• Journal of Life Science
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.121-129
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• 2015

Alginates are found in marine brown seaweeds and in extracellular biofilms secreted by some bacteria. Previously, we reported an oligoalginate lyase from Sphingomonas sp. MJ-3 (MJ3-Oal) that had an exolytic activity and protein sequence homology with endolytic polymannuronate (polyM) lyase in the N-terminal region. In this study, the MJ3-Oal was tested for both exolytic and endolytic activity by homology modeling using the crystal structure of Alg17c from Saccharophagus degradans 2-40T. The tyrosine residue at the $426^{th}$ position, which possibly formed a hydrogen bond with the substrate, was mutated to phenylalanine. The FPLC profiles showed that MJ3-Oal degraded alginate quickly to monomers as a final product through the oligmers, whereas the Tyr426Phe mutant showed only exolytic alginate lyase activity. $^1H$-NMR spectra also showed that MJ3-Oal degraded the endoglycosidic bond of polyM and polyMG (polymannuronate-guluronate) blocks. These results indicate that oligoalginate lyase from Sphingomonas sp. MJ-3 probably catalyzes the degradation of both exo- and endo-glycosidic bonds of alginate.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.25 no.7
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• pp.757-764
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• 2015

The immature fruit of Rubus coreanus Miquel (bokbunja in Korean) is mainly consumed as a fruit wine due to its sour taste and low sugar content. The lees (LBW) remaining after the production of bokbunja wine are discarded as they have no specific usage. The aim of this study was to develop high-value-added biomaterials for functional foods and beauty/health products by investigating the anti-microbial, anti-oxidant, and anti-thrombosis activities of LBW using ethanol and hot water extracts and their subsequent organic solvent fractions. The ethyl acetate (EA) fraction of LBW extracts has a high polyphenol content (413–459 mg/g), and showed strong anti-microbial activity against gram-positive bacteria. The EA fraction also showed excellent radical-scavenging activity against DPPH anion, ABTS cation, and nitrite, with strong reducing power. The polyphenol-enriched EA fraction strongly inhibited thrombin, prothrombin, and blood coagulation factors. The butanol fraction showed a specific inhibition of coagulation factors, as measured in activated partial thromboplastin time assay, which is linked to intrinsic blood coagulation. The butanol fraction also showed strong inhibition of platelet aggregation, at levels comparable to aspirin. The residue of the hot-water extract, which is produced by sequential solvent fractionation of the LBW extract, showed superior inhibition against platelet aggregation when compared to aspirin. Our results suggest that the LBW, which are currently discarded, are a promising source of novel functional foods and beauty/health products.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.510-517
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• 2013

This study was performed to evaluate the antiobesity effect of supercritical fluid extracts (SFC) and marc methanol extracts (SFM) from Cinnamomum verum in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. In inducing the differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes in the presence of an adipogenic cocktail, iso-butylmethylanthine (IBMX), dexamathasone, and insulin, treatment with fraction residue SFC and SFM. SFC significantly reduced the mRNA expression of the transcription factor peroxisome proliferator-activate-dreceptor-${\gamma}$ ($PPAR{\gamma}$), the sterol regulatory-element-binding protein-1c (SREBP1c), and the CCAAT enhancer-binding-protein ${\alpha}$ ($C/EBP{\alpha}$) in a concentration-dependent manner. Moreover, SFC markedly down-regulated acyl-CoA synthetase-1 (ASC1), fatty acid synthesis (FAS), fatty acid transport-1 (FATP1), fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4), and perilipin. These findings suggest that SFC may be a potential therapeutic adjunct for obesity by targeting the differentiation of preadipocytes, as well as their functions.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.137-147
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• 2018

The aim of this study was to leach penalty elements, such as Bi and As, effectively through microwave leaching of a gold concentrate sample containing penalty elements with nitric acid solution. For this purpose, the time effect of microwave leaching, nitric acid concentration effect, and sample addition effect in a microwave were examined. The experiment, demonstrated that the leaching rate of penalty elements increased as microwave leaching time and nitric acid concentration increased and concentration addition decreased. When a microwave heating experiment was carried out on the concentrate and ore minerals, Bi was removed by as much as 90%, and the phase of arsenopyrite was transformed in the order of arsenopyrite (FeAsS), pyrrhotite (FeS), and hematite ($Fe_2O_3$). When the X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis was carried out with solid residue, elemental sulfur and anglesite were identified. The intensity of the XRD peaks of elemental sulfur and anglesite increased, and the peaks were sharper when the microwave leaching time was 12 min instead of 1 min, the nitric acid concentration was 4 M in rather than 0.5 M, and the concentration addition was 30 g rather than 5 g. This was probably because more elemental sulfur and anglesite were generated in the leaching solution as the leaching efficiency increased. Bi can be leached as valuable elements in the leaching solution through microwave leaching processes while they are released to the environment through a microwave heating processes.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.90-95
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• 1986

A comparative study of chemical characteristics, efficacy and relative merits of extruded and coated granules, containing fungicide and insecticide, was conducted under laboratory and field conditions. Probenzole (3-allyloxy-1,2-benzisothiazole 1,1-dioxide) and carbofuran (2,3-dihydro-2,2-dimethyl-7-benzofuranyl methyl carbamate) were chosen as toxicants for rice blast(Pyricularia oryzae) and brown planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens) control, respectively. Stability of active ingredients in coated granule was superior to the extruded one under accelerated temperature. Active ingredient dissolution of coated one into distilled water showed slow release pattern. Pesticide residues in rice (Oryzae sativa, Chucheongbyeo) shoot applied with extruded one at the dosage of 3kg/10a retained higher levels than those with coated one on two days after application, while the residue levels were a reversed tendency on eight days after application. Efficacy on rice blast exhibited minute differences between the granules, on the other hand efficacy on brown planthopper by coated one was of higher rank than that by extruded one. Production cost of the combined pesticide granule by coating method could be cut down by 6% as compared to extrusion method.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.29-35
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• 2013

This study was performed to analyze 48 kinds of pesticide residues using gas chromatography (GC)/nitrogen phosphorous detector, GC/micro electron capture detector, GC/mass selective detector, and high performance liquid chromatograph/diode array detector in 186 fresh ginseng samples collected in the Seoul area from 2010 to 2011. Fresh ginseng dietary intakes were estimated using the data from the 2009 Korea National Health and Nutrition examination survey. Residual pesticides were detected in 79 samples (42.5%) with eight different fungicides. Only 20 samples (10.8%) exceeded the maximum residue limits (MRLs) for pesticides registered by the Korea Food & Drug Administration. Among them, tolclofos-methyl residues (10.2%) exceeded the MRL for fresh ginseng in 18 ginseng seedlings and one of the two-year old fresh ginseng plants, and the residual level in just one ginseng seedling violated the MRL for pyrimethanil. The results showed that residual pesticides levels in marketable fresh ginseng around Seoul were relatively safe. The percent acceptable daily intake (%ADI) was calculated using pesticide residues in fresh ginseng and dietary intakes of fresh ginseng. The risk caused by pesticide residues in fresh ginseng was very low.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.63 no.3
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• pp.275-282
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• 2020

As pesticide safety was extended to agricultural environments and Positive List System was carried out, Pesticide safety management in soils has become even more important. To improve pesticide safety in soils needs the degradation technology of the residues in soils and reduce plant uptake of pesticides. In this study, biochars and quicklime as the degradation methods of pesticides (azoxystrboin, procymidone and tricyclazole) were used to identify the reduction effects. The experimental methods were putting biochars and quicklimes (0, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0% per 15 cm soil weight) in soils and analyzing the pesticide residues at 0, 10, 20, 35, 50 day. To identify the reduction effects of uptake from soil to korean cabbages (roots, leave, stems) by biochar treatment, the residues in samples were analyzed. As a results, azoxystrobin (36-96%), procymidone (40-117%) and tricyclazole (26-83%) were reduced in soils when treated with 2.0% quicklime (p<0.05). There were no reduction effect in soils when treated with 1.0% or less biochar. However, the amounts of residues translocated to roots (0.11-1.62 mg/kg), leave (0.05-0.29 mg/kg), stems (0.06-0.1 mg/kg) were reduced treated with 2.0% biochar treatments. The biochar and quicklime can be applicable to agricultural field to improve pesticide safety in soils.

• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.441-452
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• 2011

This study was carried out to survey the residual characteristics of endocrine disruptor (ED)-suspected pesticides in greenhouse soils and assess their leachabilites to groundwater. Greenhouse soils were collected from 40 sites of greenhouse in 2008 in Korea. Sixteen ED-suspected pesticides which had been using in Korea, such as alachlor, benomyl, carbaryl, cypermethrin, 2,4-D, dicofol, endosulfan, fenvalerate, malathion, mancozeb, metribuzin, metiram, methomyl, parathion, trifluralin, and vinclozolin, in the soils, were analyzed by chromatographic methods using GLC-ECD and HPLC-DAD/FLD. Limits of detection (LODs) of the test pesticides ranged from 0.0004 to 0.005 mg/kg. Recoveries of the target pesticides from soil ranged from 72.69 to 115.28%. Four pesticides including cypermethrin were detected in the range of from 0.001 to 2.019 mg/kg, representing that their detection rate from greenhouse soils was 37.5%. The highest detection rate was observed from endosulfan which was detected from 16 site soils of the total samples, indicating that endosulfan is persistent in soil because of its very low mobility and high adsorption characteristics in soil. Based on the groundwater ubiquity scores (GUSs) of the pesticides detected from greenhouse soils, most of them have little possibilities of groundwater contamination except the fungicide vinclozolin with some leaching potential because of high water solubility and very low soil adsorption property.

• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.417-433
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• 2011

The study tested QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe) sample preparation and HPLC-MS/ MS analysis for measurement of pesticide residues in fruit and vegetable. 240 kinds of pesticides spiked at three levels of 90, 45, 9 ng/g in lettuce and apple. For QuEChERS sample preparation, graphitized carbon black (GCB) was used for only lettuce in dispersive-SPE as absorbent. Matrix-matched standard calibration was used for quantitative analysis of HPLC-MS/MS. 218 pesticides (91%) in apple and 207 pesticides (86%) in lettuce showed recoveries in the range of 70~120% with $RSD{\leq}20%$. The lowest calibrated level (LCL) were 4.5 ng/g for 192 pesticides, 9 ng/g for 42 pesticides, 45 ng/g for 3 pesticides and 3 pesticides were not detected at all concentration levels. The results showed that the QuEChERS sample preparation and HPLC-MS/MS analysis can be applied to multi-residue analysis of pesticides in vegetables and fruits.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.258-266
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• 2014

Sweet potato soju (SPS), a form of traditional distilled alcoholic liquor in Korea, is manufactured by the distillation of fermented broth under normal pressure, thus providing it for a uniquely smooth taste infused with the flavor of sweet potato. After distillation, the lees of SPS is produced as by-product and discarded. In this study, the ethanol and hot water extracts of lees of SPS, and their subsequent organic solvent fractions using hexane, ethylacetate (EA), butanol, and water residue were prepared in an effort at the efficient re-use of the lees of SPS. The ethanol extraction yield was 1.36-fold higher than that of the hot water extraction, and the EA fraction revealed the highest total polyphenol content among the solvent fractions. The various extracts and solvent fractions did not demonstrate hemolytic activity at up to 0.5 mg/ml concentrations against human red blood cells. In the bioactivity assay, only the EA fraction displayed a broad spectrum of anti-microbial activity against different pathogenic and food spoilage bacteria, and demonstrated significant anti-coagulation activity by inhibitions of thrombin, prothrombin and blood coagulation factors. Furthermore, only the EA fraction from the hot water extract of the lees of SPS showed anti-platelet aggregation activity, which is comparable to aspirin (a commercially available drug). Our results suggest that the EA fraction of the hot water extract prepared from the lees of SPS has a high potential as a novel resource for anti-microbial and anti-thrombosis agents.