• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.303-309
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• 2014

The fruit of Gleditsia sinensis has been extensively used as a key ingredient of an herbal remedy for the treatment of various inflammatory diseases in traditional Korean Medicine. However, the reason of using the fruit of G. sinensis for the remedy is unclear. Since Nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2) is a key anti-inflammatory transcription factor, which is activated by the fruit of G. sinesis, we examined whether other plant parts of G. sinensis are also capable of suppressing inflammatory responses by activating Nrf2. Water extracts of various parts of G. sinensis were prepared and tested for Nrf2 activation by reporter assay and western blot analysis. Our results show that the hull of G. sinensis is the most potent in activating Nrf2. Sequential organic solvent extraction of the hull show that all the fractions had a higher potency in activating Nrf2 than the water extract, albeit differential degrees. The hull originated from Korea in general activated Nrf2 strongly compared to that of China. Chloroform fraction of the hull was further examined, showing that the fraction induced nuclear localization of Nrf2, indicative of activated Nrf2, and Nrf2-dependent gene expression including NAD(P)H dehydrogenase quinone 1 (NQO-1), glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit (GCLC), and heme oxygenase - 1 (HO-1). Therefore, our results show that, among other plant parts examined in this study, the hull of G. sinensis is the most potent, providing the experimental basis for the use of the hull of G. sinensis as an active ingredient for an anti-inflammatory remedy.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.110-115
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• 2012

$Epimedium$ $koreanum$ Nakai is a wild medicinal plant commonly consumed in South Korea due to its beneficial health effects. In this study, the antimutagenic and immunological activities of $E.$ $koreanum$ Nakai extracts were investigated for their use in food. In the immunomodulating activity, the effects of $E.$ $koreanum$ Nakai on the B cell (Rhamos) and T cell (Molt-4) were investigated. The results showed that the growth and viability of the B and T cells were increased and activated more in the ethylacetate (1.35 and 1.48 times) and water fraction (1.30 and 1.40 times), respectively. In the Ames test, none of the fractions produced a mutagenic effect on $Salmonella$. $typhimurium$ TA98 and TA 100. The ethylacetate fraction showed a strong antimutagenic effect (98%) on and a high butanol fraction (84%) of B(${\alpha}$)P in $S.$ $typhimurium$ TA98 and TA100, respectively. In 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide (4NQO), all the solvent fractions showed an over 70% antimutagenic effect, except for the chloroform extract. Especially, ethylacetate and butanol showed strong inhibition of the mutagenic effects (80 and 90%) on 4NQO in $S.$ $typhimurium$ TA98 and TA100, respectively. These results provide preliminary data for the development of $E.$ $koreanum$ Nakai as an edible food material.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.79-86
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• 2003

This study was carried out to evaluate cytotoxic effects of Houttuynia cordata $T_{HUNB}$ extracts on A549(lung cancer), B16(mouse melanoma), MDA-MB231(breast cancer) and SNU-C4(colon cancer) cell lines. We have determined by 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-Yl)-2, 5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazoliumbromide(MTT) assay. The $150{\mu}g/ml$ concentration of chloroform extract of Houttuynia cordata $T_{HUNB}$ was shown significantly antitoxic activity on MDA-MB231$(65.96{\pm}5.68%)$ and SNU-C4$(55.94{\pm}7.39%)$ cell lines.

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.268-274
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• 2012

To perform quick measurements of black carbon (BC) particles deposited on foliar surfaces of forest tree species, we investigated an optical method for measuring the amount of BC extracted from foliar surfaces and collected on quartz fiber filters. The seedlings of Fagus crenata, Castanopsis sieboldii, Larix kaempferi and Cryptomeria japonica were exposed to submicron BC particles for one growing season (1 June to 7 December 2009). At the end of the growing season, the leaves or needles of the seedlings were harvested and washed with deionized water followed by washing with chloroform to extract the BC particles deposited on the foliar surfaces. The extracted BC particles were collected on a quartz fiber filter. The absorption spectrum of the filters was measured by spectrophotometer with an integrating sphere. To obtain the relationship between the absorbance of the filter and the amount of BC particles on the filter, the amount of BC particles on the filter was determined as that of elemental carbon (EC) measured by a thermal optical method. At wavelengths below 450 nm, the absorption spectrum of the filter showed absorption by biological substances, such as epicuticular wax, resulting in the low coefficient of determination ($R^2$) in the relationship between the amount of EC on the filter ($M_{EC}$, ${\mu}g\;C\;cm^{-2}$ filter area) and the absorbance of the filter. The intercept of the regression line between $M_{EC}$ and the absorbance of the filter at 580 nm ($A_{580}$) was closest to 0. There was a significant linear relationship between the $A_{580}$ and $M_{EC}$ ($R^2$=0.917, p<0.001), suggesting that the amount of BC particles collected on the filter can be predicted from the absorbance. This optical method might serve as a simple, fast and cost-effective technique for measuring the amount of BC on foliar surfaces.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.41 no.7
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• pp.895-900
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• 2012

The effects of three fractions, hexane (BHHH), chloroform (BHHC), and ethyl acetate (BHHE), from water extract of Benincasa hispida on the underlying mechanisms of adipogenesis were investigated in 3T3-L1 cells. Intracellular lipid droplets were stained with Oil Red O dye and quantified. Compared to control, lipid accumulation significantly decreased by 11% and 13% upon treatment with BHHC and BHHE, respectively at a concentration of 50 ${\mu}g/mL$. Intracellular triglyceride (TG) levels were also reduced by 21% and 16%, respectively, at the same concentration. To determine the mechanism behind the reductions in TG content and lipid accumulation, glycerol release and expression levels of adipogenic marker genes were measured. The levels of free glycerol released into culture medium increased by 13% and 17% upon treatment with BHHC and BHHE, respectively. In subsequent measurements using real-time polymerization chain reaction, the mRNA levels of $PPAR{\gamma}$, C/$EBP{\alpha}$, and leptin significantly decreased upon treatment with BHHE (45%, 67%, and 35%) in comparison with non-treated control. These results suggest that BHHE inhibits adipocyte differentiation by blocking $PPAR{\gamma}$, C/$EBP{\alpha}$, and leptin gene expression in 3T3-L1 cells, resulting in reduced lipid accumulation, increased glycerol release, and intracellular triglycerides.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.257-264
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• 2008

In this study, the antioxidant activities and nitrite scavenging abilities of olive leaf fractions acquired from plants cultivated in Australia (Olea europaea L. var. Picual) and Spain (Olea europaea L. var. Hojiblanca) were evaluated. Oleuropein was found to be the major phenolic compound in the leaves, with the butanol fractions presenting the highest contents. Antioxidant activity was evaluated in terms of superoxide dismutase (SOD)-like activity, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydroxyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, and the inhibitory effect on the auto-oxidation rate of linoleic acid. The SOD-like activities of the olive leaf extracts ranged from 0 to 36.8%. DPPH radical scavenging activity was highest in the ethanol extract of the Australian cultivated olive leaves. Finally, the chloroform fractions of the extracts showed inhibitory effects on the auto-oxidation rate of linoleic acid as well as nitrite scavenging ability.

• Korean Journal of Weed Science
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.154-167
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• 1989

This study was conducted to determine the influence of various extracts from 21 medicinal plants including Bupleurm falcatum on the germination and growth of Lactuca sativa, Oryza native and E. crus-galli var. crus-galli, and the amount of their phenolic acids, fatty acids and organic acids, Water extract(5%) of all the medicinal plants, particularly Acorus gramineus, Cnidium officinale, Aconitum carmicheali, Bulpeurum falcatum, Zingiber officinale, Angelica gigas and Curcuma zeodaria inhibited over 90% of the lettuce seed germination and growth, indicating that medicinal plants contained the biologically active substances. The highest amount of phenolic compounds was observed in Prunus crmenica var, ansu(30.6013mg/g) followed by Aconitum ciliare(29.1008mg/g) and Cnidium officienale(27.2943mg/g) which inhibited markedly the germination of testing plants, showing the close relation of phenolic compounds to inhibitory effects. Cnidium officinale contained the highest amount of fatty acids(24.10mg/g) and organic acids(21.04mg/g) which may be partly related to inhibitory effects.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.787-790
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• 2011

The objective of this study was to investigate the anticancer effects of Acer tegmentosum M. extracts. HepG2 hepatocarcinoma cells were treated with ethanol, chloroform, ethylacetate, butanol, aqueous fraction and hot water extract. The antiproliferative effect was evaluated by trypan blue exclusion, MTT-based viability assay and morphology. The trypan blue test showed that anticancer effect of the A. tegmentosum M. extracts on HepG2 cells increased gradually in proportion to the increasing concentration of the fractions. The butanol fraction showed the highest anticancer activity against HepG2 cells (p<0.05). The MTT assay indicated that the growth inhibition by the butanol fraction was dose-dependent. These results suggest that A. tegmentosum M. has the potential to inhibit the growth of hepatocarcinoma cells.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.21 no.11
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• pp.1579-1585
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• 2011

Natural anti-diabetic semipurified ethyl acetate fraction was isolated from the submerged-liquid culture of Agaricus blaze Murill (AB) in a medium containing soybean flakes. Hot-water extract of AB (HEAB) was prepared by extraction at $121^{\circ}C$ for 60 min, followed by filtering through a filter presser filled with diatomate. The ${\beta}$-glucan-free HEAB, which was a supernatant fraction from HEAB by precipitation in an 80% ethanol solution, was fractionated into hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and butanol fractions. The inhibition of the ${\alpha}$-glucosidase activity by fractions was 59.0, 17.0, 61.6, and 37.9%, respectively, suggesting that ethyl acetate fraction was the most active. A subfraction having a strong ${\alpha}$-glucosidase inhibitory activity (80.4%) was isolated from the ethyl acetate fraction. This subfraction contained isoflavones (genistin and daidzin) and their conjugates with sugars as potent inhibiters of ${\alpha}$-glucosidase activity. These results suggest that the ethyl acetate fraction or HEAB containing isoflavones and their sugars conjugates could be useful sources for controlling blood sugar levels in humans.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.40-48
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• 2010

This study was carried out to investigate the physicochemical and functional properties of Yacon (Polymnia Sonchifolia) powder. The proximate composition of Yacon powder as a dry matter basis was 3.53% moisture content, 1.13% crude protein, 0.40% crude fat, 0.79% crude ash, 1.63% dietary fiber and 92.52% carbohydrate. The major free sugars were identified as fructose and glucose. Analysing total amino acids, 18 kinds of components were isolated from Yacon powder. The essential amino acid contained in Yacon powder accounted for 28.40% of total amino acid, while the non-essential amino acid accounted for 73.61%. Analysing total fatty acids, only 2 kinds - palmitic acid and lauric acid - were detected. Oxalic acid was the major organic acid. The contents of vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin E were 0.057 mg%, 0.670 mg% and 0.001 mg%, respectively. The mineral contents of Yacon powder were in the order of Zn