• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.117-130
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• 2008

Korean traditional medicine has been used for the treatment of the various diseases based on both oriental medicinal theory and clinical trials. Thus, the prescriptions of Korean traditional medicine would be useful for the development of new therapeutics. This research focuses on the fundamental study in Korean traditional prescriptions for the development of new hepatoprotective agents. We found two prescriptions. Injinho-Tang and Osumogwa-Tang, showed the significant DPPH free radical scavenging and hepatoprotective effect, respectively. It is well-known that free radical scavenging effect is related to the prevention of various pathological events including liver injury. This paper deals with hepatoprotective effects on tacrine-induced cytotoxicity in Hep G2 cells, free radicals scavenging on both DPPH and superoxide of above two prescriptions. Hot water extract of Injinho-Tang did not show the significant hepatoprotective effect on tacrine-induced cytotoxicity in Hep G2 cells, however, it shows the significant scavenging effects for both DPPH and superoxide radicals. On the other hand, all of the hot water extracts of constituent herbal drugs in Injinho-Tang exhibited the promising protective effect on tacrine-induced cytotoxicity in Hep G2 cells. Of these, water extract of Rhei Rhizoma showed the most prominent effect on tacrine-induced cytotoxicity in Hep G2 cells. Bioassay-guided fractionation of Rhei Rhizoma extract has furnished four compounds, and their chemical structures have been identified by comparison of their spectral data with those of literature as chrysophanol (1), emodin (2), 3,5-dihydroxy-4'- methoxystilbene (3), and rhapontigenin (4), respectively. Among the isolated compounds, compounds 2-4 revealed the significant hepatoprotective effect in vitro when their $EC_{50}$ values compare with that of silybin, as a positive control. It also exhibited that emodin possessed the most hepatoprotective effect among these active compounds. In case of Osumogwa-Tang, its hot water extract showed the moderate protective effect on tacrine-induced cytotoxicity in Hep G2 cells. Hot water extract of Chaenomelis Fructus, one of the constituent herbal drug of this prescription, exhibited the significant hepatoprotective effect with $EC_{50}$ value of $7.8{\pm}0.1\;{\mu}g/ml$, however, it showed strong cytotoxicity in Hep G2 cells above the concentration of $25\;{\mu}g/ml$. It was revealed that both hot water extract of Evodiae Fructus and its butanol soluble fraction showed the moderate hepatoprotective effect but concentration-dependent activity in Hep G2 assay system. Two quinolone alkaloids, evocarpine and dihydroevocarpine, also tested for their hepatoprotective effects on tacrine-induced cytotoxicity in Hep G2 cells, however, these two compounds derived from the Evodiae Fructus as the major constituents did not show in vitro hepatoprotective effect. From these results, it would be necessary to further isolation of its hepatoprotective compounds from the butanol soluble fraction of the hot water extract of Evodiae Fructus.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.329-335
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• 2014

Sophora flavescens, Glycyrrhiza uralensis and Dictamnus dasycarpus have been widely used in folk medicine for several inflammatory disorders in Korea and China. In this study, we compared the anti-inflammatory effects of the ethanol extracts of S. flavescens (EESF), G. uralensis (EEGU) and D. dasycarpus (EEDS), and their mixtures (medicinal herber mixtures, MHMIXs) on production of inflammatory mediators and cytokines in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 murine macrophages. Our data indicated that treatment with EESF, EEGU and EEDD significantly inhibited the excessive production of pro-inflammatory mediators such as nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin $E_2$ ($PGE_2$) in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. The ethanol extracts and MHMIXs also attenuated the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-$1{\beta}$ ($IL-1{\beta}$) and tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}$ ($TNF-{\alpha}$) by suppressing their protein expression, respectively. Interestingly, MHMIX-1, which basic ingredients are EESF, EEGU and EEDS in the proportion 3:1:1, more safely and effectively inhibits the LPS-induced inflammatory status in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages compared to ethanol extracts of each medicinal herb and other MHMIXs without causing any cytotoxic effects. Our study provides scientific evidence to support that a berbal mixture, MHMIX-1 may be useful in the treatment of inflammatory diseases by inhibiting inflammatory regulator responses in activated macrophages.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.25 no.10
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• pp.1124-1131
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• 2015

Consumer interest in the stability of medicinal herb extracts during storage has increased. Although the advent of new technologies has improved preservation conditions, increasing the storage time, there are few studies on the preservation of herb extracts. The purpose of this study was to perform microscopic observations of Samul-tang decoctions under various preservation conditions. The storage temperature (a high temperature, room temperature, with or without light, refrigeration, or cryopreservation) and storage time (0, 15, 30, 90, and 180 days) were given to each condition Macroscopic morphology, pH, UV absorption, HPLC, and bacteriological studies were performed to determine microscopic changes in Samul-tang decoctions. The biological activity (tyrosinase inhibition) of the Samul-tang decoctions was also examined. There were no major changes in the indicated observation items when the extracts were stored in each condition. However, at higher storage temperatures and longer storage times, microscopic changes increased, although no bacteria were detected. Furthermore, the higher the storage temperature was and the longer the storage time was, the bigger the change was, despite of minor microscopic changes. Therefore, to maintain the stability of herbal extracts during storage, it is recommended to keep the Samul-tang decoction in the preservation condition of refrigeration and cryopreservation or without light rather than high temperature and room temperature as possible.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.769-775
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• 2010

The genus Lespedeza belonging to Leguminosae is an annual or perennial herb, which has been used as a Chinese herbal medicine. Antioxidant activity on DPPH ((1,1)-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) and ABTS (2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylenebenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radicals and the contents of total polyphenol and flavonoid were analyzed with 12 methanol extracts from six Lespedeza genus plants with different plant parts. The highest content of total polyphenol was detected in the leaves of Lespedeza$\times$robusta (194.6 mg GAE/g), while the highest content of total flavonoid existed in the aerial part of Lespedeza thunbergii var. intermedia (47.9 mg QE/g). Generally, the amounts of polyphenol and flavonoid compounds were higher in the leaves than in the stems. The $SC_{50}$ value of DPPH radical scavenging activity ranged from 10.16 to 90.94 ppm, of which the strongest activity was determined in the leaves of L. robusta. Most ABTS radical scavenging activities from the investigated methanol extracts were higher than that of L-ascorbic acid, implying the excellent antioxidant activity. The radical scavenging activity in this study showed high correlation with the amount of total polyphenol rather than that of total flavonoid. These data suggest that the methanol extracts from these Lespedeza spp. could be potential candidates for natural antioxidants.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.160-168
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• 2016

Background: Ginseng (Panax ginseng Meyer) is a well-characterized medicinal herb listed in the classic oriental herbal dictionary as "Shin-nong-bon-cho-kyung." Ginseng has diverse pharmacologic and therapeutic properties. Black ginseng (BG, Ginseng Radix nigra) is produced by repeatedly steaming fresh ginseng nine times. Studies of BG have shown that prolonged heat treatment enhances the antioxidant activity with increased radical scavenging activity. Several recent studies have showed the effects of BG on increased lipid profiles in mice. In this study report the effects of water and ethanol extracts of BG on hypercholesterolemia in rats. To our knowledge, this is the first time such an effect has been reported. Methods: Experiments were conducted on male Sprague Dawley rats fed with a high-cholesterol diet supplemented with the water and ethanol extracts of BG (200 mg/kg). Their blood cholesterol levels, serum white blood cell levels, and cholesterol-metabolizing marker genes messenger RNA (mRNA) expression were determined. Liver and adipose tissues were histologically analyzed. Results: We found that BG extracts efficiently reduced the total serum cholesterol levels, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels with increased food efficiency ratio and increased number of neutrophil cells. It also attenuated the key genes responsible for lipogenesis, that is, acetyl-coenzyme A (CoA) acetyltransferase 2, 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-CoA reductase, and sterol regulatory element-binding protein 2, at the mRNA level inside liver cells. Furthermore, the BG extract also reduced the accumulation of fat in adipose tissues, and inhibited the neutral fat content in liver cells stained with hematoxylin and eosin and oil red O. Conclusion: Administration of BG extracts to Sprague Dawley rats fed with high-cholesterol diet ameliorated hypercholesterolemia, which was mediated via modulation of cholesterol-metabolizing marker genes. This data throw a light on BG's cardioprotective effects.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.20-26
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• 2016

In this study, the anti-inflammatory effect of hyaluronidase (HAase) inhibition was determined from 92 species of oriental herbal medicine extracted with water and ethanol solvents because of their non-toxicity in the human body. The water extracts of Evodia officinalis (86.8%), Thuja orientalis (80.8%), Carthami semen (66.5%), Melia azedarach (74.7%), Siegesbeckia pubescens (61.3%), Saururus chinensis (49.15%) showed a relatively greater anti-inflammatory activity. The ethanol extracts of Ailanthus altissima and Saururus chinensis demonstrated the highest anti-inflammatory effect at above 90%. Saururus chinensis was selected for its high anti-inflammatory effect in both water and ethanol extract. Ethanol was more effective than water and optimal extraction conditions for phenolic compounds was determined to be extraction with 50% ethanol for 12 hours. The extracts from Saururus chinensis in optimal condition showed 70~80% anti-inflammatory effect when $100{\sim}250{\mu}g/mL$ phenolic concentration was treated. Concentration of above $500{\mu}g/mL$ decreased the inhibitory effect. The anti-inflammatory effect and extraction yield were increased by ultra-fine grind technology, indicating that this method can be used to increase the extraction yield of phenolic compounds from medicinal plants.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.87-90
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• 2011

The methanol extracts of 19 commercial herb medicines was analyzed to antibacterial activities against Edwardsiella tarda, causing several fish diseases. Rhus javanica showed most strong antibacterial activity against E. tarda and Escherichia coli. Methanol extract of R. javanica was further extracted using several organic solvents having different polarity. Extract from ethyl acetate fraction showed strong activity against E. tarda as well as E. coli. Minimal inhibitory concentration, MIC of R. javanica extract was measured and resulted showing $64\;{\mu}g/m{\ell}$ for E. tarda and $256\;{\mu}g/m{\ell}$ for E. coli. It is needed that, from these results, further purification and isolation of reposible compound of these activities and further study on the synergy effect using combination with antibiotics against pathogenic bacteria.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.476-483
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• 2005

This experiment was planned to develop a functional supplement by food resources to prevent and lessen the deleterious effects caused by environmental pollutants such as polluted food, air, water and heavy metals. The goal of this study was to investigate the effects of peking-duck extracts supplemented with six kinds of medicinal herbs (DJ) on the intoxication of lead and mercury in rats. Sprague-Dawley rat weighing $150g\pm15g$ g, were randomly assigned to 5 groups, basal diet only (NCG), heavy metal without DJ injection (HCG), heavy metals and DJ (3 mg/mL) injection (HMLD), heavy metal and DJ (30 mg/mL) injection (HMMD), heavy metal and D] (300 mg/mL) injection (HMHD). Mecury (Hg) and lead (Pb) injected at the level of 50 ppm for 17 days. Also DJ oral feeding was continued for 31 days. The result of this study were as follows; Food intake and body weight gain in heavy metal administered groups were lower than those of control group (NCG). The activities of GOT, GPT and BUN level were significantly reduced in DJ-treated groups as compared to HCG. DJ was shown to suppress the accumulation of Hg and Pb in serum. The results suggest that DJ might have protective effect on Hg and Pb intoxication.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.549-556
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• 2015

Anti-insect repellent silica sol from mixture with silica and anti-insect repellent solution extracted from medicinal herbs was prepared. The micron size porous sphere powder with anti-insect repellent solution was prepared by the spray drying method. The characteristic of anti-insect repellent powder using spray drying method was analyzed by FE-SEM, PSA, TGA with the concentration of anti-insect repellent sol (anti-insect repellent solution and silica) and conditions of spray drier. The average particle size of 4, 7 wt% and 10 wt% of anti-insect repellent sol concentration were 8.3, $9.5{\mu}m$ and $11.7{\mu}m$, respectively. The particle size is increasing with high concentration of anti-insect repellent sol. Other hands, particle size as the temperature of inlet nozzle and velocity of sol injection were nearly same at high velocity of gas injection. Also, Anti-insect repellent impregnation in porous sphere powder were confirmed by TGA methode and its thermal property was stable up to $200^{\circ}C$. We expect that anti-insect repellent powder is applied for plastic compound and process of film manufacture.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.233-238
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• 2008

This experiment was conducted to enhance the colored potatoes utilization and to determine the biological activity of colored potato extracts. In order to understand the factors responsible for the potent anti-oxidant ability of colored potatoes, it has been evaluated for anti-oxidative activity using oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay. 'Hongyoung' extract was significant anti-oxidant activities in ORAC assay. About two-fold higher radical absorbance capacity was found in 'Hongyoung' compared to that in 'Jayoung'. The ability of 80% ethanol extracts from colored potatoes to influence the inhibitory activity of nitric oxide (NO) and nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) has also been investigated. The various therapeutic benefit claims in the new functional medicinal usage of colored potatoes ascribed to the phenolic compounds and anthocyanin. This result revealed that the extracts of colored potatoes are expected to be good candidate for development into sources of free radical scavenger or COX-2 inhibiting agents.