• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.13.1-13.8
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• 2018

Amyloid plaque, also called senile plaque, the product of aggregation of ${\beta}$-amyloid peptides ($A{\beta}$), is observed in brains of the patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and is one of the key factors in etiology of the disease. In this study, hydrolysates obtained from the sea hare (Aplysia kurodai) were investigated for ${\beta}$-secretase inhibitory peptide. The sea hare's muscle protein was hydrolyzed using six enzymes in a batch reactor. Trypsin hydrolysate had highest ${\beta}$-secretase inhibitory activity compared to the other hydrolysates. ${\beta}$-secretase inhibitory peptide was separated using Sephadex G-25 column chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography on a C18 column. ${\beta}$-secretase inhibitory peptide was identified as eight amino acid residues of Val-Ala-Ala-Leu-Met-Leu-Phe-Asn by N-terminal amino acid sequence analysis. $IC_{50}$ value of purified ${\beta}$-secretase inhibitory peptide was $74.25{\mu}M$, and Lineweaver-Burk plots suggested that the peptide purified from sea hare muscle protein acts as a competitive inhibitor against ${\beta}$-secretase. Results of this study suggest that peptides derived from sea hare muscle may be beneficial as anti-dementia compounds in functional foods or as pharmaceuticals.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.345-352
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• 2010

The present study was undertaken to explore the potential of erythropoietin in memory deficits of mice. Memory impairment was produced by scopolamine (0.5 mg/kg, $i.p.$) and intracerebroventricular streptozotocin (i.c.v STZ, 3 mg/kg, $10{\mu}l$, $1^{st}$ and $3^{rd}$ day) in separate groups of animals. Morris water-maze test was employed to assess learning and memory. The levels of brain thio-barbituric acid reactive species (TBARS) and reduced glutathione (GSH) were estimated to assess degree of oxidative stress. Brain acetylcholinesterase enzyme (AChE) activity was also measured. Scopolamine/streptozotocin administration induced significant impairment of learning and memory in mice as indicated by marked decrease in Morris water-maze performance. Scopolamine/streptozotocin administration also produced a significant enhancement of brain AChE activity and brain oxidative stress (an increase in TBARS and a decrease in GSH) levels. Treatment of erythropoietin (500 and 1,000 IU/Kg i.p.) significantly reversed scopolamine- as well as streptozotocin-induced learning and memory deficits along with attenuation of those-induced rise in brain AChE activity and brain oxidative stress levels. It may be concluded that erythropoietin exerts a beneficial effect in memory deficits of mice possibly through its multiple actions including potential anti-oxidative effect.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.448-462
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• 2020

Dietary nutrition is a critical lifestyle factor that can reduce the risk of future cognitive impairments caused by dementia. Accumulating evidence suggests that dietary supplementation with Sulforaphane may help the prevention of cognitive impairments and dementia. Thus, Sulforaphane-enriched broccoli extract would hold promise to improve cognitive impairments of dementia patients. Here, we have used broccoli extracts, prepared from broccoli cultivated in Magma Seawater, to test if the broccoli extracts can be dietary supplement to improve cognitive impairments. Magma Seawater originated from Jeju Island, Korea is unique in terms of containing high concentrations of usable minerals (Zinc, Vanadium and Germanium etc.). Broccoli, grown in Magma Seawater, would contain Sulforaphane and the extra amount of usable minerals. The chemical compositions of the broccoli extracts were analyzed using LC-Q-orbitrap to detect Sulforaphane and Glucoraphanin. Analysis method based on HPLC was developed for measurement of sulforaphane levels in the broccoli extracts. We have tested if the broccoli extracts have anti-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory effects on neuron-like SH-SY5Y cells. In addition, we examined if the broccoli extracts are able to upregulate expression of synaptic plasticity-associated proteins (BDNF and phospho-CREB) and to inhibit acetylcholine esterase (AchE) activity. We have shown that the broccoli extracts inhibited the apoptotic pathway and inflammatory responses. Finally, we present evidence showing that AchE activity was inhibited by the broccoli extracts, but expression of BDNF and phospho-CREB was upregulated. Taken together, these findings suggest that the broccoli extracts from Magma Seawater-grown broccoli would be a good source of dietary nutrition to improve cognitive impairments in the future.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.840-845
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• 2013

This study investigated the effects (i.e., the acetylcholinesterase activity, lipid peroxidation, and neuronal survival) of 20 kinds of medicinal water extracts. The water extracts of three medicinal plants - Cornus officinalis, Glycyrrhiza glabra, and Angelica gigas - were found to be the most effective on acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity. In the lipid peroxidation-generating system induced by $H_2O_2/FeSO_4$ in rat brain homogenates, Perilla frutescens, Polygonum multiflorum, Cinnamomun cassia, and G. glabra exhibited protective activity against lipid peroxidation. The neuronal cell death induced by L-glutamate in PC12 was suppressed by the water extracts of G. glabra, Cinnamomun cassia, Platycodon grandiflorum, and Mentha arvensis at the concentration of $100{\mu}g/mL$. Taken together, these results showed that the water extract of G. glabra has the potential anti-dementia activity, which suggests that it might provide an effective strategy for improving dementia.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.239-247
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• 2018

Chronic inflammation is known to have effects on various diseases such as gout, cancer, dementia, atopic disease, and obesity. In addition, since some signal cascades involved in the development of inflammation are known to affect the damage and aging of the skin tissue, studies are being conducted actively to control the inflammation mechanism. In order to mitigate or prevent inflammatory response, a number of researches have been made to develop anti-inflammatory materials from some plants. In particular, Stevia rebaudiana produces steviol glycosides (SG), a natural sweetener with a distinctive flavor. Studies on some of SG have been shown to have anti-inflammatory activity. Researchers of this study expected that more SG also possess anti-inflammatory activity, besides stevioside, rebaudioside A, and steviol. In order to confirm this possibility, the researchers screened inhibition activity of various steviol glucosides for NO production in RAW 264.7 cell lines. As a result, steviol ${\beta}-glucopyranosyl$ ester (SGE) showed the highest inhibitory activity among steviol derivatives treated at the same molar concentration. In addition, we found that mRNA expression level of $interleukin-1{\alpha}$ ($IL-1{\alpha}$), $interleukin-1{\beta}$ ($IL-1{\beta}$), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), nuclear factor kappa-light chain-enhancer of activated B cells ($NF-{\kappa}B$) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) was also decreased in a dose-dependent manner. These results show that SGE inhibits anti-inflammatory activity and NO production in mouse macrophage RAW 264.7 cells. It was confirmed that SGE has potential to be applied as an anti-inflammatory material.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.24 no.8
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• pp.1129-1137
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• 2017

The fringe tree, Chionanthus retusus (Oleaceae) has been used as a natural remedy that helps a paralytic stroke, dementia, phlegm and malaria. This study was conducted to investigate the antioxidant and anti-aging activities of water extracts obtained from the flesh of C. retusus by reflux extraction at room temperature and $80^{\circ}C$, and pressure heating extraction at $110^{\circ}C$, for an increment of their practical use. The highest extraction yield from the flesh of C. retusus was 67.94% extract by pressure heating extraction at $110^{\circ}C$. The content of total polyphenol compounds was the highest by 72.71 mg/g in $80^{\circ}C$ extract by reflux extraction. The highest content of total flavonoid compounds was 7.60 mg/g at $110^{\circ}C$ extract. The results of soluble protein and reducing sugar contents showed the highest content of 4.93 mg/g and 46.77 mg/g in $110^{\circ}C$ extract, respectively. In the analysis of DPPH radical scavenging activity, all extracts showed an excellent effect of 92% in 1.0 mg/mL concentration. The highest effect of ABTS radical scavenging activity was 88.67% at $110^{\circ}C$ extraction in 1.0 mg/mL concentration. Nitrite scavenging ability was the highest as 66.16% at $110^{\circ}C$ extract at pH 1.2 and 1.0 mg/mL concentration. The results of SOD-like activity and xanthine oxidase inhibition activities showed the highest effect of 14.95% and 59.45% at $110^{\circ}C$ extract in 1.0 mg/mL, respectively. Tyrosinase inhibition activity for whitening effect was the highest of 35.31% at $85^{\circ}C$ in 1.0 mg/mL. In the analysis of anti-aging effect, collagenase and elastase inhibition activity showed the highest effects of 37.78% at $110^{\circ}C$ and 20.39% at $80^{\circ}C$, respectively. All results of antioxidant activities and anti-aging effects increased along with the concentration increases. These results indicated that the extracts extracted from the flesh of C. retusus at $80^{\circ}C$ and $110^{\circ}C$ have a large amount of useful ingredients, an excellent antioxidant activity, like as DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activity, and anti-aging effects to develop functional products than those of $25^{\circ}C$.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.181-190
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• 2017

Functional foods are of great significance since our society is accelerating into aging. An aging society has many physiological metabolic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, dementia and geriatric diseases. Fundamental treatments for the elderly are almost impossible and the social burden is heavy. If these diseases can be prevented or alleviated by improving dietary habits using functional foods, the significance would be very large. Pomegranate has been found to have 124 different kinds of phytochemicals. Polyphenols have a wide range of protective effects including various physiological metabolic diseases and cancers. It is necessary to develop functional foods such as preservatives and food extenders which can contribute to food safety, required in the food industry, by using such bioactive substances. Pomegranates have been reported to decrease the impact of many serious illnesses. There is a considerable amount of bioactive substances in the peel of a pomegranate, which has potent anticancer, antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-apoptotic properties. Unfortunately, the peel is typically discarded after processing. Despite knowledge regarding the bioactive substances in the pomegranate peel and peel extracts, including their functionality and diversity, the knowledge is not well known by consumers in general. The aim of this study was to review up to date research trends for processing and developing new functional foods by utilizing nutritional functional substances, favourite food materials, and materials for processing food contained in pomegranate peels and pomegranate peel extracts. This study will summarize the data found in pomegranate peel and pomegranate peel extract literature mainly recently published in Science Direct. There are polyphenolic compounds (ellagitannins, punicalagin, proanthocyanidin, flavonoids, polysaccharides, etc.) in the fruit peel, making up about 50% of the pomegranate's weight. The polyphenol content of a pomegranate fruit peel is 149.91 mg/g, which is about 100 times higher than the juice. Paying attention to the fact that the ellagitannin content (14.22 mg/g) in the fruit peel is also twice as high as that of the fruit juice and seeds, that confirms the possibility of utilizing the peel as a food ingredient capable of developing new, functional bioactive foods.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.134-140
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• 2015

The present study aims to investigate the effect of methanol extract of Korean mistletoe (KM; Viscum album var. coloratum), on amyloid $\beta$ protein ($A\beta$) (25-35), a synthetic 25-35 amyloid peptide, -induced neurotoxicity in cultured rat cerebral cortical neurons and memory impairment in mice. Exposure of cultured neurons to $10{\mu}M$ $A\beta$ (25-35) for 24 h induced a neuronal cell death, which was measured by a 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and Hoechst 33342 staining. KM (10, 30 and $50{\mu}g/ml$) significantly inhibited the $A\beta$ (25-35)-induced apoptotic neuronal death. KM ($50{\mu}g/ml$) inhibited 10 μM Aβ (25-35)-induced elevation of intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca²⁺]_i), which was measured by a fluorescent dye, Fluo-4 AM. Glutamate release into medium and generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) induced by $10{\mu}M$ $A\beta$ (25-35) were also inhibited by KM (10, 30 and $50{\mu}g/ml$). These results suggest that KM may mitigate the $A\beta$ (25-35)-induced neurotoxicity by interfering with the increase of [Ca²⁺]_i and then inhibiting glutamate release and generation of ROS in cultured neurons. In addition, orally administered KM (25 and 50 mg/kg, 7 days) significantly prevented memory impairment induced by intracerebroventricular injection of $A\beta$ (25-35) (8 nmol). Taken together, it is suggested that anti-dementia effect of KM is due to its neuroprotective effect against $A\beta$ (25-35)-induced neurotoxicity and that KM may have therapeutic role in prevention of the progression of Alzheimer's disease.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.145-151
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• 2020

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease and a major cause of dementia in elderly individuals worldwide. Increased deposition of insoluble amyloid β (Aβ) fibrils in the brain is thought be a key neuropathological hallmark of AD. Many recent studies show that natural products such as polyphenolic flavonoids inhibit the formation of insoluble Aβ fibrils and/or destabilize β-sheet-rich Aβ fibrils to form non-cytotoxic aggregates. In the present study, we explored the structure-activity relationship of naturally-occurring biflavonoids on Aβ amyloidogenesis utilizing an in vitro thioflavin T assay with Aβ1-42 peptide which is prone to aggregate more rapidly to fibrils than Aβ1-40 peptide. Among the biflavonoids we tested, we found amentoflavone revealed the most potent effects on inhibiting Aβ1-42 fibrillization (IC₅₀: 0.26 µM), as well as on disassembling preformed Aβ1-42 fibrils (EC₅₀: 0.59 µM). Our structure-activity relationship study suggests that the hydroxyl groups of biflavonoid compounds play an essential role in their molecular interaction with the dynamic process of Aβ1-42 fibrillization. Our atomic force microscopic imaging analysis demonstrates that amentoflavone directly disrupts the fibrillar structure of preformed Aβ1-42 fibrils, resulting in conversion of those fibrils to amorphous Aβ1-42 aggregates. These results indicate that amentoflavone affords the most potent anti-amyloidogenic effects on both inhibition of Aβ1-42 fibrillization and disaggregation of preformed mature Aβ1-42 fibrils.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.571-581
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• 2015

${\beta}$-asarone (BAS) is an active component of Acori graminei rhizoma, a traditional medicine used clinically in treating dementia and chronic stress in Korea. However, the cognitive effects of BAS and its mechanism of action have remained elusive. The purpose of this study was to examine whether BAS improved spatial cognitive impairment induced in rats following chronic corticosterone (CORT) administration. CORT administration (40 mg/kg, i.p., 21 days) resulted in cognitive impairment in the avoidance conditioning test (AAT) and the Morris water maze (MWM) test that was reversed by BAS (200 mg/kg, i.p). Additionally, as assessed by immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR analysis, the administration of BAS significantly alleviated memory-associated decreases in the expression levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and cAMP-response element-binding protein (CREB) proteins and mRNAs in the hippocampus. Also, BAS administration significantly restored the expression of Bax and Bcl-2 mRNAs in the hippocampus. Thus, BAS may be an effective therapeutic for learning and memory disturbances, and its neuroprotective effect was mediated, in part, by normalizing the CORT response, resulting in regulation of BDNF and CREB functions and anti-apoptosis in rats.