 8 h. Among the fifty medicinal plants, Allium sativum L. and Cinnamomum cassia Presl were regarded as an effective anti-hangover substance. Allium sativum L. extract increased ALDH activity more than 2 times compared with ADH activity, enhancing the acetaldehyde degradation. Cinnamomum cassia Presl extract dramatically inhibited ADH activity compared with ALDH activity, thus potently decreasing the acetaldehyde formation. ADH and ALDH activities were proportionally inhibited according to the increased concentration of Cinnamomum cassia Presl extract. The aqueous extract of Cinnamomum cassia Presl at a concentration of $45.33{\mu}g/mL$ inhibited ADH activity by 52.8% and ALDH activity by 11.0%.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
• /
• v.29 no.3
• /
• pp.199-207
• /
• 2002

The tropane alkaloids hyoscyamine (its racemic form being atropine) and scopolamine are used medicinally as anticholinergic agents that act on the parasympathetic nerve system. Because they differ in their actions on the central nervous system, currently there is a 10-fold higher commercial demand for scopolamine, in the N-butylbromide form, than there is for hyoscyamine and atropine combined. Several solanaceous species have been used as the commercial sources of these alkaloids, but the scopolamine contents in these plants often are much lower than those of hyoscyamine. For this reason there has been long-standing interest in increasing the scopolamine contents of cultivated medicinal plants. Naturally occurring and artificial interspecific hybrids of Duboisia have high scopolamine contents and are cultivated as a commercial source of scopolamine in Australia and other countries. Anther culture combined with conventional interspecific hybridization also has been used to breed high scopolamine-containing plants in the genera Datura and Hyoscyamus, but without much success. The use of recombinant DNA technology for the manipulation of metabolic processes in cells promises to provide important contributions to basic science, agriculture, and medicine. In this review, I introduce on the enzymes and genes involved in tropane alkaloid biosynthesis and current progress in metabolic engineering approaches for tropane alkaloid, especially scopolamine, production.

• Herbal Formula Science
• /
• v.10 no.2
• /
• pp.225-241
• /
• 2002

The inhibitory effects of Injinseulki including extracts of melanian snail plus phytomedicinal plants on $CCl_4$-induced fibrosis, $IFN-{\gamma}$ plus LPS-induced production of NO, PMA-stimulated production $O_2$, and tacrine-induced hepatic injury were investigated in rats, RAW 264.7 or HepG2 cells. The ethanol extracts of melanian snail significantly inhibited tarcrine-induced inury of HepG2 cells. Injinseulki inhibited the production of NO and $O_2$ in a dose-dependent manner in activated RAW 264.7 macrophages. Injinseulki significantly inhibited chemical-induced fibrosis in Rats. These results show that Injinseulki including extracts of melanian snail plus phytomedicinal plants may explain some known biological activities of Injinseulki including their anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic effect, and is of considerable benefit in the treatment for live diseases.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
• /
• v.10 no.5
• /
• pp.399-402
• /
• 2002

Angiotensin converting enzyme(ACE) belongs to the class of zinc protease and plays an important role in the regulation of blood pressure. In this experiment, we investigated the inhibitory activities of medicinal plant extracts on ACE. Fifty medicinal plants were selected and the extracts were prepared by refluxing with 70% methanol. Among the extracts, eleven medicinal plant extracts such as Sedum sarmentosum Bunge, Petasites japonicus(s.et z.) Max, Rubus coreanus, Morus bombycis Koidz, Acorus calamus var. angustatus, Glycyrhiza glabra, Equisetum hyemale, Portulaca oleracea L., Prunella vulgaris var. lilacina Nakai, Sorbus commixta Hedl, Allium thunbergii showed more than 50% inhibitory activities, and Paeonia suffruticosa Andr., lnula helenium, Acanthopanax senticosus Harms, Dendrobium moniliforme, Juglans mandshurica, Zizyphus jujuba, Leonurus artemisia, Aster scaber Thunb, Vitex rotundifolia, Platycodon grandiflorum, Prunus persica, Ligularia fischeri showed $40{\sim}49%$ inhibitory activities. Therefore these extracts which contain high ACE inhibitory activities may be useful as antihypertension agents and to the treatment of hypertension.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
• /
• v.15 no.6
• /
• pp.371-390
• /
• 2007

Arthropod pests were surveyed from 132 herb species of 121 genera in 50 families of 32 orders at herb garden of Sancheong-gun Agricultural Development Technology Center in Sancheong, Gyeongsangnamdo province from October, 2005 to November, 2006. Ninety eight arthropod pests of 86 genera in 44 families of 9 orders were collected. Although less than 5 arthropod pests were collected from each herb, more than 5 arthropod pests were occurred on Hibiscus mutabililis, Peucedanum japonicum, Aralia cordata, Fraxinus rhynchophylla, Angelica decursiva, Rhaponticum uniflorum, Lonicera japonica, Betula platyphylla and Agrimonia pilosa. Out of collected pests, 98.5% of them damaged leaves of medicinal plants. The highest number of arthropod pests was recorded in May representing 36 species of 32 genera in 20 families of 6 orders. Most of them were collected from less than 5 medicinal plants. However, Atractomorpha lata, Dolycoris baccarum, Myzus persicae, and Nysius plebejus occurred on 42., 22, 20, and 15 medicinal plants, respectively. Atractomorpha lata and Myzus persicae had broad host ranges and seriously damaged. Aphis gossypii was dominant insect pest in May compared with Dolycoris baccarum in June. Atractomorpha lata in August and September, and Myzus persicae in October.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
• /
• v.15 no.6
• /
• pp.367-370
• /
• 2007

To make the soil moisture proper is the important factor in the seedbed cultivation of Yangjik for producing a good quality of ginseng seedling. This study was carries out to investigate the effect of soil moisture on photosynthesis and yield of ginseng seedling under the different condition of the soil moisture, such as $100{\sim}400$ mbar. Photosynthesis rate was decreased gradually by the reduction of soil moisture, and in particular it was decreased distinctly under the lower condition of soil moisture, such as $300{\sim}400$ mbar. Photosynthesis rate in air temperature of $30^{\circ}C$ was decreased more distinct than that of $25^{\circ}C$, Light saturation point of leaves was at the quantum of $600{\mu}mol/m^3/s$ at $25^{\circ}C$ while it was decreased by $300{\mu}mol/m^3/s$ at $30^{\circ}C$ according to the increase of air temperature. Respiration rate was increased by the increase of quantum, and decreased by the reduction of soil moisture. Respiration rate under the condition of high quantum was increased regardless of air temperature, but it was decreased distinctly under the condition of low soil moisture and high air temperature, such as 400 mbar at $30^{\circ}C$. There were a gradual decrease by the reduction of soil moisture in leaf length, leaf width, chlorophyll content, and water content of leaves, but heat injury ratio was increased distinctly by the reduction of it. Total root weight, root weight per plant, the yield of usable seedling were decreased by the reduction of soil moisture, and optimal content of soil moisture to produce a good quality of seedling was 63% of field capacity or 18.9% in absolute soil moisture content.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
• /
• v.1 no.1
• /
• pp.13-20
• /
• 1978

Alcohol extracts of plants widely used in the traditional medicine have been tested to establish if they affect the metabolism of drug in mice. Forteen of the plants tested exhibited prolonging and/or inhibitory effect on hexobarbital sleeping time. Some of them also showed increasing effect on strychnine mortality, whereas piperis retrofracti Fructus reduced the toxicity of strychnine.