• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.18-25
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• 2015

To understand the metabolism of flavonoid rhamnoglycosides by human intestinal microbiota, we measured the metabolic activity of rutin and poncirin (distributed in many functional foods and herbal medicine) by 100 human stool specimens. The average α-L-rhamnosidase activities on the p-nitrophenyl-α-L-rhamnopyranoside, rutin, and poncirin subtrates were 0.10 ± 0.07, 0.25 ± 0.08, and 0.15 ± 0.09 pmol/min/mg, respectively. To investigate the enzymatic properties, α-L-rhamnosidase-producing bacteria were isolated from the specimens, and the α-L-rhamnosidase gene was cloned from a selected organism, Bifidobacterium dentium, and expressed in E. coli. The cloned α-L-rhamnosidase gene contained a 2,673 bp sequcence encoding 890 amino acid residues. The cloned gene was expressed using the pET 26b(+) vector in E. coli BL21, and the expressed enzyme was purified using Ni²⁺-NTA and Q-HP column chromatography. The specific activity of the purified α-L-rhamnosidase was 23.3 µmol/min/mg. Of the tested natural product constituents, the cloned α-L-rhamnosidase hydrolyzed rutin most potently, followed by poncirin, naringin, and ginsenoside Re. However, it was unable to hydrolyze quercitrin. This is the first report describing the cloning, expression, and characterization of α-L-rhamnosidase, a flavonoid rhamnoglycosidemetabolizing enzyme, from bifidobacteria. Based on these findings, the α-L-rhamnosidase of intestinal bacteria such as B. dentium seem to be more effective in hydrolyzing (1 →6) bonds than (1 →2) bonds of rhamnoglycosides, and may play an important role in the metabolism and pharmacological effect of rhamnoglycosides.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.55-58
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• 1997

It is well known that Poncirus trifoliata harmonizes the Stomach dissipates the Nodules of Liver and manages Vitality. This herb has been used for stomachache, vomitting, nausea, abdominal distension and swelling of testis in the Oriental Medicine. A major components of Poncirus trifoliata consist of a various flavonoids such as poncirin, naringin, hesperidin, neohesperidin, rhoifolin, poncimarin, poncitrin. Generally pharmacological activities of an oriental medicinal drug may be different due to diverse origin, harvest season and storage Period. In this study, we aimed to measure the contents of poncirin and naringin, major flavonoid of this herb, to determine the quality of Poncirus trifoliata.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.188-191
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• 2008

Poncirus trifoliata Rafinesque has been used as the immature fruit of the trifoliate orange tree. This study was carried out to investigate the quality change of Poncirus trifoliata Rafinesque depending on packing materials (vacuum packing, PP (polypropylene) packing, gunny sack packing), storage places and storage periods up to 12 months. The change of loss on drying content, content of poncirin were measured during the 12 months. As a result, the loss on drying content was decreased rapidly in gunny sack packing after storage of 12 months at room temperature. The content of poncirin was decreased generally according to storage conditions and its average loss percent was 38.8%.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.127-132
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• 2009

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the stability of a decoction using three herbal plants and their major components according to the storage conditions and periods. Materials and Methods: A three-herb mixture (1:1:1) of Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fischer, Artemisia capillaris Thunberg, and Poncirus trifoliata Rafinesqui was decocted and kept at room temperature ($25{\pm}2^{\circ}C$) or cold temperature ($4^{\circ}C$) for 0, 2, 4 or 8 weeks in liquid form in a plastic pack under dark conditions. At time points given, they were lyophilized. 200 mg of powdered samples were dissolved in 1 mL of 90% methanol and then applied to a high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) with glycyrrhizin, 6,7-dimethoxycoumarin or poncirin for quantitative or qualitative analysis. Results: There were no gross changes in HPTLC-based compositional band-patterns of the three herbal mixture according to the storage conditions and period. The major components of each herb, glycyrrhizin, 6,7-dimethoxycoumarin and poncirin, showed slight time-dependent reduction in their contents both at room and cold temperature for 8 weeks. Conclusion: We could conclude that the current herbal decoction is generally safe for the stability at both RT or CT for at least 8 weeks. Nevertheless, we proposed that further advanced studies are required for more multiple herbal mixtures and longer storage periods.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.27-31
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• 2013

We investigated the effects of Ponciri Fructus (PF) and Aurantii Fructus Immaturus (AI) on the cicular and longitudinal smooth muscle of rat gastric fundus. Methanol extracts of PF (PFM) and AI (AIM), water-fractions (PFW, AIW) and chloroform-fractions (PFC, AIC) of the extracts induced relaxation in the rat fundic circular muscle pre-contracted by U46619. All extracts showed relaxation without significant differences among the extracts. In the longitudinal smooth muscle, PFM and its water fraction, PFW, showed multiphasic effects, fast relaxation and rebound contraction followed by lasting relaxation. AIM and AIW showed diphasic effects, transient contraction followed by lasting relaxation. However, PFC and AIC induced only relaxation in the rat fundic longitudinal muscle contracted by U46619. PFM showed significantly more effective relaxation compared with PFW, AIM and AIW. Hesperidin, flavonoids known as common constituent of PF and AI and it's an aglycon, hesperetin, induced relaxation in both fundic circular and longitudinal smooth muscle pre-contracted by U46619. Poncirin, known as flavonoid content of PF showed also induced relaxation in the both circular and longitudinal smooth muscle pre-contracted by U46619. These results suggest that both PF and AI has relaxing effects on the gastric fundus smooth muscle and its effects might be caused by their flavonoids constituents.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.370-375
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• 2009

Overproduction of peroxynitrite ($ONOO^-$) causes a variety of disease such as atherosclerosis, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes mellitus or obesity. Peroxynitrite scavenging activities and HPLC analysis on the five Oriental medicinal drugs belonging to the genus Citrus, Aurantium or Poncirus (Rutaceae family) and HPLC analysis were taken to evaluate flavanone glycosides with peroxynitrite scavenging activity. The $IC_{50}s$ of the five crude drugs were shown as follows: Aurantii nobilis Pericarpium (Jinpi, 18.3 ${\mu}g$/ml), Citrii unshiu Pericarpium (Chungpi, 7.50${\mu}g$/ml), Citrii unshiu Semen (Gyulhaek, >50.0${\mu}g$/ml), Aurantii Fructus (Jigak, 18.3${\mu}g$/ml), and Poncirii Fructus (Jisil, >50.0${\mu}g$/ml) where Korean crude drug's names are noted in the parenthesis. Peroxynitrite scavenging effect of flavanones or their glycosides usually contained in Citrus species were observed as follows: hesperetin (1.89 ${\mu}g$/ml), naringenin (7.77 ${\mu}g$/ml), hesperidin (8.44 ${\mu}g$/ml), poncirin (>50.0 ${\mu}g$/ml)and ponciretin(>50.0 ${\mu}g$/ml). The activities of naringin and poncirin with ${\alpha}$-L-rhamnopyranosyl($1{\rightarrow}2$)-${\beta}$-D-glucopyranosyl moiety were weak. HPLC analytical data revealed that Jinpi (the peels of mature fruits of Citrus unshiu) and Chungpi (the peels of immature fruits of C. unshiu) had high quantities of hesperidin as the value of 142.1${\pm}$0.21 and 104.51${\pm}$1.10 mg/g dried weight, respectively. Poncirin was clearly detected in only Jisil and naringenin and naringin were not observed on the HPLC chromatogram of the five crude drugs.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.1109-1114
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• 2008

To understand the role of intestinal microflora in the biological effect of functional herbs, which have been used in Korea, Japan, and China as traditional medicines, and suggest new bioactive compounds transformed from herbal constituents, the metabolic activities of the functional herb components (ginsenoside Rb1, crocin, amygdalin, geniposide, puerarin, ginsenoside Re, poncirin, hesperidin, glycyrrhizin, and baicalin) toward their bioactive compounds (compound K, crocetin, benzaldehyde, genipin, daidzein, ginsenoside Rh1, ponciretin, hesperetin, 18b-glycyrrhetic acid, and baicalein) were measured in fecal specimens. The metabolic activities of these components were $882.7{\pm}814.5$, $3,938.1{\pm}2,700.8$, $2,375.5{\pm}913.7$, $1,179.4{\pm}795.7$, $24.6{\pm}10.5$, $11.4{\pm}10.8$, $578.8{\pm}206.1$, $1,150.0{\pm}266.1$, $47.3{\pm}58.6$, and $12,253.0{\pm}6,527.6\;{\mu}mol/h/g$, respectively. No differences were found in the metabolic activities of the tested components between males and females, although these metabolic activities between individuals are extensively different. The metabolites of functional herb components showed more potent cytotoxicity against tumor cells than nonmetabolites. These findings suggest that intestinal microflora may activate the pharmacological effect of herbal food and medicines and must be the biocatalytic converter for the transformation of herbal components to bioactive compounds.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.152-167
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• 2004

Traditional Chinese Medicines (TCM) have attracted great interest in recent researchers as alternative medicines for incurable diseases. This review focuses on qualitative and quantitative analytical approaches for bioactive metabolites of components flavonoids and saponins of traditional Chinese medicines by TLC system, although various methods have been introduced. Emphasis will be put on the processes of metabolite extraction from intestinal bacterial cultures or urines, separation (mobile phase) and detection. The identified metabolites by selection of extraction solvent and detection methods are also discussed. In addition, metabolite determinations of flavonoids (baicalin, apiin, rutin, quercetin, quercitrin, kaempferol, diosmin, hesperidin, poncirin, naringin, puerarin, daidzin, daidzein, tectoridin) and saponins (ginsenosides, kalopanaxsaponins, glycyrrhizin, chiisanoside, saikosaponins, soyasaponins) in culture fluid, in urine and in some herbal formula extracts are summarized. These bioactive metabolites of these components by intestinal microflora should be connected to pharmacological actions.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.335-339
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• 1996

Optimal medium for growth and glycosidases production of Bacteroides JY-6, an human intestinal bacterium, was general anaerobic medium or tryptic soy broth containing sod ium thioglycolate and ascorbic acid. By cocultivation of Staphylococcus R-48, Bacteroides JY-6 could be cultured in LB broth unable to culture JY-6. Heated Staphylococcus R-48 was also the inducer of the production of Bacteroides JY-6 glycosidases. These glycosidases were induced well by natural flavonoid glycosides, such as poncirin, naringin and rutin, but were not by synthetic substrates, p-nitrophenyl ${\beta$-D-glucopyranoside and p-nitrophenyl ${\alpha}$-L-rhanmopyranoside.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.29-38
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• 2001

When I evaluated the component variation of Naesowhajung-tang by the three types of extraction method, and each type's effects on the gastrointestinal tract, I got the following results. 1. The output ratio of extracts made out of Naesowhajung-tang were not significantly different among 13.8% of water extract(Sample-I), 13.5% of 50% ethanol extract(Sample-II), and 15.6% of water extract by spray dryer(Sample-III). 2. magnolol, honokiol, hesperidin, naringin, poncirin and glycyrrhizin Sample II had the largest amount of the following contents: magnolol, honokiol, hesperidin, naringin, poncirin and glycyrrhizin. 3. All the extracts of Naesowhajung-tang showed the inhibitory effect on the smooth muscle contraction of the isolated ileum in mice and fundus-strip in rats induced by acetylcholine chloride and barium chloride. 4. High concentration Sample-II was recognized to be effective in preventing gastric ulcers in Shay's rats. but not in the other rat group. 5. All the extracts of Naesowhajung-tang were recognized to be effective in preventing gastric ulcers induced by Ethanol-HCl in rats. 6. The increase of transport ability in the small intestine was recognized only when the concentration of all the samples was doubled, but not in the other concentrations. 7. The increase of transport ability in the large intestine was recognized only when the concentration of Sample-II was doubled, but not in other concentration. Using the results mentioned above, I suggest that Sample-II has more significant effects on the gastrointestinal tract than the others.