• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.306-312
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• 2002

Aldose reductase, the key enzyme of the polyol pathway, is known to play important roles in the diabetic complication. The inhibitors of aldose reductase, therefore, would be potential agents for the prevention of diabetic complications. To evaluate active principles for the inhibition of aldose reductase from the rhizomes of Belamcanda chinensis, twelve phenolic compounds were isolated and tested for their effects on rat lens aldose reductase. As a result, isoflavones such as tectorigenin, irigenin and their glucosides were found to show a strong aldose reductase inhibition. Tectoridin and tectorigenin, exhibited the highest aldose reductase inhibitory potency, their $IC_{50}$ values, being $1.08{\times}10^{-6}{\;}M{\;}and{\;}1.12{\times}10^{-6}{\;}M$, respectively, for DL-glyceraldehyde as a substrate. Both compounds, when administered orally at 100 mg/kg for 10 consecutive days to streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats, caused a significant inhibition of sorbitol accumulation in the tissues such as lens, sciatic nerves and red blood cells. Tectorigenin showed a stronger inhibitory activity than tectoridin. From these results, it is suggested that tectorigenin is attributed to be a promising compound for the prevention and/or treatment of diabetic complications.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.331-336
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• 1994

The ether extract from the roots of angelica clahurica was found to inhibit bovine lens aldose reductase (BLAR0 activity in vitro by 100% at 100.mu.g/ml. Systematic fractionation of the ether soluble fraction and subsequent active frctions monitorede by bioassy led to isolation of four furanocoumarins, isoimperatorin (I0, imperatorin (II), ter-O-methyl byakangelicin (III) and byakangelicin (IV), among which compound III and IV were identified as potential AR inhibitors, their $IC_{50}$ values being $2.8{\mu}M{\;}and{\;}6.2{\mu}M$, respectively. Galactosemic cataract formation tors, in rats treated with 40 g/kg/day of galactose was blocked almost completely throughout the exeprimental periods up to 44 days by i.p. administrations of byakangelicin (IV) at 50 mg/kg/day. In coincidence with the inhibitory action on cataract formation, the galactitol accumulation in rats treated with byakangelicin (IV) was found to be markedly prevented by approximately 80.5% compared to those of the contro. These results indicate that byakangelicin (IV), as a main principle of this plant, possesses high potential for a clinically useful drug of the future which prevents and/or improves sugar cataract as well as diabetic complications.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.423-428
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• 2010

The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vivo effect of galangin and the 70% ethanolic extract of Alpinia officinarum (AO) toward $KBrO_3$-induced DNA and chromosomal damage in mice. Galangin and AO inhibited the formation of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OH2'dG) as an indicator of DNA oxidative damage in the liver cell. Galangin and AO showed the inhibitory effect on the formation of DNA single strand break in the splenocyte by single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE) assay and also inhibited micronucleated reticulocyte (MNRET) formation of peripheral blood in tail blood of mice. Vit-E revealed antigenotoxic effects in DNA and chromosome levels, but galangin was more potent active compound compare to vit-E under our experimental conditions. The results suggest that the extract of Alpinia officinarum containing galangin can modify the oxidative DNA and chromosomal damage and may act as chemopreventive agent against oxidative stress in vivo.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.37-51
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• 1994

Empty cross-linked chitosan microcapsule was prepared by chemical cross-linking reaction using glutaraldehyde(GA). Chitosan bead was also prepared by coacervation method using sodium hydroxide. The technique involves the formation of a chitosan solution in the discontinuous phase of W/O emulsion. The factors influencing the emulsion stability have been examined to establish optimum conditions Chitosan microcapsules were useful for encapsulation of biological materials, and chitosan bead was useful to prepare the biologically active peptide-bound polysaccharide. As a model compound Gly-His-Lys, cell growth factor, was successfully coupled to chitosan bead.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.75-80
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• 1997

Preliminary antibacterial assay data that the Tectona grandis callus extract showed more antibacterial activity against E. coli and B. subtilis than the leaf extract led the authors to isolate the following antibacterial compounds from the callus. A mixture (3) of $2{\alpha},3{\beta}-dihydroxy-olean-12-en-28-oic$ acid (3a) and $2{\alpha},3{\beta}-dihydroxy-urs-12-en-28-oic$ acid (3b) exhibited the most potent antibacterial activity against both bacteria. The other 3 compounds, in the decreasing order of the activity, were identified as $2{\alpha},3{\beta}-dihydroxy-urs-12-en-28-oic$ acid (2), betulinic acid (1), and $2{\alpha},3{\alpha}$,23-trihydroxy-urs-12-en-28-oic acid (4). The antibacterial compounds (2, 3a, 3b and 4) were not detected or occurring in small quantities in the intact tissue, while they were observed in the callus. Only the less active compound 1 was present more abundantly in intact tissues than the callus.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.427-434
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• 2013

2R,3R-Butanediol, a volatile compound produced by certain rhizobacteria, is involved in induced drought tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana through mechanisms involving stomatal closure. In this study, we examined the involvement of nitric oxide and hydrogen peroxide in induced drought tolerance, because these are signaling agents in drought stress responses mediated by abscisic acid (ABA). Fluorescence-based assays showed that systemic nitric oxide and hydrogen peroxide production was induced by 2R,3R-butanediol and correlated with expression of genes encoding nitrate reductase and nitric oxide synthase. Co-treatment of 2R,3R-butanediol with an inhibitor of nitrate reductase or an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase lowered nitric oxide production and lessened induced drought tolerance. Increases in hydrogen peroxide were negated by co-treatment of 2R,3R-butanediol with inhibitors of NADPH oxidase, or peroxidase. These findings support the volatile 2R,3R-butanediol synthesized by certain rhizobacteria is an active player in induction of drought tolerance through mechanisms involving nitric oxide and hydrogen peroxide production.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.397-401
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• 2016

The quality control is a fundamental procedure for the standardization of herbal medicine to guarantee the consistency of efficacy and safety. For a long time, the quality analysis of herbal medicine has been largely dependent on the routine sensory evaluation, such as taste, smell, color, and shape. However, with the recent development of analytical instruments, various scientific approaches have been introduced in this field. On the basis of the theory that the biological activities of herbal medicine are mainly contributed by its chemical compositions, several types of chemical markers have been suggested for the quality evaluation. In addition to the analytical methods for the specific marker compound(s), including analytical marker and active marker, recently, chemical fingerprinting, a method comparing the chromatographic pattern of the whole chemical components, has been developed and widely accepted as a reliable approach for the quality control of herbal medicine. Moreover, in order to exactly understand the relationship between complex compounds and their holistic biological activities in herbal medicine, unique strategies, such as "BECCs (bioactive equivalent combinatorial components)" and "PhytomicsQC" have been established. In this article, we give an overview of the several categories of chemical markers and the recent research trends for the quality evaluation of herbal medicine.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.8
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• pp.4615-4619
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• 2013

Background: Artesunate, extracted from Artemisia annua, has been proven to have anti-cancer potential. Allicin, diallyl thiosulfinate, the main biologically active compound derived from garlic, is also of interest in cancer treatment research. This object of this report was to document synergistic effects of artesunate combined with allicin on osteosarcoma cell lines in vitro and in vivo. Methods: After treatment with artesunate and allicin at various concentrations, the viability of osteosarcoma cells was analyzed by MTT method, with assessment of invasion and motility, colony formation and apoptosis. Western Blotting was performed to determine the expression of caspase-3/9, and activity was also detected after drug treatment. Moreover, in a nude mouse model established with orthotopic xenograft tumors, tumor weight and volume were monitored after drug administration via the intraperitoneal (i.p.) route. Results: The viability of osteosarcoma cells in the combination group was significantly decreased in a concentration and time dependent manner; moreover, invasion, motility and colony formation ability were significantly suppressed and the apoptotic rate was significantly increased through caspase-3/9 expression and activity enhancement in the combination group. Furthermore, suppression of tumor growth was evident in vivo. Conclusion: Our results indicated that artesunate and allicin in combination exert synergistic effects on osteosarcoma cell proliferation and apoptosis.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.797-802
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• 2014

We screened a small molecular library that was designed and independently synthesized in vitro and found a new drug (MY-03-01) that is active against ovarian cancer. We established that MY-03-01 effectively inhibited SKOV-3 cell survival in a dose-dependent manner, based on cell viability rates, and that it not only induced SKOV-3 apoptosis by itself, but also did so synergistically with paclitaxel. Secondly, when MY-03-01 was applied at $40{\mu}M$, its hemolytic activity was less than 10%, compared with the control, and there was almost no damage to nor mal cells at this concentration. In addition, we used DAPI staining and flow cytometry to show that MY-03-01 could significantly induce apoptosis of SKOV-3 cells. Finally, we found that MY-03-01 likely induced SKOV-3 apoptosis by activating caspase3 and caspase9 through the mitochondrial pathway.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.2885-2889
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• 2013

Goniothalamin is an active compound extracted from Goniothalamus griffithii, a local plant found in northern Thailand. Goniothalamin inhibits cancer cell growth but is also toxic to normal cells. The aims of this study were to identify the cytotoxic effect of goniothalamin and the mechanism of cell death in human HL-60 and U937 cells. Cytotoxicity was determined by MTT assay and cell cycle profiles were demonstrated by staining with propidium iodide (PI) and flow cytometry. Apoptosis was confirmed by staining with annexin V-FITC/propidium iodide (PI) and flow cytometry. Reduction of mitochondrial transmembrane potential was determined by staining with dihexyloxacarbocyanine iodide and flow cytometry and expression of Smac, caspase-8 and -9 was demonstrated by Western blotting. Goniothalamin inhibited growth of HL-60 and U937 cell lines. An increase of SubG1 phase was found in their cell cycle profiles, indicating apoptosis as the mode of cell death. Apoptosis was confirmed by the flip-flop of phosphatidylserine using annexin V-FITC/PI assay in HL60 and U937 cells in a dose response manner. Furthermore, reduction of mitochondrial transmembrane potential was found in both cell types while expression of caspase-8, -9 and Smac/Diablo was increased in HL-60 cells. Taken together, our results indicate that goniothalamin-treated human leukemic cells undergo apoptosis via intrinsic and extrinsic pathways.