• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.29-34
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• 2009

Fifty seven species of common seaweed from the coast of Korea were screened for antifungal activity against Malassezia species. Seaweeds as a source of bioactive compounds are able to produce a great variety of secondary metabolites with different activities. There are numerous reports on the biological activities of seaweeds against human pathogens, fungi, and yeasts, but only few contain data regarding inhibitory effects against Malassezia sp., a major cause of dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis. To help address this paucity of information, this work was carried out to examine the antifungal effects of seaweed extracts against M. furfur and M. restricta. Of the fifty seven species of marine algae screened for their potential antifungal activity, only 17 species (29.8%) exhibited inhibitory activity. In agar disc diffusion method, the ether extracts of Corallina pilulifera, Enteromorpha linza, Laminaria japonica, Symphyocladia latiuscula and Ulva sp. showed strong antifungal activity. To identify major constituents in seaweed extracts, four selected extracts were analyzed on' a GC-MS equipped with a flame ionization detector, and compared to spectral data from databases WILEY229.LIB and NIST107.LIB. Most constituents in seaweed extracts are fatty acid-related compounds. When we evaluated any acute toxicity, the ether extracts of the selected four species were not toxic in mice. According to these results, it can be suggested that these seaweed extracts are valuable for the development of therapeutic agents in treating dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis. Further investigations to determine its bioactive compound(s) are currently in progress.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.19 no.8
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• pp.743-748
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• 2009

Fungal diversity during composting was investigated by culture-independent rDNA sequence analysis. Composting was carried out with pig manure and mushroom cultural waste using a field-scale composter (Hazaka system), and samples were collected at various stages. Based on partial sequence analysis of large subunit (LSU) ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and sequence identity values, a total of 12 different fungal species were found at six sampling sites; Geotrichum sp., Debaryomyces hansenii, Monographella nivalis, Acremonium strictum, Acremonium alternatum, Cladosporium sphaerospermum, Myriangium durosai, Pleurotus eryngii, Malassezia globosa, Malassezia restricta, Rhodotorula glutinis, and Fusarium sporotrichioides. Geotrichum sp. of the class Saccharomycetes was the most predominant fungal species throughout the composting process (185 out of a total of 236 identified clones, or 78.4%), followed by Acremonium strictum (7.6%), Monographella nivalis (5.1%), and Pleurotus eryngii (3.8%). The prevalence of Geotrichum sp. was the lowest (61.1%) at the beginning of composting, and then gradually increased to 92.5% after 10 days of composting.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.108-115
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• 2015

Vinca alkaloid compounds including vincamine from Vinca minor L. have been extracted by ethanol and hot water extraction methods. Antimicrobial properties of those extracts have been investigated against dandruff causing microorganism Malassezia furfur, yeast, Gram positive and negative bacteria. Vincamine standard and ethanol extract showed no sign of antimicrobial activity, whereas hot-water extract had the activity against M. furfur. Furthermore hot water extract had antimicrobial activity against Gram positive Bacillus sp. and Gram negative Escherichia coli. Cytotoxic properties of those extracts have also been investigated with HaCaT cell (human keratinocyte), HT-29 cell (human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell) and Raw cell, showing no significant cytotoxic effects. We also measured the ROS using dichlorofluorescein diacetate (DCFDA), a popular fluorescence-based probe for reactive oxygen species detection. The result showed the increasement of reactive oxygen species formation (20%) in HaCaT and HT-29 cell lines.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.133-139
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• 1993

Common dermatophytosis in upper Egypt were studied at three hospitals in Minia city. Tinea corporis (ringworm of glabrous skin) was diagnosed in 127 patients (84 males and 53 females). Trichophyton was the most common genus and was represented by 6 species among which T. violaceum was the commonest fungus. Microsporum was represented by 4 species and M. canis was the prevalent species. Tinea pedis (ringworm of the foot) was noticed in 22 cases (13 males and 9 females) and also Trichophyton and Microsporum were the causal organisms. Three species of Trichophyton namely: T. violaceum, T. kuryngei and Trichophyton sp. were isolated. Tinea cruis (ringworm of the groin) was diagnosed in 21 patients (16 males and 5 females). Epidermophyton floccosum was the most prevalent fungus associated with tinea cruris whereas Trichophyton and Candida were less frequent. Tinea unguium (ringworm of the nail) was diagnosed in 9 patients, 8 were females and one was male and the age incidence ranged between 5 and 55 years. M. canis occurred in 2 cases and T. mentagrophytes in one case. Out of 86 cases of tinea versicolor, 71 were males and 15 were females. Malassezia furfur was the main causal agent. All patients of candidiasis and paronychia were females and Candida was the most prevalent causal agent.