• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.239-245
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• 2016

Objectives: This study was conducted to clarify the effects of agarwood on histamine release from mast cells in rats and on the scratching behaviors in mice. Methods: Histamine release from rat mast cells induced by compound 48/80 or concanavalin A (Con A) and compound 48/80-induced scratching behavior in mice were examined to investigate the effects of agarwood. The hyaluronidase activity and the 3',5'-cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) levels in mast cells were examined to investigate the mechanisms for the inhibition of histamine release. The correlation between the inhibitory effects of agarwood on histamine release and the content of its typical ingredients, a 2-(2-phenylethyl)chromone derivatives, was analyzed using thin-layer chromatography. Results: Agarwood showed an inhibitory effect on mast-cell histamine release induced by compound 48/80 or Con A without any effect on hyaluronidase activity; this effect involves an increase in the cAMP levels in mast cells. Oral administration of agarwood showed an inhibitory effect on compound 48/80-induced scratching behavior in mice. The inhibitory effects of agarwood on histamine release were quite different, depending on the area where the agarwood was produced, its quality, and its market price. No correlation was found between the inhibitory effects of agarwood on histamine release and the typical ingredients of agarwood, which are 2-(2-phenylethyl)chromone derivatives. Conclusion: These results show that agarwood inhibits histamine release from mast cells partially through an increase in the cAMP levels in cells. We suggest that some active ingredients of agarwood must be effective on oral intake and that agarwood can be used to treat patients with a number of conditions, including urticaria, atopic dermatitis, and bronchial asthma, in which an increase in histamine release occurs. Differences in the pharmacological effects of this crude drug among markets may provide important information for the quality control of this herbal medicine.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.40 no.8
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• pp.549-556
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• 1996

This work describes studies aimed at the synthesis of simple analogs of antibiotic tetracycline(TC) and flavonoid. The synthesis of proposed analogs of tetracycline and flavonide has been accomplished from readily available compounds 9 and 15. The 1,3-cyclohexanedione derivative 9 was transformed to the benzoate derivative 12 followed by base-mediated intramolecular benzoylation to give the bicyclic TC-analog 13. The bicyclic TC-analog 25 and the flavonoid-analogs 26 and 27 have been prepared from the quinol derivative 15.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.345-350
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• 2009

We previously reported that flavone induces embryonic lethality in Caenorhabditis elegans, which appeared to be the result of cell cycle arrest during early embryogenesis. To test this possibility, here we examined whether flavone inhibits the activity of a key cell cycle regulator, CDC-25.1 in C. elegans. A gain-of-function cdc-25.1 mutant, rr31, which exhibits extra cell divisions in intestinal cells, was used to test the inhibitory effects of flavone on CDC-25 activity. Flavone inhibited the extra cell divisions of intestinal cells in rr31, and modifications of flavone reduced the inhibitory effects. The inhibitory effects of flavone on CDC-25.1 were partly, if not completely, due to transcriptional repression.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.158-162
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• 2020

Three coumarins, one chromone, and a phytosterol were isolated from the stem of Ostericum koreanum. Basis on the spectral data, we determined to be the structures of isolated compounds as bergapten, xanthotoxin, auraptenol, hamaudol, and mixture of phytosterols. Auraptenol was isolated for the first time from this plant.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.194-196
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• 1997

A C-glycosyl chromone, named as 7-O-methylaloesinol, was newly isolated from the leaf exudate of Aloe capensis and identified as $8-C-{\beta}-D-glucopyranosyl$${\beta}-2-[2-(R)-hydroxypropyl]-7-methoxy-5-methyl-4H-1-benzopyran-4-one$ by chemical and spectral evidence.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.10
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• pp.1574-1582
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• 2020

Flavonoids have diverse biological functions in human health. All flavonoids contain a common 2-phenyl chromone structure (C6-C3-C6) as a scaffold. Hence, in using such a scaffold, plenty of high-value-added flavonoids can be synthesized by chemical or biological catalyzation approaches. (2S)-Naringenin is one of the most commonly used flavonoid scaffolds. However, biosynthesizing (2S)-naringenin has been restricted not only by low production but also by the expensive precursors and inducers that are used. Herein, we established an induction-free system to de novo biosynthesize (2S)-naringenin in Escherichia coli. The tyrosine synthesis pathway was enhanced by overexpressing feedback inhibition-resistant genes (aroG^fbr and tyrA^fbr) and knocking out a repressor gene (tyrR). After optimizing the fermentation medium and conditions, we found that glycerol, glucose, fatty acids, potassium acetate, temperature, and initial pH are important for producing (2S)-naringenin. Using the optimum fermentation medium and conditions, our best strain, Nar-17LM1, could produce 588 mg/l (2S)-naringenin from glucose in a 5-L bioreactor, the highest titer reported to date in E. coli.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.163-167
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• 1996

Aloe plants have been used as herbal medicine for centuries and the name aloe means the dried exudate from the cut leaves of Aloe ferox Mill. (Cape aloe, Liliaceae), Aloe ferryi Baker. (Socotrine aloe), A. bainesii Th. Dyer. (Natal aloe) and Aloe vera L. (Curacao aloe) (Namba, 1986). Among them, Aloe vera has not only been one of the most used natural drug well known for its cathartic properties, but also has been widely used as raw materials of cosmetics and health foods (Leung, 1978, Hoffenberg, 1979). Although previous investigations showed that the leaves of A. vera contain a number of anthracene and chromone derivatives such as aloin A, aloin B, 1, 3, 6, 8-tetra-nitro-4,5-dihydroxy-2-hydroxymethyl anthraquinone and 7-hydroxy-aloin, its chemical composition is far from being completely investigated (Hoffenberg, 1979, Rauwald and Voetig, 1982). As a part of our chemical investigations on the constituents of aloe, we report chemical investigation of the freeze dried ground leaves of A. vera which is led to the isolation of five compounds from the ethyl acetate soluble fraction of the methanolic extract.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.554-559
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• 1991

The photophysical and photochemical properties of khellin were compared with those of 8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP). Quantum yields of fluorescence and triplet formation decreases as solvent polarity increases, which is opposite to 8-MOP, and photocycloadditivity of khellin to olefins is much lower than that of 8-MOP. Electron ejection from khellin by laser flash was not observed, but observed from 8-MOP. As models of 4',5'-monoadducts of khellin or 8-MOP with thymine base, khellin<>dimethylfumarate 4',5'-monoadduct (KDF) was also compared with 8-MOP<>thymidine 4',5'-monoadduct (F-2) in those properties to give some insight on the second-step biadduct formation resulting in cross-links of DNA duplex. KDF and F-2 were very similar to khellin and 8-MOP in photophysical properties, respectively. However, KDF did not form adducts with various olefins, and thus it is thought that 2,3-double bond of chromone moiety in khellin is hardly reactive in contrast with 3,4-double bond of coumarin moiety in 8-MOP. These results indicate that khellin is fairly photostable compound, a poor type Ⅰ photodynamic sensitizer and producer of ${O_2}^{-}$ which is some cause of phototoxic erythemal reactions and undesirable side effects. Therefore khellin is safer to use than 8-MOP in photochemotherapy of some skin diseases. Although khellin is much less reactive than 8-MOP, khellin must be also a monofunctional drug. Since khellin is, however, as effective as 8-MOP in photochemotherapy of some skin diseases, it is suggested that khellin may be different from 8-MOP in the action mechanism.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.1078-1089
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• 2017

Biofilm formation of Staphylococcus aureus is one of its mechanisms of drug resistance. Anti-biofilm screening of 106 compounds from marine-derived fungi displayed that 12 compounds inhibited S. aureus biofilm formation by >50% at the concentration of $100{\mu}g/ml$, and only secalonic acid D (SAD) and B inhibited by >90% at $6.25{\mu}g/ml$ without inhibiting cell growth after 24-h incubation. Meanwhile, it was found that the double bond between C-1 and C-10 of citrinin derivatives and the C-C connection position of two chromone monomers may be important for their anti-biofilm activities. Moreover, SAD slightly facilitated biofilm eradication and influenced its architecture. Furthermore, SAD slowed the cell growth rate in the preceding 18-h incubation and differentially regulated transcriptional expression of several genes, such as agr, isaA, icaA, and icaD, associated with biofilm formation in planktonic and biofilm cells, which may be the reason for the anti-biofilm activity of SAD. Finally, SAD acted synergistically against S. aureus growth and biofilm formation with other antibiotics. These findings indicated that various natural products from marine-derived fungi, such as SAD, could be used as a potential biofilm inhibitor against S. aureus.