• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.103-107
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• 2002

Four known sesquiterpenes, laurinterol (1), isolaurinterol (2), aplysinal (3) and aplysin (4) were isolated from the Korean red alga Laurencia okamurae off Cheju Island, Korea. Their structures were identified by comparison with the literature data. Compounds 1-4 showed potent cytotoxicity against A549, SK-OV-3, SKMEL-2, XF498, and HTl5 cell lines with $EC_{50}$ values ranging from 1.2 to 17.6 ${\mu}g/ml$.

• Journal of Plant Biology
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.421-428
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• 1994

The vegetative and male reproductive anatomy of a marine alga, Laurencia intercalaris sp. nov. (Rhodomelaceae, Rhodophyta), is described from subtidal habitats of eastern and southern Korea. This species has terete thalli with entangled fibrous holdfasts and regularly alternate branching of ultimate branchlets, and is inseparable from L. okamurae Yamada on the basis of habit. Vegetative axial cells produce a trichoblast and four pericentral cells in an alternating sequence. Spermatangia are produced intercalary or subterminally from one of two laterals on suprabasal cells of trichoblasts arising from axial cells in apical pits of branchlets. The other lateral remains sterile. In this sterile lateral, budding-like regeneration occurs on older segments that are oabscised. Comparison is made with other related Laurencia species, particularly those with terete thalli. The vegetative anatomy and the regeneration in sterile laterals of male trichoblasts, with the mode of spermatangial formation, distinguish the new species from previously described species of Laurencia including L. okamurae.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.1-8
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• 2003

The development of environmentally nontoxic or non-polluting antifouling additives that can be formulated in practical coating requires assay involving target organisms. Described here are the simple laboratory assays that have been developed using the barnacle, Balanus amphitrite, a common fouling organism found throughout temperate and tropical seas. One of the assays depends on synchronous year-round mass culture, the procedure for which is described, of nauplii larvae and cyprids larvae. The laboratory assays provided quantitative estimates of toxicity and settlement inhibition of the test compounds. Laurinterol (1), isolaurinterol (2), alpysinal (3), and aplysin (4) have been isolated from the Korean red alga Laurencia okamurae. Their structures were identified by spectral data in comparison with the literature data. Compounds 1-4 inhibited larval settlement of the barnacle B. amphitrite with EC$_{50}$ values of 0.18- 36 $\mu\textrm{g}$/ml. Com-pounds 2-4 showed larval toxicity against nauplii of the barnacle B. amphitrite with 5-10 $\mu\textrm{g}$/ml, while laurinterol (1) exhibited no toxicity at even 100 $\mu\textrm{g}$/ml. Therefore, laurinterol was expected as a promising natural antifoulant.t.

• ALGAE
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.343-348
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• 2006

This study was conducted to screen in vitro angiotensin - I converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activities of methanol (MeOH) and aqueous extracts at 20°C and 70°C, respectively, prepared from twenty-six red algae obtained from the coast of Jeju Island in Korea. Among aqueous extracts at 20°C (20AE) from red algae Lomentaria catenata showed the strongest ACE inhibitory activity and Lithophyllum okamurae recorded the second highest activity. From MeOH extract at 20°C (20ME) Ahnfeltiopsis flabelliformis possessed the strongest ACE inhibitory activity. Remarkable activities from MeOH extracts at 70°C (70ME) were observed in Grateloupia filicina, Sinkoraena lancifolia and Grateloupia lanceolata. However, no significant activity was found in aqueous extracts at 70°C (70AE). The IC50 values, which are concentrations required to inhibit 50% activity of ACE, for ACE inhibitory activities of 20AE from Lithophyllum okamurae and L. catenata were 13.78 and 12.21 μg mL–1, respectively. The IC50 values of 20ME from A. flabelliformis and Laurencia okamurae were 13.84 and 106.15 μg mL–1. Those of the 70ME from Bonnemaisonia hamifera, Grateloupia filicina, Sinkoraena lancifolia, G. lanceolata, Gracilaria vermiculophylla and L. okamurae ranged from 25.82 to 124.69 μg mL–1.

• ALGAE
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.69-78
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• 2004

This study was to clarify the variations in a marine ecosystem through examining the species composition of benthic algae in the coast of Dokdo Island during summer (June & August, 2003). The total number of species found in benthic algae was 45 composed of 11% green algae, 29% red algae and 60% brown algae. The dominant species were Enteromorpha linza, Cladophora spp. and Codium frgile for green algae, Ecklonia cave, Eisenia bicyclis, Sargassum confusum, S. patens, S. horneri, Myagropsis myagroides for brown algae and Amphiroa cphedrace. A pusilla, Lithophyllum okamurae, Corallina spp. Laurencia pinnata, L. hamata, Chondria crassicaulit, C. dasyphylla, Gelidium amansii, Neosiphonia yendoi and Polysiphonia yendoi for red algae. The number of benthic algal species decreased more in this study than in previous researches. The whitening of the rocky shore might provoke the decrease of benthic algal biomass and species.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.21 no.11
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• pp.1501-1510
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• 2011

In recent years novel potential pharmocological candidates have been looked for in animal, seaweed, sponge, fungi and marine bacteria resources. In this study, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) that play an important role in metastasis, arthritis, chronic inflammation and wrinkle formation were used as target enzymes to screen therapeutic agents. The inhibitory effects of several marine algae including green algae (5 species), red algae (18 species) and brown algae (4 species) methanolic extracts on MMPs were investigated in human dermal fibroblasts and human fibrosarcoma cell line (HT1080 cells) using gelatin zymography. In human dermal fibroblasts, the inhibition of MMP-2 was observed in Laurencia okamurae, Polysiphonia japonica, Grateloupia lanceolate and Sinkoraena lancifolia of red algae. In contrast, MMP-2 activation was enhanced in Enteromorpha compressa and E. linza of green algae, and Peltaronia bighamiae and Sargassum thunbergii of brown algae. In human fibrosarcoma cells, MMP-9 activation was decreased in the presence of S. thunbergii of brown algae, Polysiphonia japonica in red algae and E. compressa and E. linza of green algae. The interesting finding is that E. compressa and E. linza of green algae, and S. thunbergii of brown algae exhibited a positive effect on MMP-2 in normal cells, but a negative effect on MMP-9 in cancer cell lines. These results suggest that E. compressa and E. linza of green algae, and S. thunbergii of brown algae contain potential therapeutic ingredients for cancer treatment.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.173-177
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• 2004

The number and abundance of epiphytic algae growing on Sargassum thunbergii and their functional forms were examined. Thalli of S. thunbenii were collected on the nine islands of southern coast and at Gyeokpo on the western coast of Korea in summer 2001. A total of 25 species, 6 green (24%), 2 brown (8%), 17 red algae (68%) were identified in the present study. Caulacanthus okamurae, Ulva pertusa, Sphacelaria furcigera were found on the thalli of S. thunbegii that collected at the all regions. Caulacanthus okamurae, Champia bifida and Laurencia venusta grew on the lower parts of S. thunbergii thalli whereas, Polysiphonia spp. attached to the apical parts of the plants. Four functional forms, such as sheet-form (8%), filamentous-form (52%), coarsely branched-form (32%) and articulated-calcareous algal form (8%) were distinguished. The epiphytic algae on the thalli of S. thunbergii are mainly annual opportunistic algae, filamentous-form algae and smaller red algae. Also, most epiphytic seaweeds of S. thunbergii produce and release spores before pseudoperennial host plants are necrotic in late autumn.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.231-237
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• 1999

About forty sea weeds were screened for their inhibitory effects against prolyl endopeptidase, tyrosinase and thrombus coagulation. Out of them, methanolic extract of Ecklonia cava, Sargassum patens, Sargassum hemiphyllum, Sargassum thunbergii, Sargassum singgildianum, Hizikia fusiformis, and Ishige okamurae inhibited more than 90% of prolyl endopeptidase activity at 40 ppm. Sargassum siliquastrum and Ecklonia cava exhibited 51% and 76% of inhibitory activity against tyrosinase at 40 ppm, respectively. In APTT assay system, Sargassum singgildianum, Pterocladia capilacea and Hizikia fusiformis delayed coagulation of thrombus about two times (210, 211, and 198% over control at ca 367 ppm, respectively) and in TT assay, Lomentaria catenata, Laurencia okamurae, and Hizikia fusiformis did most effectively (216,197, and 251% at ca 367 ppm, respectively).