• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.41 no.9
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• pp.256-264
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• 2017

Background: The aim of this study was to clarify the relationship between the sexual reproduction and the resource allocation in a natural Polygonatum humile population grown in a temperate mixed forest gap. For this aim, the plant size, the node which flower was formed, the fruiting rate, and the dry weight of each organ were monitored from June 2014 to August 2015. Results: Firstly, in 3-13-leaf plants, plants with leaves ${\leq}8$ did not have flowers and in plants with over 9 leaves the flowering rate increased with the number of leaves. Among plants with the same number of leaves, the total leaf area and dry weight of flowering plants were larger than those of non-flowering plants. The minimum leaf area and dry weight of flowering plants were $100cm^2$ and 200 mg, respectively. Secondary, the flowers were formed at the 3rd~8th nodes, and the flowering rate was highest at the 5th node. Thirdly, cumulative values of leaf properties from the last leaf (the top leaf on a stem) to the same leaf rank were greater in a plant with a reproductive organ than in a plant without a reproductive organ. Fourthly, fruit set was 6.1% and faithful fruit was 2.6% of total flowers. Biomasses of new rhizomes produced per milligram dry weight of leaf were $0.397{\pm}190mg$ in plants that set fruit and $0.520{\pm}0.263mg$ in plants that did not, and the difference between the 2 plant groups was significant at the 0.1% level. Conclusions: P. humile showed that the 1st flower formed on the 3rd node from the shoot's base. And P. humile showed the minimum plant size needed in fruiting, and fruiting restricted the growth of new rhizomes. However, the fruiting rate was very low. Thus, it was thought that the low fruiting rate caused more energy to invest in the rhizomes, leading to a longer rhizome. A longer rhizome was thought to be more advantageous than a short one to avoid the shading.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetic Resonance Society
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.87-92
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• 2019

Allium hookeri (Liliaceae) has been received the increasing attention as a bioactive resource due to its potent biological activities including anti-oxidant, anti-obesity, anti-microbial and lipid-regulating activities. The beneficial effects of A. hookeri are known contributed from the high content of organosulfur compounds in A. hookeri. Though a variety of articles demonstrated that A. hookeri contains 'saponin' as a bioactive constituent, the scientific evidence to prove it was limited. In the present study, we have attempted to identify saponin contained in A. hookeri through chromatographic isolation and NMR spectroscopic methods. As a result, a spirostane-type steroidal saponin (1) has been successfully isolated from the methanolic extract of A. hookeri roots. The structure of 1 was elucidated by extensive 1D and 2D spectroscopic methods including ¹H-NMR, ¹³C-NMR, ¹H-¹H COSY, HSQC, HMBC and NOESY; identified as (3β, 22R, 25S)-spirost-5-en-3yl O-6-deoxy-α-L-mannopyranosyl-(1→4)-O-6-deoxy-α-L-mannopyranosyl-(1→4)-O-[6-deoxy-α-L-mannopyranosyl-(1→2)]-β-D-gluco pyranoside. 1 showed the significant inhibitory activity on mushroom tyrosinase with IC₅₀ values of 248.7 μM while the inhibition on alpha-glucosidase was not significant.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.313-316
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• 2002

Systemic virus symptoms caused by a Potexvirus were observed on leaves of infected hosta (Hasta spp.) plants cultivated in Seoul, Korea. Symptoms on diseased hosta plants include mosaic, mottle, irregular blotchy patches, and chlorotic spots on or distortion of the leaves. No other viruses, such as Cucumber mosaic virus, Lily symptomless virus, or Potyvirus, were detected from the same plants by electron microscopy and by Western blot and RT-PCR analyses, indicating that they were singly infected by the potexvirus. The symptoms differed among cultivars and species of hosta, and affected the quality of plants for commercialization, as well as, plant growth and flowering of susceptible cultivars. Most of the cultivars and species investigated were susceptible to the virus, while some were not infected by the virus at all. Purified virus particles were of filamentous type with unaggregated forms 540 nm in length, which is a typical potexviral morphology. The virus consisted of a single-stranded RNA molecule of 6 kb long for genome and single component of coat protein (CP) about 27 kDa. The CP strongly reacted with the antiserum against Hosta vims X (HVX), suggesting that the virus is an isolate of HVX. This is the first report of the occurrence and identification of HVX from hosta plants in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.141-147
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• 2017

As an ongoing study about Allium hookeri (Liliaceae), this study was performed to evaluate the anti-oxidative effect of the leaves of this plant. Ethanol extract of A. hookeri leaves was successively partitioned as methylene chloride, ethyl acetate, n-butanol and $H_2O$ soluble fractions. The ethyl acetate soluble fraction showed the most potent DPPH radical scavenging and superoxide quenching activities among those fractions. To prove antioxidant activity of ethyl acetate fraction of A. hookeri leaves, we checked the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase, and intracellular ROS level and oxidative stress tolerance in Caenorhabditis elegans. In addition, to verify if increased stress tolerance of C. elegans by treating of ethyl acetate fraction was due to regulation of stress-response gene, we checked SOD-3 expression using transgenic strain. As a consequence, the ethyl acetate fraction increased SOD and catalase activity of C. elegans, and reduced intracellular ROS accumulation in a dose-dependent manner. Besides, the ethyl acetate fraction-treated CF1553 worms showed higher SOD-3::GFP intensity.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.181-191
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• 2021

Tulips are bulbous geophytes that have considerable commercial value worldwide. This genus primarily originated in the Tien Shan and Pamir-Alai mountain ranges, which surround the Ferghana Valley. The Ferghana Valley is home to five sections of the genus Tulipa L, represented by 23 taxa (22 species). However, there is a lack of detailed information about the distribution of Tulipa species in the natural geographic area of the Ferghana Valley. Therefore, to address this knowledge gap, we comprehensively investigated the spatial distribution of all Tulipa species in the valley. To assess the spatial distribution, the entire area was divided into 32 squares consisting of four latitudinal and eight longitudinal zones. The results showed that latitudinal zones B and C with 15 and 13 taxa, respectively, along with five longitudinal zones (A5, B3, B4, C2, and C3) with 5 to 10 taxa were hotspots for this genus. Additionally, the spatial distributions of the species in terms of the corresponding state borders, mountain ranges, endemism, and conservation issues were assessed. The findings of this study provide comprehensive information about the distribution of Tulipa species to assist with conservation initiatives ultimately to ensure the survival of various species.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.163-169
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• 2021

Using the Caenorhabditis elegans model system, the antioxidant activity of methanol extract of the guzeunggupoprocessed Liriope platyphylla F. T. Wang (Liliaceae) tuber was calculated. Between the methanol extracts of guzeunggupo-processed and non-processed L. platyphylla tuber, the processed L. platyphylla tuber showed higher DPPH radical scavenging effect than the non-processed one. The ethyl acetate soluble fraction of the methanol extract of the guzeunggupo-processed L. platyphylla tuber showed the best DPPH radical scavenging activity. The ethyl acetate fraction of the processed sample was measured for the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, and oxidative stress tolerance by using C. elegans along with reactive oxygen species level. In addition, to verify the regulation of the stress response gene is responsible for the increased stress tolerance of C. elegans treated by the ethyl acetate fraction of the processed sample, SOD-3 expression was measured using a transgenic strain (CF1553). Consequently, the ethyl acetate fraction of the processed sample, increased SOD and catalase activities, and decreased ROS accumulation in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, the ethyl acetate fraction of the processed sample-treated CF1553 worm showed higher SOD-3::GFP intensity than the control worm.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.27-53
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• 2018

This study was carried out to investigate the flora of Manisan (Ganghwa-gun) from April of 2017 to August of 2018. The vascular plants identified during the 12 round field surveys were a to total of 508 taxa: 107 families, 306 genera, 456 species, 7 subspecies, 43 varieties, 1 form, and 2 hybrids. The largest families were as follows; Asteraceae (66 taxa), Poaceae (59 taxa), Fabaceae (25 taxa), Cyperaceae (25 taxa), Rosaceae (22 taxa), Liliaceae (20 taxa), Polygonaceae (17 taxa), Lamiaceae (14 taxa), Ranunculaceae (13 taxa), and Caryophyllaceae (13 taxa). Among these plants, 169 taxa were recoeded for the first time from this region. The six taxa of Korean endemic plants including Clematis brachyura Maxim., Viola seoulensis Nakai, Carex brevispicula G. H. Nam & G. Y. Chung, C. erythrobasis H. $L{\acute{e}}v$. & Vaniot, Hemerocallis hakuunensis Nakai, and Lycoris flavescens M. Y. Kim & S. T. Lee were found in this region. The vascular plants on the red list according to IUCN evaluation basis were found to be two taxa: Near Threatened (NT) species of Wikstroemia trichotoma (Thunb.) Makino, and Not Evaluate (NE) species of Tylophora floribunda Miq., respectively. The floristic regional indicator plants found in this area were 26 taxa comprising three taxa of degree IV, four taxa of degree III, seven taxa of degree II, and 12 taxa of degree I. In addition, the alien plants were identified as 49 taxa and the percentage of naturalized index (NI) was 9.7%, and urbanization index (UI) was 15.3%, respectively.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.395-401
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• 2021

Extended inflammation and cytokine production pathogenically contribute to a number of inflammatory disorders. Formosanin C (FC) is the major diosgenin saponin found in herb Paris formosana Hayata (Liliaceae), which has been shown to exert anti-cancer and immunomodulatory functions. In this study, we aimed to investigate anti-inflammatory activity of FC and the underlying molecular mechanism. RAW264.7 macrophages were stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or pretreated with FC prior to being stimulated with LPS. Thereafter, the macrophages were subjected to analysis of the expression levels of pro-inflammatory mediators, including nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin E₂ (PGE), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and IL-6, as well as two relevant enzymes, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). The analysis revealed that FC administration blunted LPS-induced production of NO and PGE in a dose-dependent manner, while the expression of iNOS and COX-2 at both mRNA and protein levels was inhibited in LPS-stimulated macrophages pre-treated with FC. Moreover, LPS stimulation upregulated mRNA expression and medium release of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6, whereas this effect was blocked upon FC pre-administration. Mechanistic studies showed that inhibitory effects of FC on LPS-induced inflammation were associated with a downregulation of IκB kinase, IκB, and p65/NF-κB pathway. Taken together, these data suggest that FC possesses an inflammation-suppressing activity, thus being a potential agent for the treatment of inflammation-associated disorders.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.100 no.1
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• pp.118-123
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• 2011

Pine (Pinus densiflora) forests of 315 sites were classified by applying the phytosociological method, TWINSPAN and DCA (detrended correspondence analysis). The floristic composition and diversity patterns of the vegetation types analyzed and documented. The vegetation types were classified 8 groups including 4 groups of Quercus mongolica type and 4 groups of Quercus serrata-Smilax china type. Taxonomically, Compositae was the most diverse family (21 genus, 45 species) and followed in order of Liliaceae (18 genus, 34 species), Rosaceae (17 genus, 34 species), and Leguminosae (15 genus, 25 species). The patterns of species richness, diveristy and evenness were significantly different among the vegetation types. In altitudinal pattern of species diversity, species richness monotonically decreased but species evenness increased with increasing altitude.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.33-38
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• 2013

Objects : Apoptosis leads to the death of a cell. The mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis, a process regulated by the Bcl-2 family of proteins, plays a key role in various biological processes. The tuber of Liriope platyphylla Wang et TANG (Liliaceae), also known as Liriopis tuber, is famous in Oriental medicine owing to its tonic, antitussive, expectorant and anti-asthmatic properties. The purpose of this study was to observe the effect of the Liriopis tuber on mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis in PC-12 cells. Method : A cytotoxic test on Liriopis Tuber water extract was conducted and another MTT assay was conducted to observe the cytoprotective effect against 4-HNE 25 ${\mu}M$ that causes oxidative stress in PC-12 cells for 24 hours. In addition, in order to observe the expression of Bcl-2 and Bax protein involved with apoptosis, western blot was conducted. Results : The LT water extract had no toxicity for PC-12 cell. In the cytoprotective effect against 4-HNE, both of the group treated with 50 ${\mu}g/m{\ell}$ and 100 ${\mu}g/m{\ell}$ of LT water extract showed a significant increase in comparison with the control group. In Bax protein expression, all the experimental groups treated with LT water extract showed a decrease in comparison with the control group but had no significance. In Bcl-2 protein expression, all the experimental groups treated with LT water extract showed a significant increase in comparison with the control group. Conclusion : These results suggest that LT is effective in reducing apoptosis.