• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.394-402
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• 2014

Purpose: Dendropanax morifera Leveille (DML) exhibits diverse biological and pharmacological activities, including anti-oxidative effect, anti-cancer activity, hepatoprotection, immunological stimulation, and bone regeneration. As part of the identification for novel functions of DML, we investigated the therapeutic effects of DML on diabetes induced by streptozotocine (STZ) treatment. Methods: First, the four extracts including the water extract of leaf (DLW), the ethanol extract of leaf (DLE), the water extract of stem (DSW), and the ethanol extract of stem (DSE) were collected from the leaf and stem of DML using a hot water and ethanol solvent. Alterations in body weight, glucose concentration, insulin level, and pancreatic islet structure were investigated in diabetic mice after treatment with extracts of DML for 2 weeks. Results: Among four extracts, the highest level of total polyphenols and total flavonoids was detected in DLW, while the lowest level of these was measured in DSE. The radical scavenging activity was also higher in DLW than in the other three extracts at the concentration of $25-100{\mu}g/mL$, although this activity was maintained at a constant level in all groups at the concentration of $500{\mu}g/mL$. Based on the results of anti-oxidant activity, DLW and DLE were selected for examination of anti-diabetic effects in a diabetes model. Body weight was gradually decreased in all STZ treated groups compared with the No treated group. However, four STZ/DML treated groups maintained a high level of body weight during 7-14 days, while the STZ/vehicle treated group showed a gradual decrease of body weight during the same period. Also, a significant decrease or increase in the concentration of glucose and insulin in the blood of the diabetes model was detected in a subset of groups, although the highest increase was detected in the STZ/DLE-200 treated group. In addition, the histological structure of pancreatic islet was significantly recovered after treatment with DLW and DLE. Conclusion: These results suggest that DLW and DLE may contribute to attenuation of clinical symptoms of diabetes as well as prevent the destruction of pancreatic ${\beta}$-cells in STZ-induced diabetes mice.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.481-489
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• 2005

Lonicerae Flos has antibacterial effects against Staphylococcus aureus, streptococci, pneumococci, Bacillus dysenterii, Salmonella typhi, and paratyphoid. It is an antiviral agent. The herb has a cytoprotective effect against $CCl_{4}-induced$ hepatic injury. It has antilipemic action, interfering with lipid absorption from the gut. Nowadays this herb is used mainly in the treatment of upper respiratory infections, such as tonsillitis and acute laryngitis. It is also used in the treatment of skin suppurations, such as carbuncles, and to treat viral conjunctivitis, influenza, pneumonia, and mastitis. Lonicerae Flos is dried flower buds of Lonicera japonica, L. hypoglauca, L. confusa, or L. dasystyla. But, for the most part, we use whole plant of Lonicera japonica, as a flower bud of it. And, little is known of the original copy of effects of whole plant, except for the 'Bon-Cho-Gang-Mok', which is written the effects of flower of Lonicera japonica are equal to effects of leaves and branch of it. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of flower and whole plant of Lonicera japonica on the regulatory mechanism of cytokines, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase (COX-2) for the immunological activities in Raw 264.7 cells. In Raw 264.7 cells stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to mimic inflammation, flower and whole plant of Lonicera japonica water extracts inhibited nitric oxide production in a dose-dependent manner and abrogated iNOS and COX-2. Flower and whole plant of Lonicera japonica water extract did not affect on cell viability. To investigate the mechanism by which flower and whole plant of Lonicera japonica water extract inhibits iNOS and COX-2 gene expression, we examined the on phosphorylation of inhibitor ${\kappa}B{\alpha}$ and assessed production of $TNF-{\alpha}$, $interleukin-1{\beta}$ $(IL-1{\beta})$ and interleukin-6 (IL-6). Results provided evidence that flower and whole plant of Lonicera japonica inhibited the production of $IL-1{\beta}$, IL-6 and activated the phosphorylation of inhibitor ${\kappa}B{\alpha}$ in Raw 264.7 cells activated with LPS. These findings suggest that flower and whole plant of Lonicera japonica can produce anti-inflammatory effect, which may play a role in adjunctive therapy in Gram-negative bacterial infections, respectively.