• Natural Product Sciences
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• 제23권2호
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• pp.119-124
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• 2017

The isolation of the MeOH extract from the flower bud of Magnolia biondii Pamp. using various column chromatographies and HPLC led to eleven neoglignan derivatives (1 - 11). Their structures were mainly determined by 1D and 2D NMR spectral data analysis and physiological methods. The isolated compounds (1 - 11) were tested for anti-allergic effects using IL-2 inhibitory assay in Jurkat T cells.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
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• 제27권1호
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• pp.37-55
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• 2023

In this paper we propose a new algorithm for detecting and counting flowers in a complex background based on digital images. The algorithm mainly includes the following parts: edge contour extraction of flowers, edge contour determination of overlapped flowers and flower counting. We use a contour detection technique in Computer Vision (CV) to extract the edge contours of flowers and propose an improved algorithm with a concave point detection technique to find accurate segmentation for overlapped flowers. In this process, we first use the polygon approximation to smooth edge contours and then adopt the second-order central moments to fit ellipse contours to determine whether edge contours overlap. To obtain accurate segmentation points, we calculate the curvature of each pixel point on the edge contours with an improved Curvature Scale Space (CSS) corner detector. Finally, we successively give three adaptive judgment criteria to detect and count flowers accurately and automatically. Both experimental results and the proposed evaluation indicators reveal that the proposed algorithm is more efficient for flower counting.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
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• 제27권2호
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• pp.146-159
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• 2023

This paper proposes a hybrid algorithm combining K-means clustering and watershed algorithms for flower segmentation and counting. We use the K-means clustering algorithm to obtain the main colors in a complex background according to the cluster centers and then take a color space transformation to extract pixel values for the hue, saturation, and value of flower color. Next, we apply the threshold segmentation technique to segment flowers precisely and obtain the binary image of flowers. Based on this, we take the Euclidean distance transformation to obtain the distance map and apply it to find the local maxima of the connected components. Afterward, the proposed algorithm adaptively determines a minimum distance between each peak and apply it to label connected components using the watershed segmentation with eight-connectivity. On a dataset of 30 images, the test results reveal that the proposed method is more efficient and precise for the counting of overlapped flowers ignoring the degree of overlap, number of overlap, and relatively irregular shape.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• 제7권2호
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• pp.162-170
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• 2007

Woodfordia fruticosa Kurz. (Lythraceae), commonly known as Dhayero, is used in the treatment of various ailments in Nepal. In this study, the antioxidant capacity of crude extract and different polarity fractions of Woodfordia fruticosa flowers were assayed for their scavenging abilities against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and nitric oxide radicals, competitive ${\beta}$-carotene bleaching, reducing power, metal chelating ability and total phenolic content. Crude extract and polar fractions showed stronger antioxidant capacity and contained very high level of total phenolics. They exhibited strong DPPH radical scavenging, nitric oxide scavenging and reducing power, medium ${\beta}$-carotene bleaching and poor metal chelating capacity. Positive correlation obtained between total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity assays, indicated the contribution of phenolics toards antioxidant capacity.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• 제7권3호
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• pp.229-234
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• 2007

In macrophages, nitric oxide (NO) is released as an inflammatory mediator and has been proposed to be an important modulator of many pathophysiological conditions including inflammation. In this study, we have examined the inhibition effects of NO production by 85% methanol extract of the flower of Pueraria thunbergiana (PF) in mouse macrophages. Extract of PF (1, 10, 100 ${\mu}g/ml$) inhibited NO production, inducible NO synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 expression in interferon-g and lipopolysaccharide-stimulated mouse peritoneal macrophages and it had no cytotoxicity. These data suggest that 85% methanol extract of PF might be useful in controlling macrophages mediated inflammatory disease.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제24권2호
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• pp.184-190
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• 2016

Rosa rugosa Thunb, a deciduous shrub of the genus Rosa, has been widely used to treat stomach aches, diarrhoea, pain, and chronic inflammatory disease in eastern Asia. In recent years, our research team has extensively studied the Rosa rugosa flower extract, and specifically undertook pharmacological experiments which have optimized the extraction process. Our methods have yielded a standard extract enriched in phenolic compounds, named PRE. Herein, we expand our efforts and evaluated the anti-inflammatory activity of PRE on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation in RAW 264.7 macrophages. PRE significantly inhibited production of nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin $E_2(PGE_2)$, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-${\alpha}$, interleukin (IL)-6, and interleukin $1{\beta}$ (IL-$1{\beta}$), as well as expression of their synthesizing enzymes, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase2 (COX-2). Furthermore, PRE inhibited activity of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) as well as nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-${\kappa}B$) signaling pathway. Our findings are the first to explain the anti-inflammatory mechanism by PRE in LPS-stimulated macrophages. Given these results, we propose that PRE has therapeutic potential in the prevention of inflammatory disorders.

• 한국작물학회지
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• 제42권6호
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• pp.821-832
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• 1997

본 실험은 알파파 꽃 추출물로부터 Allelopathy와 Autotoxicity에 관련되는 활성물질을 분리, 동정하기 위하여 실시하였다. 알팔파 꽃 200g을 80% MeOH로 추출하여 $CHCl_3$층을 silica gel thin layer chromatography (TLC), microcrystalline cellulose thin layer chromatography (MCTLC)와 droplet countercurrent chromatography(DCCC)의 분획을 이용하여 생물검정을 행하고 DCCC의 생물검정에서 가장 억제력을 보였던 분획 5와 6은 HPLC로 활성물질을 동정하였다. HPLC분석 결과 분획 5에서는 ferulic acid, caffeic acid, vanillic acid, rutin, narringin 이, 분획 6에서는 ferulic acid, caffeic acid, vanillic acid, rutin, coumarin이 동정되었다. 이들 동정된 물질을 이용한 알팔파와 돌피에 대한 발아실험에서도 모두 알팔파와 돌피의 발아와 생육에 억제적으로 작용하였으며, 이중 coumarin의 처리가 가장 억제적이었다. 따라서 이들 물질이 알팔파와 돌피의 autotoxicity와 allelopathy에 관련하는 것으로 생각되었다.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• 제18권3호
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• pp.766-770
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• 2009

Hot water extracts of Camellia japonica flower buds were found to have the higher 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity than the other solvent extracts. Five phenolic compounds were isolated and purified from the ethyl acetate soluble-neutral fraction of hot water extracts by Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography and octadecyl silane-high performance liquid chromatography using the guided assay of DPPH radical scavenging. Based on mass spectrometer and nuclear magnetic resonance, the isolated compounds were identified as p-hydroxybenzaldehyde (1), vanillin (2), dehydroxysynapyl alcohol (3), 7S,7'S,8R,8'R-icariol $A_2$ (4), and (-)-epicatechin (5). Four compounds (1-4) except for 5 were newly identified in this plant. Their DPPH radical scavenging activities as 50% scavenging concentration decreased in order to 5 $(20\;{\mu}M)>{\alpha}-tocopherol$ $(29\;{\mu}M)>4$ $(67\;{\mu}M)>3$ $(72\;{\mu}M)>1=2$ ($>250\;{\mu}M$). These results indicate that the antioxidant effect of the hot water extract of C. japonica flower buds may partially due to 5 isolated phenolic compounds.

• 한국미생물·생명공학회지
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• 제48권4호
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• pp.471-479
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• 2020

The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of the Rhododendron weyrichii flower extract fermented using Shindari, a traditional Jeju barley Nuruk-based fermentation. In this study, we examined the antioxidant potential of R. weyrichii flower extracts (RF) and R. weyrichii flower extracts fermented with Nuruk or Shindari (RFFN or RFFS, respectively) using various in vitro antioxidant assays including DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging assays, total phenol content and FRAP assays. We also evaluated the anti-inflammatory activity of the RF and RFFS on murine RAW 264.7 cells. The anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated by treating the RAW 264.7 cells with various concentrations (6.25, 12.5, 25, and 50 ㎍/ml) of RF or RFFS. As a result, we observed that the ABTS radical scavenging activity and total phenol content of RFFS was higher than that of RF and RFFN. Additionally, lipopolysaccharide-induced nitric oxide (NO) production was significantly lower in RFFS-treated cells when compared to the LPS-treated control. In addition, RFFS-treated cells exhibited decreased expression of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) proteins and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fingerprinting showed that both the quercetin and quercetin glucoside (quercitrin and isoquercitrin) levels were affected by the fermentation process. In conclusion, our data suggests that traditional fermentation could be an important strategy in improving the biological properties of raw materials including their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Finally, RFFS may be a candidate for developing topical antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• 제18권1호
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• pp.143-149
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• 2009

The aim of this study was to elucidate the anti-inflammatory activity of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) ethanolic extract fractions (CFEFs). Butanol fraction had the strongest antioxidant activity, and all CFEFs, except for chloroform fraction, partly inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitrite production in RAW 264.7 cells. In the cell-free system, hexane and butanol fractions chemically quenched nitric oxide (NO). In addition, the iNOS mRNA transcription was suppressed by ethanol extract and hexane fraction in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. Taken together, the inhibitory effect of CFEFs on NO production from LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells, might be due to both the chemical NO quenching activity and the suppression of iNOS mRNA transcription partially. The synthesis of prostaglandin $E_2$ ($PGE_2$) was potently inhibited by ethanol extract to below basal label, and the transcription of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), an enzyme involving in $PGE_2$ synthesis, was partially suppressed by ethanol extract and hexane fraction. Based on these results, CFEFs may be useful as an alternative medicine for the relief and retardation of immunological inflammatory responses through the reduction of inflammatory mediators, including NO and $PGE_2$ production.