• Journal of Life Science
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• v.21 no.9
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• pp.1346-1353
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• 2011

Sophora tonkinensis Gapnep has been used as a traditional herbal medicine in oriental regions since ancient times. In this study, the effect and mechanism of the MeOH extract of Sophora tonkinensis Gapnep (STME) on adipocite differentiation and adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 preadipocites were investigated. Treatment with STME in the concentration range of 0-200 ${\mu}g$/ml significantly inhibited the differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocites in a dose-dependent manner, as determined by a decrease in intracellular lipid droplets and lipid contents measured by Oil Red O staining. In association with the inhibitory effect of lipid accumulation, the expressions of the proteins concerned with adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 preadipocites were also investigated. Treatment with STME reduced the expressions of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor ${\gamma}$ (PPAR${\gamma}$), cytidine-cytidine-adenosine-adenosine-thymine (CCAAT)/enhancer-binding proteins ${\alpha}$ and ${\beta}$ (C/EBP${\alpha}$ and C/EBP${\beta}$) and sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP), which are adipocyte specific markers. In flow cytometry analysis, the inhibitory effect of differentiation was caused by G1 arrest and following mitotic clonal expansion cease. Therefore, we also investigated the alteration of G1 phase arrest-related proteins. As a result, the expression of p21 protein was significantly increased, while the expressions of Cdk2, E2F-1 and phospho-Rb were reduced in a dose-dependent manner in STME treated 3T3-L1 cells. According to these results, STME might inhibit differentiation through G1 arrest in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes adipogenesis, and further studies, which are in progress, have to be completed to identify the active compounds.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.371-377
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• 2004

Sulfate adsorption in forest soils is a process of sulfur dynamics playing an important role in plant uptake, cation movement, acid neutralization capacity and so on. The relationship between sulfate adsorption and some physicochemical properties of four forest soils was investigated. Extractable sulfate contents and sulfate adsorption capacity (SAC) in the forest soils varied much among study sites. Extractable sulfate contents were more in sub-surface soils with lower organic matter and greater Al and Fe oxides than in surface soils. The average contents of $Al_d$ and $Fe_d$ in the sub-surface soils were 8.49 and $12.45g\;kg^{-1}$, respectively. Soil pH, cation exchange capacity and clay content were positively correlated with the extractable sulfate contents and SAC. Organic carbon content, however, was negatively correlated with the extractable sulfate contents, implying the competitive adsorption of sulfate with soil organic matter. Considerably significant correlation was found between inorganic + amorphous Al and Fe oxides and the sulfate adsorption, but crystalline Al and other fractions of Fe oxide showed no correlation. Relatively close relationship between the adsorbed sulfates and soil pH, cation exchange capacity, or amorphous Al oxides indicates that the accelerated soil acidification may substantially reduce the potential for sulfate adsorption contributing to sulfur flux in forest ecosystems.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.10 no.5
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• pp.399-402
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• 2002

Angiotensin converting enzyme(ACE) belongs to the class of zinc protease and plays an important role in the regulation of blood pressure. In this experiment, we investigated the inhibitory activities of medicinal plant extracts on ACE. Fifty medicinal plants were selected and the extracts were prepared by refluxing with 70% methanol. Among the extracts, eleven medicinal plant extracts such as Sedum sarmentosum Bunge, Petasites japonicus(s.et z.) Max, Rubus coreanus, Morus bombycis Koidz, Acorus calamus var. angustatus, Glycyrhiza glabra, Equisetum hyemale, Portulaca oleracea L., Prunella vulgaris var. lilacina Nakai, Sorbus commixta Hedl, Allium thunbergii showed more than 50% inhibitory activities, and Paeonia suffruticosa Andr., lnula helenium, Acanthopanax senticosus Harms, Dendrobium moniliforme, Juglans mandshurica, Zizyphus jujuba, Leonurus artemisia, Aster scaber Thunb, Vitex rotundifolia, Platycodon grandiflorum, Prunus persica, Ligularia fischeri showed $40{\sim}49%$ inhibitory activities. Therefore these extracts which contain high ACE inhibitory activities may be useful as antihypertension agents and to the treatment of hypertension.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.652-660
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• 2002

To develop natural food preservatives for extending the shelf-life of jeotkal (salted and fermented seafood), antimicrobial substances were extracted from 32 types of medicinal herbs and edible plants using 95% ethanol. Among the extracts, Glycyrrhizae radix, Curcumae domestica, Galla rhois, and Resina pini showed relatively high inhibitory effects on the growth of the microorganisms isolated from the deteriorated jeotkal. We selected and tested the extract from Recina pini as a natural jeotkal preservative. This ethanol extract was purified partially by adding equal quantity of water, through which 77% of insoluble materials were removed as impurities. In manufacturing modified jeotkal using squid, sucrose and starch syrup were substituted with sorbitol, $glucono-{\delta}-lactone$ was added instead of vitamin C and lactic acid, and sterilized hot pepper was used instead of natural one. The shelf-life of modified jeotkal was prolonged by 4 days compared with the control jeotkal when stored at $20^{\circ}C$, while that of modified jeotkal containing 1.0% partially purified Recina pini extract was prolonged by 6 days compared to the control. The same tests were conducted for the changran (stomach and intestine of Alaska pollack) jeotkal preservation. The shelf-life of the control jeotkal was 24 days, whereas the modified jeotkal and the Resina pini extract-containing modified jeotkal maintained their qualities without changes in microbial and chemical characteristics for 90 days at $20^{\circ}C$ storage.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.391-397
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• 2005

This study was carried out to examine the allelopathic effect of the aqueous extract of Hypochaeris radicata L. on growth of three gramineous forage crops, tall fescue, perennial ryegrass and italian ryegrass. The result on relative elongation ration (RER) of gramineous forage crops treated with the aqueous extract of Hypochaeris radicata L. and the change of quantity generally indicated the inhibitory effect. The inhibitory effect was increased as its concentration was increased. As a result, it is ascertained that the aqueous extract of Hypochaeris radicata L. has allelopathy effect. According to the chemical experiment of the allelochemical substances in Hypochaeris radicata L. by HPLC, there are the differences at each part of plants. However, it is ascertained that there are eleven phenolic compounds, ${\rho}-hydroxybenzoic$ acid, chlorogenic acid, catechin, caffeic acid, syringic acid, salicylic acid, ${\rho}-coumaric$ acid, ferulic acid, hesperidin, trans-cinnamic acid and naringenin. Especially three phenolic acids such as caffeic acid, ferulic acid and naringenin were detected from all part of the plant.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.159-166
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• 2008

An ideal anti-bacterial medication for oral infection requires selective effect on pathogens causing dental caries and periodontal disease but not on normal flora. In addition, it should be less toxic for human and even for environment. This study was to seek such a natural anti-bacterial medication and thus anti-bacterial effect of Hamamelis virginiana was evaluated. Many recent researches on the anti-bacterial effect of natural plant extract and essential oil have reported that natural products can be used as medication for prevention and restrainment of dental caries, halitosis and periodontitis. It has been also reported that Hamamelis virginiana has anti-bacterial effect on Porphyromonas gingivalis, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Capnocytophaga gingivalis, Veilonella parvula, Eikenella corrodens, Peprostreptococcus micros, and Actinomyces odontolyticus. This study evaluated anti-bacterial effect of Hamamelis virginiana on Streptoccoccus mutans, Haemophylus actinomycetemcomitans, and Klebsiella pneumoniae to expand its anti-bacterial effect on other important oral pathogens and eventually to develop its oral care products or apply to clinical purpose. In this study, anti-bacterial tests for antibiotic disk susceptibility, minimal inhibitory concentration and minimal bactericidal concentration were performed to evaluate anti-bacterial effect of Hamamelis virginiana against Streptoccoccus mutans, Haemophylus actinomycetemcomitans, and Klebsiella pneumoniae. The results showed that Hamamelis virginiana has anti-bacterial effect on all pathogen strains tested in this study and furthermore Hamamelis virginiana possesses bactericidal effect other than bacteriostatic effect on Streptoccoccus mutans, Haemophylus actinomycetemcomitans, Klebsiella pneumoniae. This study indicates that a natural anti-bacterial medication for oral diseases can be developed using Hamamelis virginiana.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.318-324
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• 2010

The aim of this study is to examine feeding habits of the Korean water deer(Hydropotes inermis argyropus) from its rumen contents using a PCR-DGGE method. For this study, rumen contents were collected from water deer causalities by natural death or road-kill in two different sites(Cheorwon, Gangwon province and the Eastern part of Jeonnam province). DNA was extracted from rumen contents of a total of 44 individuals. Two primers, rbcLZ1aF(GC) and rbcL19bR, were used for PCR amplifications of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase large subunit (rbcL) gene. Among 44 samples, twenty-nine samples were successfully amplified by PCRs. The 29 PCR products of partial rbcL gene were applied for PCR-DGGE. Totally, six families of plants were detected from the diet analyses. Five families of plants were found in Cheorwon, Gangwon province, but only three families of plants were found in the Eastern part of Jeonnam province. The PCR-DGGE method will provide us with a potential tool to study feeding habits of ungulates including water deer, even though our results failed to identify the prey plants at the level of species.

• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.267-272
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• 2012

Vitex trifolia L. is a full grown fruit of Vitex rotundifolia L. (Verbenaceae). It has been used for treating headache, dizziness, toothache and removal of fever as a traditional medicine in Korea. V. trifolia (500 g) were extracted three times with 80% aqueous MeOH at room temperature. The MeOH extract (38 g) was successively partitioned with n-hexane, EtOAc, n-BuOH and $H_2O$. Both n-hexane and EtOAc fractions showed more than 80% antifungal activity in vivo against several plant pathogens at 2000 ppm. Successive repeated silica gel, Sephadex LH-20, preparative TLC, and preparative HPLC of these fractions led to isolation of three compounds. Using mainly mass spectroscopy and nuclear magnatic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, their chemical structures were determined as agnuside(1), chrysosplenol B(2), and artemetin(3). Compound 2 was isolated for the first time from V. trifolia. Study on in vitro and in vivo antifungal activities of the isolated compounds is in progress.

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.185-200
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• 2012

It has been reported that world population continues to increase so that a matter of food security can be a world-wide problem for mankind. An anticipated rise in world population of 30% and the subsequent increased demand for food brings with it challenges in terms of global resource usage and food security. However, ruminant livestock production and consumption make a large contribution to the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions which can be attributable to food production. Given the association between GHG and climate change, this is clearly of great concern to the livestock industry worldwide. Nevertheless, ruminant livestock also play an important role in global food security as they can convert the plant cell wall materials and non-protein nitrogen compounds, found widely in plants but indigestible to all monogastric animals including man, into high value proteins for human consumption. Much effort has been made to maximize animal production, feed conversion ratio, and to improve animal breeding in ruminant agriculture. In addition improving feed formulation techniques, developing chemical additives, plant extracts, and new plant varieties for grazing have been tested. Future ruminant production systems will need to capitalize on important benefits of ruminants. It is therefore suggested that ruminant agriculture has a key role to play in maintaining and enhancing provision of quality proteins and essential nutrients for human being but the challenge of reducing GHG emissions, and methane in particular, needs to be successfully addressed.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.213-220
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• 2018

We classified the previously reported antagonistic strains of Sorangium cellulosum into 5 subspecies (A-E). Four strains were antagonistic to Botrytis cinerea (AB group) and two strains were antagonistic to Colletotrichum acutatum (AC group). According to the genetic and sequential analyses with standard genes, xynB1, bglA2, groEL1 for grouping, all strains of AB group were belonged to subspecies C and all strains of AC group were belonged to subspecies D. In addition, high pressure liquid chromatography with the culture filtrates confirmed the genetic results, because AB group had peaks with retention time at 20-22.5 minutes, whereas AC group had no peak. There was positive relationship ($R^2=0.9652$) between the control values of infecting B. cinerea on cherry tomatoes and the main peak areas of chromatograms among the four isolates of AB group. From the subspecies results of AB group, the main peak of KYC 3270 was expected to be epothilone D. However the retention times of the standard of commercial epothilone D and the main peak of KYC 3270 culture filtrate were different as 9.9 and 11.581 min., respectively. Finally, the antagonistic metabolite of AB group was inferred as 7-ketone epothilone D.