• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• v.14 no.5
• /
• pp.279-283
• /
• 2010

Urushinol, a plant allergen, has significantly restricted the medical application of $Rhus$ $verniciflua$, although it has been reported to possess a wide variety of biological activities such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-cancer actions. To reduce the urushinol content while maintaining the beneficial biological activities, mushroom-mediated fermentation of $Rhus$ $verniciflua$ was carried out and this method resulted in significantly attenuated allergenicity [1]. In the present study, to examine the neuroprotective properties of mushroom-fermented stem bark of $Rhus$ $verniciflua$, two constituents were isolated from mushroom-fermented bark and their neuroprotective properties were examined in a mouse model of kainic acid (KA)-induced excitotoxicity. KA resulted in significant apoptotic neuronal cell death in the CA3 region of mouse hippocampus. However, seven daily administrations of RVH-1 or RVH-2 prior to KA injection significantly attenuated KA-induced pyramidal neuronal cell death in the CA3 region. Furthermore, pretreatment with RVH-1 and RVH-2 also suppressed KA-induced microglial activation in the mouse hippocampus. The present study demonstrates that RVH-1 and RVH-2 isolated from $Rhus$ $verniciflua$ and detoxified using mushroom species possess neuroprotective properties against KA-induced excitotoxicity. This leads to the possibility that detoxified $Rhus$ $verniciflua$ can be a valuable asset in herbal medicine.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
• /
• v.20 no.3
• /
• pp.690-696
• /
• 2006

Houttuynia cordata Thunb, well known as 'E-Sung-Cho' in Korea, is a traditional medicinal plant generally used in Oriental medicine therapy. In the present study, we investigated the effect of water extract of H. cordafa (WEHC) on the growth of human breast carcinoma MCF-7 cells. Exposure of MCF-7 cells to WEHC resulted in growth inhibition and apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner as measured by MTT assay and fluorescent microscope. The anti-proliferative effect of WEHC was associated with a dose-dependent up-regulation of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21 in a p53-independent fashion. We found WEHC decreased the levels of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and inducible nitric oxide synthease (iNOS) expression without significant changes in the expression of COX-1 , which was correlated with a decrease in prostaglandin $E_2{\;}(PGE_2)$ synthesis. Taken together, these findings provide important new insights into the possible molecular mechanisms of the anti-cancer activity of H. cordata.

• KSBB Journal
• /
• v.29 no.1
• /
• pp.50-57
• /
• 2014

NF-${\kappa}B$ is a transcriptional factor which is involved in many biological processes including immunity, inflammation, and cell survival. Many investigators studied on the mechanism involved in activation of NF-${\kappa}B$ signalling pathway via ubiquitination and degradation of $I{\kappa}B$ regarding skin disease. Some specific molecules including Akt, MEK, p38 MAP Kinase, Stat3, et al. represent convergence points and key regulatory proteins in signaling pathways controlling cellular events such as growth and differentiation, energy homeostasis, and the response to stress and inflammation. Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation has many adverse effects on skin, including inflammation, alteration in the extracellular matrix, cellular senescence, apoptosis and skin cancer. Prunus mume, a naturally derived plant extract, has beneficial biological activities as blood fluidity improvement, anti-fatigue action, antioxidative and free radical scavenging activities, inhibiting the motility of Helicobacter pyolri. Previous reports on various beneficial function prompted us to investigate UVB-induced or other immunostimulated biological marker regarding P. mume extract. P. mume extract suppresses UVB-induced cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression in mouse skin epidermal JB6 P+ cells. The activation of activator protein-1 and nuclear factor-${\kappa}B$ induced by UVB was dose-dependently inhibited by P. mume extract treatment. This results suggest that P. mume extracts might be used as a potential agents for protection of inflammation or UVB induced skin damage.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
• /
• v.16 no.1
• /
• pp.46-59
• /
• 2022

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Aster yomena (Kitam.) Honda (AY) has remarkable bioactivities, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammation, and anti-cancer activities. On the other hand, the effects of AY against obesity-induced insulin resistance have not been reported. Therefore, this study examined the potential of AY against obesity-associated insulin resistance in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed mice. MATERIALS/METHODS: An obesity model was established by feeding C57BL/6J mice a 60% HFD for 16 weeks. The C57BL6/When ethyl acetate fraction from AY (EFAY) at doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg/day was administered orally to mice fed a HFD for the last 4 weeks. Normal and control groups were administered water orally. The body weight and fasting blood glucose were measured every week. Dietary intake was measured every other day. After dissection, blood and tissues were collected from the mice. RESULTS: The administration of EFAY reduced body and organ weights significantly compared to HFD-fed control mice. The EFAY-administered groups also improved the serum lipid profile by decreasing the triglyceride, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein compared to the control group. In addition, EFAY ameliorated the insulin resistance-related metabolic dysfunctions, including the fasting blood glucose and serum insulin level, compared to the HFD-fed control mice. The EFAY inhibited lipid synthesis and insulin resistance by down-regulation of hepatic fatty acid synthase and up-regulation of the AMP-activated protein kinase pathway. EFAY also reduced lipid peroxidation in the liver, indicating that EFAY protected hepatic injury induced by obesity. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that EFAY improved obesity-associated insulin resistance by regulating the lipid and glucose metabolism, suggesting that AY could be used as a functional food to prevent obesity and insulin resistance.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.30 no.3
• /
• pp.398-403
• /
• 2020

Rhamnose is a naturally occurring deoxysugar present as a glycogenic component of plant and microbial natural products. A recombinant mutant Escherichia coli strain was developed by overexpressing genes involved in the TDP-ʟ-rhamnose biosynthesis pathway of different bacterial strains and Saccharothrix espanaensis rhamnosyl transferase to conjugate intrinsic cytosolic TDP-ʟ-rhamnose with anthraquinones supplemented exogenously. Among the five anthraquinones (alizarin, emodin, chrysazin, anthrarufin, and quinizarin) tested, quinizarin was biotransformed into a rhamoside derivative with the highest conversion ratio by whole cells of engineered E. coli. The quinizarin glycoside was identified by various chromatographic and spectroscopic analyses. The anti-proliferative property of the newly synthesized rhamnoside, quinizarin-4-O-α-ʟ-rhamnoside, was assayed in various cancer cells.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• v.15 no.4
• /
• pp.241-244
• /
• 2011

A lectin from the hemolymph of purse crab, Philyra pisum, was found to have anti-proliferative activity on human lung cancer cells by our laboratory. In this study, P. pisum lectin (PPL) was molecularly characterized including molecular mass, amino acid sequences, amino acid composition, and the effects of metal ions, temperature, and pH on the activity. We found that PPL showed mitogenic activity on human lymphocytes and BALB/c mouse splenocytes. The mitogenic activity (maximum stimulation index, $SI=9.57{\pm}0.59$) of PPL on human lymphocytes was higher than that of a standard well-known plant mitogen, concanavalin A (maximum $SI=8.80{\pm}0.59$). The mitogenic activity mediated by PPL is required for optimum dosing, and higher or lower concentrations caused decreases in mitogenic response. PPL also induced mitogenic activity on mouse splenocytes, however, the maximum SI ($1.77{\pm}0.09$) on mouse splenocytes of PPL was lower than that ($2.14{\pm}0.15$) of concanavalin A. In conclusion, PPL is a metal ion-dependent monomer lectin with mitogenic activity, and could be used as a lymphocyte or splenocyte stimulator.

• Natural Product Sciences
• /
• v.19 no.1
• /
• pp.66-70
• /
• 2013

Ten compounds (1 - 10), palmitic acid (1), 10-nonacosanol (2), pentacosan-1-ol (3), phytol (4), ${\beta}$-sitosterol (5), ${\beta}$-sitosterol-3-O-${\beta}$-D-glucopyranoside (6), 2,4-dihydroxycinnamic acid (7), hyperoside (8), uridine (9) and adenosine (10), were isolated from the n-hexane and EtOAc-soluble fractions of the aerial parts of A. dioicus var. kamtschaticus (Rosaceae). The structures of these compounds were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic evidence. All compounds (1 - 10) were isolated for the first time from this plant. Cytotoxicity of 1 - 10 against Jurkat T (T-lymphocytic leukemia cells), HeLa (Human cervical epitheloid carcinoma cells), MCF-7 (Human breast cancer cells), and HL-60 (Human promyelocytic leukemia cells) cell lines was measured. Compound 6 showed good cytotoxicity against HL-60 cell line with $IC_{50}$ value of 8.13 ${\mu}g/mL$. In addition, compounds 7 and 8 exhibited antioxidant activity with $IC_{50}$ values of 16.30 and 12.42 ${\mu}g/mL$, respectively.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
• /
• v.45 no.1
• /
• pp.22-31
• /
• 2021

Atherosclerosis (AS) is a leading cause of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and it results in a high rate of death worldwide, with an increased prevalence with age despite advances in lifestyle management and drug therapy. Atherosclerosis is a chronic progressive inflammatory process, and it mainly presents with lipid accumulation, foam cell proliferation, inflammatory response, atherosclerotic plaque formation and rupture, thrombosis, and vascular calcification. Therefore, there is a great need for reliable therapeutic drugs or remedies to cure or alleviate atherosclerosis and reduce the societal burden. Ginsenosides are natural steroid glycosides and triterpene saponins obtained mainly from the plant ginseng. Several recent studies have reported that ginsenosides have a variety of pharmacological activities against several diseases including inflammation, cancer and cardiovascular diseases. This review focuses on describing the different pharmacological functions and underlying mechanisms of various active ginsenosides (Rb1,-Rd, -F, -Rg1, -Rg2, and -Rg3, and compound K) for atherosclerosis, which could provide useful insights for developing novel and effective anti-cardiovascular drugs.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
• /
• v.52 no.4
• /
• pp.216-220
• /
• 2009

Aldo-keto reductase family 1 B10 (AKR1B10) has been considered as a potential cancer therapeutic target. Ethanol extracts prepared from 82 Korean local plants were examined for their antioxidant activity and inhibitory effects on recombinant human AKR1B10 (rhAKR1B10) in vitro. 21 extracts showed more than 80% of ABTS radical scavenging activity at $100\;{\mu}g/mL$ and 11 extracts inhibited more than 50% of rhAKR1B10 activity at $10\;{\mu}g/mL$. Especially, 9 extracts showed potent inhibition on rhAKR1B10 activity compared with positive control tetramethylene glutaric acid.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.13 no.6
• /
• pp.2943-2948
• /
• 2012

Arsenic exposure is a serious health hazard worldwide. We have previously established that it may result in immune suppression by upregulating Th2 cytokines while downregulating Th1 cytokines and causing lymphocytic death. Treatment modalities for arsenic poisoning have mainly been restricted to the use of chelating agents in the past. Only recently have combination therapies using a chelating agent in conjunction with other compounds such as anti-oxidants, micronutrients and various plant products, been introduced. In the present study, we used T11TS, a novel immune potentiating glycopeptide alone and in combination with the sulfhydryl-containing chelator, mono-iso-amyl-dimarcaptosuccinic acid (MiADMSA) as a therapeutic regimen to combat arsenic toxicity in a mouse model. Results indicated that Th1 cytokines such as TNF-${\alpha}$, $IFN{\gamma}$, IL12 and the Th2 cytokines such as IL4, IL6, IL10 which were respectively downregulated and upregulated following arsenic induction were more efficiently restored to their near normal levels by T11TS alone in comparison with the combined regimen. Similar results were obtained with the apoptotic proteins studied, FasL, BAX, BCL2 and the caspases 3, 8 and 9, where again T11TS proved more potent than in combination with MiADMSA in preventing lymphocyte death. The results thus indicate that T11TS alone is more efficient in immune re-establishment after arsenic exposureas compared to combination therapy with T11TS+MiADMSA.