• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2020.12a
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• pp.80-80
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• 2020

Glycyrrhizae Radix (GR), commomly known as liquorice, is a medicinal and edible plant widely used in East Asia with its pharmacological properties. Currently, Glycyrrhiza uralensis, G. glabra and G. inflata are used for pharmaceutical purposes in Korea and then the improved Glycyrrhiza varieties, WON-GAM (WG) has been developed by Korea Rural Development Administration. To evaluate equivalence of efficacy, several comparative studies between already-registered species and new cultivars have been conducted. To evaluate equivalence of efficacy, several comparative studies between already-registered species and new cultivars have been conducted. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of WG on fecal microbiota in DSS-induced colitis model. Fecal microbiota was analyzed by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP). The composition of the fecal microbiota did not show a specific pattern based on experimental groups; however, a tendency toward an increase in the proportion of Lactobacillales was observed. Glycyrrhiza varieties could change composition of fecal microbiota in DSS-induced colitis model. This work was carried out with the support of "Cooperative Research Program for Agriculture Science and Technology Development (Project No. PJ014246022020)" Rural Development Administration.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.191-198
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• 2018

BACKGROUD/OBJECTIVES: Neuroinflammation plays critical role in neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). We investigated the effect of three licorice varieties, Glycyrhiza uralensis, G. glabra, and Shinwongam (SW) on a mouse model of inflammation-induced memory and cognitive deficit. MATERIALS/METHODS: C57BL/6 mice were injected with lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 2.5 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) and orally administrated G. uralensis, G. glabra, and SW extract (150 mg/kg/day). SW, a new species of licorice in Korea, was combined with G. uralensis and G. glabra. Behavioral tests, including the T-maze, novel object recognition and Morris water maze, were carried out to assess learning and memory. In addition, the expressions of inflammation-related proteins in brain tissue were measured by western blotting. RESULTS: There was a significant decrease in spatial and objective recognition memory in LPS-induced cognitive impairment group, as measured by the T-maze and novel object recognition test; however, the administration of licorice ameliorated these deficits. In addition, licorice-treated groups exhibited improved learning and memory ability in the Morris water maze. Furthermore, LPS-injected mice had up-regulated pro-inflammatory proteins, such as inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2, interleukin-6, via activation of toll like receptor 4 (TLR4) and nuclear factor-kappa B ($NF{\kappa}B$) pathways in the brain. However, these were attenuated by following administration of the three licorice varieties. Interestingly, the SW-administered group showed greater inhibition of iNOS and TLR4 when compared with the other licorice varieties. Furthermore, there was a significant increase in the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the brain of LPS-induced cognitively impaired mice that were administered licorice, with the greatest effect following SW treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The three licorice varieties ameliorated the inflammation-induced cognitive dysfunction by down-regulating inflammatory proteins and up-regulating BDNF. These results suggest that licorice, in particular SW, could be potential therapeutic agents against cognitive impairment.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2019.10a
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• pp.103-103
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• 2019

Glycyrrhizae radix, commonly known as licorice, is a perennial herb belonging to Leguminosae and also includes various components such as, glycyrrhizin, liquiritin, liquiritigenin and isoliquiritigenin etc. Licorice has been widely used in East Asia as a medicine having pharmacological effects like antioxidants, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and immune modulatory activities. Among various licorice, Glycyrrhiza (G.) uralensis G. glabra and G. inflata are used for pharmaceutical purposes in Korea. However, cultivation of licorice has some problems such as low quality, low productivity, and early leaf drop. Korea Rural Development Administration developed new cultivars Wongam and Sinwongam, which are improved in cultivation and quality. To register the newly developed cultivar (s) on Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in Korea as a medicine, it is necessary to prove the similarity and difference through the comparative studies between already-registered species and new cultivars. Some fungi and bacteria usually in the human oral cavity and intestines exist as harmless state in human body. Also, the skin and genital infections by fungi can lead to toxic systemic infections and are accompanied by flushing, rashes, burning or painful sensation. The influences of licorice varieties on fungi and bacteria might be an evidence to prove the outstanding effect of newly developed licorice variety. In this study, the antifungal and antibacterial activity was investigated using newly developed licorice varieties Wongam, and Sinwongam against various fungi and bacteria. These results means newly developed licorice could be used as a replacement of already-registered species in terms of antifungal and antibacterial application.