• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
• /
• v.17 no.4
• /
• pp.371-378
• /
• 2013

Various microorganisms live in soil, of which those colonizing rhizosphere interact with nearby plants and tend to develop unique microbial communities. In this study, we isolated diverse actinomycetes from rhizosphere of rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivated in fertilized (APK) and non-fertilized (NF) paddy soils, and investigated the diversity and antimicrobial activity of them. Using four kinds of selective media, 152 isolates were obtained from the soil samples and identified by determining 16S rRNA gene sequence. All of the isolates showed 99.0%~100.0% similarities with type strains and were classified into six genera: Dactylosporangium, Micromonospora, Kitasatospora, Promicromonospora, Streptomyces and Streptosporangium. Most of the isolates, 143 isolates, were classified into the genus Streptomyces. Additionally, many isolates had antimicrobial activity against plant pathogens, especially Magnaporthe oryzae (rice blast pathogen) in fungi. These findings demonstrated that rice rhizosphere can be a rich source of antagonistic actinomycetes producing diverse bioactive compounds.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.28 no.9
• /
• pp.999-1006
• /
• 2018

Obesity is epidemic worldwide and has reportedly been linked to the progression of several metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. The natural products are decreasing the side effects of medicines used for obesity and also have health benefits dut to their numerous bioactive compounds. In this context, Artemisia scoparia is a widespread plant that has been suggested as possessing various types of bioactivity. In this study, the crude extract from A. scoparia (ASE) was tested for its ability to suppress adipogenesis in mouse 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes. The molecular pathway by which ASE affects differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells was also investigated. The introduction of ASE to differentiating 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes resulted in suppressed adipogenesis, as confirmed by decreased intracellular lipid accumulation. The differentiating cells treated with 10 and $100{\mu}g/ml$ of ASE showed 21.9 and 29.0% less lipid accumulation, respectively, than untreated adipocytes. In addition, the results indicated that ASE treatment lowered the expression of the adipogenesis-related factors $PPAR{\gamma}$, $C/EBP{\alpha}$, and SREBP-1c. Furthermore, treating with ASE notably decreased levels of phosphorylated p38, ERK, and JNK in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. These results indicate that ASE exhibits significant anti-adipogenesis activity by downregulating the MAPK and $PPAR{\gamma}$ pathways during the differentiation of 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes. Therefore, A. scoparia may be a potential source of natural products against obesity.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
• /
• v.23 no.2
• /
• pp.131-137
• /
• 2010

Tartary buckwheat has potential as a source of functional food because it contains a number of bioactive compounds such as rutin, catechin and so on. This study was conducted to determine the possibility of development of processed products extracted from sugar-treated sprouts of tartary buckwheat. By using undiluted solution extracted from sprouts of tartary buckwheat, we analyzed their nutrition components and did in vivo experiment to find out pharmaceutical effects. In an experiment using mice, we administered various concentration of buckwheat to induced diabetic mellitus mice for 1 weeks. As a result, the fermented extract from buckwheat sprouts effected finely on lowering blood sugar and decreased LDL-cholesterol and total lipid level but increased HDL-cholesterol level.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
• /
• v.26 no.5
• /
• pp.382-390
• /
• 2018

Background: The plant Aster koraiensis has long been used as an ingredient in folk medicine. It has been reported that Aster koraiensis extract (AKE) prevents the progression of diabetes-induced retinopathy and nephropathy. However, although these beneficial effects of AKE on diabetes complications have been identified, the antidiabetic effects of AKE have not yet been completely investigated and quantified. In the present study, the glucose-lowering and antioxidant effects of aqueous and ethanolic AKEs were evaluated. Methods and Results: The glucose-lowering effects of aqueous and ethanolic (30%-, 50%-, and 80%-ethanol) AKEs were investigated via ${\alpha}$-glucosidase inhibitory assays. The mode of inhibition by AKEs on ${\alpha}$-glucosidase was identified through kinetic analysis. The total antioxidant capacity of each of the 4 AKEs was evaluated by assessing their conversion rate of $Cu^{2+}$ to $Cu^+$. The content of chlorogenic acid and 3,5-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid, the bioactive compounds in AKE, in each extract were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The AKEs showed potent ${\alpha}$-glucosidase inhibitory activity with mixed inhibition mode, and significant antioxidant capacity. Conclusions: These results of this study suggested that the AKEs tested had ${\alpha}$-glucosidase inhibitory and antioxidant effects. Among the extracts, the 80% ethanol extract showed the most significant ${\alpha}$-glucosidase inhibitory activity, with a half maximal inhibitory concentration ($IC_{50}$ value) of $1.65{\pm}0.36mg/m{\ell}$ and a half maximal effective concentration ($EC_{50}$ value) for its antioxidant activity of $0.42{\pm}0.10mg/m{\ell}$. It can therefore be used as a source of therapeutic agents to treat diabetes patients.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.31 no.2
• /
• pp.95-102
• /
• 2003

Microalgae are a diverse group of photosynthetic organisms and abundant in every ecosystem in the biosphere. They are common in aqueous environments including marine, brackish and fresh waters and in some habitats that lack eukaryotic life such as some hot springs and highly alkaline lakes. Microalgal biotechnology that is focused on the microalgae-based production of a variety of useful materials such as pharmaceutical comfounds, health foods, natural pigments, and biofuels is considered as an important discipline with the development of biotechnology. In addition, the mass cultivation of microalgae can also contribute to improving the environmental quality by reducing the concentration of $CO_2$ which is one of major gases lead to global warming. Consequently, it seems that the microalgae can be used as an efficient, renewable, environmentally friendly source of high-value biomaterials such as chemicals, pigments, energy, etc. and the microalgal biotechnology will most likely represent a larger portion of modern biotechnology.

• Food Science and Preservation
• /
• v.22 no.5
• /
• pp.744-750
• /
• 2015

The present study was designed to investigate the effects of hot water and ethanol extracts of Nelumbo nucifera Gaertner flower on lipid accumulation and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production during adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 cells. 3T3-L1 preadipocytes were treated with both hot water and ethanol extracts for up to 8 days following standard induction of differentiation. Regarding anti-adipogenic activity, compared with the control, the hot water and ethanol extracts significantly inhibited lipid accumulation (37.4 and 66.6%, respectively) and ROS production (46.4 and 46.8%, respectively) during adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 cells. Treatment with hot water and ethanol extracts significantly inhibited mRNA expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma ($PPAR{\gamma}$) and CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein alpha ($C/EBP{\alpha}$), thereby reducing the mRNA expression of adipocyte-specific fatty acid binding protein (aP2). Moreover, both the extracts significantly inhibited mRNA expression of NADPH oxidase (NOX4). Overall, our research suggests that N. nucifera Gaertner flower extracts might be a valuable source of bioactive compounds that exhibit anti-adipogenic activity and could have applications in the field of medicine and food industry.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.30 no.1
• /
• pp.40-44
• /
• 2020

This study investigated the anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory activities of Artemisia iwayomogi Kitamura for medical and food additive applications. A 70% methanol extract of A. iwayomogi Kitam. was fractionated with a series of solvents in order of increasing polarity; these fractionated extracts showed high 2,2-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS) scavenging activity in the ethyl acetate fractions and high 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity in both the ethyl acetate and chloroform fractions. Levels of total phenolics and flavonoids were highest in the ethyl acetate fraction extracts. Eight bacteria were then treated with the A. iwayomogi Kitam. extract fractions and most showed similar or lower levels of anti-bacterial activity when compared to the control group, except for Staphylococcus aureus. In addition, the anti-oxidant activities of the ethyl acetate fractions of the A. iwayomogi Kitam. extract were higher than those of the other fractions. To confirm the anti-inflammatory activity of the extract fractions, we applied them to RAW 264.7 cells using LPS, and the results indicate that an ethyl acetate fraction at 250 ㎍/ml concentration inhibits nitric oxide production. This study demonstrates that an ethyl acetate fraction of A. iwayomogi Kitam. extract inhibits bacterial and inflammatory activities and could be useful as a potential source of bioactive compounds.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
• /
• v.57 no.2
• /
• pp.211-227
• /
• 2024

Introduction: Seaweed is a sustainable and underexplored source of bioactive compounds with potent anti-inflammatory activities. However, studies on the interaction between seaweed and genes on inflammation are limited. Purpose: We aimed to evaluate the relationships between seaweed consumption and the polygenic risk scores (PRS) and their interactions with high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels. Methods: Information on seaweed consumption was collected using a food frequency questionnaire, which included laver, kelp, and sea mustard among the items consumed. A total of 31 hs-CRP-related single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were selected using genome-wide association studies and clumping analysis, and the individual PRS were calculated by weighting the effect size of each allele in the selected SNPs of 39,369 middle-aged (≥40 years) Koreans using the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES)-Health Examinees (HEXA) cohort data. To investigate the interaction between seaweed intake and the PRS on hs-CRP levels >1 mg/L, hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were assessed using multivariable Cox proportional hazards models. Results: During a mean follow-up period of 4.8 years, we recorded 436 patients with elevated hs-CRP levels. Women in the highest tertile of the PRS with the lowest quartile of seaweed intake had an increased incidence of elevated hs-CRP levels compared with women in the lowest tertile of the PRS with the lowest seaweed intake quartile (HR 2.34, 95% CI 1.23-4.45). No significant association was observed among the men. Conclusion: In conclusion, we identified a new interaction between the PRS, seaweed intake, and inflammation in Korean women, and this study suggests that the interaction between the identification of genetic predisposition and dietary seaweed intake may have an impact on determining the risk of developing hyperinflammation in the future.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.30 no.5
• /
• pp.452-459
• /
• 2020

This study was conducted to investigate the total lignin content and anti-oxidant activity in extracts of defatted sesame seeds (DSS) fermented with 15 strains of Bacillus subtilis. The anti-oxidant activities of DSS were analyzed both before and after fermentation. The total lignan content of the DSS extracts fermented with BCH3678 (1,613.8 mg/l) and BCH3572 (1,599.5 mg/l) were relatively high compared to other strains. Anti-oxidant activity was determined according to phenolic compound and flavonoid content and DPPH radical scavenging rate; the highest total phenolic compound content was provided by the DSS with SRCM103716 at 2,803.3 mg GAE/g which returned total flavonoid content of 1,553.1 mg/g as strong correlation of its anti-oxidant activity. The DSS extract fermented by SRCM103716 at 37℃ for 24 hr showed the highest DPPH scavenging rate at 66.5%. The fermented DSS extracts, regardless of strain, demonstrated higher anti-oxidative activity than the unfermented control, and these results suggest that such extracts could be useful as a potential source of bioactive compounds.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.39 no.7
• /
• pp.953-959
• /
• 2010

We extracted bioactive materials from Codium fragile by enzymatic hydrolysis using four different proteases (Alcalase, Flavourzyme, Neutrase, and Protamex) and seven different carbohydrases (amyloglucosidase (AMG), Celluclast, Dextrozyme, Maltogenase, Promozyme, Termamyl, and Viscozyme), and evaluated their biological activities such as antioxidant, anti-acetylcholinesterase (AChE), and anti-inflammatory effects. All enzymatic hydrolysates showed good DPPH radical scavenging capacities, in particular, Flavourzyme and Promozyme hydrolysates possessed the highest activity. The two hydrolysates also exhibited strong hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity, $Fe^{2+}$ chelating activity, and reducing power in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, the two hydrolysates effectively protected DNA damage induced by hydroxyl radical by measuring the conversion of supercoiled DNA to the open circular DNA. All enzymatic hydrolysates also showed high anti-AChE inhibitory activities in a dose-dependent manner, and did not showed any significant cytotoxicity on RAW264.7 cells (p<0.05). In addition, the enzymatic hydrolysates significantly (p<0.05) inhibited lipopolysaccharide induced-nitric oxide production on RAW264.7 cells. These results suggest that the enzymatic extracts from Codium fragile would be good source as an ingredient of functional foods.