• Translational and Clinical Pharmacology
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.67-73
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• 2017

Glimepiride, a third generation sulfonylurea, is an antihyperglycemic agent widely used to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus. In this study, an untargeted urinary metabolomic analysis was performed to identify endogenous metabolites affected by glimepiride administration. Urine samples of twelve healthy male volunteers were collected before and after administration of 2 mg glimepiride. These samples were analyzed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), and then subjected to multivariate data analysis including principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis. Through this metabolomic profiling, we identified several endogenous metabolites such as adenosine 3', 5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP), quercetin, tyramine, and urocanic acid, which exhibit significant metabolomic changes between pre- and posturine samples. Among these, cAMP, which is known to be related to insulin secretion, was the most significantly altered metabolite following glimepiride administration. In addition, the pathway analysis showed that purine, tyrosine, and histidine metabolism was affected by pharmacological responses to glimepiride. Together, the results suggest that the pharmacometabolomic approach, based on LC-MS/MS, is useful in understanding the alterations in biochemical pathways associated with glimepiride action.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.66
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• pp.467-476
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• 2023

Schisandra chinensis (S. chinensis) is a deciduous broad-leaved cave plant belonging to the Schisandraceae family and is widely distributed in East Asia including Korea, Japan, China, and Taiwan. It has been reported that the main components contained in S. chinensis include lignan compounds and triterpenoid compounds. To distinguish the characteristics of S. chinensis by production region of Korea, a discriminant was established by performing metabolite profiling and principal component analysis, a multivariate statistical analysis technique. As a result, 16 types of triterpenoids, 9 types of lignan, and 1 type each of flavonoid, phenylpropanoid, and fatty acid were identified. In addition, through multivariate statistical analysis, it was confirmed that the four groups in Danyang, Moongyeong, Geochang, and Pyeongchang were divided, by applying the s-plot model of orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis. Biomarkers were identified: lanostane, cycloartane, schiartane triterpenoid, and dibenzocyclo-octadiene lignan were identified as chemical markers, respectively.

• Mass Spectrometry Letters
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.21-24
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• 2012

$5{\alpha}$-Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) is the primary active metabolite of testosterone, catalyzed by $5{\alpha}$-reductase ($5{\alpha}R$) in the skin, prostate, and liver. In this study, the $5{\alpha}R$ activity in rat liver S9 fraction in the presence of a NADPH-generating system was evaluated and compared by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS)-based in vitro assays. Testosterone and a $5{\alpha}R$ inhibitor, finasteride, were added to the S9 fractions and incubated at $37^{\circ}C$ for 1 h. Both testosterone and DHT were quantitatively measured and compared with two different GC-MS-based steroid profiling techniques. DHT was not detected by conventional GC-MS analysis in the absence of finasteride when the concentration of testosterone in the S9 fraction was less than $0.2{\mu}M$, whereas the isotope-dilution GC-MS (GC-IDMS) system was able to evaluate the $5{\alpha}R$ activity. Because the S9 fraction contains more reactive enzymes and is easier to collect from tissues compared with a microsomal solution, the combination of the S9 fraction and GC-IDMS technique may be a promising assay for evaluating the $5{\alpha}R$ activity in large-scale clinical studies.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.252-260
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• 2014

Contents of carotenoids, phenolic compounds, volatile organic compounds, and alkaloids in leaves, internodes, fruits, and roots of tomatoes in different developmental stages were measured. Lycopene, ${\beta}$-carotene, and lutein were detected in all the tested parts except roots and green fruits. Lycopene content in red fruits was $49.04{\mu}g{\cdot}g^{-1}$ FW, while that in the other parts was below $40{\mu}g{\cdot}g^{-1}$ FW. ${\beta}$-Carotene and lutein contents in 24th leaves were 5.81 and $6.40{\mu}g{\cdot}g^{-1}$ FW, respectively, and were greater than those in the other parts. Caffeic, chlorogenic, and vanillic acids were detected in all the tested parts except roots. The content of chlorogenic acid in the 18th leaves was $40.11{\mu}g{\cdot}g^{-1}$ FW, while that in the other parts was lower than $31.00{\mu}g{\cdot}g^{-1}$ FW. The contents of caffeic and vanillic acids in the 24th leaves were 9.18 and $1.64{\mu}g{\cdot}g^{-1}$ FW, respectively, and were greater than those in the other parts. Moreover, younger leaves contained the more diverse volatile organic compounds including monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes. Contents of dehydro-tomatine and ${\alpha}$-tomatine were greatest in leaves, followed by internodes, roots and fruits. Younger leaves and internodes contained more dehydro-tomatine and ${\alpha}$-tomatine than older leaves and internodes. The contents of dehydro-tomatine and ${\alpha}$-tomatine in the 24th leaves were 0.89 and $1.42mg{\cdot}g^{-1}$ FW, respectively, and were greatest among all the tested parts. Our results indicated that, except lycopene, tomato leaves included greater secondary metabolites contents than red fruits. The results suggest that inedible parts of tomato plants can be used as raw material for antioxidants, anti-inflammatory agents, fungistats, and pesticides.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.57-67
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• 2018

Background: Ginseng contains many small metabolites such as amino acids, fatty acids, carbohydrates, and ginsenosides. However, little is known about the relationships between microorganisms and metabolites during the entire ginseng fermentation process. We investigated metabolic changes during ginseng fermentation according to the inoculation of food-compatible microorganisms. Methods: Gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) datasets coupled with the multivariate statistical method for the purpose of latent-information extraction and sample classification were used for the evaluation of ginseng fermentation. Four different starter cultures (Saccharomyces bayanus, Bacillus subtilis, Lactobacillus plantarum, and Leuconostoc mesenteroide) were used for the ginseng extract fermentation. Results: The principal component analysis score plot and heat map showed a clear separation between ginseng extracts fermented with S. bayanus and other strains. The highest levels of fructose, maltose, and galactose in the ginseng extracts were found in ginseng extracts fermented with B. subtilis. The levels of succinic acid and malic acid in the ginseng extract fermented with S. bayanus as well as the levels of lactic acid, malonic acid, and hydroxypruvic acid in the ginseng extract fermented with lactic acid bacteria (L. plantarum and L. mesenteroide) were the highest. In the results of taste features analysis using an electronic tongue, the ginseng extracts fermented with lactic acid bacteria were significantly distinguished from other groups by a high index of sour taste probably due to high lactic acid contents. Conclusion: These results suggest that a metabolomics approach based on GC-MS can be a useful tool to understand ginseng fermentation and evaluate the fermentative characteristics of starter cultures.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.285-292
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• 2014

Essential oil yields and chemical compositions from 5 populations of Chamaecyparis obtusa with several environmental factors were investigated through essential oil extracted distillation apparatus and metabolite profiling by GC-MS analysis. Among the populations, content of essential oil at Gokseong was significantly higher than other populations. To compare the several environmental factors affecting on chemical composition and essential oil yields from C. obtuse at Gokseong, the environmental factors (soil condition, temperature, humidity, and moisture content) were measured during 1 year. The essential oils at Goksung based on humidity on March, July, and November was significantly different from other months. The essential oils at Goksung based on temperature on July and August was significantly different from other months. The essential oils at Goksung based on the moisture content on September were significantly different from other months. The percentage of T-N, OM, and yield of oil at Gokseong were significantly different on from other populations. The main constituents of C. obtusa at all populations were ${\alpha}$-pinene, ${\beta}$-pinene, ${\alpha}$-terpinene, ${\gamma}$-terpinene, terpinene-4-ol, isobonyl acetate, terpinyl acetate, and cedar acetate. Specially, Essential oil compositions (%) of ${\alpha}$-terpinene and cedar acetate were higher at Gokseong than at other populations. The chemical compositions of essential oils were variable depend on populations and environmental conditions. Therefore, this study might be used as fundamental research on study for selection of high productive terpenoids and for understanding about biosynthesis of essential oils in C. obtusa.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.167-174
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• 2018

Alterations in sulfur amino acid metabolism are associated with an increased risk of a number of common late-life diseases, which raises the possibility that metabolism of sulfur amino acids may change with age. The present study was conducted to understand the age-related changes in hepatic metabolism of sulfur amino acids in 2-, 6-, 18- and 30-month-old male C57BL/6 mice. For this purpose, metabolite profiling of sulfur amino acids from methionine to taurine or glutathione (GSH) was performed. The levels of sulfur amino acids and their metabolites were not significantly different among 2-, 6- and 18-month-old mice, except for plasma GSH and hepatic homocysteine. Plasma total GSH and hepatic total homocysteine levels were significantly higher in 2-month-old mice than those in the other age groups. In contrast, 30-month-old mice exhibited increased hepatic methionine and cysteine, compared with all other groups, but decreased hepatic S-adenosylmethionine (SAM), S-adenosylhomocysteine and homocysteine, relative to 2-month-old mice. No differences in hepatic reduced GSH, GSH disulfide, or taurine were observed. The hepatic changes in homocysteine and cysteine may be attributed to upregulation of cystathionine ${\beta}-synthase$ and down-regulation of ${\gamma}-glutamylcysteine$ ligase in the aged mice. The elevation of hepatic cysteine levels may be involved in the maintenance of hepatic GSH levels. The opposite changes of methionine and SAM suggest that the regulatory role of SAM in hepatic sulfur amino acid metabolism may be impaired in 30-month-old mice.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.154-168
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• 2018

Salinity is a major abiotic stress that adversely affects crop productivity and quality. In this study, the metabolic profile and nutritional composition of rice in response to NaCl were analyzed. The plants were exposed to stressed or unstressed conditions, and their metabolic changes were examined in the shoots, roots, and grains collected at different growth stages. The levels of nutrients and anti-nutrients, including proximates, amino acids, fatty acids, minerals, vitamins, and phytic acid, were also determined for the grains. Application of NaCl significantly decreased the shoot and root growth and induced metabolic alterations at the tillering stage. During the heading stage, only the root metabolites were influenced by NaCl, and no metabolic variations related to salinity were found in the shoot, roots, and grains at the ripening stage. Nutritional analysis of the grain samples revealed that the amounts of linolenic acid and tricosanoic acid were significantly reduced while those of copper, sodium, and phytic acid were enhanced in response to stress. However, except for sodium, those differences were not great. Our results suggest that although NaCl-salinity influences the phenotypic and metabolic profiles of rice shoots and roots at the tillering stage, this impact becomes negligible as tissue development proceeds. This is especially true for the grains. Compositional analysis of the grains indicated that salinity induces some changes in fatty acids, minerals, and anti-nutrients.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.368-375
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• 2008

Approximately 120 UDP-glycosyltransferases (UGTs), which are classified into 14 distinct groups (A to N), have been annotated in the Arabidopsis genome. UGTs catalyze the transfer of sugars to various acceptor molecules including flavonoids. Previously, UGT71C1 was shown to glycosylate the 3-OH of hydroxycinnamates and flavonoids in vitro. Such secondary metabolites are known to play important roles in plant growth and development. To help define the role of UGT71C1 in planta, we investigated its expression patterns, and isolated and characterized a loss-of-function mutation in the UGT71C1 gene (named ugt71c1-1). Our analyses by quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), microarray data mining, and histochemical detection of GUS activity driven by the UGT71C1 promoter region, revealed the tissue-specific expression patterns of UGT71C1 with highest expression in roots. Interestingly, upon treatment with methyl viologen (MV, paraquat), ugt71c1-1 plants displayed enhanced resistance to oxidative stress, and ROS scavenging activity was higher than normal. Metabolite profiling revealed that the levels of two major glycosides of quercetin and kaempferol were reduced in ugt71c1-1 plants. In addition, when exposed to MV-induced oxidative stress, eight representative ROS response genes were expressed at lower levels in ugt71c1-1 plants, indicating that ugt71c1-1 probably has higher non-enzymatic antioxidant activity. Taken together, our results indicate that ugt71c1-1 has increased resistance to oxidative stress, suggesting that UGT71C1 plays a role in some glycosylation pathways affecting secondary metabolites such as flavonoids in response to oxidative stress.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.129-132
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• 2006

The importance of natural preservative has increased in recent years. The natural preservatives have been used in the field of foods, cosmetics and pharmacology. In the present work Artemisia sp., well recognized for their effect of antimicrobial activity, were extracted by methanol and water sequentially for selecting only water-soluble compounds that can be used as additives in food and cosmetics. Antimicrobial activities of water extracts from stem and leaf of Artemisia princeps var. orientalis were investigated by the disc diffusion method. Two gram positive bacteria(Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis) and three gram negative bacteria(Escherichia coil, Agrobacterium tumefaciens and Pseudomonas putida) were used for antimicrobial activity studies. The water-soluble compounds from methanol extract showed higher antimicrobial activity than only water extract to these bacteria. Comparative evaluation of water-soluble metabolite profiles with caffeic acid that is known as an antimicrobial compound from Artemisia sp. was performed by high performance liquid chromatography with photo-diode array detection.