• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.10-16
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• 2004

This study was carried out to investigate the difference of growth characteristics and the content of root chemical components in four years old ginseng by paddy and upland cultivation at farmers' field in Korea. Proportions of silt, clay, liquid phase and porosity were higher in paddy soil than upland soil. The range of liquid phase was $17.5{\sim}19.5%$ in paddy and $7.0{\sim}12.8%$ in upland during growth period. EC and the other contents of OM, $NO_3^-,\;K_2O$, and Mg in paddy soil were higher than those of upland soil, while the contents of $P_2O_5$ and Ca were less than those of upland soil. The levels of chemical components of tested soil exceeded recommended range in EC, $NO_3^-$ and Ca of paddy soil, and in $P_2O_5$ and Ca of upland soil. Stem length, fresh root weight and total dry weight per plant in paddy were greater than those of upland. Root weight in paddy-ginseng showed a great increase on September, while it was not increased in upland because of early defoliation. Net assimilation rate and crop growth rate by paddy and upland cultivation showed distinct differences on May and September, and those of paddy-ginseng were higher than those of upland-ginseng. Yield and ratio of red-colored root showed no significant difference by paddy and upland cultivation, while significant differences were observed in diameter and length of primary root, contents of crude saponin and 50% ethanol extracts of primary root, and water content of root. Hardness of primary root showed no significant difference by paddy and upland cultivation until August, but it showed distinct difference on September, at which the hardness in upland cultivation was drastically decreased.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.42 no.7
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• pp.1015-1021
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• 2013

Glycyrrhiza inflata Batal, an important species of licorice, is one of the most widely used medicinal plants for over 4000 years. Glycyrrhiza plant species has been well known for its various therapeutic activities such as anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, and anti-ulcer. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of Glycyrrhiza inflata Batal ethanol extracts (GBE) on adipocyte and osteoblast differentiation. Mesenchymal C3H10T1/2 cells were treated with sub-cytotoxic doses of GBE, and its effects on adipocyte differentiation were assessed. We found that GBE dose-dependently increased lipid accumulation and also induced the expression of adipocyte markers, such as $PPAR{\gamma}$ and its target genes, aP2, and adiponectin, in C3H10T1/2 cells. Consistently, similar effects of GBE on lipid accumulation were also observed in preadipocyte 3T3-L1 cells that further supports the pro-adipogenic activities of GBE. We also investigated the effects of GBE on osteoblast differentiation of mesenchymal C3H10T1/2 cells. As a results, we found that GBE increased the activity of alkaline phosphatase in a dose-dependent manner and also promoted the expression of osteoblast markers, such as ALP and RUNX2, during osteoblast differentiation of C3H10T1/2 cells. Similar pro-osteogenic effects of GBE were also observed in preosteoblast MC3T3-E1 cells. Finally, our data show that a major bioactive compound found in Glycyrrhiza inflata Batal, licochalcone A (LA) but not glycyrrhizic acid (GA), can mediate the pro-adipogenic and pro-osteogenic effects of GBE. Taken together, this study provides data to show the possibility of GBE and its bioactive component LA as putative strategies for type 2 diabetes and bone diseases.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.663-672
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• 2016

The Cnidium monnieri (L.) Cusson is an annual plant distributed in China and Korea. The fruit of C. monnieri is used as a medicinal herb that is effective for the treatment of carbuncle and pain in female genitalia. However, the anti-cancer effects of CME have not yet been reported. In this study, we assessed the apoptotic effects and cell cycle arrest effects of ethanol extracts from C. monnieri on HCT116 colon cancer cells. The results of an MTT assay and LDH assay demonstrated a decrease in cell viability and the cytotoxic effects of CME. In addition, the number of apoptotic body and the apoptotic rate were increased in a dose-dependent manner through Hoechst 33342 staining and Annexin V-PI double staining. In addition, cell cycle arrest occurred at the G1 phase by CME. Protein kinase B (Akt) plays an important role in cancer cell survival, growth, and division. Akt down-regulates apoptosis-mediated proteins, such as mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), p53, and Glycogen Synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β). CME could regulate the expression levels of p-Akt, p-mTOR, p-GSK-3β, Bcl-2 family members, caspase-3, and PARP. Furthermore, treatment with CME, LY294002 (PI3K/Akt inhibitor), BIO (GSK-3β inhibitor), and Rapamycin (mTOR inhibitor) showed that apoptotic effects occurred through the regulation of the AKT/mTOR/GSK-3β signaling pathway. Our results demonstrated CME could induce apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in HCT116 colon cancer cells.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.367-372
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• 2002

In order to utilize safflower seed effectively as a food material, it was processed at the conditions including roasting temperature/time of 170$\^{C}$/10 min to 210$\^{C}$/30 min, ethanol concentration of 0 to 100% (V/V) and enzyme hydrolysis with $\alpha$-amylase, $\beta$-amylase, amyloglucosidase and cellulase. Safflower seed extracts had the highest soluble solid content at the condition of 60% ethanol concentration, roasting at 190$\^{C}$ for 20 min and hydrolysis with amyloglucosidase. Total phenolic compounds increased with the ethanol concentration, showing the highest at the condition of 80% ethanol, roasting at 170$\^{C}$ for 30 min and hydrolysis with amyloglucosidase. High level total flavonoid was observed at the condition of 80% ethanol, roasting at 210$\^{C}$ for 30 min and hydrolysis with amyloglucosidase. Safflower seed had sucrose as major free sugar as well as xylose and arabinose as minor free sugars. Organic acids in safflower seed included oxalic, citric, magic and fumaric acid. Serotonin I (N-[2-(5-hydroxy-1H-indo-1-3-yl)ethyl]ftrulamide) and serotonin II (N-[2-(5-hydroxy-1H-indol-3yl)ethyl]-p-coumaramide) as antioxidant compounds increased with ethanol concentration, showing the highest revel at 60% ethanol. Acacetin content increased with temperature and roasting time, with a maximum of 69.47 mg% at 210$\^{C}$ for 30 min.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.303-311
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• 2018

In this study, a preliminary evaluation of the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity of the Ficus erecta var. sieboldii (Miq.) King (FES) leaf extract has been performed to assess its potential as a natural resource for food and medicinal materials. FES was extracted using 70% EtOH and then fractionated sequentially using n-hexane, $CH_2Cl_2$, EtOAc, and n-BuOH. To screen for antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents effectively, the inhibitory effect of the FES extracts on the production of oxidant stresses (DPPH, xanthine oxidase, and superoxide) and pro-inflammatory factors (NO, iNOS, COX-2, $PGE_2$, IL-6, and $IL-1{\beta}$) in the murine macrophage cell line RAW 264.7 activated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was examined. Among the sequential solvent fractions of FES, the $CH_2Cl_2$ and EtOAc fractions showed decreased production of oxidant stresses (DPPH, xanthine oxidase and superoxide), and the hexane and $CH_2Cl_2$ fractions of FES inhibited the production of pro-inflammatory factors (NO, iNOS, COX-2, and $PGE_2$). The $CH_2Cl_2$ fraction also inhibited the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines ($TNF-{\alpha}$, IL-6, and $IL-1{\beta}$). These results suggest that FES has a significant effects on the production of oxidant stresses and pro-inflammatory factors and may be used a natural resource for antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.39 no.12
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• pp.1761-1768
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• 2010

Hypoglycemic effect through activity inhibition of $\alpha$-glucosidase and $\alpha$-amylase was evaluated using leaves of Eleutherococcus senticosu, Eleutherococcus gracilistylus, Eleutherococcus sieboldianus and Eleutherococcus sessiliflorus which belong to Acanthopanax sessiliflorus genus. As a result of measuring $\alpha$-glucosidase activity inhibition, extract of Eleutherococcus gracilistylus showed around 43.38% of activity inhibition compared with acarbose and extract of Eleutherococcus senticosu showed 41.24% inhibitory effect. As a result of measuring $\alpha$-amylase activity inhibition, acarbose showed 73.25% of activity inhibition in 10 mg/mL concentration, and the extract of Eleutherococcus senticosu leaves showed 91.90% higher activity inhibition compared with acarbose. Also, after subjects in a model were induced diabetes with streptozotocin (STZ) intake plant extract from Acanthopanax sessiliflorus for 2 weeks, effect of improving blood glucose level and fat was examined. In all groups with specimen, Eleutherococcus senticosu (T1), Eleutherococcus gracilistylus (T2), Eleutherococcus sieboldianus (T3) and Eleutherococcus sessiliflorus (T4), blood glucose level was significantly decreased compared with that in control group (C). In an experiment of examining changes in fat concentration in blood, total cholesterol content increased in a control group compared with a normal, while in T1, T3 and T4, it decreased significantly compared with the control group. As for HDL-cholesterol, it significantly increased in all diabetes induced groups compared with the normal group, and in T3, it increased the most significantly by 55.61% compared with the control group. In case of LDL-cholesterol, specific difference between the normal group and the control group was not found; however, significant increase was detected in T2 and T3, whereas in T1 and T4, it decreased significantly compared with the control group. As for triglyceride, its concentration increased in the control group like total cholesterol. It decreased 60.16% in T3, 60.80% in T4 and 50.16% in T1 compared with the control group. As a result of measuring the concentration of triglyceride in extracted liver, the control group showed significant increase compared with the normal group, whereas T1 and T2 showed significant decrease compared with the normal group. The above results show that extracts from Acanthopanax sessiliflorus genus are effective for hypoglycemic and improving fat metabolism due to diabetes.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.40 no.10
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• pp.1397-1403
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• 2011

Epimedium koreanum Nakai is a wild medicinal plant commonly consumed in South Korea due to its health beneficial effects. In the present study, the antioxidative, antimutagenic and immunological activities of E. koreanum Nakai extracts were investigated for their use in food. The yields of icariin compounds from the ethanol extract as well as the ethyl acetate, butanol, hexane, water, and chloroform fractions of E. koreanum were 27.9, 2.5, 1.7, 1.4, and 1.3 ${\mu}g/g$, respectively. The icariin components (295.5 ${\mu}g/g$) were collected from the ethyl acetate fraction by thin layer chromatography (TLC) and analyzed via high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The antioxidant activities of each fraction were as follows: ethyl acetate (49.0 ${\mu}g/mL$), butanol (59.2 ${\mu}g/mL$), hexane (119.8 ${\mu}g/mL$), water (122.0 ${\mu}g/mL$), and chloroform (138.5 ${\mu}g/mL$), based on $RC_{50}$ ${\mu}g/mL$. Icariin, isolated and identified as the main component, showed strong antioxidant activity with a $RC_{50}$ value of 15.3 ${\mu}g/mL$, which was higher than those of ascorbic acid (19.5 ${\mu}g/mL$) and ${\alpha}$-tocopherol (18.2 ${\mu}g/mL$). In an Ames test, none of the fractions produced mutagenic effects on Salmonella Typhimurium TA98 and TA100. In an immunomodulating activity test, the effects of E. koreanum Nakai on B cells (Rhamos) and T cells (Jurkat) were investigated. These results show that the growth and viability of B and T cells were increased by isolated icariin components for 1.27 and 1.28 fold, respectively. These results also provide preliminary data for the development of E. koreanum Nakai as an edible food material.