• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.284-289
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• 2013

Antidiabetic and beta cell-protection activities of purple corn anthocyanins (PCA) were examined in pancreatic beta cell culture and db/db mice. Only PCA among several plant anthocyanins and polyphenols showed insulin secretion activity in culture of HIT-T15 cells. PCA had excellent antihyperglycemic activity (in terms of blood glucose level and OGTT) and HbA1c-decreasing activity when compared with glimepiride, a sulfonylurea in db/db mice. In addition, PCA showed efficient protection activity of pancreatic beta cell from cell death in HIT-T15 cell culture and db/db mice. The result showed that PCA had antidiabetic and beta cell-protection activities in pancreatic beta cell culture and db/db mice.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.162-169
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• 2015

Hamamelis japonica (Hamamelidaceae), widely known as Japanese witch hazel, is a deciduous flowering shrub that produces compact clumps of yellow or orange-red flowers with long and thin petals. As a part of our ongoing search for phenolic constituents from this plant, eleven phenolic constituents including six flavonol glycosides, a chalcone glycoside, two coumaroyl flavonol glycosides and two galloylated compounds were isolated from the flowers. Their structures were elucidated as methyl gallate (1), myricitrin (2), hyperoside (3), isoquercitrin (4), quercitrin (5), spiraeoside (6), kaempferol 4'-O-β-glucopyranoside (7), chalcononaringenin 2'-O-β-glucopyranoside (8), trans-tiliroside (9), cis-tiliroside (10), and pentagalloyl-O-β-D-glucose (11), respectively. These structures of the compounds were identified on the basis of spectroscopic studies including the on-line LCNMR-MS and conventional NMR techniques. Particularly, directly coupled LC-NMR-MS afforded sufficient structural information rapidly to identify three flavonol glycosides (2 - 4) with the same molecular weight in an extract of Hamamelis japonica flowers without laborious fractionation and purification step. Cytotoxic effects of all the isolated phenolic compounds were evaluated on HCT116 human colon cancer cells, and pentagalloyl-O-β-D-glucose (11) was found to be significantly potent in inhibiting cancer cell growth.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.105-109
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• 2009

We reported previously that overexpression of a salicylic acid (SA) methyltransferase1 gene from rice (OsBSMT1) or a SA glucosyltransferase1 gene from Arabidopsis thaliana (AtSAGT1) leads to increased susceptibility to Pseudomonas syringae due to reduced SA levels. To further examine their roles in the defense responses, we assayed the transcript levels of AtBSMT1 or AtSAGT1 in plants with altered levels of SA and/or other defense components. These data showed that AtSAGT1 expression is regulated partially by SA, or nonexpressor of pathogenesis related protein1, whereas AtBSMT1 expression was induced in SA-deficient mutant plants. In addition, we produced the transgenic Arabidopsis plants with RNAi-mediated inhibition of AtSAGT1 and isolated a null mutant of AtBSMT1, and then analyzed their phenotypes. A T-DNA insertion mutation in the AtBSMT1 resulted in reduced methyl salicylate (MeSA) levels upon P. syringae infection. However, accumulation of SA and glucosyl SA was similar in both the atbsmt1 and wild-type plants, indicating the presence of another SA methyltransferase or an alternative pathway for MeSA production. The AtSAGT1-RNAi line exhibited no altered phenotypes upon pathogen infection, compared to wild-type plants, suggesting that (an)other SA glucosyltransferase(s) in Arabidopsis plants may be important for the pathogenesis of P. syringae.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.112-116
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• 2003

The antitumor and immunostimulating activities of Acanthopanax sessiliflorus fruits were investigated. Polysaccharide isolated from this plant, when administered consecutively for 9 days at 50 and 100 mg/kg i.p. in mice, caused a significant increase in the life span and a significant decrease in the tumor weight and volume in mice inoculated with Sarcoma-180 tumor cells. Polysaccharide was also demonstrated to exhibit phagocytosis-enhancing activity as measured by the carbon clearance in mice. Polysaccharide, when administered i.p. at 50 and 100 mg/kg/day for 3 consecutive days, exhibited a significant RCtr/RCc [the rate of regression coefficient of the animals teated (RCtr) to that of the control (RCc)], being 1.44 (PI = 1), 1.52 (PI = 2) which was approximately the same with that of enhancement of phagocytosis, its potency as expressed by the regression coefficient ratio of zymosan (RCtr/RCc = 1.55, PI = 2), a typical phagocytosis enhancer. Polysaccharide also caused a significant increase in the acid phosphatase activity representing lysosomal enzymes in macrophages at 1-100 ig/ml in vitro in compliance with in vivo results. These results suggest that the antitumor activity of polysaccharide might be related to the immunostimulating function.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.58 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2018

Genus Artemisia occurs as a hardy plant and has a wide range of culinary and medicinal features. In this study, we aimed to describe the melanin inhibitory activity of one Artemisia species, i.e., Artemisia capillaris Thunb. Ethanol extracts of fermented Artemisia capillaris (Art.EtOH.FT) and non-fermented Artemisia capillaris (Art.EtOH.CT) were tested for their ability to inhibit tyrosinase activity and melanin pigmentation. Both extracts showed dose-dependent inhibition against ${\alpha}$-melanocyte stimulating hormone-stimulated melanin formation and tyrosinase activity, without cytotoxicity. At $100{\mu}g/mL$, both extracts showed greater inhibition than kojic acid, the positive control. Protein expressions of microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF), tyrosinase (TYR), tyrosinase-related protein 1 (TRP-1), and tyrosinase-related protein 2 (TRP-2) at the transcriptional level were determined by using real-time and semi-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. To complete the mechanistic study, presences of upstream elements of MITF, the phosphorylated-extracellular signal-regulated kinase (p-ERK), and phosphorylated-mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (p-MEK) were confirmed by using western blot analysis. Expressions of p-TYR, p-TRP-1 and p-TRP-2, downstream factors for p-ERK and p-MITF, were translationally inhibited by both extracts. Art.EtOH.FT induced more potent effects than Art.EtOH.CT, especially signal transduction effects. In summary, Artemisia capillaris extracts appear to act as potent hypopigmentation agents.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.421-428
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• 2015

This study was carried out to investigate the relationship between anatomical characteristics and growth rate of Quercus rubra from different origins of seed. Anatomical characteristics showed that all Quercus rubra species were ring-porous woods with 1~3 layers of large pores in earlywood, but the latewood had small pores oriented in radial direction. There were slight differences in libriform fiber length and vessel element diameter in the earlywood among different provenance origins of seeds. In growth rate, the libriform fiber length and vessel element diameter was negative correlation in the earlywood, but not correlative in the latewood, and vessel element length was not correlative in the early and latewood, Volumetric composition of libriform fiber and ray in latewood was higher than those in ear lywood, and a higher composition of vessel element was observed in earlywood. Ray height was the range of from 11 to 15 cells.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.455-461
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• 1987

The ovaries or the ovules of grasses were pollinated and cultured in vitro to raise the interspecific or the intergeneric hybrids between tall fescue, meadow fescue, and Italian ryegrass. The isolated and suface-sterili-zed pistils were dusted with compatible pollens on stigma, on stump after removing stigma, or on excised ovule. Furthermore, the fertilized ovaries and ovules were cultured on MS, M6, or White's media and treated with plant growth regulators: IAA, kinetin, BA to promote embryo development and seed maturity. The in vitro fertilization in grass species ranged from 44 to 92% depending on ovary and pollen parents. The stigmatic pollination was resulted in 67.8% fertilization, the stump pollination 89.0%, and the excised ovule pollination 61.0%, repectively. White's medium was the most effective to provide embryo development and seed maturity in grass species. And the combined treatment of IAA 10mg/$\ell$, kinetin 0.2mg/$\ell$, was better than the non-treatment. Only two seedlings, one complete and one abnormal with root formation were obtained from 127 ovaryies cultured. The anatomy of ovules in vitro cultured was revealed the differentiation of vascular system and meristematic tissue, and the formation of sclerenchyma cells inside ovule.

• Journal of Crop Science and Biotechnology
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.257-264
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• 2007

Rice is one of the world's staple crops and is a major source of carbohydrate. Rice is exported from several countries, providing a major source of income. There are many documents reporting that rice is a salt-sensitive crop in its developmental stages. The objective of this investigation is to evaluate the effective salt-tolerance defense mechanisms in aromatic rice varieties. Pathumthani 1(PT1), Jasmine(KDML105), and Homjan(HJ) aromatic rice varieties were chosen as plant materials. Rice seedlings photoautotrophically grown in-vitro were treated with 0, 85, 171, 256, 342, and 427 mM NaCl in the media. Data, including sodium ion$(Na^+)$ and potassium ion$(K^+)$ accumulation, osmolarity, chlorophyll pigment concentration, and the fresh and dry weights of seedlings were collected after salt-treatment for 5 days. $Na^+$ in salt-stressed seedlings gradually accumulated, while $K^+$ decreased, especially in the 342-427 mM NaCl salt treatments. The $Na^+$ accumulation in both salt-stressed root and leaf tissues was positively related to osmolarity, leading to chlorophyll degradation. In the case of the different rice varieties, the results showed that the HJ variety was identified as being salt-tolerant, maintaining root and shoot osmolarities as well as pigment stabilization when exposed to salt stress or $Na^+$ enrichment in the cells. On the other hand, PT1 and KDML105 varieties were classified as salt-sensitive, determined by chlorophyll degradation using Hierarchical cluster analysis. In conclusion, the HJ-salt tolerant variety should be further utilized as a parental line or genetic resource in breeding programs because of the osmoregulation defensive response to salt-stress.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.381-386
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• 2011

This study investigated the effect of herbal extracts fermented by Lactobacillus plantarum (MBN) on hair growth in C57BL/6 mice and HaCaT cells. Five week old mice were applied with MBN topically (0.2 mL) once per for 21 days. Hair regrowth was evaluated by gross examination and verified by hematoxylin-eosin staining. Gene expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), keratinocyte growth factor (KGF), and transforming growth factor-beta1 ($TGF{\beta}1$), relevant to hair growth, were examined. The data revealed that MBN successfully promoted hair growth in both male and female mice at a dose between 200-500 mg/kg and improved hair thickness. The VEGF and KGF genes were expressed in a dose-dependant manner, whereas $TGF{\beta}1$ was not expressed. Moreover, nitric oxide was significantly increased, suggesting an improvement in blood flow. These results indicate that MBN effectively promoted hair growth and gene expression relevant to hair growth in an animal model.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.12 no.9
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• pp.244-249
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• 2012

This study was carried out to investigate effect of serum lipid and liver tissue in lectin from Viscum album on rats. The lectin was purified by sepharose 4B affinity chromatography and gel filtration using sephadex G-150 with plant material from Viscum album. After 72 h of $CCl_4$ injection, there was a significant increase in serum total cholesterol and triglycerige levels relative to the control group. However, treatment of both Viscum album and purified lectin were significantly decreased lipid parameters against the $CCl_4$-induced. Histological observation of the liver section of rats challenged with $CCl_4$ produced a marked increase of cytoplasmic vacuoles in number, while rats administered olive oil alone did not alter the normal hepatic architecture. Histological observation of the liver section in rats treated 72 h with either Viscum album purified lectin or $CCl_4$-induced liver lipogenesis showed decreased numbers of cytoplasmic vaculoes and necrotic cells. These results suggest that Viscum album lectin has a significantly decreased lipid in serum or histological observation of the liver section decreased in lipogenesis in rats.