• Toxicological Research
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• v.17
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• pp.257-261
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• 2001

Recently, a traditional medicine called Gouteng-san, which consists of eleven herbs, was reported to be effective in treating vascular dementia with a double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Gout-eng-san is also used for patients with vascular dementia in combination with Si-Wu-Tang. The effect of Gouteng-san and Si-Wu-Tang on deficit of learning behavior was investigated using step-down passive avoidance task in mice. Hot-water extract of Gouteng-san (1.5 and 6 g/kg, p.o.) significantly prolonged the step-down latency shortened by scopolamine. The extract of Uncaria hook (150 mg/kg, p.o.), one of the component herb of Gouteng-san, significantly prevented the decrease in the latency after scopolamine. Hot-water extract of Si-Wu-Tang (1.5 and 6 g/kg of dried herbs, p.o.) prevented dose-dependently scopola-mine-induced disruption qf learning behavior. Si-Wu-Tang also prevented the ischemia-induced deficit of learning behavior. Both hot water extract of peony and angelica (1.5 g/kg, p.o.), which are component herbs qf Si-Wu-Tang, prevented the scopolamine-induced learning behavior deficit. Scopolamine (10 uM) suppressed long-term potentiation (LTP) of population spike in the CA1 region of the rat hippocampal slices. Peoniflorin (0.1~ 1uM) extracted from paeony root significantly ameliorated scopolamine-induced inhibition of LTR These results suggest that improvement of deficit of learning behavior by Gouteng-san and Si-Wu-Tang is mediated by direct and/or indirect activation of the cholinergic system in the brain.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.415-420
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• 2006

The purpose of this study was to develop the best methods to sterilize herbal medicines which is frequently used and known to have high susceptibility to microbial contamination. We used dry heat, gamma irradiation and alcohol gas treatment for sterilization, and evaluated these methods in terms of the followings; i) the efficacy of sterilization, and ii) the chemical alteration of index constituents of herbal medicines. Treatment with dry heat effectively eliminated the contaminated microorganisms, and did not significantly alter the content of berberine chloride, paeoniflorin and amygdalin in Phellodendron Bark, Peony Root and Apricot Kernel, respectively: However it seriously changed the color and morphology which are essential criteria to estimate a measure of quality of herbal medicines. Treatment with gamma irradiation showed a strong sterilizing effect, and no alteration of the content of index constituents, color and morphology: Alcohol gas treatment resulted in similar effects as those in gamma irradiation. Collectively; these results suggest that treatment with gamma irradiation or alcohol gas may be useful methods for sterilizing herbal medicines without a decrease in their microbial quality.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2022.09a
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• pp.89-89
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• 2022

Paeonia lactiflora (P. lactiflora) is a medicinal plant widely used for treating inflammatory diseases. However, P. lactiflora has been recently reported to increase the production of proinflammatory mediators and activates phagocytosis in macrophages. Thus, in this study, we tried to verify the macrophage activation of Paeoniae Radix Alba (PRR, also known as red peony root) and elucidate its mechanism of action. PRR upregulated the production of proinflammatory mediators and activated phagocytosis in RAW264.7 cells. However, these effects were reversed by inhibition of TLR2/4. In addition, the inhibition of p38, JNK, and ERK1/2 reduced the PRR-mediated production of proinflammatory mediators, and the SPL-mediated activation of p38, JNK, and ERK1/2 was blocked by the TLR4 inhibition. These findings indicate that PRR may activate macrophages through TLR4-dependent activation of p38, JNK, and ERK1/2. These indicate that PRR has immunostimulatory activity. Thus, it is believed that PRR can be used as a functional food agent that enhances the immune system.

• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.63-73
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• 2017

Objectives The purpose of this study is to analyze recent clinical studies on treatment for precocious puberty. Methods 28 clinical studies from January 2009 to December 2016 about precocious puberty from the China Academic Journal (CAJ), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), were selected and reviewed: 22 case control studies and 6 case series. Results The main traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatment was the herbal decoctions and granules. The frequently used herbs were root of Bupleurum falcatum (柴胡), fruit of Prunella vulgaris var. aleutica (夏枯草), root stem of Anemarrhena asphodeloides (知母), dried fungus nucleus of Poria cocos (茯苓), Rehmannia glutinosa var. purpurea (生地黃), peony Paeonia suffruticosa Andrews (牧丹皮), bark of Phellodendron amurense (黃柏), roots of a plant Paeoniae lactiflora (白芍藥). On the other hand, the main western medicine (WM) for precocious puberty was Gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa). Total effective rate of the TCM group was 62.96-100%, that of the WM group was 36.6-93.3% and that of the TCM-WM group was 77.8-93.75%. Conclusions Traditional Chinese medicine has been shown as an effective treatment for precocious puberty. These research results can be utilized in other clinical studies and in treatment of precocious puberty.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.35-42
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• 2014

Objectives : Since single extract powders was released at 1987, the insurance fee has not been changed, but the price of raw material has been increasing. According to this, Pharmaceutical company couldn't invest on quality of the product, so, the quality of single extracts went down and lost the consumer's trust. We checked the contents of marker ingredients in single extract thereby to recover the reliability of insurance-covered herbal preparations. Methods : we bought total twelve products of eight different single extracts of two main pharmaceutical companies among total 65 kinds of single extract powder stipulated in KHP (The Korean Herbal Pharmacopoeia) monograph III at Jan. 2013. Assays of selected single extract powders are performed by KHP regulation. And we surveyed price fluctuation of relevant herb raw materials from 2005 to 2012. Results : Among twelve products, eight single extract powders were suitable by the KHP regulation. But four products didn't reach the content amount of KHP. Marker contents in the single extracts product of Pueraria Root, Licorice, Peony root and Scutellaria Root of A company were 70%, 1%, 23.7% and 75.1%, respectively. Conclusions : We can acertain whether there's a quality problem in the insurance-covered single extract powders. But, A company is no longer producing these improper single extract powders. As a medicine, single extract powders needs to be strictly quality controlled by the company, and regularly monitored by the KFDA.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.349-357
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• 2013

6'-O-galloylpaeoniflorin (GPF) is a galloylated derivate of paeoniflorin and a key chemical constituent of the peony root, a perennial flowering plant that is widely used as an herbal medicine in East Asia. This study is the first investigation of the cytoprotective effects of GPF against hydrogen peroxide ($H_2O_2$)-induced cell injury and death in human HaCaT keratinocytes. GPF demonstrated a significant scavenging capacity against the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical, $H_2O_2$-generated intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), the superoxide anion radical ($O_2^-$), and the hydroxyl radical (${\cdot}$OH). GPF also safeguarded HaCaT keratinocytes against $H_2O_2$-provoked apoptotic cell death and attenuated oxidative macromolecular damage to DNA, lipids, and proteins. The compound exerted its cytoprotective actions in keratinocytes at least in part by decreasing the number of DNA strand breaks, the levels of 8-isoprostane (a stable end-product of lipid peroxidation), and the formation of carbonylated protein species. Taken together, these results indicate that GPF may be developed as a cytoprotector against ROS-mediated oxidative stress.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.152-162
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• 2024

In this study, we investigated the levels of the natural preservatives, benzoic acid, sorbic acid, and propionic acid, in raw unprocessed vegetables. Quantitative analysis of benzoic acid and sorbic acid was performed using high-performance liquid chromatography with a diode array detector (HPLC-DAD) and confirmed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Propionic acid was analyzed using a gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID) and confirmed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). From a total of 497 samples, benzoic acid, sorbic acid, and propionic acid were found in 50 (10%), 8 (0.2%), and 61 samples (12.3%), respectively. The highest quantity of benzoic acid, sorbic acid, and propionic acid was found in peony root (1,057 mg/kg), nut-bearing torreya seeds (27.3 mg/kg), and myrrha (175 mg/kg), respectively. The background concentration range of naturally occurring preservatives in raw vegetables determined in this study could be used as standard inspection criteria to address consumer complaints and trade disputes.