• BMB Reports
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.603-607
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• 2003

Abstract Plant lipid transfer proteins (LTPs) are a class of proteins whose functions are still unknown. Some are proposed to have antimicrobial activities. To understand whether LTP110, a rice LTP that we previously identified from rice leaves, plays a role in the protection function against some serious rice pathogens, we investigated the antifungal and antibacterial properties of LTP110. A cDNA sequence, encoding the mature peptide of LTP110, was cloned into the Impact-CN prokaryotic expression system. The purified protein was used for an in vitro inhibition test against rice pathogens, Pyricularia oryzae and Xanthomonas oryzae. The results showed that LTP110 inhibited the germination of Pyricularia oryzae spores, and its inhibitory activity decreased in the presence of a divalent cation. This suggests that the antifungal activity is affected by ions in the media; LTP110 only slightly inhibited the growth of Xanthomonas oryzae. However, the addition of LTP110 to cultured Chinese hamster ovarian cells did not retard growth, suggesting that the toxicity of LTP110 is only restricted to some cell types. Its antimicrobial activity is potentially due to interactions between LTP and microbe-specific structures.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.988-1001
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• 1999

The rumen ecosystem is increasingly being recognized as a promising source of superior polysaccharide-degrading enzymes. They contain a wide array of novel enzymes at the levels of specific activities of 1,184, 1,069, 119, 390, 327 and $946{\mu}mol$ Reducing sugar release/min/mg protein for endoglucanase, xylanase, polygalactouronase, amylase, glucanase and arabinase, respectively. These enzymes are mainly located in the surface of rumen microbes. However, glycoside-degrading enzymes (e.g. glucosidase, fucosidase, xylosidase and arabinofuranosidase, etc.) are mainly located in the rumen fluid, when detected enzyme activities according to the ruminal compartments (e.g. enzymes in whole rumen contents, feed-associated enzymes, microbial cell-associated enzymes, and enzymes in the rumen fluid). Ruminal fungi are the primary contributors to high production of novel enzymes; the bacteria and protozoa also have important functions, but less central roles. The enzyme activities of bacteria, protozoa and fungi were detected 32.26, 19.21 and 47.60 mol glucose release/min/mL mediem for cellulose; 42.56, 14.96 and 64.93 mmol xylose release/min/mL medium after 48h incubation, respectively. The polysachharide-degrading enzyme activity of ruminal anaerobic fungi (e.g. Neocallimastix patriciarum and Piromyces communis, etc.) was much higher approximately 3~6 times than that of aerobic fungi (e.g. Tricoderma reesei, T. viridae and Aspergillus oryzae, etc.) used widely in industrial process. Therefore, the rumen ecosystem could be a growing source of novel enzymes having a tremendous potential for industrial applications.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.800-805
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• 2012

Rice straw is an important roughage resource for ruminants in many rice-producing countries. In this study, a rice brittle mutant (BM, mutation in OsCesA4, encoding cellulose synthase) and its wild type (WT) were employed to investigate the effects of a cellulose synthase gene mutation on rice straw morphological fractions, chemical composition, stem histological structure and in situ digestibility. The morphological fractions investigation showed that BM had a higher leaf sheath proportion (43.70% vs 38.21%, p<0.01) and a lower leaf blade proportion (25.21% vs 32.14%, p<0.01) than WT. Chemical composition analysis showed that BM rice straw was significantly (p<0.01) higher in CP (crude protein), hemicellulose and acid insoluble ash (AIA) contents, but lower in dry matter (DM), acid detergent fiber (ADFom) and cellulose contents when compared to WT. No significant difference (p>0.05) was detected in neutral detergent fiber (NDFom) and ADL contents for both strains. Histological structure observation indicated that BM stems had fewer sclerenchyma cells and a thinner sclerenchyma cell wall than WT. The results of in situ digestion showed that BM had higher DM, NDFom, cellulose and hemicellulose disappearance at 24 or 48 h of incubation (p<0.05). The effective digestibility of BM rice straw DM and NDFom was greater than that of WT (31.4% vs 26.7% for DM, 29.1% vs 24.3% for NDFom, p<0.05), but the rate of digestion of the slowly digested fraction of BM rice straw DM and NDF was decreased. These results indicated that the mutation in the cellulose synthase gene could improve the nutritive value of rice straw for ruminants.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.45-51
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• 2016

Rutin (3,3',4',5,7-pentahydroxyflavone-3-rhamnoglucoside) is a bioactive flavonoid from the plant kingdom. Rutin has been studied as potential anticancer agent due to its wide range of pharmacological properties including antioxidative, anti-inflammatory and anticancer. Autophagy is a conserved intracellular catabolic pathway to maintain cell homeostasis by formation of autophagosome. Processing of autophagy involves various molecules including ULK1 protein kinase complex, Beclin-1-Vps34 lipid kinase complex, ATG5, ATG12, and LC3 (light chain 3). Cargo-carried autophagosomes fuse with lysosomes resulting in autophagolysosome to eliminate vesicles and degrade cargo. However, the actions of rutin on autophagy are not clearly understood. In this study, we analyzed the effect of rutin on autophagy and inflammation in cancer cell lines. Interestingly, rutin induced autophagy in leukemia (THP-1), oral (CA9-22), and lung (A549) cell lines. TNF-${\alpha}$, key modulator of inflammation, was upregulated by inhibition of rutin-induced autophagy. Taken together, these data indicated that rutin induced autophagy and consequently suppressed TNF-${\alpha}$ production.

• Korean Journal of Oriental Medicine
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.35-39
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• 2008

Objective: Recently biophysical research has shown very weak radiation of photons in plant, animal and human cells. Biophoton emission of the aliving system has received specific phenomena because of its scientific potential for monitoring metabolism to human body. This paper proposes a new challenge possibility of the biophoton emission in biophysiological human condition index. Method: Biophoton emission were measured with twenty one healthy volunteers. The study analyses existence for the effect of specific acupoint stimulus, exposure to the sun and low temperature in healthy volunteers. Two photomultiplier tubes which spectral range was from 300 nm to 650 nm was used for the detection of biophoton emission observation of possible acupuncture stimulation effect at left hand palm. Result: There was a reversion of relative emission rates from the palms affected the environment condition. Otherwise, when the acupuncture stimulation, the emission rate was not enough significantly change(p<0.05). Conclusion: In this study, biophoton emissions depend on the environment condition for all subjects. Measurments with the biophoton emission rate analysis might be much considered in future studies.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.284-289
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• 2013

Antidiabetic and beta cell-protection activities of purple corn anthocyanins (PCA) were examined in pancreatic beta cell culture and db/db mice. Only PCA among several plant anthocyanins and polyphenols showed insulin secretion activity in culture of HIT-T15 cells. PCA had excellent antihyperglycemic activity (in terms of blood glucose level and OGTT) and HbA1c-decreasing activity when compared with glimepiride, a sulfonylurea in db/db mice. In addition, PCA showed efficient protection activity of pancreatic beta cell from cell death in HIT-T15 cell culture and db/db mice. The result showed that PCA had antidiabetic and beta cell-protection activities in pancreatic beta cell culture and db/db mice.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.162-169
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• 2015

Hamamelis japonica (Hamamelidaceae), widely known as Japanese witch hazel, is a deciduous flowering shrub that produces compact clumps of yellow or orange-red flowers with long and thin petals. As a part of our ongoing search for phenolic constituents from this plant, eleven phenolic constituents including six flavonol glycosides, a chalcone glycoside, two coumaroyl flavonol glycosides and two galloylated compounds were isolated from the flowers. Their structures were elucidated as methyl gallate (1), myricitrin (2), hyperoside (3), isoquercitrin (4), quercitrin (5), spiraeoside (6), kaempferol 4'-O-β-glucopyranoside (7), chalcononaringenin 2'-O-β-glucopyranoside (8), trans-tiliroside (9), cis-tiliroside (10), and pentagalloyl-O-β-D-glucose (11), respectively. These structures of the compounds were identified on the basis of spectroscopic studies including the on-line LCNMR-MS and conventional NMR techniques. Particularly, directly coupled LC-NMR-MS afforded sufficient structural information rapidly to identify three flavonol glycosides (2 - 4) with the same molecular weight in an extract of Hamamelis japonica flowers without laborious fractionation and purification step. Cytotoxic effects of all the isolated phenolic compounds were evaluated on HCT116 human colon cancer cells, and pentagalloyl-O-β-D-glucose (11) was found to be significantly potent in inhibiting cancer cell growth.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.105-109
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• 2009

We reported previously that overexpression of a salicylic acid (SA) methyltransferase1 gene from rice (OsBSMT1) or a SA glucosyltransferase1 gene from Arabidopsis thaliana (AtSAGT1) leads to increased susceptibility to Pseudomonas syringae due to reduced SA levels. To further examine their roles in the defense responses, we assayed the transcript levels of AtBSMT1 or AtSAGT1 in plants with altered levels of SA and/or other defense components. These data showed that AtSAGT1 expression is regulated partially by SA, or nonexpressor of pathogenesis related protein1, whereas AtBSMT1 expression was induced in SA-deficient mutant plants. In addition, we produced the transgenic Arabidopsis plants with RNAi-mediated inhibition of AtSAGT1 and isolated a null mutant of AtBSMT1, and then analyzed their phenotypes. A T-DNA insertion mutation in the AtBSMT1 resulted in reduced methyl salicylate (MeSA) levels upon P. syringae infection. However, accumulation of SA and glucosyl SA was similar in both the atbsmt1 and wild-type plants, indicating the presence of another SA methyltransferase or an alternative pathway for MeSA production. The AtSAGT1-RNAi line exhibited no altered phenotypes upon pathogen infection, compared to wild-type plants, suggesting that (an)other SA glucosyltransferase(s) in Arabidopsis plants may be important for the pathogenesis of P. syringae.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.112-116
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• 2003

The antitumor and immunostimulating activities of Acanthopanax sessiliflorus fruits were investigated. Polysaccharide isolated from this plant, when administered consecutively for 9 days at 50 and 100 mg/kg i.p. in mice, caused a significant increase in the life span and a significant decrease in the tumor weight and volume in mice inoculated with Sarcoma-180 tumor cells. Polysaccharide was also demonstrated to exhibit phagocytosis-enhancing activity as measured by the carbon clearance in mice. Polysaccharide, when administered i.p. at 50 and 100 mg/kg/day for 3 consecutive days, exhibited a significant RCtr/RCc [the rate of regression coefficient of the animals teated (RCtr) to that of the control (RCc)], being 1.44 (PI = 1), 1.52 (PI = 2) which was approximately the same with that of enhancement of phagocytosis, its potency as expressed by the regression coefficient ratio of zymosan (RCtr/RCc = 1.55, PI = 2), a typical phagocytosis enhancer. Polysaccharide also caused a significant increase in the acid phosphatase activity representing lysosomal enzymes in macrophages at 1-100 ig/ml in vitro in compliance with in vivo results. These results suggest that the antitumor activity of polysaccharide might be related to the immunostimulating function.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.58 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2018

Genus Artemisia occurs as a hardy plant and has a wide range of culinary and medicinal features. In this study, we aimed to describe the melanin inhibitory activity of one Artemisia species, i.e., Artemisia capillaris Thunb. Ethanol extracts of fermented Artemisia capillaris (Art.EtOH.FT) and non-fermented Artemisia capillaris (Art.EtOH.CT) were tested for their ability to inhibit tyrosinase activity and melanin pigmentation. Both extracts showed dose-dependent inhibition against ${\alpha}$-melanocyte stimulating hormone-stimulated melanin formation and tyrosinase activity, without cytotoxicity. At $100{\mu}g/mL$, both extracts showed greater inhibition than kojic acid, the positive control. Protein expressions of microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF), tyrosinase (TYR), tyrosinase-related protein 1 (TRP-1), and tyrosinase-related protein 2 (TRP-2) at the transcriptional level were determined by using real-time and semi-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. To complete the mechanistic study, presences of upstream elements of MITF, the phosphorylated-extracellular signal-regulated kinase (p-ERK), and phosphorylated-mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (p-MEK) were confirmed by using western blot analysis. Expressions of p-TYR, p-TRP-1 and p-TRP-2, downstream factors for p-ERK and p-MITF, were translationally inhibited by both extracts. Art.EtOH.FT induced more potent effects than Art.EtOH.CT, especially signal transduction effects. In summary, Artemisia capillaris extracts appear to act as potent hypopigmentation agents.