• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.2409-2414
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• 2012

Objective: Traditional Chinese herbal medicines have a very long history. Rosa roxburghii Tratt and Fagopyrum cymosum are two examples of plants which are reputed to have benefits in improving immune responses, enhancing digestive ability and demonstrating anti-aging effects. Some evidence indicates that herbal medicine soups containing extracts from the two in combination have efficacy in treating malignant tumors. However, the underlying mechanisms are far from well understood. The present study was therefore undertaken to evaluate anticancer effects and explore molecular mechanisms in vitro. Methods: Proliferation and apoptosis were assessed with three carcinoma cell lines (human esophageal squamous carcinoma CaEs-17, human gastric carcinoma SGC-7901 and pulmonary carcinoma A549) by MTT assay and flow cytometry, respectively, after exposure to extract from Rosa roxburghii Tratt (CL) and extract from Fagopyrum cymosum (FR). $IC_{30}$ of CL and FR were obtained by MTT assay. Tumor cells were divided into four groups : control with no exposure to CL or FR; CL with $IC_{30}$ CL; FR with $IC_{30}$ FR; CL+FR group with 1/2 ($IC_{30}$ CL + $IC_{30}$ FR). RT-PCR and Western blot analysis were used to detect the expression of Ki-67, Bax and Bcl-2 at mRNA and protein levels. Results: Compared with the CL or FR groups, the combination of CL+FR showed significant inhibition of cell growth and increase in apoptosis; the mRNA and protein expression levels of Ki-67 and Bcl-2 in CL+FR group were all greatly decreased, while the expression of Bax was markedly increased. Conclusions: These results indicate that the synergistic antitumor effects of combination of CL and FR are related to inhibition of proliferation and induction of apoptosis.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.671-676
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• 2005

In this study, we investigated the antioxidant effect of extract from Monascus pillosus, on the human wild-type p53 and p21 expressing A549 lung epithelial cell line and MCF-7 mammary adenocarcinoma cell line stimulated by NO. $P21^{waf/cip1}$ was identified as a gene induced in senescent cells. It is a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor and has been shown to cause cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. While p53-regulated stimulation of p21 appears to be central for the permanent growth-arrest, the role of p21 in p53-triggered cell death is unclear. Low dose of sodium nitroprusside (SNP) induced the development of senescence associated with increased expression of p53 and p21 in A549 cells. Inhibition of p21 transactivating activity requires high level correlates with the amount of p53 necessary to cause cell death. Association of p21 and p53 results in inhibition of p21-stimulated transcription. This requires a higher p53 level than is necessary for transcriptional activation of endogenous p53-responsive gene but correlates well with the level of p53 necessary to cause cell death. Exposure to W-1 inhibited oxidative stresses-induced senescence-like arrest, resulting in a significant reduction in p53 and p21 steady state levels. These results suggest that p53 and p21 play a central role in the onset of senescence. Thus, it is important to emphasize control of oxidative balance in tumor prevention and aging.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.117-125
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• 2019

Malarial infection induces tissue hypoxia in the host through destruction of red blood cells. Tissue hypoxia in malarial infection may increase the activity of $HIF1{\alpha}$ through an intracellular oxygen-sensing pathway. Activation of $HIF1{\alpha}$ may also induce vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) to trigger angiogenesis. To investigate whether malarial infection actually generates hypoxia-induced angiogenesis, we analyzed severity of hypoxia, the expression of hypoxia-related angiogenic factors, and numbers of blood vessels in various tissues infected with Plasmodium berghei. Infection in mice was performed by intraperitoneal injection of $2{\times}10^6$ parasitized red blood cells. After infection, we studied parasitemia and survival. We analyzed hypoxia, numbers of blood vessels, and expression of hypoxia-related angiogenic factors including VEGF and $HIF1{\alpha}$. We used Western blot, immunofluorescence, and immunohistochemistry to analyze various tissues from Plasmodium berghei-infected mice. In malaria-infected mice, parasitemia was increased over the duration of infection and directly associated with mortality rate. Expression of VEGF and $HIF1{\alpha}$ increased with the parasitemia in various tissues. Additionally, numbers of blood vessels significantly increased in each tissue type of the malaria-infected group compared to the uninfected control group. These results suggest that malarial infection in mice activates hypoxiainduced angiogenesis by stimulation of $HIF1{\alpha}$ and VEGF in various tissues.

• Journal of Convergence Korean Medicine
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.17-24
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• 2021

Objectives: Excessive accumulation of fat on specific region, regarded as localized fat, is one of the serious problems and well-known risk factors of health. Recently, an interest in health and aesthetics is growing by treating lipolytic injection. Polygonatum sibiricum Rehd (PS) has been known to have anti-oxidant, -aging and -atherosclerotic effects. In this study, we investigated the lipolytic effects of PS pharmacopuncture in obese mice. Methods: Male C57BL/6J mice was fed with high fat diet to induce obesity for 12 weeks. PS pharmacopuncture was dissolved in saline by adjusting pH 7. 100 μL of PS pharmacopunture was injected subcutaneously into the left side inguinal fat pad, while saline was injected into the right side inguinal fat pad in mice as self-control. Samples were treated 3 times per weeks for 2 weeks. Results: PS pharmacopunture significantly decreased the inguinal fat weight compared to left side inguinal fat pad. Decrease rate of PS pharmacopuncture was about 21%. In addition, the diameter of adipocyte in inguinal fat tissues was significantly reduced by 17% compared to saline-injected side. There was no sign of toxicity through whole experiments. Conclusion: The present study indiates that PS pharmacopunture could be a material derived from natural herb as a lipolytic injection for decreasing localized fat.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.688-696
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• 2019

This study investigated changes in triglyceride and cholesterol synthesis and tyrosinase activity induced by ice plant (Mesembryanthemum crystallinum L.) extract, which cannot be stored for long periods of time due to its high moisture content when it was fermented to improve its storage stability. The accumulation of triglyceride and cholesterol in HepG2 cells inhibited the accumulation with a relatively large magnitude in n-butanol and aqueous fractions that generally have high polarity, however, changes in inhibition potency due to the fermentation were not significant. As for the effect to inhibit tyrosinase activity, when L-tyrosine was used as a substrate, the inhibitory activity was the highest for the aqueous fraction at $60.58{\pm}4.03%$ and $63.35{\pm}4.35%$, before and after fermentation, respectively, which amounted to 72% of that of the positive control group (arbutin, $100{\mu}g/ml$). In addition, when L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA) was used as a substrate, the inhibitory activity was also found the highest for the aqueous fraction at $56.85{\pm}1.57%$ and $59.38{\pm}1.74%$, before and after fermentation, respectively, which amounted to at least 88% of that in the positive control (kojic acid, $100{\mu}g/ml$). Overall, the activity of the fermented ice plant extract was similar or a little higher compared to that of the one without fermentation, indicating that fermentation can be a good approach to improve the storage stability of the ice plant.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.41 no.7
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• pp.907-913
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• 2012

Piceatannol (trans-3,4,3',5'-tetrahydroxystilbene) is a polyphenol detected in grapes, rhubarb, and sugarcane. Although recent experimental data revealed that this compound is known to exhibit immunosuppressive and antitumorigenic activities in several cell lines, the molecular mechanisms underlying anticancer activity are poorly understood. In the present study, we investigated possible further mechanisms by which piceatannol exerts its anti-proliferative action in cultured human gastric cancer AGS cells. Piceatannol treatment resulted in the inhibition of growth and G1 arrest of the cell cycle in a concentration-dependent manner, as determined by MTT assay and flow cytometry analysis. The induction of G1 arrest by piceatannol was associated with the modulation of cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks) and cyclins, up-regulation of the expression of Cdk inhibitor p21 (WAF1/CIP1) in both transcriptional and translational levels, and the inhibition of phosphorylation of retinoblastoma proteins and E2F1 expression. In addition, piceatannol treatment caused a progressive decrease in the expression levels of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 without significant changes in the levels of COX-1, which was correlated with a decrease in prostaglandin $E_2$ synthesis.

• Korean journal of food and cookery science
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.458-465
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• 2016

Purpose: Bokbunja (Rub coreanus Miquel), mulberry and blueberry have been reported to have powerful anti-antioxidant and anti-aging activities. The purpose of this study was to compare the quality characteristics and antioxidant activities of gravy sauce added with Bokbunja, mulberry and blueberry. Methods: Quality characteristics pH, brix, color and sensory characteristics of samples were evaluated. Antioxidant activities of samples were compared using total phenol, 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) cation radical scavenging and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activities. Results: Mulberry juice showed significantly (p<0.05) higher values of pH and $^{\circ}Bx$ compared to Bokbunja and blueberry juice. Bokbunja juice also had significantly (p<0.05) higher value of Color-L value than mulberry and blueberry juice. The total phenol contents and ABTS cation radical scavenging activity of Bokbunja juice were 236.50 mgGAE/100 g and 61.66%, respectively, which were significantly (p<0.05) higher than those of blueberry and mulberry juice. pH value of gravy sauce added with mulberry (MBS) was 4.67, which was significantly higher than that of the control gravy sauce (GS) and gravy sauce added with Bokbunja (BJS) which had the lowest (p<0.05) pH value 4.33. $^{\circ}Bx$ of GS (13.50) was not significantly different from that of MBS and BBS. However, BJS showed the lowest (p<0.05) value $12.33^{\circ}Bx$. Total phenol contents and ABTS cation radical scavenging activity of BJS were 78.09 mgGAE/100 g and 14.47%, respectively, which were significantly (p<0.05) higher than those of MBS or BBS. Values of sensory characteristics color, sour aroma and sour flavor of BJS were significantly (p<0.05) higher value than those of other samples. Conclusion: Bokbunja juice and gravy sauce showed higher antioxidant activities and higher acceptance test compared to blueberry and mulberry. Thus, Bokbunja has the potential to be added to as high value products in the food industry.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.22 no.12
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• pp.1697-1703
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• 2012

Obesity is a risk factor for numerous metabolic diseases. Recently, naturally occurring compounds that may improve obesity have received increasing attention. Xanthigen is a mixture of fucoxanthin and punicic acid derived from brown seaweed and pomegranate seed, respectively, which have been traditionally used for lipid-lowering effects in humans. In this study, we investigated whether Xanthigen attenuates high-fat diet-induced obesity in C57BL/6N mice. The mice were fed on a normal diet (ND), high-fat diet (HFD), HFD plus 1% Xanthigen or HFD plus 1% green tea extract (GTE) for 11 weeks. Food efficiency ratio (FER) and body weight were significantly reduced in mice fed HFD plus Xanthigen compared to HFD-fed mice. Consistent with the results in body weight change, Xanthigen also significantly decreased the weights of epididymal adipose tissue, retroperitoneal adipose tissue, and liver in HFD plus 1% Xanthigen-fed mice. The serum level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol was significantly decreased in HFD plus Xanthigen-fed mice compared to HFD-fed mice. These results suggest that Xanthigen may be useful in the development of a functional health food for anti-obesity.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.441-445
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• 2009

Recent research has revealed that hydrolyzed collagen peptides have beneficial effects in various diseases such as osteoarthritis and human rheumatoid arthritis and also play a protective role in skin by improving the activity of antioxidants. In this study, we investigated the effects of a novel mixture (AP-CPM01) containing collagen peptides and elastin peptides on photoaged hairless mice skin both in vivo and in vitro. To evaluate the effects of AP-CPM01 on UVBinduced skin wrinkle formation in vivo, the hairless mice were exposed to UVB irradiation and orally administered the AP-CPM01 at 333 mg/kg per day for 10 weeks. The effects on skin appearance and epidermal thickness were measured using bioengineering and histochemical methods. In addition, the influence of AP-CPM01 on collagen metabolism in human skin fibroblasts was also investigated. The skin of mice in the AP-CPM01 treated group had better appearance and less wrinkling than that of mice in the control group. In the human fibroblast cells, the amount of de novo procollagen synthesis was increased after AP-CPM01 treatment, reflecting that AP-CPM01 can induce de novo procollagen synthesis and reduce UVB-induced skin wrinkle formation. These results suggest that AP-CPM01 is a potent candidate for antiphotoaging functions.