In this study, we were performed to elucidate the antioxidant and anticancer activity by leaves extracts from Acer tegmentosum (AT-L). In DPPH, ABTS radical scavenging activity, the AT-L revealed the high scavenging activity. Especially, the AT-L measured the highest ABTS radical scavenging activity, which is higher than ascorbic acid. The types of human cancer cells for evaluating the anticancer activity were colorectal cancer (SW480), prostate cancer (PC-3), breast cancer (MCF-7), pancreatic cancer (AsPC-1), lung cancer (A549) and liver cancer (HepG2). Human cancer cell viability was measured using MTT assay. Treatment of the AT-L decreased the cell viability and induced apoptosis in SW480 cells. These results suggest that extracts of the AT-L can be used as supplementary material for developing the natural antioxidant and anticancer drug for human cancer cells.

Isoflavone contents in soybean seeds are affected by both genetic and environmental factors. Correlation analysis between these factors and isoflavone contents are considered as valuable inputs when breeding improved soybean cultivars. In this study, the seeds of 49 soybean accessions grown in Korea were grouped as black, yellow, green, yellowish-green, pale yellow, and green with a black spot based on their seed coat colors. The contents of 12 isoflavones were analyzed and the association between isoflavone content and seed coat color was determined. The accessions were also grouped as early, intermediate, and late-maturing based on their days to maturity. Out of the 12 isoflavones, 11 were found in 2 accessions, 9 in 18 accessions, 8 in 11 accessions, 7 in another 11 accessions, and 6 in 7 accessions. The total isoflavone content (TIC) in black, yellow, green, yellowish-green, pale yellow, and green with black spot soybeans was in the ranges 2.110 ~ 5.777, 2.487 ~ 4.733, 2.185 ~ 4.413, 2.681 ~ 4.065, 1.827 ~ 4.085, and 3.376 ~ 4.133 mg/g, respectively. The average TIC was highest in green with black spot soybeans (3.616 mg/g), and lowest in pale yellow soybeans (2.875 mg/g). Besides, the average TIC was lowest in early maturing accessions compared to late- and intermediate-maturing accessions. TIC was strongly correlated to malonylgenistin (r = 0.91) and malonyldaidzin (r = 0.78) contents, and poorly correlated to glycitein (r = 0.04) and malonylglycitin (r = 0.18) contents. Also, days to maturity showed strong correlation with malonylgenistin (r = 0.47) content and TIC (r = 0.38). The principal component analysis outlined accessions with high TIC and diverse isoflavones along the first and second components, respectively. The results of the present study depicted that green soybeans with a black spot could be sources of high TIC. Furthermore, late-maturing accessions with diverse isoflavones in their seeds could be useful in future agricultural systems in Korea.

This study was designed to assess the possibility of using medicinal plant extracts as β-lactamase inhibitors to control antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The susceptibilities of S. aureus ATCC 15564 (SA^WT), ciprofloxacininduced S. aureus ATCC 15564 (SA^CIP), oxacillin-induced S. aureus ATCC 15564 (SA^OXA), and clinically-isolated S. aureus CCARM 3008 (SA^CLI) to ampicillin were determined in the absence and presence of medicinal plant extracts, including Cleyera japonica (CJ), Carpinus laxiflora (CL), Euphorbia helioscopia (EH), Euscaphis japonica (EJ), Oenothera erythrosepala (OE), and Rosa multiflora (RM). The phenotypic change in the clear inhibition zones around ampicillin disc was observed for SA^WT, SA^CIP, and SA^OXA, indicating the production of ampicillinase. Compared to the controls, the MICs of ampicillin against SA^WT, SA^CIP, and SA^OXA were decreased from 4 to 0.5 ㎍/mL in the presence of CL, 16 to 4 ㎍/mL in the presence of RM, and 32 to 2 ㎍/mL in the presence of CL, EH, and RM, respectively. The medicinal plant extracts, OE, EJ, and CL, effectively inhibited the β-lactamase activities of SA^WT (78%), SA^CIP (57%), and SA^OXA (76%) when compared to the control. This results suggest that the medicinal plant extracts can be used as BLIs to control the antibiotic-resistant S. aureus.

Chionanthus retusus has been used for landscaping and gardening trees, foods and medicines. This study was carried out to analyze the effect of fertilization on the growth performance of container seedlings (1-year-old) in C. retusus. We used multifeed 19 (MF) as a fertilizer, and measured the height, root collar diameter (RCD), biomass, seedling quality index (SQI) chlorophyll contents and chlorophyll fluorescence of the seedlings. The findings of this paper showed that the height, RCD, H/D ratio, T/R ratio and the fresh and dry weight of seedlings increased after fertilization. The moisture content of the stem and root did not show any significant difference among fertilizations, except in the case of the leaf. Production distribution such as the dry weight ratio of leaves and the stem dry weight ratio of fertilized seedlings had a higher value than that of non-treatment. SQI was the highest in MF 1,000 mg/L and 2,000 mg/L treatment. Chlorophyll contents (SPAD value) also increased with the increase in fertilization concentrations. Chlorophyll fluorescence (F_v/F_m) showed the highest value of 0.8 in MF 2,000 mg/L treatment.

Red ginseng marc (RGM) has been used on primary industries using fertilizer or forage, and it mostly has been dumped. To improve utilization of RGM, the biological activities of RGM were examined. RGM was extracted and fractionated using various solvents and their biological activities were compared. The hexane fraction from the methanol extract of RGM (RGMMH) showed strong anti-cancer activity (58.56 ± 6.04% at 100 ㎍/mL) and anti-inflammatory effect (65.72 ± 1.33% at 100 ㎍/mL). But, oil extract of RGM extracted with hexane (RGMH) showed low activities (anti-cancer: 16.42 ± 3.33%, at 100 ㎍/mL, anti-inflammatory activity: 29.46 ± 2.10%, at 100 ㎍/mL). Their metabolites were analyzed using HPLC. Panaxydol known as anti-cancer compound of RGM was one of major compounds in RGMMH. Meanwhile, panaxydol was detected in trace amount in red ginseng marc oil (RGMH). In addition, RGMMH and RGMH showed big differences in HPLC profiling. This research suggests optimal extraction method of RGM oil.

Chronological aging and photoaging affect appearance, causing wrinkles, pigmentation, texture changes, and loss of elasticity in the skin. Phragmites communis is a tall perennial herb used for its high nutritional value and for medicinal purposes, such as relief from fever and vomiting and facilitation of diuresis. In this study, we investigated the effects of ethanol extract of P. communis rhizome (PCE) on skin aging. The total flavonoid and total phenolic content in PCE were 2.92 ± 0.007 ㎍ of quercetin equivalents (QE) and 231.8 ± 0.001 ㎍ of gallic acid equivalents (GAE) per 100 mg of dried extract (n = 3). The half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of PCE for 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH) and hydrogen peroxide scavenging activities were 0.96 and 0.97 mg/mL, respectively. PCE showed inhibitory effects on tyrosinase when L-tyrosine (IC50 = 1.25 mg/mL) and L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (IC50 = 0.92 mg/mL) were used as substrates. PCE treatment up to 200 ㎍/mL for 24 h did not cause any significant cytotoxicity in B16F10 melanocytes, human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs), and HaCaT keratinocytes. In B16F10 melanocytes, PCE (25 and 50 ㎍ /mL) inhibited melanin production and cellular tyrosinase activity after challenge with α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH; p < 0.05). In HDFs, PCE suppressed the mRNA expression of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) and reduced the activity of elastase (p < 0.05). In addition, ultraviolet B (UVB)-mediated downregulation of hyaluronic acid synthase-2 gene expression in HaCaT keratinocytes was also effectively suppressed by PCE treatment. Overall, our results showed that PCE has potential anti-skin aging activity associated with the suppression of hyperpigmentation, wrinkle formation, and reduction in dryness. PCE is a promising candidate for the development of an anti-skin aging cosmetic ingredient.

Brassica rapa is one of the most valuable vegetable crops worldwide. Cultivated varieties of B. rapa exhibit diverse developmental and morphological appearances, which includes important vegetables, oilseeds, and fodder crops. In this study, various phenotypes of recombinant inbred lines (RILs) of B. rapa were investigated, including their responses to five different pathogenic Botrytis cinerea isolates, responses to aphid and thrips during flowering stages, days to flowering, and plant heights. Responses of 113 RILs to five different B. cinerea isolates showed variations, suggesting that genetic factors controlling resistance or tolerance against each isolate were dependent on isolate/genotype pairs. Correlation analysis was performed to understand the nature of genetic factors and the relationship among these phenotypes. Although high levels of correlation were not detected between phenotypes assessed in this study, statistically significant correlation was detected for several combinations. Significant positive correlations were found for different B. cinerea isolates, supporting that certain levels of commonality could exist in genetic components controlling resistance against different B. cinerea isolates. Based on correlation analysis using numbers of insects counted on plants, it was speculated that genetic factors responsible for aphid tolerance or repellence might be also involved in the response against thrips. Relationship between vegetative growth and tolerance against B. cinereal or insects is rather more complicated. However, it was observed that shorter plants appeared to have a certain level of tolerance or repellence against both aphids and thrips. Data presented in this study could be used to assist further genetic studies and breeding efforts to obtain Botritis and insect resistance for B. rapa.

High-quality and high-phytonutrient watermelon fruits have strong market opportunities besides their health related benefits. Hence, investigating quality and nutritional related traits of watermelon genetic resources could provide important baseline data in breeding for increased lycopene content thereby increasing the marketability of watermelon. To this end, we have examined some fruit morphological traits and lycopene content of 105 genetic resources. Seeds, originally obtained from 22+ countries, were obtained from the National Agrobiodiversity Center, Jeonju, South Korea, grown in an experimental field and harvested at a fully mature stage. The size of pistil scar (SPS), the width of stripes (WS), weight of fruit (WF), length of fruit (LF), width of fruit (WIF), the thickness of pericarp (TP), soluble solids content (SSC), fruit shape in longitudinal section, ground color of skin, the intensity of the green color of skin, fruit shape at the apical part, grooving distribution, conspicuousness of stripes, and main color of the flesh were recorded on the field and inside laboratory and the lycopene was measured using spectrophotometric and HPLC methods. Watermelon fruits have shown a diverse morphological characters. Red and pink fleshed fruits dominated in the entire collections. Fruits with higher thickness of rind were found to exhibit less soluble solid content (SSC). Korean origin fruits were characterized by intermediate SSC while the United States of America (USA), Russia (RUS), Tajikistan (TJK), Turkmenistan (TKM), Taiwan (TWN), and Uruguay (URY) originated fruits had the highest SSC. The lycopene content varied between 41.37 and 182.82 ㎍/g, 2.81 and 163.72 ㎍/g, and 3.54 and 255.47 ㎍/g using HPLC, UV-Vis spectrophotometer, and microplate reader spectrophotometer, respectively. Red- and pink-fleshed fruits had the highest levels of lycopene content compared to the yellow- and orange-fleshed. Lycopene content had a significant positive correlation with SSC, however, no correlations were detected between lycopene and other quantitative fruit morphological characters. Our study demonstrated high diversity exists in fruit morphological traits and lycopene content of the germplasm collections which provide beneficial baseline data for a future breeding program and utilization of watermelon germplasm collections in gene banks for the maintenance and improvement of the current levels of production, marketability, and health-related benefit of watermelon fruits.

Lilium lancifolium (LL) is widely cultivated in East Asia and used to attenuate airway diseases. Our current study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effect of LL on pain level and inflammatory response in a rat model of monosodium iodoacetate (MIA)-induced osteoarthritis (OA). We first examined the effect of LL on inflammatory cytokines and inflammatory mediators in IL-1β-treated HTB-94 cells. The LL extract was found to significantly inhibit the levels of Interleukin-6 (IL-6), Interleukin-8 (IL-8), and prostaglandin-E2 (PGE-2) in Interleukin-1 β (IL-1β)-stimulated HTB-94 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, chronic oral administration of LL effectively restored the weight-bearing distribution in the rat model of MIA-induced OA. In addition, administration of LL inhibited inflammatory cytokines and inflammatory mediators, such as C-reactive protein (CRP), IL-6, leukotriene B4 (LTB-4), PGE-2, and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9). Our findings collectively suggested LL as one of the potential therapeutic agents for OA, owing to its properties of reducing pain and inflammatory responses.

The mechanism of anti-aging of fermented jujube (Zizyphus jujuba fruits (ZJF)) was investigated using transgenic daf-16 and mev-1 strains of C. elegans. Jujube extracts fermented for 7 days (F7-ZJF) and 14 days (F14-ZJF) with Laetiporus sulphureus were treated to a NGM agar plate with 10-15 transgenic daf-16 and mev-1 strains of the synchronized age. There was no difference of lifespan between the drug-treated group (7-day fermented ex. (F7-zjf-200 ㎍/mL), 14-day fermented ex. (F14-zjf-200 ㎍/mL)) and the non-treatment group in both daf-16 and mev-1 strains. In the thermal stress experiment, F7-zjf-200 ㎍/mL showed a significant (t = 4.017) activity in thermal stress resistance with a 12% higher survival rate than the control group. In the survival test in H2O2, F7-zjf-200 ㎍/mL and F14-zjf-100 ㎍/mL have significant activity in oxidative stress resistance compared to the control group. This study indicates that life span expand of N2 strain of the jujube extract is related to the regulation of daf-16 and inhibition of mev-1 signal in C. elegans.

The aim of this study was to investigate the comparative growth characteristics and ginenoside contents of wild-simulated ginseng on different years (7 and 13-year-old) by monitoring soil properties of cultivation regions. Plant and soil samples were collected from 6 different cultivation regions. Soil organic matter (OM), total nitrogen (TN) and cation exchangeable capacity (CEC) were significantly higher in 13-year-old wild-simulated ginseng cultivation regions compared to 7-year-old wild-simulated ginseng cultivation regions. Growth characteristics of wild-simulated ginseng had shown significantly higher in 13-year-old wild-simulated ginseng compared to 7-year-old wild-simulated ginseng. Ginsenoside G-Rb1, Rb2, Rc, Rd, Re, Rf, Rg1 were significantly higher in 13-year-old wild-simulated ginseng than 7-year-old wild-simulated ginseng. According to the results of correlation analysis, soil OM, TN and CEC of the cultivated regions were positively correlated with the growth of wild-simulated ginseng. In addition, the root length of wild-simulated ginseng showed positive correlation with ginsenoside content. Hence, this study was able to investigate the correlation between growth and ginsenoside content of wild-simulated ginseng based on soil characteristics of the cultivation regions.

Adenophorae Radix (AR) has been used as a traditional medicine for various diseases. However, the regulatory mechanisms of AR in allergic inflammation are not yet understood. The present study was conducted to investigate the effect and mechanisms of AR on the mast cell-mediated allergic response. To determine the pharmacological mechanisms of AR in allergic inflammation, we evaluated the effects of AR on the production of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β and IL-8 as well as the activation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and caspase-1 in phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate plus calcium ionophore A23187 (PMACI)-stimulated human mast cells (HMC-1). Our results demonstrated that AR effectively attenuated the PMACI-induced production of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β and IL-8 in stimulated HMC-1. Additionally, we showed that the inhibitory effect of AR on inflammatory cytokines in PMACI-stimulated HMC-1 cells involved the suppression of the activation NF-kB/caspase-1 in PMACI-stimulated HMC-1. Collectively, these findings provide experimental evidence that AR may be a useful candidate for the treatment of allergic inflammation.

Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.) is an economically important aquatic ornamental herb with multiple uses, including food, tea, natural pigments, and/or healthcare product. The objective of this study was to evaluate the physicochemical properties and antioxidant potential of lotus sprouts grown in three media: sprouting machine (LSSG), soil (LSSC), and mud (LSMC). The longest sprout was obtained in LSMC (4.79 and 26.79 cm) followed by LSSC (1.95 and 5.4 cm), and LSSG (0.60 and 2.85 cm) at 5 and 10 days, respectively. Higher amounts of total free amino acids were found in cotyledons (33.96, 21.45, and 38.90 mg/g) than in hypocotyls (15.77, 7.90, and 15.29 mg/g ) for LSSG, LSSC, and LSMC, respectively. The ratios of total essential to total non-essential amino acids were higher in hypocotyls (0.36, 0.31, and 0.46) than in cotyledons (0.34, 0.25, and 0.40), respectively. Similarly, the total polyphenol content of the hypocotyl of LSMC (50.33 ㎍ GAE/g) was the highest and that of the husk of LSSG (24.08 ㎍ GAE/g) was the lowest. Overall, the antioxidant potential of hypocotyl was higher than that of husk and cotyledon. The results indicated that the lotus sprouts grown in mud could be a good source of nutritional and natural antioxidants.

This study describes an efficient and stable droplet vitrification following cryopreservation of strawberry shoot tip (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) accessions 'Massey' and 'MDUS3816'. The shoot tips were precultured in Murashige and Skoog (MS) liquid medium supplemented with sucrose (0.3-0.7M). Precultured explants were osmoprotected with loading solution (LS, C4) containing 17.5% glycerol and 17.5% sucrose for 40 min and exposed to dehydration solution (B1) containing 50% glycerol and 50% sucrose for 40 min at 25oC. Subsequently, the explants were transferred onto droplets containing 2.5 µL PVS3 on sterilized aluminum foils (4 cm× 0.5 cm) prior to direct immersion in liquid nitrogen (LN) for 1 h. The highest regrowth rate (%) in both the cultivars was obtained when the shoot tips were precultured with 0.3M sucrose for 30 h + 0.5M sucrose for 16 h at 25oC. The cryopreserved shoots tips exhibited 57.8 % recovery rate by culturing in NH₄NO₃-free MS medium supplemented with 3% sucrose, 1.0 g/L casein, 1.0mg/L GA₃, and 0.5 mg/L BA for 5 weeks and in MS medium supplemented with 0.5 mg/L GA₃ for 8 weeks. Variation was not observed in both of ploidy analysis and morphological investigation on plantlets of two accessions cryopreserved under variable preculture conditions.

Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) is a dioecious plant, although monoecious plants are bred in some cultivars for fiber or seed production. Recently, hemp has received attention for medicinal use with some cannabinoids, including cannabidiol. Self-fertilization for breeding inbred lines is difficult because of dioeciousness and anemophily in hemp. This experiment was conducted to develop a self-fertilization method by forming female flowers and seeds from male plants of dioecious hemp. To induce the formation of female flowers on male plants, 500 mg L^-1 of ethephon was sprayed on plants at soon, seven and fourteen days after primordia formation. The plant ratio of female flowers formation and the number of harvested seeds were increased by ethephon treatment. Female flowers of male plants have 5 stigmas in contrast to the dual stigma of female 1plants. Male plant seeds were lighter and smaller than those from female plants. Although the germination rate was lower than that of normal seeds from female plants, the seeds from male plants germinated to grow seedlings. Thus, we suggest that hemp plants should be treated with ethephon at soon after primordia formation to induce the formation of more female flowers on the male plants.

This study was conducted to improve and supplement the system of cryopreservation for adventitious bulbs induced by tissue cultured bulb-scales of lily (Lilium spp.) cvs. 'Milky way'. The explants, bulblets and bulb-scale-bulblets, were treated to low temperature (4℃) for 7 days prior to the pre-culture. The adventitious bulbs were pre-cultured in Murashige and Skoog (MS) liquid medium supplemented with sucrose (0.3 and 0.7M). The pre-cultured adventitious bulbs were treated to loading solution (LS1 or LS2, C4 or C6) containing 35% of PVS3 (LS1, C4) or 40% of PVS3 (LS2, C6) for 40 min and exposed to dehydration solution (PVS3, B1) containing 50% glycerol and 50% sucrose for 60 min at 25℃. The adventitious bulbs were moved onto droplets containing 3 µl PVS3 on sterilized aluminum foils, and then soaked into liquid nitrogen (LN) for 60 min. The result of highest regrowth rate as 65.7% was obtained in cold treatment (4℃), osmoprotected with LS1 solution, and cultured in PCM3 medium by using bulb-scale-bulblet for cryopreservation. This result shows that droplet-vitrification could be used as a promising method for long-term storage of lily genetic resource.

Cordyceps has been used in traditional Chinese medicine more than 2000 year ago. In this study, the new Cordyceps militaris was founded and isolated from O-dae mountain in Korea, and was identified its genetic characteristics. The newly isolation strain HB8 was most closet to Cordyceps militaris W141449 (99.82%), Cordyceps militaris JLCY-LI819 (99.82%) and Cordyceps militaris 4642 (99.81%), respectively. the genotypic result was show that train HB8 was belonging to the Cordyceps militaris genus, therefore, Cordycep militaris HB8 proposed with accession number MT835161. This study we find the optimal condition for production of cordycepin from Cordyceps militaris HB8 was 8 mg/g (200 g of pupa, 1 g of KH₂PO₄, 0.5 g of K₂HPO₄, 20 g of glucose, 1 g of MgSO₄, 0.05 g of vitamin B1, and 1 mg of NAA per liter; light condition 300-700 Lux and day/night was 14 h/10 h) and the optimum condition for the production of adenosine was 2.6 mg/g (15 g of skim milk powder, 1 g of KH₂PO₄, 0.5 g of K₂HPO₄, 20 g of glucose, 1 g of MgSO₄, 0.05 g of vitamin B1, and 1 mg of NAA per liter; light condition 300-700 Lux and day/night was 14 h/10 h).