• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.49-56
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• 2019

Pueraria thomsonii Benth. as a medicinal ingredient, has been traditionally used in Chinese medicine to treat fever, acute dysentery, diarrhea, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. The effects of P. thomsonii flower on skin have not been reported yet. In this study, the whitening effect of P. thomsonii flower was verified using B16F1 melanoma cells and HS68 fibroblasts. P. thomsonii flower extract reduced melanin contents of B16F1 cells in a dose-dependent manner. To identify its active components, we analyzed P. thomsonii flower extract using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). As a result, we identified three major isoflavones of tectorigenin, tectoridin, and tectorigenin 7-O-xylosylglucoside. At a non-cytotoxic concentration, the three components also reduced melanin contents of B16F1 cells in a dose-dependent manner. The depigmentation effects were attributed to the reduced gene expression of tyrosinase and microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF). In order to elucidate another depigmentation mechanism, their effects on DKK-1, a fibroblast-derived depigmentation factor, was determined in HS68 cells. As a result, P. thomsonii flower extracts, tectoridin and tectorigenin 7-O-xylosylglucoside, reduced DKK-1 gene expression, while tectorigenin increased DKK-1 gene expression in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggest that tectorigenin can be used as an effective whitening agent that inhibit melanin synthesis in melanocytes and promote the secretion of depigmentation factor from fibroblasts.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.165-173
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• 2021

Clematis trichotoma Nakai (CTN) is a broad-leaved vine plant belonging to the family Ranunculus, native to Korea. Young leaves are used as food, and the stem and roots are used as medicinal materials. Antioxidant studies have been reported on the stems of CTN, but no studies have been conducted on the leaves. In this study, a 70% ethanol extract of CTN was prepared and its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities were investigated. For measuring the antioxidant activity, five assays (polyphenol and flavonoid content, reducing power, 2,2-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid), and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity) were performed and CTN showed a concentration-dependent effect in all assays. To investigate the anti-inflammatory activity, we used RAW 264.7 cells. The concentrations (from 31.25 to 250 ㎍/mL) of CTN did not show cytotoxicity. CTN (250 ㎍/mL) inhibited dendritic transformation (34.4%) and also inhibited inflammation as seen by reduced levels of NO (77.4%), IL-6 (85.5%) and TNF-α (41.2%) compared to lipopolysaccharide (LPS). CTN (250 ㎍/mL) also suppressed the expression of the following genes: COX-2 (79.8%), iNOS2 (93.9%), IL-6 (87.6%), and TNF-α (77.3%) compared to LPS. These results demonstrated that CTN has excellent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities and can therefore be used as a natural biological resource.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.413-419
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• 2021

The purpose of this study was to investigate the ability to treat and prevent infection by multiple Gram-negative bacterial pathogens as a last choice option in the treatment of serious infections in clinical settings. The global spread of extended-spectrum 𝛽-lactamases (ESBLs) and/or carbapenemases in microorganisms are of enormous concern to health services because they are often associated with multi-drug resistance which significantly restricts the antibiotic treatment options. In this study, the antimicrobial resistance profiles of bacteria isolated from South Korean market-derived meat samples were determined by the disc diffusion method. PCR was used to detect the presence of antibiotic resistance genes and ESBL producing genes. In total, we tested 181 isolated colonies from 36 market-derived meat samples. Single PCR and DNA sequencing results revealed that genes blaVIM, blaBIC, blaKPC, and blaSIM were present in the bacteria isolated from retail meat. The bacteria in the meat were separately sequenced and based on alignment, four different bacteria were identified. These findings suggest that bacteria found in retail meats are a reservoir for the spreading of ESBL blaVIM, blaBIC, blaKPC, and blaSIM resistance genes and bacteria strains.

• Journal of Practical Agriculture & Fisheries Research
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.5-13
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• 2022

Sunbigi tree(Vitex rotundifolia L.f.), which grows wild in the southern part of Korea and along the coast of the West Sea, has a lot of useful value in terms of resource utilization. Since ancient times, it has been used as folk medicine or herbal medicine in the private sector. Although the leaves and stems have a strong scent, the fruit also has a strong scent, so there are some studies on extracting essential oil from the fruit of Sunbigi tree and analyzing the ingredients, but there are few studies on the fragrance component by extracting hydrosol. The reason is that the fruits are hard and it is difficult to identify the active ingredients contained in the general extraction method. Therefore, in this study, the results of analyzing the components contained in the fragrance of hydrosol obtained by extracting hard fruits at high temperature by different extraction methods are as follows. 1. The extraction condition with the highest flavonoid content was 30.57 mg/g with ethanol, followed by hot water extract at 18.26 mg/g and water extract at 9.69 mg/g with the lowest. 2. As a result of distillation extraction from the fruit of Sunbigi tree, the fragrance of hydrosol is 3-Methyl-2-butenoic acid, cyclobutyl ester, Eucalyptol, L-alpha-Terpineol, 1H-Cycloprop[e]azulen-7-ol, decahydro-1 ,1,7-trimethyl-4-methylene-, [1ar-(1a.alpha.,4a.alpha.,7.beta.,7a.beta.,7b.alpha.)] were found to be many.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.32 no.7
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• pp.550-566
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• 2022

Stroke is among the leading causes of death and long-term physical and cognitive disabilities worldwide, affecting an estimated 15 million people annually. The pathophysiological process of stroke is complicated by multiple and coordinated events. The breakdown of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in people with stroke can significantly contribute to the development of ischemic brain injury. Therefore, BBB disruption is recognized as a hallmark of stroke; thus, it is important to develop novel therapeutic strategies that can protect against BBB dysfunction in ischemic stroke. Traditional medicines are composed of natural products, which represent a promising source of new ingredients for the development of conventional medicines. Indeed, several studies have shown the effectiveness of Korean medicine on stroke, highlighting the value of Korean medicinal treatment for ischemic stroke. This review summarizes the current information and underlying mechanisms regarding the ameliorating effects of the formula, decoction, herbs, and active components of traditional Korean medicine on cerebral ischemia-induced BBB disruption. These traditional medicines were shown to have protective effects on the BBB in many cellular and animal ischemia models of stroke, and experiments in various animal species, such as mice and rats. In addition, they showed brain-protective effects by protecting the BBB through the regulation of tight junction proteins and matrix metalloproteinase-9, reducing edema, neuroinflammation, and neuronal cell death. We hope that this review will help promote further investigation into the neuroprotective effects of traditional Korean medicines and stimulate the performance of clinical trials on Korean herbal medicine-derived drugs in patients with stroke.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.49-54
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• 2012

Objective : We recently reported that OMC-2010 has an immuno-modulatory effects via inhibiting tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-${\alpha}$ and interleukin (IL)-5. However, we did not find out which constituents play an important role in immuno-modulatory effect of OMC-2010. Thus, this study was performed to estimate the effects of constituents of OMC-2010 on cytokine production in mouse spleen cells, then ultimately reach to find out effective constituents regulating splenic cytokine production. Methods : Mouse spleen cells were pre-treated with water and ethanol extract of constituents of OMC-2010 such as Rehmannia glutinosa (RG), Pinellia ternata (PT), Citrus unshiu Markovich (CUM), Glycyrrhiza uralensis (GU), Platycodon grandiflorum (PG), Schisandra chinensis (SC). After 1 h, the cells were stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 1 ${\mu}g/ml$) for 48 h. Then the cells were harvested for real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction to detect cytokine productions. Results : The water extract of RG extract significantly inhibited the LPS-induced inTNF-${\alpha}$ and IL-5 mRNA expressions, but the water extract of PT, CUM, GU, PG, and SC did not. The ethanol extract of RG, PT, and SC significantly inhibited the LPS-induced TNF-${\alpha}$, and IL-5 mRNA expressions, but the ethanol extract of CUM, GU, and PG did not. Conclusions : Theses results could suggest that the water extract of RG and the ethanol extract of RG, PT, and SC inhibited the expression of TNF-${\alpha}$ and IL-5, which means that the possible candidate of OMC-2010 water extract's action might be RG, and ethanol extract's action might be RG, PR, and SC.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.87-93
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• 2013

Objectives : We recently have reported that constituents of OMC-2010 have an immuno-modulatory effects via inhibiting tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and interleukin (IL)-5. In this study, based on previous data, we investigated the effects of combinations with each OMC constituents on splenocyte cytotoxicity, cytokine productions, and ovalbumin (OVA) induced experimental allergic asthma. Methods : Mouse splenocytes were pre-treated with ethanol extract of constituents of Rehmannia glutinosa (RG), Pinellia ternata (PT), Schisandra chinensis (SC). We made 4 combinations using RG, PT, and SC (A;1:1:1, B;2:1:1, C;1:2:1, D;1:1:2). The cells were pretreated with A, B, C, or D for 1 h, then stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS, $1{\mu}g/ml$) for 48 h. Then the cells were harvested for real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction to detect cytokine productions. Then using effective combination from RG, PR and SC, we administrated the combination orally, then challenged with OVA to induce asthma. Then we analyzed the airway hyper-reactivity (AHR), lung histology and lung TNF-${\alpha}$ and IL-5 mRNA. Results : A. B. C. and D did not showed significant cytotoxicity on splenocytes. Pre-treatment of A inhibited the expression of TNF-${\alpha}$ and IL-5 significantly, but not B, C, and D. In experimental asthma, administration of A significantly inhibited the increase of AHR, lung damage, TNF-${\alpha}$ and IL-5 expression. Conclusions : Theses results could suggest that inhibitory effects of the ideal combination with RG, PT and SC (1:1:1) could be applied to treatment of asthma and study of asthma mechanisms.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.445-454
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• 2022

The aim of this study was to provide basic data for breeding new varieties of Angelica gigas Nakai by identifying the growth characteristics and useful components of its below- and above-ground parts. The basic varieties expressing dark purple (N79-A), light blue-pink (62-C), and white (NN115-C) flowers were identified and collected in the cultivation area, and their seeds were cultured for use as experimental materials. Qualitative growth characteristics of the above-ground parts were then examined. Purple coloration was evident throughout the entire plant body in the N79-A group, whereas the 62-C and NN115-C groups displayed yellow-green coloration. In terms of quantitative growth characteristics, the 62-C group displayed significantly lower above- and below-ground growth than the other two groups. Levels of nodakenin and decursinol-angelate were high in the NN115-C group (0.88 ± 0.13%) and N79-A group (2.56 ± 0.12%). However, the overall results were not statistically significant. The results could provide a foundation for breeding new varieties of Angelica gigas Nakai, which are used predominantly for medicinal purposes and have low bolting and high yield potential.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.449-455
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• 2022

The Colony of Selaginella involvens (Sw.) Spring in Sanyang-myeon, Mungyeong-si, can be divided into five types, and in the past, it was said that Selaginella involvens (Sw.) Spring formed colonies throughout the colony and grew naturally, but now it remains only in some sections. It was found that the Selaginella involvens (Sw.) Spring colony was damaged by artificial and natural factors, and as an artificial factor, the Selaginella involvens (Sw.) Spring was proven to be effective for medicinal and cremation, and many people were damaging the Selaginella involvens (Sw.) Spring colony without permission. Naturally, vines thrive and Selaginella involvens (Sw.) Spring die, and the reality is that the entire colony of Selaginella involvens (Sw.) Spring is in danger of being damaged if maintenance is not performed. On the other hand, there are sections that reproduce with symbiosis with some herbaceous plants, so it is necessary to plan and implement conservation strategies. In order to preserve the Selaginella involvens (Sw.) Spring colony, CCTV is needed to prevent artificial damage, and on the contrary, install facilities such as fences can easily burn up and create worse scenery, so it can preserve the good environment, restore recoverable areas, and install supplementary buffer zones.

• Journal of Practical Agriculture & Fisheries Research
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.5-13
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• 2019

Orostachys species grow from anywhere in Korea. This variety, which lives in the harsh areas of the beach and mountains, is known to have as much change as it was isolated. It has been used as a medicine for a long time, and now the flower is beautiful and has been developed for horticulture. As a result of morphological characteristics and component analysis of three Orostachys species, the following results were obtained. 1. Orostachys species showed two types of leaves according to the growing environment. O. japonica (Maxim.) A. Berger and O. minuta (Kom.) A. Berger were lanceolate, and O. chongsunensis Y. N. Lee was obovate. 2. The leaves were all green. However, some of the O. japonica (Maxim.) A. Berger had white powder. Some of the O. minuta (Kom.) A. Berger was green with red spots on the back. O. chongsunensis Y. N. Lee showed strong gray before flowering but weak green when flowering. 3. The thorns of the leaves were O. japonica (Maxim.) A. Berger and O. minuta (Kom.), but O. chongsunensis Y. N. Lee was not. 4. Whether it was a leaf dot or not, there were dots in O. japonica (Maxim.) A. Berger and there were dots on the O. minuta (Kom.) and the O. chongsunensis Y. N. Lee. 5. The flowers were all white, and the stamens were red in O. japonica (Maxim.) A. Berger and O. minuta (Kom.) A. Berger and white in O. chongsunensis Y. N. Lee. 6. It was confirmed that the ingredients in Orostachys species contained kaempferol, quercetin, flavonoid etc., which have high antioxidant activity.