• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.517-526
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• 2019

Background: The root of Panax ginseng, a member of Araliaceae family, has been used as herbal medicine and functional food in Asia for thousands of years. According to Traditional Chinese medicine, ginseng is the most widely used "Qi-invigorating" herbs, which provides tonic and preventive effects by resisting oxidative stress, influencing energy metabolism, and improving mitochondrial function. Very few reports have systematically measured cell mitochondrial bioenergetics after ginseng treatment. Methods: Here, H9C2 cell line, a rat cardiomyoblast, was treated with ginseng extracts having extracted using solvents of different polarity, i.e., water, 50% ethanol, and 90% ethanol, and subsequently, the oxygen consumption rate in healthy and tert-butyl hydroperoxideetreated live cultures was determined by Seahorse extracellular flux analyzer. Results: The 90% ethanol extracts of ginseng possessed the strongest antioxidative and tonic activities to mitochondrial respiration and therefore provided the best protective effects to H9C2 cardiomyocytes. By increasing the spare respiratory capacity of stressed H9C2 cells up to three-folds of that of healthy cells, the 90% ethanol extracts of ginseng greatly improved the tolerance of myocardial cells to oxidative damage. Conclusion: These results demonstrated that the low polarity extracts of ginseng could be the best extract, as compared with others, in regulating the oxygen consumption rate of cultured cardiomyocytes during mitochondrial respiration.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.63-69
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• 2017

Saururus chinensis (Lour.) Baill. (Saururaceae) has been used as a traditional medicine for the treatment of dysuria, leukorrhea, eczema, jaundice and ascites in Korea, China and Japan. Ethanol extract of S. chinensis was successively partitioned as methylene chloride, ethyl acetate, n-butanol and $H_2O$ soluble fractions. Among those fractions the ethyl acetate soluble fraction showed the most potent DPPH radical scavenging and superoxide quenching activities. To verify antioxidant activities of ethyl acetate fraction, we checked the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase, and intracellular ROS level and oxidative stress tolerance in Caenorhabditis elegans. Furthermore, to see if increased stress tolerance of worms by treating of ethyl acetate fraction was due to regulation of stress-response gene, we quantified SOD-3 expression using transgenic strain. Consequently, ethyl acetate fraction elevated SOD and catalase activities of C. elegans, and reduced intracellular ROS accumulation in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, ethyl acetate fraction-treated CF1553 worms exhibited significantly higher SOD-3::GFP intensity.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.77-86
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• 2011

Alcohol dehydrogenase (E.C.1.1.1.1) is an enzyme present in higher plants involved in the anaerobic fermentation pathway that catalyzes the reduction of pyruvate to ethanol, resulting in continuous $NAD^+$ regeneration. It also plays an important role in many plant developments including tolerance to anoxia condition. Here, a cDNA clone encoding alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) was isolated from Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa) seedlings. The gene named Bradh1 had a total length of 1,326 bp that contains a single open reading frame of 1,140 bp. The predicted protein consists of 379 amino acid residues with a calculated molecular mass of 41.17 kDa. Expression pattern analysis revealed a tissue-specific expressing gene in different tissues and strongly expressed in the shoot, roots and seeds of Chinese cabbage. Agrobacterium transformation of full-length cDNA Bradh1 into rice Gopumbyeo showed high efficiency. Furthermore, induction of ADH in transgenic rice enhanced tolerance to anaerobiosis stresses and elevated mRNA transcripts. The overexpression of Bradh1 in rice increases germination under anaerobiosis stresses, implying the possibility of developing new varieties suited for direct seeding or flood-prone rice field.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.33-37
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• 2015

Recently, several health benefits of rice wine, makgeolli, were known due to the interest on the traditional Korean liquor and the researches on the rice wine are increasing. Organic acids produced during the process of rice wine fermentation play important roles in the taste and flavor. In this study, we have examined the optimal conditions for lactic acid production in rice koji as a carbon source. Skim milk was also used as a supplementary ingredient for the optimization of lactic acid fermentation. Bacterial growth of Lactobacillus sakei was monitored under this condition. The pH, acidity of the culture and the ethanol tolerance of this bacterium were also tested. Through these experiments, we were able to optimize the growth condition of lactic acid bacteria by the addition of skim milk. This was also able to affect the change of pH, acidity, sugar concentration and alcohol tolerance, which might contribute to the improvement of the quality of rice wine. The optimal condition for the growth was 2 days with 10% (w/v) of skim milk concentration. With these results, it was confirmed that rice koji was an effective carbon source for the growth of lactic acid bacteria.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.59-67
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• 2018

A xylanolytic and cellulolytic anaerobic bacterium strain CtC72 was isolated from cattle rumen liquor. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain CtC72 shared only 97.78% homology with its nearest phylogenetic affiliate Actinomyces ruminicola, showing its novelty. The strain could grow on medium containing xylan, carboxymethyl cellulose and avicel producing $CO_2$, acetate, and ethanol as major fermentation products. The whole genome analysis of the strain CtC72 exhibited a broad range of carbohydrate-active enzymes required for the breakdown and utilization of lignocellulosic biomass. Genes related to the production of ethanol and stress tolerance were also detected. Further there were several unique genes in CtC72 for chitin degradation, pectin utilization, sugar utilization, and stress response in comparison with Actinomyces ruminicola. The results show that the strain CtC72, a putative novel bacterium can be used for lignocellulosic biomass based biotechnological applications.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.161-166
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• 2012

The purpose of this work was to examine the antibacterial activity derived from a lactic acid bacterium isolated from korean rice wine, called makgeolli. Various physiological and biochemical properties of this strain were characterized. Both the BIOLOG system and phylogenetic analysis using 16S rRNA sequencing were utilized for identification, and the strain was designated as Lactobacillus casei HK-9, and registered in GenBank as [JQ951606]. Growth rate, production of organic acids (e.g., lactic acid and acetic acid), and pH changes during growth were monitored. The maximum concentrations of lactic acid and acetic acid were approximately 576 mM and 199 mM, respectively, and pH was changed from 7.00 to 3.74 after 72 h of incubation. HPLC was used to confirm the production of lactic acid and acetic acid. Significant antimicrobial activity of the concentrated supernatant was demonstrated against various food-poison causing bacteria (e.g., Bacillus cereus, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella enteritidis). Ethanol tolerance of L. casei HK-9 showed up to 12% of ethanol within the culture.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.12
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• pp.2060-2065
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• 2016

Characteristics of E. coli O157:H7-specific infection bacteriophages (O157 coliphages) and broad-host-range bacteriophages for other E. coli serotypes (broad-host coliphages) were compared. The burst sizes of the two groups ranged from 40 to 176 PFU/infected cell. Distributions of the virulence factors stx1, stx2, ehxA, and saa between the two groups were not differentiated. Broad-host-range coliphages showed lower stability at $70^{\circ}C$, in relation to O157 coliphages. However, O157 coliphages showed high acid and ethanol tolerance by reduction of only 22% and 11% phages, respectively, under pH 3 and 70% ethanol for 1 h exposure. Therefore, these results revealed that the O157 coliphages might be more stable under harsh environments, which might explain their effective infection of the acid-tolerant E. coli O157:H7.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.81-88
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• 2022

Acetic acid bacteria (AAB) are versatile organisms involved in the production of variety of fermented foods, such as vinegar and kombucha, and products of biotechnological relevance, such as bacterial cellulose. In the present study, Malatya apricot, a variety with protected designation of origin (PDO), and vinegar samples produced using various fruits were used to isolate AAB. The 19 AAB isolates obtained were typed using (GTG)5 fingerprinting, and the ones selected were identified by sequencing either 16S rDNA alone or in combination with 16S-23S rRNA internal transcribed spacer region or ligA gene. While all apricot isolates (n = 10) were Gluconobacter cerinus, vinegar isolates (n = 9) were composed of Komagataeibacter saccharivorans, Acetobacter syzygii, and possible two new species of AAB, Komagataeibacter sp., and Gluconobacter sp. (GTG)5 fingerprinting showed the presence of several genotypes of G. cerinus in the apricot samples. Screening for some technologically relevant properties, including thermotolerance, ethanol tolerance, and cellulose production capability, showed that all Komagataeibacter and some Gluconobacter isolates could tolerate the temperature of 35℃, and that vinegar isolates could tolerate up to 8% ethanol. One isolate, Komagataeibacter sp. GUS3 produced bacterial cellulose (1 g/l) and has the potential to be used for cellulose production.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.22 no.11
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• pp.1557-1567
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• 2012

Glutathione reductase (GR, E.C. 1.6.4.2) is an important enzyme that reduces glutathione disulfide (GSSG) to a sulfydryl form (GSH) in the presence of an NADPH-dependent system. This is a critical antioxidant mechanism. Owing to the significance of GR, this enzyme has been examined in a number of animals, plants, and microbes. We performed a study to evaluate the molecular properties of GR (OsGR) from rice (Oryza sativa). To determine whether heterologous expression of OsGR can reduce the deleterious effects of unfavorable abiotic conditions, we constructed a transgenic Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain expressing the GR gene cloned into the yeast expression vector p426GPD. OsGR expression was confirmed by a semiquantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (semiquantitative RT-PCR) assay, Western-blotting, and a test for enzyme activity. OsGR expression increased the ability of the yeast cells to adapt and recover from $H_2O_2$-induced oxidative stress and various stimuli including heat shock and exposure to menadione, heavy metals (iron, zinc, copper, and cadmium), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), ethanol, and sulfuric acid. However, augmented OsGR expression did not affect the yeast fermentation capacity owing to reduction of OsGR by multiple factors produced during the fermentation process. These results suggest that ectopic OsGR expression conferred acquired tolerance by improving cellular homeostasis and resistance against different stresses in the genetically modified yeast strain, but did not affect fermentation ability.

• 한국인삼전략화협의회:학술대회논문집
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• v.2003 no.09
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• pp.77-88
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• 2003

"Ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer) has been a popular herbal remedy used in eastern Asian cultures for thousands of years, and a number of health claims are made for it. Modern therapeutic claims for ginseng refer to vitality, immune function, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and sexual function. These claims are mostly based on uncontrolled or non-randomized studies. Among modern therapeutic claims, however, therapeutic effects for diabetes can reasonably be accepted. Following experiment was done recently in our lab: this study was designed to compare the antidiabetic activities between Ginseng Radix Alba (GRA), Ginseng Radix Rubra (GRR) and Panax Quinquefoli Radix (PQR) in multiple low dose (MLD) streptozotocin (STZ) (20mg/kg i.p injection for 5 days) induced diabetic rats. In the glucose tolerance test, 500mg/kg of each ginseng ethanol extract was admoinistered intraperitoneally 30min before glucose challenge. While GRA failed to lower blood glucose level, GRR and PQR both significantly prevented the hyperglycemia when compared with the control group. In the MLD STZ-induced diabetic rats, 300 mg/kg of each ginseng ethanol extract was administered intraperitoneally for 2 weeks. Plasma glucose and insulin levels were markedly improved in all treatment groups. While GRR showed the highest antidiabetic activity, and GRA and PQR revealed somewhat equipotent antidiabetic activities, but less than that in GRR-treated group as for as blood parameters and diabetic symptoms such as polydipsia are concerned. Blood glucose levels were closely associated with plasma insulin levels, and this result may suggest that ginseng ethanol extracts showed the activity to enhance insulin secretion as well as preventing destruction of pancreatic islet cells. To elucidate the relationship between antidiabetic activity and ginsenoside profiles, seven major ginsenoside were quantified by HPLC. We figured out the fact that protopanaxatriol (PPT) : proptopanaxadiol (PPD) ratio might play an important role in its hypoglycemia effects."