• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.730-737
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• 2013

The purpose of this study is to investigate vasorelaxant effect of Epimedium koreanum(EK) extract on rabbit carotid artery. In this study, to determine vasorelaxant effect of EK extract on rabbit carotid artery, arterial rings with intact or damaged endothelium were used for experiment using organ bath, and were contracted by norepinephrine(NE). After being contracted, arterial rings were treated with EK extract in a dose-dependent manner To study its mechanism, the contracted arterial rings induced by NE were pretreated with indomethacin(IM), $N_{\omega}$-nitro-L-arginine(L-NNA), methylene blue(MB) or tetraethylammonium chloride(TEA) and 0.1 $mg/m{\ell}$ EK extract was added. To analyze the effect of the EK extract on influx of extracellular calcium chloride($Ca^{2+}$) in rabbit carotid artery, in $Ca^{2+}$-free krebs solution, krebs solution containing 1 mM $Ca^{2+}$ was infused into the contracted arterial ring by NE after pretreatment of EK extract. To measure the cytotoxicity of the EK extract, cell viability of human umbilical vein endothelial cell(HUVEC) was measured by MTT assay, and nitric oxide(NO) was measured by Griess reagent. The EK extract significantly was relaxed the arterial ring with intact endothelium contracted by NE, but the vasorelaxant effect of the EK extract was inhibited in the arterial rings with damaged endothelium. The vasorelaxant effect of the EK extract was not different between the IM-pretreatedand and non-treated arterial rings. The vasorelaxant effect of EK extract were significantly inhibited, when arterial rings were pretreated with L-NNA, TEA, MB. And in $Ca^{2+}$-free krebs solution, increasing of arterial contraction by $Ca^{2+}$ addition were also inhibited by the treatment of EK, but not significant. The treatment of EK extract was increased NO concentration in HUVEC. This study suggested that the vasorelaxant effect of EK extract would be related with EDHF and NO production and increasing of cyclic GMP.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.169-177
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• 2014

This study aimed to investigate the relaxation effects and its underlying mechanisms of Epimedium koreanum Nakai(EK) in phenylephrine(PE) treated isolated rabbit corpus cavernosum smooth muscle. The dose-dependent relaxation responses of phenylephrine(PE, $1{\times}10^{-6}M$)-precontracted strips to EK at $0.01-3.0mg/m{\ell}$ were measured and also observed after endothelial denudation using organ bath. To analyze the underlying mechanisms of EK-induced relaxation, $N{\omega}$-nitro-L-arginine(L-NNA), methylene blue(MB), tetraethylammonium chloride(TEA), indomethacin(IM) were pretreated before EK extract infused into precontracted strips induced by PE. To investigate cytotoxic activity and nitric oxide(NO) concentration of EK extract on EA.hy926 cells, mitochondrial dehydrogenase activity(MTT) assay and nitric oxide detection kit were used. The cavernous strips were significantly relaxed by EK extract at $0.3mg/m{\ell}$, $1.0mg/m{\ell}$, $3.0mg/m{\ell}$ and the relaxation responses of PE-precontracted strips denuded endothelium also inhibited in comparison with intact endothelium. The pretreatment of L-NNA, MB, TEA reduced EK extract-induced endothelium-dependent relaxation, but the pretreatment of IM didn't affect EK extract-induced endothelium-dependent relaxation. When EK extract was applicated on EA.hy926 cells, the NO concentration was increased. Our findings have shown that EK extract exerts a relaxing effect on corpus cavernosum in part by suppressing influx of extracellular $Ca^{2+}$ through activating the NO-cGMP system.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.265-270
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• 2009

To develop a natural stimulating agent for hair melanogenesis, we investigated the stimulatory effects of Epimedium koreanum Nakai extract (EKNE) on melanogenesis. EKNE both increased melanin content in B16 melanoma cells up to about 104 % and intracellular tyrosinase activity up to about 95 % at a concentration of $50\;{\mu}g/mL$ without cell cytotoxicity (below $100\;{\mu}g/mL$). From the result of western blot, we could find that EKNE dose-dependently induce the expression of TRP-2. Also, EKNE increased melanogenesis up to about 25 % at a concentration of 5 % (w/v) in back hair of C3H/Hej mouse. These results suggest that EKNE has an effect to stimulate melanin formation through the induction of tyrosinase activity and TRP-2 expression which are involved in melanin synthesis in melanocyte. Therefore, we suggest that EKNE could be used as a useful melanogenesis stimulator for development of natural hair cosmetics.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.732-736
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• 2000

The purpose of this study was to investigate the extraction method of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activities of the aerial part of Epimedium koreanum NAKAI (EKN). The antioxidant activities of EKN were tested with by hydrogen donating ability, inhibition of lipid peroxidation, and inhibition of LDL oxidation. The most suitable conditions for the extraction of phenolic compounds from EKN were to use 60% ethanol by 3 times, and the yield of extract (dry basis) was 22%. In the extraction efficiency of phenolic compounds, 60% ethanol as extracting solvent was superior to water. Sixty% ethanol extract of EKN was found to have an ability of hydrogen donating to DPPH. MDA determination showed the 95% inhibitory effect against linoleic acid oxidation by the addition of 700 ppm EKN extract. Also, about 70% of LDL oxidation was inhibited by the addition of 500 ppm.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.110-115
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• 2012

$Epimedium$ $koreanum$ Nakai is a wild medicinal plant commonly consumed in South Korea due to its beneficial health effects. In this study, the antimutagenic and immunological activities of $E.$ $koreanum$ Nakai extracts were investigated for their use in food. In the immunomodulating activity, the effects of $E.$ $koreanum$ Nakai on the B cell (Rhamos) and T cell (Molt-4) were investigated. The results showed that the growth and viability of the B and T cells were increased and activated more in the ethylacetate (1.35 and 1.48 times) and water fraction (1.30 and 1.40 times), respectively. In the Ames test, none of the fractions produced a mutagenic effect on $Salmonella$. $typhimurium$ TA98 and TA 100. The ethylacetate fraction showed a strong antimutagenic effect (98%) on and a high butanol fraction (84%) of B(${\alpha}$)P in $S.$ $typhimurium$ TA98 and TA100, respectively. In 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide (4NQO), all the solvent fractions showed an over 70% antimutagenic effect, except for the chloroform extract. Especially, ethylacetate and butanol showed strong inhibition of the mutagenic effects (80 and 90%) on 4NQO in $S.$ $typhimurium$ TA98 and TA100, respectively. These results provide preliminary data for the development of $E.$ $koreanum$ Nakai as an edible food material.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.359-364
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• 2007

This study was conducted to determine the optimum condition of extraction and antioxidant activity of ethanol extracts of Epimedium koreanum Nakai based on the icariin quantity. Also, further organic solvent fractions of hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and butanol were obtained from the ethanol extract of Epimedium koreanum Nakai at different temperatures. Total ethanol extraction yield of wild grape seed ranged from 11.8% to 39.3% depending on the concentration of icariin as well as different ethanol concentration, extraction temperature and time condition. Among different extraction temperatures and time, the highest extraction yield of 39.3% was obtained at 70% ethanol for 3 hour at $50^{\circ}C$ in the sample containing the 0.596% icariin (KE9412). In the meantime, the strongest free radical scavenging effect $(RC_{50})$ with $18.9{\mu}g/mL$ in the KE9412 sample was observed in 70% ethanol extract of Epimedium koreanum Nakai extracted for 7 hour at $70^{\circ}C$, while $RC_{50}$ with $35.2{\mu}g/mL$ was observed in the KE9405 (0.20% icariin content) sample at same condition. Also, antioxidant activity of ethanol extracts of Epimedium koreanum Nakai increased as icariin concentration increased. Among each fraction obtained from organic solvents, butanol fraction was found to have the strongest $RC_{50}\;(39.2{\mu}g/mL)$ and followed by ethylacetate $(49.0{\mu}g/mL)$, water $(118.8{\mu}g/mL)$, ethylacetate $(119.8{\mu}g/mL)$, and chloroform fraction $(138.5{\mu}g/mL)$ respectively.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.938-945
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• 2011

Epimedium koreanum Nakai is a wild herb commonly consumed in South Korea due to its beneficial health effects. In the present study, the antimutagenic and immunoactivities of extracts from E. koreanum Nakai containing different icariin quantities were investigated for food use. In the Ames test, both the water and ethanol extracts were found not to have a mutagenic effect on Salmonella typhimurium TA98 and TA100, respectively. The E. koreanum Nakai extracts showed over 80 and 90% antimutagenic effects on benzo(${\alpha}$)pyrene (B(a)P) in S. typhimurium TA98 and TA100, respectively. Moreover, all the extracts showed over 70% antimutagenicity on S. typhimurium TA98 and TA100 against 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide (4NQO). The E. koreanum Nakai extract with ethanol showed strong antimutagenic activity, higher than that of the water extract and the sequenced KE9412, KE9408, and KE9405. In the immunomodulating activity test, the effect of E. koreanum Nakai on the B (Rhamos) and T (Jukat) cells were investigated. The immunoactivity results showed that the growth and viability of the B and T cells increased and were activated more in KE9405 (1.8 times), KE9408 (1.6 times), and KE9412 (1.32 times) in the water extracts, and least in KE9412 (1.74 times), KE9408 (1.52 times), and KE9405 (1.4 times) in the ethanol extracts. In the case of both the water and ethanol extracts ($500{\mu}g/mL$) from E. koreanum Nakai, the highest cell number of the human B (Rhamos) and T (Jukat) cells was observed on day 4 in KE9405 and KE9412, and on day 5 in KE9408. Based on the obtained results, the development of E. koreanum Nakai as a food material is recommended.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.102-108
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• 2000

Morphological characteristics of nine Epimedium spp was analyzed on the basis of six morphological characters. To analyse the genetic relationship among Epimedium spp., polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed with total genomic DNA of 17 Epimedium spp. by using random 8 primers. The genetic diversity and genetic distance among nine Korean collections, seven Japanese and one China collection were used to generate a dendrogram showing phylogenie relationship. Seventeen Epimedium spp were classified into two groups of group I and II, since they were divided into two major groups at the similarity coefficients value of 0.65. In addition, one of the two group, group I was divided into three sub-groups including Epimedium koreanum, Chul-won collections 1, 2, and 3, Yanggu, Hongchon, Hwachun, Chunchon, China, Maehwa (Japanese), E. diphyllum and E. violaceum (Japanese), while group II included Chulwon collection 4 and 5 and Japanese collection. The samples collected at Chulwon district showed close similarity with Japanese collection. Similarity indexes between collection and genetic relationship were related at the levels ranging from 0.6 to 0.9.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Plant Biotechnology Conference
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• 2005.11a
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• pp.297-297
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• 2005

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.165-168
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• 1997

To establish the culture practices for mass propagation of Epimedium koreanum, root propagules were preserved with different methods. Bud emergence rate and number of multiple buds were the highest in root segments obtained from roots with buds which were preserved in open-burial. Plant height, leaf area, and number of new buds were the highest in root segments obtained from roots preserved with stratification.