• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.594-601
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• 2015

In the present study, the total content of polyphenols and flavonoids, the antioxidant activities, and cytotoxic effects of the ethanol extracts from different parts of Taraxacum coreanum Nakai were investigated for their use as functional foods. The extract yields of the flower, leaf, and root were $32.15{\pm}3.21%$, $31.63{\pm}0.63%$, and $27.48{\pm}2.47%$, respectively. Total polyphenol and flavonoid content of the flower extract were $61.29{\pm}2.11mg/g$ and $46.11{\pm}1.88mg/g$, respectively, which were much higher than those of any other plant parts. The antioxidant activities of the flower, leaf, and root extracts were $89.99{\pm}2.83%$, $85.29{\pm}2.22%$, and $37.88{\pm}2.34%$, respectively, at a concentration of 1.0 mg/mL. Cell cytotoxicity effects of AGS (human gastric carcinoma), HCT116 (human colon carcinoma), and A549 (human pulmonary carcinoma) cells were the highest in the flower extract, with values of $62.85{\pm}4.63%$, $69.89{\pm}3.44%$, and $85.72{\pm}4.17%$, respectively, at a concentration of 400 mg/kg. Both the antioxidant activities and cytotoxic effects of the ethanol extracts from all the parts of the T. coreanum Nakai increased dose-dependently. These results provide preliminary data for the development of T. coreanum Nakai as an edible functional food material.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.44 no.8
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• pp.1234-1240
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• 2015

Taraxacum coreanum Nakai is a wild medicinal plant commonly consumed in Korea due to its health beneficial effects. In the present study, the contents of polyphenolics and flavonoids as well as antioxidative and anticancer activities of water extracts from different parts of T. coreanum Nakai were investigated for their use as functional foods. Extract yields of flower, leaf, and root were 30.25%, 34.53%, and 66.25%, respectively. Total polyphenols and total flavonoids contents of flower extract were 50.54 mg/g and 35.26 mg/g, respectively, which were much higher than any other parts. The electron donating abilities of flower, leaf, and root extracts were 91.04%, 88.22%, and 38.58%, respectively, at a concentration of 1.0 mg/mL. Cell viability of AGS for human gastric carcinoma, HCT-116 for human colon carcinoma, and A-549 for human pulmonary carcinoma showed the lowest values in flower extracts (40.34%, 39.56%, and 17.52%, respectively), indicating the highest cytotoxicity at a concentration of 400 mg/kg. Both antioxidative and anticancer activities of water extracts from all T. coreanum Nakai parts dose-dependently increased. These results provide preliminary data for the development of T. coreanum Nakai as an edible functional food material.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.200-207
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• 2015

Various natural products or their derivatives, mostly originating from plants, fungi, and bacteria, have been exploited as therapeutic drugs to treat various human diseases. In addition to previously explored organisms, research on natural compounds has now expanded into unexamined living organisms in order to identify novel bioactive substances. Here, we determined whether or not the larval form of the mealworm beetle Tenebrio molitor, a species of darkling beetle, contains cytotoxic substances that exclusively affect cancer cell viability. Ethanol extract and its solvent partitioned fractions, hexane and ethyl acetate fractions, showed anticancer effects against various human cancer cells derived from the prostate (PC3 and 22Rv1), cervix (HeLa), liver (PLC/PRF5, HepG2, Hep3B, and SK-HEP-1), colon (HCT116), lung (NCI-H460), breast (MDA-MB231), and ovary (SKOV3). Cell death induced by the fractions was a mix of apoptosis, necrosis, and autophagy. The hexane fraction was administered intraperitoneally to nude mice bearing a hepatocellular carcinoma SK-HEP-1 and showed inhibition of tumor growth in vivo. Therefore, we concluded that worm extracts contain cytotoxic substances, which can be enriched by proper fractionation protocols, and further separation and purification could lead to the identification of novel molecules to treat human cancers.