• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.154-163
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• 2008

The methanol extract of stem barks of Careya arborea Roxb. (MECA) (Family- Myrtaceae) was evaluated for antitumor activity and antioxidant status against Ehrlich's Ascites Carcinoma (EAC) bearing Swiss albino mice. After 24 h of tumor inoculation the MECA was administered at the doses of 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg body weight/mice/day for 14 days. After the last dose and 18 h fasting mice were sacrificed. The effect of MECA on the growth of transplantable murine tumor, life span of EAC bearing hosts, hematological profiles, serum and liver biochemical parameters were estimated. The MECA showed significant (P < 0.01) decrease in ascites volume, packed cell volume and viable cell count and prolonged the life span of EAC tumor bearing mice. Hematological profiles reverted to more or less normal levels in extract treated mice. The MECA also produced protective effect by decreasing the activity of serum enzymes, bilirubin and increase the protein and uric acid levels. MECA significantly (P < 0.05) decreased the levels of lipid peroxidation, while significantly (P < 0.05) increased the levels of glutathione content, vitamin C, vitamin E, superoxide dismutase and catalase CAT. The results indicate that MECA exhibited significant antitumor and antioxidant activity in EAC bearing mice.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.138-146
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• 1974

The present study was undertaken to investigate the nutritive value of various defatted oil-seed flours in the diet by studying the effect of alternative diets on growing rats, to attention growth, food intake, weight of organs and the levels of total cholesterol, phospholipid and triglyceride in serum and liver tissue. Sixty male Albino rats (Splague Dowley) weighing 47-55 g were divided into five experimental groups and one control group of ten each, and were fed for 24 weeks with the respective diets. Each of five different diets was supplemented with defatted flours as dietary protein sources. Four of other diets were composed of 7.5 sesame seed, rapeseed, sunflower seed and cottonseed flour respectively, with the same amount of defatted soybean flour, while the fifth diet tested was prepared with 15% soybean flour. The results of this study were as follows. 1) It was noteworthy that the five defatted oilseed flour diets demonstrated much improvement of nutritive value. Sesame seed flour and sunflower seed flour, especially appeared to be worthwhile as human foods. 2) From the results of biochemical tests of the serum and liver lipid content of Albino rats, after feeding with the respective diets, it can be concluded that, from a nutritional point of view, the toxic effects of oilseed flours like rapeseed and cottonseed flour, which contain toxic substances, are reduced when they are mixed with soybean flour.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.397-402
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• 2009

Kombucha tea(KT) is sugared black tea fermented with a symbiotic culture of acetic acid bacteria and yeasts, which is said to be tea fungus. KT is claimed to have various beneficial effects on human health, but there is very little scientific evidence available in the literature. In the present study, KT along with black tea(BT) and black tea manufactured with tea fungus enzymes(enzyme-processed tea, ET) were evaluated for hepatoprotective and curative properties against $CCl_4$-induced toxicity, using male albino rats as an experimental model by analyzing aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase, and alkaline phosphatase in plasma and malondialdehyde content in plasma and liver tissues. Histopathological analysis of liver tissue was also included. Results showed that BT, ET, and KT have the potential to revert the $CCl_4$-induced hepatotoxicity. Among the three types of teas tried, KT was found to be more efficient than BT and ET. Antioxidant molecules produced during the fermentation period could be the reason for the efficient hepatoprotective and curative properties of KT against $CCl_4$-induced hepatotoxicity.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.54-60
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• 2007

The plant Ichnocarpus frutescens (Linn) R.Br. (Family-Apocynaceae) has been indicated for the treatment of various diseases, one amongst it is cancer. The purpose of this study was to investigate experimentally the possible antitumor activity and antioxidant role of Ichnocarpus frutescens in the mice transplanted with Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC). The chloroform and methanol extract of whole plant of Ichnocarpus frutescens (CEIF and MEIF) were administered intraperitoneally at the dose of 150 mg/kg and 300 mg/kg, body weight per day for 7 days after 24 h of tumor inoculation in mice. Treatment with CEIF at the dose of 150 mg/kg and 300 mg/kg remarkably decreased the tumor volume, packed cell volume, viable cell count and increased the nonviable cell count of EAC tumor bearing mice when compared to e effect of MEIF at 150 mg/kg and 300 mg/kg. Further the EAC mice treated with CEIF and MEIF showed significant decrease in the level of lipid peroxidation and significant increase in the level of antioxidant enzymes such as glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), however the decreasing and increasing capacity of CEIF was less in both doses as compared to MEIF. Based on these results, it can be concluded that the chloroform and methanol extact of Ichnocarpus frutescens exhibit significant antitumor and antioxidant activity in EAC bearing mice.

• Korean Journal of Ichthyology
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.167-172
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• 2008

The Korean bitterling, Acheilognathus signifer (Osteichthyes Cyprinidae), is an endemic and endangered species in Korea. During developmental stages, a small number of oculocutaneous albinism (with colorless body and eyeballs) were observed in the species. In order to investigate histological differences between normal and albinic bitterling, the dorsal skin and choroid-retina of the eyes were taken. The skin and eyes of normal and albino bitterling were similar in structure except for the presence or density of pigment cells. In normal bitterling, the epidermal melanocytes and dermal melanophores were abundantly developed in both the skin and epidermis of the eyes. But in the albino, the dorsal skin had few melanins, and the pigment cells over the choroid-retina pigment epithelium and iris of the eye were very small.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.215-221
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• 2006

Gibberella zeae (anamorph: Fusarium graminearum) is an important pathogen of cereal crops. This fungus produces a broad range of secondary metabolites, including polyketides such as aurofusarin (a red pigment) and zearalenone (an estrogenic mycotoxin), which are important mycological characteristics of this species. A screen of G. zeae insertional mutants, generated using a restriction enzyme-mediated integration (REMI) procedure, led to the isolation of a mutant (Z43R606) that produced neither aurofusarin nor zearalenone yet showed normal female fertility and virulence on host plants. Outcrossing analysis confirmed that both the albino and zearalenone-deficient mutations are linked to the insertional vector in Z43R606. Molecular characterization of Z43R606 revealed a deletion of at least 220 kb of the genome at the vector insertion site, including the gene clusters required for the biosynthesis of aurofusarin and zearalenone, respectively. A re-creation of the insertional event of Z43R606 in the wild-type strain demonstrated that the 220-kb deletion is responsible for the phenotypic changes in Z43R606 and that a large region of genomic DNA can be efficiently deleted in G. zeae by double homologous recombination. The results showed that 52 putative genes located in the deleted genomic region are not essential for phenotypes other than the production of both aurofusarin and zearalenone. This is the first report of the molecular characterization of a large genomic deletion in G. zeae mediated by the REMI procedure.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.223-230
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• 1998

The effect of an ethanolic extract of the plant Trianthema portulacastrum L. on the $CCI_4$-induced chronic hepatocellular damage of Swiss albino mice has been investigated. The normal mice received olive oil (0.2 ml/mouse) for five weeks. The $CCI_4$ control mice, on the other hand, received $CCI_4$ (0.05 ml/mouse) in olive oil for five weeks. The extract was administered at the dose of 100 mg/kg or 150 mg/kg for five weeks by gastric intubation in addition to $CCI_4$ treatment. The $CCI_4$ administraction alone caused hepatocellular necrosis, severe anemia, leucopaenia, lymphocytopaenia, neutrophilia, eosinophilia and haemoglobinaemia along with the alterations of plasma albumin and globulin. The administration of plant extract (at 100 or 150 mg/kg) restored the $CCI_4$-induced alterations of the haematological parameters to the normal level. The extract of T. portulacastrum elicited a marked protection against $CCI_4$-induced hepatotoxicity as indicated by the several haematological parameters, related indices of formed elements, and different fractions of plasma protein. We also observed the dose-dependent antihepatotoxic effect of the extraction on these mice. The 150 mg/kg of extract was found to be more effective in normalizing the toxic effects of $CCI_4$ on the above parameters of mice. These results suggest that the hepatoprotective effect of T. poltulacastrum could be caused by its critical involvement in modulating several factors associated with erythropoiesis, and the boosting of general immunity of the host.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.365-369
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• 2014

Cedrus deodara (Pinaceae) has been used traditionally in Ayurveda for the treatment of central nervous system disorders. 3,4-bis(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)furan-2,5-dione (BDFD) was isolated from heart wood of Cedrus deodara and was shown to have antiepileptic and anxiolytic activity. Thus, the present study was aimed to explore its anti-depressant effect and to correlate the effect with serotonin and nor adrenaline levels of brain. Albino mice were used as experimental animal. Animals were divided in to three groups; vehicle control, imipramine (30 mg/kg i.p.), BDFD (100 mg/kg i.p.). Tail suspension test (TST) and forced swim test (FST) was performed to evaluate antidepressant effect of BDFD. BDFD (100 mg/kg, i.p.) showed a significant decrease in immobility time when subjected to FST whereas immobility time was not significantly altered in TST. BDFD treatment increased serotonin and noradrenaline levels in the brain which is indicative of BDFD having possible atypical antidepressant action.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.23-36
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• 1983

This study was devised to observe the nutritional effects of the diets supplemented with the leaf or trunk in rats. The male albino rats (110 heads), Sprague-Dowley strain weighing 75g to 79g, were used as the experimental aninl mils. The animals were divided into twelve diet groups and maintained with corresponding diet for 40 days, and then sacrificed. The growth rate, the consumption and efficiency ratios of the food and protein, the absorption rates of carbohydrate, lipid and protein, and the utilization rates of energy were determined during the feeding term. The results obtained are summarized as follows: 1) The growth rate, the consumption and efficiency ratios of the food and protein in each experimental diet group added ginseng steamed leaf or trunk were higher than those in experimental group A which has the diet supplemented with ginseng raw leaf of trunk. 2) The absorption rates of the carbohydrate were above 96%, higher than those or the control group, But those of fat, protein and the utilization rate of energy in each experimental diet group were generally lower than those in the control group.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.138-143
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• 2017

The antifungal activity of isolated lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from a locally fermented cereal, "Kunu", was tested against toxigenic Aspergillus flavus. The liquid refreshment, "Kunu", was prepared under hygienic condition using millet, sorghum, and the combination of the two grains. The antifungal potential of isolated LAB against toxigenic A. flavus was carried out using both in vitro and in vivo antifungal assays. The LAB count from prepared "Kunu" ranged from $2.80{\times}10^4CFU/mL$ to $4.10{\times}10^4CFU/mL$ and Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus delbrueckii, Lactobacillus fermentum, Pediococcus acidilactici, and Leuconostoc mesenteroides were the isolated bacteria. Inhibitory zones exhibited by LAB against toxigenic A. flavus ranged from 5.0 mm to 20.0 mm. The albino mice infected with toxigenic A. flavus showed sluggishness, decrease in body weight, distortion of hair, and presence of blood in their stool, while those treated with LAB after infection were recovered and active like those in control groups. Except for the white blood cell that was increased in the infected mice as $6.73mm^3$, the packed cell volume, hemoglobin, and red blood cell in infected animals were significantly reduced (P<0.05) to 29.28%, 10.06%, and 4.28%, respectively, when compared to the treated mice with LAB and control groups. The antifungal activity of LAB against toxigenic A. flavus can be attributed to the antimicrobial metabolites. These metabolites can be extracted and used as biopreservatives in food products to substitute the use of chemical preservatives that is not appealing to consumers due to several side effects.