• Current Research on Agriculture and Life Sciences
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.119-124
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• 2014

Physalis alkekengi var. francheti Hort. is known as an insecticide and traditional remedy for liver related diseases. Therefore, this study investigated the chemopreventive effects of extracts and several solvent fractions (n-hexane, dichloromethane, n-butanol, water) of Physalis alkekengi var. francheti Hort. First, their cytotoxicity and NQO1 activity were measured using an MTT assay, plus a quinone reductase [NAD(P)H dehydrogenase (quinone); NAD(P)H: (quinone acceptor) oxidoreductase, EC 1.6.99.2]-inducing activity assay was performed using cultured murine hepatoma cells (Hepa1c1c7) and its mutant cells(BpRc1). The reduction of electrophilic quinones by NQO1 is an important detoxification pathway and major mechanism of chemoprevention. When compared with the other solvent soluble fractions with different polarities, the dichloromethane fraction of Physalis alkekengi var. francheti Hort. showed a higher NQO1-inducing activity that was also dose-dependent. Moreover, the dichloromethane fraction of Physalis alkekengi var. francheti Hort. induced ARE-luciferase activities in HepG2-C8 cells that were generated by transfecting the ARE-luciferase gene construct, suggesting the Nrf2-ARE-mediated induction of anti-oxidative enzymes. In conclusion, the dichloromethane-soluble fraction of Physalis alkekengi var. francheti Hort. showed a relatively strong induction of detoxifying enzymes, thereby meriting further study to identify the active components and evaluate their potential as cancer preventive agents.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.867-873
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• 2010

The total phenolic contents and the antioxidant activities of methanolic extracts of different parts (fruit, calyx, leaf, stem, and root) of Physalis alkekengi var. francheti were investigated using established in vitro systems including DPPH radical-scavenging, nitrite-scavenging, superoxide anion radical-scavenging activity, measurement of reducing power, and assessment of the metal-chelating effect. The highest extraction yield was from fruit (52.55%), whereas the lowest levels were obtained from root (10.49%) and stem (12.88%).The leaf extract had the highest total phenolic (58.47 mg/g) and total flavonoid (4.83 mg/g) contents, plus the greatest antioxidant activity, as shown by the DPPH radical-scavenging assay, and the highest levels of reducing power at concentrations of 1 and 5 mg/mL. In addition, the calyx also showed good antioxidant activity.These findings indicate that methanolic extracts of leaf and calyx may be useful in the food manufacturing and nutraceutical industries.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.133-139
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• 2010

In order to develop a new skin whitening agent, approximately 100 plant extracts were evaluated for their inhibitory activities against melanin biosynthesis in cultured mouse melanocyte melan-a cells. As a result, seven extracts exhibited over 50% inhibition of melanin synthesis compared to control at a concentration of $20\;{\mu}g/ml$. In particular, Aster ageratoides Turcz. var. ageratoides (branch, root, aerial, flower; $IC_{50}$ = 17.3, 6.1, 13.6, $12.9\;{\mu}g/ml$, respectively) and Physalis alkekengi var. francheti (leaf, unripen fructus, aerial; $IC_{50}$ = 6.5, 28.3, $23.9\;{\mu}g/ml$) markedly inhibited melanin synthesis. In addition, tyrosinase activity was monitored by the measurement of dopachrome formation from the oxidation of L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine. Extracts of A. ageratoides Turcz. var. ageratoides (flower) and P. alkekengi var. francheti (leaf) showed the most potent tyrosinase inhibitory activity. These plants might be the potential candidate sources in the development of novel skin-whitening products.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.809-814
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• 2005

Gibberellins (GAs) play an important role in plant growth and development. Fifteen fungi were isolated from Physalis alkekengi var francheti plant roots, and among them, four isolates showed GA-production activity. A bioassay using waito-c rice was carried out with the culture fluid of the GA-producing fungi. The GA-producing fungi were cultured for 7 days in Czapek's liquid medium at $30^{\circ}C$, 120 rpm, under dark conditions. The culture broth was concentrated 30-fold and 10 ${\mu}l$ of that concentrate was applied to 2-leaf rice sprouts. The height of the rice seedlings treated with the culture fluid of isolate PA08 was 26 cm high, while that of the seedlings treated with the wild-type Gibberella fujikuroi was 13 cm high. As such, the plant growth-promoting activity exhibited by isolate PA08 was 2 times stronger than that exhibited by the wild-type G fujikuroi. The amounts of $GA_l,\;GA_3,\;GA_4,\;GA_7,\;GA_9,\;GA_{20}$, and $GA_{24}$ in the medium were measured using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and the quantities produced by isolate PA08 were 4.85 ng/ml, 4.79 ng/ml, 17.30 ng/ml, 6.01 ng/ml, 16.61 ng/ ml, 0.08 ng/ml, and 17.30 ng/ml, respectively. Isolate PA08 was also identified as Fusarium proliferatum KGL0401 by a genetic analysis of the nucleotide sequences of the internal transcribed spacer region of the ribosomal DNA.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2003

Some Korean plants were found to inhibit HIV-1 protease activity. The extracts of Acanthopanax koreanum (stem bark), Berchemia berchemiaefolia (stem), Berchemia berchemiaefolia (bark), Distylium racemosum (leaves), Distylium racemosum (stem), Lindera erythrocarpa (leaves), Physalis alkekengi var. francheti (root), Platycarya strobilacea (stem), Rodiola rosea (root), Rosa davurica (stem), Syringa dilatata (leaves), Viburnum awabuki (stem) and Viburnum awabuki (leaves) showed significant inhibitory effect against HIV-1 protease. Camelliatannin H from Camellia japonica and uvaol from Cratagus pinatrifida were potent active inhibitors of HIV-1 protease with $IC_{50}$ values of $0.9\;{\mu}M$ and $5.5\;{\mu}M$, respectively. The cure and prevention of AIDS have been a global challenge since it was discovered in the ealy 1980s. However, the development of anti-HIV agent that can effectively treat or prevent this disease are still demanded.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.12
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• pp.1990-1994
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• 2006

Fusarium proliferatum KGL0401 was previously isolated from Physalis alkekengi var. francheti plant roots and exhibited a high GA productivity. A gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of extracts of the culture fluid of F proliferatum KGL0401 also revealed the presence of $GA_1$, $GA_3$, $GA_4$, $GA_7$, $GA_{20}$, and $GA_{24}$. Therefore, the present study conducted a proteome analysis of waito-c rice treated with the culture fluid of the isolated F proliferatum KGL0401 to identify the protein expression triggered by the GA-containing culture fluid. The results revealed the overexpression of 180 protein spots in the sample treated with the culture fluid. Among them, 75 induced proteins were selected and analyzed by MALDI-TOF (matrix-assisted laser desorption-iorrization time-of-flight) mass spectrometry, followed by database searching, and 51 proteins were identified.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.358-366
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• 2002

To search for novel cancer preventive agents, we assessed the quinone reductase (QR)-inducing activities of medicinal herb extracts in cultured murine hepatoma cells (hepalclc7 cells). Among 216 herb extracts tested in this study, 8 kinds of herbal extracts were found to induce QR activity in hepalclc7 cells by more than 2-fold when used at the concentration of 25 $\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$. The methanol extracts of Aster koraiensis NK and Pulsatilla koreana Nakai induced QR by 252 and 223 % , respectively, at the concentration of 25 $\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$. Most of the herbal extracts with QR inducing-activity increased the enzyme activity in a typical dose-dependent manner. The QR activity in BP$^{r}$ cl cells was induced move than 50 % by the extracts of Pulsatilla koreana Nakai, Inula helenium, Physalis alkekengi var, francheti (Masters) Makino, Chrysanthemum zawadskii var. latilobum Kitamuva, Auemisia keiskeana Miquel, Chfsanthemum boreale Makino. In conclusion, hlsatilla koreana Nakai, Aster koraiensis N.K, and Chfsanthemum zawadskii var. iatilobum Kitamura, which showed relatively high QR induction, merit further animal study to evaluate their potential as cancer preventive agents.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.1 s.81
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• pp.120-124
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• 2007

Fusarium proliferatum KGL0401 was previously isolated from Physalis alkekengi var. francheti plant roots and exhibited higher GA productivity than wild type Gibberella fujikuroi. The :tim of this work was to find out an optimal culture condition for GA production. Various carbon(fructose, glucose, lactose, maltose, sucrose) and nitrogen($KNO_3$, urea, glycine, $NaNO_3,\;NH_4Cl$) sources were used for this study. GAs activities were analysed by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry(GC-MS). The highest yield of $GA_3$ was found in the growth medium supplemented with sucrose as carbon source and $NH_4Cl$ as nitrogen source. The optimum carbon-nitrogen concentration for $GA_3$ production was found to be 0.5 M:0.17 M. Supernatant was prepared from the culture fluid of F. proliferatum KGL0401 cultured for 7 days at 3 0'E and the 10 ul supernatant was treated with 2 leaf-rice seedling.