• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.425-430
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• 2012

Rumex acetosa is a perennial herb that is widely distributed across eastern Asia. Although the hot water extract of R. acetosa has been used to treat gastritis or gastric ulcers as a folk medicine, no scientific report exists for the use of this plant to treat gastric ulcers. Hence, the present study was undertaken to assess the anti-ulcer activity of water and 70% ethanol extracts obtained from R. acetosa, using an HCl/ethanol-induced gastric ulcer model in mice. Anti-inflammatory and free radical-scavenging activities of these two extracts were also evaluated and compared. As a result, the administration of R. acetosa extracts significantly reduced the occurrence of gastric ulcers. However, significant differences in protective activity against gastric ulcers were observed between the two samples. In the case of the group pretreated with an ethanol extract dosage of 100 mg/kg, the protective effect (90.9%) was higher than that of water extract (41.2%). Under histological evaluation, pretreatment with R. acetosa extracts reversed negative effects, such as inflammation, edema, moderate hemorrhaging and loss of epithelial cells, presented by HCl/ethanol-treated stomachs. Meanwhile, R. acetosa extracts showed potent DPPH radical-scavenging activity and decreased NO production in a murine macrophage cell line, RAW 264.7, in a dose-dependent manner without affecting cellular viability. The greater anti-ulcer and NO production inhibitory activities exhibited by ethanol extracts compared to water extracts could be ascribed to the higher emodin levels, a major anthraquinone component of this plant.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.453-458
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• 2017

This study compared the immuno-modulatory effects of ethanol extracts (A. muricata L. ethanol extracts, ALE) and crude polysaccharide fraction (A. muricata L. crude polysaccharide fraction, ALP) from Annona muricata L. in macrophages. Immuno-modulatory activity was determined by assessing cell viability, nitric oxide (NO) production, inducible NO synthase (iNOS) expression and cytokine production in RAW 264.7 a macrophage cell line. Both ALE and ALP treatment did not affect cytotoxicity, and ALP treatment significantly increased NO production. Additionally, cytokine production [tumor necrosis factor ($TNF-{\alpha}$; $2909.04{\pm}4.1pg/mL$), interleukin (IL)-6; $662.84{\pm}5.3pg/mL$, and $IL-1{\beta}$; $852.37{\pm}2.2pg/mL$), was highly increased in the ALP ($250{\mu}g/mL$) treated group compared to the ALE ($250{\mu}g/mL$) treated group ($TNF-{\alpha}$; $1564.50{\pm}6.1pg/mL$, IL-6; $517.24{\pm}4.1pg/mL$ and $IL-1{\beta}$; $237.23{\pm}1.8pg/mL$). Moreover, ALP treatment considerably increased the expression of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPKs) and nuclear $factor-{\kappa}B$ ($NF-{\kappa}B$) in the macrophages. Therefore, ALP can induce macrophage activation through MAPK and $NF-{\kappa}B$ signaling and this can be a potential candidate for development of nutraceuticals.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.138-143
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• 2020

Black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) has been suggested to exert antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects due to its high polyphenol content. However, the mechanisms underlying the effects of black chokeberry on the alterations of nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (NRF2) and nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) in macrophages have not been thoroughly studied. In this study, we investigated the protective effects of polyphenol-rich black chokeberry extract (CBE) against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced oxidative stress and inflammation in RAW 264.7 macrophages. CBE significantly attenuated the increase of cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and the nuclear translocation of NRF-2 in LPS-stimulated macrophages. The mRNA abundances of Nrf2 and its downstream antioxidant genes were significantly decreased in LPS-stimulated macrophages. The LPS-induced mRNA expression of proinflammatory cytokines was significantly inhibited by reducing the nuclear translocation of NF-κB by CBE. These data suggest that black chokeberry may be used for the prevention of oxidative stress and inflammation-associated disease.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.295-301
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• 2015

The functions of probiotics, particularly Lactic acid bacteria, have been studied in a range of human diseases, including cancer, infectious diseases, gastrointestinal disorders, and allergies. Among the many benefits associated with the consumption of probiotics, modulation of immune activity has received the most attention. This study aimed at investigating the improved immune stimulatory and stability of L. plantarum when cultivated on modified basal media supplemented with the Undaria pinnatifida co-cultured with L. plantarum. An in vitro test showed that U. pinnatifida media cultured L. plantarum is strong enough to survive in the gastric juice (gastric and bile acid). Mouse macrophage-derived cell lines RAW 264.7 was used to measured immune stimulating activity of L. plantarum. When U. pinnatifida media cultured by L. plantarum was NO and $TNF-{\alpha}$ production is significantly increased compared to basal media cultured L. plantarum. These results show that U. pinnatifida could be applied for a component for cultivation of L. plantarum. This optimized U. pinnatifida medium can be used the improving of stability and immune function on production of probiotics.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.65-80
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• 2014

Objectives: The object of this study was to observe the in vitro antibacterial effects of Gagam-seopyoungjeon aqueous extracts (GGSYJ) against Gardnerella vaginalis and the possible synergic combination effects with clindamycin. Methods: Antibacterial activities against Gardnerella vaginalis of GGSYJ were detected using minimal inhibition concentration (MIC), and the effects on the bacterial growth curve were also monitored at MIC and MIC${\times}$2 levels. The combination effects of GGSYJ with clindamycin were observed by checkboard microtiter assay, and the effects of bacterial growth curve treated with GGSYJ MIC+clindamycin MIC, 1/2 MIC and 1/4 MIC, respectively. The effects on the bacterial invasion and intracellular killing of GGSYJ were also observed using human vaginal epithelial (VK2) and murine macrophage (Raw264.7) cells with combination effects with clindamycin after treatment of GGSYJ MIC+clindamycin 1/2 MIC, 1/4 MIC and 1/6 MIC, respectively. Results: The MIC of clindamycin and GGSYJ against Gardnerella vaginalis were detected as $0.012{\pm}0.006$ (0.004~0.016)${\mu}g/ml$ and $1.016{\pm}0.524$ (0.391~1.563) mg/ml, respectively. Clindamycin and GGSYJ were also showed marked dosage-dependent inhibition of bacterial growth, and significant decreases of viable cells were detected in clindamycin MIC+GGSYJ MIC and clindamycin 1/2 MIC+GGSYJ MIC treatment as compared with each of single clindamycin MIC and GGSYJ MIC treatments. And significant decreases of intraepithelial and intra-macrophage viable bacteria numbers were detected in clindamycin 1/2 MIC+GGSYJ 1/2 MIC and clindamycin 1/4 MIC+GGSYJ 1/2 MIC treatment as compared with each of single clindamycin GGSYJ 1/2 MIC treatments, respectively. Conclusions: GGSYJ showed slight antibacterial effects against Gardnerella vaginalis, but they showed dosage-dependent inhibitory effects on the bacterial growth and VK2 epithelial invasions of bacteria with favorable accelerating effects of intracellular killing activities of macrophages. In addition, combination of GGSYJ also increased the inhibitory effects of clindamycin on the epithelial invasions of Gardnerella vaginalis and intracellular killing activities of macrophages against Gardnerella vaginalis as 2-fold higher as compared with clindamycin single treatment, respectively. Therefore, we expected that the clinical dosages of clindamycin can be reduced as 1/2 levels as combination with GGSYJ.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.98-106
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• 2018

Portulaca oleracea L., a species of Portulacaceae, is ubiquitous. It is a well-known traditional Chinese medicine for removing heat, counteracting toxicity, cooling blood, and maintaining hemostasia; it is also used as antidysentery agent. This study investigated the anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory activities of water and ethanol extracts from P. oleracea. The total polyphenol content ($21.08{\pm}0.03mg\;GAE/g$) and total flavonoid content ($5.45{\pm}0.76mg\;QE/g$) of the ethanolic extracts were higher than those of the water extracts. The antioxidative activities were determined by evaluating the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and the 2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging activity and by the ferric reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP) assay. The ABTS radical scavenging activity of the water extract (75.53%) was higher in those of the water extract (67.03%) at concentration of $1,000{\mu}g/mL$. The DPPH radical scavenging activity and FRAP of the ethanol extract were higher than those of the water extract. We also investigated the anti-inflammatory activity of the P. oleracea extracts in LPS-stimulated Raw 264.7 cells. The production levels of nitric oxide (NO) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) significantly decreased with an increasing concentration of the extract. The expression levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis faction (TNF)-${\alpha}$, interleukin (IL)-$1{\beta}$, and IL-6) were significantly lower in the ethanol extract than in the LPS alone treatment group. Based on these results, ethanolic extract from P. oleracea could be an effective antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.27-35
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• 2018

In this study, we evaluated the antioxidant activity and anti-inflammatory effects of Abeliophyllum distichum (A. distichum) leaves that were prepared via air-drying. Fresh and air-dried A. distichum leaves were examined via 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) radical, and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS) radical scavenging assay and measurements of the reducing power. The suppression effects on inflammation of the leaves were analyzed by a western blot and RT-PCR on LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells. As a result, the antioxidant activity of the fresh leaves was found to be more effective than that of the air-dried leaves. Also, the fresh leaves were more effective in suppressing the protein and mRNA levels of iNOS and COX-2 than the air-dried leaves, thereby indicating the better anti-inflammatory effects. In addition, the contents of phenolic compounds and acteoside were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The results showed that the acteoside content decreased with the use of the air-drying method, while there was no change in the content of phenolic compounds. Therefore, this study indicated that fresh A. distichum leaves potential antioxidant and suppression activities of various factors that are involved in the production of NO, which were found to be better than those of air-dried A. distichum leaves. These biological activities were also found to be independent of the content of phonolic compounds and were assumed to be directly or indirectly related to the content of acteoside.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.16.1-16.13
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• 2021

Background: Preconditioning with inflammatory stimuli is used to improve the secretion of anti-inflammatory agents in stem cells from variant species such as mouse, human, and dog. However, there are only few studies on feline stem cells. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the immune regulatory capacity of feline adipose tissue-derived (fAT) mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) pretreated with interferon-gamma (IFN-γ). Methods: To assess the interaction of lymphocytes and macrophages with IFN-γ-pretreated fAT-MSCs, mouse splenocytes and RAW 264.7 cells were cultured with the conditioned media from IFN-γ-pretreated MSCs. Results: Pretreatment with IFN-γ increased the gene expression levels of cyclooxygenase-2, indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase, hepatocyte growth factor, and transforming growth factor-beta 1 in the MSCs. The conditioned media from IFN-γ-pretreated MSCs increased the expression levels of M2 macrophage markers and regulatory T-cell markers compared to those in the conditioned media from naive MSCs. Further, prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂) inhibitor NS-398 attenuated the immunoregulatory potential of MSCs, suggesting that the increased PGE₂ levels induced by IFN-γ stimulation is a crucial factor in the immune regulatory capacity of MSCs pretreated with IFN-γ. Conclusions: IFN-γ pretreatment improves the immune regulatory profile of fAT-MSCs mainly via the secretion of PGE₂, which induces macrophage polarization and increases regulatory T-cell numbers.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.487-497
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• 2021

To investigate the industrial availability of liquid fermentation (PL-ferment) by Phellinus linteus mycelium as a postbiotics for the inhibition of inflammation, PL-ferment was fractionated into culture supernatant (CS), hot-water extract (HW) from PL-ferment, EtOH-precipitate (CP) fractionated from HW, and the dialysate (DCP) of CP. Compared to the other fractions, DCP which is expected to contain exopolysaccharide (EPS) as the major component, significantly decreased the production of NO, IL-6, and MCP-1 in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells, and IL-6 and IL-8 in TNF-α and IFN-γ-induced HaCaT cells. The general component analysis results showed that no significant difference in components was observed between the fractions, whereas sugar composition analysis revealed that DCP had decreased glucose and increased mannose contents compared to the other fractions. This suggests that mannose played an important role in the anti-inflammatory activity of the active fraction, DCP. Molecular weight distribution analysis revealed that DCP was mainly composed of low-molecular-weight material-removed high-molecular-weight polysaccharides of 18-638 kDa, suggesting that EPS originated from P. linteus EPS. In conclusion, our results suggest that the DCP of P. linteus mycelium fermentation using the anti-inflammatory activity could be used industrially as postbiotic material.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.715-731
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• 2021

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a disorder characterized by repeated emotional, behavioral, and physical symptoms before menstruation, and the exact cause and mechanism are uncertain. Hyperprolactinemia interferes with the normal production of estrogen and progesterone, leading to PMS symptoms. Thus, we judged that the inhibition of prolactin hypersecretion could mitigate PMS symptoms. MATERIALS/METHODS: Hordeum vulgare L. extract (HVE), Chrysanthemum zawadskii var. latilobum extract (CZE), and Lomens-P0 the mixture of these extracts were tested in subsequent experiments. The effect of extracts on prolactin secretion at the in vitro level was measured in GH3 cells. Nitric oxide and pro-inflammatory mediator expression were measured in RAW 264.7 cells to confirm the anti-inflammatory effect. Also, the hyperprolactinemic Institute for Cancer Research (ICR) mice model was used to measure extract effects on prolactin and hormone secretion and uterine inflammation. RESULTS: Anti-inflammatory effects of and prolactin secretion suppress by HVE and CZE were confirmed through in vitro experiments (P < 0.05). Treatment with Lomens-P0 inhibited prolactin secretion (P < 0.05) and restored normal sex hormone secretion in the hyperprolactinemia mice model. In addition, extracts significantly inhibited the expression of pro-inflammatory biomarkers, including interleukin-1𝛽, and -6, tumor necrosis factor-𝛼, inducible nitric oxide synthase, and cyclooxygenase-2 (P < 0.01). We used high-performance liquid chromatography analyses to identify tricin and chlorogenic acid as the respective components of HVE and CZE that inhibit prolactin secretion. The Lomens-P0, which includes tricin and chlorogenic acid, is expected to be effective in improving PMS symptoms in the human body. CONCLUSIONS: The Lomens-P0 suppressed the prolactin secretion in hyperprolactinemia mice, normalized the sex hormone imbalance, and significantly suppressed the expression of inflammatory markers in uterine tissue. This study suggests that Lomens-P0 may have the potential to prevent or remedy materials to PMS symptoms.