• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.21 no.2
• /
• pp.153-160
• /
• 2013

We screened the pharmacological effects of a 50% ethanol extract of Yacon tubers and leaves on spermatogenesis in rats. As a result, we found that Yacon tuber extracts increased sperm number and serum testosterone level in rats. It has been reported that the crude extract of Yacon tubers and leaves contain phenolic acids, such as, chlorogenic acid, ferulic acid and caffeic acid by HPLC/MS analysis. We were interested in the contributions made by phenolic acid, particularly chlorogenic acid of Yacon tuber extract to the spermatogenic activity. After administering Yacon tuber extract or chlorogenic acid to rats for 5 weeks, numbers of sperm in epididymis were increased by 34% and 20%, respectively. We also administered ferulic acid, which has been reported to be a metabolite of chlorogenic acid and a constituent of Yacon tuber extract to investigate its spermatogenic activity in rats. Yacon tuber extract and ferulic acid increased sperm numbers by 43% and 37%, respectively. And, Yacon tuber extract, and chlorogenic acid showed significantly inhibition effect of testoeterone degradation in rat liver homogenate. We considered that the spermatogenic effect of Yacon tuber extract might be related to phenolic compounds and their inhibitory effect of testosterone degradation. Yacon showed the possibility as ameliorable agents of infertility by sperm deficiency and late onset hypogonadism syndrome with low level of testosterone.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
• /
• v.45 no.3
• /
• pp.233-239
• /
• 2014

We evaluated the benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) with Yacon pill, the preparation composed of Smallanthus sonchifolius, Torilis japonica and Acorus gramineus. A total of 45 rats were divided into five groups. One group was used as a control and the other groups received subcutaneous injections of testosterone for 4 weeks to induce BPH. Yacon pill extract (200 or 400 mg/kg) was administered daily for 4 weeks to two groups by oral gavage concurrently with testosterone. The rats euthanized, the prostate and body weights were recorded, and tissues were subjected to hormone assay. In addition, we investigated proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) expression in the prostate using immunoblotting. Rats with BPH showed significantly increased prostate weights, increased dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels in the serum and increased PCNA expression in the prostate; however, Yacon pill extracts treated rats showed significant reduction of prostate weights, DHT levels and PCNA expression compared with the BPH group. Conclusively, Yacon pill showed the possibility as ameliorable agents of BPH symptoms.

• Korean journal of food and cookery science
• /
• v.26 no.1
• /
• pp.95-103
• /
• 2010

The objective of this study was to develop a functional vinegar beverage using yacon roots, and examine the components' changes during fermentation. The alcohol fermentation was conducted by inoculation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae into yacon root juice with sugars. After 10 days of fermentation at $27^{\circ}C$, yacon wine contained 13% alcohol and $7.8^{\circ}Brix$ sugar contents. The yacon wine at 5% alcohol was fermented by Acetobacter aceti(KCTC1010) with 250 rpm agitation rate at $29^{\circ}C$ for 12 days. The acidity of yacon vinegar reached 4.4% after 12 days' fermentation. Statistically (p<0.05), the amount of Acetobacter aceti, pH, alcohol, with total polyphenol content of samples decreased with acidity, whereas individual sugar contents increased. Furthermore organic acids, total sugar, phenolic acids content, total antioxidant capacity, and color were not different among the five samples. The yacon vinegar beverage was prepared with high fructose syrup through the dilution of yacon vinegar. After making the yacon vinegar beverage, the pH, acidity, total sugar, and total microbial content were examined every week over 4 weeks' storage. There were no changes in the samples during that time.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.17 no.3
• /
• pp.256-262
• /
• 2009

Smallanthus sonchifolius (Yacon, Asteraceae) was originally cultivated in South America and used in food and traditional medicine by Andean inhabitants. Yacon is potentially beneficial for the management of diabetes and is composed of fructooligosaccharides, proteins, minerals and phenolic compounds. The aim of this study was to investigate the hypoglycemic effect of Yacon tuber extract (YTE) and its constituent, chlorogenic acid (CGA), in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. In this study, a HPLC method was developed for simultaneous determination of major active phenolic components, CGA and caffeic acid in YTE. We investigated the hypoglycemic effect of YTE and CGA in STZ-induced diabetic rats and studied glucose tolerance test (GTT). The effect of orally administered multiple doses of YTE and CGA on plasma biochemical parameters was examined using diabetic rats. We also measured free radical scavenging activity by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. Oral administration of YTE (200 mg/kg) and CGA (10 mg/kg) for 6 weeks produced a significant hypoglycemic effect in STZ-induced diabetic rats. YTE and CGA-treated groups exhibited significantly decreased plasma glucose surge during the GTT. Total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG) concentrations were significantly decreased by 33% and 49%, respectively, in YTE-treated rats. TC and TG concentrations were also significantly decreased by 26 % and 41%, respectively, in CGA-treated rats. In the DPPH assay, free radical scavenging activity of CGA was similar to that of vitamin E, a positive control. This study suggests that YTE and its constituent, CGA, may be a useful option for management of hyperglycemia and diabetic nephropathy.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
• /
• v.25 no.1
• /
• pp.1-9
• /
• 2017

Background: Some plants have harmful effects on fungi and bacteria as well as other plants. Incorporating such plant into soil as green manure is effective in reducing population densities of soil pathogens. Methods and Results: Twenty-three species of green manure crops were cultivated after the harvest of 6-year-old ginseng and then incorporated into the soil at the flowering stage. The following year, the root rot ratio of 2-year-old ginseng and soil chemical properties were investigated. In the absence of green manure addition, the $NO_3$ content, electric conductivity (EC), and K content decreased by 95%, 79% and 65%, respectively. In the presence of green manure addition, $P_2O_5$ and $NO_3$ contents reduced by 41% and 25%, respectively. The "survived root ratio" of 2-year-old ginseng significantly increased by 56.2%, 47.5%, and 47.3%, in the Sorghum sudanense, Ricinus communis and Helianthus tuberosus treatment, respectively. In addition, there was a significant increase in the "survived root ratio" in the Secale cereale, Chrysanthemum morifolium, Atractylodes macrocephala, and Smallanthus sonchifolius treatments. The "survived root ratio" of ginseng showed a significant positive correlation with the soil pH and a negative correlation with the $NO_3$ contents, and EC. Conclusions: Cultivation of plant form the Chrysanthemum family as green manure, using mainly the rhizomes was effective for the control of root rot disease of ginseng.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.19 no.4
• /
• pp.472-476
• /
• 2011

Hypercholesterolemia indirectly increases the risk of arterial and venous thrombosis by enhancing the ability of platelets to aggregate. Yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius) is composed of fructooligosaccharides, proteins, minerals and phenolic compounds, and has potential benefits for the management of diabetes. This study investigated whether the consumption of yacon in the diet inhibits platelet aggregation under hypercholesterolemic conditions. Male New Zealand white rabbits were fed one of five dietary interventions: a normal control diet, 0.5% cholesterol diet, 0.5% cholesterol diet+a low dose of yacon (0.5 g/kg body weight given orally each day), 0.5% cholesterol diet+a high dose of yacon (2.5 g/kg body weight given orally each day), or a 0.5% cholesterol diet+lovastatin (2 mg/kg body weight given orally each day). After 8 weeks, blood was collected to measure the amount of collagen- and thrombin-induced platelets present. Yacon inhibited the platelet aggregation induced by low doses of agonists (0.5 ${\mu}g/mL$ collagen and 0.02 units/ml thrombin) in a concentration-dependent manner. In addition, yacon concentration-dependently inhibited collagen-induced arachidonic acid liberation. Moreover, n-hexane, chloroform and ethyl acetate fractions showed a marked and selective inhibition of the platelet aggregation induced by collagen, again in a dose-dependent manner. These fractions, especially that of chloroform, significantly suppressed platelet aggregation. The results of this study demonstrate that when yacon is added to a cholesterol-enriched diet, cholesterol-induced platelet aggregation returns to control levels. This may also be beneficial in preventing atherosclerosis and reducing risk factors for coronary artery disease and stroke.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
• /
• v.43 no.4
• /
• pp.333-341
• /
• 2010

The aim of this study was to investigate the hypolgycemic activity of water extract of fermented yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius) leaves tea (Yacon LWE) in high-fat diet (HFD)/streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice. Male ICR mice were fed with a HFD (37% calories from fat) for 4 weeks prior to intraperitoneal injection with STZ (100 mg/kg body weight). Diabetic mice were supplemented with two doses of Yacon LWE (0.16% and 0.8%, wt/wt) for 6 weeks. The supplementation of high-dose Yacon LWE significantly lowered blood glucose levels and plasma ALT and AST activities compared with the control group. High-dose Yacon LWE also improved the insulin tolerance without any changes in plasma and pancreatic insulin concentrations in HFD/STZ-induced diabetic mice. Yacon LWE supplementation increased the insulin staining of pancreatic $\beta$-cells in a dose-dependent manner. Both 0.16% and 0.8% of Yacon LWE significantly elevated plasma leptin concentration, hepatic glucokinase activity and glucokinase/glucose-6-phosphatase ratio compared with the control group. However, glycosylated hemoglobin concentration was not different among the groups. These results suggest that high-dose Yacon LWE lowers the blood glucose level partly by enhancing insulin sensitivity and hepatic glucose metabolism in type 2 diabetic mice.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.41 no.9
• /
• pp.1288-1293
• /
• 2012

Yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius) contains high amounts of fructooligosaccharides and has been known to promote health of the intestinal tract and to have anti-oxidative and anti-cancer activities. Yacon concentrates were added to make five different pan breads, each with the addition 0% (YE 0), 25% (YE 25), 50% (YE 50), 75% (YE 75), and 100% (YE 100) of yacon concentrates instead of sugar. The higher the yacon concentration in the dough, the more time was needed for the dough to rise. Higher yacon concentration also affected the color of the bread by lowering the L-value and raising the a and b values. The hardness and chewiness of the bread significantly decreased with increasing yacon concentration, while cohesiveness increased. In the bread sensory evaluation, the intensity of crust color, crumb color, yacon flavor, sweetness, yacon taste, moistness, and residual mouth feel were increased with increasing yacon concentrates, while the uniformity of crumb pores slightly decreased. The consumer acceptance of taste, flavor, texture, and overall acceptance were increased with increasing yacon concentrations. As a conclusion, the substitution of yacon concentrates for sugar improved bread quality and increased consumer acceptance.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
• /
• v.26 no.4
• /
• pp.857-864
• /
• 2013

This study was investigated the effects of heat treatment on polyphenolic compounds and antioxidant activities of yacon. Raw yacon was heated at $100^{\circ}C$ and $121^{\circ}C$ for 15, 30, or 60 min by using an autoclave. The browning intensity, levels of free and bound phenolic and flavonoid compounds, and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl(DPPH) and 2,2-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)(ABTS) radical-scavenging activity of yacon extracts following heat treatment were measured. The browning index, free polyphenolic content, and antioxidant activities in the extracts were significantly increased (p<0.05) with both increased heating temperature and time, while bound polyphenolic levels were decreased. The levels of free phenolic and flavonoid compounds in the yacon extract heated to $121^{\circ}C$ for 60 min were increased by 1.2 and 1.1 folds compared to raw yacon respectively. Moreover, DPPH and ABTS radical-scavenging activities of the yacon heated to $121^{\circ}C$ for 60 min were 1.7 fold and 2.0 fold higher, respectively, than those of raw yacon. A significant (p<0.01) correlation was observed among browning intensity, free and bound phenolic and flavonoid levels, and DPPH and ABTS radical-scavenging activities in heated yacon extract. Thus, heat treatment can be used as a method to enhance the antioxidant compound content in and the antioxidant activity of yacon.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.41 no.7
• /
• pp.921-926
• /
• 2012

The objective of this study was to investigate the quality characteristics of blanched and non-blanched yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius) soaked in Doenjang sauce. The yacon was treated by blanching ($100^{\circ}C$, 4 min), then soaked in Doenjang sauce at $20^{\circ}C$. The pH and total acidity of blanched yacon were not changed significantly after 42 days of soaking. But, the pH and total acidity of non-blanched yacon were rapidly increased and decreased, respectively. The salinity of blanched yacon was higher than that of non-blanched yacon until 35 days. Also, the $Brix^{\circ}$ of blanched yacon was higher than that of non-blanched yacon from 7 days to 35 days. Textural properties of both non-blanched and blanched yacon showed that hardness increased until 21 days but decreased afterwards. The total polyphenol contents of non-blanched yacon decreased after 14 days, but blanched yacon remained constant. The DPPH radical scavenging activity of both blanched and non-blanched yacon decreased gradually as aging continued in the Doenjang sauce. There were no significant differences in sensory characteristics between blanched and non-blanched yacon soaked in Doenjang sauce.