• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.107-115
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• 2018

Background: Depression is one of the most commonly diagnosed neuropsychiatric diseases, but the underlying mechanism and medicine are not well-known. Although Panax ginseng has been reported to exert protective effects in various neurological studies, little information is available regarding its antidepressant effects. Methods: Here, we examined the antidepressant effect and underlying mechanism of P. ginseng extract (PGE) in a chronic restraint stress (CRS)-induced depression model in mice. Results: Oral administration of PGE for 14 d decreased immobility (depression-like behaviors) time in forced swim and tail suspended tests after CRS induction, which corresponded with attenuation of the levels of serum adrenocorticotropic hormone and corticosterone, as well as attenuated c-Fos expression in the amygdala. PGE enhanced messenger RNA expression level of brain-derived neurotrophic factor but ameliorated microglial activation and neuroinflammation (the level of messenger RNA and protein expression of cyclooxygenase-2 and inducible nitric oxide synthase) in the amygdala of mice after CRS induction. Interestingly, 14-d treatment with celecoxib, a selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor, and $N_{\omega}$-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride, a selective inducible nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, attenuated depression-like behaviors after CRS induction. Additionally, PGE inhibited the upregulation of the nuclear factor erythroid 2 related factor 2 and heme oxygenase-1 pathways. Conclusion: Taken together, our findings suggest that PGE exerts antidepressant-like effect of CRS-induced depression by antineuroinflammatory and antioxidant (nuclear factor erythroid 2 related factor 2/heme oxygenase-1 activation) activities by inhibiting the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis mechanism. Further studies are needed to evaluate the potential of components of P. ginseng as an alternative treatment of depression, including clinical trial evaluation.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.54-65
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• 2011

This study was performed to investigate the enhancement of cosmeceutical activities of Berberis koreana bark by different extraction processes. The extracts are WE (water extract at $100^{\circ}C$, control), USE (ultrasonification for 1 hours at $60^{\circ}C$ with water), HPE (high pressure for 5 minutes at $60^{\circ}C$ with water) and USE + HPE (ultrasonification process for 1 hours after high pressure for 5 minutes at $60^{\circ}C$ with water), respectively. The cytotoxicity of the extracts was in the range of 24.02~26.94% at 1.0 mg/ml concentration. The USE + HPE showed the lowest cytotoxicity. Compared to the WE, total phenolic and flavonoid contents in the USE + HPE increased to 121.5% and 154.2%. The USE + HPE showed the highest activity at 1.0 mg/ml concentration in 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging, inhibition activity of xanthine oxidase and superoxide dismutase (SOD)-like test, respectively. Tyrosinase inhibition of WE, USE, HPE and USE + HPE at 1.0 mg/ml concentration was measured as 17.72, 19.62, 22.83 and 24.16%, respectively. Hyaluronidase inhibition activities of the USE + HPE were higher than 20.8%~29.5% of the WE. Our results suggested that the extracts from ultrasonification process after high pressure extraction has relatively high cosmeceutical activities, and that the bark of Berberis koreana could be considered as a candidate of new functional cosmetic agents.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.215-219
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• 2010

This study was undertaken to investigate the mutagenicity and antimutagenicity of Acanthopanax koreanum Nakai. Antimutagenic study on extract of A. koreanum was studied using the test with Salmonella typhimurium TA100, TA98. And mutagenicity study was studied using the test with S. typhimurium TA100, TA98, TA1535, TA1537 and Escherichia coli WP2 uvr A. A. koreanum was negative in Ames test with S. typhimurium and E. coli with or without S-9 mixture. Test substances of $5000\;{\mu}g/{\mu}l$, $2500\;{\mu}g/{\mu}l$ and $600\;{\mu}g/{\mu}l$ of A. koreanum extracts were chosen via toxicity test. Ames test was performed on positive control group, experimental group and negative control group in the presence of the metabolic activation system and metabolic non-activation system. As a result, there was no coherent increase and reverse mutation in all concentrations. Therefore, A. koreanum does not cause reverse mutation. In addition, A. koreanum showed strong antimutagenic activities in S. typhimurim TA100 and TA98. In conclusion, A. koreanum root may be an excellent antimutagenic agent.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.312-321
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• 2018

Recently, consumer demand for functional cosmetics containing natural ingredients has been greatly expanded. To develop the natural cosmetic materials, we selected 3 plants, Chrysanthemum zawadskii Herbich (CZ), Perilla frutescens (L.) Britton var. acuta Kudo (PF), and Rosa multiflora Thunberg (RM) which showed high total flavonoid contents (TFC), total polyphenol contents (TPC), and strong DPPH radical scavenging effect. We determined astragalin, chlorogenic acid, and rosmarinic acid as a marker compound for quantitative analysis of the content of each material and standardization of the quality standards and manufacturing standards through LC/MS analysis. HPLC-DAD was used to simultaneously analyze these marker components of three natural product complexes (Mix) and to validate the analytical method through experiments such as linearity, accuracy and precision. The detection wavelengths were set at 210, 265, and 330 nm. The detected 3 compounds from extract of CZ, PF, RM showed significant linearity ($R^2${\geq_-}$0.9947). The limit of detection (LOD) of chlorogenic acid, astragalin and rosmarinic acid were $8.29{\mu}g/ml$, $2.28{\mu}g/ml$, and $27.00{\mu}g/ml$, respectively. The limit of quantification (LOQ) of chlorogenic acid, astragalin and rosmarinic acid were $25.11{\mu}g/ml$, $6.92{\mu}g/ml$, and $81.83{\mu}g/ml$, respectively. The contents of the three indicators of Mix were 19.82-24.71 mg/g of chlorogenic acid, 43.80-46.02 mg/g of astragalin, and 46.33-48.57 mg/g of rosmarinic acid.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.199-202
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• 2008

A high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method for the simultaneous determination of hesperidin and glycyrrhizin was established for the quality control of traditional herbal medicinal preparation, Pyungwi-san (PWS). Separation and quantification were successfully achieved with a Waters XTerra RP18 column ($5{\mu}m$, 4.6 mm I.D. ${\times}$ 150 mm) by gradient elution of a mixture of acetonitrile and water containing 0.03% phosphoric acid (pH 2.03) at a flow rate of 1.0 ml/min. The diode-array UV/vis detector (DAD) was used for the detection and the wavelength for quantification was set at 230 nm. The presence of hesperidin and glycyrrhizin in this extract was ascertained by retention time, spiking with each authentic standard and UV spectrum. All four compounds showed good linearity $(r^2>0.995)$ in a relatively wide concentration ranges. The R.S.D. for intra-day and inter-day precision was less than 7.0% and the limits of detection (LOD) were less than 60 ng. The mean recovery of each compound was 99.0-105.6% with R.S.D. values less than 4.0%. This method was successfully applied to the determination of contents of hesperidin and glycyrrhizin in three commercial products of PWS. These results suggest that the developed HPLC method is simple, effective and could be readily utilized as a quality control method for commercial PWS products.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.23 no.7
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• pp.1026-1032
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• 2016

Citrus platymamma hort. ex Tanaka is widely used in traditional Korean medicine because of its medicinal benefits including an anti-inflammatory effect. This study aimed to evaluate changes in the flavonoid content and anti-inflammatory activities of C. platymamma during its harvest period. Fruit peel samples were obtained between September 2015 and February 2016. The results indicate that C. platymamma peel extract (CPE) was an effective inhibitor of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced NO production in RAW264.7 cells. The inhibitory effects of CPE at $100{\mu}g/mL$ concentration included dose-dependent decreases in the expression of iNOS and COX-2 proteins. In addition, CPE decreased the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-${\alpha}$, IL-$1{\beta}$, and IL-6. The highest anti-inflammatory activity and flavonoid content were observed in CPE of C. platymamma peel harvested during the immature fruit period in September. Further, to assess the suitability of CPE for cosmetic use, we performed MTT assays using HaCaT keratinocytes and observed that CPE did not exhibit any cytotoxicity. To test the potential application of CPE as a cosmetic material, we also performed primary skin irritation tests on normal skin of 30 volunteers and no adverse reactions were observed. The results of this study indicate that CPE may be considered as an anti-inflammatory candidate for inclusion in cosmetic materials.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.571-577
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• 2010

Korean traditional medicinal herbs have been reported to possess antioxidant and anti-hyperglycemic activities. We tested the antioxidant and anti-hyperglycemic activities of 6 kinds of medicinal herbs: Angelica gigas N., Poria cocos, Mori radicis Cortex, Mori folium, Aralia elata Cortex, and Panax ginseng, prepared as hot water, ethanol, and sonication extracts. The antioxidant activities of the extracts were examined by performing total polyphenol, total flavonoid, and ${\alpha}$,${\alpha}$-diphenyl-${\beta}$-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assays. For M. folium, the ethanol extract showed the strongest effects in DPPH radical scavenging activity among the three extraction methods. In addition, sonication extracts of M. radicis Cortex and M. folium showed the highest inhibitory activities for ${\alpha}$-glucosidase among the different extracts. The ethanol extracts of M. folium had the highest inhibition effects against ${\alpha}$-amylase. A direct correlation between antioxidant and anti-hyperglycemic inhibition activity was found in the ethanol and sonication extracts. From the results, it is considered that these six medicinal herbal extracts have antioxidative, anti-hyperglycemic, and correlation effects based on different extraction methods.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.157-169
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• 2018

Background: Cassia tora L., an annual or perennial plant of the Fabaceae family, is traditional medicine with various biological activities, including anti-constipation and, anti-inflammation. Chemical compounds such as anthraquinone glycoside and naphthalene derivatives have been isolated from this plant. Cassia tora L. is a common contaminant of agricultural commodities, but is toxic to cattle and poultry. Methods and Results: To investigate the potential toxicity, Cassia tora L. aqueous extract (CO) was administered orally to rats for 26 weeks at 0 (control), 300, 1,500 and 3,000 mg/kg/day (n = 10 for male rats for each dose). The positive control comprised animals orally administered anthraquinone 100 mg/kg/day. There was no treatment-related mortality. An increase in the kidney weight was observed at 3,000 mg/kg/day of CO and anthraquinone 100 mg/kg/day. Macrophage infiltration in the colon was observed at CO 1,500 and 3,000 mg/kg/day and anthraquinone 100 mg/kg/day, but there were no significant toxicological changes in the incidence and severity of the finding. Conclusions: The oral no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) of CO was 3,000 mg/kg/day in male rats and no target organs were identified. In addition, 300 mg/kg was found to be the no-observed-effect level (NOEL) for systemic toxicity under the conditions of the study.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.355-360
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• 2017

Consumption of high doses of ethanol can lead to amnesia, which often manifests as a blackout. This incoordination of blackout may be a major cause in various social problems in alcohol consumption. However, there is still no treatment for preventing these alcohol-induced problems. Hydrangeae dulcis folium is a drug or a tea which is made from the fermented and dried leaves of Hydrangea serrata Seringe. The present study, we tested the ethanol extract of the Hydrangeae dulcis folium (EHDF) on ethanol-induced psychological deficits. To test behavioral deficits, an object recognition test was conducted using a mouse model. To evaluate synaptic deficits, N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-mediated excitatory postsynaptic potential EPSP and long-term potentiation (LTP) in the mouse hippocampal slices were tested, as they are known to be vulnerable to ethanol and are associated with ethanol-induced amnesia. In the tests, ethanol (1 g/kg, i.p.) impaired object recognition memory, but EHDF (10 or 30 mg/kg) prevented this impairment in object recognition test. Interestingly, EHDF ($30{\mu}g/ml$) significantly ameliorated ethanol-induced LTP and NMDA receptor-mediated synaptic transmission in the hippocampal slices. EHDF prevented ethanol-induced object recognition memory deficits induced by ethanol. Interestingly, EHDF significantly ameliorated ethanol-induced LTP and NMDA receptor- mediated synaptic transmission in the hippocampal slices.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.295-306
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• 2018

Schisandra chinensis (SC) and Lycium chinense (LC) were widely distributed in Asia and the fruit has been used traditionally for medicinal herbs. The processing method was solid-state fermentation using Aspergillus oryzae for 48 h after stir-frying treatment at $220^{\circ}C$ for 12 min. In this study, in vitro the anti-inflammatory effect and in vivo hangover reduction were compared to unprocessed SC and LC water extract. Anti-inflammatory effects have been evaluated in pro-inflammatory mediators which were secreted by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages. Nitric oxide (NO) was determined using Griess reaction. Proinflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor $(TNF)-{\alpha}$ and interleukin $(IL)-1{\beta}$ were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activities were compared to processed SC or LC and mixtures thereof (1:1). In vivo study was compared to hangover relief in alcohol-fed mice. After administering a mixture of SC and LC (300 mg/kg) water extract (1:1), mice were fed 3 g/kg of ethanol. Serum was collected at 1, 3, and 5 h intervals to analyze ethanol and acetaldehyde levels using a colorimetric assay kit. The processed SC and LC water extracts compared to raw materials significantly inhibited LPS-induced NO and inflammatory cytokine production in RAW 264.7 cells. The results of the hangover mouse model are also consistent with anti-inflammatory effects. These results suggest that processed SC and LC extracts may be functional materials for the treatment of inflammation and hangover.