• Journal of Life Science
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• v.20 no.12
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• pp.1807-1811
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• 2010

In order to evaluate estrogenic compounds in brown algae, an in vitro test system for the verification of estrogenic activity was applied. Fractions from ethanol extracts of each brown alga were prepared by a systematic fractionation procedure with solvents such as $H_2O$, hexane, butanol and methanol. Aqueous fractions of brown algae showed the highest estrogenic activities. Estrogenic activities of $500\;{\mu}g/ml$ aqueous fractions of Undaria pinnatifida and Laminaria japonica showed almost the same strength as that of $10^{-7}\;M$ standard solution ($17{\beta}$-estradiol). Furthermore, estrogenic activities of $500\;{\mu}g/ml$ aqueous fractions of Ecklonia stolonifera and Porphyra suborbiculate represented higher activities than that of $10^{-8}\;M$ $17{\beta}$-estradiol. These observations suggest that aqueous fractions of all these brown algae are expected to possess estrogenic compounds and could be developed as estrogenic agents for postmenopausal disorder.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.433-438
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• 1985

Lipids extracted from two kinds of sun-dried laver samples, wild Porphyra suborbiculata and cultured Porphyra tenera, produced at Wan-do in Korea were studied. Dried P. suborbiculata contained $0.8\%$ total lipid(TL) which consisted of $21.4\%$ neutral lipid(NL), $53.4\%$ glycolipid(GL) and $25.2\%$ phospholipid(PL), and dried P. tenera contained $1.2\%$ TL which consisted of $30.5\%$ NL, $50.3\%$ GL and $19.2\%$ PL. Among the NL of dried P. suborbiculate and P. tenera, free fatty acid ($41.4\%,\;39.0\%$), triglyceride($25.6\%,\;28.8\%$) and free sterol ($22.1\%,\;16.7\%$) were predominant. Digalactosyl diglyceride ($34.7\%,\;46.6\%$) and monogalactosyl diglyceride ($19.2\%,\;18.0\%$) were the major components among the GL. Sulfoquinovosyl digylceride ($4.2\%$) was also identified in P. tenera only. And main lipids in the PL of P. suborbiculata and P. tenera were phosphatidyl ethanolamine ($40.3\%,\;35.7\%$) and phosphatidyl choline ($28.6\%,\;30.7\%$) and followed by phosphatidyl serine($15.1\%,\;19.2\%$) and phosphatidyl inositol ($16.0\%,\;14.4\%$). The major fatty acids in the TL of the dried P. suborbiculata were 20:5 ($29.4\%$), 16:0 ($23.4\%$) and 20:4 ($13.0\%$), and those of the dried P. tenera were 20:5 ($36.7\%$), 16:0 ($16.2\%$), 16:1 ($10.7\%$) and 18:1 ($9.7\%$). The fatty acid composition of the both samples in the NL fraction were similar to the pattern in those of the TL. The abundant fatty acids in the PL of the both dried laver were 20:5, 16:0 and 18:1. In case of the GL fraction, the main fatty acids of the dried P. suborbiculata were 16:0, 20:5, 18:1 and 20:4, while those of the dried P. tenera were 20:5, 16:0 and 18:1.