• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.275-286
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• 2018

Purpose: Our previous study demonstrated that persimmon (Diospyros kaki Thumb.) at different stages of ripening provided different protective effects against high-fat/cholesterol diet (HFD)-induced dyslipidemia in rats. In this study, we compared the metabolites profile and gene expressions related to triglyceride (TG)/cholesterol metabolism in vitro and in vivo after treating with persimmon water extracts (PWE) or tannin-enriched persimmon concentrate (TEP). Methods: Primary and secondary metabolites in test materials were determined by GC-TOF/MS, UHPLC-LTQ-ESI-IT-MS/MS, and UPLC-Q-TOF-MS. The expression of genes related to TG and cholesterol metabolism were determined by RT-PCR both in HepG2 cells stimulated by oleic acid/palmitic acid and in liver tissues obtained from Wistar rats fed with HFD and PWE at 0, 150, 300, and 600 mg/d (experiment I) or TEP at 0, 7, 14, and 28 mg/d (experiment II) by oral gavage for 9 weeks. Results: PLS-DA analysis and heatmap analysis demonstrated significantly differential profiling of metabolites of PWE and TEP according to processing of persimmon powder. In vitro, TEP showed similar hypolipidemic effects as PWE, but significantly enhanced hypocholesterolemic effects compared to PWE in sterol regulatory element-binding protein 2 (SREBP2), HMG-CoA reductase (HMGCR), proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9), cholesterol $7{\alpha}-hydroxylase$ (CYP7A1), and low density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) gene expression. Consistently, TEP and PWE showed similar hypolipidemic capacity in vivo, but significantly enhanced hypocholesterolemic capacity in terms of SREBP2, HMGCR, and bile salt export pump (BSEP) gene expression. Conclusion: These results suggest that column extraction after hot water extraction may be a good strategy to enhance tannins and long-chain fatty acid amides, which might cause stimulation of hypocholesterolemic actions through downregulation of cholesterol biosynthesis gene expression and upregulation of LDL receptor gene expression.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.528-553
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• 2020

Upland fields are characterized by dry environments, a high degree of disturbance by farming practices such as double-cropping, and a high diversity of crops compared to other field types. This study focused on the floristic composition and characteristics of upland fields in South Korea. Flora surveys were conducted in 36 areas in nine provinces at two times (June and August) in 2015. The results showed that the vascular plants in the upland fields in South Korea included 532 taxa, containing 100 families, 322 genera, 483 species, nine subspecies, 37 varieties, one form, and two hybrids. Among the 100 families, Asteraceae was the most diverse in species (75 taxa), followed by Poaceae (68 taxa), Fabaceae (34 taxa), Polygonaceae (21 taxa), Rosaceae (19 taxa), and Liliaceae (17 taxa). Based on the occurrence frequency of each species, Acalypha australis L. (100%), and Artemisia indica Willd. (100%) were the highest, followed by Humulus scandens (Lour.) Merr., Rorippa palustris (L.) Besser, Conyza canadensis (L.) Cronquist, Erigeron annuus (L.) Pers., Lactuca indica L., Commelina communis L., Digitaria ciliaris (Retz.) Koeler, Echinochloa crus-galli(L.) P.Beauv., Cyperus microiria Steud., and Oxalis corniculata L. The biological type of upland fields in South Korea was determined to be Th-R₅-D₄-e type. Rare plants were found in 11 taxa: Taxus cuspidata Siebold & Zucc, Magnolia kobus DC, Clematis trichotoma Nakai, Aristolochina contorta Bunge, Buxus sinica (Rehder & E.H.Wilson) M.Cheng var. koreana (Nakai ex Rehder) Q.L.Wang, Melothria japonica (Thunb.) Maxim, Mitrasacme indica Wight, Lithospermum arvense L., Carpesium rosulatum Miq., Allium senescens L., and Pseudoraphis sordida (Thwaites) S.M.Phillips & S.L.Chen. Ninety-seven taxa contained naturalized plants composed of 24 families, 68 genera, 97 species, one variety, and one form. The urbanization and naturalization indices were 30.5% and 18.4%, respectively.