• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.131-138
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• 2010

To obtain basic data on the use of lotus as a raw material in functional food, antioxidant and anticancer activities of the leaf and root were investigated. Total flavonoid and total phenolic contents, at 12.84 mg/g and 24.33 mg/g respectively, were higher in white lotus leaf (WLL) than in any other part of the plant. The radical-scavenging activity of different tissues of lotus, measured in the DPPH radical-scavenging assay, increased with higher concentrations of solvent fractions. The butanol fraction of white lotus leaf showed the highest DPPH radical-scavenging activity. The reducing power of fractions increased in a dose-dependent manner. The butanol fraction of WLL had the greatest reducing power, and showed strong antioxidant activity in the linoleic acid system, and high-level inhibition of tyrosinase. Fractions from lotus were also capable of scavenging nitrite, depending on the concentration of the fractions. Butanol fractions of the leaf of white and red lotus scavenged 95.61% and 92.15% of available nitrite, respectively, when used at 1 mg/mL concentrations. Butanol fractions from leaf of white and red lotus exhibited the strongest inhibitory effects on human lung and colon cancer cells.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.407-414
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• 2015

To increase antioxidative activity of Chungkukjang, the protective effect of Seoritae Chungkukjang (SC) added with green tea powder against oxidative stress was evaluated under the cellular system using LLC-$PK_1$ cells. The treatment of 3-morpholinosydnonimine showed increase in lipid peroxidation, and decrease in endogenous anti-oxidant enzymes activity and cell viability. The methanol extract of SC inhibited lipid peroxidation by 70.9%, and significantly increased cell viability up to more than 33.2%. In addition, it enhanced superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities. Particularly, the addition of green tea in SC exerted protective effect against oxidative stress by ONOO- through elevation in activities of SOD and GSH-Px, and inhibition of lipid peroxidation. More addition of green tea showed stronger protective activity. These results suggest that the addition of green tea to SC leads to the increase in the antioxidative effect of Chungkukjang through elevation in antioxidative enzyme activities and protection from lipid peroxidation.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.91-99
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• 2016

Aster yomena is a perennial plant that belongs to the Asteraceae family. Seasoned wild vegetables are commonly used as functional ingredients because of their bioactive effects against oxidation, cancer, and inflammation. A recent report showed that ethanol extracts from Aster yomena effectively inhibited gene expression related to lipid accumulation within interstitial cells to prevent obesity, further raising awareness of its usefulness as a highly functional ingredient. Several studies have investigated Aster yomena, but none have investigated the effects of processing on its use. Therefore, this study investigated the quality characteristics and antioxidative activity of breads in which refined salt was replaced with Aster yomena powder at 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, or 2.0%. Bread containing any amount of Aster yomena powder did not differ significantly from the control in terms of appearance, aroma, taste, texture, and overall preference. In addition, higher levels of added Aster yomena powder were associated with greater 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity indicating the potential for production of highly functional bread and noodle products using this material.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.7-13
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• 2012

We investigated the antioxidant and hepatoprotective effects of extracts from the leaves, stems, and fruit of Cudrania tricuspidata (CT) against $H_2O_2$ or ethanol-induced oxidative damage. The total polyphenol and flavonoid content was the highest in the 80% ethanol extracts from the leaves of the plant (CTL80). Also, the radical scavenging activity of DPPH and ABTS in the CTL80 was significantly higher than that of the non-treated control. To determine the hepatoprotective effects of CT in $H_2O_2$ and ethanol-induced oxidative damage, cell viability was measured using an XTT assay. Pre-treatment of CTL80 significantly increased cell viability compared with the non-treated control cells by 71.21% and 80.40%, respectively. The data suggests that CTL80 exhibits hepatoprotective antioxidant effects. Therefore, CTL80 may be considered a potential agent to control $H_2O_2$ or ethanol-induced liver damage.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.347-354
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• 2014

Larrea nitida is a plant that belongs to the Zygophyllaceae family and is widely used in South America to treat inflammatory diseases, tumors and menstrual pain. However, its pharmacological activity remains unclear. In this study we evaluated the property of selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) of Larrea nitida extracts (LNE) as a phytoestrogen that can mimic, modulate or disrupt the actions of endogenous estrogens, depending on the tissue and relative amount of other SERMs. To investigate the property of SERM of LNE, we performed MCF-7 cell proliferation assays, estrogen response element (ERE)-luciferase reporter gene assay, human estrogen receptor (hER) binding assays and in vivo uterotrophic assay. To gain insight into the active principles, we performed a bioassay-guided analysis of LNE employing solvents of various polarities and using classical column chromatography, which yielded 16 fractions (LNs). LNE showed high binding affinities for $hER{\alpha}$ and $hER{\beta}$ with $IC_{50}$ values of $1.20{\times}10^{-7}$ g/ml and $1.00{\times}10^{-7}$ g/ml, respectively. LNE induced $17{\beta}$-estradiol (E2)-induced MCF-7 cell proliferation, however, it reduced the proliferation in the presence of E2. Furthermore, LNE had an atrophic effect in the uterus of immature rats through reducing the expression level of progesterone receptor (PR) proteins. LN08 and LN10 had more potent affinities for binding on $hER{\alpha}$ and ${\beta}$ than other fractions. Our results indicate that LNE had higher binding affinities for $hER{\beta}$ than $hER{\alpha}$, and showed SERM properties in MCF-7 breast cancer cells and the rat uterus. LNE may be useful for the treatment of estrogen-related conditions, such as female cancers and menopause.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.652-660
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• 2017

Fermented medical herbs using Lactobacilli have attracted significant attention due to their enhanced biological activities. A traditional medicinal plant, Artemisia annua L., was fermented using a probiotic strain, L. plantarum SK3494. The strain was isolated from Artemisia princeps var. orientalis and molecularly identified through sequence similarities and phylogenetic tree analysis. The antioxidant activity of L. plantarum-fermented A. annua L. (LFA) was determined using the DPPH free radical scavenging assay. Cellular antioxidant activity of LFA was examined using the superoxide radical reduction assay in MAT-C cells. Total polyphenol contents (TPC) and flavonoid contents (TFC) of LFA were determined. The antibacterial activity of LFA against fish pathogens was also determined in this study. The viable cell number (9.38 log10 CFU/ml) and pH (4.1) results showed good adaptive ability of the selected strain during fermentation. LFA was found to have enhanced antioxidant activity compared to non-fermented A. annua L. (NFA) based on the DPPH assay. Cellular antioxidant activity was present in both LFA and NFA. After 24 hr and 48 hr of fermentation, the LFA also showed antibacterial activities against fish pathogens Photobacterium damselae subsp. damselae and Vibrio ichthyoenteri. These results suggest that L. plantarum-fermented A. annua L. may have potential as a feed additive in aquaculture.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.536-547
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• 2008

Anthocyanidin synthase (ANS, leucoanthocyanidin oxygenase), a 2-oxoglutarate iron-dependent oxygenase, catalyzed the penultimate step in the biosynthesis of the anthocyanin class of flavonoids, from the colorless leucoanthocyanidins to the colored anthocyanidins. The full-length cDNA and genomic DNA sequences of ANS gene (designated as GbANS) were isolated from Ginkgo biloba for the first time. The full-length cDNA of GbANS contained a 1062-bp open reading frame (ORF) encoding a 354-amino-acid protein. The genomic DNA analysis showed that GbANS gene had three exons and two introns. The deduced GbANS protein showed high identities to other plant ANSs. The conserved amino acids (H-X-D) ligating ferrous iron and residues (R-X-S) participating in 2-oxoglutarate binding were found in GbANS at the similar positions like other ANSs. Southern blot analysis indicated that GbANS belonged to a multi-gene family. The expression analysis by real-time PCR showed that GbANS expressed in a tissue-specific manner in G. biloba. GbANS was also found to be up-regulated by all of the six tested abiotic stresses, UV-B, abscisic acid, sucrose, salicylic acid, cold and ethylene, consistent with the promoter region analysis of GbANS. The recombinant protein was successfully expressed in E. coli strain with pET-28a vector. The in vitro enzyme activity assay by HPLC indicated that recombinant GbANS protein could catalyze the formation the cyanidin from leucocyanidin and conversion of dihydroquercetin to quercetin, suggesting GbANS is a bifunctional enzyme within the anthocyanidin and flavonol biosynthetic pathway.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.259-266
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• 2015

The regulation of flowering time has crucial implications for plant fitness. MicroRNA156 (miR156) represses the floral transition in Arabidopsis thaliana, but the mechanisms regulating its transcription remain unclear. Here, we show that two AGAMOUS-like proteins, AGL15 and AGL18, act as positive regulators of the expression of MIR156. Small RNA northern blot analysis revealed a significant decrease in the levels of mature miR156 in agl15 agl18 double mutants, but not in the single mutants, suggesting that AGL15 and AGL18 co-regulate miR156 expression. Histochemical analysis further indicated that the double mutants showed a reduction in MIR156 promoter strength. The double mutants also showed reduced abundance of pri-miR156a and pri-miR156c, two of the primary transcripts from MIR156 genes. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays demonstrated that AGL15 directly associated with the CArG motifs in the MIR156a/c promoters. AGL18 did not show binding affinity to the CArG motifs, but pull-down and yeast two-hybrid assays showed that AGL18 forms a heterodimer with AGL15. GFP reporter assays and bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) showed that AGL15 and AGL18 co-localize in the nucleus and confirmed their in vivo interaction. Overexpression of miR156 did not affect the levels of AGL15 and AGL18 transcripts. Taking these data together, we present a model for the transcriptional regulation of MIR156. In this model, AGL15 and AGL18 may form a complex along with other proteins, and bind to the CArG motifs of the promoters of MIR156 to activate the MIR156 expression.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.37-44
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• 2000

In the previous paper (Kim et al., Glycoconjugate Journal 16, 247-252, 1999), heteropolysaccharides from Korean medicinal plant, Phellodendri cortex (Hwangbek) showed a poten B-Iymphocyte-stimulating activity in a system using polyclonal antibody forming cells in C57BL/6XC3H mice at dosages of 2-10 mg. In a series of biolgical active polysaccharides from natural medicinal plants, the polysaccharide fractions were isolated and purified from Phellodendron chinese SCHNEID, and antitumor activities were examined at dosages of 2, 5 and 10 mg/100 g. F-7 and F-8 showed the highest tumor inhibitory activities (inhibition ratio 96.4 and 98.2% in 2 mg/100 g), and in dose of 5 mg/100 g, the inhibitory ratios were 95.3 and 97.5%, respectively. Furthermore, 10 mg/100 g of intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection gave 97.3 and 98.7% of inhibition. In oral administration, the inhibitory activities were not markedly observed, indicating that the polysaccharides are directly acting to immune system. When the effects on TS and TK activities were determined, TS activities in the F-2 and F-7-treated mice were markedly suppressed to 73.7% and 79.5% of that in the control (p<0.01), while there was little difference in TK activity with a slight decrease in F-2 only. However, in i.p. injection, TS activities in the F-2, F-5, F-7 and F-8-treated mice were markedly suppressed to 83% to 85% of that in the control (p<0.01). Furthermore, there was also significant differences in TK activities in F-2, F-5, F-7 and F-8-treated mice (p<0.05). Therefore, polysaccharide fraction F-8 was further purified to active fractions of F-9 and F-11 by gel permeation chromatography using TSK Gel HW50S. The purified polysaccharides of F-9 and F-11 were composed of GlcNAc (47.3%), Gal (24.7%) and Man (28.0%). These results clearly indicated that the i.p. injection is much effective to suppress tumor growth than oral administration.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.2-8
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• 2012

In this study, in order to develop renewable bio-based nanocomposites, multi-functional nanocomposites from soybean resins (AESO, MAESO) and nanoclay were prepared. Photoelectrodes for environmental friendly dye-sensitized solar cell using soybean resin were also prepared. Organo-modified nanoclay was directly dispersed in functionalized soybean resins after mixing with styrene as a comonomer and radical initiator was used to copolymerize the nanocomposites. The observed morphology was a mixture of intercalated/exfoliated structure and the physical properties were improved by adding nanoclay. A nanocomposite using MAESO, which added COOH functional group to the soybean resin, showed better dispersibility than AESO composites. Ultrasonic treatment of the nanocomposites also improved the physical properties. Nanoporous $TiO_2$ photoelectrode was also prepared using soybean resins as a binder, after acid-treatment of $TiO_2$ surface using nitric acid. Dye-sensitized solar cells were prepared after adsorbing dye molecules on it. The $TiO_2$ photoelectrode prepared using soybean binder had high current density because of increased surface area by improved dispersibility. The photoelectrochemical properties and conversion efficiency of the solar cell were significantly improved using the soybean binder.