• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.9-15
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• 2017

DF formula is comprised of three traditional herbs, Ephedra intermedia, Rheum palmatum and Lithospermum erythrorhizon, and locally used for treating of the metabolic diseases, such as obesity and diabetes in Korea. We tried to optimize the extraction conditions of two major components, (-)-ephedrine and (+)-pseudoephedrine, in DF formula using response surface methodology with Box-Behnken design (BBD). The experimental conditions with 70% for EtOH concentrations, 4.8 hour for extraction hours and 8.7 times for the solvent to material ratio were suggested for the optimized extraction of DF formula with the highest amounts of (-)-ephedrine and (+)-pseudoephedrine in the designed model.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.165-172
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• 2015

Cornus officinalis is widely distributed in Korea, and its fruit has been used to make as herbal drug for traditional medicine in Korea, Japan, and China because of its tonic, analgesic, and diuretic properties. However, the effects of C. officinalis methanol extract (COME) on melanogenesis remain poorly understood. We evaluated the melanogenic capability of COME in melan-a cells, which are immortalized mouse melanocytes. COME increased melanin synthesis in a dose-dependent manner. Treatment with $12.5{\mu}g/mL$ of COME significantly increased melanin content by 36.1% (p < 0.001) to a level even higher than that (31.6%) of 3-isobutyl-1-methyl-xanthine, a well-known pigmentation agent. COME also upregulated tyrosinase activity and its messenger RNA and protein expression. In addition, COME upregulated the expression of tyrosinase-related proteins 1 and 2 and microphthalmia-associated transcription factor-M messenger RNA expression. These results imply that COME may be appropriate for development as a natural product to treat hair graying.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.63 no.1
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• pp.23-28
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• 2020

In this study, the marker compound contents of both the taproot and lateral root of Danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza Radix), which is cultivated in Korea, were investigated. The salvianolic acid B content was the highest in the taproot (5.17-6.75%) and lateral root (3.99-5.69%). The cryptotanshinone, tanshinone I, and tanshinone IIA contents were higher in the lateral root than in the taproot of Danshen (p <0.05). Principal component analysis results revealed that the taproot was correlated to the salvianic acid A, rosmarinic acid, salvianolic acid B, and salvianolic acid A contents, whereas the lateral root was correlated to the cryptotanshinone, tanshinone I, and tanshinone IIA contents. The total phenolic content and total flavonoid content of the taproot were higher than those of the lateral root (p <0.05); however, the antioxidant activities of the taproot and lateral root of Danshen were similar. The salvianolic acid B content was correlated to the TPC of the taproot (r=0.748) and the 2,2-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid radical scavenging activity of the lateral root (r=0.847). This study could provide useful information for the classification of Danshen as a herbal medicinal product.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.539-543
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• 2004

An efficient analytical method was devised for the accurate L-muscone assay in aqueous samples. It involves solid-phase extraction of L-muscone in adsorption mode using XAD-4 as the sorbent and dichloromethane modified with 10% (v/v) methanol as the eluting solvent. The gas chromatographic analysis of the eluate residue dissolved in toluene on a DB-5MS capillary column provided complete resolution of L-muscone from the co-extracted interferences. The overall method showed excellent linearity ($r^2{\geq}$ 0.9994) in the range of 0.1 to 2.0 $\mu\textrm{g}$/mL with good intra- and inter-day precisions (% RSD = 2.5～7.3) and with high extraction recovery rates ($\geq$ 98.1 %). When the present method was applied to a L-muscone herbal drink product, the within-batch RE (%) in the labeled concentration (1.5 $\mu\textrm{g}$/mL) for the three randomly chosen bottles were -2.4, -1.3 and -3.3 with high precision (% RSD $\leq$ 3.1). The present method is considered to be suitable for quality control evaluation on liquid drinks and other complex formulations fortified with L-muscone.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.172-181
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• 1993

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of NRM which was newly developed as a combination product containing antacids, digestive enzyme and herbal drugs, and OTA powder, called OHTA'S ISAN on the morret, for the treatment of various symptoms in upper gastrointestinal diseases. 63 patients were recruited, 36 as a treated group with NRM and 27 as a controlled one with OTA. Patients were randomly allocated to receive either NRM or OTA t.i.d. for treatment of upper G-1 symptoms and undergone endoscopic, symptomatic and clinical laboratory assessments before and after 2 weeks. The results were as follows; 1. The general improvement rates of subjective symptoms in upper G-1 diseases were observed in 100%(32/32) for NRM and in 92%(23/25) for OTA. 2. The overall effective rates in terms of the symptoms and endoscopic findings were 88.9%(32/36) for NRM and 85.2%(23/27) ,or OTA respectively. 3. In NRM group, no significant side effects by NRM were observed except a mild and transient vomiting in one patient, but in OTA group treatment was discontinued due to nousea in one patient, However, there were no clinically significant changes detected in the laboratory parameters. According to the result of this trial, it is cocluded that NRM was safe and effective and (but not statistically significant) was superior to OTA in the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases caused by gastritis, gastric and duodenal ulcer, functional gastrointestinal disorder, non-ulcer dyspepsia etc.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.91-95
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• 2010

Meso-dihydroguaiaretic acid (MDGA) is a medicinal herbal product isolated from the bark of Machilus thunbergii Sieb. et Zucc. (Lauraceae). It exhibits a neuroprotective effect and also exerts cytotoxicity to certain cancer cells. In the present study, we investigated whether or not MDGA inhibits inflammatory reaction through the inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) generation. The results showed that MDGA (5~$25 {\mu}M$) inhibited 100 ng/ml lipopolysaccharide (LPS)- induced NO generation in macrophage Raw 264.7 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. We also measured the cytotoxic effects of MDGA on Raw 264.7 cells and found no evidence of cytotoxicity. The inhibition of NO generation by MDGA was consistent with the inhibitory effect on the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). In addition, MDGA inhibited the LPS-induced gene expression of $interleukin-1{\beta}$ $(IL-1{\beta})$ as well as tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}$ $(TNF-{\alpha})$. The present results may provide that MDGA has anti-inflammatory properties through inhibition of the toll-like receptors (TLRs) pathway, and suggest that MDGA can be used as an anti-inflammatory agent.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.236-241
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• 2014

A sex-linked random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) marker was identified from Asparagus officinalis L. and was converted into a sequence-characterized amplified regions (SCAR) marker for the large-scale screening of male and female plants. A total of 100 arbitrary decamer oligonucleotide primers were used for the RAPD analysis. Among them, the primer UBC347 amplified one female-specific 400 base pair DNA. Subsequently, the amplified RAPD fragment was cloned and sequenced. The fragment was abundant in AT and shared sequence homology with retrotransposon elements. On the basis of the sequence obtained, a pair of SCAR primer was designed. The amplification product, named F400, was the same size as the respective RAPD fragment from which it was derived. The F400 SCAR marker resulted to be female-specific in the three asparagus varieties tested in this study. This SCAR marker can be used for an early and rapid identification of female and male plants during breeding programs of asparagus.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.114-117
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• 2007

To evaluate antiallergic effect of Brassica rapa Metzg (BR, Family Cruciferae), which is widely used as a food source, its anti-asthmic effect was investigated. BR reduced IgE level in the blood of ovalbumin (OVA)-induced asthmic mice. BR also inhibited IgE and ploinflammatory cytokine IL-6 productions in trachea of OVA-induced mice, but did not inhibit IL-4 production. BR did not inhibit mRNA expression of proinflammatory cytokines IL-6 and IL-4 in IgE-induced RBL-2H3 cells. BR and its isolated components 10-undecenoic acid 2-methoxy methyl ester and galactosyl diglyceride potently inhibited the NO production of RAW264.7cells induced by lipopolysaccharide. These findings suggest that the anti-asthmic effect of BR may be due to the inhibition of the biosynthesis of proinflarnmatory cytokine IL-6 in macrophage and BR can improve IgE-induced allergic disease asthma.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.283-288
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• 2007

Acanthopanacis Cortex (AC) has been popularly used as an herbal medicine for medical treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, insomnia, impotence and diabetes. Here, we investigated immunostimulating effects of the aqueous extract of AC on macrophage. We studied nitric oxide (NO) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-${\alpha}$ release in response to AC treatment, as they are important secretory products of macrophage. AC alone induce the NO and TNF-${\alpha}$ production. AC increase c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase 1/2 (JNK) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) phosphorylation but does not p38 activation in RAW 264.7 cells. Also AC resulted in the enhanced cell-surface expression of CD80 and CD14. In addition, AC resulted in enhanced T cell-stimulatory capacity and increased T cell secretion of interferon (IFN)-gamma. After feeding with AC to mouse for 10 days, the change of $CD28^+$ and $CD40^+$ population was analyzed. AC increased $CD28^+$ population in splenocytes in vivo. These studies indicate that AC induces macrophage activation and suggest the possible use of AC in macrophage-based immunotherapies.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.833-838
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• 2008

Size effects of rice product powders on physical properties including suspension stability were investigated in this study. Endosperm, bran, and husk powders of rice with different size particles were prepared using the pin crusher or the ultrafine air mill. The physical properties of the powders were examined using particle size analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and spectrophotometry. The peak of the volume-weighted particle distribution of ultrafine endosperm particles was at $5.4\;{\mu}m$ whereas those of the bran and the husk appeared at 65 and $35\;{\mu}m$, respectively. Ultrafine particles of the endosperm and the husks dispersed better than larger-sized particles. As time elapsed, the dispersibility decreased, but the ultrafine particles were precipitated at the slowest rate. Our results suggest that ultrafine particles, including future nanosized particles, provide improved solubility and dispersibility resulting in better stability in the food colloidal suspension.