• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
• /
• v.33 no.4
• /
• pp.269-273
• /
• 2007

We studied anti-microbial and anti-oxidant activities of bio-active components in stem of Juniperus chinensis L. and leaf of Abies koreana Wilson. Those plants of needle leaf tree family were reported to contain anti-cancer compounds. The anti-bacterial activity was tested by Broth dilution method against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. As results, Juniperus chinensis L. and Abies koreana Wilson extracts showed 17.0% and 8.5% higher anti-bacterial activity than methyl paraben, respectively. The free radical scavenging activity of Juniperus chinensis L. and Abies koreana Wilson extracts showed 45 % and 44 % at 5,000 ppm. We measured polyphenol (catechin equivalent) and flavonoids quantity. The Juniperus chinensis L. extract contained 312 mg/g of polyphenol and 105 mg/g of flavonoids. The Abies koreana Wilson extract contained 280 mg/g of polyphenol and 103.8 mg/g of flavonoids. The cytotoxicity of extracts was measured by neutral red assay. Extracts did not affect the viability of CCK-986sk cells up to a concentration of 1,250 ppm. In conclusion, these data suggest that extracts of needle leaf trees would be usefull as antiseptic agents and anti-oxidants for cosmetic products.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.52 no.6
• /
• pp.613-619
• /
• 2014

Neospora caninum (Apicomplexa; Sarcocystidae) is a protozoan that causes abortion in cattle, horses, sheep, and dogs as well as neurological and dermatological diseases in dogs. In the central nervous system of dogs infected with N. caninum, cysts were detected that exhibited gliosis and meningitis. Flavonoids are polyphenolic compounds that exhibit antibacterial, antiparasitic, antifungal, and antiviral properties. In this study, we investigated the effects of flavonoids in a well-established in vitro model of N. caninum infection in glial cell cultures. Glial cells were treated individually with 10 different flavonoids, and a subset of cultures was also infected with the NC-1 strain of N. caninum. All of the flavonoids tested induced an increase in the metabolism of glial cells and many of them increased nitrite levels in cultures infected with NC-1 compared to controls and uninfected cultures. Among the flavonoids tested, 3',4'-dihydroxyflavone, 3',4',5,7-tetrahydroxyflavone (luteolin), and 3,3',4',5,6-pentahydroxyflavone (quercetin), also inhibited parasitophorous vacuole formation. Taken together, our findings show that flavonoids modulate glial cell responses, increase NO secretion, and interfere with N. caninum infection and proliferation.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
• /
• v.28 no.1
• /
• pp.32-39
• /
• 2012

Efficacy of different control methods was evaluated for disease management of tomato bacterial wilt caused by $Ralstonia$ $solanacearum$. All six chemical pesticides applied to the bacterial suspension showed $in$ $vitro$ bactericidal activities against $R.$ $solanacearum$. Minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of copper hydroxide (CH), copper hydroxide-oxadixyl mixture (CH+O), and copper oxychloride-dithianon mixture (CO+D) were all 200 ${\mu}g/ml$; MIC of copper oxychloride-kasugamycin (CO+K) mixture was 100 ${\mu}g/ml$; MICs of both streptomycin- validamycin (S+V) and oxine copper-polyoxine B mixture (OC+PB) were 10 ${\mu}g/ml$. Among these chemical pesticides, treatment of the detached tomato leaves with the 5 pesticides (1 mg/ml), except for OC+PB delayed early wilting symptom development caused by the bacterial inoculation ($10^6$ and $10^7$ cfu/ml). Four pesticides, CH, CH+O, CO+K and S+V, showed disease protection in pot analyses. Six plant essential oils, such as cinnamon oil, citral, clove oil, eugenol, geraniol and limonene, differentially showed their antibacterial activities $in$ $vitro$ against $R.$ $solanacearum$ demonstrated by paper disc assay. Among those, cinnamon oil and clove oil exert the most effective activity for protection from the wilt disease caused by the bacterial infection ($10^6$ cfu/ml). Treatment with cinnamon oil and clove oil also suppressed bacterial disease by a higher inoculum concentration ($10^7$ cfu/ml). Clove oil could be used for prevention of bacterial wilt disease of tomato plants without any phytotoxicity. Thus, we suggest that copper compounds, antibiotics and essential oils have potency as a controlling agent of tomato bacterial wilt.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.48 no.1
• /
• pp.52-56
• /
• 2012

The aim of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial effect of carvacrol against periodontopathic and cariogenic bacteria and its cytotoxicity in human oral tissue cells. We tested their antibacterial properties against mutans streptococci and five major periodontopathic bacterial species involved in periodontal disease. The antimicrobial activity was evaluated by the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC). The cell viability of carvacrol on normal human gingival fibroblast (NHGF) cells was tested by metyl thiazolyl tetrazolium assay. The data showed that carvacrol had remarkable antimicrobial effect on tested bacteria with a MIC and MBC values ranged from 16 to $128{\mu}g/ml$ and from 32 to $128{\mu}g/ml$, respectively. In cell toxicity studies, carvacrol had significantly decreased cell viability when NHGF cells were treated at $128{\mu}g/ml$. These findings suggest that carvacrol has a strong antimicrobial activity against periodontopathic and cariogenic bacteria. However, in order to use it as a component of gargling solution or toothpaste, its concentration should be below $64{\mu}g/ml$ and other compounds having an antimicrobial activity against periodontopathic and cariogenic bacteria should be used together.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.34 no.3
• /
• pp.265-272
• /
• 2006

Acne is a chronic inflammatory follicular disorder of the skin, occurring in specialized pilosebaceous units on the face, and Propionibacterium acnes, a strict anaerobic pathogen, plays an important role in the pathogenesis of acne. To develop a reliable and effective anti-acne agent, we have evaluated antibacterial activity of 500 plant extracts, prepared from 335 plants, against P. acnes. Based on the results of disc-paper method, 25 plant extracts, including the extracts of Chloranthus japonicus (aerial part), Sophora flavescens (radix), Evodia officinalis (fructus), Ginko biloba (semem), Morus alba (root bark), Aralia continentalis (whole) and Reynoutria elliptica (radix), were selected as possible sources of anti-acne agent. Among them, the extract of S. flavescens (radix) was finally selected and kuraridin and kurarinone were identified as major active compounds of S. flavescens. These results suggested that medicinal and wild plants could be the potential source of anti-acne agent.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
• /
• v.46 no.3
• /
• pp.235-239
• /
• 2003

Thirteen sesquiterpene lactones isolated from the flower of Chrysanthemum coronarium L., which has been widely cultivated in Korea as a vegetable for a long time, were investigated their antimicrobial activities against eight bacteria and five phytopathogenic fungi. The antimicrobial activities of dihydrochrysanolide (6) and 1-epi-dihydrochrysanolide (7) showed strong activities against all the bacteria such as Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Especially, Staphylococcus aureus was investigated that have very strong antibacterial activity to $1.56\;{\mu}g{\cdot}disc^{-1}$, respectively. Also, most of sesquiterpene lactones, which have ${\alpha}-methylene-{\gamma}-butyrolactone$ group, were exhibited strong activity to Gram(+) bacteria than Gram(-) bacteria. In the antifungal test, Rhizoctonia solani and Phytophthora capsici known as phytopathogenic fungi have exhibited all extensive activity about compounds that have ${\alpha}-methylene-{\gamma}-butyrolactone$ group.

• Korean Journal of Weed Science
• /
• v.14 no.1
• /
• pp.16-22
• /
• 1994

Ninty three species of domestic weeds were collected and screened for antimicrobial, antitumor, antioxidant and herbicidal activities. Among them, few showed antifungal activities. Cuscuta japonica showed inhibitory activity against Alternaria mali, Ambrosia artemisiifolia and Geranium sibiricum against Phytophthora capsici, Aster yomema and Aster pilosus against Phytophthora parasitica. Ambrosia artemisiifolia, Artemisia princeps, Artemisia capillaris, Ludwigia prostrata, Chrysanthemum zawadskii, Bidens frondosa, and Geranium sibiricum showed broad antibacterial activities. Carex chordorhiza, Artemisia capillaris, Persicaria nodosa, Senecio koreanus, Pariicum bisulcatum, Geranium sibiricum showed antiblebbing activity on human chronic leukemia K562 cell, among them, Persicaria nodosa was the strongist. Angelica decursiva, Equisetum arvense, Cimicifuga heracleifolia, Persicaria nodosa, Geranium sibiricum, Oenothera odorata, Cyperus sanguinolentus showed antioxidant activities. Ludwigia prostrata and Peucedanum terebinthaceum showed strong herbicidal activities.

• Textile Coloration and Finishing
• /
• v.26 no.1
• /
• pp.45-52
• /
• 2014

Red pine (Pinus densiflora) is widely used traditional medicine, pharmacological and nutritional values from which the phytochemical compounds are derived. The present study was aimed to examine the antibacterial effects in the absence and presence of a immature red pine cone extract against 13 microorganisms. The components in the aqueous extract from immature red pine cone were identified by GC-MS. About 1.4% of total polyphenolic compound was measured in aqueous extract collected from immature red pine cone. Also, the high concentration of ${\beta}$-phellenandrene, ${\alpha}$-pinene, limonene, bornyl acetate and aldehyde was detected in total ion chromatograms. Of total 13 microorganisms, 4 microorganisms including Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Vibrio cholera, Listeria monocytogenes, Klebsiella pneumonia were effectively killed by aqueous extract of immature red pine cone. The highest anti-bacterial effect was detected in P. aeruginosa, followed by V. cholera, L. monocytogenes and K. pneumonia. In case of P. aeruginosa, the largest diameter of inhibition zone was maintained to 1/2 solution treated cells and slightly decreased at 1/4 and 1/8 solution treated cells. Also, in test used V. cholera and L. monocytogenes, the inhibition zone was strongly formed in only 1 and 1/2 solution treated cells, while K. pneumonia showed the very small diameter of inhibition zone in all concentrations. Therefore, these results suggested that the aqueous extracts of immature red pine cone should be considered as a new and potentially important anti-bacterial substrate to effectively prevent the microbial infection and penetration.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.25 no.3
• /
• pp.299-306
• /
• 2015

Chrysanthemum zawadskii, a herbaceous perennial plant belonging to the Compositae, grows wild in Asian countries, including Japan, China, and Korea. The biological, antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial activities of C. zawadskii have been reported, its antiobesity activity has not been elucidated. In the present study, the effect of C. zawadskii methanol extract (CZME) on pancreatic lipase enzyme activity, adipocyte differentiation, and adipogenesis was investigated using an in vitro assay and a cell model system. CZME effectively suppressed lipase enzyme activity in a dose-dependent manner. CZME also inhibited insulin, dexamethasone, 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (MDI)-induced adipocyte differentiation, lipid accumulation, and the level of triglyceride in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes in a dose-dependent manner, without cytotoxicity. The antiobesity effect of CZME might be modulated by gene and protein expression of cytidine-cytidine-adenosine-adenosine-thymidine (CCAAT)/enhancer binding proteins (C/EBP) α, C/EBPβ, and the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPAR γ). CZME also triggered lipolysis in a dose-dependent manner in MDI-induced 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. Taken together, these results provide important new insights into the antiobesity activities of C. zawadskii, showing that they involve pancreatic lipase inhibition, as well as antiadipogenic and lipolysis effects. CZME might be a promising source in the field of nutraceuticals. However, the active compounds that confer the antiobesity activities of CZME need to be identified.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.26 no.10
• /
• pp.1196-1201
• /
• 2016

The ovary parts of Nelumbo nucifera were extracted in 80% methanol (MeOH), and the concentrated extract was then partitioned using n-hexane, ethyl acetate (EtOAc), n-butanol (n-BuOH), and H₂O, successively. Using an octadecyl silica gel (ODS) column, silica gel (SiO₂) column chromatography, and a HPLC purification system, five compounds were isolated from the n-hexane fraction obtained from the extract of N. nucifera ovary. The chemical structures of the metabolites were determined using several spectroscopic methods, including NMR and GC/MS and MS of 1-eicosanol (1), cycloartenol (2), trans-squalene (3), pentadecanoic acid (4), and β-sitosterol (5). This study is a first attempt to isolate and identify secondary metabolites from the ovary of N. nucifera. The results indicated that the extract of N. nucifera ovary has biological effects, such as antibacterial and -tumor activity. Therefore, it could decrease the risk of HIV transmission through breastfeeding.