• Food Science and Biotechnology
• /
• v.15 no.3
• /
• pp.437-440
• /
• 2006

To explore the possible usefulness of ${\beta}$-glucans as natural antioxidants, the antioxidant profiles of ${\beta}$-glucan, extracted from Saccharomyces cerevisiae KCTC 7911, and water soluble and insoluble mutant ${\beta}$-glucan, isolated from yeast mutant S. cerevisiae IS2, were examined by five different in vitro evaluation methods: lipid peroxidation value (POV), nitric oxide (NO), 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical, reducing power, and ${\beta}$-carotene diffusion assay. The antioxidant activities of all ${\beta}$-glucans evaluated in POV test were comparable to or better than that of the known antioxidant, vitamin C. Remarkably, the ${\beta}$-glucan and water insoluble mutant ${\beta}$-glucan possessed 2.5-fold more potent activity than vitamin C at a dosage of 2 mg. Although vitamin C showed 100-fold greater activity than all ${\beta}$-glucans in NO and DPPH tests for measuring the radical scavenging capacity, all ${\beta}$-glucans revealed higher radical scavenging activity than the known radical scavenger, N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), in DPPH test. The water insoluble mutant ${\beta}$-glucan had 2.6- and 5-fold greater antioxidative activity than water soluble ${\beta}$-glucan in NO and DPPH tests, respectively, showing that all ${\beta}$-glucans were able to scavenge radicals such as NO or DPPH. While all ${\beta}$-glucans revealed lower antioxidant profiles than vitamin C in both reducing power activity and ${\beta}$-carotene agar diffusion assay, the ${\beta}$-glucan and water insoluble mutant ${\beta}$-glucan did show a marginal reducing power activity as well as a considerable ${\beta}$-carotene agar diffusion activity. These results confirmed the potential usefulness of these ${\beta}$-glucans as natural antioxidants.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
• /
• v.21 no.1
• /
• pp.199-203
• /
• 2007

Dental caries is a major worldwide oral disease problem. Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) plays an important role in the information of dental plaque and it is being noticed as major causative bacteria of dental caries. Therefore, the development of more effective, substantial and safe preventive agents against dental caries is strongly required. In the present study, inhibitory effects of the ethanol extract of the husk of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) on the growth, acid production, adhesion and water-insoluble glucan synthesis of Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) were examined. The ethanol extract of pomegranate husk (250 - 4000 ${\mu}$g/ml) significantly lowered the growth of S. mutans in a dose dependent manner. The acid production of S. mutans were inhibited by the presence of ethanol extract of pomegranate husk (500 - 4000 ${\mu}$g/ml) significantly. The ethanol extract of pomegranate husk (5000 - 4000 ${\mu}$g/ml) also significantly lowered the adherence of S. mutans. In water-insoluble glucan synthesis assay, 1000 - 4000 ${\mu}$g/ml of the ethanol extract of pomegranate husk significantly inhibited the formation of water-insoluble glucan. These results suggest that pomegranate husk may inhibit the caries-inducing properties of S. mutans. Further studies are necessary to clarify the active constituents of pomegranate husk responsible for such biomolecular activities.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
• /
• v.24 no.5
• /
• pp.854-858
• /
• 2010

Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) plays an important role in the information of dental plaque and it is being noticed as major causative bacteria of dental caries. In the present study, inhibitory effects of the ethanol extract of Dianthus superbus Linne (D. superbus) on the growth, acid production, adhesion and water-insoluble glucan synthesis of S. mutans were examined. The ethanol extract of D. superbus (0.5 - 4 mg/ml) significantly lowered the growth of S. mutans in a dose dependent manner. The acid production of S. mutans were inhibited by the presence of ethanol extract of D. superbus(1 - 4 mg/ml) significantly. The ethanol extract of D. superbus (0.25 - 4 mg/ml) also significantly lowered the adherence of S. mutans in a dose dependent manner. In water-insoluble glucan synthesis assay, 0.25 - 4 mg/ml of the ethanol extract of D. superbus significantly inhibited the formation of water-insoluble glucan. These results suggest that D. superbus may inhibit the caries-inducing properties of S. mutans. Further studies are necessary to clarify the active constituents of D. superbus responsible for such biomolecular activities.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
• /
• v.19 no.5
• /
• pp.1195-1199
• /
• 2005

In the present study, Inhibitory effects of the ethanol extract of Saussurea lappa (S. lappa) on the growth, acid production, adhesion and water-insoluble glucan synthesis of Streptouccus mutans (S. mutans) were examined. The growth and acid production of S. mutans were Inhibited by the presence of ethanol extract of S. lappa (0.5-4 mg/ml) significantly. The ethanol extract of S. lappa (0.25-4 mg/ml) also significantly lowered the adherence of S. mutans in a dose dependent manner. In water-insoluble glucan synthesis assay, 2-4 mg/ml of the ethanol extract of S. lappa significantly inhibited the formation of water-insoluble glucan. These results suggest that S. lappa may inhibit the caries-inducing properties of S. mutans. Further studies are necessary to clarify the active constituents of S. lappa responsible for such biomolecular activities.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
• /
• v.10 no.6
• /
• pp.546-551
• /
• 2005

[ ${\beta}-1,3-Glucan$ ] (curdlan) is a water-insoluble polysaccharide composed exclusively of ${\beta}-1,3\;linked$ glucose residues. Extracellular curdlan was mostly synthesized by Agrobacterium species and Alcaligenes faecalis under nitrogen-limiting conditions. In this study, we screened the microorganisms capable of producing extracellular curdlan from soil samples. For the first time, we reported Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus sp. SNC 107 capable of producing extracellular curdlan in appreciable amounts. The effect of different carbon sources on curdlan production was studied and found that the yield of curdlan was more when glucose was used as carbon source. It was also found that maximum production was achieved when the initial concentration of ammonium and phosphate in the medium was 0.5 and 1.9 g/L respectively. In this study the curdlan production was increased from 3 to 7g/L in shake flask cultures.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
• /
• v.46 no.6
• /
• pp.459-465
• /
• 2002

$\beta$-l, 3-glucans are well known to enhance the immune reactions, resulting in antitumor, antibacterial, antiviral, anticoagulatory and wound healing activities. $\beta$-1, 3-glucans have various activities depending on molecular weight, degree of branching, conformation, water-solubility and intermolecular association. However, the $\beta$-1, 3-glucans linked backbone structure is essential and $\beta$-D-glucopyranosyl units are required for immunopotentiating activities. In this study, we tested the immunophamacological activities of insoluble $\beta$-1, 3-glucan from Agrobacterium sp. R259 KCTC 10197BP and confirmed the following activities: (1) IFN-${\gamma}$ production in PBMCs in the presence or in the absence of PHA, LPS, IL-18, and IL-12; (2) the induction of various cytokines in the spleen and thymus; (3) the adjuvant effect on the antibody production; (4) the cytotoxic and antitumor effects on cell lines and ICR mice. These results strongly suggest that $\beta$-1, 3-glucan from Agrobacterium sp. R259 KCTC 10197BP possesses various immunopharmacologica1 activities.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
• /
• v.35 no.4
• /
• pp.610-616
• /
• 2003

Five oats and 17 barley cultivars were ground, sieved (105, 210, 300, 425, 600 ${\mu}m$) and we have analyzed the ${\beta}-glucan$ contents to obtain grain fractions. The milling yields ranged $65.1{\sim}89.7%$ for barley and $53.4{\sim}73.5%$ for oat cultivars. Total ${\beta}-glucan$ contents of barley and oats become higher than those of the flour increasing the particle size. The soluble and insoluble ${\beta}-glucan$ contents of them were especially higher in medium and coarse particle size fractions. The contents of total, soluble and insoluble ${\beta}-glucan$ of barley were 1.5, 1.7 and 2.0 times higher than the whole flour before sieving and these content of oats were 2.1, 1.6 and 2.0 times, respectively. In this study, larger particle size would enrich the ${\beta}-glucan$ and it is desirable to consider the best particle size range to enrich the ${\beta}-glucan$ level, the water-solubility of the ${\beta}-glucan$ as well as cereal varieties.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.27 no.4
• /
• pp.430-435
• /
• 1989

Dextranase and glucose-osidase was investigated as an anti-plaque agent and a component of dentifrice. In vitro synthesis of the water-insoluble glucan was decreased with increasing amount of dextranase and glucose-oxidase. Dextranase was effective on the decrease of viable S. mutans, and the formation of plaque decreased. But it is not effective on the degradatio of plaque. As a research for addition of enzyme to the dentifrice components, we formulated the Model Dentifrice for stabilization of enzyme. At the Model Dentifrice, we confirmed the stability of enzyme by evalution of activity for a long time.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
• /
• v.19 no.2
• /
• pp.370-374
• /
• 2005

Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) is known as the causative bacterial playing the most important role informing plaque and it is being noticed as major causative bacteria of dental caries. Therefore, development of more effective, substantial and safe preventive agent against dental caries and periodontal disease is honestly required. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of Cyperus rotundus (Cyperaceae) methanol extracts on the growth, acid production, adhesion, and insoluble glucan synthesis of S. mutans. The methanol extract of C. rotundus showed concentration dependent inhibitory activity against the growth and acid production of S. mutans, and produced significant inhibition at the concentration of 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 mg/ml compared to the control group. The extracts markedly inhibited S. mutans adherence to HA treated with saliva, and cell adherence was repressed by more than 50% at the concentration of 0.5 mg/ml and complete inhibition was observed at the concentration of 4 mg/ml. On the activity of glucosyltransferase which synthesizes water insoluble glucan from sucrose, methanol extract of C. rotundus showed more than 10% inhibition over the concentration of 2 mg/ml. Thus, the application of C. rotundus can be considered a useful and a practical method for the prevention of dental caries.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
• /
• v.21 no.3
• /
• pp.647-651
• /
• 2007

It has been well established that S. mutans is the major etiological agent in dental caries, one of the most common oral diseases worldwide. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of Saururus chinensis (S. chinensis) ethanol extracts on the growth, acid production, biofilm formation, adhesion, and insoluble glucan synthesis of S. mutans. The ethanol extracts of S. chinensis showed concentration dependent inhibitory activity against the growth and acid production of S. mutans, and produced significant inhibition at the concentration of 0.025, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.4 mg/ml compared to the control group. The extracts markedly inhibited S. mutans adherence to HA treated with saliva, and cell adherence was repressed by more than 80% at the concentration of 0.05 mg/ml and complete inhibition was observed at the concentration of 0.4 mg/ml. On the activity of glucosyltransferase which synthesizes water insoluble glucan form sucrose, ethanol extract of S. chinensis showed more than 10% inhibition over the concentration of 0.025 mg/ml. The synthesis of insoluble glucan was decreased in the presence of 0.025 ${\sim}$ 0.4 mg/ml of the ethanol extract of S. chinensis. Our research strongly suggested S. chinensis was a promising natural product for the prevention of dental caries.