• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.1-18
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• 2013

Objectives: Korea has a dual medical system where traditional Korean Medicine (KM) and Western Medicine (WM) exist au equal terms with exclusive practice boundaries. The aim of this study was to identify complementary and substitute relationships between KM and WM in Korea. Methods: The data of 19,413 respondents were collected from the 2009 Korea Health Panel dataset. General characteristics and the medical utilization of respondents were analyzed descriptively. the Univariable Analysis was used to compare the factors that affected KM and WM utilization, and the Multivariable Analysis was applied to identify complementary or substitute relationships between the respondents' choices for KM and WM. The data were analyzed by the seven disease groups; diseases of nervous system, circulatory system, respiratory system, digestive system, skin and subcutaneous tissue, musculoskeletal system, and connective tissue, injury, poisoning and others. Results: 13.6% and 76.9% of respondents used KM and WM respectively last 12 mouths. 12.7% used both, and 0.9% used KM only. In overall, respondents who visited KM institutions used also WM. However, according to the analysis of choices of medical institutions, non-pharmacological KM treatment and WM has been used as a substitute for another in the diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue, diseases of the musculoskeletal system, and connective tissue, injury, poisoning and others. Conclusions: Despite some exceptional disease areas, Korean people use KM complementarily to WM, and this result can rationalize the recent Korean government policies encouraging the cooperation of KM and WM. This study can he used for the future policies development for KM service delivery.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.93-97
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• 2003

Alternative or complementary medicine plays an important role in health care system. Ginseng, being one of the most popular oriental herbs, is believed to contain various steroid hormone activity. Ginseng has been demonstrated pharmacological effect in the cardiovascular, endocrine, central nervous, and immune system. Our objective was to study that total saponin might mediate some of their actions by binding to the steroid hormone receptor, as they share many of the actions of steroid hormone in various physiological system. Using total saponin from Panax Ginseng, we have studied the possibility of total saponin being a potential estrogen receptor, androgen receptor, and retinoic acid receptor ligand. Total saponin activated the transcription of both the estrogen and androgen responsive luciferase reporter plasmids at a concentration of 100$\mu\textrm{g}$/ml in COS cells transiently transfected with the corresponding receptor and hormone responsive receptor plasmids. And total saponin caused a concentration-dependent stimulation of estrogen receptor. Total saponin increased the expression of estrogen responsive c-fos proto-oncogene at the protein level in MCF7 cells at 24 h treatment as examined by Western analysis. The c-fos induction was used as a specific marker of estrogen responsiveness. This activation was inhibited by the specific estrogen receptor antagonist, ICI 182,780. However, total saponin failed to activate the retinoic acid receptor in COS cells transiently transfected with the corresponding receptor and retinoic acid responsive reporter plasmids. These results show that total saponin is capable of activating estrogen and androgen receptors.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.114-125
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• 2024

Objectives: Network pharmacology is an analysis method that explores drug-centered efficacy and mechanism by constructing a compound-target-disease network based on system biology, and is attracting attention as a methodology for studying herbal medicine that has the characteristics for multi-compound therapeutics. Thus, we investigated the potential functions and pathways of Myrrha on Allergic Rhinitis (AR) via network pharmacology analysis and molecular docking. Methods: Using public databases and PubChem database, compounds of Myrrha and their target genes were collected. The putative target genes of Myrrha and known target genes of AR were compared and found the correlation. Then, the network was constructed using STRING database, and functional enrichment analysis was conducted based on the Gene Ontology (GO) Biological process and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) Pathways. Binding-Docking stimulation was performed using CB-Dock. Results: The result showed that total 3 compounds and 55 related genes were gathered from Myrrha. 33 genes were interacted with AR gene set, suggesting that the effects of Myrrha are closely related to AR. Target genes of Myrrha are considerably associated with various pathways including 'Fc epsilon RI signaling pathway' and 'JAK-STAT signaling pathway'. As a result of blinding docking, AKT1, which is involved in both mechanisms, had high binding energies for abietic acid and dehydroabietic acid, which are components of Myrrha. Conclusion: Through a network pharmacological method, Myrrha was predicted to have high relevance with AR by regulating AKT1. This study could be used as a basis for studying therapeutic effects of Myrrha on AR.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.1-27
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• 2023

Objectives : To investigate the modern research achievements of agarwood and its association with the efficacy of herbal medicine based on the in vivo and in vitro activities of volatile compounds detected in agarwood. Methods : Databases such as PubMed and ScienceOn were searched for medicinal in vivo and in vitro activity studies on agarwood. They were categorized into "medicine and pharmacy" and "others not related to medicine and pharmacy," and the studies on medicine and pharmacy were organized according to active efficacy. The efficacy and virtue of agarwood as identified in the book (or herbal medicine/herbology) corresponded to modern medical terms and diseases in reference to the . Separately, the Gas Chromatography & Mass spectrometer (GC-MS) analysis results of agarwood from a total of 5 production areas of Aquilaria crassna from Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Cambodia as identified in previous studies were consulted to search for research papers on the medicinal activity of the 13 compounds of the aromatic sesquiterpene family detected in agarwood, and they were categorized according to topic. Results : There were 123 studies on the medicinal activity of agarwood. Overall, 46 studies on single extracts of agarwood reported activities such as improving mental health, including anti-anxiety and stability, and antiallergic, antioxidant, antibacterial, and digestive system protective effects. In total, 59 papers on the activities of single compounds isolated from agarwood reported anti-inflammatory and mental health benefits. Separately, 13 compounds detected in agarwood, such as α-agarofuran and β-caryophyllene, were reported by 110 studies to have anticancer, stabilizing, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory activities. There were also papers on the cultivation methods and resin formation conditions of agarwood trees unrelated to the efficacy of herbal medicine. Conclusion : Among the pharmacological papers, a total of 57 papers corresponded to the effects of agarwood in traditional herbal medicine, including 33 papers related to agarwood extracts and 24 papers analyzing 8 types of sesquiterpenes, such as β-caryophyllene and cedrol, from previous studies. Based on the research findings of each paper, it was possible to correlate the effects of agarwood in traditional herbal medicine with the achievements of modern pharmacological research. In addition, further research is anticipated in new areas related to traditional herbal medicine, including the improvement of mental health such as anti-depression, as well as activities related to anticancer, antioxidant, and hair growth.

• Advances in nano research
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.451-466
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• 2023

Gastrointestinal cancer (GC) is a prevalent malignant tumor of the digestive system that poses a severe health risk to humans. Due to the specific organ structure of the gastrointestinal system, both endoscopic and MRI diagnoses of GIC have limited sensitivity. The primary factors influencing curative efficacy in GIC patients are drug inefficacy and high recurrence rates in surgical and pharmacological therapy. Due to its unique optical features, good biocompatibility, surface effects, and small size effects, nanotechnology is a developing and advanced area of study for the detection and treatment of cancer. Because of its deep location and complex surgery, diagnosing and treating gastrointestinal cancer is very difficult. The early diagnosis and urgent treatment of gastrointestinal illness are enabled by nanotechnology. As diagnostic and therapeutic tools, nanoparticles directly target tumor cells, allowing their detection and removal. XGBoost was used as a classification method known for achieving numerous winning solutions in data analysis competitions, to capture nonlinear relations among many input variables and outcomes using the boosting approach to machine learning. The research sample included 300 GC patients, comprising 190 males (72.2% of the sample) and 110 women (27.8%). Using convolutional neural networks (CNN) and artificial neural networks (ANN)-EXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), the patients mean± SD age was 50.42 ± 13.06. High-risk behaviors (P = 0.070), age at diagnosis (P = 0.037), distant metastasis (P = 0.004), and tumor stage (P = 0.015) were shown to have a statistically significant link with GC patient survival. AUC was 0.92, sensitivity was 81.5%, specificity was 90.5%, and accuracy was 84.7 when analyzing stomach picture.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.98-105
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• 2009

Background: It has been recently noticed that type 2 diabetes (T2D), one of the most common metabolic diseases, causes a chronic low-grade inflammation and activation of the innate immune system that are closely involved in the pathogenesis of T2D. Cordyceps militaris, a traditional medicinal mushroom, produces a component compound, cordycepin (3'-deoxyadenosine). Cordycepin has been known to have many pharmacological activities including immunological stimulating, anti-cancer, and anti-infection activities. The molecular mechanisms of cordycepin in T2D are not clear. In the present study, we tested the role of cordycepin on the anti-diabetic effect and anti-inflammatory cascades in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. Methods: We confirmed the levels of diabetes regulating genes mRNA and protein of cytokines through RT-PCR and western blot analysis and followed by FACS analysis for the surface molecules. Results: Cordycepin inhibited the production of NO and pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-$1{\beta}$, IL-6, and TNF-${\alpha}$ in LPS-activated macrophages via suppressing protein expression of pro-inflammatory mediators. T2D regulating genes such as $11{\beta}$-HSD1 and PPAR${\gamma}$ were decreased as well as expression of co-stimulatory molecules such as ICAM-1 and B7-1/-2 were also decreased with the increment of its concentration. In accordance with suppressed pro-inflammatory cytokine production lead to inhibition of diabetic regulating genes in activated macrophages. Cordycepin suppressed NF-${\kappa}B$ activation in LPS-activated macrophages. Conclusion: Based on these observations, cordycepin suppressed T2D regulating genes through the inactivation of NF-${\kappa}B$ dependent inflammatory responses and suggesting that cordycepin will provide potential use as an immunomodulatory agent for treating immunological diseases.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.31 no.9
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• pp.845-854
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• 1998

Background: S-2-(3 aminoprophlamino) ethylphosphorothioic acid(WR-2721) is one of the radical scavenging thiols. We tested its protective effects in the reperfused heart. Material and Method: The experimental setup was the constant pressure Langendorffs perfusion system. We investigated the radical scavenging properties of this compound in isolated rat hearts which were exposed to 20 minutes ischemia and 20 minutes reperfusion. Four experimental groups were used:group I, control, Amifostine 50 mg(1 mL) peritoneal injection 30 minutes before ischemia(group II), Amifostine 10 mg(0.2 mL) injection during ischemia through coronary artery(group III),and Amifostine 50 mg(1 mL) peritoneal injection 2 hrs before ischemia(group IV). The experimental parameters were the levels of latate, CK-MB, and adenosine deaminase(ADA) in frozen myocardium, the quantity of coronary flow,and left ventricular developed pressure, and it's dp/dt. Statistical analysis was performed using repeated measured analysis of variance and student t-test. Result: The coronary flow of group II and IV were less than group I and III at equilibrium state but recovery of coronary flow at reperfusion state of group II, III, and IV were more increased compared with group I. The change of systolic left ventricular devoloping pressure of group II and IV were less than control group at equilibrium state, which seemed to be the influence of the pharmacological hypotensive effect of amifostine. But it was higher compared with group I at reperfusion state. The lactic acid contents of group II were less than control group in frozen myocardium.(Group I was 0.20 0.29 mM/g vs Group II, which was 0.10 0.11 mM/g). The quantity of CK-MB in myocardial tissue was highest in group IV (P=0.026 I: 120.0 97.8 U/L vs IV: 242.2 79.15 U/L). The adenosine deaminase contents in the coronary flow and frozen myocardium were not significantly different among each group. Conclusion: Amifostine seemed to have significant cardioprotective effect during ischemia and reperfusion injuries of myocardium.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2023.04a
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• pp.16-16
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• 2023

Metabolomics is the study of global metabolite profiles in a system (cell, tissue, or organism) under a given set of conditions. Metabolomics has its roots in early metabolite profiling studies but is now a rapidly expanding area of scientific research in its own right. In this study, the applications of metabolomics in natural product studies are explored. Ginseng is a well-known herbal medicine and has various pharmacological effects, which include antiaging, anticancer, antifatigue, memory enhancing, immunomodulatory, and stress reducing effects. Metabolomic analysis of organic acids has not been performed for evaluation whether ginseng has been cultivated using conventional or environmental-friendly farming methods. In this study, profiling analysis was conducted for organic acids (OAs) in ginseng roots produced using conventional or environmentfriendly farming methods at five locations in each of five regions. In OA profiles, lactic acid was the most abundant OA in all regions, with the exception for environmentally friendly farmed ginseng in two of the five regions, in which glycolic acid was most abundant OA. OA profiles in all regions showed isocitric acid levels were increased by environment-friendly cultivation, which suggests metabolic differences associated from farming method, and that isocitric acid might be a useful discriminatory biomarker of environmental-friendly and conventional cultivation. The results of the present study suggest metabolomic studies of OAs in ginseng roots might be useful for monitoring whether ginseng has been cultivated using conventional or environmentally friendly farming methods.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.220-228
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• 2024

Background: Panax ginseng, one of the valuable perennial medicinal plants, stores numerous pharmacological substrates in its storage roots. Given its perennial growth habit, organ regeneration occurs each year, and cambium stem cell activity is necessary for secondary growth and storage root formation. Cytokinin (CK) is a phytohormone involved in the maintenance of meristematic cells for the development of storage organs; however, its physiological role in storage-root secondary growth remains unknown. Methods: Exogenous CK was repeatedly applied to P. ginseng, and morphological and histological changes were observed. RNA-seq analysis was used to elucidate the transcriptional network of CK that regulates P. ginseng growth and development. The HISTIDINE KINASE 3 (PgHK3) and RESPONSE REGULATOR 2 (PgRR2) genes were cloned in P. ginseng and functionally analyzed in Arabidopsis as a two-component system involved in CK signaling. Results: Phenotypic and histological analyses showed that CK increased cambium activity and dormant axillary bud formation in P. ginseng, thus promoting storage-root secondary growth and bud formation. The evolutionarily conserved two-component signaling pathways in P. ginseng were sufficient to restore CK signaling in the Arabidopsis ahk2/3 double mutant and rescue its growth defects. Finally, RNA-seq analysis of CK-treated P. ginseng roots revealed that plant-type cell wall biogenesis-related genes are tightly connected with mitotic cell division, cytokinesis, and auxin signaling to regulate CK-mediated P. ginseng development. Conclusion: Overall, we identified the CK signaling-related two-component systems and their physiological role in P. ginseng. This scientific information has the potential to significantly improve the field-cultivation and biotechnology-based breeding of ginseng.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.41 no.10
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• pp.1378-1387
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• 2012

To investigate the pharmacological activity of chaga mushroom (Inonotus obliquus) on extraction conditions, chaga was extracted using water (reflux at $50^{\circ}C$, decoction over $90^{\circ}C$, pressure at $121^{\circ}C$) or ethanol (reflux at 50, 70, or $90^{\circ}C$). When water extract was further fractionated into crude polysaccharide (IO-CP), yields of IO-CP (4.8~16.8%) were higher than those of ethanolic extracts (IO-E, 1.9~2.7%) at increased temperature. For antioxidant activity, crude polysaccharide (IO-CP-121) obtained by pressurized extraction showed the highest polyphenolic and flavonoid contents (35.10 mg TAE/g and 18.48 mg QE/g, respectively) as well as DPPH and ABTS free radical scavenging activities (26.08 and 27.99 mg AEAC/100 mg, respectively). Meanwhile, IO-CP-D (decoction) and IO-CP-50 (reflux) had more potent mitogenic effects (2.10- and 1.95-fold of saline control at 100 ${\mu}g/mL$) as well as intestinal immune system modulating activities (6.30- and 5.74-fold) compared to IO-CP-121, whereas ethanolic extracts showed no activity. Although no IO-CP showed cytotoxicity against RAW 264.7 cells at 0.1 mg/mL, IO-CP-121 significantly inhibited TNF-${\alpha}$ and NO production as pro-inflammatory factors in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells (29.2 and 63.5%, respectively). Ethanolic extracts also showed no cytotoxicity at 0.1 mg/mL, whereas inhibition of TNF-${\alpha}$ and NO production was significantly low compared to that of IO-CP-121. In addition, active IO-CP-D was further fractionated into an unadsorbed (IO-CP-I) and seven adsorbed fractions (IO-CP-II~VIII) by DEAE-Sepharose CL-6B column chromatography in order to isolate immunostimulating polysaccharide. IO-CP-II showed the most potent mitogenic effect and macrophage stimulating activity (4.51- and 1.64-fold, respectively). IO-CP-II mainly contained neutral sugars (61.86%) in addition to a small amount of uronic acid (2.96%), and component sugar analysis showed that IO-CP-II consisted mainly of Glc, Gal, and Man (molar ratio of 1.00:0.55:0.31). Therefore, extraction conditions affect the physiological activity of chaga, and immunostimulating polysaccharide fractionated from chaga by decoction is composed mainly of neutral sugars.