• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.525-529
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• 1990

Plant cell cultures of Lithospermum erythrorhizon were performed in stirred tank and packed-bed reactors with in situ extraction by n-hexadecane. The specific shikonin production and volumetric shikonin productivity of stirred tank reactor reached 1.5 mg shikoninlg cell and 400$\mu g$ shikonin/(L.day), respectively. In packed-bed reactor with calcium alginate-immobilized cells specific shikonin production and volumetric productivity reached 2.0 mg shikoninlg cell and 2857$\mu g$ shikonin/(L.day), which were 1.3 and 7.1 times higher than those of stirred tank reactor, respectively. The higher shikonin production and productivity of packed-bed reactor seemed to be due to high cell loading capacity of calcium alginate immobilized cells in packed-bed reactor and improved cell-cell contact.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.343-348
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• 1989

Production of shikonin derivatives by Lithospermum erythrorhizon cells by using polyurethane foam was invesliigated. Shikonin derivatives were effectively adsorbed mostly by phase distribution to polyurethane matrices and their production increased significantly compared to the suspension culture. The enhanced production of shikonin was probably due to more facilitated cell to cell con-tact and lowered intracellular shikonin concentration, both of which are known to be favorable for plant secondary metabolite production. In order to improve the process productivity, tell culture was conducted under various culture conditions: Of them, Schenk and Hildebrandt medium containing indole-3-acetic acid (1.75mg/ι) and kinetin (0.1mg/ι) was considered most appropriate for shikonin production. Production of shikonin increased about 4.5 times in the Schenk and Hildebrandt medium containing indole-3-acetic acid (1.15mg/ι) and kinetin (0.1mg/ι) when compared to the same medium containing p-chlorophenoxyacetic acid (2.0mg/ι) and kinetin (0.1mg/ι). When poly-urethane was used as the support material, a single-stage system was more preferred to the conventional two-stage culture system in terms of shikonin productivity.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.243-248
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• 2002

The effects of basal media, carbon, nitrogen, phosphate and some major macro elements on growth and shikonin production in Lithospermum erythrorhizon hairy root culture were studied. Among examined media, growth of hairy root cultured in B5 liquid medium was rapid, whereas shikonin production was high in MS liquid medium. Under B5 basal medium, sucrose concentration for optimal growth and shikonin production was 9% and 4% respectively. The growth and shikonin production on pH changes in B5 medium resulted little effect in pH 5.8 to pH 8.8 ranges, whereas growth was decreased dramatically in both above 8.8 and under 5.8. Nitrogen source and concentration effected on the growth and shikonin production. The highest growth rate was in B5 medium (50 mM $KNO_3$ and 1 mM $NaH_2PO_4)$, whereas the highest shikonin production was in the condition supplemented with 5 mM $KNO_3$ and 10 mM $NaH_2PO_4$.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.41-45
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• 1992

Shikonin production was examined in a bubble column bioreactor system with the hairy roots of Lithosphermum erythrorhizon. The volumetric productivity was higher than those obtained from other reactor configurations with free or immobilized cells of the same cell line. The productivities of the bubble column reactor, with and without a product absorption trap, were 7.4 and 4.5 mg of shikonin/l/d, respectively. This indicated the importance of the product removal in the design and operation of the shikonin production system with hairy root culture.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.199-204
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• 2010

The potential therapeutic action of shikonin in an experimental model of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was investigated. As a RA animal model, DBA/1J mice were immunized two times with type II collagen. After the second collagen immunization, mice were orally administered shikonin (2 mg/kg) once a day for 35 days, and the incidence, clinical score, bone mineral density (BMD), bone mineral content (BMC) and joint histopathology were evaluated. BMD in the proximal regions of the tibia largely increased in the shikonin treatment group compared with the control group. We also examined the effect of shikonin on inflammatory cytokines and cartilage protection. Shikonin treatment significantly reduced the incidence and severity of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA), markedly abrogating joint swelling and cartilage destruction. Shikonin also significantly inhibited the production of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1 and up-regulated tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1 in mice with CIA. In conclusion, shikonin exerted therapeutic effects through regulation of MMP/TIMP; these results suggest that shikonin is an outstanding candidate as a cartilage protective medicine for RA.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.283-293
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• 2005

Our previous study showed that a novel synthetic shikonin derivative, 6-(1-hydroxyimino-4-methylpentyl)5,8-dimethyoxy 1,4-naphthoquinone S-52 (DMNQ S-52) induced apoptosis. In the present study, we investigated its anti-metastatic activities as compared with shikonin because DMNQ S-52 was synthesized for overcoming weak points of shikonin such as high toxicity, low solubility and deleterious effects. DMNQ S-52 showed the weaker cytotoxicity $(IC_{50};\;12.3{\pm}1.6\;{\mu}M)$ against Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) cells than that of shikonin $(IC_{50};\;4.2{\pm}1.1\;{\mu}M)$. DMNQ S-52, at non-toxic concentrations $(less\;than\;10\;{\mu}M)$, significantly inhibited the invasion and migration of LLC cells. DMNQ S-52 also significantly inhibited the production of MMP-9, MTl-MMP and uPAR. Moreover, daily i.p. administration of DMNQ S-52 at dose of 5 mg/kg in mice resulted in a potent inhibition of the primary tumor size of LLC in the lung as well as the metastasis of lymph nodes. These findings suggest that the DMNQ S-52 has therapeutic potential to inhibit metastasis via inhibition of MMP family and uPA/plasminogen system.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.466-473
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• 2013

This study investigates the effect of supercritical fluid extract (CMPB803-C) of Lithospermum erythrorhizon, shikonin and acetylshikonin isolated from Lithospermum erythrorhizon on IL-$1{\beta}$-induced chondrocytes and monosodium iodoacetate (MIA)-induced osteoarthritis in rat. Shikonin ($50{\mu}m$) and acetylshikonin ($3{\mu}M$) treatment reduced significantly the mRNA expression and enzyme activity of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1, -3 and -13 in IL-$1{\beta}$-induced SW1353 chondrosarcoma cells. The chondro-protective effects of CMPB803-C and acetylshikonin were than analyzed in a rat OA model using a single intra-articular injection of MIA (1mg) in the right knee joint. CMPB803-C (200mg/kg) or acetylshikonin (5mg/kg) was orally administered daily for two weeks starting after 1 week of MIA injection. In the histological observation, CMPB803-C and acetylshikonin clearly improved OA lesions being comparable to or better that control group. Our results demonstrated that CMPB803-C and acetylshikonin as active compound of Lithospermum erythrorhizon have a strong chondro-protective effect in OA rats, which likely attributes to its anti-inflammatory activity and inhibition of MMPs production.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.7-14
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• 1987

Production of shikonin derivatives through cell suspension culture of Lithospermum erythrorhizon was investigated. Optimal concentrations of IAA and kinetin on the growth of cell suspension were 0.2 and 0.1 ppm respectively. Pigment content was markedly increased when aluminum oxide was added to the production medium and its optimal concentration was 1.5g/70ml medium. The most effective concentration of IAA was 0.5 ppm and the production of pigment did not depend on the kinetin concentration.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 2005.05a
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• pp.994-995
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• 2005

• Proceedings of the Botanical Society of Korea Conference
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• 1995.06a
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• pp.40-56
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• 1995

During the past two decades, China has seen her great progress in plant biotechnology. Since the Chinese market of herb medicine is huge, while the plant resources are shrinking, particular emphasis has been placed in plant tissue and cell cultures of medicinal plants, this includes fast propagation, protoplast isolation and regeneration, cell suspension cultures and large scale fermentation. To optimize culture conditions for producing secondary compounds in vitro, various media, additives and elicitors have been tested. Successful examples of large scale culture for the secondary metabolite biosynthesis are quite limited : Lithospermum ery throrhizon and Arnebia euchroma for shikonin derivatives, Panax ginseng, P. notoginseng, P. quinquefolium for saponins, and a few other medicinal plants. Recent development of genetic transformation systems of plant cells offered a new approach to in vitro production of secondary compounds. Hairy root induction and cultures, by using Ri-plasmid, have been reported from a number of medicinal plant species, such as Artemisia annua that produces little artemisinin in normal cultured cells, and from Glycyrrhiza uralensis. In the coming five years, Chinese scientists will continue their work on large scale cell cultures of a few of selected plant species, including Taxus spp. and A. annua, for the production of secondary metabolites with medicinal interests, one or two groups of scientists will be engaged in molecular cloning of the key enzymes in plant secondary metabolism.