• Journal of Life Science
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.279-285
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• 2011

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the skin whitening effect of the extracts of 3 herbs, Ligularia fischeri, Solidago virga-aurea and Aruncus dioicus, which were collected from Ullung island. Tyrosinase inhibition activities were 33% in pre-fermented extracts and 45% in post-fermented ones. When tyrosinase activities in B16F10 murine melanoma cells were tested, activities in pre- and post-fermented extracts were 41 and 56.5%, respectively. Thus, the post-fermented extracts might have greater skin whitening effects. The protein expression of MITF, TRP-1, TRP-2, and tyrosinase, which are all skin-whitening related transcription factors, showed that both pre- and post-fermented herbs inhibited protein biosynthesis in B16F10 melanoma cells. Post-fermented herb extracts especially showed a greater decrease of protein expressions. The expression of MITF, a regulatory transcription factor, was also decreased by both extracts but was greater in the post-fermented ones. From the results, it can be concluded that the 3 herb extracts from Ullung island may inhibit melanin biosynthesis by the suppression of MITF activity in a signaling pathway. Results indicate that the post-fermented herbs tested in the present study had skin whitening activities and can be used as functional ingredients for food and cosmetic compositions.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.213-221
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• 2013

Bibimbab (mixed rice) is a traditional Korean one-dish meal. This study was carried out to investigate the anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects of raw and seasoned ingredients used in Bibimbab (Cucurbita moschata P., Platycodon grandiflorum A., Vigna radiata L., Porphyra yezonensis udea, Allium ampeloprasum L., Pterdium aguilinum, Raphanus sativus). Human mast cells (HMC-1) were pretreated with 70% ethanol extracts of Bibimbab and further cultured for an appropriate time after the addition of phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) and calcium ionophore A23187. Cell viability was determined by an MTT assay. None of the ingredients showed cytotoxic effects at a concentration of 1.0 ${\mu}g/ml$. Anti-inflammatory effects were analyzed at 0.01, 0.1, and 1.0 mg/ml concentrations of the raw, seasoned ingredients of PMA. A23187 stimulated HMC-1. Among the various ingredients, seasoned A. ampeloprasum L. extract showed the highest inhibition of TNF-${\alpha}$ and IL-6 secretion (90% and 93%, respectively) at a concentration of 1.0 mg/ml. The R. sativus extract showed the highest inhibition (85%) of IL-8 secretion. DPPH analysis of the antioxidation properties of the ingredients showed that raw and seasoned A. ampeloprasum extracts exhibited the highest DPPH free radical scavenging activity (67.50 and 73.65%, respectively). These results suggest that seasoned ingredients used in Bibimbab have lower anti-inflammatory effects in relation to TNF-${\alpha}$ and IL-6 secretion than raw ingredients in PMA- and A23187-treated HMC-1. In addition, the seasoned ingredients showed a tendency to increase antioxidative activity. Therefore, the ingredients used in Bibimbab have potential as anti-inflammatory and antioxidation agents.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.228-236
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• 2013

This study was aimed at investigating whether dietary therapy using medicinal enzyme powder is effective in reducing constipation caused by loperamide in rats. Nine-week-old male Sprague Dawley were subdivided into 4 groups: normal diet group (C), loperamide treatment and normal diet (CL), medicinal enzyme powder diet (E), and loperamide treatment and medicinal enzyme powder diet (EL). Constipation was induced by subcutaneous injection of loperamide (1.5 mg/kg) 3 days prior to sacrifice. The treatment with loperamide led to an increase in weight gain, a decrease in the number and wet weight of fecal pellets, and a decrease in intestinal motility. The administration of the medicinal enzyme powder significantly reduced weight gain but increased intestinal mobility compared with the loperamide-treated group. The treatment with loperamide in the normal diet group reduced the activities of both suggesting that constipation may be involved in the low level of glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT) and glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT). Additionally, the loperamide treatment in the medicinal enzyme powder diet group increased the level of GOT, but reduced the level of GPT. Loperamide treatment also reduced cholesterol and increased the atherogenic index (AI) and cardiac risk factors (CRFs). Interestingly, the treatment with the medicinal enzyme powder effectively attenuated both the increase in AI and the reduction in high density lipopretein (HDL)-cholesterol, caused by the treatment with loperamide. Although there were no significant differences in the blood protein level, including hemoglobin and hematocrit, between the normal diet group and the loperamide-treated group, the administration of the medicinal enzyme powder to the loperamide-treated group effectively increased the levels of both hemoglobin and hematocrit. Collectively, the results demonstrate that the medicinal enzyme powder can help to combat the negative events caused by constipation.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.23 no.11
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• pp.1397-1403
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• 2013

Fructus Sophorae, the dried ripe fruit of Styphnolobium japonicum (L.), is an herbal ingredient used in traditional Oriental medicine. This study was carried out to investigate the effects of Fructus Sophorae extracts (FSE) on immune modulation in a murine RAW 264.7 macrophage model. As immune response parameters, the production of prostaglandin $E_2$ ($PGE_2$) and tumor necrotic $factor-{\alpha}$ ($TNF-{\alpha}$) were evaluated. Our data revealed that FSE increased the macrophage activation and the production of $PGE_2$ and $TNF-{\alpha}$, which was consistently correlated with upregulation of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and $TNF-{\alpha}$ expression at both transcriptional and translational levels. On comparative cytokine protein array, FSE significantly increased several cytokines, which was associated with phosphorylation of mitogen- activated protein kinases (MAPKs), including extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), p38 MAPK and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and Akt in RAW 264.7 cells. However, each inhibitor of these molecules attenuated the FSE-induced $PGE_2$ production. These results indicate that FSE activated macrophages through the activation of MAPKs and phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling pathways in RAW 264.7 macrophages. These findings suggest that FSE may provide a promising source of an immunoenhancing agent.

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.309-320
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• 2008

This study was conducted to determine the effects of different types of hilly pasture grazing on growth and meat quality in organic Korean black goats, and to obtain basic data for the production of organic goats. A total of 40 goats with similar age and BW were equally allocated to four dietary treatments in a randomized complete block design. Dietary treatments included grazing types of four different hilly pastures; T1: forages types, T2: organic forages types, T3: native plants types, and T4: browse types, respectively. The trial lasted for 174 days from 15th of May to 5th of November, 2007 in Livestock Genetic Resources Experiment Station, National Institute of Animal Sciences. At the end of trial, all animals were slaughtered to analyze carcass characteristics and meat quality. Average daily gain was significantly (p<0.05) higher for T1 treatments than for others. Dressing percentage was significantly (p<0.05) higher for T1 and T2 than for T3 and T4 treatments. Meat percentage of T1 treatments was significantly (p<0.05) higher than those of other treatments. For meat properties, crude fat content was highest in T3 treatments. Linoleate (18:2n6) and linolenate (18:3n3) contents tended to be higher in T1 than those of other treatments, while arachidonate (20:4n6) content tended to be higher in T3 and T4 than that of other treatments. Shear force was lower (p<0.05) for T3 than other treatments. For sensory results, juiciness and tenderness tended to be greater (p<0.05) in T2 and T3, and flavour tended to be greater (p<0.05) in T3 and T4. The results indicated that grazing in hilly pastures for organic Korean black goats was somewhat less in their performances and carcass characteristics, but not behind in the meat quality and physical characteristics as compared with the conventional regimen. Therefore, it would be expected that goats grazing in hilly pastures made it possible to produce organic animal products with a high safety and also might lead to increase of breeders income and consumers satisfaction.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.449-455
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• 2010

'Moulinrouge' was selected as the best regenerating cultivar among 18 different spray-type chrysanthemum cultivars bred in the Gyeongnam Flowers Breeding Research Institute. When the leaf explants from standard- and spray-type chrysanthemum 'Jinba' and 'Moulinrouge' were incubated on MS basal medium supplemented with $0.5mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$ BA and $1.0mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$ NAA, both 'Jinba' and 'Moulinrouge' induced adventitious shoots that can be regenerated into plantlets. Based on these regeneration conditions, we developed an efficient $Agrobacterium$-mediated chrysanthemum 'Moulinrouge' transformation method by using sequential selection of shoots from low ($10mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$) to high ($30mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$) concentrations of kanamycin after co-cultivation of leaf explants with $Agrobacterium$ for 10 days and induction of shoots. All kanamycin resistant plants investigated with genomic PCR analysis carried the report gene, $AtSICKLE$, in their genome. Although expression levels of the report gene in the transgenic plants investigated with RT-PCR were relatively low because of inefficiency of CaMV 35S promoter in chrysanthemum, transgenic lines expressing $AtSICKLE$ efficiently showed leaf epinasty phenotype. We expect that our results will provide a useful method that can perform a high-throughput investigation of genes isolated and studied well in model plants for molecular breeding of chrysanthemum.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.423-428
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• 2010

The quality change of musk melons, divided into ripened (90 days) and over-ripened (92 days) set by the formal day maturing melons, was investigated during marketing period at both 10 and $25^{\circ}C$. The rate of weight loss was increased in all samples as the storage period passed and greater in ripened melons than over-ripened melon. The hardness decreased in both well and over-ripened melon as the storage period passed. Furthermore, changes in hardness were prevented in fruit stored at $10^{\circ}C$ compared to fruit stored at $25^{\circ}C$. Immediately after harvest, the solid solubility of over-ripened melon was 14.6%, while that of ripened fruit was 12.8%. The respiration rate of both well and over-ripened melon increased temporarily when stored at $25^{\circ}C$, which is characteristic of climacteric fruits during the first day of storage; however, no change in respiration rate was observed in fruit stored at $10^{\circ}C$. When sensory evaluation was conducted, there were no differences observed in flavor and taste among samples. However, with the exception of over-ripened melon, the texture of all samples increased significantly with storage time when melon was stored at $25^{\circ}C$. The score of overall acceptability remained high for 12 days in both well and over-ripened melon, while that of ripened melon stored at $10^{\circ}C$ and over-ripened melon stored $25^{\circ}C$ remained high for 7 and 5 days, respectively (p<0.05).

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.56-64
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• 2013

Recent unusual weather due to global warming causes shortage of daily sunlight and constitutes one of the primary reasons for agricultural damages. LED light sources are frequently utilized to compensate for the shortage of sunlight in greenhouse agriculture. The present study is aimed at evaluating formations of phytochemicals as well as growth characteristics of mature strawberry fruits ('Daewang' cultivar) during cultivation in a closed growth chamber equipped with artificial LED light as a sole light source. Each LED light of blue (448 nm), red (634 and 661 nm) or mixed blue plus red (blue:red = 3:7) was separately supplied and the intensity of each light was adjusted to $200{\pm}1{\mu}mol{\cdot}m^{-2}{\cdot}s^{-1}$ at plant level with a photoperiod consisted of 16 hours light and 8 hours darkness. Strawberries grown under mixed LED light of blue and red wavelengths showed a higher production of fruits than those grown under other LED treatments. Fructose, one of the free sugars, increased in mixed LED light-grown fruits. Anthocyanin contents were elevated remarkably in the mixed LED light-grown fruits compared with those in other LED treatments. Contrastingly, contents of total phenolics and flavonoids were not of much different from one another among the fruits treated with various LED lights. On the other hand, ripening of strawberry fruits was found to be faster when grown under blue LED light compared with other LED treatments. Moreover, antioxidant activities of blue or red LED light-grown fruits, respectively, were significantly higher than those of mixed LED light-grown fruits. We suggest that when daylight is in shortage during cultivation in a greenhouse, supplementation of sunlight with LED light, which is composed of blue and red wavelengths, could be useful for the enhancement of productivity as well as of free sugar content in strawberry fruits. In addition, for the strawberry culture in the plant factory, selective adoption of LED light wavelength would be required to accomplish the purpose of controlling fruit maturation time as well as of enhancing contents of sugars and antioxidants of fruits.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.65-71
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• 2013

This research was conducted to evaluate the influence of $NO_3{^-}:NH_4{^+}$ ratios in fertilizer solution on the vegetative growth and fruit yield of hot pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) through pot cultivation. The Hoaglad's solution was modified to contain various $NO_3{^-}:NH_4{^+}$ ratios such as 100:0 (A), 73:37 (B), 50:50 (C), 27:73 (D), 0:100 (E), and no nitrogen (F). Plants were transplanted into root substrates and the modified solutions were applied as plant needed in plastic house. There were no statistical significances among the treatments from A through D in the fresh and dry weights, and number of leaves 31 days after transplanting, but elevation of $NH_4{^+}$ ratios in the solution decreased the fresh fruit weight 62 days after transplanting with statistical differences. In the results of inorganic element analysis based on the dry weight of fully expanded mature leaves, N and P contents as well as micro cations such as Fe, Mn, Zn, and Cu increased as $NH_4{^+}$ ratios were elevated 62 days after transplanting. However, those of macro cations such as K, Ca, and Mg resulted in decreasing tendency. The elevation of $NH_4{^+}$ ratios in fertilizer solution resulted in the increase of EC and total N concentrations ($NO_3{^-}+NH_4{^+}$), but this decreased the pH as well as Ca and Mg concentrations in soil solution 62 days after transplanting. The K concentration in soil solution was the highest in the treatments of C and followed by D, B, E, and A. The above results indicate that the proper $NO_3{^-}:NH_4{^+}$ ratio in the nutrient solution is 73:27 (B) or 100:0 (A) and the B solution is proper for the vegetative growth and that of A is proper for reproductive growth stage.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.16-25
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• 2002

To summarize our interpretation of the results, we can explain shown below. Optimum con dictions in order to soften of sea tangle leafs were treated in the solutions of 0.05% $CH_3$COOH at 9$0^{\circ}C$ for 0.5 hour, 0.2% $K_2$HPO$_4$at 10$0^{\circ}C$ for 0.5 hour and 0.3% NaHCO$_3$at 10$0^{\circ}C$ for 0.5 hour. After sea tangle leafs were treated in the solutions of 0.05% $CH_3$COOH at 9$0^{\circ}C$ for 0.5 hour and added 10% seasoning agent of 0.5% glutamic acid, 3% glycine, 5% sorbitol and 1.5% soy sauce. Contents of free amino acid in the leaflike tea were a large amount as alanine of 707.2 $\mu$mo1/100$m\ell$ and glutamic acid of 343.6 $\mu$mo1/100 $m\ell$. And contents of mineral were order Na of 49.38 ppm, Mg of 10.72 ppm, K of 10.56 ppm and Ca of 6.55 ppm. Powder tea was added 0.05% glutamic acid, 5% glycine, 5% glucose and 4% sodium chloride in sea tangle powder, and then pressure treatment at 11$0^{\circ}C$ for 1.5 hours. Contents of free amino acid in the powder tea were a large amount as glycine of 222.04 $\mu$mo1/100$m\ell$ and glutamic arid of 208.58 $\mu$mol/100$m\ell$. And contents of mineral were order Na of 104.24 ppm, Mg of 14.31 ppm, K of 9.68 ppm, Fe of 2.36 ppm, Ca of 2.00 ppm, Zn of 0.13 ppm, Cu of 0.10 ppm and Mn of 0.01 ppm.