• Journal of Life Science
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• v.28 no.12
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• pp.1489-1500
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• 2018

Honey is made from flower nectar by honey bees. In this study, 120 honeys from various flowers and across eight different provinces in Korea were collected and their components, antioxidants, and hemolytic activities against red blood cell were evaluated. Our results show that total polyphenol (TP) varied widely across the samples, with chestnut honey showing the highest TP ($77.1{\pm}8.4mg/100g$), protein content ($25.9{\pm}0.9mg/100g$), and absorbance at 400 nm ($A_{400}$ : $0.156{\pm}0.036$). In contrast, the acacia honey and sugar honey had a TP of 9.5~30 mg, 12~15 mg/100g of, and the lowest $A_{400}$ of $0.06{\pm}0.02$. High amounts of total flavonoid were quantified in the jujube and chestnut honeys at $8.73{\pm}7.31$ and $8.39{\pm}3.02mg/100g$, respectively. No samples demonstrated hemolytic activity up to 1 mg/ml. Antioxidant activities determined by DPPH, ABTS, and nitrite scavenging placed the chestnut honey highest, followed by jujube, styrax, multi-floral, citrus, acacia and sugar honey. Analysis of parameter correlations indicated that the components and bioactivity of the honey are dependent on the origin of the flower rather than on bee-farming regions. A positive correlation between TP content and antioxidant activity was identified. The correlation coefficients between $A_{400}$ and the TP, ABTS scavenging, and reducing power values were 0.804, 0.772 and 0.741, respectively. We therefore suggest that $A_{400}$ could be used as a noble, economic and simple factor for honey quality evaluation. Our results can potentially be used to develop functional honey for the food and pharmaceutical industries.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.600-605
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• 2019

Background: The leaves and roots of Panax ginseng are rich in ginsenosides. However, the chemical compositions of the leaves and roots of P. ginseng differ, resulting in different medicinal functions. In recent years, the aerial parts of members of the Panax genus have received great attention from natural product chemists as producers of bioactive ginsenosides. The aim of this study was the isolation and structural elucidation of novel, minor ginsenosides in the leaves of P. ginseng and evaluation of their antiinflammatory activity in vitro. Methods: Various chromatographic techniques were applied to obtain pure individual compounds, and their structures were determined by nuclear magnetic resonance and high-resolution mass spectrometry, as well as chemical methods. The antiinflammatory effect of the new compounds was evaluated on lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. Results and conclusions: Two novel, minor triterpenoid saponins, ginsenoside $LS_1$ (1) and 5,6-didehydroginsenoside $Rg_3$ (2), were isolated from the leaves of P. ginseng. The isolated compounds 1 and 2 were assayed for their inhibitory effect on nitric oxide production in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells, and Compound 2 showed a significant inhibitory effect with $IC_{50}$ of $37.38{\mu}M$ compared with that of NG-monomethyl-L-arginine ($IC_{50}=90.76{\mu}M$). Moreover, Compound 2 significantly decreased secretion of cytokines such as prostaglandin $E_2$ and tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$. In addition, Compound 2 significantly suppressed protein expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2. These results suggested that Compound 2 could be used as a valuable candidate for medicinal use or functional food, and the mechanism is warranted for further exploration.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.378-401
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• 2019

This study generated a list of plants in eight sections from the Baekdansa ticket office (874m) to Cheonjedan (1,560m) divided in the interval of 100m above sea level to examine the species diversity patterns and distribution changes of the vascular plants at different altitudes in Taebaeksan National Park. Four site surveys found a total of 385 taxa: 89 families, 240 genera, 345 species, 5 subspecies, 34 varieties, and 1 form. A result of analyzing the change of species diversity along elevational gradients showed that it decreased with increasing elevation and then increased from a certain section. A result of analyzing habitat affinity types showed that the proportion of forest species increased with increasing elevation. On the other hand, the ruderal species appeared at a high rate in the artificial interference section. A result of comparing the proportion of woody and herb plants showed that the woody plants gradually increased with elevation and rapidly decreased in the artificial interference section. On the other hand, the herb plants showed the opposite trend. A result of analyzing the change of distribution of species according to altitude with the DCA technique showed that the vascular plants were divided into three groups according to the elevation in order on the I axis with the boundaries at 900m and 1,300m above sea level. The arrangement of each stand from right to left along the altitude on the I axis with a significant correlation with warmth index (WI) confirmed that the temperature change along the altitude could affect the distribution of vascular plants, composition, and diversity. Therefore, the continuous monitoring is necessary to confirm ecological and environmental characteristics of vegetation, distribution ranges, changes of habitat. We expect that the results of this study will be used as the basic data for establishing the measurement measures related to the preservation of biodiversity and climate change.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.51-61
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to develop a smartphone based voice therapy program for patients with voice disorders. Contents of voice therapy were collected through analysis of mobile contents related to voice therapy in Korea, experts and users' demand survey, and the program was developed using Android Studio. Content needed for voice therapy was collected through analysis of mobile contents related to voice therapy. The user satisfaction evaluation for application was conducted for five patient with functional voice disorders. The results showed that the mobile contents related to voice therapy in Korea were mostly related to breathing, followed by voice and singing, but only 13 applications were practically practiced for voice therapy. Expert and user demand surveys showed that the patients and therapists both had a high need for content that could provide voice training in places other than the treatment room. Based on this analysis, 'Home Voice Trainer', an smartphone based voice therapy program, was developed. Home Voice Trainer is an application for voice therapy and management based on Android smartphones. It is designed to train voice therapy activities at home that have been trained offline. In addition, the records of voice training of patients were managed online so that patients can maintain voice improvement through continuous voice consulting even after the end of voice therapy. User evaluations show that patients are satisfied with the difficulty and content of voice therapy programs provided by home voice trainers, but lack of a portion of user interface, such as the portion of home button and interface between screens. Further study suggests the clinical application of home voice trainer to the patients with voice disorders. It is expected that the development study and the clinical application of smart contents related to voice therapy will be actively conducted.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.239-247
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• 2019

The aim of this study was to improve the efficacy and functionality of Viola mandshurica (VM). A water suspension of VM power was fermented for 72 hr with Bacillus methylotrophicus CBMB205 (BM) and Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides NRIC1777 (LP) isolated from kimchi. The antioxidant activity and reducing power of fermented VM, its total phenolic and flavonoid compounds, as well its inhibitory activity on ${\alpha}$-amylase, ${\alpha}$-glucosidase, and pancreatic lipase were determined and compared to those of non-fermented VM (NVM), a negative control. The total phenolic and flavonoid compounds of VM fermented with BM and LP were higher than those of NVM by 1.4, 1.17, and about 3 times. There was no difference in 2, 2'-diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity between fermented VM and NVM. However, there was a 2.1- and 1.6-fold increase in 2, 2'-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothzoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging activity in VM fermented with BM and LP, respectively. The reducing power of BM was 1.6 times as high as NVM, but no significant difference was found between LP and NVM. Fermented VM's inhibitory activity on ${\alpha}$-amylase, ${\alpha}$-glucosidase, and pancreatic lipase was much higher than that of NVM. Fermenting VM with BM was superior to fermenting it with LP, except flavonoid content. Taken together, VM fermented with BM could be used as a functional food and as an additive to cosmetics.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.26-35
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• 2019

Purpose: The aim of this study was to estimate the antioxidant activities of 50%, 70%, and 100% ethanol extracts of Lycium barbarum leaf and chlorophyll removal extract. Methods: The antioxidant activities were estimated by measuring total polyphenol content and by assays of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfate) (ABTS) radical scavenging activities and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). In addition, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, DNA fragmentation, and antioxidant enzyme (superoxide dismutase and catalase) activities of the extracts were measured in hydrogen peroxide ($H_2O_2$)-stressed HepG2 cells. Results: The total polyphenol content, DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities, and FRAP value of the extracts increased in an ethanol concentration-dependent manner. The antioxidant activities of the chlorophyll-removal extracts were much higher than those of the chlorophyll-containing extracts. Cytotoxicity was not observed in HepG2 cells with extracts up to $1,000{\mu}g/mL$. All extracts inhibited ROS production in a concentration-dependent manner from $31.3{\mu}g/mL$ and inhibited DNA damage at $250{\mu}g/mL$. The SOD and catalase activities of cell lines treated with the extracts and $H_2O_2$ were similar to those of normal cells, indicating a strong protective effect. Conclusion: Lycium barbarum leaf extracts had high antioxidant activities and protected $H_2O_2$-stressed HepG2 cells. Since the chlorophyll-removal extract exhibited higher antioxidant activities than the chlorophyll-containing ones and the cytoprotective effect was similar, chlorophyll removal extract of Lycium barbarum leaf could be developed as ingredients of functional food and cosmetics.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.596-606
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• 2019

The study investigated the physiochemical properties and the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of the sea tangle (Saccharina japonica) in a water extract before (STWE) and after (STFL) fermentation with Lactobacillus brevis. The pH values of STWE and STFL were 6.18 and 4.16, and the sugar contents were $8.50^{\circ}Brix$ and $7.40^{\circ}Brix$, respectively. The main free amino acids of STWE and STFL were glutamic acid, aspartic acid, and alanine, and the ${\gamma}$-amino butyric acid (GABA) content was increased by fermentation. The total polyphenol contents of STWE and STFL were 498.29 and 615.77 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/ml, respectively. The 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activities of STWE and STFL were markedly increased in a dose-dependent manner, and revealed about 89.89% and 96.94% activities, respectively, at 10% concentration (p<0.05). The superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities of STWE and STFL were also markedly increased in a dose-dependent manner, and the activity of STFL was significantly increased when compared with STWE (p<0.05). The anti-inflammatory activity was examined in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. STWE and STFL decreased the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which had levels of about 189.90% and 174.69% at 1% concentration, respectively (p<0.05). The contents of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha ($TNF-{\alpha}$) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), were decreased more by addition of STFL than by addition of STWE. The STWE and STFL showed high antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity, and these activities were increased by fermentation. Therefore, sea tangle extracts can be used as functional food materials.

• Korean Journal of Breeding Science
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.424-433
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• 2018

Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) is an economically important vegetable crop all over the world, which has functional compounds such as lycopene and citrulline. Gummy stem blight caused by Didymella bryoniae is one of the most devastative diseases in watermelon. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), which are genetic variations occurring between individuals with respect to a single base, were often used to construct genetic linkage maps and develop molecular markers linked to a variety of horticultural traits and resistance to several diseases. In this study, we developed high-resolution melting (HRM) markers based on SNPs generated from NGS resequencing of two parents in watermelon. Plant materials were C. lanatus '920533' (female and susceptible parent), C. amarus 'PI 189225' (male and resistant parent), and their $F_1$ and $F_2$ progenies. A total of 13.6 Gbp ('920533') and 13.1 Gbp ('PI 189225') of genomic sequences were obtained using NGS analysis. A total of 6.09 million SNPs between '920533' and 'PI 189225' were detected, and 354,860 SNPs were identified as potential HRM primer sets. From these, a total of 330 primer sets for HRM analysis were designed. As a result, a total of 61 HRM markers that have polymorphic melting curves were developed. These HRM markers can be used for the construction of SNP-based linkage maps and for the analysis of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) related to gummy stem blight resistance.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.11
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• pp.1227-1234
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• 2019

Prunus mume, also known as maesil, is a popular fruit consumed in East Asia (Korea, Japan, and China). It contains high amounts of organic acids, minerals, and polyphenols and has been used as a medication for fever, vomiting, and detoxification. In this study, the anti-proliferative and apoptotic effects of solvent fractions from maesil were evaluated using sulforhodamine B (SRB) assays, morphological evaluations, Hoechst 33258 staining, and western blotting. Addition of the maesil methanol fraction (MMF) and the maesil butanol fraction (MBF) significantly and dose-dependently decreased the cell viability of HT-29 human colon cancer cells. Colony-forming assays confirmed that the MMF and MBF treatments decreased colony numbers when compared with untreated control cells. Treatment of HT-29 cells with MMF and MBF caused a distortion of the cell morphology to a shrunken cell mass. Treatment with MMF and MBF also dose-dependently increased nuclear condensation and the formation of apoptotic bodies in HT-29 cells. Treatment with MMF and MBF significantly and dosedependently increased the expression of Bax (a pro-apoptotic protein), caspase-3, and poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) and decreased the expression of Bcl-2 (an anti-apoptotic protein). MMF significantly and dose-dependently inhibited cell proliferation induced by bisphenol A, an environmental hormone. Therefore, MMF may have potential use as a functional food and as a possible therapeutic agent for the prevention of colon cancer.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.341-352
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• 2021

Acerola is an excellent ingredient because of its high natural vitamin C content, but it is difficult to stabilize and has hardly been studied as a cosmetic material. Therefore, this study developed a mixed liposome preparation for stabilizing acerola extract. As a safety test, the skin irritation test was evaluated by BCOP assay and HET-CAM assay. We evaluated the inhibition of tyrosinase activity, the whitening effect of melanin production, and the wrinkle effect of prochloragentype-I C-peptide production, and confirmed the possibility of functional cosmetics. In addition, a cream of liposomes containing acerola extract mixture was developed to evaluate the clinical studies of skin wrinkles and whitening. BCOP assay, HET-CAM assay and human skin primary irritation test results of liposomes containing acerola extract mixture showed no irritation and were safe from skin and eye. The result of tyrosinase activity by 75.8% at 1,000 ㎍/mL. As a result of the melanogenesis inhibition test, liposome with acerola extract showed the melanin content by 46.2% at 1,000 ㎍/mL that does not effect the viability of the B16F10 cell line. The result of collagen production test using ELISA kit, liposomes containing acerola extract mixture showed collagen synthesis ability by 152.1% at 1,000 ㎍/mL that does not affect the viability of the HS68 cell line. But it did not showed any inhibition of collagenase (MMP-1) activity at all concentrations in the MMP-1 activity inhibition test in the HS68 cell line. We performed clinical studies for the whitening and skin-wrinkle activity of cream containing acerola extract mixes liposome, was showed that the melanin contents and wrinkle was statistically significant reduction. These results suggest that liposomes containing acerola extract mixture have safe natural material, and skin wrinkle, whitening effects allowing their application in cosmetics as a natural product.