• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.269-276
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• 2009

Black pepper (family Piperaceae), is called king of spices because it is one of the oldest spice and alone accounts for about 35% of the world's total spice trade. The pepper is used in Ayurvedic medicine for the treatment of various ailments particularly neurological, broncho-pulmonary and gastrointestinal disorders. Pepper has also been reported to have various pharmacological actions but recently, it is highlighted as a bioavailability enhancer. This results in higher plasma concentration of drugs, nutrients, ions and other xenobiotics, rendering them more bioavailable for physiological as well as pharmacological actions in the body. Numerous scientific studies reported that piperine; a main bioactive compound of pepper, is responsible for its bioavailability enhancing property. It's a well known fact that pepper enhances bioavailability by inhibition of microsomal enzyme system but other mechanisms are also responsible to acts as a bioavailability enhancer. The brief overview of the mechanism of action of pepper as well as its applications as bioavailability enhancer is given in the present article.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.7
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• pp.1086-1093
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• 2018

Honokiol, a bioactive compound isolated from the cone and bark of Magnolia officinalis, has been shown to have various activities including inhibition of the growth of Candida albicans. We investigated the roles of the Hsp90-calcineurin pathway in the antifungal activity of honokiol. The pharmacologic tool was employed to evaluate the effects of Hsp90 and calcineurin in the antifungal activity of honokiol. We also evaluated the protective effects of the calcineurin inhibitor cyclosporin A (CsA) on honokiol-induced mitochondrial dysfunction by the fluorescence staining method. The Hsp90 inhibitor potentiated the antifungal activity of honokiol. A C. albicans strain with the calcineurin gene deleted displayed enhanced sensitivity to honokiol. However, co-treatment with calcineurin inhibitor CsA attenuated the cytotoxic activity of honokiol due to the protective effect on mitochondria. Our results provide insight into the action mechanism of honokiol.

• Proceedings of the KSLP Conference
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• 2017.04a
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• pp.87-87
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• 2017

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.27-35
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• 2014

Marine brown algae have been identified as a rich source of structurally diverse bioactive compounds. Whether Myagropsis yendoi ethanolic extracts (MYE) inhibit inflammatory responses was investigated using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated microglia BV-2 cells. MYE inhibited LPS-induced nitric oxide (NO) production in a dose-dependent manner and suppressed the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase in BV-2 cells. MYE also reduced the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in LPS-stimulated BV-2 cells. LPS-induced nuclear factor-${\kappa}B$ (NF-${\kappa}B$) transcriptional activity and NF-${\kappa}B$ translocation into the nucleus were significantly inhibited by MYE treatment through preventing degradation of the inhibitor ${\kappa}B-{\alpha}$. Moreover, MYE inhibited the phosphorylation of AKT, ERK, JNK, and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase in LPS-stimulated BV-2 cells. These results indicate that MYE is a potential source of therapeutic or functional agents for neuroinflammatory diseases.

• BMB Reports
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• v.47 no.7
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• pp.369-375
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• 2014

Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) is a pleiotropic bioactive peptide that was first isolated from an ovine hypothalamus in 1989. PACAP belongs to the secretin/glucagon/vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) superfamily. PACAP is widely distributed in the central and peripheral nervous systems and acts as a neurotransmitter, neuromodulator, and neurotrophic factor via three major receptors (PAC1, VPAC1, and VPAC2). Recent studies have shown a neuroprotective role of PACAP using in vitro and in vivo models. In this review, we briefly summarize the current findings on the neurotrophic and neuroprotective effects of PACAP in different brain injury models, such as cerebral ischemia, Parkinson's disease (PD), and Alzheimer's disease (AD). This review will provide information for the future development of therapeutic strategies in treatment of these neurodegenerative diseases.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.243-256
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• 2017

Doxorubicin as a chemotherapeutic drug is widely used for the treatment of patients with cancer. However, clinical use of this drug is hampered by its cardiotoxicity, which is manifested as electrocardiographic abnormalities, arrhythmias, irreversible degenerative cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure. The precise mechanisms underlying the cardiotoxicity of doxorubicin are not clear, but impairment of calcium homeostasis, generation of iron complexes, production of oxygen radicals, mitochondrial dysfunction and cell membrane damage have been suggested as potential etiologic factors. Compounds that can neutralize the toxic effect of doxorubicin on cardiac cells without reducing the drug's antitumor activity are needed. In recent years, numerous studies have shown that herbal medicines and bioactive phytochemicals can serve as effective add-on therapies to reduce the cardiotoxic effects of doxorubicin. This review describes different phytochemicals and herbal products that have been shown to counterbalance doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.89-89
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• 2019

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.371-379
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• 2021

Mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to the pathogenesis and prognosis of many common disorders, including neurodegeneration, stroke, myocardial infarction, tumor, and metabolic diseases. Ginsenosides, the major bioactive constituents of Panax ginseng (P. ginseng), have been reported to play beneficial roles in the molecular pathophysiology of these diseases by targeting mitochondrial dysfunction. In this review, we first introduce the types of ginsenosides and basic mitochondrial functions. Then, recent findings are summarized on different ginsenosides targeting mitochondria and their key signaling pathways for the treatment of multiple diseases, including neurological disorders, cancer, heart disease, hyperglycemia, and inflammation are summarized. This review may explain the common targets of ginsenosides against multiple diseases and provide new insights into the underlying mechanisms, facilitating research on the clinical application of P. ginseng.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.713-719
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• 2022

Platycodon grandiflorum and Glycyrrhiza uralensis contain several bioactive compounds, such as saponin, oleanolic acid, and flavone. P. grandiflorum and G. uralensis have traditionally been used to treat disorders related to blood pressure, diabetes, and counteracting poison, and they have antinociceptive and antiinflammatory properties. However, the validity of complex saponin's vasodilatory effect has not been scientifically investigated. Therefore, this study explores the vasodilatory effect of complex saponin extracted from P. grandiflorum and G. uralensis mixture extract on rabbit carotid arteries. To this end, arterial rings with intact or damaged endothelium were used in an organ bath experiment and contracted by endothelin. Complex saponins, the major active constituents of P. grandiflorum and G. uralensis mixture extract, exhibited a moderate vasodilatory effect on the rabbit's basilar arteries. Therefore, treatment with complex saponin extracted from P. grandiflorum and G. uralensis mixture extract may selectively accelerate cerebral blood flow through basilar arterial dilation. Overall, the findings suggest that the extracted complex saponins can serve as vasodilator sources.

• CELLMED
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.4.1-4.13
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• 2022

The present communication attempts to evaluate the physicochemical and preliminary phytochemical studies on the fruit of Terminalia chebula Retz. Combretaceae family. Haritaki is one of the most celebrated herbs in the Indian traditional medicine system, Ayurveda. Terminalia chebula is known to exhibit different properties like anticancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-protozoal, antimicrobial, antioxidant, hepato and renal protective activities, and in the management of metabolic syndrome. As there is no detailed standardisation work reported on fruit, the physicochemical parameters, preliminary phytochemical constants, heavy metals, analysis are carried out. The phytochemical screening indicated the presence Tannin, Alkaloid, Phenol, Carbohydrate, Steroids, Protein and Resin compounds in CO₂ extract of Haritaki. The present investigation will helpful in assessing the quality and purity of a crude drug. Thus, the study provides facts that CO₂ extract of Haritaki contains medicinally important bioactive phytochemical compounds which justifies the use of plant species as conventional medicine for treatment of many diseases.