Psoralen is used in the treatment of vitiligo and angelicin(isopsoralen) is a photosensitizing agent. A reversed-phase high performance chromatographic method was developed to determine the contents of psoralen and angelicin from Psoraleae Semen and processed Psoraleae Semen. The contents of psoralen and angelicin from Psoraleae Semen showed 0.39% and 0.34% respectively. Processing Psoraleae Semen showed that increased the contents of psoralen (0.52%) and angelicin (0.50%).

This study was carried out to evaluate glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity and hyaluronidase inhibitory effect of medicinal plants. The EtOH extracts of 20 species plants were tested. As the result, Acorus gramineus and Pueraria lobata exhibited GST activity. On the continuous experiment, the n-BuOH fraction of Acorus gramineus and the $H_2O$ fraction of Pueraria lobata showed the elevation of GST activity. On the experiment of hyaluronidase inhibitory effect, Acorus gramineus exhibited a potent inhibitory activity. These results suggest that the extract of Acorus gramineus can be applicable for the development of a new anti-inflammatory agent.

In order to find some lead compounds for the treatment of opportunistic infections of malaria and pathogenic microbes, an undescribed Indonesian sponge Agelas sp. collected at Manado, Indonesian Waters, was suggested containing active compounds. Crude ethanolic extract of the sponge exhibited significant in vitro antimalarial and antimicrobial activity against Plasmodium falciparum (D6 colne) with $IC_{5O}$ values of $8\;{\mu}/ml$ and against pathogenic microbes such as Candida albicans $(150\;{\mu}/ml)$, Cryptococcus neoformans $(<20\;{\mu}/ml)$, Staphylococcus aureus $25\;{\mu}/ml$, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus $(<20\;{\mu}/ml)$, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa $(<20\;{\mu}/ml)$. Active compound (5.0 mg) was isolated from the ethanolic extracts of the sponge and purified by using silica gel and ODS column, successively. Active compound was elucidated as dibromosceptrin $(C_{22}H_{24}Br_2N_{10}O_2)$ by detailed analysis of FTESI-MS and comparison of $^1H,\;^{13}C$, DEPT and HMQC NMR spectral data with those reported.

Repeated column chromatography of an ethyl acetate extract of the root bark of Albizzia julibrissin Durazz afforded four compounds, euscaphic acid ester glucoside (1), luteolin-7 -O-neohesperidoside (2), (+)-medioresinol (3), (-)-syringaresinol (4). Their structures were determined by chemical and spectroscopic methods. Compounds 1-4 were isolated from this plant for the first time. Among these compounds, (+)-medioresinol (3) exhibited moderate cytotoxic activity against XF 498 and HCT 15 cell line.

A highly potent antitumor sesquiterpene O-naphthoquionone has been isolated from Ulmus davidiana, which has been traditionally used as the folk medicine. The structure of this compound was established on the basis of spectral data obtained from UV, IR, MS, and NMR spectrometry, and determined as mansonone E. This compound showed potent antitumor activity on in vivo assay, hollow fiber and xenograft assay.

Effects of the EtOH extract from Pelvetia siliquosa on $CCl_4$-induced hepatotoxicity as well as streptozotocin-induced diabetes in rats were investigated. The EtOH extract was found to cause an inhibition of the rise in the transaminase activities in $CCl_4$-intoxicated rats. Also, the EtOH extract exhibited a rat lens aldose reductase inhibition in vitro and showed an inhibition of not only glucose concentrations but also sorbitol accumulations in the lenses, red blood cells and sciatic nerves in the STZ-induced diabetic rats in vivo. These results suggested that this plant might possess hepatoprotective and anti-diabetic activities.

산뽕나무의 생리활성 기능을 탐색하기 위하여 메탄올, 에탄올, 클로로포름, 80% 메탄올, 80% 에탄올 및 추출물을 조제하였고, 산뽕나무 뿌리의 80% 에탄올 추출물로부터 n-Hexane, $CHCl_3$, EtOAc. n-BuOH 및 water 분획물을 제조하였다. 얻어진 추출물과 분획물에 대하여 DPPH 자유라디칼 소거법에 의한 항산화성 효과와 UVB 및 UVA 영역에서의 자외선 흡수 효과를 검토하였다. 산뽕나무 추출물의 수소전자공여능$(IC_{50})$을 측정한 결과 추출물에서는 80% 메탄올 줄기 추출물, 80% 열매 추출물, 80% 뿌리 추출물, 80% 메탄올 및 추출물에서 높은 항산화 활성을 나타내었다. 자외선 차단효과에서는 80% 에탄올 뿌리 추출물 및 80% 메탄올 추출물에서 매우 높은 자외선 흡수력이 높게 측정되었다. 항산화 효과 및 자외선 차단효능이 탁월한 산뽕나무 뿌리의 80% 에탄올 추출물을 대상으로 용매 분획물을 제조하였다. 에틸아세테이트 분획물$(IC_{50}\;:\;15.0\;{\mu}g/ml)$이 가장 우수한 항산화 효과를 나타내었으며, 자외선 차단효과에서도 에틸아세테이트 분획물(E%cm: 223.4)이 자외선 B영역에서 매우 높은 흡수력을 나타내었다. 현재 산뽕나무 부리의 에틸아세테이트 분획물을 대상으로 활성물질의 분리 및 구조규명에 관한 연구를 진행중에 있다.

The Korean folk medicine 'Jin Hae Cho Ip' has been used as a remedy for neuralgia and as an invigorating drug after a childbirth, etc in Korea. With regard to the botanical origin of 'Jin Hae Cho Ip', several species of Potentilla (Rosaceae) has been refired, but no pharmacognostical study has yet been performed in this regard. To clarify the botanical origin of the 'Jin Hae Cho Ip', the morphological and anatomical characteristics of the leaflets and petioles of Potentilla and Sibbaldia species growing in Korea, such as P. chinensis, P. cryptotaeniae, P. dickinsii, P. discolor, P. fragarioides var. major, P. freyniana, P. kleiniana, P. matsumurae, P. paradoxa, and S. procumbens, were compared. As a result, it was found that 'Jin Hae Cho Ip' was composed of the leaves of P. Chinensis and P. discolor.

Chronical intake of alcohol can cause alcoholic fatty liver. Fatty liver is caused by fat infiltration: the state of high rate of fat in liver cells and by losing the balance between the synthesis and the secretion of fatty acid. It could be developed into liver necrosis and cirrhosis. Ka-Mi-Chung-Gan-Tang (KMCGT) is a decoction used for fatty liver as oriental medicines in China. The prescription is composed of Ginseng Radix, Bupleuri Radix, Scutellariae Radix, Pinelliae Tuber, Artemisiae capillaris Herba, Gardeniae Fructus, Zingiberis Rhizoma, Zizyphi Fructus and Glycyrrhizae Radix etc. We have induced alcoholic fatty liver by ethanol administration (6 g/kg, single dose/day, for a week) on rats and observed changes of triglyceride, cholesterol and lipid peroxidation in liver tissues of them. Also we checked the activities of GOT and GPT in blood of rats. KMCGT inhibited significantly the increase of triglyceride, cholesterol, lipid peroxidation level and effectively the increase of malondialdehyde (MDA).

Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase $A_2\;(Lp-PLA_2)$ is a potential biomarker of coronary heart disease and plays an important proinflammatory role in the progression of atherosclerosis. Also acyl-CoA: cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) and oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL) playa key role in atherosclerosis, respectively. And so, the inhibitory activities of the methanol extracts of 42 insect resources were examined on $Lp-PLA_2$, ACAT, and LDL oxidation for screening of anti-atherogenic substances. Among them, the methanol extracts of Eurydema rugosa significantly inhibited all of upper three activities. Several kinds of tested insects having high inhibitory effect with the methanol extracts were extracted with n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and acetone, and their inhibitory activities were tested.

The ameliorating effect of the MeOH extract of the root of Platycodon grandiflorum on the ethanol-induced cognitive dysfunction in mice was investigated. The total MeOH extract was devided into two fractions, saponin rich fraction and non-saponin fraction. The mice with repeated administration of the total MeOH extract and those with saponin rich fraction both showed a markedly prolongεd latency time upon the step-through test (passive avoidance performance) performed after acute ethanol intoxication, while those with non-saponin rich fraction did not. The results suggest that the extracts from the root of Platycodon grandiflorum exert a beneficial effect on ethanol-induced memory impairment in mice and also suggest that these effects of the extracts might be ascribed to the saponin constituents.

The effects of hesperetin and naringenin on $NF-{\kappa}B$ activation were investigated in normal rat kidney cells transformed by temperature sensitive Rous Sarcoma Virus (tsNRK). The flavonoids, naringenin and hesperetin, significantly reduced v-Src-induced $NF-{\kappa}B$ activation as well as phosphorylation of Akt and GSK-3 in tsNRK cells, whereas these compounds did not effect on platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-induced $NF-{\kappa}B$ activation in $NIH3T3{\gamma}l$ cells. In addition, the DNA binding activity of SP-I was also reduced but that of AP-1 was not affected by the compounds. Our study suggests that Src-induced $NF-{\kappa}B$ activation could occur via Akt-GSK-3 pathway without $IkB{\alpha}$ degradation and that naringenin and hesperetin could be used in the treatment of cancer through the inhibition of $NF-{\kappa}B$ activation.

Helicobacter pylori (H. pyroli) infection it associated with type B gastritis, peptic uler disease, and gastric cancer. The vacuolation of cells induced by H. pylori is thought to be essential for the initiation and maintenance of gastric infection. The roles of H. pylori cytotoxin, urease, and ammonia in the vacuolation of HeLa cells were determined. H. pylori toxin induced vacuolation of HeLa cells. Korean and Japanese radishes significantly prevented the vacuolation of HeLa cells induced by H. pylori toxin. The urease activity in vacuolated cells was also decreased with Korean and Japanese radishes. H. Pylori toxin-induced vacuolation was inhibited by vacuolar type ATPase inhibitors (bafilomycin and N-ethylmaleimide). However, further investigation is required to determine the mechanisms of radish for the inhibition of vacuole formation of eukaryotic cells in response to the H. pylori toxin.

Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris ssp pekinensis) is one of the most popular green vegetables in Cruciferae family, which consisted in many Korean food. All kinds of Chinese cabbage are used both fresh and cooked with certain varieties being more suitable than others for some uses. A unique dish, Kimchi, has been developed in Korea and elsewhere by fermenting Chinese cabbage and pickling it in salt solution. Though lots of beneficial effect of Kimchi on human health has been published before, it is still debatable and in vague on the active origin of the Kimchi or of the Chinese cabbage responsible for the corresponding biological activities. We have recently conducted photochemical investigation of the Chinese cabbage, which is the main ingredient of the Korean traditional food, Kimchi. The MeOH extract of Chinese cabbage was partitioned with ethylacetate and BuOH, successively. The ethyl acetate soluble part was subjected to column chromatography with silica gel and RP-18, which gave finally five minor components, i.e., ${\beta}-sitosterol$ (1), indole-3-acetonitrile (2), 4-methoxyindole-3-acetonitrile (3), methyl ferulate (4), glycerol 1-(9,12,15-octadecatrienoate) (5). The structures of them were established on the basis of spectral $(^1H-NMR,\;^{13}C-NMR)$ evidences.

Twelve constituents were isolated from the MeOH extract of the root of Brassica campestris L. ssp rapa. They were identified as linoleic acid methylester (1), palmitic acid (2), ${\beta}-sitosterol$ (3), 1-methoxyindole-3-acetonitrile (4), indole-3-acetonitrile (5), linolenic acid (6), goitrin (7),4-hydroxycinnamyl alcohol (8), coniferyl alcohol (9), p-coumaroylglucose (11) and feruloylglucose (12), on the basis of spectral data respectively.