• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.345-353
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• 2019

This study investigated the physiochemical properties, the anti-oxidant and alcohol metabolism enzyme activities, and the anti-inflammatory effects of three muskmelon vinegars prepared under different fermentation conditions, namely MV-1, MV-2, and MV-3. The total acidity of each vinegar was 4.00%, 4.32%, and 4.35%, respectively. Organic acid analysis showed that malic acid (58.37 mg/ml) was the most prevalent in MV-1 and that acetic acid was most prevalent in both MV-2 (46.95 mg/ml) and MV-3 (66.70 mg/ml). The total phenolic content of the muskmelon vinegars was highest at $129.74{\mu}g$ tannic acid equivalents (TAE)/ml in MV-3. The DPPH radical scavenging activity of the vinegars increased in a dose-dependent manner (p<0.05) and was 89.28% at MV-3 40% concentration. Similarly, SOD activitity increased in a concentration-dependent manner (p<0.05) so that levels for MV-1, MV-2, and MV-3 at 60% concentrations were 40.84%, 52.17% and 72.55%, respectively (p<0.05). Moreover, the ADH and ALDH activities of muskmelon vinegar were seen to increase in a concentration-dependent manner; ADH activity at 60% concentration was highest at 136.58% in MV-1 and ALDH activity at 60% concentration was highest at 100.25% in MV-2. The nitrite scavenging activities of MV-1, MV-2, and MV-3 at pH 1.2 were found to be 81.58%, 94.72%, and 87.75%, respectively. Anti-inflammatory effects were also examined, using LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells, and nitric oxide production was reduced to 25.93%, 10.01%, and 79.75% by addition of MV-1, MV-2, and MV-3 at 1% concentration, respectively (p<0.05). These results suggest that the MV-3 muskmelon vinegar has great potential as an ingredient for high quality functional health beverages.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.298-304
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• 2021

The anti-aging and anti-inflammatory activities of hot-water (Ca-HW) and 70% ethanol (Ca-E70) whole-plant Calamagrostis arundinacea extracts, as well as their bioactive potentials, were investigated using cell-free and cell-mediated experimental systems. Use of the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical decolorization assay to evaluate the antioxidant activity of the Ca-HW and Ca-E70 extracts revealed DPPH radical scavenging activities of 27% and 48%, respectively. Neither extract caused significant cytotoxicity, and both showed cell proliferation and promotion effects using RAW 264.7, B16F10, and CCD986sk cells. B16F10 melanoma cells showed higher melanin synthesis when treated with 100 mg/ml Ca-HW or Ca-E70 than with arbutin, indicating a stronger inhibitory effect of arbutin on melanin synthesis. Ca-HW and Ca-E70 increased pro-collagen biosynthesis in the human fibroblast CCD986-SK cell line by 24.69% and 12.55%, respectively. Analysis of the anti-inflammatory effects of different concentrations of Ca-HW and Ca-E70 in RAW264.7 cells revealed that Ca-E70 appeared to inhibit the lipopolysaccharide-induced production of nitric oxide and IL-6, a proinflammatory cytokine; therefore, Ca-E70 showed an anti-inflammatory effect. These results suggested that C. arundinacea extracts could have skin anti-aging and anti-inflammatory properties.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.17-27
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• 2021

This study was performed to investigate the antioxidant activities of subfractions of Peucedanum insolens Kitagawa root in various organic solvents and their anti-inflammatory effects on LPS-treated RAW264.7 cells. First, P. insolens Kitagawa roots were dried at room temperature for one week, chopped, and extracted with 70% ethanol. The resulting extracts were successively sub-fractionated with hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and water. The antioxidant potential of the fractions was evaluated using a DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging assay and by measuring total polyphenol and flavonoid contents. The anti-inflammatory potency of the fractions was evaluated by measuring the inhibition levels of the expressions of inflammatory-mediated genes and proteins (e.g., iNOS, COX-2, IL-1β, and IL-6) in RAW264.7 cells. The results clearly showed that the ethyl acetate fraction of the P. insolens Kitagawa root contained relatively high total flavonoid (34.08±1.68 ㎍ of quercetin equivalents per mg) and total polyphenol (154.1±3.2 ㎍ of gallic acid equivalents per mg) contents. The DPPH assay results showed that the P. insolens Kitagawa root possessed strong free radical scavenging activity in the ethyl acetate fraction. Both the ethyl acetate and hexane fractions showed strong inhibitory potencies to nitric oxide production induced by lipopolysaccharide (1 ㎍/ml) treatment for 24 hr in RAW264.7 cells. The results also showed that both the hexane and ethyl acetate fractions of the P. insolens Kitagawa root strongly inhibited mRNA levels of iNOS, IL-1β, and IL-6, which were overexpressed by LPS treatment for 24 hr in the RAW264.7 cells. These results suggest that P. insolens Kitagawa root may contain compounds that possess strong potency for anti-inflammatory activity. Further studies are needed to discover more detailed modes of action of P. insolens Kitagawa root fractions against inflammation modulation, such as the regulation of cytokine signaling and inflammatory signaling pathways.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.23-30
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• 2021

Hemistepta lyrata Bunge (HL) has been used as a folk remedy to treat cancer, inflammation, bleeding, hemorrhoids and fever, and leaves and young shoots have been used as famine food. Nevertheless, the biological activities and underlying mechanisms of the anti-inflammatory effects remain unclear. In this study, it was undertaken to explore the functions of the aerial part of HL as a suppressor of inflammation by using RAW 264.7 cells. As immune response parameters, the productions of as nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), cytokines such tumor necrotic factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-6 were evaluated. Although the release of TNF-α remained unchanged in HL-treated RAW 264.7 cells, the productions of NO, PGE2 and IL-6 were significantly increased at concentrations with no cytotoxicity. Furthermore, HL significantly attenuated the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) pathway including decreasing the phosphorylation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases. Collectively, this study provides evidence that HL inhibits the production of major pro-inflammatory molecules in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells via suppression of ERK and P38 MAPK signaling pathways. These findings suggest that the beneficial therapeutic effects of HL may be attributed partly to its ability to modulate immune functions in macrophages.

• Journal of Practical Agriculture & Fisheries Research
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.69-79
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• 2020

In this study, the anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic effects of hot-water extracts from 10 kinds of macroalgae in Korea were investigated. It was selected materials in consideration of biological activity and industrial potential as follows: Caulerpa okamurae; Codium fragile; Ulva australis; Ishige foliacea; Saccharina japonica; Sargassum horneri; Undaria pinnatifida; Gloiopeltis tenax; Gracilaria verrucosa; Porphyra tenera. Results showed that S. japonica and G. tenax significantly decreased NO productionn in LPS-stimulated Raw 264.7 cells at concentrations of 100, 1000 ㎍/mL and 1000 ㎍/mL, respectively. However, most of the other macroalgae used in the experiment did not affect NO production. It was observed that all macroalgae extracts except for the highest concentration (1000 ㎍/mL) treatment group of P. tenera did not affect the viability in Raw 264.7 cells. In addition, there was not significant decrease in cell viability by macroalgae extracts treatment in HINAE cells. These results suggest that S. japonica and G. tenax could be used as potential safe natural anti-inflammatory agents for food and feed additives. Also, the results of this study are expected to be used as basic data for the development of functional materials for 10 kinds of macroalgae resources in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.565-573
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• 2022

Gingival inflammation is one of the main causes that can be related to various periodontal diseases. Human gingival fibroblast (HGF) is the major constituent in periodontal connective tissue and secretes various inflammatory mediators, such as nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂), upon lipopolysaccharide stimulation. This study is aimed at investigating the anti-inflammatory and antioxidative activities of Lotus Root extract (LRE) in Porphyromonas gingivalis derived lipopolysaccharide (LPS-PG)-stimulated HGF-1 cells. The concentration of NO and PGE₂, as well as their responsible enzymes, inducible NO synthase (iNOS), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), was analyzed by Griess reaction, ELISA, and western blot analysis. LPS-PG sharply elevated the production and protein expression of inflammatory mediators, which were significantly attenuated by LRE treatment in a dose-dependent manner. LRE treatment also suppressed activation of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/myeloid differentiation primary response gene 88 (MyD88) and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) in LPS-PG-stimulated HGF-1 cells. In addition, one of phase II enzyme, NAD(P)H quinone dehydrogenase (NQO)-1, and its transcription factor, Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), were significantly induced by LRE treatment. Consequently, these results suggest that LRE ameliorates LPS-PG-induced inflammatory responses by attenuating TLR4/MyD88-mediated NF-κB, and activating NQO-1/Nrf2 antioxidant response element signaling pathways in HGF-1 cells.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.313-321
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• 2023

Platycodon grandiflorus (P. grandiflorus) flower is a perennial plant belonging to the family Campanulaceae and has many excellent pharmacological effects, so it has been used as a medicinal ingredient since ancient times. In addition, anthocyanin is a purple or blue natural pigment contained in plant flowers and fruits, and is known as a powerful antioxidant. The purpose of this study was to confirm the dermatological functionality of P. grandiflorus flower extract and the value of the bluish anthocyanin contained in flowers as a cosmetic material as a natural pigment. Firstly, 50% ethanol and 80% ethanol were added to the P. grandiflorus flower and extracted under reflux for 4 h at 25, 60, and 80 ℃, and the pH of each treatment group was similar. Based on the anthocyanin content and chromaticity (E^*ab), 50% ethanol 60 ℃ extraction conditions showing the color development most similar to the natural color of the P. grandifloras flower were selected, and a sample was prepared by concentrating and lyophilizing. The analysis results showed that the total phenol, total flavonoid, and total anthocyanin contents were in the ranges of 23 ㎍/mL, 16 ㎍/mL, and 0.17 ㎍/mL, respectively. The P. grandiflorus flower extract suppressed the production of nitric oxide (NO) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced RAW264.7 cells. Furthermore, the P. grandiflorus flower extract showed wound healing effects through the promotion of skin cell migration in TNF-α stimulated human keratinocytes. The stability of anthocyanin and extract color was studied during a storage period of 50 days at various temperatures (4 ℃, 25 ℃, and 45 ℃). Color values (L, a, and b) of the P. grandiflorus flower extract changed over 50 days, whereas the bluish-purple color of the extract was stabilized using 5% maltodextrin. These results suggest that P. grandiflorus flower extract may be useful as a natural cosmetic pigment.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.465-473
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• 2023

In this study, we aimed to evaluate the bioconversion ability of single (Lactiplantibacillus plantarum CBT LP3, Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis CBT SL6, Streptococcus thermophilus CBT ST3) and multi-strain probiotics to convert rutin to quercetin in roasted tartary buckwheat, and to assess their biological activities. To evaluate the bioconversion efficiency, each strain was cultured for 24 h in MRS media with 5% roasted tartary buckwheat 'Hwangguem-Miso' powder. After then, rutin and quercetin contents were determined by HPLC. Additionally, the biological activities were compared before and after bioconversion of an ingredient. Anti-oxidant effects were measured by DPPH and ABTS assays. Anti-inflammatory effects were determined by measuring NO production, and levels of iNOS, TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-4 using an LPS-induced Raw 264.7 cell model. The bioconversion rate under the combination of three species of probiotics significantly increased more than single species. Antioxidant efficacy results showed the highest activity when the combination of three species of probiotics cultured. The pro-inflammatory factors such as nitric oxide, iNOS, TNF-a, and IL-6 were significantly decreased when the three types of probiotics were combined than single strain was cultured. In addition, level in the anti-inflammatory factor IL-4 was increased. The multi-strain probiotics showed increased bioconversion efficiency, effects of anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory compared to the single strain. These findings suggest that the fermentation of tartary buckwheat by probiotics may be a valuable candidate for developing functional foods with anti-oxidation and anti-inflammation.