• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.498-503
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• 2012

The aim of this study is to compare the total polyphenol, total flavonoid, and antioxidative activity among 5 cultivars of Korean pears cultivated in Korea. As a result of the analysis for the phenolic substance of 5 cultivars, such as Wonwhang, Sunwhang, Whangkeumbae, Chuwhang, and Shingo, the content of total polyphenol was higher in Shingo and Chuwhang, and the content of total flavonoid showed higher levels in Wonwhang and Sunwhang. In addition, this study found that DPPH radical-scavenging ability was the highest in Shingo and that the part of fruit skin showed more favorable reaction to radical ability than fruit flesh. It was also found that much better antioxidative activity was shown for the methanol solvent extraction than for the ethanol solvent extraction. The nitrite-scavenging ability showed the best for Wonwhang and Chuwhang of the cultivars and much better reaction for the methanol solvent extraction than for the ethanol solvent extraction just like the case of DPPH radical-scavenging ability. Further, nitrite-scavenging ability appeared much better reaction for the fruit skin than for the fruit flesh, and antioxidative activity dropped for the higher the range on the pH scale. From the results of this study, Korean pears are worthy of developing as a natural functional food and substance for beauty treatment through the research on bioactivity.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.2 no.5
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• pp.735-744
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• 1997

The effect of green tea drinking on the hepatocellular chemical cacinogenesis have been studied. Placental glutathione S-transferase(GST-P) positive foci area in a liver tissue, contents of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances(TBARS), total cytochrome P450 and glucose 6-phospphatase(G6P) activity in hepatic microsomes were investigated. Weaning Sprague-Dawley male rats were fed AIN-76A diet with deionized water or green tea infusion, Rats of CTR and CTR+ groups were provided deionized water while GTI and GTI+ groups were provided green tea instead of deionized water for the entire experimental period of 13weeks. Rats of GTP and GTP + groups had deionized water for the first 6 weeks and switched to green tea for the last 7weeks of the experimental period. CTR+, GTI +, and GTP + groups were carcinogen treated groups, Diethylnitrosamine(DEN) was injected as a single dose of 200mg/kg body weight intraperitoneally after 4 weeks of feeding. 2-Acetyla-minofluorene(AAF) was used as a carcinogen proliferater and suppled in the diets of carcinogen treated rats as 0.02% content for the last 6weeks starting from 2weeks after DEN injection. Rats were sacrificed after 13week weeks of feeding. The area and number of GST-P positive foci detected in carcinogen treated rats were decreased by green tea ingestion but when timing and duration of green tea ingestion was delayed after promotion period as in GTP + group, GST-P positive foci were not decreased as much as in GTI+ group. TBARS contents of carcinogen treated rats decreased by 13weeks of green tea ingestion but GTP groups did not show statiscally significant differences. G6P activities tended to decrease by carcinogen treatment but changes were not statiscally significant by green tea ingestion. Total cytochrome P450 contents were increased by carcinogen treatment. Thirteen weeks of green tea ingestion (GTI) also increased to total cytochrome P450 contents while 7weeks of green tea ingestion(GTP) did show any effects. These results suggest that green tea has suppressive effects on hepatocellular chemical carcinogenesis probably through the activities of antioxidant compounds. (Korean J Community utrition 2(5) : 735∼744, 1997)

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.12 no.7
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• pp.3317-3326
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• 2011

Physicochemical properties of Achyranthes japonica and Smilax china extracts were investigated for the purpose of functionality research on the natural bio-resources. Extraction contents were order of distilled water>methanol>ethanol solvent, the highest free aminoacids were proline from Achyranthes japonica, phosphoserine and glutamic acid from Smilax china, respectively. BI and TAC by spectrophotometric absorbance were order of methanol>ethanol>water in Smilax china leaf extract, but water>methaol>ethanol in Achyranthes japonica leaf extract. EDA was high in ethanol extract from Smilax china leaf and in methanol extract from Smilax china root, and in water extract from Achyranthes japonica. TBA value of Achyranthes japonica leaf and Smilax china leaf-ethanol extracts on olive oil was 82.1% and 84.0%, respectively, for that of an artificial antioxidant BHT. Antimicrobial effect was observed in Achyranthes japonica stem-methanol extract on Bacillus subtillis, in Smilax china leaf-ethanol extract on Bacillus subtillis, Vibrio vulnificus and Salmonella enterica, respectively. And the adsorption of Pb(II) on Achyranthes japonica was higher than that of Cd(II) on Smilax china under the same metal ion concentration.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.411-419
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• 2022

Carotenoids are red, orange, and yellow fat-soluble pigments that exist in nature, and are known as physiologically active substances with various functions, such as provitamin A, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer. Because of their physiological activity and color availability, carotenoids are widely used in the food, cosmetics, and aquaculture industries. Currently, most carotenoids used industrially use chemical synthesis because of their low production cost, but natural carotenoids are in the spotlight because of their safety and physiologically active effects. However, the production of carotenoids in plants and animals is limited for economic reasons. Carotenoids produced by bacteria have a good advantage in replacing carotenoids produced by chemical synthesis. Since carotenoids produced from bacteria have limited industrial applications due to low productivity, studies are continuously being conducted to increase the production of carotenoids by bacteria. Studies conducted to increase carotenoid production from bacteria include the activity of enzymes in the bacterial carotenoid biosynthesis pathway, the development of mutant strains using physical and chemical mutagens, increasing carotenoid productivity in strain construction through genetic engineering, carotenoid accumulation through stress induction, fermentation medium composition, culture conditions, co-culture with other strains, etc. The aim of this article was to review studies conducted to increase the productivity of carotenoids from bacteria.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.7-14
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• 2006

Entomopathogenic fungus Cordyceps militaris is famous for its medicinal efficacies. It has been reported to have various pharmacological activities such as anti-tumour, insecticidal, antibacterial, immunomodulatory and antioxidant. In this study, we investigated the effect of the extract of C. militaris (MPUN8501), which was identified by the analysis of the nucleotide sequences of 5.8S ribosomal RNA, on the function of liver. C. militaris powder was extracted using hot water extracts method as time, volume and temperature and using method as differential polarity of organic solvent. Each fraction was tested for the improvement of hepatic enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activity. The BuOH extracts (CME) had highest activity which was used for the test of toxicity and efficacy of C. militaris. The enhancing effect of CME on the activity of ADH and ALDH was much more than medicine, drink, natural tea etc. Thus CME promoted the resolution of alcohol and acetaldehyde in rats, inducing recovery to normal condition rapidly. Furthermore, oral administration of CME effectively protected the carbon tetrachloride-induced acute hepatic injury as revealed by the hematological parameters (levels of sGOT and sGPT) and histological observation. CME was ascertained to be safe by regulatory toxicity studies of single dose toxicity and genotoxicity. These results suggest that CME would be useful for the maintaining normal hepatic activity as a functional health food.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.41 no.7
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• pp.602-611
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• 2008

We compared antiobese, hypocholesterolemic, antiplatelet and antioxidant effect of 10% green tea powder and 3% green tea extract in rats pair fed 5% cholesterol diets. The final body weight was decreased significantly compared with the control (p < 0.05). Plasma and liver total cholesterol were lower in group of green tea powder or extract, but not statistically different. HDL cholesterol was increased significantly in group of green tea powder compared with the control or green tea extract (p < 0.05). Plasma triglyceride was significantly decreased in group of green tea extract compared with green tea powder, and green tea powder compared with the control respectively (p < 0.05). Liver triglyceride was significantly decreased in group of green tea powder or green tea extract compared with the control (p < 0.01). Platelet aggregations in the maximum and initial slope were not different among groups. Hemolysis was significantly lower in group of green tea powder compared with the control (p < 0.05). Plasma TBARS production was decreased in group of green tea extract compared with the control (p < 0.05). Na passive leak in intact cells was not different, but Na leak in AAPH treated cell was significantly decreased in group of green tea powder than the control (p < 0.05). The leak increase (${\Delta}Na$ Leak) after AAPH treatment was significantly decreased in groups of green tea powder and extract compared with the control (p < 0.05). Isotope excretion after $^{14}C$-cholesterol ingestion was significantly increased in group of green tea extract compared with the control or the green tea powder (p < 0.05). Consumption of green tea in powder or extract may give beneficial effects in weight control and plasma lipid profiles, impeding metabolic syndrome. More studies are needed to clarify what component of green tea and what mechanism are involved in antiobese and hypolipedemic actions of green tea.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.121-128
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• 1998

Ochratoxin A (OA) is a mycotoxin produced by Aspergillus ochraceus as well as other molds. It is a natural contaminant of mouldy food and feed. OA has a number of toxic effects, the most prominant being nephrotoxicity. Futhermore, OA is immunosuppressive, genotoxic, teratogenic and carcinogenic. OA inhibits protein synthesis by competition with phenylalanine in the phenylalanine-tRNA aminoacylation reaction. Recently, lipid peroxidation induced by OA has been reported, indicating that the lesion induced by this mycotoxin could be also related to oxidative pathway. Since it seems impossible to avoid contamination of foodstuffs by toxigenic fungi, detoxification and detoxication of OA are needed. In this study we investigated the protective effects of aspartame (Asp), phenylalanine (Phe), polyphenol 70S (PP) and aloe extract (AE) on the nephrotoxicity induced by subacute exposure to the OA. Asp and Phe are structural analogues of OA. PP, an ingredient of Green Tea and AE have been known as antioxidant and radical scavenger. Phe (40 mg/kg, i.p.) and Asp (25 mg/kg, p.o.) were administered to Sprague-Dawley rats simultaneously with OA (2.0 mg/kg, p.o.) for 2 weeks. PP (200 mg/kg, p.o.) and AE (50 mg/kg, i.v.) were pretreated before administration of OA, for 2 weeks and 3 days, respectively. Using enzymuria, BUN level, creatinemia and histophathologic examination as indices of renal damage, we observed that all of four compounds prevented the nephrotoxic effects induced by OA. It seems that structural analogues of OA such as Asp and Phe have better protective effect on the nephrotoxicity of OA than antioxidants. These results indicate that 1) formation of free radical and lipid peroxidation are likely to be involved in the nephrotoxicity of OA in vivo, 2) Asp, PP and AE might be used for prevention of renal lesions in cases of ochratoxicosis.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.43 no.12
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• pp.1942-1947
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• 2014

Nutritional compositions of Korean traditional actinidia (Actinidia arguta) cultivars, such as Otumsense, Chiak, and Skinny green, were investigated as high value-added food substances. Among minerals, K content of three cultivars was the highest, and P, Ca, and Na contents were relatively higher than those of other minerals. Contents of essential amino acids were analyzed as follows: Otumsense (198.48 mg/100 g), Chiak (413.50 mg/100 g), and Skinny green (270.07 mg/100 g). Total amino acids of Chiak were the highest among the three cultivars, and major amino acids of the three cultivars were glutamic acid and aspartic acid. Analysis of fatty acids showed that major fatty acids were palmitic acid as a saturated fatted acid and ${\alpha}$-linoleic acid as an unsaturated fatty acid in the three cultivars. Glucose and fructose were major free sugar constituents in the three cultivars. Total free sugar content of Otumsense was relatively higher than others. Finally, niacin and vitamin $B_6$ of Skinny green (1.55 mg/100 g, 1.92 mg/100 g) were the highest among the cultivars. However, ${\beta}$-carotene as a vitamin A precursor ($3.82{\mu}g/100g$) and vitamin C as a natural antioxidant substance (47.18 mg/100 g) of Otumsense cultivar were the highest.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2022

Natural products have gained increasing attention due to their advantage of long-term safety and low toxicity for a very long time. Torreya nucifera is widespread in southern Korea and Jeju Island and its seeds are commonly used as edible food. Oriental ingredients have often been reported for their insecticidal, antioxidant and antibacterial properties, but there have not yet been any studies on their antidiabetic effect. In this study, we investigated several biological activities of T. nucifera pericarp (TNP) and seeds (TNS) extracts and proceeded to characterize the antidiabetic compounds of TNS. The initial results suggested that TNS extract at 15 and 10 ㎍/ml concentration has inhibitory effects on α-glucosidase and protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B, that is 14.5 and 4.35 times higher than TNP, respectively. Thus, the stronger antidiabetic TNS was selected for the subsequent experiments to characterize its active compounds. Ultrafiltration was used to determine the apparent molecular weight of the active compounds, showing 300 kDa or more. Finally the mixture was then partially purified using Diaion HP-20 column chromatography by eluting with 50~100% methanol. Therefore we concluded that the active compounds of TNS have potential as therapeutic agents in functional food or supplemental treatment to improve diabetic diseases.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.20 no.11
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• pp.1711-1717
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• 2010

In this study, fibrinolytic activities of fermented yellow agabean (FYA) and black agabean (FBA), and the antioxidation efficiencies of 70% ethanol extract of fermented yellow agabean (FYAE) and black agabean (FBAE) were investigated by selecting Bacillus sp. sm26 strain. Fibrinolytic activities of FYA and FBA were $6.38{\pm}0.5$ and $6.83{\pm}0.5\;U/ml$, which were 1.3 and 1.4 times higher than that of FSB, respectively. With regard to total phenolic contents, FYAE and FBAE were $3.40{\pm}0.44\;mg/g$ and $2.45{\pm}0.20\;mg/g$ respectively, suggesting that their contents were about twice as high as that of fermented soybean extract (FSBE) used as a control. In comparison with FSBE, total protein and sugar contents of FYAE were $0.56{\pm}0.11$ and $2.41{\pm}0.48\;mg/g$, respectively, and those of FBAE were $0.39{\pm}0.12$ and $2.72{\pm}0.63\;mg/g$, respectively. This result suggests that FYAE was 4.7 and 1.7 times higher than FSBE, respectively. The DPPH radical scavenging activity of FBAE was 79% at 1 mg/ml, which was highest among the fermented bean extracts, and was twice as high as FSBE in regards to activity. In addition, FBAE exhibited the highest reducing power at 1 mg/ml, which was higher than FSBE by two-fold. With regard to lipid peroxidation, FBAE and FYAE were 93% and 80% at 1 mg/ml, which were 3 and 2.5 times higher than FSBE, respectively. Of note, the hydrogen peroxide scavenging activities of FBAE and FYAE were 82% and 54% at 1 mg/ml, offering activity that was 4 and 2.5 times higher than FSBE, respectively. Based on these results, the fibrinolytic activity and antioxidation efficiency of the fermented agabeans were significantly higher than other soybeans. Therefore, these studies may suggest that the functional agabeans can be a potential candidate for a natural functional food.