• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.266-278
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• 2008

Erythrina stricta, a deciduous tree widely used traditionally in indigenous system of medicine for various ailments such as rheumatism, fever, leprosy, epilepsy etc. The leaves of Erythrina stricta was extracted with ethanol (70%) and used for the evaluation of various in vitro antioxidant assays which includes H - donor activity, nitric oxide scavenging, superoxide anion scavenging, reducing ability, hydroxyl radical, hydrogen peroxide scavenging, total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, total antioxidant activity by thiocyanate and phosphomolybdenum method, metal chelating, $\beta$-carotene bleaching, total peroxy radical assays. The pro-oxidant activity was measured using bleomycin-dependent DNA damage. Ex vivo models like lipid peroxidation and erythrocyte haemolysis were also used to study the antioxidant property of the extract. The various antioxidant activities were compared with suitable standard antioxidants such as ascorbic acid, butylated hydroxyl toluene, $\alpha$-tocopherol, curcumin, quercetin and Trolox. The generation of free radicals viz. $O_2^{{\cdot}-}$, $OH^{\cdot}$, $H_2O_2$, $NO^{\cdot}$ and peroxyl radicals were effectively scavenged by the ethanolic extract of Erythrina stricta. In all the methods, the extract offered strong antioxidant activity in a concentration dependent manner. The total phenolic content, flavonoid content and total antioxidant activity in Erythrina stricta were determined as microgram (g) pyrocatechol, quercetin and $\alpha$-tocopherol equivalent/mg respectively. The extract did not exhibit any prooxidant activity when compared with ascorbic acid. The results obtained in the present study clearly indicates that Erythrina stricta scavenges free radicals and reduces lipid peroxidation, ameliorating the damage imposed by oxidative stress in different disease conditions and serve as a potential source of natural antioxidant.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.54-60
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• 2013

Rhus verniciflua Stokes (Anacadiaceae) is a plant that is native to East Asian countries, such as Korea, China, and Japan, and it has been found to exert various biological activities including antioxidative, anti-aggregatory, anti-inflammatory, anti-mutagenic, and apoptotic effects. Sulfuretin is one of the major flavonoid component isolated from the heartwood of R. verniciflua. Reactive oxygen species (ROS), produced via dental adhesive bleaching agents and pulpal disease, can cause oxidative stress. In the present study, we isolated sulfuretin from R. verniciflua and demonstrated that sulfuretin possesses cytoprotective effects against hydrogen peroxide ($H_2O_2$)-induced dental cell death. $H_2O_2$ is a representative ROS and causes cell death through necrosis in human dental pulp (HDP) cells. $H_2O_2$-induced cytotoxicity and production of ROS were blocked in the presence of sulfuretin, and these effects were dose dependent. Sulfuretin also increased heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) protein expression. In addition, to determine whether sulfuretin-induced HO-1 expression mediated this cytoprotective effect, HDP cells were cotreated with sulfuretin in the absence or presence of SnPP, an inhibitor of HO activity. Sulfuretin-dependent HO-1 expression was required for suppression of $H_2O_2$-induced HDP cell death and ROS generation. These results indicate that sulfuretin-dependent HO-1 expression was required for the inhibition of $H_2O_2$-induced cell death and ROS generation. In addition, sulfuretin may be used to prevent functional dental cell death and thus may be useful as a pulpal disease agent.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.287-302
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• 2017

The carbonate rocks of the Daegi Formation are composed of the limestone at the upper and lower zones, and the dolomite at the middle zone, in which the upper zone has higher CaO content than others. The colors of carbonate rock in the Daegi Formation can be divided into five types; white, light brown, light gray, gray, and dark gray. The white to light gray colored rocks correspond to the high purity limestone with 53.15 ~ 55.64 wt. % CaO, and the light brown colored rocks contain 20.71 ~ 21.67 wt. % MgO. The bleaching of carbonate rocks are not related to CaO composition of the rocks, as light gray rocks tend to be higher in CaO content than those of the white rocks at the lower zone. The pelitic components are also occasionally increased in white limestone than light grey one. $Al_2O_3$ is one of the most difficult content to remove during hydrothermal processes, so the interpretation that the limestone is purified together with hydrothemral bleaching, has little merit. The wide range (over 16 ‰) of ${\delta}^{18}O_{SMOW}$, smaller variation (within 2 ‰) of ${\delta}^{13}C_{PDB}$ are apparent in both the upper and lower zones, which indicate the Daegi Formation had been affected overall by hydrothermal fluids. The K-Ar isotopic age of hydrothermal alteration in the GMI limestone mine is $85.1{\pm}1.7Ma$. Gradual change from grey through light grey to white limestone is accompaned by lower oxygen stable isotope values, which is major evidence that the hydrothermal effect is the main process of the bleaching. Although the Daegi Formation has suffered from hydrothermal activity and increase in whiteness, there is no clear evidence demonstrating the relationship between bleaching and high purity of limestone. The purification of limestone has nothing to do with the hydrothermal activity in this area. Instead, it should be considered that the change of sedimentary environment related to see-level fluctuation which can prevent deposition of pelitic components especially $Al_2O_3$ contrbuted to the formation of the high purity limestone in the upper zone of the Daegi Formation. Considering the evidences such as increase in CaO content of limestone by depth, gradual change from calcite to dolomite at the lower zones, and occurring the high purity limestone at the upper zone, the interpretation of sequence stratigraphic aspect to the formation of the high purity Daegi limestone appears to be more suitable than that of hydrothermal alteration origin.

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.55-63
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• 1982

Lipid peroxidation is the reaction of oxidative deterioration of polyunsaturated lipids and this peroxidation involves the direct reaction of oxygen and lipid to form free radical intermediates, which can lead to autocatalysis. As results of the extensive studies on the lipid peroxidation by many authors, the relationship between lipid peroxidation and the drug metabolizing system as well as the actions of free radicals on the peroxidation was reasonably well known. For a long time, the mechanism of hepatotoxicity of $CCl_4$ was not clearly understood. However, it is now quite well established that $CCl_4$ is activated in vivo to a free radical which is a highly reactive molecule. Therefore, lipid peroxidation which induces the reduction of cytochrome P-450 and aminopyrine demethylase activity is known as decisive event of $CCl_4$ hepatotoxicity. On the other hand, it was also reported that singlet molecular oxygen produces lipid peroxidation in liver microsomes. In this study the effects of benzoyl peroxide on the lipid peroxidation and drug-metabolizing enzyme were examined. Benzoyl peroxide mixed with starch and phosphates etc. is usually used as a food additive for flour bleaching and maturing purpose because of its oxidative property. Albino rats were used for the experimental animals. Benzoyl peroxide was suspended in soybean oil and sesame oil and administered intraperitoneally or orally. TBA value and aminopyrine demethylase activity were determined in liver microsomal fraction and serum. The results were summerized as following. 1) Body weights of animals administered benzoyl peroxide suspension were decreased while that of oil administered group were increased. 2) The activity of aminopyrine demethylase was generally decreased in animals administered oil suspension of benzoyl peroxide. Furthermore, the marked reduction of the enzyme activity was observed in animals administered benzoyl peroxide intraperitoneally. 3) Generally, microsomal TBA values as well as serum TBA were significantly elevated in benzoyl peroxide group in comparison with the control group. However, the more remarkable increase of serum TBA than microsomal TBA was observed in animals administered orally for 6 days. 4) Specifically, the changing pattern of TBA value was notable in serum rather than in liver microsome by intraperitoneal administration of benzoyl peroxide.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.97-105
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• 1991

Oxygen and sulfur isotope composition of pyrophyllite and pyrite from six pyrophyllite deposits in the Yangsan-Milyang areas (the Cheonbulsan, Dumyong, Dongrae, Youkwang, Sungjin and Milyang mines), and five deposits in the Whasoon-Dado-Haenam areas (the Byuksong, Songseok, Dado, Bugock and Nowha mines) were measured. Pyrophyllite ores both from the Yangsan-Milyang areas and the Dado-Haenam areas are composed mainly of high alumina minerals such as pyrophyllite, sericite and kaolinite. Most of altered rocks show diagnostic chacteristics of bleaching effect. Major minerals of the Songseok ore deposit in the Whasoon area are pyrophyllite, and diaspore with minor amounts of kaolinite and quartz. The Byuksong ores from the Whasoon area were composed mainly of andalusite, kaolinite, pyrophyllite and mica with small amounts of chloritoid, quartz and carbonaceous matter. The Byuksong and Songseok ores show metamorphic textures such as porphyroblastic, and pressure solution textures, and have low whiteness values, The ${\delta}^{18}O$ values of pyrophyllite from the Cheonbulsan and Dumyong mines in the Yangsan area, and the Dado and Nowha mines in the Dado-Haenam areas were in the range of 0.23~5.36%,. The relatively low 8 180 values provide conclusive evidence for hydrothermal activity in these deposits. The ${\delta}^{18}O$ values of pvrophvllite from the Songseok mine in the Whasoon area were measured as 6.70-8.13%, and these higher ${\delta}^{18}O$ values suggest that the Songseok ore deposit have been probably subjected to metamorphism. ${\delta}^{34}$S(pyrito) values from the Cheonbulsan, Dumyong, Youkwang, Dongrae, Sungjin and Milyang deposits in the Yangsan-Milyang areas, and the Dado pyrophyllite deposits in the Dado area range from -5.8 to 2.7%, which means that the pyrite sulfur could be of igneous origin. ${\delta}^{34}$S(pyrito) from the Nohwa mine in the Haenam area is, however, measured as -12.4%" implying the contamination of sulfur derived from the sedimentary country rocks. All of the studied high alumina deposits in the Yangsan-Milyang areas and the Dado-Haenam areas were hydrothermal in origin, whereas the Byuksong and Songseok ore deposits in the Whasoon area were probably of metamorphic origin.