• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.27 no.7
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• pp.790-796
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• 2004

Ginseng is a shade-loving perennial herb that is cultivated mainly in Korea, Japan, and China. The ginseng root has been used as a tonic remedy, and its antidiabetic activity has been demonstrated as early as 1920s. Although wild ginseng was anecdotally thought to be superior to cultivated ginseng as far as pharmacological properties were concerned, there have been no prior reports on the antidiabetic effect of wild ginseng. In this study, we investigated the preventative anti-diabetic and anti-obese effects of wild ginseng ethanol extract (WGEE). In the preventive experiment, WGEE co-administered with a high fat diet significantly inhibited body weight gain, fasting blood glucose, triglyceride, and free fatty acid levels in a dose dependent manner. WGEE-treated mice at doses of 250 and 500 mg/kg improved the insulin resistance index by 55％ and 61％ compared to the high fat diet (HFD) control, respectively. Diameters of white and brown adipocytes were also decreased by 62％ and 46％ in the WG500-treated group compared to those in HFD fed control mice. Taken together, WGEE has potential as a preventive agent for type 2 diabetes mellitus (and possibly obesity) and deserves clinical trial in the near future.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.39 no.7
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• pp.941-946
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• 2010

For the long-term goal of using peanut sprouts as a functional food material, the total polyphenol content and the antioxidant activity of methanol extracts were examined with use of 9 day-old peanut sprouts and peanuts collected in Chungbuk, Gyeongbuk and Jeonbuk provinces of Korea, China and Vietnam. The polyphenol levels in the sprout extracts were higher than those of the peanut extracts. The phenolic content of the Gyeongbuk peanut sprout extract (20.4 mg/g) was the highest of the tested samples. After 9 days of germination the peanut sprout extracts had higher activities than those of the peanut extracts. In particular, the activity of Gyeongbuk peanut sprout extract was the highest (37.67% at a concentration of $200\;{\mu}L/mL$), and its reducing power demonstrated a similar trend. The DPPH radical scavenging activities were measured for methanol extracts of cotyledon, root and stem of Gyeongbuk peanut sprouts; the highest (90.96% at a concentration of $200\;{\mu}L/mL$) was the activity of cotyledon. ABTS radical scavenging and $\beta$-carotene bleaching activities also were higher in the cotyledon extract than in those of the root or the stem. The resveratrol content was higher in the Gyeongbuk peanut sprout extract than in the Gyeongbuk peanut extract ($15.05\;{\mu}g/g $and $1.42\;{\mu}g/g$, respectively). These results suggest that peanut sprouts potentially could be used as a functional food material exhibiting antioxidant effects.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.57-61
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• 2008

Ginseng (the root of Panax ginseng CA Meyer, family Araliacease), which is used in Korea, China and Japan as a herbal medicine, was fermented with Ganoderma lucidum (GL) and their antiallergic effects were investigated. Of GLs used for fermentation, KCTC 6283 potently produced ginsenoside Rh2, followed by KFRI M101. KCTC 6532, and ginsenoside Rd, followed by KFRI M101. Oral administration of these fermented ginseng extracts inhibited allergic reactions, passive cutaneous anaphylaxis reaction induced by IgE and scratching behaviors induced by compound 48/80. Of them, the ginseng extract fermented by KCTC 6532 and KFRI M101 potently inhibited allergic reactions compared to that fermented by KCTC 6283. These findings suggest that the fermentation of ginseng with GL can increase its antiallergic activity and the increment of its antiallergic effect may be due to the biotransformation of ginseng saponins to ginsenosides Rd and Rh2.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.96-102
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• 2008

Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.(family Nymphaeaceae) has been used for summer heat syndrome as home remedy in Japan, China and Korea. Although whole plant parts are edible, root is commonly consumed. It has been reported that rhizome extract showed anti-diabetic and anti-inflammatory effects. However, in spite of usefulness for treatment of various diseases, the effect of Nelumbo nucifera rhizome(NNR) on proliferation, migration and matrix degrading enzymes-matrix metalloproteinsases(MMPs), the expression of which degrades extracellular matrix(ECM) leading to metastasis, has not been fully elucidated. We examined the effect of hot water extract of NNR on the proliferation, migration and secretion of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in rat smooth muscle cells(rSMC), epidermoid cancer cells(A431) and breast cancer cells(MDA-MB-231). The proliferation assay was carried out using MTT assay, the principle of which depends upon the conversion of MTT by mitochondrial dehydrogensases of viable cells to formazan crystals. The effect of NNR on migration of cells was examined using wound healing assay. Our results showed that there was inhibition in the proliferation, migration and expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in dose dependent fashion in all the cells used. Thus, we concluded that NNR could be used as traditional medicine in the treatment of various diseases where proliferation, migration and MMPs' expression plays a pathological role like in restenosis and metastasis.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.24
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• pp.10613-10619
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• 2015

Background: Both alcohol and aqueous extracts of Sauromatum giganteum(Engl.) Cusimano and Hett, the dried root tuber of which is named Baifuzi in Chinese, have been used for folklore treatment of cancer in Northeast of China. However, little is known about which is most suitable to the cancer therapy. Materials and Methods: Serum pharmacology and MTT assays were adopted to detect the effects of ethanol and aqueous extracts of Sauromatum giganteum(Engl.) Cusimano and Hett, prepared by heat reflux methods, on proliferation of different cancer cells. Results: Cancer cells treated with medium supplemented with 10%, 20%, 40% serum(v/v) containing ethanol extract had a decline in viability, with inhibition rates of 7.69%, 21.8%, 41.9% in MCF-7 cells, 42.8%, 48.1%, 51.8% in SGC-7901 cells, 44.1%, 49.2%, 53.7% in SMMC-7721 cells, 6.8%, 15.2%, 39.8% in HepG2 cells, 7.57%, 16.3%, 36.2% in HeLa cells, 6.24%, 12.5%, 27.4% in A549 cells, and 7.20%, 17.5%, 31.3% in MDA-MB-231 cells, respectively. Viability in the aqueous extract groups was no different with that of controls. Conclusions: An ethanol extract of Sauromatum giganteum(Engl.) Cusimano and Hett inhibited the proliferation of SMMC-7721, SGC-7901 and MCF-7 cells, which supports the use of alcoholic but not aqueous extracts for control of sensive cancers, which might include hepatocarcinoma, gastric cancer and breast cancer.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.102-108
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• 2018

Rubiae radix is root of Runia akane Nakai, it has been used to hemostasis and blood stasis in Korean and China. This study investigated that anti-oxidant and anti-colorectal cancer effect of ERA (ethanol extract of Rubiae radix) and WRA (water extract of Rubiae radix) using RAW 264.7 (murine macrophage from blood) and HCT-116 cells (human colorectal cancer cell line). ERA contained polyphenol ($45.77{\pm}2.03mg/g$) and flavonoid ($22.82{\pm}1.33mg/g$). $500{\mu}M$ $H_2O_2$-induced ROS generation was diminished by $500{\mu}g/m{\ell}$ ERA treatment in RAW 264.7 cells, but not WRA (125, 250, and $500{\mu}g/m{\ell}$). Moreover, caspase-3 activity and DNA fragmentation increased by $500{\mu}g/m{\ell}$ ERA treatment during apoptotic cell death in HCT-116. Results demonstrated that anti-cancer effect of ERA against human colorectal cancer cells is mediated apoptotic cell death and DNA fragmentation through caspase-3 activation. However, further study is required to what active ingredient of ERA are important for anti-oxidant and anti-colorectal cancer effect in vivo.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.105-113
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• 2010

Ixeris dentata var. albiflora Nakai, a herbal plant, is often used to make a strong stomach as an antiphlogistic used when dyspepsia and to improve appetite in Korea and China. And also it is used for adult diseases such as diabetes and liver diseases as Korean traditional medicine. In this study, the composition and DPPH radical scavenging activities of the root of Ixeris dentata var. albiflora Nakai and its effects on cell viability on vero and chang cells were investigated. Moisture, crude ash, crude protein and crude lipid were 79.14, 2.49, 8.28 and 2.56 g/100 g respectively. The highest mineral content was K. The major free sugars were glucose, fructose and sucrose. Major fatty acid are linoleic acid, palmic acid and linolenic acid. Major amino acids were glutamic acid, arginine and aspartic acid and the total contents of amino acids were 28.12 mg/g. The methanol extracts were further fractionated with n-hexane, chloroform, ethylacetate, butanol and water to get an active fraction. In addition, cell viabilities in each fraction were determined. Methanol extract, butanol, and aqueous fraction showed strong survival rates in vero cell and chang cell viability test, and hexane, chloroform, and ethylacetate fraction were examined for toxin in a cell. The root of Ixeris dentata var. albiflora Nakai had scavenging activities against DPPH radicals in a dose-dependent assay. Ethylacetate fraction's SC50 was $6.8\{\mu}g/mL$, very strong DPPH radical scavenging activities, but water fraction did not show any activity.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.219-226
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• 2005

Sanguisorbae radix (SR) from Sanguisorba officinalis L. (Losaceae) is widely used in Korea and China due to its various pharmacological activity. The present study aims to investigate the effect of the methanol extract of SR on amyloid ${\beta}$ Protein(25-35) $(A{\beta}\;(25-35))$, a synthetic 25-35 amyloid peptide, -induced neurotoxicity using cultured rat cortical neurons. SR, over a concentration range of $10-50\;{\mu}g/ml$, inhibited the $A{\beta}$ (25-35) $(10\;{\mu}M)-induced$ neuronal cell death, as assessed by a 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazole-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and the number of apoptotic nuclei, evidenced by Hoechst 33342 staining. Pretreatment of SR $(50\;{\mu}g/ml)$ inhibited $10\;{\mu}M\;A{\beta}$ (25-35)-induced} elevation of cytosolic calcium concentration $([Ca^{2+}]c)$, which was measured by a fluorescent dye, fluo-4 AM. SR $(10\;and\;50\;{\mu}g/ml)$ inhibited glutamate release into medium induced by $10\;{\mu}M\;A{\beta}(25-35)$, which was measured by HPLC, and generation of reactive oxygen species. These results suggest that SR prevents $A{\beta}$ (25-35)-induced neuronal cell damage in vitro.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.543-549
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• 2004

Ixeris dentata is a typical oriental herb. It is a widely distributed perennial in Korea, Japan and China, which belongs to the Compositae Family. The whole plant of I. dentata has been used for the treatment of pneumonia, contusion, tumor and hepatitis. It has also been used for the treatment of allergic diseases as a folk therapy in Korea. I. dentata is known to have aliphatics, triterpenoids and sesquiterpene glycosides in its composition. The present study was designed to explore the protective effects of water- and ethanol- extracts from I. dentata on irradiated rodents. For oral administration (twice per day), the extractive powder of I. dentata and the positive control (ascorbic acid) were dissolved at a concentration of 0.5 and 250mg $ml^{-1}$ in saline, respectively. Thirty days after irradiation, the ratio of the weight of the testis to the body weight was lower than 50% in the radiation groups than the control group. The ALP concentrations in the group treated with the water-extracts of the leaf were $79.68\pm{1.39%}$ (p<0.05) of those of the radiation control. Both of the SGOT and SGPT in the group treated with the ethanol-extract of the root were $72.68\pm{0.95}\;and\;77.87\pm{5.74}$ (p<0.05) of those of the radiation control, respectively. The levels of DNA damage induced by gamma radiation decreased in the experimental group to which the extracts of I. dentata were administered before irradiation. In conclusion, these results indicate that the extracts of I. dentata have an excellent ability to reduce the radicals and they have a protective effect on DNA breakage caused by radiation.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 1994.04a
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• pp.176-176
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• 1994

Moraceae comprise a large family of sixty genera and neary 1,400 specieses, including important groups such as Artocarpus, Morus, and Ficus. In particular, Morus(mulberry) is a small genus of tree and shrubs found in temperate and subtropical regions of the Northern hemishere and has been widely cultivated in China and Korea, In addition, the root bark of mulberry tree have been used as an antiphlogic, diuretic, and expectorant in white medicine, and the crude drug is known as "Sangbaikpi" in Korea. Recently, some papers have been published reporting the hypotensive effect, antiviral effect, antifungal effect, inhibitory effect of cAMP-phosphodiesterase, and anticancer effect of this extract. Little is known about that Cortex mori could have been an antiallergic effect. The purpose of this study was the development of an antiallergic agent with an antiallergic effect from Cortex mori. For this, several in vivo and in vitro experimental models were used. Results are 1) Cortex mori inhibited the compound 48/80-induced degranu-lation, histamine release and calcium uptake of rat peritoneal mast cells, 2) compound 48/80-induced anaphylactic shock and cutaneous reaction were significantly inhibited by pretreatment of Cortex mori, and 3) Cortex mori inhibited the ovalbumin-induced late astmatic reaction. From the above results it is suggested that Cortex mori has some substances with an antiallergic activity. Our final purpose of this study is to develope the new drug with an antiallergic activity from Cortex mori