• FLOWER RESEARCH JOURNAL
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.168-173
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• 2008

This study was conducted to determine biological characteristics of Acorus calamus L. angustatus by using aqueous, ethanol and methanol extracts from the leaves and the rhizomes of Acorus calamus L. angustatus plants. The highest total phenol contents were found in the extracts from the leaves of Acorus calamus L. angustatus ($68.4mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$) followed by rhizome ($49.3mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$). At $1,000mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$ the free radical scavenging activity of 1, 1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl showed the highest activity in the extracts of the leaves and the rhizomes by 86.3% and 86.1%, respectively. Total flavonoid contents at $2,000mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$ extracts showed the greatest amount in the aqueous leaf extracts ($61.1mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$), and the ethanol rhizome extracts ($15.4mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$). Nitrite radical scavenging activity at $2,000mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$ was highest in the methanol extracts from leaves and rhizomes by 75.7% and 77.9%, respectively. Mushroom tyrosinase inhibition activity of leaves and rhizome from the Acorus calamus L. angustatus was very low, showing less than 1.3% regardless of the extract solvent, plant part, and concentration. These results indicated that methanol extracts from leaves exhibited higher biological activities than other extracts from rhizomes.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.157-164
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• 2010

Rosa rugosa has been used as a folk medicine with various pharmacological properties for a long time in Asia. We investigated effects of fructus extracts of Rosa rugosa (RRF) and semen extracts of this herb (RRS) on bone forming cells (osteoblastic and pre-osteoclastic cells) to evaluate the pharmacological possibilities in a variety of bone-related disease. RRF showed significant effect on proliferation of osteoblastic cells in dose-dependent manners at 72 hrs and $100\;{\mu}g/m{\ell}$ of RRS was effective at 48 and 72 hrs. RRF and RRS did not decreased production of TNF-$\alpha$ but NO by pre-osteoclastic cells under inflammation circumstance indeced by LPS. We also investigated the effects of RRF and RRS on the mitogen-induced lymphocyte proliferation in the old and young mice in ex vivo systems. RRF and RRS significantly enhanced proliferative effects of untreated and ConA-treated splenocytes from the old and young mice. But, RRS at $500\;{\mu}g/m{\ell}$ increased LPS-induced TNF-$\alpha$ production in pre-osteoclastic cells and reduced LPS-stimulated lymphoblastogenesis in the old and young at $1000\;{\mu}g/m{\ell}$. These results indicate that RRF has beneficial effects on osteoarthritis and give further possibilities for the immunomodulating effects not only in old that has more frequent bone related diseases but also in young.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.410-420
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• 2019

Citrus unshiu peel extracts possess a variety of beneficial effects, and studies on their anticancer activity have been reported. However, the exact mechanisms underlying this activity remain unclear. In the current study, the apoptotic effect of ethanol extract of C. unshiu peel (EECU) on human breast adenocarcinoma MDA-MB-231 cells and related mechanisms were investigated. The results showed that the survival rate of MDA-MB-231 cells treated with EECU was significantly inhibited in a concentration-dependent manner, which was associated with the induction of apoptosis. EECU-induced apoptosis was associated with the activation of caspase-8 and caspase-9, which initiate extrinsic and intrinsic apoptosis pathways, respectively, and caspase-3, a representative effect caspase. EECU suppressed the expression of the inhibitor of apoptosis family of proteins, leading to an increased Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and proteolytic degradation of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase. EECU also enhanced the loss of the mitochondrial membrane potential and cytochrome c release from the mitochondria to the cytosol, along with truncation of Bid. In addition, EECU activated AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), and compound C, an AMPK inhibitor, significantly weakened EECU-induced apoptosis and cell viability reduction. Furthermore, EECU promoted the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which acted as upstream signals for AMPK activation as pretreatment of cells, with the antioxidant N-acetyl cysteine reversing both EECU-induced AMPK activation and apoptosis. Collectively, these findings suggest that EECU inhibits MDA-MB-231 adenocarcinoma cell proliferation by activating intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways, which was mediated through ROS/AMPK-dependent pathways.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.28 no.12
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• pp.1448-1454
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• 2018

Insects have been investigated as a novel source of food and biomaterial in several recent studies. However, their osteoblastogenic cell activity has not been sufficiently researched and so, to investigate the potential of this natural material for promoting osteoblastogenesis, we studied the activity of Locusta migratoria ethanol extract (LME) on MG-63 pre-osteoblast cells. The cytotoxicity and proliferation effects of LME on MG-63 cells were measured by MTS assay, and there was no cytotoxicity up to $1,000{\mu}g/ml$. With LME treatment of 500 and $1,000{\mu}g/ml$ for 48 hr, cell proliferation increased to 105% and 116% versus control, respectively. The osteoblastogenic activity of the LME was measured through alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining at three and five days. As a result, both 500 and $1,000{\mu}g/ml$ LME concentrations were seen to increase ALP activity by more than three times compared with control at three and five days. In addition, the expression level of the osteogenic markers ALP and RUNX2 was markedly increased after LME treatment. These results demonstrate that Locusta migratoria ethanol extract promotes osteoblastogenesis as evidenced by the increased osteogenic markers and suggest that LME may be a potential agent for bone formation and osteoporosis prevention.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.19-30
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• 2019

To investigate the characteristics of seasonal environment and phytoplankton community structure in the coastal area of Dokdo, a survey of Dokdo around waters was conducted during the four seasons. Phytoplankton of 4 phylum 72 species in four seasons were collected in Dokdo around water. The seasonal mean abundance of phytoplankton were $3.32{\times}10^4cells\;L^{-1}$ in winter, $1.04{\times}10^4cells\;L^{-1}$ in spring, $0.28{\times}10^4cells\;L^{-1}$ in summer, and $4.86{\times}10^4cells\;L^{-1}$ in autumn in Dokdo around water. During winter, the diatoms Chaetoceros spp. had dominated. During spring, when the nutrients in the euphotic layer were depleted, the nano-flagellates and Cryptomonas appeared at surface layer. In summer, the abundance of phytoplankton was relatively low, which lead to occurrence of diatoms such as genus of Chaetoceros, Rhizosolenia, and Skeletonema. In autumn, Pseudo-nitzschia spp. was the most dominant species and tropical species such as Amphisolenia sp. and Ornithocercus magnificus were observed, implying that they may have introduced within warm water current such as Kurosiwo Current. Therefore, although natural phytoplankton communities in the vicinity water of Dokdo are mainly influenced by Tsushima Warm Current branched Kurosiwo Current, their population dynamics was affected on the spatio-temporal change of physicochemical factors by short-term wind events, namely "island effect". Long-term survey research is needed to facilitate food-web response in marine ecosystem associated with phytoplankton biomass and physicochemical factors including the warm water current in oligotrophic offshore water of Dokdo, which may have significant role for sustainable use of Dokdo.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.600-605
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• 2019

Background: The leaves and roots of Panax ginseng are rich in ginsenosides. However, the chemical compositions of the leaves and roots of P. ginseng differ, resulting in different medicinal functions. In recent years, the aerial parts of members of the Panax genus have received great attention from natural product chemists as producers of bioactive ginsenosides. The aim of this study was the isolation and structural elucidation of novel, minor ginsenosides in the leaves of P. ginseng and evaluation of their antiinflammatory activity in vitro. Methods: Various chromatographic techniques were applied to obtain pure individual compounds, and their structures were determined by nuclear magnetic resonance and high-resolution mass spectrometry, as well as chemical methods. The antiinflammatory effect of the new compounds was evaluated on lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. Results and conclusions: Two novel, minor triterpenoid saponins, ginsenoside $LS_1$ (1) and 5,6-didehydroginsenoside $Rg_3$ (2), were isolated from the leaves of P. ginseng. The isolated compounds 1 and 2 were assayed for their inhibitory effect on nitric oxide production in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells, and Compound 2 showed a significant inhibitory effect with $IC_{50}$ of $37.38{\mu}M$ compared with that of NG-monomethyl-L-arginine ($IC_{50}=90.76{\mu}M$). Moreover, Compound 2 significantly decreased secretion of cytokines such as prostaglandin $E_2$ and tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$. In addition, Compound 2 significantly suppressed protein expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2. These results suggested that Compound 2 could be used as a valuable candidate for medicinal use or functional food, and the mechanism is warranted for further exploration.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.73-89
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• 2019

Purpose: This study was conducted to identify the dietary life and nutritional status of Korean elementary school students according to breakfast frequency and to clarify the relationship between breakfast frequency of elementary school students and parental dietary and social environmental factors. Methods: This study used data from the 2013 ~ 2015 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES VI). The subjects were 1,325 elementary school students aged 6 to 11 years old. Subjects were categorized into two groups: a skipping breakfast group (ate breakfast 0 ~ 4 times per week), eating breakfast group (ate breakfast 5 ~ 7 times per week) by sex and grade (lower grade: 1st ~ 3rd/upper grade: 4 th ~ 6 th). Results: Among upper grade boys and girls, the skipping breakfast group had a higher rate of childhood obesity than the eating breakfast group. In lower grade boys, the mothers of the skipping breakfast group had higher rates of economic activity and eating breakfast alone without family members than the mothers of the eating breakfast group. For lower grade boys and girls and upper grade boys, the skipping breakfast group had a higher rate of parents who did not eat breakfast than the eating breakfast group. The energy intake of the breakfast consumed by all subjects was less than 25% of the Estimated Energy Requirements (EER). Moreover, for upper grade boys and girls, the skipping breakfast group had a higher rate of subjects whose daily intake was below the Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) for iron than the eating breakfast group. Conclusion: Breakfast frequency of elementary school students was related to childhood obesity. The frequency of eating breakfast among elementary school students was related to the dietary life factors of parents such as breakfast frequency and dietary condition. Intake for breakfast was less than 25% of the EER, while the skipping breakfast group had a higher rate of subjects whose daily intake was below the EAR for iron than the eating breakfast group. Therefore, it is necessary to consider diverse forms of policy support such as opening nutrition education programs for parents and practicing morning meals at school for elementary school students to provide regular and balanced breakfasts.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.112-117
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• 2019

Herbal medicines are widely used as therapeutic products in many countries. Corni fructus (CF), the dried ripe sarcocarp of Cornus officinalis Sieb. et Zucc (Cornaceae), has been used for thousands of years in traditional medicine and has been reported to be effective for the prevention and treatment of various diseases, such as kidney diseases and diabetes. Recent research on CF has documented a wide spectrum of therapeutic properties, which include anti-inflammatory, ant-oxidative, immunomodulatory, and anti-cancer effects. However, there is no information on its safety. Therefore, in this study, the toxicity of water extract of CF to ICR mice was investigated. The mice received a single dose of water extract of CF (1,000, 2,000, and 5,000 mg/kg of body weight) via the oral route. Mortality, clinical signs, body weight changes, gross findings, and weights of the principal organs after 14 d were then assessed. The results revealed no adverse effects of CF as determined by clinical signs, body weights, or organ weights and no gross pathological findings in any of the treatment groups. These results suggest that the 50% lethal dose and approximated lethal dose of CF extract is over 5,000 mg/kg. The findings provide scientific evidence for the safety of CFs.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.555-563
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• 2019

This study was undertaken to investigate the effect of an ethanol extract of Elaeagnus umbellata leaves (EUL-EE) on skin-related biological activities. Previously, we have reported that gallic acid was the major phenolic compound in EUL-EE through quantitative analysis and that EUL-EE had an inhibitory effect against the proliferation of liver cancer HepG2 cells. In the present study, the inhibitory effects of EUL-EE on melanin production and tyrosinase activity in ${\alpha}$-melanocyte-stimulated hormone-stimulated B16-F0 cells were determined to assess the effects of EUL-EE on skin whitening. The anti-wrinkle effect using UVB-irradiated CCD-986sk cells was examined by the expression of type I procollagen and metalloproteinase (MMP)-1 release. The EUL-EE significantly decreased intracellular melanin production (33.0% inhibition at $100{\mu}g/ml$) when compared with untreated B16-F0 cells. Tyrosinase activities in the stimulated B16-F0 cells were also decreased by EUL-EE (47.8% inhibition at $100{\mu}g/ml$). The EUL-EE also dose-dependently increased the production of type I procollagen (up to 1.74-fold at $250{\mu}g/ml$) in CCD-986sk cells when compared with UVB-irradiated controls. EUL-EE showed no cytotoxicity at concentrations up to $500{\mu}g/ml$. In addition, EUL-EE at $10-500{\mu}g/ml$ inhibited the release of MMP-1 to the medium from UVB-irradiated CCD-986sk cells. Taken together, these observations indicate that EUL-EE has high potential for use as inner beauty and cosmetic materials due to its whitening and anti-wrinkle effects.

• Journal of Ginseng Culture
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• v.1
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• pp.93-109
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• 2019

This study aims to look at the process of ginseng being removed from the Western pharmacopoeia in the 19th century, experiencing a crisis as an export product in the America in the 20th century, and eventually settling in the U.S. society and the military as a dietary supplement in the 21th century. In this process, the legislation of provided a bridgehead for ginseng and other botanical dietary supplements to enter the U.S. market. As a result, ginseng could be re-listed in the U.S. pharmacopoeia as a dietary supplement. However, this did not mean a complete soft landing of ginseng and other botanical dietary supplements in the America. The U.S. medical community, which has been afraid of the indiscriminate spread of botanical dietary supplements, has constantly raised "the risk-discourse" and expressed concerns over the use and abuse of botanical dietary supplements that have not been scientifically verified. This involved not only the fundamental problems caused by the lax verification process of , but also a new atmosphere in the U.S. where the public sought information about botanical dietary supplements rather than seeking professional clinicians related to their health. Against this situation, "the advocate-discourse" suggested by dietary supplement manufacturers and the people in charge of botanical products seemed rather relaxed. As consumers are taking this side, the advocates had only to stress that botanical dietary supplements have been used worldwide for a long time without any problems and were made from 'natural' materials. The fact that ginseng and other botanical dietary supplements were able to advance to the U.S. Military's dietary supplement manual, which is strict in controlling food, seems to have jumped on the bandwagon of this atmosphere in the U.S. Society. In the early U.S. dietary supplement manual reviewed in this paper, ginseng was the most detailed among many botanical dietary supplements. Although there are some 'safety concerns' that still exist in the civilian society, but there are also certainly good scientific explanations for the efficacy and references to the popularity and influence of ginseng in the American society. Given this, the U.S. society and military's interest in ginseng as a dietary supplement seem quite high.