• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2009

Essential oils are mixture of volatile, lipophilic compounds originating from plants. Essential oils have potential biological effects, i.e., antibacterial, antifungal, spasmolytic and antiplasmodial activities and insect-repellent property. In this study, five essential oils, namely R, LG, FR, O, and NM, extracted from various aromatic plants were used to test their antimicrobial activity against the oral microorganisms. The effects of essential oils were investigated against eight important bacteria, Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans), Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), Streptococcus sanguis (S. sanguis), Streptococcus anginosus (S. anginosus), Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans (A. actinomycetemcomitans), Streptococcus sobrinus (S. sobrinus), Staphylococcus epidermidis (S. epidermidis), and Escherichia coli (E. coli). Essential oils, except NM, effectively inhibited the growth of tested oral pathogenic microorganisms dose-dependently. However, the essential oils didn't show a significant inhibitory effect against E. coli and S. epidermidis. Consequently, these results represented that essential oil-mediated anti-microbial activity was prominent against the oral pathogenic bacteria. For example, minimum bactericidal concentration(MBC) of R, LG, FR oil against A. actinomycetemcomitans was very low as 0.078 mg/mL. In addition, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of R, LG, FR, O oil against S. mutans was low as 0.156 mg/mL in vitro.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.1073-1078
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• 2002

Antimicrobial activities in 70% ethanol extracts of Korean bamboo trees were investigated. Among the antimicrobial activities against ten major strains causing food poisening, Wangdae (Phyllostachys bambusoides S. et Z.) showed the strongest activity among five major bamboo trees cultivated in Korea. Although all extracts showed relatively strong antimicrobial activities against Staphylococcus aureus and Streptoccus mutans, the extracts of bamboo culms showed stronger activities than that of bamboo leaves. MICs (minimal inhibitory concentration) of the extracts of Wangdae culm against Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus mutans were over $10\;and\;20\;{\mu}L/disc$, respectively. The extract of Wangdae culm inhibited the growth of Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus mutans at over 0.5% concentration, and almost inhibited the growth of these strains at 1% level. The inhibitory effect of the extract of Wangdae culm was not destroyed by heating at 60, 80, and $100^{\circ}C$ for 60 min and at $121^{\circ}C$ for 15 min, suggesting that the component in the bamboo tree was very heat-stable. These results indicate that 70% ethanol extract of Wangdae culm could be useful as a natural antimicrobial agent.

• The Journal of the Korean Society for Microbiology
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.375-380
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• 1986

Thirty-one strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were submitted to the synergistic activity test of amikacin(AK) and gentamicin(GM) combined with moxalactam(MX), ceftizoxime(CTZ) or cefoperazone(CFZ). The minimal inhibitory concentrations(MICs) of each drug and drugs combined in various ratios were measured by checkerboard dilution method. The synergism was determined through analysing the MIC distribution curve on isobologram and calculating the fractional inhibitory concentration index(FICI). MICs of GM, AK, MX, CFZ and CTZ against the 31 tested strains were distributed from $12.5{\mu}g/ml$ to $800{\mu}g/ml$, from $0.8{\mu}g/ml$ to $25{\mu}g/ml$, from $3.1{\mu}g/ml$ to $50{\mu}g/ml$, from $3.1{\mu}g/ml$ to $400{\mu}g/ml$, and from $12.5{\mu}g/ml$ to $100{\mu}g/ml$, respectively. The rate synergism of each drug combination by means of FICl was 45.5% in GM-MX, 36.4% in GM-CFZ, 63.6% in GM-CTZ, 48.6% in AK-MX, 35.3% in AK-CFZ, and 35.7% in AK-CTZ combination. Thus, it is suggested that Pseudomonas aeruginosa may effectively be inhibited by various aminoglycoside and cephalosporin combinations.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.487-493
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• 2016

The antimicrobial activity of bovine lactoferrin hydrolysates (bLFH) was measured against Pseudomonas strains (P. syringae and P. fluorescens) in vitro. To compare susceptibility to bLFH, minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values were determined using chemiluminescence assays and paper disc plate assays. Antimicrobial effect against P. fluorescens was not observed by either assay, suggesting that bLFH did not exhibit antimicrobial activity against P. fluorescens. However, a significant inhibition of P. syringae growth was observed in the presence of bLFH. The addition of bLFH in liquid or solid medium inhibited growth of P. syringae in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, a bLFH peptide with antimicrobial activity toward P. syringae was isolated and identified. The N-terminal amino acid sequences of thus obtained antimicrobial bLFH peptides were analyzed by a protein sequencer and were found to be Leu-Arg-Ile-Pro-Ser-Lys-Val-Asp-Ser-Ala and Phe-Lys-Cys-Arg-Arg-Trp-Gln-Trp-Arg-Met. The latter peptide sequence is known to be characteristic of lactoferricin. Therefore, in the present study, we identified a new antimicrobial peptide against P. syringae, present within the N-terminus and possessing the amino acid sequence of Leu-Arg-Ile-Pro-Ser-Lys-Val-Asp-Ser-Ala.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.15-26
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• 2013

Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate antimicrobial activity of Huanggeumjakyak- tang water extract against MRSA. Methods The antibacterial activities of Huanggeumjakyak-tang were evaluated against 3 strains of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and 1 standard Methicillinsusceptible S. aureus (MSSA) strain by using the disc diffusion method, minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) assay, colorimetric assay using MTT test, checkerboard dilution test and time-kill assay was performed under dark. Results The MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) of Huanggeumjakyak-tang water extract against S. aureus strains ranged from 1,000 to $2,000{\mu}g/ml$. So we confirmed that it has a strong antibacterial effect. Also the combinations of Huanggeumjakyak-tang water extract and conventional antibiotics exhibited improved inhibition of MRSA with synergy effect. Conclusions The results obtained in this study suggest that Huanggeumjakyak-tang water extract showed antibacterial effect against MRSA, and it also showed reducing effect on the side-effect problems that are the major weak points of traditional antibiotics.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.719-724
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• 2018

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a bacterium responsible for a number of infections in humans that are difficult to treat, and as a result, is a substantial contributor to morbidity and mortality. In the present study, in search of natural products capable of inhibiting this multidrug-resistant bacterium, we investigated the antimicrobial activity of Lysimachia clethroides Duby root. The antibacterial activities of EtOH extract of Lysimachia clethroides Duby root and its n-hexane, EtOAc, n-BuOH and water fractions were evaluated against 15 strains of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and 1 standard methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) strain by using the minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) assay, colorimetric assay using MTT test, checkerboard dilution test. Antimicrobial activity of n-hexane fraction of Lysimachia clethroides Duby root was remarkable. Against the 16 strains, the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were in the range of $31.25-62.5{\mu}g/ml$ and FICI values for n-hexane fraction of Lysimachia clethroides Duby root+AM and n-hexane fraction of Lysimachia clethroides Duby root+OX were checkerboard method performed using the MRSA, MSSA and one clinical isolate strains via MICI 0.12-1 and 0.25-0.75, showing the increase of synergistic effect. When combined together, these antibiotic effects were dramatically increased. These effective combinations could be new promising agents in the management of MRSA.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.444-447
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• 2015

This study was carried out to determine the antibacterial activity of $SeO_2$ against pathogenic bacteria, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Using the disc diffusion method, $SeO_2$ showed higher antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria than Gram-negative bacteria used in this study. Coccus-form bacteria showed much susceptible to $SeO_2$, compared to bacillus-form bacteria. Compared to antibiotics-susceptible S. aureus, antibiotics used in this study showed lower antibacterial activity against MRSA. As $200-500{\mu}g/disc$ of $SeO_2$ was applied, diameters of clear zone for S. aureus and MRSA were 20-32.7 mm and 13.5-17.9 mm, respectively. For MRSA, minimal inhibitory concentration of $SeO_2$ was $40{\mu}g/ml$. When $SeO_2$ was added in culture broth, cell growth of MRSA was inhibited. These results will be applied to determine antibacterial mechanism of MRSA and other pathogenic microorganisms.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.193-199
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• 2017

This study was aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of Penicillium purpurogenum ED76 on several clinically important microorganisms. The endophytic fungus P. purpurogenum ED76 was previously isolated from Swietenia macrophylla leaf. The antimicrobial efficacy of P. purpurogenum ED76 dichloromethane extract was determined via disc diffusion and broth microdilution assay. A kill curve study was conducted and the morphology of extract treated bacterial cells were viewed under scanning electron microscope. The dichloromethane extract showed significant inhibitory activity on 4 test bacteria and 2 test yeasts. The minimal inhibitory concentration of the extract ranged from 125 to $1,000{\mu}g/ml$, which indicates the different susceptibility levels of the test microorganisms to the fungal extract. The kill curve study has revealed a concentration-dependent inhibition for all test microorganisms. With the increase of the extract concentration, the microbial growth was significantly reduced. The scanning electron micrograph of dichloromethane extract-treated Staphylococcus aureus cells showed the total damage of the cells. The cell wall invagination of the bacterial cells also indicates the loss of cellular materials and metabolic activity. The gas chromatography mass spectrometry analysis of the extract also showed that the major compound was stigmasterol, which constitutes 45.30% of the total area. The dichloromethane extract of P. purpurogenum ED76 exhibited significant inhibitory activity on several clinically important bacteria and yeasts. The study proposed a possible mode of action that the extract cause significant damage to the morphology of S. aureus cells.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.235-242
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• 1999

We investigated the growth-inhibitory mechanism of Helicobacter pylori by omeprazole (OMP) and its activated sulfenamide (OAS). Using dithiothreitol (DTT) and 5,5'-dithio-bis[2-nitrobenzoic acid] (DTNB; Ellman's reagent), we first determined the relationship between the binding capacity of these compounds to H. pylori membrane and its significance to membrane P-type ATPase activity. After incubation of the intact H. pylori cells with either OMP or OAS, the residual quantity of free SH-groups on the cell membrane was measured, and, the resulting values were plotted as a function of time. From this experiment, we found that there was a considerable difference in the membrane-binding rates between OMP and OAS. At neutral pH, the disulfide bond formation on H. pylori membrane was completed within 2 min of incubation of the intact cells with OAS. By OMP, however, it was gradually formed, exceeding 10 min of incubation for completion, whereby, the extent of P-type ATPase inhibition appeared to be proportional to the disulfide forming rate. From this data, it was suggested that the disulfide formation might directly affect enzyme activity. Since OMP per se cannot yield a disulfide bond with cysteine, it is predicted that the enzyme inactivation must be caused by the OAS form. Accordingly, we postulated that, under the neutral pH, OMP could be converted to OAS in the course of transport. By extrapolating the inhibitory slopes, we could evaluate K₁ values, relating to their minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for H. pylori growth. In these MIC ranges, H. pylori uptake or vesicular export of nutrients such as peptides were totally prohibited, but their effect in Escherichia coli were negligible. From these observations, we strongly suggest that the P-type ATPase activity is essential for the survival of H. pylori cells in particular.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.278-288
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• 2013

Objectives : Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has a cephalosporin and beta-lactam antibiotic-resistant strains. MRSA is one of the major pathogens causing hospital infection and the isolation ratio of MRSA has gradually increased. Consequently, increased resistance to antibiotics is causing serious problems in the world. Therefore, there is a need to develop alternative antimicrobial drugs for the treatment of infectious diseases. Methods : The antibacterial activities of Ipyo-san were evaluated against 2 strains of MRSA and 1 standard Methicillin-susceptible staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) strain by using the disc diffusion method, minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) assay, colorimetric assay using MTT test, checkerboard dilution test and time-kill assay performed under dark. Results : The MIC of Ipyo-san water extract against S. aureus strains ranged from 1000 to $2,000{\mu}g/ml$, so we confirmed that it had a strong antibacterial effect. Also, the combinations of Ipyo-san water extract and conventional antibiotics exhibited improved inhibition of MRSA with synergy effect. We suggest that Ipyo-san water extract against MRSA has antibacterial activity so it has potential as alternatives to antibiotic agents. For the combination test, we used Triton X-100 (TX) and DCCD for measurement of membrane permeability and inhibitor of ATPase. As a result, antimicrobial activity of Ipyo-san water extract was affected by the cell membrane. Conclusions : We suggest that the Ipyo-san water extract lead the treatment of bacterial infection to solve the resistance and remaining side-effect problems that are the major weak points of traditional antibiotics.