• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.376-383
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• 1999

The effects of $\beta$-carotene substitutionl for vitamin A and the chronic consumption of ethanol of ethanol on hepatic folate metabolism were studied it rats. The substitution of $\beta$-carotene for vitamin A depressed hepatic 10-formyl-tetreahydrofolate dehydrogenase(10-formyl-tetrahydrofolate : NADP oxidoreductase, E.C. 1.5. 1.6)activity to 65% of controls(p<0.001) and enhanced hepatic 5, 10-methy-lenetetrahydrofolate reductase(E. C. 6.3.3.2)activity by 56% with respect to control levels(p<0.001). Hepatic activity of 10-formyltertrahydrofolate dehydrogenase was depressed to about half that of control levels by ethanol administration to rats(36% ethanol diet, p<0.001). The activity of 5, 10-methyleneterahydrofolate reductase was not changed by ethanol consumption. The increased activity of 5, 10-methyleneterahydrofolate reductase and the decreased activity of 10-formyltetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase appeared to decrease the level of nonmethyl folate conezyme and the rate of one-carbon metabolism. Plasma homocysteine concentrations were significantly higher in rats fed ethanol(p<0.01) o $\beta$-carotene(p<0.001) than in controls, which suggests that increased activity of 5, 10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase can depress homocysteine metabolism. We concluded that dietary substitution of $\beta$-carotene for vitamin A or chronic administration of ethanol resulted in changes in the activity of hepatic folate-dependent enzymes, which could affect the distribution of folate derivatives, plasma homocysteine levels and one-carbon metabolism.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.58 no.2
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• pp.131-137
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• 2015

Commercial greenhouse plant factories are highly efficient for controlling external factors such as floods, drought, insects, air pollution etc. However, they require substantial startup & maintenance investments and experimental research to optimize production. These facilities are especially useful for urban farming where high efficiency in small spaces is required. In this study, we investigated whether light emitting diode (LED) lights with mixed dominant wavelengths (650 nm : 550 nm : 445 nm=8:1:1, 650 nm : 445 nm=6:4) can increase the growth rate and bio-active compound content of carrots in comparison to that of fluorescent light (FL). LED with mixed wavelength (650 nm : 550 nm : 445 nm=8:1:1) increased the total weight and root circumference of carrots compared to FL. However, ${\beta}$-carotene contents were not significant in LED (650 nm : 550 nm : 445 nm=8:1:1). However, LED (650 nm : 445 nm=6:4) increased the ${\beta}$-carotene (FL: 7.27, LED: 10.48 mg/g ${\beta}$-carotene dried weight). These results suggested that using LED light at the ideal wavelength, at the antithesis color of the plant, might enhance plant growth and bio-active compound contents.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.240-245
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• 2009

High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was applied to determine the carotenoid composition of carrots during storage and cooking. Analyses were conducted immediately after harvest and 1, 2, 4, and 8 weeks after harvest. During the course of the storage, the carotenoid levels generally decreased, and this decrease was found to be greater during the first week for $\beta$-carotene (all-trans-$\beta$-carotene) and lutein, and during the second week for $\alpha$-carotene. Additionally, the amount of the $\alpha-$ and $\beta$-carotenes in carrot leaves changed slightly within the first 2 weeks of harvest when stored at $4^{\circ}C$. Specifically, the level of lutein, the main component of carrot leaves, increased from 233.8$\pm$11.7 to $346.2\pm26.7{\mu}g$/g DW during the first 2 weeks. In addition, the change in carotenoid contents was observed during the home-processing of one Korean cultivar. Carrots fried in oil showed the highest amount of $\beta$-carotene ($164.3\pm6.6{\mu}g$/g DW) and $\alpha$-carotene ($50.1\pm0.4{\mu}g$/g DW), while carrots that were prepared by sauteing, pressure-cooking in water and microwaving had the second highest levels. The greatest loss of in carotenoids occurred in response to boiling in water containing 1% NaCl, braising and baking. The content of lutein increased slightly after boiling in water containing 1% NaCl ($9.3\pm0.4{\mu}g$/g DW), while a loss in lutein occurred after preparation using other home-processing methods. A cis-isomer of all-trans-$\beta$-carotene, 13-cis-$\beta$-carotene, was present in detectable amounts in all processed samples, but not in raw roots. Another isomer, 9-cis-$\beta$-carotene, was detected in carrots that were prepared by boiling, frying and pressure-cooking.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.267-272
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• 2011

Several reports indicated that astaxanthin and zeaxanthin have more active anticancer activity than pro-vitamin A carotenes. ${\beta}$-carotene hydroxylase is a key enzyme to synthesize zeaxanthin and astaxanthin in carotenoids biosynthesis pathway. We isolated the ChyB gene encoding ${\beta}$-carotene hydroxylase from tomato leaves. The ChyB gene (1.5Kbp) fragment was cloned into the binary vector and designated to pIG121-ChyB-tom. Agrobacterium-mediated infiltration was used for transient assay in Nicotiana benthamiana. Leaf samples were collected 0, 1, 2, 3 days after infiltration (DAI). RT-PCR result showed that the expression of ${\beta}$-carotene hydroxylase transcripts was not detected in control (0DAI), but its expression was detected after 1 DPI and increased later on. When the activity of ${\beta}$-carotene hydroxylase was measured, the 1,1-diphenyl-pricryl hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity (27%) at 2 DAI was significantly higher than that (21%) at 0 DAI. These results indicated that anti-oxidant activity dramatically increased at 2 DAI in tobacco leaves was due to over expression of tomato ${\beta}$-carotene hydroxylase. These results can be the foundation to develop tomato cultivars with high oxy-carotenoids content using the ChyB gene transformation.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.375-379
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• 1995

Contents of ${\beta}-carotene$ and vitamin C in the vegetable(Angelica keiskei) juice were measured as a function of storing temperature$(-18^{\circ}C{\sim}35^{\circ}C)$ and period$(6{\sim}72\;hours)$. Content of ${\beta}-carotene$ was highest in the fresh juice and the degree of destruction of the ${\beta}-carotene$ was significantly increased as the storage temperature increased. Vitamin C in the juice stored at $4^{\circ}C$ decreased less than that of ${\beta}-carotene$. There was no significant difference in fatty acid compositions among in the fresh, freeze-dried juice and juice stored for 72 hours. Antioxidative activities of components extracted from the juice(fresh and stored for 24 hours) followed by incubating for 1 day were higher than that of ${\alpha}-tocopherol$ and then significantly decreased as incubation prolonged.

• Journal of Plant Biology
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.1-5
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• 1962

CHA, Jong Whan (Dept. of Biology, College of Education, Seoul National University). Effect of gibberallin on the growth and internal componsents of Astragalus sinicus L. Kor. Jour. Bot. V(4) : 1-5, 1962. The effect of GA on the growth as well as on the internal components of the leaves of Astragalus sinicus L. under the soil culture was investigated. The result has indicated that small variation in the relative concentration of GA treated on the leaves shows a marked influence on the internal components of the plants. The increase of growth was associated with increasing intensity of GA. Chlorophyll and carotene contents in the leaves were depressed with increasing concentration of GA. It was noticed that the growth was pomoted with the decrease of the contents of chlorophyll and carotene. In contrast the aacorbic acid in the leaves treated with GA decreased in proportion to the degree of the concentration of GA. Carotens content varied with chlorophyll, although the ratio of chlorophyll to carotene was not so high as the results obtained by Beck and Redman. Chlorophyll and ascorbic acid values with respect to growth differed greatly during the two experimental periods. The chlorophyll content was found highly significant in this experimental periods. The chlorophyll content was found highly significant in this experiment. As the concentration of GA was increased, it was noticed that there was a reduction of anthocyanin, sucrose, and reducing sugar contents. The anthocyanin content was not so high in this study as in the results obtained from the corn by Jacob Straus.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.1911-1918
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• 2013

This meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the association between intake of carotenoids and risk of esophageal cancer. A systematic search using PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Scopus, CNKI, and CBM (updated to 6 May 2012) identified ten articles meeting the inclusion criteria with 1,958 cases of esophageal cancer and 4,529 controls. Higher intake of beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, lycopene, beta-cryptoxanthin, lutein, and zeaxanthin reduced esophageal cancer risk with pooled ORs of 0.58 (95% CI 0.44, 0.77), 0.81 (95% CI 0.70, 0.94), 0.75 (95% CI 0.64, 0.86), 0.80 (95% CI 0.66, 0.97), and 0.71 (95% CI 0.59, 0.87), respectively. In subgroup analyses, beta-carotene showed protective effects against esophageal adenocarcinoma in studies located in Europe and North America. Alpha-carotene, lycopene, and beta-cryptoxanthin showed protection against esophageal squamous cell cancer. This meta-analysis suggested that higher intake of carotenoids (beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, lycopene, beta-cryptoxanthin, lutein, and zeaxanthin) is associated with lower risk of esophageal cancer. Further research with large-sample studies need to be conducted to better clarify the potentially protective mechanisms of carotenoid associations risk of different types of esophageal cancer.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.12
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• pp.6011-6016
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• 2012

Introduction: Epidemiological studies suggest a protective role for ${\beta}$-carotene with several malignancies. Esophageal adenocarcinoma frequently arises from Barrett's esophagus (BE). We postulated that ${\beta}$-carotene therapy maybe protective in BE. Materials and Method: We conducted a prospective study in which 25 mg of ${\beta}$-carotene was administered daily for six-months to six patients. Each patient underwent upper endoscopy before and after therapy and multiple mucosal biopsies were obtained. Additionally, patients completed a gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms questionnaire before and after therapy and severity score was calculated. To study the effect of ${\beta}$-carotene at molecular level, tissue extracts of the esophageal mucosal biopsy were subjected to assessment of heat-shock protein 70 (HSP70). Results: A significant (p<0.05) reduction in mean GERD symptoms severity score from $7.0{\pm}2.4$ to $2.7{\pm}1.7$ following ${\beta}$-carotene therapy was noted. Measurement of Barrett's segment also revealed a significant reduction in mean length after therapy. In fact, two patients had complete disappearance of intestinal metaplasia. Furthermore, marked enhancement of HSP70 expression was demonstrated in biopsy specimens from Barrett's epithelium in four cases that were tested. Conclusions: Long-term ${\beta}$-carotene therapy realizes amelioration of GERD symptoms along with restitution of the histological and molecular changes in esophageal mucosa of patients with BE, associated with concurrent increase in mucosal HSP70 expression.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.23-28
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• 1992

Starch solid model system was employed to investigate the effect of lipoxygenase, ${\beta}-carotene$, ${\alpha}-tocopherol$ and water activity on the oxidation of linoleic acid. The rate of oxidation of linoleic acid by lipoxygenase was increased with the increase in water activity, Addition of ${\beta}-carotene$ and ${\alpha}-tocopherol$ to this system has been shown to inhibit the oxidation of linoleic acid and ${\alpha}-tocopherol$ was more effective antioxidant than ${\beta}-carotene$. However, an increase in the concentration of ${\beta}-carotene$ was found to have a strong antioxidant effect in the solid model system. And also the antioxidative action of ${\beta}-carotene$ was increased with increasing water activity in this system.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.680-685
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• 2012

The effects of chlorophyll (0.33 mg/kg) and ${\beta}$-carotene (3.3, 9.9, 19.8 mg/kg) addition to a mixture of roasted perilla seeds, rice, and water (30:45:225, w/w/w) on the lipid oxidation and tocopherol contents were studied during heating at $100^{\circ}C$ for 120 min to simulate cooking of perilla and rice porridge. Lipid oxidation was evaluated with peroxide values (POV) and conjugated dienoic acid (CDA) values, and chlorophyll, ${\beta}$-carotene, and tocopherols were determined by HPLC, POV, and CDA values were increased during heating, indicating the occurrence of lipid oxidation in the perilla and rice porridge. ${\beta}$-Carotene decreased the POV and CDA values of the samples in a concentration-dependent manner, while the addition of chlorophyll did not affect them. Chlorophyll and ${\beta}$-carotene which were added, and tocopherols naturally present in samples were degraded, following the first order kinetics during heating, and ${\beta}$-carotene protected tocopherols from degradation.