• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.313-320
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• 2019

In this study, phytochemicals extracted from sea mustard (SM) and sea mustard sporophyll (SMS) in ethanol solution have been analyzed and wound healing potential of the phytochemicals was investigated. In the phytochemical screening studies, the extract of SM and SMS includes several phytochemical compounds such as phytol, ascorbic acid, sitgmasta, fucosterol and ergosta. Cytotoxicity studies of the extract of SM and SMS with mouse macrophage RAW 264.7 cells showed on toxicity up to a high concentration of 1.0 mg/mL. Furthermore, the SM and SMS extract significantly reduces the production of nitric oxide (NO) induced lipopolysaccharide on RAW 264.7 cells with a dose-dependent manner. In addition, the extract of SM and SMS has the effect of enhancing the cell migration and invasion of fibroblast. These results demonstrate that the extract of SM and SMS could help to heal wound by reducing NO production and increasing cell migration.

• Journal of the Korean Solar Energy Society
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.66-71
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• 2011

Various single solvents were tested to find the effective solvent for the extraction of algae oil from wet-form Chlorella minutissima. In the case of single solvents, their extractabilities for algae oil were increased with their polarity because the water in wet algae cell is to form a solvent shell around the lipids. Based on these results, the wet-form algae samples were treated with a polar alcohol solvent and then a nonpolar solvent was added in algae residue. In the algae oil extraction by ethanol/n-hexane, total lipid contents were 40-50% and composition of triglyceride in extracted oil was 46.50%. Considering solvent toxicity of conventional solvent mixture such as chloroform and methanol for algae oil extraction, the ethanol/n-hexane system was identified as the effective one for the oil extraction from wet-form Chlorella minutissima.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.90-100
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• 2022

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) have posed serious public health problems, accounting for nearly 30% of mortality worldwide and their incidence is still increasing. Therefore, new treatment resources are necessary to prevent or manage the ever-increasing population of patients with CVDs. Sea cucumber is well known for its medical and health benefit effects, but it is not well known what/how effect it has on vascular disease. In the present study, we examined the protect effect of sea cucumber, Apostichopus japonicus 80% ethanol extract (AJE) on zebrafish embryo with the stimulation of free fatty acid, palmitate (PA). In vivo study showed that AJE can attenuate PA-induced toxicity through relieving the rapid heartbeat, increasing the survival rate and reducing the malformation in both wild type and Tg (fli1a:eGFP) transgenic zebrafish lines. Additionally, compare with PA treated embryos, the yolk sac area, body length, axial vascular segment (AVS) and intersegmental vessel (ISV) of the co-treatment group of AJE and PA were comparable to the control group. Moreover, AJE lowered the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), nitric oxide (NO) and inflammation-related genes induced by PA, and inhibited PA-induced vascular development disorders. Our data preliminarily verify that AJE could be a candidate resource for the prevention or therapy of CVDs.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.255-260
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• 2018

Chung-Sang (CS) is an experimental herbal remedy that is formulated to treat respiratory diseases implicated by inflammation. The herbs comprised of CS are frequently prescribed for treating various inflammatory symptoms: Menthae haplocalycis Herba, Magnoliae Flosis, Xanthii Fructus, Herba Asari, and Caryphylli Flos. Here, we prepared the extract of CS with boiling water (wCS) or with 50 % ethanol (eCS) and examined whether the two different extracts of CS exhibit a toxicity to cultured cells and mice. RAW 264.7 cells were treated with wCS or eCS, and the cytotoxicity of these extracts to RAW 264.7 cells was determined by an MTT assay. Although the production of intracellular reactive oxygen species that are detrimental to the cells was not increased by the extracts, the cytotoxicity to the cells was evident from 10 mg/ml of wCS and 100 mg/ml of eCS, suggesting that eCS is less cytotoxic. When mice (n = 10/group) received a single intratracheal wCS or eCS daily for 14 days, wCS yielded 40 % mortality, whereas eCS showed none. Both wCS and eCS did not significantly affect the weight of the body and of vital organs, except the lung. Biochemical analyses of mice blood indicated no damage to liver or kidney. However, unlike eCS, wCS significantly increased the level of IgE in serum. Collectively, our results show that eCS was less toxic than wCS, suggesting that CS prepared with 50 % ethanol is preferential over the conventional way of preparing CS.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.11
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• pp.1192-1199
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• 2019

The intention of this study was to confirm the possible use of an ethanol extracts of Nelumbinis Rhizomatis Nodus (NRN) as a cosmetic material. To this end, we extracted NRN with 70% ethanol and performed biological activity evaluation of whitening efficacy and wrinkle reduction. We performed cellular tyrosinase inhibition and melanin contents assay to check the whitening activity of NRN and carried out a toxicity evaluation of NRN via an MTT assay and the amounts of associated proteins that affect melanin production in a melanoma cell line (B16F10). And collagenase inhibitory assay was performed for the evaluation of anti-wrinkle of samples. In addition, a toxicity evaluation using an MTT assay and matrix metalloprotease (MMP-1) and procollagen synthesis inhibition by NRN were evaluated in a fibroblast cell line (CCD-986sk). Western blot results for the whitening activity evaluation revealed that the levels of two proteins related to melanin production, tyrosinase-related protein-1 (TRP-1) and tyrosinase-related protein-2 (TRP-2), were decreased in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, collagenase inhibition activity at a concentration of $500{\mu}g/ml$ NRN by measuring epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) was increased by more than 80% compared to the control group. Meanwhile, procollagen synthesis was reduced by 68.8% in the UVB-induced CCD- 986sk cells group whereas collagen synthesis recovered by 80.2% with $25{\mu}g/ml$ NRN. The MMP-1 expression rate showed 20.2% reduction at $25{\mu}g/ml$. The results of the experiments verified the whitening and wrinkle suppression effects of NRN and confirmed that it could be used as a safe natural cosmetic material in the future.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.49-57
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• 2012

It has been shown that QGC isolated and purified from Rumecis folium found protective effects of gastritis and esophagitis which EXT is an ethanol extract of it. We examined acute toxicity and the general pharmacological action of QGC EXT to search for any side effects of it in rats, mice, guinea pigs, and cats. In a single dose toxicity study, QGC EXT didn't show toxicological effects in rats and mice, and the $LD_{50}$ was over 5 g/kg in both animals, and there were also no changes in weight, feed and water intake during these toxicological experimental periods. We examined the general pharmacological action on central controlled behavior responses, and peripheral organs including blood pressure, heart rate, respiration and gastrointestinal system, We found that there were no significant changes in body temperature, locomotors activity, stereotyped behaviors, sleeping time, and convulsion. In other studies, writhing reaction, normal body temperature, there did not appear to be any changes. The large intestine movement and electrical field stimulation-induced contraction was not changes by its EXT. In addition, the influences on blood pressure, heart rates, and respiration by QGC EXT were not found. These results indicate that QGC EXT may be very safe as a new drug, since its $LD_{50}$ was very high over 5 g/kg and any side effects were not found.

• Mycobiology
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.269-277
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• 2018

The production of water-soluble pigments by fungal strains indigenous to South Korea was investigated to find those that are highly productive in submerged culture. Among 113 candidates, 34 strains that colored the inoculated potato dextrose agar medium were selected. They were cultured in potato dextrose broth and extracted with ethanol. The productivity, functionality (radical-scavenging activities), and color information (CIELAB values) of the pigment extracts were measured. Five species produced intense yellowish pigments, and two produced intense reddish pigments that ranked the highest in terms of absorbance units produced per day. The pigment extracts of Penicillium miczynskii, Sanghuangporus baumii, Trichoderma sp. 1, and Trichoderma afroharzianum exhibited high radical-scavenging activity. However, the S. baumii extract showed moderate toxicity in the acute toxicity test, which limits the industrial application of this pigment. In conclusion, P. miczynskii KUC1721, Trichoderma sp. 1 KUC1716, and T. afroharzianum KUC21213 were the best fungal candidates to be industrial producers of safe, functional water-soluble pigments.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.138-143
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• 2015

This study was carried out to evaluate the preventive effect of three forms of Korean ginseng roots (fresh, white and red) against bisphenol A (BPA) toxicity in mouse male germ cells (GC-2spd, TM3, TM4). ROS (reactive oxygen species) generation were measured by DCF-DA (2',7'-dichlorohydrofluorescein diacetate) assay. Also, semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was performed to quantify the mRNA expression levels of apoptosis-related genes, Bax (pro-apoptotic gene) and Bcl2 (anti-apoptotic gene). ROS generation was increased by $50{\mu}M$ BPA, but definitely decreased by treatment with Korean ginseng extracts (fresh, white and red) in mouse male germ cells. In especial, Korean fresh ginseng extract reduced significantly ROS production to normal control. In addition, Korean fresh and white ginseng extracts suppressed the apoptosis of mouse male germ cells by fine-tuning mRNA levels of apoptotic genes changed by BPA. In general, Korean fresh ginseng extract was more effective than white ginseng extract for reducing BPA-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis in mouse male germ cells. Therefore, Korean fresh and white ginseng may help to alleviate biphenol A toxicity in mouse male germ cells.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.133-141
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• 2010

The protective effect of a mixed powder from solid-cultured and liquid-cultured Lentinus edodes mycelia (2:1, w/w) (designate LED) on the carbon tetrachloride ($CCl_4$)- and ethanol-induced hepatotoxicity of male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rat was investigated. In the $CCl_4$-induced rat hepatotoxicity experiment, rats of 4 groups (6 rats/group) were administere with Normal (0.2 ml distilled water), Control (0.2 ml distilled water), LED (LED 200 mg/kg BW + 0.2 ml distilled water), and Silymarin (200 mg/kg BW + 0.2 ml distilled water), p.o., daily for 2 weeks. Afterwards, all groups except for the Normal group were subjected to abdominal injection with $CCl_4$ ($CCl_4$ : corn oil, 1:1 v/v; 0.5 ml/kg BW). For the ethanol- induced rat hepatotoxicity experiment, rats were divided into 5 groups (5 rats/group): Normal; Pair-fed control (PFC); Control (ethanol); LED (ethanol + LED 200 mg/kg BW); and Silymarin (ethanol + silymarin 200 mg/kg BW). Rats of the Normal and PFC groups were fed a basal liquid diet, and rats of the Control, LED, and Silymarin groups were fed a liquid ethanol diet containing LED or Silymarin. Eight weeks later, blood and liver samples were collected to analyze biomarkers. In $CCl_4$-induced SD rats, LED elevated hepatic superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, and glutathione peroxidase (GSH peroxidase) activities and thiobarbituric reactive substances (TBARS) were reduced, resulting in the reduction of glutamate-oxalate transaminase (GOT), glutamate-pyruvate transaminase (GPT) and lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) activities in plasma. Similar results of these enzymes and biochemical markers in both liver tissues and plasma were seen in ethanol-induced hepatotoxicity of SD rats. In addition, elevated alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity and reduced expression of cytochrome p450 mixed monooxygenase enzyme (CYP2E1) were seen in liver tissues from ethanol-treated rats by LED treatment. These effects of LED were similar to those of Silymarin. In in vitro experiments, LED showed antioxidant activity in a 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) system and mouse liver mitochondria system induced by NADPH/$Fe^{2+}$ and cumine hydroperoxide (CuOOH). These results indicate that LED protected SD rat hepatotoxicity, induced by $CCl_4$ and ethanol, through its antioxidative activity and might be useful as a material for protection from hepatoxicity in humans.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2017

Objective: This study investigated the effect of purified Carthamus tinctorius (C. tinctorius) extracted with a hot water and ethanol method on adipogenic differentiation of mouse bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal stem cells (mBMSCs). Methods: The C. tinctorius was extracted using hot water and ethanol. The samples were concentrated by a rotary evaporator and were then dried using a freeze-dryer. The mBMSCs were cultured and maintained in a minimum essential medium eagle alpha (${\alpha}-MEM$) supplemented with 10% FBS and 1% antibiotic antimycotic solution. To induce adipogenic differentiation, the cells were treated with Dulbecco's modified eagle's medium-low glucose (DMEM-LG) containing 1 mg/mL insulin, 1 mM dexamethasone, and 0.5 mM 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine. To evaluate the adipogenic differentiation ability, oil-red O staining was performed after adipogenic differentiation for 21 days. The mRNA expression and protein level of adipogenic-related genes were quantified by quantitative real-time PCR and western blotting, respectively. Results: In the results of the MTT assay, no concentrations of C. tinctorius extracts showed toxicity on mBMSCs, so we fixed the treatment concentration of the extract at 100 ng/mL. In oil-red O staining, the water-C. tinctorius extract treatment significantly decreased adipogenic differentiation compared with the control and ethanol extract groups. The water-C. tinctorius extract group in particular showed reduced mRNA and protein expression of Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma ($Ppar{\gamma}$) and CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein alpha ($C/ebp{\alpha}$), which are adipogenic-related transcription factors. Conclusion: These data suggest that extract of C. tinctorius decreased the adipogenic differentiation of mBMSCs, while only water-C. tinctorius extract had an effect on different adipogenesis in mBMSCs. The C. tinctorius will be a useful therapeutic reagent for the prevention of obesity-related diseases such as diabetes, hyperlipidemia, coronary artery disease, and osteoporosis.