• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.66-71
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• 2000

Peonjahwan, an oriental traditional medicine composed of crude herbal drugs and animal tissues is bitter and poorly water-soluble. To mask the bitterness of peonjahwan and enhance the release of bilirubin, one of the crude active ingredients of peonjahwan, peonja dry elixir (PDE), was prepared using a spray-dryer after extracting the crude materials in ethanol-water solution. coated peonja dry elixir (CPDE) was then prepared by coating the PDE with Eudragit acrylic resin. Panel assessed bitterness and release test of bilirubin from PDE and CPDE were carried out and compared with peonjahwan alone. PDE was found to have little effect upon the reduction of the bitterness of peonjahwan. However, the bitterness of CPDE was found to reduce to 1/4 of that of peonjahwan due to the encapsulation of crude active ingredients by the dextrin and Eudragit shell (P<0.05). The release rate of bilirubin from PDE and CPDE for 60 min increased about 3.5- and 2.5-fold, respectively, compared to peonjahwan at pH 1.2. It is concluded that CPDE, which masked the bitterness of peonjahwan and enhanced the release of bilirubin, is a preferable delivery system for peonjahwan.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.28-32
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• 2007

Cisplatin, an antitumor agent widely used in the treatment of cancers, has nephrotoxicity. This side effect is closely related to oxidative stress. In the present study, we studied to protective effect of ethanol extract of Bojungbangam-tang (EBJT) on cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity. Bojungbangam-tang is a new herbal prescription composed of nine crude drugs. Pretreatment of EBJT prevented cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity and generation of ROS. Also, cellular GSH content and gluathione peroxidase activity were recovered by EBJT. EBJT also decreased cisplatin-induced expression of HO-1 via inhibition of ERK activation. Taken together, these results suggest that EBJT has a cytoprotective effect against cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity through anti-oxidant activity.

• CELLMED
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.11.1-11.14
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• 2020

Nigella sativa commonly known as Black seed, Black cumin or Kalonji (Family Ranunculaceae) is a widely used for its miraculous healing power. Use of N. sativa seeds and oil has splendid historical past in diverse traditional systems of medicine and food. In Tibb-e-Nabwi (Prophetic Medicine), it is considered as one of the greatest forms of healing medicine. Phytochemically; it contains fixed oil, protein, alkaloids saponin and essential oil. Therapeutic properties of this plant are due to the presence of thymoquinone which is one of major active component and has different beneficial properties. In Unani System of Medicine the diseases are treated with nontoxic herbal drugs. As per Unani classical literature N. sativa perform various pharmacological actions like carminative, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, diuretic, emmenagogue, galactagogue, expectorant etc. Ample of phytochemical, pharmacological and clinical researches has been executed on N. sativa., which may include antidiabetic, anticancer, immunomodulator, analgesic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, bronchodilator, hepato-protective, renal protective, gastro-protective, antioxidant properties, etc. This review is an effort to summarize the literature on scientific researches of pharmacognostical characteristics, chemical composition and pharmacological activities of the kalonji seeds

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.2087-2092
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• 2015

Nowadays herbal-derived medicines are attracting attention as new sources of drugs with few side effects. Silibinin is a flavonoid compound with chemotheraputic effects on different cancers such as examples in the prostate, lung, colon and breast. In the present study, the cytotoxic effects of silibinin on MCF7 breast cancer cells were investigated. Apoptosis was determined by flow cytometry and the impact of silibinin on the expression of pivotal genes including Bak, P53, P21, BRCA1, BCL-X1 and ATM was analyzed. Treatment for 24h had a significant dose-dependent inhibitory effect on cell growth (p<0.05) with dose- and time- dependent induction of apoptosis (p<0.05). In addition, there were significant increases in BRCA1, ATM, Bak and Bcl-XL gene expression at the mRNA level with different concentrations of silibinin for 24 or 48 h (p<0.05). Taken together, the results suggest that silibinin inhibits the proliferation and induces apoptosis of MCF-7 cells by down-regulating Bak, P53, P21, BRCA1, BCL-Xl and thus may be considered as an effective adjuvant drug to produce a better chemopreventive response for the cancer therapy.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.309-316
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• 2014

Objectives: This study aimed to analyze the status of Kampo medicine services in Japan. Methods: We surveyed the literature or reports regarding health insurance, clinics for Kampo medicine, human resources and medical fees for Kampo medicine services. Results: The Japanese government abolished the system of the Oriental doctor in 1874, but Kampo medicine has been maintained and developed continuously. The national health insurance covers Kampo medicine services including acupuncture and moxibustion, and 674 products of 149 herbal drugs are now involved in items for health insurance. A total of 78 university medical schools or hospitals have Kampo clinics. As of 2012, 1,775 Kampo specialists, 100,881 acupuncturists and 99,118 moxibustion therapists provide Kampo medical services. Conclusions: Japan has a unique system of Kampo medicine which is much different from Korean medicine or traditional Chinese medicine. This study provides basic information about Kampo medicine, and can be useful to establish a globalization-strategy for Korean medicine for Japan.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.815-820
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• 2008

Macrophage is the important cell for the immune system. Many of herbal drugs were searched about their immune-modulating activity. The purpose of this study is to investigate the biological effect of water extract from ARTEMISIAE ARGI FOLIUM (WAAF) on mouse macrophage Raw 264.7 cells. ARTEMISIAE ARGI FOLIUM was known to have the antibacterial, immune-enhancing, and anticoagulative properties. Cytotoxicity of WAAF was verified by MTT assay. The intracellular production of hydro peroxide ($H_2O_2$) by WAAF was examined. The productions of nitric oxide (NO) and $TNF-{\alpha}$ from Raw 264.7 cell by WAAF were also examined. WAAF showed no cytotoxicity on RAW 264.7 cells for 3 hours. WAAF increased the production of $H_2O_2$ in Raw 264.7 cells. WAAF decrease the production of NO from the cells at low concentrations but increased at high concentrations. WAAF increased the production of $TNF-{\alpha}$ from the cells. Therefore, It could be suggested that WAAF has the immune-modulating effect.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.297-300
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• 1994

Development of hyperlipidemic animal model is prerequisite for the screening of drugs lowering the blood lipoprotein level. In this study, two kinds of diet regimens were tried for the hyperlipidemic effect. The model will be used for the screening of current prescriptions to a variety of diseases related to hyperlipidemia by practioner of traditional herbal medicine. Fifteen male Wister rats of 200g were divided into three groups, and given normal, or either one of the two high cholesterol diets for up to 2 weeks. Regimen HC-1 and regimen HC-2 contained I% and 2% cholesterol in diet, respectively. Total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) and lower density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) levels in the serum were measured before the start of the diet, at 1 week after the start, and at 2 week point. Both regimens resulted in hyperlipidemia with the typical characteristics of increase in TC and LDL, and reduction in HDL, and showed no observable side effects such as diarrhea. In conclusion, both of HC-1 and HC-2 regimens appeared appropriate as diet regimens for the hyperlipidemic rat model.

• Korean Journal of Oriental Medicine
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.123-128
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• 2008

Glehnia littoralis (Umbelliferae), a perennial herb distributed along the coastline of northern Pacific countries, is the medicinal plant used traditionally for treatment of various diseases. This review focuses on the various pharmacological activities of Glehnia littoralis for understanding about its traditional medicinal applications, medicinal uses in the modern society, and potentials for drug development Glehnia littoralis was reported to have anti-oxidant, anti-tumor, anti-amnesic, blood circulation-promoting, immunomodulatory, anti-microbial, and allelopathic activities. However, their mechanisms remain to be clarified. Because Glehnia littoralis has been prescribed in traditional Oriental medicine as a tonic herb, Glehnia littoralis can be better than other chemical drugs and medicines which exert the equal pharmacological activities. Although the activities of Glehnia littoralis are not specifically high-potent with unique mode of action, it may turn out that it can be beneficial to exert multiple pharmacological activities. In view of low toxicity, relative cheapness, presence in the diet, and occurrence in various herbal remedies of Glehnia littoralis, it needs to be prudent to evaluate its properties and applications further.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.171-177
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• 2010

Objective: To obtain an overview of the status of health-associated factors of Korean high school adolescents. Methods: 2,455 high school students (1,808 boys and 647 girls) filled out questionnairesfor their health-related factors such as physical problems, sleep and exercise. Results: Students sleep about 5.5 hours per day while they exercise only 2.6 hours each week. 14.2% of students skip breakfast every day. 31.0% of students were under severe stress, and 46.4 % has at least one symptom of distresses such as indigestion, headache, frequently catching cold, or muscle pain. 40.7% of the students took a functional supplement, especially vitamins as the most common, and ginseng and herbal drugs as the second and third. Conclusion: These results present general health-associated status of high school students, thus they could be helpful to design medicinal strategies for high school students using traditional Korean medicine.

• Journal of Korean Traditional Oncology
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.81-88
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• 2015

Generally, normal cells synthesize adenosine triphosphate (ATP) through oxidative phosphorylation in the mitochondria. However, they produce ATP through lactic acid fermentation on hypoxic condition. Interestingly, many cancer cells rely on aerobic glycolysis for ATP generation instead of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, which is termed as "Warburg effect". According to results from recent researches on differences of cancer cell metabolism from normal cell metabolism and because chemotherapy to suppress rapidly growing cells, as a side effect of cancer treatment, can still target healthy cells, there is merit in the development of small-molecule inhibitors targeting metabolic enzymes such as pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDHK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and monocarboxylate transporter (MCT). For new anticancer therapy, in this review, we show recent advances in study on cancer cell metabolism and molecules targeting metabolic enzymes which are importantly associated with cancer metabolism for cancer therapy. Furthermore, we would also like to emphasize the necessity of development of molecules targeting metabolic enzymes using herbal medicines and their constituents for anticancer drugs.