• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.158-163
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• 2021

In the present study, we prepared hot water extracts of green apple (GAHW) and unripe apple (UAHW), and ethanol extract of green apple (GAE), and investigated their anti-inflammatory activities in LPS-activated RAW264.7 cells. All extracts dramatically suppressed nitric oxide (NO) production in a dose-dependent manner in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells without affecting cell viability. In addition, all extracts decreased the expression of iNOS, whereas UAHW only reduced the expression of COX-2. All extracts suppressed the phosphorylation of MAPKs (p38, ERK, and JNK) indicating all extracts show their anti-inflammatory activities via regulating MAPK pathway. Furthermore, all extracts reduced the production of reactive oxygen species in a dose-dependent manner and they increased the expression of heme oxygenase-I (HO-I) whereas UAHW could not. We also investigated whether apple flavonoids phloretin and phloridzin can have their anti-inflammatory activities in same in vitro model. Phloretin dramatically decreased NO production in a dose dependent manner without affecting cell viability, whereas phloridzin have no effects. Phloretin also reduced the expression of iNOS as well as COX-2, whereas phloridzin could not. Overall, these results suggest that apple extracts have their anti-inflammatory activities via regulating MAPKs and HO-1 pathways, and apple flavonoid phloretin can be one of phytochemicals responsible for anti-inflammatory effect of apple.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.333-340
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• 2020

Macrophages are the cells of the first-line defense system, which protect the body from foreign invaders such as bacteria. However, Gram-negative bacteria have always been the major challenge for macrophages due to the presence of lipopolysaccharides on their outer cell membrane. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of phloretin, a flavonoid commonly found in apple, on the protection of macrophages from Escherichia coli infection. RAW 264.7 cells infected with standard E. coli, or virulent E. coli K1 strain were treated with phloretin in a dose-dependent manner to examine its efficacy in protection of macrophages. Our results revealed that phloretin treatment reduced the production of nitric oxide (NO) and generation of reactive oxygen species along with reducing the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines induced by the E. coli and E. coli K1 strains in a concentration-dependent manner. Additionally, treatment of phloretin downregulated the expression of E. coli-induced major inflammatory markers i.e. cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and hemeoxygenase-1 (HO-1), in a concentration dependent manner. Moreover, the TLR4-mediated NF-κB pathway was activated in E. coli-infected macrophages but was potentially downregulated by phloretin at the transcriptional and translational levels. Collectively, our data suggest that phloretin treatment protects macrophages from infection of virulent E. coli K1 strain by downregulating the TLR4-mediated signaling pathway and inhibiting NO and cytokine production, eventually protecting macrophages from E. coli-induced inflammation.

• Journal of Convergence for Information Technology
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• v.10 no.10
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• pp.143-149
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• 2020

This study tried to observe the ability to inhibit vasocontriction in phloretin - the primary ingredient of apple tree leaves and the Manchurian apricot - through ROCK(Rho-associdated, coiled-coil containing protein kinase) inactivation in rat aortae. A piece of artery that was separated from Sprague-Dawley male rats and retained or damaged the endothelium was suspended in myograph tank with two metal rings, the lower ring fixed to the bottom of the tank, and the upper ring connected to the isotonic force transducer. Interestingly, phloretin inhibited fluoride- or phorbol ester-provoked contraction implying that additional pathways dissimilar from endothelial nitric oxide synthesis such as ROCK or MEK (mitogen activated protein kinase kinase) inactivation might be involved in the vasorelaxation. Therefore, this study provides that phloretin participates in the reduction of ROCK or MEK activity in smooth muscle in addition to the endothelial-dependent action of the endotheliuim in complete blood vessels, and consequently inhibits actin-myosin interaction in smooth muscle. Furthermore, phloretin inhibited thromboxane A2-induced contraction suggesting the mechanism including inhibition of ROCK and MEK.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.280-285
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• 2010

In the course of a searching natural antifungal compounds from plant sources, we found that the methanol extract ($3,000\;{\mu}g/ml$) of Malus domestica fruits had potential of control against rice blast (Magnaporthe grisea) and tomato late blight (Phytophthora infestans). Under bioassay-guided purification, we isolated phloretin, a phenolic compound, with in vivo antifungal activity against M. grisea. By 1-day protective application of phloretin ($500\;{\mu}g/ml$), the compound strongly inhibited the disease development of M. grisea and P. infestans on rice and tomato seedlings, respectively. And red pepper anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum coccodes also was moderately suppressed. However, rice sheath blight (Rhizoctonia solani AG1), and barley powdery mildew (Blumeria graminis f. sp. hordei) were hardly controlled. In addition, the compound showed in vitro antifungal activity against some plant pathogenic fungi including Phytophthora capsici, Alternaria panax, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, R. solani AG4, and M. grisea. This is the first report on the antifungal activity of phloretin against plant pathogenic fungi.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.10
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• pp.1409-1419
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• 2021

A growing number of healthy dietary ingredients in fruits and vegetables have been shown to exhibit diverse biological activities. Phloretin, a dihydrochalcone flavonoid that is abundant in apples and pears, has anti-inflammatory effects on ulcerative colitis (UC) mice. The gut microbiota and metabolism are closely related to each other due to the existence of the food-gut axis in the human colon. To investigate the interplay of faecal metabolites and the microbiota in UC mice after phloretin treatment, phloretin (60 mg/kg) was administered by gavage to ameliorate dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced UC in mice. Gut microbes and faecal metabolite profiles were detected by high-throughput sequencing and liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis, respectively. The correlations between gut microbes and their metabolites were evaluated by Spearman correlation coefficients. The results indicated that phloretin reshaped the disturbed faecal metabolite profile in UC mice and improved the metabolic pathways by balancing the composition of faecal metabolites such as norepinephrine, mesalazine, tyrosine, 5-acetyl-2,4-dimethyloxazole, and 6-acetyl-2,3-dihydro-2-(hydroxymethyl)-4(1H)-pyridinone. Correlation analysis identified the relations between the gut microbes and their metabolites. Proteus was negatively related to many faecal metabolites, such as norepinephrine, L-tyrosine, laccarin, dopamine glucuronide, and 5-acetyl-2,4-dimethyloxazole. The abundance of unidentified Bacteriodales_S24-7_group was positively related to ecgonine, 15-KETE and 6-acetyl-2,3-dihydro-2-(hydroxymethyl)-4(1H)-pyridinone. The abundance of Christensenellaceae_R-7_group was negatively related to the levels of 15-KETE and netilmicin. Stenotrophomonas and 15-KETE were negatively related, while Intestinimonas and alanyl-serine were positively related. In conclusion, phloretin treatment had positive impacts on faecal metabolites in UC mice, and the changes in faecal metabolites were closely related to the gut microbiota.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.17-22
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• 2006

The baculovirus expression system is a powerful method for producing large amounts of the human erythrocyte-type glucose transport protein, heterologously. Characterization of the expressed protein is expected to show its ability to transport sugars directly. To achieve this, it is a prerequisite to know the properties of the endogenous sugar transport system in Spodoptera frugiperda Clone 21 (Sf21) cells, which are commonly employed as a host permissive cell line to support the baculovirus replication. The Sf21 cells can grow well on TC-100 medium that contains 0.1% D-glucose as the major carbon source, strongly suggesting the presence of endogenous glucose transport system. However, unlike the human glucose transport protein that has a broad substrate and inhibitor specificity, very little is known about the nature of the endogenous sugar transport system in Sf21 cells. In order to characterize further the inhibitor recognition properties of the Sf21 cell transporter, the ability of phloretin, cytochalasin B and D-fructose to inhibit 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2dGlc) transport was examined by measuring inhibition constants $(K_i)$. The $K_i's$ for reversible inhibitors were determined from plots of uptake versus inhibitor concentration. The 2dGlc transport in the Sf21 cells was very potently inhibited by phloretin, the aglucone of phlorizin with a $K_i$ similar to the value of about $2{\mu}M$ reported for inhibition of glucose transport in human erythrocytes. However, the Sf21 cell transport system was found to differ from the human transport protein in being much less sensitive to inhibition by cytochalasin B (apparent $K_i$ approximately $10\;{\mu}M$). In contrast, It is reported that the inhibitor binds the human erythrocyte counterpart with a $K_d$ of approximately $0.12\;{\mu}M$. Interestingly, the Sf21 glucose transport system also appeared to have high affinity for D-fructose with a $K_i$ of approximately 5mM, contrasting the reported $K_m$ of the human erythrocyte transport protein for the ketose of 1.5M.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.7-11
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• 1985

The crystal structure of phlorizin, a ${\beta}$ -D-glucopyranoside of a flavonoid dihydrochalcone phloretin, has been determined by single crystal diffraction methods using diffractometer data obtained by the ${\omega}-2{\theta}$ scan technique with Cu $K{\alpha}$ radiation from a crystal with space group symmetry $P2_12_12_1$ and unit cell parameters a = 4.9094 (2), b = 19.109 (1), c = 23.275 (4) $\AA$. The structure was solved by direct methods and refined by full-matrix least-squares to a final R = 0.047 for the 1697 observed reflections. The dihydrochalcone moiety is flat and fully extended. The glucose ring has the $^4C_1$ chair conformation and the conformation of the primary alcohol group is gauche-gauche. The crystal packing is dominated by an extensive hydrogen bonding pattern. There are one strong and two weak intramolecular hydrogen bonds in the phlorizin molecule.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.23 no.7
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• pp.1004-1011
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• 2016

Flavonoids, non-nutrient secondary metabolites of plants, are widely distributed in commonly consumed agro-food resources. Flavonoids include aglycones, and their glycosides are reported to have potential health-promoting compounds. The aim of this study was to investigate flavonoid glycosides in the fruit and leaves of Zizyphus jujuba var. inermis (Bunge) Rehder (jujube). A total of six flavonoids (five flavonols and one chalcone) were identified in jujube fruit and leaves by using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector-quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry along with chemical library and an internal standard. In positive ion mode, six flavonoids were linked to the C- and O-glycosides which were conjugated with sugar moieties based on kaempferol, quercetin, and phloretin aglycones. Total flavonoid contents of leaves (8,356.5 mg/100 g dry weight (DW)) was approximately 900-fold higher than that of fruit (fresh fruit, 13.6 mg/100 g dry DW; sun-dried fruits, 9.2 mg/100 g dry DW). Quercetin 3-O-rutinoside (rutin) and quercetin 3-O-robinobioside were the predominant flavonols in fruit and leaves of jujube. In particular, rutin had the highest content (6,735.2 mg/100 g DW) in leaves, and rutin is a widely reported bioactive compound. Phloretin 3',5'-di-C-glucoside (chalcone type) was detected only in leaves. The leaves of jujube contain a high content of flavonoids and the results of this study indicate that jujube leaves may be a source of bioactive flavonoids.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.450-455
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• 2004

A reducing glucose-carrying polymer, called poly [3-O-(4'-vinylbenzyl)-D-glucose］(PVG), was interacted with HepG2 cells including a type-l glucose transporter (GLUT-1) on the cell membrane. The cooperative interaction between a number of GLUT-1s and a number of reducing 3-O-methyl-D-glucose moieties on the PVG polymer chain was found to be responsible for the increase in the interaction with HepG2 cells. The affinity between the cells and the PVG was studied using RITC-labeled glycopolymers. The specific interaction between the GLUT-1 on HepG2 cells and the PVG polymer carrying reducing glucose moieties was suppressed by the inhibitors, phloretin, phloridzin, and cytochalasin B. Direct observation by confocal laser microscopy with the use of RITC-labeled PVG and pretreatment of HepG2 cells with the inhibitors demonstrated that the cells interacted with the soluble form of the PVG polymer via GLUT-1, while fluorescence labeling of the cell surface was prevented after pretreatment with the inhibitors of GLUT-1.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.282-288
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• 1993

Very little utilization of the fruits of Malus baccata(Rosaceae) has been employed for food and medicinal plants except for preparing fruit beverages. But, it was estimated as valuable to investigate the chemical components for the botanical resource of this plant. In this study, it was found that the fruits of this plant contained primary long chain alcohol, ${\beta}-sitosterol$, campesterol, ursolic acid and ${\beta}-_D-glucosides$ of ${\beta}-sitosterol$ and campesterol. However, phloretin(dihydrochalcone) and its 5-O-glucoside(phloridzin) known as plant growth regulators in many Rosaceae plants were not found in this plant material by co-TLC analysis with authentic specimens. Although plant sex hormone, estrone, was often contained in relates of M. baccata, e.g., Prunus spp., Crataegus spp. and Malus spp., this compound was not detected in this fruit by comparison with an authentic material. By RIC chromatography, it was suggested that the Soxhlet extraction by the solvent of ether was excellently useful to extract ursolic acid efficiently.