• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.21
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• pp.9049-9058
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• 2014

Casticin (3', 5-dihydroxy-3, 4', 6, 7-tetramethoxyflavone) is an active compound isolated from roots, stems, leaves, fruits and seeds of a variety of plants. It is well known for its pharmacological properties and has been utilized as an anti-hyperprolactinemia, anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotetective, analgesic and immunomodulatory agent. Recently, the anticancer activity of casticin has been extensively investigated. The resulkts showed that it exerts protective potential by targeting apoptosis, considered important for cancer therapies. In this article, our aim was to review the pharmacological and therapeutic applications of casticin with specific emphasis on its anticancer functions and related molecular mechanisms. Chemotherapeutic effects are dependent on multiple molecular pathways, which may provide a new perspective of casticin as a candidate anti-neoplastic drug. This review suggests that additional studies and preclinical trials are required to determine specific intracellular sites of action and derivative targets in order to fully understand the mechanisms of its antitumor activity and validate this compound as a medicinal agent for the prevention and treatment of various cancers.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.39-46
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• 2012

In Korea, the leaves of Sonchus brachyotus (Compositae), an edible mountainous vegetable, are traditionally used to treat hepatitis and hemorrhage and are known to have diuretic action. The aqueous ethanolic extract of this plant was selected in our screening experiment using the peroxynitrite ($ONO_2^-$)-scavenging assay, and the present study was performed to qualitatively and quantitatively identify the active compounds from S. brachyotus and validate the present high-permormance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with ultraviolet absorption detection method based on accuracy, precision and repeatability. Five phenolic substances including the main compound, luteolin $7-O-{\beta}-D$-glucuronopyranoside, as well as chlorogenic acid, luteolin 7-O-rutinoside, luteolin $7-O-{\beta}-D$-glucopyranoside, and luteolin, were found in the aqueous ethanolic extract of S. brachyotus. In the HPLC validation experiment, the linearity of the four compounds was established by $R^2$ values of more than 0.999 within the test ranges, and the recovery rate ranged from 98.2 - 105.3%. Luteolin 7-O-glucuronide was a predominant compound (143 mg/g of extract and 18.3 mg/g of the dry weight of plant material) with a potent peroxynitrite-scavenging effect ($IC_{50}$, $1.02{\pm}0.08{\mu}M$). Luteolin and its three glycosides together with chlorogenic acid were qualitatively and quantitatively determined using an HPLC method validated in the present study.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.317-325
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• 2019

Here, we designed to examine the anti-inflammatory effects on RAW264.7 cells and the immunosuppressive effects by evaluating interleukin-2 (IL-2) production in Jurkat T cells using a MeOH extract of Panax notoginseng roots. The results showed that the MeOH extract inhibited the synthesis of nitric oxide (NO) in a dose-dependent manner (IC₅₀ value of 7.08 ㎍/mL) and displayed effects on T cell activation at a concentration of 400 ㎍/mL. In efforts to identify the potent compounds, bioactivity-guided fractionation of the MeOH extract and chemical investigation of its active CH₂Cl₂-, EtOAc-, and butanol-soluble fractions led to the successful isolation and identification of eleven compounds, including two polyacetylenes (1, 2), a steroid saponin (3), seven dammarane-type ginsenosides (4 - 10), and an oleanane-type ginsenoside (11). Among them, compound 11 was isolated from this plant for the first time. Compound 2 exhibited potent inhibitory effects on NO synthesis and an immunosuppressive effect with IC₅₀ values of 2.28 and 65.57 μM, respectively.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.9
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• pp.4267-4273
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• 2016

Previous studies suggested that dithio-carbamates are potent apoptosis and anti-apoptosis inducing agents in various cancer cells. Here, the anti-proliferative and apoptosis inducing effects of a new derivative (2-NDC) from the dithio-carbamate family was examined in human leukemia K562 cells. We use thiazolyl blue tetrazolium bromide (MTT) to measure viability and cell growth inhibition. The 2-NDC showed effects on viability in a dose and time-dependent manner, inhibiting proliferation at concentrations of $10-30{\mu}M$ after 24-48 hours of treatment and increasing values after 72 hours at $40-120{\mu}M$. The cytotoxic effect of the compound was calculated with an $IC_{50}$ of $30{\mu}M$ after 24-hour. Apoptosis induction was confirmed by acridine orange-ethidium bromide (AO/EtBr) staining, DNA fragmentation assay, flow cytometric assessment and also caspase-3 activation assay. Furthermore, enzymes level such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) involved in oxidative stress were evaluated. The results of this study demonstrated insignificant increase of intracellular ROS levels for 24 hours and reduction after 48-72 hours. In addition to reduction of intracellular thiol, caspase-3 like activity was also decreased in a time-dependent manner in cells treated with 2-NDC. Thus 2-NDC can be considered as a good candidate for further pharmaceutical evaluations.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.279-285
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• 2003

In our ongoing study to identity antioxidants from natural sources, the antioxidant activity of Nelumbo nucifera stamens was evaluated for their potential to scavenge stable 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radicals, inhibit total reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, in kidney homogenates using 2 ,7 -dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCHF-DA), and scavenge authentic peroxynitrites ($ONOO^-$). A methanol (MeOH) extract of the stamens of N. nucifera showed strong antioxidant activity in the $ONOO^-$system, and marginal activity in the DPPH and total ROS systems, so were therefore fractionated with several organic solvents, such as dichloromethane ($CH_2 Cl_2$), ethyl acetate (EtOAc) and n-butanol (n-BuOH). The EtOAc soluble fraction, which exhibited strong antioxidant activity in all the model systems tested, was further purified by repeated silica gel and Sephadex LH-20 column chromatographies. Seven known flavonoids [kaempferol (1), kaempferol 3-Ο-$\beta$-D-glucuronopyranosyl methylester (2), kaempferol 3-Ο-$\beta$-D-glucopyranoside (3), kaempferol 3-Ο-$\beta$-D-galactopyranoside (4), myricetin 3 ,5 -dimethylether 3-Ο-$\beta$-D-glucopyranoside (5), kaempferol 3-Ο-$\alpha$-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1$\rightarrow$6)-$\beta$-D-glucopyranoside (6) and kaempferol 3-Ο-$\beta$-D-glucuronopyranoside (7)], along with $\beta$-sitosterol glucopyranoside (8), were isolated. Compound 1 possessed good activities in all the model systems tested. Compounds 2 and 7 showed scavenging activities in the DPPH and $ONOO^-$ tests, while compounds 3 and 4 were only active in the $ONOO^-$ test. Conversely, compound 8 showed no activities in any of the model systems tested.

• Proceedings of the Ginseng society Conference
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• 1987.06a
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• pp.29-37
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• 1987

This study was devised to observe the cytotoxlc activities of petroleum-ether extract of Panax ginseng root(crude Gx) and its partially purified fraction from silicon acid column chromatography(7:3 CX) against sarcoma-180(5-180) and Walker carcinosarcoma 256(Walker 256) in vivo, and murine leukemic lymphocytes(L1210) and human rectal cancer cell(HRT-18) and human colon cancer cells(HT-29 and HCT-48) in vitro . Each cell-line was cultured in medium containing serial concentrations of the crude Gx or 7:3 Gx in vitro. A highly lipid soluble compound in the extract of Panax ginseng root was cytocidal to murine leukemic cells and human colon and rectal cancer cells in vitro In the meantime, ginseng saponin derivatives did not cytotoxic effects at its corresponding concentration. The growth rates of the cancer cells in medium containing ginseng extracts were inhibited gradually to a significant degree roughly in proportion to the increase of the extract concentration. The cytotoxic activity of 7:3 Gx was about 3 times more potent than that of crude Gx, one unit of cytotoxic activity against L121f cells being equivalent to 2.54$\mu\textrm{g}$ and 0.88 $\mu\textrm{g}$ for the crude Gx and 7:3 Gx, respectively. The Rf value of the active compound on silica -gel thin layer chromatography with petroleum-ether/ethyl ether/acetic acid mixture (90:10:1, v/v/v) as a developing solvent was 0.23. The survival times of mice inoculated with S-180 cells were extended about 1.5 to 2 times by the 7:3 Gx treatment compared with their control group. The significantly decreased hemoglobin values of rats after inoculation with Walker 256 were recovered to normal range by oral administration of the crude Gx. The synthetic levels of protein, DNA and RNA in human colon and rectal cancer cells were significantly diminished by treatment with the crude Gx, which can explain a part of the origin of its anticancer activity.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.98-106
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• 2018

Panax ginseng has been used since ancient times based on the traditional Asian medicine theory and clinical experiences, and currently, is one of the most popular herbs in the world. To date, most of the studies concerning P. ginseng have focused on specific mechanisms of action of individual constituents. However, in spite of many studies on the molecular mechanisms of P. ginseng, it still remains unclear how multiple active ingredients of P. ginseng interact with multiple targets simultaneously, giving the multidimensional effects on various conditions and diseases. In order to decipher the systems-level mechanism of multiple ingredients of P. ginseng, a novel approach is needed beyond conventional reductive analysis. We aim to review the systems-level mechanism of P. ginseng by adopting novel analytical framework-network pharmacology. Here, we constructed a compound-target network of P. ginseng using experimentally validated and machine learning-based prediction results. The targets of the network were analyzed in terms of related biological process, pathways, and diseases. The majority of targets were found to be related with primary metabolic process, signal transduction, nitrogen compound metabolic process, blood circulation, immune system process, cell-cell signaling, biosynthetic process, and neurological system process. In pathway enrichment analysis of targets, mainly the terms related with neural activity showed significant enrichment and formed a cluster. Finally, relative degrees analysis for the target-disease association of P. ginseng revealed several categories of related diseases, including respiratory, psychiatric, and cardiovascular diseases.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.404-409
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• 2006

Cimicifuga racemosa (Black cohosh) has been used as therapeutics for pain and inflammation in Korean folk medicine. The potential effects of cimicifuga racemosa extract on mast cell dependent allergy reaction, however, have not been well elucidated yet. In the present study, we investigated the effect of cimicifuga racemosa extract on the allergy reaction using mast cell dependent in vivo and in vitro models. The oral administration of cimicifuga racemosa extract showed inhibitory potential on the compound 48/80 induced active systemic anaphylactic shock. cimicifuga racemosa extract also significantly inhibited the anti DNP IgE induced passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) reaction and acetic acid induced vascular permeability. In addition, cimicifuga racemosa extract inhibited the beta hexosaminidase release and TNF alpha and IL 4 mRNA induction by DNP HSA in rat leukemia mast cells, RBL 2H3. but cimicifuga racemosa extract didn't affected to RBL 2H3 cell viability. These results demonstrated that cimicifuga racemosa extract has an anti allergic potential and it may be due to the inhibition of histamine release and cytokine gene expression in the mast cells.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.274-281
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• 2016

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The accumulation of amyloid-${\beta}$ ($A{\beta}$) in the brain is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and plays a key role in cognitive dysfunction. Perilla frutescens var. japonica extract (PFE) and its major compound, rosmarinic acid (RA), have shown antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. We investigated whether administration of PFE and RA contributes to cognitive improvement in an $A{\beta}_{25-35}$-injected mouse model. MATERIALS/METHODS: Male ICR mice were intracerebroventricularly injected with aggregated $A{\beta}_{25-35}$ to induce AD. $A{\beta}_{25-35}$-injected mice were fed PFE (50 mg/kg/day) or RA (0.25 mg/kg/day) for 14 days and examined for learning and memory ability through the T-maze, object recognition, and Morris water maze test. RESULTS: Our present study demonstrated that PFE and RA administration significantly enhanced cognition function and object discrimination, which were impaired by $A{\beta}_{25-35}$, in the T-maze and object recognition tests, respectively. In addition, oral administration of PFE and RA decreased the time to reach the platform and increased the number of crossings over the removed platform when compared with the $A{\beta}_{25-35}$-induced control group in the Morris water maze test. Furthermore, PFE and RA significantly decreased the levels of nitric oxide (NO) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the brain, kidney, and liver. In particular, PFE markedly attenuated oxidative stress by inhibiting production of NO and MDA in the $A{\beta}_{25-35}$-injected mouse brain. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that PFE and its active compound RA have beneficial effects on cognitive improvement and may help prevent AD induced by $A{\beta}$.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 1998.11a
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• pp.159-160
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• 1998

Results of chemistry and biological activity of many years indicate that plants belonging to the Isodon genus are rich in ent-kaurane diterpenoids, which have been revealed to possess biological activities such as antitumor, antibacterial and antiinflammatory effects. In continuation of our research on diterpenoids in medicinal plants of this genus, the acetone extract from the leaves of I. xerophilus, which is a plant native to Yunnan province of China, showed potent antitumor activity against K562. After partition, the most active EtOAc part was studied. Four new diterpenoids named xerophilusin A(l), B(2), C(3), D(4), and eight known compounds including macrocalin B(5) and rabdorosthomin A(6) were isolated, whose structures were elucidated through a series of one- and two-dimensional NMR techniques(DEPT, COSY, HMQC, HMBC and ROESY experiments). Among them, compound 1, 2 and 5 had two unique epoxy units formed by two ether bridges from C-20 to C-7, C-14. Up to now, there are four compounds having such an peculiar structure besides these three compounds. Compound 3 and 4 were two of the few examples possessing $1{\beta}$ substitutes. All the diterpenoid compounds were subjected to the antitumor screening. It is interesting that only xerophilusin A(l), B(2) and macrocalin(5) exhibited significant antitumor activity against K562 by the method of MTT($IC_{50}$ were listed in Table 1.). The results inspired us to infer that the unique ether bridges from C-20 to C-7, C-14 possibly played an important role in the antitumor activity.