• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.14 no.12
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• pp.1129-1139
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• 2005

A series of experiments was conducted to identify the potential of five phytoplankton species as standard test species for marine ecotoxicological tests. The candidate phytoplankton species are Skeletonema costatum, Heterosigma akashiwo, Prorocentrum micans, Isochrysis galbana, and Tetraselmis suecica. Salinity tolerance and sensitivity on potassium dichromate as a reference material were identified. Toxicity of eleven ocean dumped sewage sludges and four red tide expellent extracts were estimated by the inhibition of population growth rates (PGR) of marine diatom S. costatum, While most species revealed relatively weak tolerance on salinity, T. suecica demonstrated the highest salinity tolerance ranged from $5\~35$ psu and the others $15\~35$ psu. H. akashiwo revealed the highest sensitivity as 72h $IC_{50}$=0.76mg/L and T. suecica the lowest as 72h $IC_{50}$=8.89mg/L on potassium dichromate. Sludge extracts from industrial waste, domestic sewage and livestock farm waste sludge showed high toxicity as 72h $IC_{50}$<$2\%$ and lowest toxicity from filtration bed sludge as 72h $IC_{50}$=$30.50\%$ NOEC (No Observed Effective Concentration) of sludge extract ranged from <$0.4\%$ to $1.6\%$ and this indicated high phytotoxicity of ocean dumped sewage sludge. The test sensitivity of phytoplankton PGR inhibition was much higher than those of marine rotifer Brachionus plicatilis mortality test and bioluminescent inhibition test by marine bacteria Vibrio fischeri, and comparable with the sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus intermedius) fertilization test. As a result the phytotoxicity test using phytoplankton PGR inhibition ($IC_{50}$) must be a useful tool for marine phyto-toxicological evaluation of ocean dumped materials.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.114-117
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• 2002

During the screening of inhibitors of caspase-3 induction in U937 human monocytic leukemia cells from natural sources, Forsythiae fructus, which showed a high level of inhibition, was selected. And then, the compound was purified from the methanol extract using silica gel column chromatography and HPLC. The inhibitor was identified as rengyolone, by spectroscophic methods of ESI-MS, $^1H-NMR$, $^{13}C-NMR$, DEPT, and HMBC. Rengyolone showed inhibitory activity of caspase-3 induction, a major protease of apoptosis cascade, with an $IC_{50}$ value of $6.25\;{\mu}g/mL$ after 7 h of treatment in U937 cells. It also showed inhibitory activity of caspace-1 induction, with an $IC_{50}$ value of $7.50\;{\mu}g/mL$ after 40 h of treatment in D10S cells. In addition, it showed protective effect against cell death with an $IC_{50}$ value of $11\;{\mu}g/mL$ on U937 cells induced by etoposide after 24 h of treatment, but did not show any cytotoxicity at the same condition without etoposide, a caspase 3 inducing agent.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.130-136
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• 2012

In the present work, we have collected 19 species of macroalgae (9 Phaeophta and 10 Rhodophyta) f rom all around of Korea: Dictyopteris divaricata, D. prolifera, Myelophycus cavus, Papenfussiella kuromo, Petalonia zosterifolia, Petrospongium rugosum, Rugulopteryx okamurae, Sargassum fulvellum, S. muticum, Callophyllis japonica, Gloiopeltis tenax, Gracilaria longissima, Gracilaria vermiculophylla, Grateloupia asiatica, Grateloupia lanceolata, Grateloupia sparsa, Grateloupia turuturu, Grateloupia sp, and Polyopes affinis. The macroalgal species were extracted by 70% ethanol (EtOH) for 24 h and evaluated its inhibitory effects on ${\alpha}$-glucosidase. Among ethanol extracts, Myelophycus cavus showed the most effectively inhibitory activity ($IC_{50}$, 2.17 ${\mu}g/ml$) against ${\alpha}$-glucosidase, followed by Sargassum fulvellum (<$IC_{50}$, 8.13 ${\mu}g/ml$), Dictyopteris prolifera ($IC_{50}$, 16.66 ${\mu}g/ml$), Rugulopteryx okamurae ($IC_{50}$, 50.63 ${\mu}g/ml$), and Petrospongium rugosum ($IC_{50}$, 101.62 ${\mu}g/ml$). Furthermore, MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assay showed no cytotoxicity on mouse pre-adipocytes cell line (3T3-L1). These results suggest that some edible macroalgae merit further evaluation for clinical usefulness as anti-diabetic functional foods.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.417-421
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• 1994

To detect naturally occurring antioxidative components from unused marine resources, the screening test for the antioxidants containing in starfish, ascidian skin, cuttlefish ink, echinoid skin, Sargassum horneri, Agarum cribrosum, Odonthalia corymbifera and Desmarestia ligulata was carried out. The ether, acetone and methanol fractions successively extracted from Odonthalia corymbifera were very effective on prevention of the nonenzymatic lipid oxidation and their $IC_{50}$, (a concentration to inhibit 50% of control lipid oxidation rate) were $30,\;100\;and\;200{\mu}g/ml$, respectively. The water and methanol extracts obtained from cuttlefish ink also revealed strong antioxidant effect and their $IC_{50}$, were $390,\;100{\mu}g/ml$, respectively.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.169-177
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• 2013

We investigated the effect of extracts($50{\mu}g/mL$) from 31 folk plants in Ulleung Island on nitric oxide(NO) production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. Actinidia arguta(leaf, twig), Hovenia dulcis(leaf), Camellia japonica(leaf, twig), Sambucus sieboldiana var. pendula(leaf, twig) and Fallopia sachalinensis(root) showed significant NO inhibition activity(42%~88% NO inhibition rate). Of them, we selected 3 samples(A. arguta, H. dulcis and C. japonica) showing more than 50% NO inhibition activity and little effect on cell viability. We found that the extracts suppressed the NO and prostaglandin $E_2(PGE_2)$ produced by LPS-activated RAW264.7 cells in dose-dependent manners.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.183-190
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• 2000

Medicinal plants with synergistic effects on growth inhibition of canter cells under oxidative stress were screened in this study. Methanol extracts from 51 natural medicinal plants which were reported to have anticancer effort on hepatoma stomach cancer or colon cancers which are frequently found in Korean, were prepared and screened for their synergistic activity on growth inhibition of cancer cells under chemically-induced oxidative stress by using MTT assay. Twenty seven samples showed synergistic activity on the growth inhibition in various extent under chemically-induced oxidative stress. Among those samples, eleven samples such as Melia azedarach, Agastache rugosa, Catalpa ovata, Prunus persica, Sinomenium acutum Pulsatilla koreana, Oldenlandia diffusa, Anthriscus sylvestris, Schizandra chinensis, Gieditsia sinensis, Cridium officinale, showed decrease in $IC_{50}$ values more than 50%, other 16 samples showed decrease in $IC_{50}$ values between 50-25%, compared with the value acquired when medicinal plant sample was used alone. Among those 11 samples, extract of Catalpa ovata showed the highest activity. $IC_{50}$ values were decrease to 61% and 28% when carcinoma cells were treated with Catalpa ovata extract in combination of 75 and 100 uM of hydrogen peroxide, respectively.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.345-349
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• 1999

Five compounds were isolated from the BuOH fraction of Polygonum bistorta (Polygonaceae). On the basis of spectral data, these compounds were established as caffeic acid, quercimeritrin, avicularin, gallic acid and protocatechuic acid. The inhibitory activies on $3{\alpha}-hydroxysteroid$ dehydrogenase $(3\;{\alpha}-HSD)$ of isolated compounds were compared. $IC_{50}$ value of isolated compounds were $133.57\;{\mu}g/ml\;(caffeic\;acid)$, $89.1\;{\mu}g/ml\;(quercimeritrin)$, $189.85\;{\mu}g/ml\;(avicularin)$, $140.69\;{\mu}g/ml\;(gallic\;acid)$ and $165.27\;{\mu}g/ml\;(protocatechuic\;acid)$ respectively. Although all compounds showed lower inhibition activities than BuOH fraction $(IC_{50}<50\;{\mu}g/ml)$ of Polygonum bistorta, it showed higher inhibition activities than aspirin $(IC_{50}\;246.81\;{\mu}g/ml)$.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.309-312
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• 1999

In searching for potent cancer chemopreventive agents from synthetic or natural products, 28 randomly selected flavonoids were screened for inhibitory effects against partially purified aromatase prepared form human placenta. Over 50% of the flavonoids significantly inhibited aromatase activity, with greatest activity being demonstrated with apigenin $(IC_{50}: 0.9{\mu}/mL)$, chrysin $(IC_{50}: 1.1{\mu}/mL)$ , and hesperetin $(IC_{50}:1.0{\mu}/mL)$.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.456-461
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• 1997

Tyrosinase is known to accelerate the melanin polymer biosynthesis in melanocyte, so tyrosinase inhibitors hinder the melanin polymer biosynthesis and are useful not only for th e material used in cosmetics as skin-whitening agents but also as the remedy for disturbances in pigmentation. During our search for new melanin biosynthesis inhibitors from natural sources, 130 higher plants were tested for the inhibitory effect against tyrosinase activity by the mushroom tyrosinase assay. Among them, Carex humilis ($IC_{50}$, 10vg/ml), Sophora flavescence ($IC_{50},\;20{\sim}50{mu}g/ml$) and Styrax japonica ($IC_{50},\;10{\mu}g/ml$) inhibited the tyrosinase activity strongly.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.97-103
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• 1999

The enzyme steroid $5{\alpha}-reductase$ is responsible for the conversion of testosterone into the most potent androgen dihydrotestosterone (DHT). In man, this steroid acts on a variety of androgen-responsive target tissues to mediate such diverse endocrine processes as male sexual differentiation in the fetus and prostatic growth in men. Androgen levels in the prostate may influence carcinogenesis in this organ. The use of a $5{\alpha}-reductase$ inhibitor, finasteride, in the chemoprevention of prostate cancer is being evaluated in a clinical trial and have been used successfully for treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia. Therefore, for the discovery of $5{\alpha}-reductase$ type 2 inhibitors, we have evaluated the inhibitory effects of solvent fractionated extracts of natural products on $5{\alpha}-reductase$ type 2 activity. We have tested approximately 80 kinds of natural products after partition into n-hexane, ethyl acetate and aqueous layers from 100% methanol extracts of plants. The ethyl acetate fractions of Perilla sikokiana $(seed,\;IC_{50}\;:\;6.2\;ug/ml)$, Sophora flavescens $(root,\;IC_{50}\;:\;8.9\;ug/ml)$, and Angelica tenuissima $(root,\;IC_{50}\;:\;11.7\;ug/ml)$ revealed inhibitory effects on $5{\alpha}-reductase$ 2 activity in LNCaP cells. The effective ethyl acetate fractions of Perilla sikokiana, Sophora flavescens, Hydnocarpus anthelmintica, and Angelica tenuissima were subfractionated by column chromatography and tested. The subfractions $F4\;(IC_{50}\;:\;1.1\;ug/ml),\;F5\;(IC_{50}\;:\;2.0\;ug/ml),\;and\;F6\;(IC_{50}\;:\;5.8\;ug/ml)$ of the ethyl acetate fraction of Perilla sikokiana and the subfraction $F8\;(IC_{50}\;:\;5.3\;ug/ml)$ of the ethyl acetate fraction of Sophora flavescens displayed greater inhibition of $5{\alpha}-reductase$ type 2 than did finasteride in LNCaP cells. These active fractions are under the process of further sequential fractionation to find the effective pure compounds against $5{\alpha}-reductase$ 2 activity.