• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.120-126
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• 1988

HPLC analysis of three Prunus species, Armeniacae Semen. Persicae Semen, and Mume Semen, showed that 24. 06 mg/g, 5. 79 mg/g and 3/ 10 mg/g of amygdalin in the MeOH extract and 3. 59 mg/g, 5. 41 mg/g and 13. 48 mg/g of benzaldehyde in the MeOH extract hydrolyzed with ${\beta}-glucosidase$ were contained respectively. The MeOH extract of Mume Semen showed strong antibacterial activities against two species of bacteria (E. coli and B. subtilis) while that of Armeniacae Semen showed mild, and that of Persicae Semen showed no effect. Against A. niger, a strong antifungal activity was observed with Armeniacae Semen and only mild activities with Persicae Semen and Mume Semen. None oh the three inhibited the growth of S. cervisiae. The above results may possibly be suggestive of the correlationships between the contents of amygdalin and benzaldehyde in the test extracts with the antimicrobial potencies.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.42-47
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to compare the amygdalin content, alcohol content, pH, titratable acidity, and color of maesil wine prepared with two different manufacturing processes. Maesil wine was made from maesil chung, and maesil was preserved (MW1) or removed (MW2) before fermentation. During aging, amygdalin content in all the wines was gradually reduced, and the content of MW2 was less than that of the other. The alcohol content, pH, and titratable acidity ranged from around 9.87-10.94, 3.57-3.80, and 8.89-10.68%, respectively. The difference between the samples was not significant. For color, MW1 had lower L and higher a and b values than MW2. In this study, the difference in physicochemical properties according to the presence of maesil was not significant, indicating no degradation of the quality according to the manufacturing processes. However, the MW2 showed a reduction in amygdalin contents.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.629-635
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• 2018

In this study, the safety aspect of Maesil-cheongs with reduced amygdalin levels was investigated in terms of toxicokinetics and repeated oral toxicity. Plasma or UVC treatment was utilized to obtain Maesil-cheongs with reduced amygdalin levels. The toxicokinetic study demonstrated that the oral absorption of amygdalin decreased remarkably after a single-dose oral administration of both plasma- and UVC-treated Maesil-cheongs. The fourteen-day repeated oral toxicity study revealed that plasma- or UVC-treated Maesil-cheongs did not cause changes in body weight, food intake, water consumption, and absolute and relative organ weights. No significant effects on hematological and serum biochemical parameters were found. Histopathological examination showed no abnormality or toxicological change. These findings suggest that plasma- and UVC-treated Maesil-cheongs have no toxicity potential, and these processes will be useful to obtain products with safe, reduced amygdalin levels.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.91-98
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• 2013

Armeniacae semen (AS) has been considered a toxic herb in the Korean medicine as it contains hydrogen cyanide and amygdalin, especially in its endocarp. Therefore, prebrewed AS that is devoid of endocarp has been traditionally used. In the present study, amygdalin content of the prebrewed AS was significantly lower ($2.73{\pm}0.32{\mu}g/ml$; p<0.01) than the content in the extract that contained the endocarps ($28.50{\pm}6.71{\mu}g/ml$); amygdalin content corresponded to 10% of the extract in the present study. Because of single oral dose toxicity of prebrewed AS according to the recommendation of Korea Food and Drug Administration Guidelines (2009-116, 2009), which was based on single oral dose toxicity study of prebrewed AS, mortality due to toxic principles was significantly reduced. In this study, 2,000 mg/kg of prebrewed AS led to death of 1 female rat and 1 male rat at the end of 2 hr of administration. Based on these results, the 50% lethal dose in both male and female rats was determined to be 9279.5 mg/kg. Seizure, loss of locomotion, and increases in respiration and heart rate were observed as prebrewed AS treatment-related toxicological signs; these signs were restrictedly manifested in the prebrewed AS (2,000 mg/kg)-treated rats. In addition, no changes were observed in body weight, organ weight, gross features, and histopathological parameters with 2,000 mg/kg of AS in both male and female rats. These findings serve as direct evidence that amygdalin in AS is the toxic principle, which can be reduced by the traditional prebrewing method involving the exclusion of endocarp.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.202-211
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• 1996

Experiments were performed on male Sprague-Dawley rats to investigate the immunobiological effects on route of administration of amygdalin(AM). Rats were administered orally at 12.5, 25, or 50mg/kg/day of AM or injected wtih 25,50, or 100mg/kg/day of AM intravenously for 2 weeks. Rats were immunized and challenged with sheep red blood cells(SRBC). The results of this study were summarized as follows;(1) In oral administration of AM, body weight gains were significantly increased by 50mg/kg AM as compared with controls, the relative weights of liver and thymus also were significantly increased by 12.5 and 25mg/kg AM. However, 2-mercaptoethanol-resistant hemagglutination titier (2-MER HA), Plaque forming cells (PFC) and rosette forming cells (RFC) were non-dose dependently decreased. Phagocytic activity and delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) reaction also were significantly decreased by 50mg/kg AM. (2) In intravenous injection of AM, body weight gains, hemagglutination titer (HA), 2MER-HA, DTH reaction, PFC, RFC and circulating leukocytes were not influenced by AM. However, the relative weights of liver, spleen and thymus were significantly enhanced 100mg/kg AM. These results indicated that oral administration of AM non-dose dependently suppresses humoral and cell-mediated immunity in SD rats, and that intravenous injection of AM is unaffected humoral and cell-mediated immunity, however, the high dose of it significantly enhances phagocytic activity.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.126-130
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• 1989

In 14 kinds of ginsenosides in ginseng saponin, ginsenoside Rbr is contained the most abundantly. But ginsenoside Rd which is similar to ginsenoside R $b_1$in structure, was known to be superior to ginsenoside R $b_1$pharmaceutically. The convertible enzyme which can transform ginsenoside R $b_1$to Binsenoside Rd specifically among ginseng saponin, was purified homogeneously from Rhizopus japonicus. The optimal pH for the action of the enzyme was pH 4.8 to 5.0, and optimal temperature was 45$^{\circ}C$. The enzyme was stable in the range of pH 4.0 to 9.0, and the half activity of enzyme was remained by the thermal treatment at 6$0^{\circ}C$ for 2 hours. The enzyme activity was enhanced by addition of M $n^{++}$ or Fe, though inhibited by EDTA or o-phenanthroline. On the substrate specificity, the enzyme was. able to hydrolyze gentiobiose, cellobiose, amygdalin and prunasin, but not to hydrolyze any other kinds of Binsenosides besides Binsenoside R $b_1$. Km values of the enzyme for ginsenoside R $b_1$, gentiobiose and amygdalin were 5.0mM, 4.8mM and 3.7mM, respectively.3.7mM, respectively.y.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2000.10a
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• pp.241.1-241.1
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• 2000

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.395-400
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• 2007

Apricot Kernel, consumed as herbal medicine, contains amygdalin which generate HCN upon hydrolysis. Dyspnea was reported by ingesting large amount of apricot kernel, and neurological disorders such as tropic ataxic neuropathy or konzo were known as chronic toxicity of amygdalin. Other cyanogen containing plants, including flaxseed and almond, are consumed as food around the world. Moreover, some of them are promoted as functional food, leading to higher consumption, and posing health risk by cyanogenic components. The objective of this study was to find a method for the reduction of the cyanogenic compound, using apricot kernel as a model food. The most effective reduction was obtained by boiling the slices of the kernel for one hour in pH 1 HCl solution, showing 90% removal. However, the common process known to reduce the cyanogen contents, i.e., long incubation at the low temperature, did not show significant change in cyan concentration. Our data contribute to the safety of the plants containing cyanogenic compounds if they were to be developed as foodstuff.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.130-135
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• 2010

Picrate, enzyme-picrate and instrumental analysis methods using IC (Ion Chromatography) and HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography) were compared for their effectiveness in determining cyanide in extracts of Maesil, which is classified as a harmful substance. First, the picrate method showed the shortest analysis time (about 5 hr). The color of picrate paper changed at 0.01 mg/$200\;mL\;CN^-$. However, it was difficult to detect cyanide from amygdalin of glucosides. Second, we performed a qualitative analysis for total cyanide (free cyanide and cyanide from amygdalin) by the enzyme-picrate method using $\beta$-glucosidase and a quantitative analysis by spectrophotometry. Finally, analysis of cyanide by IC and HPLC required the longest determining time (about 17 hr) as well as pretreatment for each free cyanide and amygdalin. These results suggest that enzyme-picrate is the most effective analysis method for the detection of cyanide in Maesil extracts.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.17-24
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• 2013

Objectives : This study was to evaluate the single dose toxicity of Persicae Semen (PS) in ICR mice. Methods : Aqueous extracts of PS (Yield = 18.60%) were administered as an oral dose of 2,000, 1,000 and 500 mg/kg (body weight) according to the recommendation of Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) guidelines (2009-116, 2009). Animals were monitored for the mortality and changes in body weight, clinical signs and gross observation during 14 days after dosing, upon necropsy; organ weight and histopathology of 12 principle organs were examined. Results : Amygdalin contents in PS aqueous extracts were detected as $32.50{\pm}5.96{\mu}g/ml$. We could not find any PS extracts treatment related mortalities, clinical signs, changes on the body and organ weights, gross and histopathological observations up to 2,000 mg/kg in both female and male mice, except for transient and slight loss of locomotion detected in female and male mice treated with 2,000 mg/kg. In addition, pharmacological immunomodulatory effects related findings were also demonstrated in 2,000mg/kg treated female and male mice as hypertrophy and hyperplasia of lymphoid cells in the submandibular lymph nodes. Conclusions : Based on the results of this experiment, the approximate lethal dose (ALD) of PS extracts after single oral treatment in female and male mice were considered above 2,000 mg/kg, respectively. It should be carefully used in clinics because the possibilities of respiratory or neurological disorders were observed when administered over 2,000 mg/kg of PS extract related to amygdalin.