• KSBB Journal
• /
• v.31 no.4
• /
• pp.256-262
• /
• 2016

The need for natural cosmetic ingredients has been increasing over the world nowadays. Agarose, a natural polymer from red seaweeds, has high hydrophilic character and a function of scaffolder. As skin moisturizer, agarose is adequate for percutaneous absorption. While, blueberry fruits extract possesses rich procyanidins and anthocyanins which show health benefits, anti-oxidant effect, anti-aging and anti-melanogenesis. Stability, sensory preference, skin trouble of the emulsion formula are important for cosmetic product development. In this study, we manufactured an emulsion formula for skin moisturizers using the two ingredients and tested emulsion stability and skin trouble. Total phenolic contents of the blueberry fruits extract were evaluated as well as tyrosinase inhibitory and collagenase inhibitory activities. $IC_{50}$ values of blueberry fruits extract for anti-tyrosinase and anti-collagenase activities were 168 and $112{\mu}g/mL$, respectively using gallic acid as a control ($64.8{\mu}g/mL$). The stability (pH and viscosity) of the formula containing 2% blueberry fruits extracts and 0.1% agarose was measured at five different temperatures (room temp., $25^{\circ}C$, $55^{\circ}C$, $45^{\circ}C$, $55^{\circ}C$) under the sun light at 2 day intervals for 12 days. There has been little pH change at the different temperatures. According to the sensory evaluation, there was no significant flavor, discoloration and physical changes of the formula at $25-65^{\circ}C$. These results suggest that emulsion formula containing blueberry extract and agarose could be used as a candidate for lotion and essence products.

• ALGAE
• /
• v.22 no.1
• /
• pp.37-44
• /
• 2007

In order to understand the impact of the heavy-oil pollution by the 1997 Nakhodka oil spill on the intertidal macroalgal vegetation, we have been monitoring succession in the intertidal flora since 1997 at Oh-ura, Takno, and Imago-Ura Cove, Kasumi in Hyogo Prefecture, northwestern coast of Honshu, Japan. We employed two different monitoring methods: 1) The percent cover of macro-algae (seaweeds) in 1 x 1 m quadrats along 450 m intertidal transects parallel to the shoreline were assessed and recorded by photographic imaging until 2002, and for 30-40 m transects of the most heavily polluted areas in 2004 and 2006; 2) The percent cover of macro-algae in 0.5 x 0.5 m quadrats along a transect line perpendicular to the shore were recorded and all macrophytes within the quadrat were completely removed to record the wet weight of each taxon (1997-2006). Based on the monitoring data, we conclude that the high intertidal zone at Imago-ura, where a large part of the stranded oil accumulated, suffered the heaviest damage and experienced the slowest recovery. In addition, although the original status of macroalgal vegetation before the impact was not well-documented, it appeared that recovery from the damage caused by the oil pollution required four to five years.

• Journal of Marine Bioscience and Biotechnology
• /
• v.10 no.1
• /
• pp.26-33
• /
• 2018

Fucoxanthin has been reported as bioactive compounds exhibiting strong antioxidant, anticancer and anti-inflammatory activities. Owing to its a wide range of applications and potentials, commercial production of fucoxanthin from algae has been attracted many attentions. Although, most of seaweeds and diatoms contain fucoxanthin as major carotenoid contents, low productivity of fucoxanthin still hinder the industrial application. Here, we newly isolated and identified indigenous marine diatom Odontella sp. BS-003 as a resource of fucoxanthin production. The characterization, optimization and production of the fucoxanthin, along with other bioactive compound omega-3 fatty acid from odontella sp. BS-003 were analyzed in this study, and the results represented optimal culture condition (two-fold silicate containing F/2 medium) significantly enhanced the algal biomass productivity. The maximum biomass (1.83 g/L), fucoxanthin (3.88 mg/g), along with omega-3 fatty acid (10 %, w/w) were obtained from the 10 L of photobioreactor. Based on the results, it is speculated that the microalga Odontella sp. BS-003 can be a promising natural resource for the production of bioactive compounds.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
• /
• v.24 no.3
• /
• pp.298-303
• /
• 2011

A large number of edible seaweeds are consumed by the coastal peoples of Asia. Some of them are used in traditional remedies in many parts of the world. In this study we investigated effects of supplementation with ethyl acetate extracts of the brown alga Eisenia bicyclis (EBE) on rat macrophage to evaluate the possibilities as immune-modulators. Twelve male SD rats were divided into two groups and the treatments were as follows: A, no Eisenia bicyclis extract (EBE) intake and distilled water ; B, oral supplemented with EBE 200 mg/kg. After 5 weeks of supplementation, rats were sacrificed to assess the effect on peritoneal macrophage functions. We showed no increasing effects on tumoricidal activity, phagocytic activity and NO production in macrophages in EBE supplementation group. However, EBE supplementation suppressed NO-iNOS production and p65 translocation into the nucleus in LPS-stimulated macrophages. Overall, these results suggest that the supplementation of EBE might have an anti-inflammatory effects on NO-iNOS production in macrophages throughout the inhibition of NF-${\kappa}B$ activation.

• Journal of Aquaculture
• /
• v.4 no.1
• /
• pp.67-71
• /
• 1991

Sensitivity to ethylmethanesulphonate(EMS) on Ulva Pertusa Kjellman thalli was investigated as preliminary studies aimed at mutation breeding of seaweeds. When the thalli were grown in medium containing the mutagen no growth and about $20{\%}$ growth inhibition occurred at $0.05{\%}$ and $0.025{\%}$ EMS-mixed medium respectively. In the case the thalli were treated short time at high concentration mutagen solution followed by culture in control medium no growth and about $10{\%}$ growth inhibition occurred at 40 min. in $1.0{\%}$ and 80 min. in $0.5{\%}$ EMS solution respectively. Among the mutagenized tissues, some showed variation in growth from and cell color contrast to the mother tissue. The mutagenized tissue polypeptide pattern using sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was simiiar that of the mother tissue except about 6.6 kD polypeptides.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
• /
• v.13 no.2
• /
• pp.96-101
• /
• 2010

Norovirus, which causes gastroenteritis in humans, is an important food-borne pathogen worldwide. In an effort to discover an antiviral substance against norovirus, extracts from several seaweeds were evaluated for antiviral activity against feline calicivirus (FCV), which was used as a surrogate. The methanolic extract of Undaria pinnatifida exhibited the most significant antiviral activity and virucidal efficacy against FCV. The concentrations of the extract that reduced viral replication by 50% ($EC_{50}$) and resulted in the death of 50% of the host cells ($CC_{50}$) were 0.05 mg/mL and 1.02 mg/mL, respectively. The selectivity index, calculated from the ratio of the $CC_{50}$ and $EC_{50}$ was 20.4. No FCV infection of host cells occurred following a 1-h incubation in the presence of 12.50 mg/mL U. pinnatifida extract, indicating that the virus was completely inactivated by the extract treatment. The results obtained in this study will contribute to the development of a natural antiviral substance that will prevent food-borne disease caused by norovirus.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
• /
• v.21 no.6
• /
• pp.16.1-16.7
• /
• 2018

Background: Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are linked with several complications such as metastasis of cancer progression, oxidative stress, and hepatic fibrosis. Brown seaweeds are being extensively studied for their bioactive molecule content against cancer progression. In this context, Sargassum horneri was reported to possess various bioactivities including antiviral, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory partly due to its phenolic compound content. Methods: In this study, potential of S. horneri was evaluated through anti-MMP effect in HT1080 fibrosarcoma cells. S. horneri crude extract was fractionated with organic solvents, namely, water ($H_2O$), n-buthanol (n-BuOH), 85% aqueous methanol (85% aq. MeOH), and n-hexane. The non-toxicity of fraction samples (Sargassum horneri solvent-partitioned extracts (SHEs)) was confirmed by cell-viability assay. SHEs were tested for their ability to inhibit MMP enzymatic activity through gelatin digestion evaluation and cell migration assay. Expressions of MMP-2 and MMP-9 and tissue inhibitors of MMP (TIMPs) were evaluated by reverse transcription and Western blotting. Results: All fractions inhibited the enzymatic activities of MMP-2 and MMP-9 according to gelatin zymography. Except $H_2O$ fraction, fractions hindered the cell migration significantly. All tested fractions suppressed both mRNA and protein levels of MMP-2, MMP-9, TIMP-1, and TIMP-2. Conclusion: Overall, current results suggested that S. horneri has potential to be a good source for anti-MMP agents, and further investigations are underway for better understanding of the action mechanism and isolation and elucidation of the bioactive molecules.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.21 no.4
• /
• pp.270-276
• /
• 2013

Fucoxanthin is an important carotenoid derived from edible brown seaweeds and is used in indigenous herbal medicines. The aim of the present study was to examine the cytoprotective effects of fucoxanthin against hydrogen peroxide-induced cell damage. Fucoxanthin decreased the level of intracellular reactive oxygen species, as assessed by fluorescence spectrometry performed after staining cultured human HaCaT keratinocytes with 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate. In addition, electron spin resonance spectrometry showed that fucoxanthin scavenged hydroxyl radical generated by the Fenton reaction in a cell-free system. Fucoxanthin also inhibited comet tail formation and phospho-histone H2A.X expression, suggesting that it prevents hydrogen peroxide-induced cellular DNA damage. Furthermore, the compound reduced the number of apoptotic bodies stained with Hoechst 33342, indicating that it protected keratinocytes against hydrogen peroxide-induced apoptotic cell death. Finally, fucoxanthin prevented the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential. These protective actions were accompanied by the down-regulation of apoptosis-promoting mediators (i.e., B-cell lymphoma-2-associated ${\times}$ protein, caspase-9, and caspase-3) and the up-regulation of an apoptosis inhibitor (B-cell lymphoma-2). Taken together, the results of this study suggest that fucoxanthin defends keratinocytes against oxidative damage by scavenging ROS and inhibiting apoptosis.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.9 no.1
• /
• pp.15-21
• /
• 1999

The random amplified ploymorphic DNAs (RAPD) assay is a simple and useful tool in identification of appropriate genetic markers, that requires no knowledge of target DNA sequence. RAPD products were generated directly from seaweed tissues, without prior nucleic acid extraction, of Porphyra yezoensis, Ulva pertusa and Undaria pinnatifida. The nuclear rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) fragment however was not amplified directly from the seaweed tissues. Using DNA extracted by the LiCl method, both the ITS and RAPD's have been amplified by the polymerase chain reaction. RAPD of P yezoensis, thallus (n) and conchocelis (2n) produced lots of different polymorphic bands (36-50$\%$) depending on the arbitrary primers used. Difference was also observed between direct tissues amplification and DNA extracts amplification (53-57$\%$). Thus it is important to use the same ploidy of tissue for DNA extraction and as a RAPD template.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
• /
• v.60 no.3
• /
• pp.257-263
• /
• 2017

A cellulolytic strain Y2 was isolated from soil obtained in the Canadian Alpine region. The isolate was identified as Paenibacillus sp. Y2 by 16S rRNA sequencing. When grown in LB medium supplemented with carboxymethyl-cellulose (CMC), CMCase production increased to 122.0% of that observed in LB without CMC. Culture supernatant was concentrated by ultrafiltration and 80% ammonium sulfate precipitates were separated by Hi-Trap Q and CHT-II chromatography. The purified enzyme (EG-PY2) showed a homogeneous single band and the molecular mass was estimated to be 38 kDa by SDS-PAGE. Optimum pH and temperature of the enzyme were 4.5 and $30^{\circ}C$, respectively. The half-life of enzyme activity at 50 was 140.7 min, but the enzyme was drastically inactivated within 5 min at $55^{\circ}C$. The enzyme was highly activated to 135.7 and 126.7% by 5.0 mM of $Cu^{2+}$ or $Mg^{2+}$ ions, respectively, and moderately activated by $Ba^{2+}$ and $Ca^{2+}$ ions, whereas it was inhibited to 76.8% by $Fe^{2+}$, and to ${\leq}50%$ by $Mn^{2+}$, $Co^{2+}$, $Zn^{2+}$, and EDTA. The enzyme was activated to 211.5% in the presence of 0.5 M of NaCl and greatly tolerant to 3.15M of NaCl. The enzyme showed 2.98 times higher ${\beta}$-glucanase activity than CMCase activity. Based on these results, it can be concluded that EG-PY2 is an acidophilic, cold-active, and halotolerant endoglucanase. The authors suggest it is considered to be useful for various industrial applications, such as, fruit juice clarification, acidic deinking processes, high-salt food processing, textile and pulp industries, and for biofuel production from seaweeds.