• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.421-427
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• 2015

Oriental melon (Cucumis melo L. var. makuwa) has been widely consumed as various processed foods, such as dried products, jelly, wine, juice, and vinegar, in Asian countries. In fruit processing, blanching and pressure treatments affect its quality, such as antioxidant activities, sensory characteristics, and etc. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of blanching and pressure pre-treatments on oriental melon wine-making (BP, blanching and pressure filtration; BNP, blanching and non-pressure filtration; NBP, non-blanching and pressure filtration; and NBNP, non-blanching and non-pressure filtration). Physicochemical properties and antioxidant capacities by ${\alpha}$, ${\alpha}$-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, ferric ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay, and total phenolic and total flavonoid contents were measured for comparison of the different pre-treatment methods. After the aging process, the alcohol contents and pH values showed no statistical differences, whereas the amount of soluble solids, reducing sugar, and titratable acidity were slightly different among the pre-treatments (p<0.05). The samples with blanching pre-treatment showed higher antioxidant capacities than those of other pre-treatments. In the sensory evaluation, the BNP was the best in overall acceptability. Thus, this study showed that the blanching treatment enhanced the antioxidant capacities and sensory qualities of the oriental melon wine.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.433-440
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• 2013

Nine kinds of flowers were selected by its antioxidative activities evaluated. DPPH(1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazil), reducing power, total phenol contents, total flavonoid contents, and antimicrobial activity inhibitory effects of nine natural flower varieties were examined using ethanol extract (80%, v/v). DPPH radical scavenging of Agastache rugosa (fisch.&Mey.) kuntze ($IC_{50}=74.6{\mu}g/mL$) and solidago virga-aurea var. asiatica ($IC_{50}=99.6{\mu}g/mL$) showed higher antioxidant activity compared with those of the other varieties. Reducing power of Agastache rugosa (fisch.&Mey.) kuntze ($OD_{700}=1.0$) had higher antioxidant activity. Agastache rugosa (fisch.&Mey.) kuntze showed the highest content of total phenol (134.6 mg GAE/g). However, total flavonoid (554.6 mg QE/g) exhibited the lowest. These results suggest that nine kinds of flower with 80% ethanol extracts have significant antioxidant activity.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.290-296
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• 2014

The present experiment investigated putative anxiolytic-like effects of quercetin using an elevated plus-maze (EPM) and hole-board apparatus test in mice. Quercetin is a flavonoid widely distributed in nature. Quercetin (1.25, 2.5, 5, or 10 mg/kg) was orally administered to ICR mice 1 h before a behavioral evaluation in the EPM. Control mice were treated with an equal volume of vehicle, and positive control mice were treated with buspirone (2 mg/kg, i.p.). The mice administered quercetin (5 mg/kg) spent a significantly longer percentage of time in the open arms of the EPM and their percentage of entries into the open arms was significantly increased compared to the vehicle-treated controls (p<0.05). The anxiolytic-like activities of quercetin were antagonized by trans-4-aminocrotonic acid (a $GABA_{A-{\rho}}$ agonist, 20 mg/kg) but not by flumazenil (a $GABA_A$ antagonist, 10 mg/kg) or WAY-100635 (a $5-HT_{1A}$ antagonist, 0.3 mg/kg). Moreover, there were no changes in the locomotor activity or myorelaxant effects in any group compared with the vehicle-treated controls. In the hole-board apparatus test, the number of head-dips increased significantly in the single treatment with quercetin (5 mg/kg) group compared to the vehicle-treated controls (p<0.05). These findings suggest that quercetin can promote anxiolytic-like activity, mediated by the GABAergic nervous system, in mice.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.518-528
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• 2013

Scutellaria baicalensis, belonging to the family Labiatae, is widely distributed in Korea, China, Mongolia, and eastern Siberia. It has been used in traditional medicine for various diseases, such as dysentery, pyrexia, jaundice, and carbuncles. In addition, S. baicalensis is reported to possess various beneficial pharmacological activities, including anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antiviral, antihypertension, antioxidant, and anticancer effects. However, the molecular mechanisms of its anticancer activity have not been clearly elucidated. In the present study, we investigated the proapoptotic effects of ethanol extract of S. baicalensis (EESB) on human renal cell carcinoma Caki-1 cells. The anti-proliferative activity of EESB was associated with apoptosis induction, which was associated with the up-regulation of death receptor 4, the Fas ligand, and Bax and the down-regulation of Bid, XIAP, and cIAP-1 proteins. EESB treatment also induced mitochondrial dysfunction, proteolytic activation of caspase-3, -8, and -9 and degradation of caspase-3 substrate proteins, such as poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase, ${\beta}$-catenin, and phospholipase C-${\gamma}1$. However, pretreatment of a pan-caspase inhibitor, z-VAD-fmk, significantly attenuated the EESB-induced apoptosis. Taken together, these findings suggest that EESB may be a potential chemotherapeutic agent. Further studies will be needed to identify the active compounds that confer the anticancer activity of S. baicalensis.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.622-628
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• 2013

Diallyl trisulfide (DATS), one of the major organosulfur components of garlic (Allium sativum), has various biological effects such as anti-microbial and anti-cancer activities. However, the molecular mechanisms of growth inhibition related to cell cycle arrest are poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the effects of DATS on cell cycle progression in U937 human leukemia cells. Treatment with DATS in U937 cells resulted in inhibition of cell viability through G2/M arrest and apoptosis. DATS-induced G2/M arrest was associated with up-regulation of cyclin B1 and cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (CDK1). DATS also significantly increased levels of phospho-histone H3, which is a mitosis-specific marker, indicating that DATS induced mitotic arrest but not G2 arrest in U937 cells. DATS treatment also generated the reactive oxygen species (ROS) in U937 cells; however, pretreatment with N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC), a ROS scavenger, significantly attenuated DATS-induced mitotic arrest and apoptosis. Taken together, our data indicate that DATS exhibits anti-cancer effects through mitotic arrest and apoptosis in a ROS-dependent manner.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.35-42
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• 2017

This study aimed to investigate the effects of probiotic fermentation by comparing the skin antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of non-fermented (ARE) and fermented (ARE-F) hot water extracts of Agastache rugosa leaves. ARE-F was obtained via ARE fermentation using Lactobacillus rhamnosus HK-9. In vitro, anti-inflammatory properties were evaluated by analyzing the levels of nitric oxide (NO), reactive oxygen species (ROS), and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated HaCaT keratinocytes. In vitro antiradical activity was measured using 2,2-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay. Attenuation of LPS-stimulated NO (p < 0.01), ROS (p < 0.001) and iNOS (p < 0.05) levels by ARE-F was significantly stronger than that by ARE in HaCaT keratinocytes. However, no differences were observed between the DPPH radical scavenging activities of ARE and ARE-F. ARE-F possesses enhanced skin antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, suggesting that probiotic bacterial fermentation can be considered an effective tool for augmenting some pharmacological properties of A. rugosa leaves. In brief, the skin antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potentials of A. rugosa leaf extract are augmented by the fermentation with L. rhamnosus HK-9, a probiotic bacterium.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.304-311
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• 2012

Chlorinated ethylenes such as perchloroethylene (PCE) and trichloroethylene (TCE) are widely used as industrial solvents and degreasing agents. Because of improper handling, these highly toxic chlorinated ethylenes have been often detected from contaminated soils and groundwater. Biological PCE dechlorination activities were tested in bacterial cultures inoculated with 10 different environmental samples from sediments, sludges, soils, and groundwater. Of these, the sediment using culture (SE 2) was selected and used for establishing an efficient PCE dechlorinating enrichment culture since it showed the highest activity of dechlorination. The cathode chamber of bioelectrochemical system (BES) was inoculated with the enrichment culture and the system with a cathode polarized at -500 mV (Vs Ag/AgCl) was operated under fed-batch mode. PCE was dechlorinated to ethylene via TCE, cis-dichloroethylene, and vinyl chloride. Microbial community analysis with polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) showed that the microbial community in the enrichment culture was significantly changed during the bio-electrochemical PCE dechlorination in the BES. The communities of suspended-growth bacteria and attached-growth bacteria on the cathode surface are also quite different from each other, indicating that there were some differences in their mechanisms receiving electrons from electrode for PCE dechlorination. Further detailed research to investigate electron transfer mechanism would make the bioelctrochemical dechlorination technique greatly useful for bioremediation of soil and groundwater contaminated with chlorinated ethylenes.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.292-296
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• 2009

Tyrosinase catalyzes melanin synthesis in skin melanocytes. The effects of Paeonia sufficinalis water extract (MDP) on antioxidant and tyrosinase activities have been studied in a cell-free system and mouse melanoma B16 cell. Radical scavenging activity of MDP was tested by DPPH assay and it showed high DPPH radical scavenging activity. The cellular tyrosinase activity was measured in mouse melanoma B16 cell by RT-PCR and enzyme activity. Treatment with MDP for 24 hr resulted in decreased tyrosinase mRNA level. Tyrosinase activity was decreased, compared with control, in cells exposed to MDP. Thus, Paeonia sufficinalis water extracts may be a candidate for cosmetic use.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.297-301
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• 2009

Stephania delavayi Diels. (S. delavayi Diels.) has been used as a drug for pain-relieving and acute gastroenteritis treatment in China. Because the major therapeutic mechanism of anti-inflammatory drug is to inhibit the cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and because COX-2 proteins inhibit apoptosis, COX-2 inhibitor has been thought as the anticancer drug candidate. For this reason, we examined S. delavayi Diels. as an anticancer drug. S. delavayi Diels. was fractionated with methanol and then partitioned with ethyl acetate, n-butanol and water. The antioxidant activity was evaluated by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity and reducing power. DPPH radical scavenging activities of the crude fractions at the concentration of $1,000{\mu}g/mL$ were 75.23% (n-butanol), 68.11% (methanol), 63.58% (ethyl acetate), and 50.13% (water). The reducing power increased according to the concentration in dose-dependent manner. Also, when the antiproliferation effects of each fraction against human breast cancer cell-lines MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 were examined, methanol extract, n-butanol fraction and ethyl acetate fraction exhibited cell proliferative inhibition effects in both cell-lines whereas water fraction did not. Among the crude fractions, the n-butanol fraction exhibited the most potent anti-proliferation effect. In conclusion, fractions from S. delavayi Diels. are promising anticancer drug candidates.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.207-215
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• 2005

Korean ginseng(Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer) roots have long been known as the best medicinal plant and its pharmaceutical bio-activities have been proven by scientific analyses of their components - ginsenosides, acidic polysaccharides, phenolic compounds, fatty acids and organic acids etc. Ginseng hairy roots and callus have been cultured in vitro for stable supply of ginseng material. In this study, the amount of ginsenosides, fatty acids, acidic polysaccharides, phenolic compounds and organic acids in ginseng hairy roots and callus were compared. Higher amount of ginsenoside was found in ginseng hairy roots than ginseng callus. Higher amount of saturated fatty acid (palmitic acid) was found in callus and higher amount of unsaturated fatty acid (linoleic acid) was found in hairy roots. Acidic polysaccharide and phenolic compounds were contained by the same amount in both hairy roots and callus. Organic acids were found more in hairy roots.