• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.37-42
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• 2007

The biotransformation of monoterpenic agro-industrial wastes (turpentine oil and essential orange oil) was studied. More than 40 fungal strains were isolated from Brazilian tropical fruits and eucalyptus trees and screened for biotransformation of the waste substrates. Solid phase microextraction was used to monitor the presence of volatile compounds in the headspaces of sporulated surface cultures. The selected strains were submitted to submerged liquid culture. The biotransformation of R-(+)-limonene and ${\alpha},\;{\beta}-$ pinenes from the oils resulted in ${\alpha}-terpineol$ and perillyl alcohol, and verbenol and verbenone, respectively, as the main products. The selected strains were also placed in contact with ${\alpha}-$ and ${\beta}-$ pinenes standards. It was confirmed that verbenol, verbenone, and ${\alpha}-terpineol$ were biotransformation products from the terpenes. A concentration of 90 mg/L of verbenone was achieved by Penicillium sp. 2360 after 3 days of biotransformation.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.91-123
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• 2020

The application of antique medical instructions, practices, skills and knowledge has been considered as the most affordable treatment in many developing countries. The use of these preparations and prescriptions over generations has made a useful and valuable guide for drug discovery in modern medicine. Medical herbs have been of a high importance for this purpose. The genus Dorema, of Apiaceae family (Umbelliferae) has a wide use in ethnobotany and traditional medicine around the world. It has been used as a treatment for CNS disease, convulsion, upper respiratory tract problems, gastrointestinal disorder and high blood sugar. Furthermore, phytochemical investigations have reported Dorema species to contain a wide range of constituents including terpenes, coumarins and phenolic compounds. The current review summarizes comprehensive information regarding botany, phytochemistry and pharmacological aspects of Dorema spp.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.156-161
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• 2006

The essential oil of Nardostachys jatamansi (Valerianaceae), which has been used for a long time in aroma therapy, was investigated after inhalation or oral administration for its analgesic effect, anticonvulsant action, hypnotic effect and in vitro inhibitory activity on monoamine oxidase. This fragrance oil showed a significant analgesic effect in the phenylquinone-induced .writhing test, suppressed the convulsion induced by pentylenetetrazole and lengthened the pentobarbital-induced sleeping time in a time-dependent manner after fragrance inhalation or dose-independently by oral administration. Its inhibitory activity on monoamine oxidase was remarkable, showing $49.4\%$ inhibition at a concentration of 5.0 mg/ml. Six new terpenes with seven known compounds were detected by our GC-MS analytical conditions used. As a result, the essential oil fragrance of Nardostachys jatamansi would be clinically useful for a sedative by either inhalation or oral administration.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.47-55
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• 2013

Metabolic alterations of Cordyceps bassiana mycelium were investigated under the following culture medium and light conditions: dextrose agar supplemented with 0.5% yeast extract (SDAY) medium with light (SL), SDAY medium without light (SD), nut medium without light (ND), and iron-supplemented SDAY medium without light (FD). The levels of asparagine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, glutamine, histidine, lysine, ornithine, and proline were significantly higher under SD and SL conditions. The levels of most of the alcohols, saturated fatty acids, unsaturated fatty acids, fatty acid esters, sterols, and terpenes were higher under the ND condition than in the other conditions, but beauvericin was not detectable under the ND condition. The FD condition was favorable for the enhanced production of aminomalonic acid, malic acid, mannonic acid, and erythritol. Thus, the metabolic characteristics of C. bassiana can be manipulated by varying the cultivation conditions, rendering this fungus potentially favorable as a nutraceutical and medicinal resource.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.349-352
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• 2003

Recent studies have shown that some of the PCB (polychlorinated biphenyl)-degraders are able to effectively degrade PCB in the presence of monoterpenes, which act as inducers for the degradation pathway. Rhodococcus sp. T104, an effective PCB degrader, has been shown to induce the degradation pathway by utilizing limonenes, cymenes, carvones, and pinenes as sole carbon sources which can be found in the natural environment. Moreover, the strain T104 proved to possess three separate oxidation pathways of limonene, biphenyl, and phenol. Of these three, the limonene can also induce the biphenyl degradation pathway. In this work, we report the presence of three distinct genes for aromatic oxygenase, which are putatively involved in the degradation of aromatic substrates including biphenyl, limonene, and phenol, through PCR amplification and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). The genes were differentially expressed and well induced by limonene, cymene, and plant extract A compared to biphenyl and/or glucose. This indicates that substrate specificity must be taken into account when biodegradation of the target compounds are facilitated by the plant natural substrates.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.88-96
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• 2019

Terpenes constitute a large class of secondary metabolites in plants. The Oryza sativa terpene synthase is a vital gene in plant defense response. In this study, the molecular and physiological functions of Oryza sativa terpene synthase 30 (OsTPS30, LOC_Os08g07080) were investigated after exposure of the seeds and plants to gamma-rays. The OsTPS30 expression was slightly induced at 200 Gray (Gy), but was significantly induced at 400 Gy. The total terpenoid was synthesized more in OsTPS30-overexpressing (OX-OsTPS30) Arabidopsisthaliana plants than in wild-type (WT) plants. The OX-OsTPS30 plants exhibited resistance to gamma-rays, as compared to WT. The OX-OsTPS30 plants had significantly increased height and weight after gamma irradiation. Additionally, the activity of antioxidant enzymes was increased more in OX OsTPS30 plants than in WT plants after gamma irradiation. Furthermore, the OsTPS30-GFP fusion protein was mostly localized in the chloroplast, suggesting that OsTPS30 is putative MEP pathway-related terpene synthase.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.196-213
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• 2021

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of yeast cultures (Candida zeylanoides and Debaryomyces hansenii) isolated from traditionally dry fermented Turkish sucuks, on some physicochemical and microbiological properties of the product. Eight different batches of the sucuks were produced by the inoculation of yeast and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) cultures (Lactobacillus curvatus, Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus sakei) in different combinations. The sucuks were ripened for 12 days and analyzed at 1st, 6th, and 12th days of ripening. Percent moisture content, pH, water activity (aw) and residual nitrite values of the sucuk inoculated with the yeast cultures were higher at the end of the ripening. The use of yeast cultures decreased hardness, gumminess, and chewiness values of the sucuk while increased adhesiveness values. Major volatile groups were aldehydes, terpenes, and sulphur compounds in the sucuk samples. The most noticeable results were for sensory properties of the sucuk that were positively improved by the yeast cultures.

• Mass Spectrometry Letters
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.125-132
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• 2022

There are many types of spring blossoms on the Daedeok campus of Chungnam National University (CNU) at the area of 1,600,000 square meters. As an assignment for the class of Analytical Chemistry I for second-year undergraduate students, 2021, flower petals collected from various floral groups (Korean azalea, Korean forsythia, Dilatata lilac, Lilytree, Lily magnolia, and Prunus yedoensis) were analyzed using headspace extraction coupled to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-GC-MS) to study the aromatic profiles and fragrance compounds of each sample group. Various types of compounds associated with the aroma profiles were detected, including saturated alcohols and aldehydes (ethanol, 1-hexanol, and nonanal), terpenes (limonene, pinene, and ocimene), and aromatic compounds (benzyl alcohol, benzaldehyde). The different contribution of these compounds for each floral type was visualized using statistical tools and classification models based on principal component analysis with high reliability (R² = 0.824, Q² = 0.616). These results showed that HS-GC-MS with statistical analysis is a powerful method to characterize the volatile aromatic profile of biological specimens.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.148-160
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• 2023

Depression is a neuropsychiatric disorder associated with persistent stress and disruption of neuronal function. Persistent stress causes neuronal atrophy, including loss of synapses and reduced size of the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. These alterations are associated with neural dysfunction, including mood disturbances, cognitive impairment, and behavioral changes. Synaptic plasticity is the fundamental function of neural networks in response to various stimuli and acts by reorganizing neuronal structure, function, and connections from the molecular to the behavioral level. In this review, we describe the alterations in synaptic plasticity as underlying pathological mechanisms for depression in animal models and humans. We further elaborate on the significance of phytochemicals as bioactive agents that can positively modulate stress-induced, aberrant synaptic activity. Bioactive agents, including flavonoids, terpenes, saponins, and lignans, have been reported to upregulate brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression and release, suppress neuronal loss, and activate the relevant signaling pathways, including TrkB, ERK, Akt, and mTOR pathways, resulting in increased spine maturation and synaptic numbers in the neuronal cells and in the brains of stressed animals. In clinical trials, phytochemical usage is regarded as safe and well-tolerated for suppressing stress-related parameters in patients with depression. Thus, intake of phytochemicals with safe and active effects on synaptic plasticity may be a strategy for preventing neuronal damage and alleviating depression in a stressful life.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.611-618
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• 2023

Rhizome of Alisma orientale has been used as a traditional medicine for treating kidney diseases in East Asian countries. Its inhibitory effects on hypersensitivity responses have been reported for methanol extracts, with alisol B 23-acetate (AB23Ac) being the most active constituent among six terpenes in inhibiting the direct passive Arthus reaction. However, whether AB23Ac has efficacy against allergic asthma has not been tested to date. The in vivo efficacy of AB23Ac in an ovalbumin (OVA)-induced allergic asthma mouse model was evaluated by administrating AB23Ac before OVA sensitization or OVA challenge in BALB/c mice. AB23Ac suppressed antigen-induced degranulation of RBL-2H3 mast cells in a concentration-dependent manner. The administration of AB23Ac both before OVA sensitization and OVA challenge greatly lowered pulmonary resistance and the increase in immune cell counts and inflammatory responses around the peribronchial and perivascular regions. In addition, the inflammatory cytokine levels of Th1/Th2/Th17 cells in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid decreased in the AB23Ac-treated groups. AB23Ac reduced the number of PAS-stained cells in the lungs. Furthermore, a computer modeling study indicated that AB23Ac can bind tightly to spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk). These results suggest that AB23Ac may ameliorate allergic asthma by suppressing immune responses in dendritic cells during sensitization and in mast cells during challenge periods.