• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.955-964
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• 2023

Bee pollen is a valuable apitherapeutic product and has been known to have diverse biological activities, including antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and even anticancer activity. However, its effect on the immune system is not well studied and is rather controversial. This study intended to elucidate the biological activity of bee pollen on immunity. For this purpose, we used lyophilized bee pollen after wet grinding, which shows increased extraction of bioactive components and enhanced biological activity. First, lyophilized bee pollen after wet grinding significantly increased the proliferation of splenocytes isolated from normal mice. On the other hand, lyophilized bee pollen after wet grinding dose-dependently reversed splenocyte proliferation by concanavalin A or lipopolysaccharide. To clarify the activity of bee pollen on immunity lyophilized bee pollen after wet grinding was administered daily to mice for five weeks and isolated splenocytes. In this study, there was no significant difference in the population of immune cells and the size of spleen between bee pollen- and sterile water-treated groups. However, proliferation of splenocyte isolated from bee pollen-administered animals was boosted by both concanavalin A and lipopolysaccharide. Finally, kaempferol, a well-known flavonoid from bee pollen, dose-dependently increased splenocyte proliferation by both Con A and LPS. On the other hand, naringenin, another flavonoid in the bee pollen, dose-dependently inhibited the proliferation of splenocytes by Con A and LPS. Together, these data indicate that bee pollen may be able to prime the immunity to boost immune reaction after inflammation.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.202-208
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• 2011

The present study was focused on the careful investigation of Glechoma longituba flowers collected from four populations in Korea to clarify their precise sexual systems. All floral characters of this taxon were examined by using a stereo microscopy. The nutlet size and production were compared between two distinct morphs (i.e., hermaphrodites and females), and pollen viability test of hermaphrodite and intermediate phenotype (i.e., individuals with a mixture of females and perfect flowers) was also observed by light microscopy (LM). All of the investigated floral characters of G. longituba are significantly different from one sexual morph to another. Hermaphroditic plants were larger than the female ones in corolla width and length, calyx length, filament length, anther length, and style length (all P < 0.0001, respectively). However, the nutlet width of the female plants was larger than those of the hermaphrodites (P = 0.013). Nutlet production of females was higher than hermaphrodites in Na-Ju population [H (Hermaphrodite): ca. 17.76%, F (Female): ca. 37.45%], but in Mun-San population was no significant difference between these sexual morphs (H: ca. 57.52%, F: ca. 53.16%). We have found significant differences between the fertile pollen grain of hermaphrodite and sterile pollen grain of intermediate phenotype based on pollen size and viability. The results of the present study suggest that compensation (flower size dimorphism, seed set, and pollen viability) is one of the main mechanisms in order to maintain female plants in gynodioecious G. longituba.

• FLOWER RESEARCH JOURNAL
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.62-65
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• 2010

This study was carried out to estimate the size and exine pattern of pollen grains in seven species of the genus Lilium by using scanning electron microscope. Exine of pollen grains, which were all monad, took the prolate forms with a pollen aperture. However, there were various L/W ratio between length (L) and width (W) of pollen grains among selected Lilium species. The pollen of L. distichum was oblong shape which had the highest L/W ratio of 2.59. On the other hand, that of L. concolor var. partheneion was broadly elliptical shape close to circle which had the lowest L/W ratio of 1.82. The surface patterns of exine were reticulate in all Lilium species that have showed diverse forms in their lumina. Pollen length and width in L. lancifolium had the greatest value, 115.90 and $46.54{\mu}m$, respectively, in comparison with those of L. tsingtauense, 70.33 and $38.72{\mu}m$, respectively. Except L. distichum and L. leichtlinii var. maximowiczii which had a similar pollen length within standard errors, the others in Lilium species showed different sizes, respectively. Therefore, these results indicated that pollen length could be a better standard for the classification of Lilium species than exine surface patterns or pollen dissection area.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.53 no.1
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• pp.9-13
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• 2023

Menyanthes trifoliata L., a heterostyly plant, is an endangered species in Korea. Floral morphology has been published for M. trifoliata, but few works have concentrated on pollen dimorphism differences accompanied by floral dimorphism. Here, we conducted a comparative morphological study of two morphs to investigate a dimorphism system with Korean populations. Pollen morphological characteristics were observed with a light microscope and a scanning electron microscope. For the pin type, pollen size is 36.01 ± 2.01 ㎛, whereas for the thrum type it is 41.28 ± 2.58 ㎛ in terms of the equatorial diameter. The two morphs have a small apocolpium field at 5.62 ± 0.30 for the pin type and 6.24 ± 0.70 for the thrum type. The configuration of the aperture was tricolpate with a striate ridge in the two morphs. However, they have different pollen shapes and sizes, stigma shapes, and apocolpium sizes. M. trifoliata only has different pollen sizes and shapes between European populations and Korean populations. Nevertheless, Korean populations also show pollen dimorphism correlated with their floral dimorphism.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.465-471
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• 2018

Bee pollen is one of many types of alternative remedies, and it has been used for a long time throughout the world. It has numerous health effects, including antifungal, antibacterial, and antioxidant properties, immune modulation, enhanced cell proliferation, and even anti-carcinogenic effects. This study was designed to elucidate the effects of bee pollen on benign prostatic hyperplasia in rodents. For this experiment, we used nano-sized bee pollen produced through wet-grinding technology, thereby the extraction efficiency of the active ingredients in the bee pollen was significantly enhanced. First, We found that nano-sized bee pollen significantly reduced the size of prostates enlarged by chronic testosterone administration. In addition, nano-sized bee pollen significantly reduced the plasma concentration of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA). Interestingly, nano-sized bee pollen did not reduce the testosterone-induced increase in the plasma concentration of prostaglandin $E_2$ ($PGE_2$). The beneficial effects of nano-sized bee pollen in reducing both the size of the prostate and the plasma concentration of PSA was comparable to that of dutasteride. Finally, nano-sized bee pollen did not cause damage in LNCaP cells which are androgen-sensitive human prostate adenocarcinoma cells. Together, these data indicate that nano-sized bee pollen may be able to be used as a good alternative remedy for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.863-875
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• 2006

Intensive visibility monitoring was conducted to investigate physical and chemical characteristics of visibility impairment by airborne pollen. Light attenuation coefficients were optically measured by a transmissometer, a nephelometer, and an aethalometer. Elemental, ionic, and carbonaceous species were chemically analyzed on the filters collected by $PM_{2.5}$ and $PM_{10}$ samplers. Aerosol size distribution was analyzed using a cascade impactor during airborne pollen period. Airborne pollen count was calculated using a scanning electron microscope. Airborne pollen was emitted into the atmosphere in springtime and funker degraded visibility through its scattering and absorbing the light. Average light extinction coefficient was measured to be $211{\pm}36Mm^{-1}$ when airborne pollen was not observed. But it increased to $459{\pm}267Mm^{-1}$ during the airborne pollen period due to increase of average $PM_{2.5}$ and $PM_{10}$ mass concentration and relative humidity and airborne pollen count concentration for $PM_{10}$, which were measured to be $46.5{\pm}29.1{\mu}g\;m^{-3},\;97.0{\pm}41.7{\mu}g\;m^{-3},\;54.1{\pm}11.6%$, and $68.2{\pm}89.7m^{-3}$, respectively. Average light extinction efficiencies for $PM_{2.5}$ and $PM_{10}$ were calculated to be $5.9{\pm}0.9$ and $4.5{\pm}0.8m^2 g^{-1}$ during the airborne pollen period. Light extinction efficiency for $PM_{10}$ increased further than that for $PM_{2.5}$. The average light extinction budget by airborne pollen was estimated to be about 24% out of the average measured light extinction coefficient during the airborne pollen period.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.251-256
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• 2000

Astragalus membranaceus has flowers that are similar to that of the legume family, but shows poor bearing when self-pollination is induced. Thus, this study was carried out observing the ripening procedure of pistils and stamens and development stages of pollen in the context of the birth and growth of the flower. As to the bearing of the flower of A. membranaceus, few pod setting and 13% pod setting were observed when self-pollination is induced by paper-bag covering or artificial pollination treated respectively. The result indicates that A. membranaceus is a cross-pollination plant. A pistil grew faster than a stamen until just before blooming. The flower size was about 17.0mm$\times$4.0mm. Pistils and stamens had the same length after flowering. Pollen mother cells passed through meiosis and mitosis when its length reached around 3.5mm, thus creating the tetrade when 4 mm long. Pollen attained full growth when the bud was about 10mm long. An anther was found to tend to dehisce when the length of a bud reached around 12.0mm. As to the shape of pollen, about 70 % were normal. 1% and 30 % were small or empty pollen respectively. The result indicates that pollen of A. membranaceus attains full growth just before anther dehiscence which occurs before blooming while pistils grow faster than stamens until before flowering.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.46-50
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• 1979

The morphological differences of pollen of genus Weigela in Korea were examined at different dates and localities, and following results were obtained : 1. Variations in pollen size were distinct among the four species examined. Pollen sizes of W. florida being the largest and W subsessilis the smallest. 2. The same species showed difference in pollen sizes at different dates and localities, and pollen size of W subsessilis which was collected in autumn was the smallest. 3. Variation in the P : E index was relatively small in each collection, the shapes of W. subsessilis and W. hortensis being suboblate and those of W. florida and W. praecox spheroidal. 4. Pollens of four species In Mt. Gyeryong had three porate, but W. subsessilis in Mts. Kwanak and Bomun had four.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.108-112
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• 2011

The pollen of 5 taxa on Korean Oldenlandia L. was investigated by LM and SEM. The pollen grains were monads, $20.7-36.0{\mu}$m in polar length, with an equatorial diameter of $21.0-38.4{\mu}m$. The pollen shapes were oblate-spheroidal or spherical (P/E ratio 0.93-1.00). The apertures numbered 3-7 in number, colporate in shape, with a colpus length of $4.2-20.4{\mu}m$ and a colpus width of $2.6-3.4{\mu}m$. The sexine was $0.9-2.4{\mu}m$ in terms of its thickness, the surface pattern was reticulate, scabrate or neither. Based on these results, the size of the pollen grain, the number of apertures, and the surface pattern of the sexine were all useful for an interspecific classification. The genus Neanotis, established via the pollen characteristics, was thought to be reviewed in its entity regarding the continuous variation of generic characteristics.

• Journal of Plant Biology
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.27-32
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• 1968

In the present experiment as a basic study for establishing a hybrid seed orchard, an observation was made on the survivability of grafts using Pinus rigida as the stock and its hybrids as the sciion, and on the shape and germination of pollen collected from grafted plants. The results are summarized as follows: 1. The hybrid scion of P. rigida.taeda or $P. rigida{\times}(P. rigida.taeda)$ grafted into P. rigida stock showed lower survivability than the homoplastic graftings of P. rigida. 2. Five among the eight eleven-year old scions homoplastically grafted into two-year old stock for the staminate strobile one year after their grafting. 3. There was no difference in the size and germination ability between the pollen collected from homoplastically grafted plant and from the normal one. 4. The pollen collected from the grafted plant is thought to be usable for the control pollination as the germination of such pollen was considerably good.