• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.28 no.7
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• pp.804-809
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• 2005

The EtOAc-soluble fraction from a methanolic extract of Hovenia dulcis Thunb. exhibited neuroprotective activity against glutamate-induced neurotoxicity in mouse hippocampal HT22 cells. The neuroprotective activity-guided isolation resulted in 8 phenolic compounds (1-8), such as vanillic acid (1), ferulic acid (2), 3,5-dihydroxystilbene (3), (+)-aromadendrin (4), methyl vanillate (5), (-)-catechin (6), 2,3,4-trihydrobenzoic acid (7), and (+)-afzelechin (8). Among these, compounds 6 and 8 had a neuroprotective effect on the glutamate-induced neurotoxicity in HT22 cells. Furthermore, compound 6 had a DPPH free radical scavenging effect with an $IC_{50}$ value of $57.7{\mu}M$, and a superoxide anion radical scavenging effect with an $IC_{50}$ value of $8.0{\mu}M$. Both compounds 6 and 8 had ABTS cation radical scavenging effects with $IC_{50}$ values of $7.8{\mu}M\;and\;23.7${\mu}M$, respectively. These results suggest that compounds 6 and 8 could be neuroprotectants owing to their free radical scavenging activities.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.11-17
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• 2002

Fermentation characteristics with/without nitrogen source and quality of the fruit distillate of Opuntia ficus-indica var. saboten were investigated during the manufacturing process of a Korean traditional liquor. As the fermentation period increased, acidity, brix degree, and alcohol concentration increased, whereas pH and contents of reducing sugar decreased. Acidity, pH, and brix degree were higher, whereas the content of reducing sugar lower, in the nitrogen source-added distillate than in the distillate without nitrogen source. The growth of yeast increased, while that of bacteria decreased; this trend was more prominent with the addition of a nitrogen source. Sojues, distilled from two types of mashes and diluted with $H_2O$ and tails of distillate into 22% alcohol concentration, showed pH $3.7{\sim}4.0$, acidity $0.02{\sim}0.10$, and $5.4{\sim}6.1$ $^{\circ}Brix$. Analysis through GC using direct injection methods revealed common volatile flavor compounds in sojues, including acetaldehyde, acetyl acetone, acetic acid ethyl ester, ethyl alcohol, 2-propyl alcohol, acetone, n-propyl alcohol, butanoic acid methyl ester, 2-phenyl ethanol, thymol, acetic acid phenyl ester, and vanillic aldehyde. As revealed through the sensory evaluation, no significant difference (p>0.05) in overall acceptability was shown among four experimental groups, while color and flavor showed significant differences(p<0.05).

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.73-77
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• 2005

Contents of isoflavone, phenolic acids, tocopherol, and anthocyanin in black soybean (Glycine max) were measured by HPLC. To compare antioxidative activities of main black soybean components, antioxidative effects of the same levels of commercial standard components were measured by Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity assay (TEAC). Most effective component was gentisic acid followed by anthocyanin, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, genistein, syringic acid, and daidzein. TEAC assay results revealed genistein in isoflavone, gentisic acid in phenolic acids, p-tocopherol in tocopherol, and anthocyanin showed highest antioxidative and synergistic acitivities, with anthocyanin showing strongest synergy effect.

• Journal of Korea Foresty Energy
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.11-19
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• 2003

Allelopathic effects of black locust(Robinia pseudoacacia L.) was evaluated through germination tests using 13 different species including R. pseudoacacia itself. The water extract from leaf or root of R. pseudoacacia was separately tested. Seed germination of several species was inhibited in the presence of leaf or root extract, although the level of germination was in a wide range depending on the species. Seed germination of R. pseudoacacia was suppressed by 30 % in its leaf extract. Among tested tree species, Hibiscus syriacus and Alnus frma showed significantly inhibited germination in the root extracts whereas Thuja orientalis exhibited germination inhibition in the leaf extract. HPLC was carried out to identify allelochemicals in extracts of leaf and root using eight authentic phenolic compounds that are known to be responsible for allelopathy. The major phenolic compounds occupying about 40 % of total phenolic acids were gentisic acid in leaves and vanillic acid and syringic acid in roots. The leaves contained 7 times more phenolic acids than the roots. Among 8 tested phenolic compounds vanillin was detected only in roots and coumaric acid in leaves. Consequently, 3 out of 13 species showed significantly inhibited germination due to leaf or root extract. This germination test indicates that the inhibitory allelopathic effect by R. pseudoacacia is caused by chemical interaction not by nutritional competition and that the allelochermicals of black locust act species-specifically. No specific influence of the total amount of phenolic compounds on the allelopathic inhibitory germination and the synergic effect by each phenolic compound may play a role for the allelopathic effect by R. pseudoacacia.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.714-725
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• 2023

Background: Our previous investigation indicated that the preparation of Panax ginseng Meyer (P. ginseng) inhibited melanogenesis. It comprised salicylic acid (SA), protocatechuic acid (PA), p-coumaric acid (p-CA), vanillic acid (VA), and caffeic acid (CA). In this investigation, the regulatory effects of P. ginseng phenolic acid monomers on melanin production were assessed. Methods: In vitro and in vivo impact of phenolic acid monomers were assessed. Results: SA, PA, p-CA and VA inhibited tyrosinase (TYR) to reduce melanin production, whereas CA had the opposite effects. SA, PA, p-CA and VA significantly downregulated the melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R), cycle AMP (cAMP), protein kinase A (PKA), cycle AMP-response element-binding protein (CREB), microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) pathway, reducing mRNA and protein levels of TYR, tyrosinase-related protein 1 (TYRP1), and TYRP2. Moreover, CA treatment enhanced the cAMP, PKA, and CREB pathways to promote MITF mRNA level and phosphorylation. It also alleviated MITF protein level in α-MSH-stimulated B16F10 cells, comparable to untreated B16F10, increasing the expression of phosphorylation glycogen synthase kinase 3β (p-GSK3β), β-catenin, p-ERK/ERK, and p-p38/p38. Furthermore, the GSK3β inhibitor promoted p-GSK3β and p-MITF expression, as observed in CA-treated cells. Moreover, p38 and ERK inhibitors inhibited CA-stimulated p-p38/p38, p-ERK/ERK, and p-MITF increase, which had negative binding energies with MC1R, as depicted by molecular docking. Conclusion: P. ginseng roots' phenolic acid monomers can safely inhibit melanin production by bidirectionally regulating melanin synthase transcription. Furthermore, they reduced MITF expression via MC1R/cAMP/PKA signaling pathway and enhanced MITF post-translational modification via Wnt/mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.355-362
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• 2010

In this study, the anticoagulant compounds in Korean red ginseng (KRG) were investigated. KRG powder was extracted using hot methanol, and the methanol extract was fractionated into n-hexane, ethylacetate, n-butanol, and aqueous fractions by solvent partitioning. The remains from the methanol extraction were further extracted with water and then dialyzed to obtain low and high molecular weight fractions. The anticoagulant activities of the seven fractions were evaluated in terms of thrombin time, prothrombin time, and activated partial thromboplastin time. Among these fractions, the ethylacetate fraction showed the most potent anticoagulant activity. The active components in the ethylacetate fraction were identified as the phenolic compounds vanillic, caffeic, ferulic, and p-coumaric acid via TLC and HPLC. These findings suggest that the anticoagulant activities of phenolic compounds contribute to the cardiovascular effects of KRG.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.251-258
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• 2021

Flos magnoliae (FM), the dry flower buds of Magnolia officinalis or its related species, is a traditional herbal medicine commonly used in Asia for symptomatic relief of and treating allergic rhinitis, headache, and sinusitis. Although several studies have reported the effects of FM on store-operated calcium entry (SOCE) via the ORAI1 channel, which is essential during intracellular calcium signaling cascade generation for T cell activation and mast cell degranulation, the effects of its isolated constituents on SOCE remain unidentified. Therefore, we investigated which of the five major constituents of 30% ethanoic FM (vanillic acid, tiliroside, eudesmin, magnolin, and fargesin) inhibit SOCE and their physiological effects on immune cells. The conventional whole-cell patch clamp results showed that fargesin, magnolin, and eudesmin significantly inhibited SOCE and thus human primary CD4+ T lymphocyte proliferation, as well as allergen-induced histamine release in mast cells. Among them, fargesin demonstrated the most potent inhibitory effects not only on ORAI1 (IC50 = 12.46 ± 1.300 μM) but also on T-cell proliferation (by 87.74% ± 1.835%) and mast cell degranulation (by 20.11% ± 5.366%) at 100 μM. Our findings suggest that fargesin can be a promising candidate for the development of therapeutic drugs to treat allergic diseases.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.59 no.3
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• pp.207-213
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• 2016

Little information about the biological activities of Citrus limon (lemon) leaves has been reported, whereas the fruit of Citrus limon (lemon) has been well-documented to contain various pro-health bio-functional compounds. In the present study, the antiproliferative activities of the lemon leaves were evaluated using several cancer cell lines. From the n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, n-butanol, and water fractions of methanolic extract of the leaves, the chloroform fraction of lemon leaves (CFLL) showed the most potent antiproliferative activity in the AGS human gastric cancer cells. The current study demonstrates that CFLL induces apoptosis in AGS cells, as evidenced by an increase in apoptotic bodies, cell population in the sub-G1 phase, Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, and cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), caspase-3 and caspase-9. Compositional analysis of the CFLL using gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) resulted in the identification of 27 compounds including trans, trans-farnesol (3.19 %), farnesol (3.26 %), vanillic acid (1.45 %), (-)-loliolide (5.24 %) and palmitic acid (6.96 %). Understanding the modes of action of these compounds individually and/or synergistically would provide useful information about their applications in cancer prevention and therapy.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.34 no.10
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• pp.1619-1624
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• 2005

The effect of far-infrared (FIR) irradiation on the antioxidant activity of extracts from grape seed (GS) was evaluated. GS (5 g) were placed in Pyrex petri dishes (8.0 cm diameter) md FIR irradiated at 150$^{\circ}C$ for 10, 20, 30, 40 or 60 min with a FIR heater. After FIR irradiation, water extract (WE) (1.0 g/10 mL), methanol extract (ME) (1.0 g/10 mL) and 70$\%$ ethanol extract (EE) (1.0 g/10 mL) of GS were prepared, and total phenol contents (TPC) and radical scavenging activity (RSA) of the extracts were determined. The antioxidant activities of GS extracts increased as FIR irradiation. For example, FIR irradiation of GS at 150$^{\circ}C$ for 10 min increased the TPC and RSA of WE from 0.95 mM to 1.84 mM and 33,87$\%$ to 58.55$\%$, respectively, compared to non-irradiated control. In the case of ME at the same conditions of FIR irradiation (150$^{\circ}C$ for 10 min), the TPC and RSA also increased from 3.4 mM to 4.52 mM and 76.55$\%$ to 89.41$\%$, respectively. The TPC and RSA of EE increased from 2.65 mM to 4.82 mM and 66.89$\%$ to 84.62$\%$, too. According to the GC/MS analysis, several low-molecular-weight phenolic compounds such as vanillic acid and 3,4-hydroxy benzoic acid were newly formed in the EE after FIR irradiated at 150$^{\circ}C$ for 10 min. There were slight differences in the kinds of phenolic compounds between EE of non irradiated control and FIR irradiated samples. These results indicated that FIR irradiation onto GS could enhance antioxidant activities of its extracts with increasing the amount of phenolic compounds.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.58-69
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• 1983

This research is performed to compare lignin compounds isolated in Pinus koraiensis Sieb et Zucco, with those compounds which have been already isolated. and to elucidate IR spectra of functional groups and aromatic nucleus for chemical structure of lignin. In vanillin and dehydrodivanillin having carbonyl group ill ${\alpha}$-position. characteristic absorption band of carbonyl group was confirmed in 1665 $cm^{-1}$. Absorption band of vanillic and syringic acid with carboxyl group were indicated in 1675 and 1690 $cm^{-1}$ respectively. Syringic acid showed low wave number because this was affected by methoxyl group. Characteristic absorption bands of guaiacyl, syringly and guaiacyl-syringyl co-polymer nucleus were clearly disclosed in diarylpropane compounds. It were reconfirmed that absorption band of guaiacyl showed longer wave number than of syringly nucleus.