• Journal of Life Science
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.450-455
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• 2017

Codonopsis lanceolata (Campanulaceae) has been widely used in traditional medicine and is considered to have medicinal properties to treat diseases and symptoms such as bronchitis, coughs, spasm, edema, hepatitis, colitis, and lung injury. In order to investigate whether native Codonopsis lanceolata extract alleviates ashmatic symptoms in vivo, we first carried out various antioxidant activities by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) assays. The antioxidant activities were increased by adding Codonopsis lanceolata extract in a concentration-dependent manner which compared to ascorbic acid as a positive control. Histological studies using an ovalbumin-induced animal model exhibited potent anti-inflammatory potential by decreasing immuno-responsive cells in the lung by the extract by confirming H&E and PAS staining. It is revelaed that further immunihistochemical analysis showed anti-ashmatic capabilities by assessing histamine, IL-31, and MMP-9 expressions. The level of IL-13 expression in Codonopsis lanceolata extract-treated group was decreased upto 73.7% compared to control, whereas that of total cells and eosinophil counting in Codonopsis lanceolata extract-treated group was diminished to 73.5% and 80.9%, respectively. These results collectively indicate that the C. lanceolata extract ameliorates asthmatic symptoms effectively in an ovalbumin-challenged mice model, in that the extract can be used for the development of an anti-asthmatic food ingredient.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2005

Objective : The present study was carried out to investigate the preventive effect of Several Herb-combind Prescription(SHP) on Streptozotocin (STZ) -induced Diabetes mellitus. Methods : SHP was given to rats with the combination of oral administration and herbal-acupuncture stimulation. The experimental animals were divided into 3 groups : normal group of rats, control group of STZ-induced diabetic rats, sample group with SHP treatment. In vitro test of SHP showed ${\alpha}$-glucosidase inhibition, DPPH radical scavenging activity and inhibition of lipid peroxidation. Experimental diabetes was induced by the injection of STZ(60mg/kg) to the rat via the peritoneum. The effect of SHP on STZ-induced diabetes was observed by measuring the seum level of insulin, glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol and lipid peroxides. Hepatic activities of catalase and reduced glutathione were examined and insulin granule was observed by immunohistochemical examination. Result : STZ caused hyperglycemia and hypoinsulinemia by a selectively destroying pancreatic ${\beta}$-cell. SHP treatment protected them from the hyperglycemia and hypoinsulinemia. STZ induced increase of serum triglyceride lowered by SHP treatment. And by SHP treatment, pancrease showed a big area with positive immuno-reactivity for presence of insulin with many insulin granules distributed in the ${\beta}$-cells in the islets of Langerhans. Contusions : The SHP treatment showed protective effect on diabetic rat model, and action mechanism of the effect was thought to be concerned with anti-oxidative stress.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.116-124
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• 2017

In this study, we compared the antioxidant and immuno-modulatory effects of water (HR, HL, HS), 70% ethanol (ER, EL, ES), and 70% methanol (MR, ML, MS) extracts of different parts (root, leaf, and seed) from Glehnia Radix. Yields were 17.40-30.17% for water extract, 11.47-28.67% for 70% ethanol extract, and 10.73-30.57% for 70% methanol extract, respectively. The total polyphenol and flavonoid contents of EL were 10.79 g/100 g and 2.01 g/100 g, respectively. The DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities of EL at $1,000{\mu}g/mL$ were 84.70% and 57.64%, respectively. The superoxide radical scavenging and ferric-reducing antioxidant power of EL at $1,000{\mu}g/mL$ were 84.05% and $975.28{\mu}M$, respectively. Moreover, 70% ethanol and 70% methanol extracts of root from Glehnia Radix significantly inhibited production of NO in LPS-stimulated macrophage RAW 264.7 cells without cytotoxicity. These results suggest that 70% ethanol and 70% methanol extracts of Glehnia Radix leaf may be a useful functional food material in the food industry.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.1341-1348
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• 2009

Hoechunyanggyeok-san (HYS) is a traditional oriental herbal medicine widely used for treating inflammatory disorders. Although there are numerous clinical results of HYS reported in the literature of oriental hebal medicine, it has been rarely conducted to evaluate the immuno-biological activity. The present study was conducted to examine the anti-inflammatory effects of HYS extract (HYSE) in vivo and in vitro. To determine the cytotoxic concentration of HYSE, cell viability was tested by MTT assay. All four doses of HYSE (0.01, 0.03, 0.10 and 0.30 mg/ml) had no significant cytotoxicity during the entire experimental period. In order to measure NO levels in culture medium, the cells were treated with $1\;{\mu}g/ml$ of LPS 1h before adding HYSE for 24 h and then culture medium were reacted with Griess reagent. Increased NO production and iNOS expression were detected in LPS-activated cells compared to control. However, these increases were dose-dependently attenuated by treatment with HYSE. LPS plays a key role in leading to the massive production of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-$\alpha$, IL-$1{\beta}$ and IL-6 in macrophages. Thus, we next determined the levels of these cytokines. HYSE reduced the elevated production of TNF-$\alpha$, IL-$1{\beta}$ and IL-6 by LPS. Moreover, the effects of HYSE were in a dose-dependent manner. In vivo, histopathological study, HYSE effectively inheefed the increases of hind paw skin thicknesses and inflammatory cell infiltrations induced by carrageenan treatment. It, therefore, considered that HYSE will be favorably inheefed the acute edematous inanner. In s. These findings showed that HYSE could have anti-inflammatory effects through the reduction of NO and inflammatory cytokines in macrophage. Furthermore, the reduction of carrageenan-induced paw oedema by HYSE helps to understand its actions on inflammatory conditions.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.11-19
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• 2023

Objectives : Neuroinflammation is a common pathological mechanism of neurodegenerative diseases, and the development of therapeutic agents is urgently needed. Red ginseng has been known to be good for the immune stimulation in Eastern Asia. Although the immuno-stimulatory activity of red ginseng are already known, the neuro-protective effects of cultivated red ginseng with fermented complex mushroom-cereal mycelium (RGFM) have not been conducted. Thus, in this study, we tried to investigate the anti-neuroinflammatory effect of RGFM water extract on lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulated BV2 cells. Methods : BV2 cells were pretreated with RGFM 1 h prior to LPS exposure. To determine the neuro-protective effects of RGFM water extract, we measured the expression of inflammatory mediators including inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and nitric oxide (NO) and pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-1𝛽, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-𝛼 in LPS-stimulated BV2 cells. In addition, to find out the regulatory mechanism of RGFM water extract, we assessed the protein levels of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and inhibitory 𝜅B𝛼 (I𝜅B𝛼) by western blotting. Results : In our study, treatment of RGFM reduced the mRNA expression of iNOS and COX-2 and suppressed NO production in LPS-stimulated BV2 cells. Additionally, the secretion of IL-1𝛽 and TNF-𝛼 but not IL-6 was significantly inhibited by RGFM. Furthermore, RGFM water extract inhibited the phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). Conclusions : Taken together, these findings suggest that RGFM water extract has a protective effect on neuroinflammation through inhibition of JNK.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.83-92
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• 2013

Objectives : Lespedeza Cuneata has been used to treat leukorrhea, asthma, stomach pain, diarrhea, acute mastitis, in Korean traditional medicine. According to recent studies, Lespedeza Cuneata has antioxidation, hypoglycemia, cell protective, insulin secretion, whitening, corpora cavernosa smooth muscle relaxation and antimicrobial activities, but it has been rarely conducted to evaluate the immuno-biological activity. The present study was examined to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects of the Lespedeza Cuneata MeOH extract (LCE) in vivo and in vitro. Methods : In vitro, inflammatory mediators, such as cytokines, nitric oxide and prostaglandin $E_2$ were detected after the addition of LPS with or without LCE in Raw 264.7 macrophage cell line. In vivo, anti-edema effect of LCE was determined in the carrageenan-induced paw edema model in rats. Results : In vitro assay, LCE decreased release of nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin $E_2$ ($PGE_2$) via suppression of iNOS and COX-2 expression. LCE inhibited the phosphorylation of $I{\kappa}B$ indicating the suppression of NF-${\kappa}B$ pathway. In vivo assay, LCE significantly inhibited the formation of paw edema induced by carrageenan injection in rats. LCE effectively inhibited increases of hind paw skin thickness and inflammatory cell infilterations. Conclusion : These findings demonstrate that LCE has inhibitory effect on inflammatory mediators in LPS-activated Raw 264.7 cells and on paw edema in carrageenan-stimulated rats, showing the possibility of anti-inflammatory use of Lespedeza Cuneata.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.38 no.9
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• pp.1237-1242
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• 2009

This study was conducted to isolate strain for the preparation of fermented antler (Cervus cornu parvum) and evaluate its physiological activities. The growth degrees of twenty-one samples from Bacillus sp., Lactobacillius sp. and mushroom strain on antler extract agar were evaluated in this study, and Bacillus subtilis KH-15, SCB-3, Cordyceps militaris, Phellinus linteus, Inonotus obliquus 26136, and Inonotus obliquus 26147 were selected. The fermented antler extract by C. militaris had relatively higher contents of total sugar (1619.3 ${\mu}g$/mL), uronic acid (302.0 ${\mu}g$/mL), sulfated-glycosaminoglycan (S-GAGs) (119.9 ${\mu}g$/mL) and sialic acid (21.6 ${\mu}g$/mL) than any other extracts. The anti-complementary activities of all fermented antler extracts were higher than non-fermented antler extract, and among these samples, fermented antler extract by C. militaris showed the highest anti-complementary activity (inhibition of 50% total complement hemolysis, $ITCH_{50}$; 50.1% at 1,000 ${\mu}g$/mL). The ability of fermented antler extract by B. subtilis KH-15 to scavenge 2,2-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical ($IC_{50}$; 4.97 mg/mL) was significantly the highest (p<0.05), whereas the extract from I. obliquus exerted significantly (p<0.05) high 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity ($IC_{50}$; 16.98 mg/mL) among all samples. The results of this study suggest that physiological effects including immuno-modulating and antioxidant activities of the antler may be increased through fermentation process.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.247-266
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• 2017

Cordyceps is a traditional Chinese medicinal herb well-known in China, Korea and Japan since B.C. 2,000. The original entomopathogenic fungus, Cordyceps sinensis belonging to the genus Cordyceps could not be found inside Korean peninsula due to the absence of the host insect for the corresponding entomogenous fungus. The development of artificial production methods of Korean type Cordyceps using the silkworm Bombyx mori as in vivo culture medium for the the entomopathogenic fungus Paecilomyces tenuipes is the first, and wonderful occasion in the research history of insect industry of this global world. The aim of this article is to review the historical research background, mass-production methods, and pharmacological effects of the silkworm-dongchunghacho (Paecilomyces tenuipes) which is a newly developed Korean medicinal insect-borne mushroom, and another non-insect-borne medicinal mushroom (Cordyceps militaris and Cordyceps pruinosa). Their biological actions include anti-tumor, immunostimulating, anti-fatigue, anti-stress, anti-oxidant, anti-aging, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, anti-thrombosis, hypolipidaemic and insecticidal effects. The bioactive principles are protein-bound polysaccharides (hexose, hexosamin), cordycepin, D-manitol, acidic polysaccharide etc. Protein-bound polysaccharides and n-butanol fractions were demonstrated to show a significant anti-tumor activities but did not show a cytotoxicities. D-mannitol exhibited a significant prolongation of the life span in tumor bearing mice. Ergosterol did not show an efficient anti-tumor activity, but showed a significant phagocytosis enhancing activity. Anti-tumor activity of silkworm-dongchunghacho might be attributed to immuno-stimulating activities rather than cytotoxic effects [164]. Also this review comprises the breeding of Dongchunghacho varieties, optimization of culture conditions, improvement of learning and memory by Dongchunghacho, application of them as foods and chemical constituents.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.938-945
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• 2011

Epimedium koreanum Nakai is a wild herb commonly consumed in South Korea due to its beneficial health effects. In the present study, the antimutagenic and immunoactivities of extracts from E. koreanum Nakai containing different icariin quantities were investigated for food use. In the Ames test, both the water and ethanol extracts were found not to have a mutagenic effect on Salmonella typhimurium TA98 and TA100, respectively. The E. koreanum Nakai extracts showed over 80 and 90% antimutagenic effects on benzo(${\alpha}$)pyrene (B(a)P) in S. typhimurium TA98 and TA100, respectively. Moreover, all the extracts showed over 70% antimutagenicity on S. typhimurium TA98 and TA100 against 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide (4NQO). The E. koreanum Nakai extract with ethanol showed strong antimutagenic activity, higher than that of the water extract and the sequenced KE9412, KE9408, and KE9405. In the immunomodulating activity test, the effect of E. koreanum Nakai on the B (Rhamos) and T (Jukat) cells were investigated. The immunoactivity results showed that the growth and viability of the B and T cells increased and were activated more in KE9405 (1.8 times), KE9408 (1.6 times), and KE9412 (1.32 times) in the water extracts, and least in KE9412 (1.74 times), KE9408 (1.52 times), and KE9405 (1.4 times) in the ethanol extracts. In the case of both the water and ethanol extracts ($500{\mu}g/mL$) from E. koreanum Nakai, the highest cell number of the human B (Rhamos) and T (Jukat) cells was observed on day 4 in KE9405 and KE9412, and on day 5 in KE9408. Based on the obtained results, the development of E. koreanum Nakai as a food material is recommended.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.486-492
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• 2011

This study was designed to evaluate the effect of hot water extract (ESW) and 70% ethanol extract (ESE) from Euphorbia supina Rafin on LPS-stimulated inflammatory response in RAW 264.7 macrophages. Upon investigation at concentrations up to $1000\;{\mu}g$/mL, ESW and ESE did not have any cytotoxic effects on RAW 264.7 macrophages. ESW induced inhibition of 21.6%~54.8% of nitric oxide (NO) production at 100~1000${\mu}g$/mL, and $PGE_2$ production was inhibited up to 25.7%~38.2% at 250~1000${\mu}g$/mL, proportional to the ESW concentrations. ESW induced inhibition of 66.1% and 54.3% of IL-6 production at 250 and $1000\;{\mu}g$/mL, respectively. ESE (100~1000${\mu}g$/mL) induced inhibition of 38.3%~77.5% of NO, 40%~94.7% of $PGE_2$, and 43.9%~89.4% of IL-6 production, proportional to the ESE concentrations. Only 44.1% of IL-10 production was inhibited at a concentration of $500\;{\mu}g$/mL. ESE induced an increase in TNF-${\alpha}$ production at a concentration of 100 and $250\;{\mu}g$/mL, whereas at high concentrations (500 and $1000\;{\mu}g$/mL), ESE induced inhibition of 19.2% and 92.4% of TNF-${\alpha}$ production, respectively. In conclusion, concentrations of more than $500\;{\mu}g$/mL ESE demonstrated effective immune-modulating activity through inhibition of NO, $PGE_2$, IL-6, IL-10, or TNF-${\alpha}$ production, as it relates to the macrophage's immuno-activity; therefore, ESE has potential as a good candidate substance for reduction of inflammatory responses.