• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.145-160
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• 2018

Members of Chlorociboria are soft-rot ascomycetes that produce blue-green pigment. We investigated the growth characteristics of two Korean species of Chlorociboria, eight strains of Chlorociboria aeruginascens and Chlorociboria poutoensis, under various culture conditions (solid media, temperature, pH) and screened them for extracellular enzyme activity. Although the growth rate was slow, all tested strains of Chlorociboria spp. grew well on potato dextrose agar (PDA; 16.3~42.6 mm after 60 days) or Sabouraud dextrose agar (SDA), but not on malt extract agar (MEA). Compared with C. aeruginascens strains, C. poutoensis strains exhibited higher expression of blue-green pigments on both PDA and SDA media. The optimal temperature for mycelial growth was $20{\sim}25^{\circ}C$, and mycelial growth was lower at $30^{\circ}C$ than at $10^{\circ}C$. All strains tended to have increased mycelial growth as the incubation temperature increased in the range of 10 to $20^{\circ}C$. The optimal pH of potato dextrose broth (PDB) for mycelial growth varied according to the strain under static culture conditions. Maximum biomass production was obtained at pH 6.0 for NIFoS 579 ($114.3{\pm}5.1mg/60days$), but it maintained a stable pigment expression under a broad pH spectrum. The activities of both cellulase and laccase were observed in all tested strains of Chlorociboria spp. Enzyme activities of NIFoS 579 were remarkably higher than those of the other strains. From these results, we suggest that C. poutoensis NIFoS 579 is a potential candidate for use as a source of natural blue-green dye.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.289-295
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• 2011

Biomaterials for retinal tissue engineering must demonstrate several critical features for potential utility, including mechanical integrity, biocompatibility, and slow biodegradation. Silk film biomaterials were designed and characterized to meet these functional requirements. We prepared natural/synthetic hybrid silk/PLGA films using 0, 10, 20, 40, and 80 wt% of silk by a solvent evaporation method. MIT assay was used to confirm the number of cells attached on film at 1, 2, and 3 days, respectively. The morphology of cellular adhesion on films was also confirmed by scanning electron microscope (SEM). RT-PCR was conducted to confrrm mRNA expression of retinal pigment epithelitun (RPE) using RPE65 as a RPEs marker and the expression of cytokeratin were determined by immunofluorescence staining. We confirmed that the silk/PLGA film of 20~40 wt% silk was superior for the adhesion and proliferation of RPEs.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.38
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• pp.359-385
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• 2005

Red ocher, red lead or cinnabar has been as red colorant for ages. Cinnabar of the red pigments has been highly regarded as a valuable ingredient because it represent a symbol of exorcising and a haute image. It was used as a pigment of painting and mural painting, bowl, clothes, rock writing, gravestone, etc. It is powder which dissolves in perilla oil or glue before using. Because it is high-priced, the use of cinnabar may be limited to the privileged class. Therefore, red ocher or red lead was used instead of cinnabar. "Gongsagyunmunrok" demonstrated that government official's gravestonea has been painted red by two colorants in the period of the Goryeo dynasty. However, cinnabar may be used to paint gravestones for the first time in the period of the Three States because it has been transmitted since the times. This study discuss the results obtained from an analysis of the pigments used on the red pigments of the Stone Monuments. The results can be briefly summarized as below; First, the microcrystalline structures seen on the surface section of analyzed pigments, samples of which were taken from various parts of red pigments show that different sizes and shapes of pigment particle. Second, a result of the analysis on the composition and structure of the pigments shows that the main components in their composition are : Red pigments - Red lead($Pb_3O_4$), Cinnabar(HgS) and Hematite($Fe_2O_3$) White pigments - Calcite($CaCO_3$) Especially, we knew that red Stone Monuments were found to be natural mineral pigments, which were used as a singular or a mixture.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.65-73
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• 2013

Lip make-up products can be easily taken into body with food. For this reason, those products are requires to meet lots of qualifications compared with other cosmetic products. In addition, concerns about safety on synthesized tar pigments is constantly issued. Thus, demand of natural pigments is gradually increased and many kinds of natural pigments have been developed. However, there are some problems when natural pigments are applied to cometic products instead of synthetic ones. There is a reason that most of natural pigments consist of hydrophilic materials of sort of anthocyanin, but the existing lip make-up products is anhydrous oil dispersion type without water consisting oil and wax. Therefore, when watersoluble natural pigments are applied to anhydrous lip make-up products, color expression is lower and phase separation occurs due to the instability of the product. In addition, natural pigments have disadvantages that they can easily change by pH, heat and sunlight. There are troubles of stability because it is not easy to adjust for these factors in case of anhydrous forms. Aim of study is to develop lip make-up products which have not only safe to human but being high in expression of color by using natural pigments and securing stability of colorant as natural pigments are offered to polyol in oil emulsion. Then, lip make-up products which have heavy moisture while having not dryness that is created when the moisture evaporates are developed.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.269-278
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• 2010

We investigated characteristics of the coloring material of Dancheong pigments and hope that this study contributes the revival of traditional Dancheong pigments color. For this purpose, we collected Dancheong fragment samples that fell off naturally from old wooden buildings in Gwangju and Jeonnam and analyzed the natural coloring material by XRD and EDS-SEM analysis method. In white pigments of Dancheong fragments, it is confirmed that gypsum$(CaSO_{4}{\cdot}2H_{2}O)$, quartz$(SiO_{2})$, white lead$(PbCO_{3})$ and calcite$(CaCO_{3})$ which have been used for white pigments since ancient times and $TiO_{2}$ which is common used in modern times. In red pigments of Dancheong fragments, it is confirmed that hematite$(Fe_{2}O_{3})$ and red lead$(Pb_{3}O_{4})$, which have been used for red pigments since ancient times and C.I. pigment orange $13(C_{32}H_{24}C_{12}N_{8}O_{2})$ but there is no cinnabar(HgS) which has been used since B.C. 3000 in China. In yellow pigments of Dancheong fragments, it is confirmed that crocoite$(PbCrO_{4})$ and massicot(PbO). In blue pigments of Dancheong fragments, it is confirmed that sodalite$(Na_{4}BeAlSi_{4}O_{12}Cl)$ and nosean $(Na_{8}Al_{6}Si_{6}O_{24}SO_{4})$ as coloring material of blue pigment and C.I. pigments blue $29(Na_{7}Al_{6}Si_{6}O_{24}S_{3})$ which is used in modern times. In green pigments of Dancheong fragments, it is confirmed that calumetite$(Cu(OHCI)_{2}{\cdot}2H_{2}O)$, escolaite(Cr2O3), dichromium trioxide$(Cr_{2}O_{3})$, emerald green$(C_{2}H_{3}As_{3}Cu_{2}O_{8})$, and C.I. pigments green$(C_{32}H_{16}-XCl_{x}Cu_{8})$ which is used in modern time. In black pigments of Dancheong fragments, Chiness ink(carbon black) is confirmed.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.126-136
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• 2021

Oxidative stress causes injury to and degeneration of retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. It is involved in several retinal disorders and leads to vision loss. In the present study, we investigated the effect of 14 kinds of natural compounds and two kinds of synthetic compounds on oxidative stress-induced cellular damage in human PRE cell lines (ARPE-19). From among them, we selected five kinds of compounds, including auranofin, FK-509, hemistepsin A, honokiol, and spermidine, which have inhibitory effects against hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-mediated cytotoxicity. In addition, we found that four kinds of compounds (excluding auranofin) have protective effects on H2O2-induced mitochondrial dysfunction. Furthermore, the expression of phosphorylation of histone H2AX, a sensitive marker of DNA damage, was markedly up-regulated by H2O2, whereas it was notably down-regulated by FK-506, honokiol, and spermidine treatment. Meanwhile, five kinds of candidate compounds had no effect on H2O2-induced intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, suggesting that the five candidate compounds have protective effects on oxidative stress-induced cellular damage through the ROS-independent pathway. Taken together, according to the results of H2O2-mediated cellular damage―such as cytotoxicity, apoptosis, mitochondrial dysfunction, and DNA damage―spermidine and FK-506 are the natural and synthetic compounds with the most protective effects against oxidative stress in RPE. Although further studies on the identification of the mechanism responsible are required, the results of the present study suggest the possibility of using spermidine and FK-506 to suppress the risk of retinal disorders.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.331-339
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• 2015

This study were conducted the particle-size analysis on 57 blue pigments to understand the step distribution characteristics of blue pigments made out of Azurite by using Malvern's Mastersizer 2000. As the result, most of the conventional blue pigments in Korea, Japan, and Chinese showed good granularity step separation except for few, and the smaller the particle, the more the Span value increased and the wider the granularity distribution range. On the basis of Friedman and Sanders's Grain size, most of the pigments were sand size to silt size. 72.2% of B-100 was clay size and 2.5% of A-14 was gravel size. Even the same components can differ by the grain size directly affecting the important property such as color formation, oil absorption, specific gravity, usability, etc. so the information about the granularity distribution would be used for basic data to deal with natural pigments.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.17-30
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• 2002

The retinae of Todarodes pacificus and Octopus minor are divided into four layers that are an outer segment, a rod base region, an inner segment, and a plexiform layer, respectively. The retina of Octopus minor is about $20{\mu}m$ thicker ($400{\sim}420{\mu}m$) than that of Todarodes pacificus ($385{\sim}400{\mu}m$). A retina is composed of visual cells and supporting cells. The microvilli of length $0.6{\sim}0.7{\mu}m$ are packed densely on top of the supporting cells of Octopus minor while they are not found in Todarodes pacificus. The visual cells and supporting cells have pigment granules that exclude light. In case of Todarodes pacificus, the pigment granules of the visual cell are larger ($2.0{\times}0.5{\mu}m$) than those of the supporting cell ($1.0{\times}0.3{\mu}m$). But, the sizes of both cells are similar in Octopus minor. In the upper portion of a visual cell, microvilli shaped like a comb are forming a rhabdome (diameter, 60 nm) of a hexagonal structure. The rhabdome consists of 4 rhabdomere and the total area of a rhabdom of Octopus minor is larger than that of Todarodes pacificus. The synaptosome constructing a plexiform layer in Todarodes pacificus are divided into two types, each of which possess electron dense-core vesicles and electron lucent vesicles, respectively. Octopus minor also has two types of synaptosomes but each type comprises a mixture of electron dense vesicles and electron lucent vesicles, and electron lucent vesicles only, respectively, which is different from the case of Todarodes pacificus.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.329-340
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• 2024

Mangiferin is a kind of natural xanthone glycosides and is known to have various pharmacological activities. However, since the beneficial efficacy of this compound has not been reported in retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells, this study aimed to evaluate whether mangiferin could protect human RPE ARPE-19 cells from oxidative injury mimicked by hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). The results showed that mangiferin attenuated H₂O₂-induced cell viability reduction and DNA damage, while inhibiting reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and preserving diminished glutathione (GSH). Mangiferin also antagonized H₂O₂-induced inhibition of the expression and activity of antioxidant enzymes such as manganese superoxide dismutase and GSH peroxidase, which was associated with inhibition of mitochondrial ROS production. In addition, mangiferin protected ARPE-19 cells from H₂O₂-induced apoptosis by increasing the Bcl-2/Bax ratio, decreasing caspase-3 activation, and blocking poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage. Moreover, mangiferin suppressed the release of cytochrome c into the cytosol, which was achieved by interfering with mitochondrial membrane disruption. Furthermore, mangiferin increased the expression and activity of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and nuclear factor-erythroid-2 related factor 2 (Nrf2). However, the inhibition of ROS production, cytoprotective and anti-apoptotic effects of mangiferin were significantly attenuated by the HO-1 inhibitor, indicating that mangiferin promoted Nrf2-mediated HO-1 activity to prevent ARPE-19 cells from oxidative injury. The results of this study suggest that mangiferin, as an Nrf2 activator, has potent ROS scavenging activity and may have the potential to protect oxidative stress-mediated ocular diseases.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.157-163
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• 2000

Optimization of chemicals in the large scale sea water medium and inoculum for biomass and natural colourants production in the marine cyanobacteria, Phomidium tenue BDU 46241 (phycoerythrin producer) and P.valderianum BDU 30501 (phycocyanin producer) was carried out by experiments in L8 orthogonal array. Mathematical analysis revealed the significance of these factors. The factor(s) that critically control the yield varied with the organism and the end-product further, the desirable level of these factors between the normal and a higher level tested was identified and improved media were evolved. In both cyanobacteria, higher level of $K_2$$HPO_4$, $NaNO_3$ and inoculum with normal level of ferric ammonium citrate was found to be desirable for biomass production and additionally, higher level of $MgSO_4$ for pigment production. The level of other factors varied with the organism and the end-product. Confirmation experiments showed that the clues obtained based on mathematical experimentation are valid. In P.tenue, the medium optimized for biomass production increased the yield of biomass by 495% and the medium optimized for phycoerythrin production increased the yield of biomass by 408% with 30% increase in phycoerythrin content of the biomass. Similarly in P.valderianum, the medium optimized for biomass production increased the yield of biomass by 224% and the medium optimized for phycocyanin production increased the yield of biomass by 143% with 44% increase in phycocyanin content of the biomass.