• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.45 no.10
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• pp.1406-1413
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• 2016

This study was carried out to evaluate the toxicity of ethanolic extracts of Morus alba L. branch (ME). In the reverse mutation test, Salmonella Typhimurium TA98, TA100, TA1535, TA1357, and Escherichia coli WP2uvrA were used to estimate the mutagenic potential of ME. Sprague-Dawley rats were orally administered ME at levels of 1,250, 2,500, and 5,000 mg/kg for the single-dose toxicity test and 500, 1,000, and 2,000 mg/kg/d for the repeated-dose toxicity test for 28 consecutive days. As expected, reverse mutation was not detected at any concentration of ME, regardless of application of the metabolic activation system with or without S9 mix. In the single-dose toxicity test, ME caused neither significant visible signs of toxicity nor mortality in rats, and $LD_{50}$ was estimated to be over 5,000 mg/kg. In the repeated-dose toxicity test, ME administration at 500, 1,000, and 2,000 mg/kg for 28 days to male or female rats did not result in mortality. Similarly, no toxicologically significant treatment-related changes in body weight, food intake, or organ weights were noted. Several hematological and biochemical parameters in both genders showed significant differences, but these were within normal ranges. These results support the safe use of ME.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.656-662
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• 2018

Flavin-containing monooxygenases from Corynebacterium (cFMOs) were mutagenized based on homology modeling to develop variants with an enhanced indigoid production capability. The four mutants, F170Y, A210G, A210S, and T326S, which fused to a maltose-binding protein (MBP), were constructed, and their biochemical properties were characterized. Of these, purified MBP-T326S required a higher concentration of exogenous FAD (100 mM) than the wild-type MBP-cFMO for optimal activity and showed a 3.8-fold increase in the $k_{cat}/K_m$ value at $100{\mu}M$ FAD compared to that of MBP-cFMO at $2{\mu}M$ FAD. The indole oxygenase activities of MBP-T326S decreased to 63-77% compared to that of the MBP-cFMO In addition, MBP-T326S displayed a very low level of futile NADPH oxidase activities (21-24%) in the absence of a substrate. Mutant proteins except for T326S displayed similar $K_m$ and increased $k_{cat}/K_m$ values compared to the wild-type. MBP-F170Y and -A210S mutants showed elevated indole oxygenase activity higher than 3.1- and 2.9-fold, respectively, in comparison with MBP-cFMO. When indigoid production was carried out in LB broth with 2.5 g/l of tryptophan, Escherichia coli expressing cFMO produced 684 mg/l of indigo and 104 mg/l of indirubin, while cells harboring T326S produced 1,040 mg/l of indigo and 112 mg/l of indirubin. The results indicate that the production of indigo was 13% higher when compared to a previous report in which an E. coli expressing FMO from Methylophaga produced 920 mg/l of indigo. The protein engineering of cFMO based on homology modeling provided a more rational strategy for developing indigoid-producing strains.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.36 no.8
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• pp.960-964
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• 2007

This study was performed to examine the toxicity of Psoralea corylifolia L. by the single-dose oral toxicity tests in rat and bacterial reverse mutation assay. In single-dose oral toxicity tests, 5 mL ethanol extract of P. corylifolia L. were directly injected into 10 rats (5 males and 5 females) at a dosage of 2 g/kg. Death practice was not detected during breeding periods (14 days), and $LD_{50}$ was calculated over 2 g/kg. No difference were observed with control group in the growth rate and histological observations. In bacterial reverse mutation assay, his(-) Salmonella Typhimurium TA98, TA100, TA1535, TA1537 and trp(-) Escherichia coli WP2uvrA (pKM101) were used for assessing the toxicity of ethanol extracts of P. corylifolia L.. No significant difference in formation of the colonies and no dose-dependent increase was observed regardless of the addition of S9 mix. The results showed that ethanol extracts of P. corylifolia L. did not have single-dose oral toxicity and mutagenic toxicity.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.32 no.10
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• pp.784-791
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• 2022

This study observed changes in the body composition of Protaetia brevitarsis sinulensis larvae when reared with feed that included noni and nipa palm. Compared to the control group, the death rate and product yield of the treatment group were improved after the larval fasting process. The brightness of the larval powder of the treatment group increased, but the redness decreased. The crude fat content of the treated group was slightly increased according to the assays of the general components, but the mineral content was significantly increased. The total structural amino acids of the treatment group decreased, but the total free amino acids increased. The structural amino acids generally tended to decrease in the treatment group. However, the free amino acids showed no specific differences. Among the free amino acids, tryptophan, phosphoserine, and methylhistidine were highly increased in the treatment group, whereas threonine, methionine, and asparagine showed the opposite results. Among the polyunsaturated fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (C20:5n3) of omega-3 was increased in the treatment group, but the omega-6 series was decreased. Since minerals, total free amino acids, and omega-3 fatty acids in the treatment group were increased compared to the control group, we suggest that noni and nipa palm can potentially be applied to the production of functionally improved substances as additional sources of feed for Protaetia brevitarsis sinulensis larvae.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.346-362
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• 2021

A sediment control dam is an artificial structure built to prolong sedimentation in the main dam by reducing the inflow of suspended solids. These dams can affect changes in dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the water body by changing the river flow regime. The main DOM component for Yeongju Dam sediment control of the Naeseongcheon River was analyzed through 3D excitation-emission matrix (EEM) and parallel factor (PARAFAC) analyses. As a result, four humic-like components (C1~C3, C5), and three proteins, tryptophan-like components (C2, C6~C7) were detected. Among DOM components, humic-like components (autochthonous: C1, allochthonous: C2~C3) were found to be dominant during the sampling period. The total amount of DOM components and the composition ratio of each component did not show a difference for each depth according to the amount of available light (100%, 12%, and 1%). Throughout the study period, the allochthonous organic matter was continuously decomposing and converting into autochthonous organic matter; the DOM indices (fluorescence index, humification index, and freshness index) indicated the dominance of autochthonous organic matter in the river. Considering the relative abundance of cyanobacteria and that the number of bacteria cells and rotifers increased as autochthonous organic matter increased, it was suggested that the algal bloom and consequent activation of the microbial food web was affected by the composition of DOM in the water body. Research on DOM characteristics is important not only for water quality management but also for understanding the cycling of matter through microbial food web activity.