• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.235-243
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• 2012

We studied the effect of fermented Rhus verniciflua stem bark (FRVSB) extract (used in herbal med-icine by Koreans) on the microbial growth and enzyme activity of 12 soybean-fermenting microorganisms, including Bacillus spp., lactic acid bacteria, yeast, and other harmful bacteria. The ethanol and methanol extracts of FRVSB inhibited the growth of Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus licheniformis, Bacillus cereus, and Zygosaccharomyces rouxii, and in the disk diffusion assay, their inhibition zone diameters were 11.06-12.23, 12.32-18.38, 11.47-11.84, and 13.59-14.21 mm, respectively. The water extract did not show any inhibitory effect. In fact, the water extract addition enhanced the growth of B. subtilis and B. licheniformis by 1.3-4.5 fold and that of B. cereus by 1.2-1.4 fold. However, the water extract did not affect the growth of Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus mesenteroides, Saccharomyces cer-evisiae, and Escherichia coli. The addition of water extract increased the amylase and protease activity of B. subtilis and B. licheniformis.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.1564-1568
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• 2007

In this study fourteen ethanol extracts from Nepalese medicinal plants were screened for their in vitro antimicrobial and antiradical activity and their total phenolic content was evaluated. The antiradicalactivity was evaluated by free radical scavenging assay, using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl radical (DPPH). Plant extracts showed a wide range of radical scavenging activity, with $IC_50$ value ranging in between $5.38\; {\mu}g/\;mL$ - $429.61\;{\mu}g/mL$. Strong radical scavenging activity was shown by flower extract of Woodfordia fruticosa ($5.38\;{\mu}g/\;mL$) and stem bark extract of Azadirachta indica ($5.58 {\mu}g/\;mL$)that also contained high phenolic content. Most of the sample showed activity below the concentration of $100\; {\mu}g/mL$. For antimicrobial activity three test microorganisms namely Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus epidermidis, and Candida albicans were used. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the plant extracts was determined. Most of the plant extracts were effective against bacterial strains only at higher concentration ($800\;-\;1,600\;{\mu}g/mL$) but none of these were effective against Candida albicans below $1,600\;{\mu}g/mL$.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.128-134
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• 2001

Male Sprague-Dawley rats received either a cholesterol diet(Control group) or cholesterol diets supplemented with the water-soluble extract of stem bark from Morus alba(M group) or Cudrania tricuspidata(C group) at the level of 1% for 2 weeks. Concentrations of total cholesterol and phospholipid in serum of C group and triglyceride in serum of M group were lower than those of control group. Concentration of cholesterol in liver of M and C groups has a tendency to be lower than that of control group. Antioxidative activities of water-soluble extracts from stem bark of Morus alba and Cudrania tricuspidata on the peroxidation of lipid in tissues of rats were also studied in vivo by measuring the formation of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). Concentration of TBARS in kidney of M and C groups was significantly lower than control group. However, concentration of TBARS in liver and brain of C and M groups was significantly higher than in control group. The result that concentration of nonheme ion was significantly increased in liver of the mulberry supplemented groups comparision to control group, suggested that enhanced concentration of nonheme ion was associated with enhanced peroxidation of lipid in this group. Concentration of TBARS in microsomes of liver and brain in control group induced with $Fe^{2+}$/ascorbate increased by reaction time at $37^{\circ}C$, whereas this observation in liver did not occurred in C and M groups. This study suggested that water-extract from stem bark of Morus alba and Cudrania tricuspidata exert hypotriglycerolemic effect as well as antioxidative effect in kidney and liver microsomes in rats fed a cholesterol diet.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.36 no.12
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• pp.1517-1522
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• 2007

Inhibitory effects of allergic contact dermatitis of hot water extract of Duchung (Eucommia ulmoides Oliver) leaf, bark and stem growing at Sancheong-gun were investigated for female BALB/c mouse induced by repeat elicitation of DNCB (2,4-dinitro-chlorobenzene). Skin reactions, consisting of increased ear thickness and the presence of ear inflammation, were observed in mice treated with DNCB and Duchung. Weight of lymph node, spleen and thymus in mice treated with Duchung extracts were lower than that of mouse treated with DNCB. Ear weight of mouse treated with Duchung extracts was decreased by increasing the concentration of sample as compared to control group and dropped as low as control level at 1,000 mg/kg. Ear thickness became thinner as test time on Duchung extract progressed. MDA (malondialdehyde) contents in liver tissue were not different in sample group with DNCB group, but were different in ear tissue. NO (nitric oxide) contents was decreased in Duchung extract groups at serum and ear tissues as compared to 1% DNCB group. In the present study, the results suggested that Duchung extract inhibits inflammatory response and oxidative damage induced DNCB allergen.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.508-513
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• 2011

The bark of the root and stem of Ulmus davidiana var. japonica has been used as a traditional Korean medicine to treat inflammatory disorders. This plant reportedly shows antioxidant, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory effects. In this study, we investigated the protective effects of Ulmus davidiana var. japonica ethanolic extract (UDE) on UVB irradiation-induced wrinkle in hairless mice. We evaluated for their free radical-scavenging activities against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and the anti-elastase activities, and for their anti-matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) activity in human skin fibroblast cells. In the wrinkle measurement and image analysis of skin replicas, the results showed that UDE significantly inhibited wrinkle formation caused by chronic UVB irradiation. These results suggest that UDE has anti-wrinkle activity.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.89-94
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• 2014

Stem bark extracts of Fraxinus rhynchophylla Hance were found to contain two major bioactive components, esculetin and esculin. Esculetin substantially inhibited melanogenesis in B16F10 melanoma cells, with an $IC_{50}$ value of $2.8{\mu}M$, and reduced melanin synthesis in Melan-A cells. Moreover, esculetin suppressed melanin biosynthesis by inhibiting mushroom tyrosinase activity, with an $IC_{50}$ value of $40{\mu}M$. Taken together, these results suggest that esculetin could serve as an effective skin-lightening agent that inhibits melanin production by regulating the activity of melanogenic enzymes.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.31-37
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• 2005

The inhibitory activity against bisphenol-A (BPA), one of well-known endocrine disrupters was examined with the water extracts prepared from the Stem Bark of Syringa velutina (SBS). In this study, we have investigated the effect of SBS on the toxicity caused by BPA in human breast cancer cell line, MCF-7 cells and immature Sprague-Dawley rats. In the estrogen receptor-mediated proliferation assay using MCF-7 cells, BPA (16 ng/ml) induced the cell proliferation, but the water extract of SBS inhibited BPA-induced cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. These results are associated with PARP degradation and specific cleavage of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 of apoptotic regulatory factors. Additionally, the BPA (400 mg/100 g) significantly induced the increase of the uterine and virginal weights, while SBS (50 mg/100 g) showed the inhibitory action against BPA, i.e. caused the increase of estrogen-related organ weights in immature rat uterotrophic assay. Taken together, the present data suggest that SBS may have anti-toxicity activities against BPA in vitro and in vivo systems. SBS may be capable of inhibiting adverse effects of BPA such as reproductive disorder.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.25 no.11
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• pp.1298-1303
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• 2015

Machilus thunbergii (Lauraceae) is an evergreen tree cultivated in Korea and Japan. M. thunbergii has long been used as a traditional medicine in Korea, China, and Japan to treat various diseases, including edema, abdominal pain, and abdominal distension. In this study, dried stem bark of M. thunbergii extracted in methanol and extract was partitioned into n-hexane, CHCl₃, and BuOH. The CHCl₃-soluble extracts chromatographed on silica gel column using a CHCl₃/acetone and n-hexane/EtOAc mixture to afford Compound 1 and 2. Two dibenzylbutane lignans, macelignan (1) and meso-dihydroguaiaretic acid (2), were isolated from the CHCl₃-soluble extract of M. thunbergii stem bark. The structures of 1 and 2 were determined by ¹H- and ¹³C-NMR spectroscopic data analyses and a comparison with literature data. The tyrosinase inhibitory activity of the isolated compounds was evaluated. Among these compounds, Compound 2 strongly inhibited the monophenolase (IC₅₀=10.2 μM) activity of tyrosinase. A kinetic analysis showed that Compound 2 was a competitive inhibitor. The apparent inhibition constant (K_i) for Compound 2 binding to free enzyme was 4.8 μM. Based on these results, it can be concluded that meso-dihydroguaiaretic acid (2) is a potential candidate for the treatment of melanin biosynthesis-related skin diseases.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.698-704
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• 2009

To evaluate a potential possibility of Eucommia ulmoides Oliver as a functional food, ACE (angiotensin converting enzyme) inhibitory activities of leaf, bark, stem and 4 compounds isolated from E. ulmoides were tested. The 4 compounds were isolated and purified by silica gel column chromatography, thin layer chromatography and reverse phase column chromatography. Compound I was pinoresinol-4,4'di-O-${\beta}$-D-glucoside (PG) and compound II was dehydrodiconiferyl alcohol 4,${\gamma}$'-di-O-${\beta}$-D-glucopyranoside (DAG) originating from Eucommial Cortex. The highest amount of PC was present at raw and roasted bark as 135.13 mg% and 163.67 mg%, and the highest amount of DAG was present at raw and roasted leaf as 117.93 mg% and 133.93 mg% respectively. In an ACE inhibition test, 10 mg/ml of roasted leaf, raw and roasted bark extracts of E. ulmoides Oliver were 77.49%, 75.72% and 75.36% respectively, and 10mg/ml of PC and DAG were shown to be 78.51 and 81.20% respectively. $IC_{50}$ values of PG and DAG were 0.6${\pm}$0.2 and 0.5${\pm}$0.2 mg/ml respectively.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.322-327
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• 2006

Food constituents analysis of Acer tegmentosum. Maxim.(Acer TM) stem was carried out according to AOAC method, and the antiradical activity on DPPH and cytotoxicity on human cell lines (AGS, HepG2, A549, MCF-7 and Chang) for the 80% ethylalcohol(EtOH) extracts of Acer TM stem were studied. The antiradical activity on DPPH radical of the ethylacetate(EtOAc) fraction of the bark showed a higher activity than that of $\alpha$-tocopherol, ascorbic acid and BHT. The inhibition activity of the 80% EtOH extracts from Acer TM stem on human cancer cell lines by SRB assay indicated a dose-dependent growth inhibition on most human carcinoma cells. The growth inhibition rate of each human cancer cell line showed 91.3% to AGS, 75.0% to A549, 74.1% to HepG2, and 70.2% to MCF-7 cells, respectively, when the 80% EtOH extract(1 mg/ml) of Acer TM stem was added.