• CELLMED
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.4.1-4.4
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• 2014

Gynura segetum, family Asteraceae is a cultivated species and can be found growing in the tropical regions of Indonesia and Malaysia. The plant is known for its use for the treatment of cancer, inflammation, diabetes, hypertension and skin afflictions. In the current study, anti-inflammatory effect of Gynura segetum leaf has been investigated. The present study investigated the in vivo anti-inflammatory effect of Gynura segetum leaf by using hen's egg test-chorioallantoic membrane (HET-CAM) assay. Different solvent extract of Gynura segetum leaf were tested, the most active methanol extract was further fractionated and tested. Among the extracts tested, the methanol extract showed a significant good anti-inflammatory effect (76.8% inhibition at 50 ${\mu}g/disc$) on the HET-CAM assay as compared with the anti-inflammatory drug indomethacin (82.1% inhibition). However, the fractionated sample exhibited a significantly lower activity in comparison to crude methanol extract. The results demonstrated that Gynura segetum leaf displayed remarkable anti-inflammatory effects, which support the folkloric uses of this plant for treatment of inflammation.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.637-643
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• 2013

Daesiho-tang (DST), Yijin-tang (YJT), Gyeoneumjisil-hwan (GJH), Ukdam-hwan (UDH), and Sojojung-tang (SJT) have been used to treat hypertension. The aim of this study was to investigate whether five formulas were effective for improving obesity in high fat diet (HFD) induced obese mice. The mice were divided into seven groups: (1) a normal diet (ND), (2) a high fat diet (HFD) (3) a HFD plus DST (HFD + DST), (4) a HFD plus YJT (HFD + YJT), (5) a HFD plus GJH (HFD + GJH), (6) a HFD plus UDH (HFD + UDH), or (7) HFD plus SJT (HFD + SJT) at 150 mg/kg/day for 7 weeks. All five formulas treatments significantly lowered blood pressure, final liver weights, and serum total triglyceride levels. The four formulas (HFD+DST, HFD+YJT, HFD+UDH, and HFD+SJT) decreased body weights. Also, HFD+DST, HFD+YJT, and HFD+UDH groups reduced abdominal and epididymal fat weights. The serum LDL-cholesterol levels were decreased in HFD+YJT, HFD+UDH, and HFD+SJT groups compared to the HFD group. These results demonstrate that five formulas ameliorated obesity.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.167-173
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• 2004

Objective : The purpose of this study is to evaluate the clinical effect of the non-pharmacological anti-hypertension method, acupuncture, for hypertensive patients. Methods : 26 patients diagnosed with hypertension were each treated by one of three methods: an anti-hypertension drug(adalat soft capsule), venepuncture, and acupuncture. In cases of rising blood pressure, patients were treated by their one of the three methods, and blood pressure was measured at regular intervals. Result : As for the group of acupuncture treated patients on Young-gol(ling-gu) and Gang-ap-hyul(jiang-ya-xue), readings dropped 18.0mmHg in systolic blood pressure and 6.50mmHg in diastolic blood pressure. This was a greater effect than that seen in the venepuncture treated patients. Blood pressure checked one hour after acupuncture treatment showed a greater difference than blood pressure checked after thirty minutes. Conclusion : Safe reductions in blood pressure were observed through the non-pharmacological method of acupuncture on Young-gol(ling-gu) and Gang-ap-hyul(Jiang-ya-xue).

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.1423-1429
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• 2009

Rhizopus oryzae KSD-815 was isolated from nuruk that has been used to make Korean traditional wines. This study was performed to investigate the effect of cultures of R. oryzae KSD-815 on cardiovascular disorders and cancer metastasis. Firstly, these cultures were sequentially fractionationed with n-hexane (TAHe), ethylacetate (TAE), n-butanol (TAB), and $H_2O$ (TAW). The TAE inhibited the activity of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and TAB suppressed platelet aggregation in vitro. TAE and TAB inhibited cell motility of human breast cancer cells. Furthermore, TAW interrupted the formation of neovasculature and tube-like structure, and down-regulated the expression of angiogenic factors, basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), tumor necrosis factor-$\alpha$ (TNF-$\alpha$), and hypoxia-inducible factor-$1{\alpha}$ (HIF-$1{\alpha}$) in breast cancer cells. These results indicated that cultures of R. oryzae KSD-815 display the inhibitory activities on hypertension, platelet aggregation, and metastasis, and suggest that these cultures might be further probed for the purposes as therapeutic agents or dietary supplements.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.487-493
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• 1999

Effects of Ginkgo biloba extract (EGb 761) on the anti-pulmonary hypertensive action of enalapril were evaluated in rats. Pulmonary hypertension was induced by monocrotaline treatment (60mg/kg, i.p.) in normotensive rats. In the systolic pulmonary artery pressure, the control group was 33$\pm$2 mmHg, comparing to the normal group of 19$\pm$1 mmHg. That of enalapril group(20mg/kg/day, p.o.) was 26$\pm$2 mmHg. In the isolated lung preparation, acetylcholine, which was endothelium dependent vasodilator, induced the decrease of pulmonary artery perfusion pressure(-2.0$\pm$0.7 mmHg) in normal group, but the increase of that of 3.4$\pm$0.6 and 3.0$\pm$0.9 mmHg in control and enalapril group, respectively. And that of the combined group was -0.5$\pm$0.2 mmHg. In the isolated pulmonary artery, acetylcholine(10-5M) induced the relaxation of 65$\pm$6% in normal group, but 15 and 8% in control and enalapril group, respectively. And that of the combined group was resulted 55$\pm$2%. These results suggested that co-administration of Ginkgo biloba extract(EGb 761) potentiated the anti-pulmonary hypertensive effects of enalapril through the increase of pulmonary vasodilation due to the protection of endothelial cell by antioxidant action of Ginkgo biloba extract (EGb 761).

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.305-312
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• 2007

Objectives : To estimate the awareness, treatment and control rate, as well as to identify the awareness-related factors for hypertension. Methods : The study participants were 482 adults (men 206, women 276), aged 45 or over, diagnosed with hypertension and living in Chuncheon. The awareness rate was defined as the proportion of persons among those with hypertension who had previously been diagnosed by a physician. The treatment rate was defined as the proportion of persons who had used anti-hypertensive medication, among those who were aware of their hypertension. The control rate was defined as the proportion of persons who kept blood pressure normal, among those who had been treated for their hypertension. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was carried out for the awareness-related factors using SAS VER 8.1. Results : The awareness, treatment, and control rate were 55,8% (53.4% for men; 57.6% for women), 89.6% (87,2% for men; 91.2% for women), and 34.4% (28.1 % for men; 38.6% for women), respectively. The awareness-related factors included a family history of hypertension (odds ratio[OR], 5.63; 95% confidence interval[95% CI]=1.53-20.72), smoking([Ex; OR 0.38, 95% CI= 0.15-0.96)], [Current; OR 0.28, 95% CI=0.10-0.80]), and alcohol intake ([Ex; OR 3.22, 95% CI 1.03-10.09],[Current; OR 3.36, 95% CI=1.30-8.71]) for men, and education(OR 2.23, 95% CI=1.10-4.53), body mass index(OR 2.72, 95% CI=1.13-6.53), and self-rated health(OR 2.38, 95% CI=1.07-5.30) for women. Conclusions : The awareness rate of hypertension among the middle aged and elderly in Chuncheon was 55.8%. The related factors of awareness were gender specific. Further studies are needed to elucidate the putative reasons for these gender differences.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.418-428
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• 2011

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the cross-sectional relationship between low blood lead levels and increasing blood pressure among Korean adults using a nationally representative sample of the Korean population: the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) 2008. Methods: A total of 918 subjects aged 40 and older and not currently being treated for hypertension participated in this study. Information about age, gender, smoking status, alcohol consumption, education level, and the use of anti-hypertensive medication was collected. The blood pressure was defined as the mean of the second and the third measurements after three time measurements. Lead levels were determined by an analysis of blood samples. Multiple linear and logistic regression analyses were implemented after adjusting for covariates including age, gender, educational level, smoking status, alcohol consumption, and BMI. Results: This study showed that the average differences in systolic and diastolic blood pressure comparing the lowest to highest quintile of blood lead were 4.33 mmHg (95% CI, 0.66-8.00; p for trend = 0.027) and 2.66 mmHg (95% CI, 0.26-5.06; p for trend = 0.021), respectively. After multivariate adjustment for covariates, the prevalence odds ratio (POR) of subjects in the highest quintile was associated with a 1.70-fold increase in the risks of hypertension (95% CI, 0.83-3.49; p for trend test = 0.112) over those in the lowest quintile of blood lead concentration, However, it was not statistically significant. Conclusions: This study provided evidence for an association between low- levels of blood lead and elevations in blood pressure and risk for hypertension in the general population of Korea.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.11-18
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• 2015

Objectives : Polygoni Multiflori Radix (Jeokhasuo in Korean) is a Oriental traditional herbs widely used in East Asian countries. Overconsumption of fructose results in hypertension, dyslipidemia, obesity and impaired glucose tolerance which have documented as a risk of cardiovascular diseases. This experimental study was designed to investigate the beneficial effects of an ethanol extract from Polygoni Multiflori Radix (PMR) in high-fructose (HF) diet-induced metabolic syndrome rat model. Methods : Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were divided into three groups; Control group, receiving regular diet and tap water, HF group, and HF + PMR group both receiving supplemented with 65% fructose (n=10), respectively. The HF + PMR group initially received HF diet with PMR (100 mg/kg/day) for 8 weeks. Results : PMR significantly prevented the metabolic disturbances such as hyperlipidemia, hypertension and impaired glucose tolerance. Chronic treatment with PMR significantly decreased body weight, fat weight and adipocyte size, suggesting a role of anti-obesity effect. PMR led to improve the hyperlipidemia through the increase in HDL cholesterol level as well as the decrease in triglyceride and LDL cholesterol level. In addition, PMR suppressed adhesion molecules and endothelin-1 (ET-1) expression in aorta resulting in the decrease of hypertension. In muscle tissue, PMR significantly recovered the HF-induced insulin resistance through increase of insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1), p-$AMPK{\alpha}1/2$, and p-Akt expression. PMR improved HF-induced metabolic disorders and its action was caused by energy metabolism-mediated insulin signaling activation. Conclusions : These results demonstrate that PMR may be a beneficial therapeutic for metabolic syndrome through the improvement of hyperlipidemia, obesity, insulin resistance and hypertension.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.669-676
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• 2019

Zanthoxylum piperitum D.C. (ZP) peels has been used as a natural spice and herb medicine for hypertension reduction, for strokes, and for its anti-bacterial and anti-oxidant activity. However, the anti-inflammatory mechanisms employed by ZP have yet to be completely understood. In this study, we elucidate the anti-inflammatory mechanism of ZP in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW264.7 cells. We evaluated the effects of ZP in LPS-induced levels of inflammatory cytokines, prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂), and caspase-1 using ELISA. The expression levels of inflammatory-related genes, including cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), were assayed by Western blot analysis. We elucidated the effect of ZP on nuclear factor (NF)-κB activation by means of a luciferase activity assay. The findings of this study demonstrated that ZP inhibited the production of inflammatory cytokine and PGE₂ and inhibited the increased levels of COX-2 and iNOS caused by LPS. Additionally, we showed that the anti-inflammatory effect of ZP arises by suppressing the activation of NF-κB and caspase-1 in LPS- induced RAW264.7 cells. These results provide novel insights into the pharmacological actions of ZP as a potential candidate for development of new drugs to treat inflammatory diseases.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.251-263
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• 2022

Sea cucumbers are worm-like, leathery bodied, benthic, marine organisms with a branched gonad. There are over 900 species, and these organisms are capable of changing their mechanical state, regenerating their small appendages, and digestive tract. Additionally, sea cucumbers possess both commercial and therapeutical value. Furthermore, it is thought that the metabolites these organisms possess may give rise to their therapeutical value. The use of sea cucumbers in therapy can be traced back to the Ming dynasty, where they were eaten for their tonic properties against constipation, hypertension, and rheumatism. A plethora of studies have been conducted, whereby different metabolites were extracted from sea cucumbers and tested for different therapeutic properties. Herein, we review and discuss the anti-cancer, anti-microbial, anti-coagulant, anti-diabetic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties of the sea cucumber by assessing literature on PubMed and Google Scholar. Furthermore, the genome and epigenome of these remarkable species is discussed. With the immense data supporting the therapeutic properties of sea cucumbers, further studies are warranted, in order to develop novel and innovative therapeutic compounds for the benefit of human health from these fascinating marine organisms.