• 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.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.505-514
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• 2014

To examine the anti-obese activity of miscellaneous cereal grains, 80% ethanol extracts from eight selected miscellaneous cereal grains were compared for their cytotoxic effects on 3T3-L1 murine preadipocytes. The ethanol extract of proso millet exhibited the highest cytotoxicity. Further fractionation of the ethanol extract with methylene chloride, ethyl acetate, and n-butanol showed that the cytotoxicity of the ethanol extract was mainly partitioned into the butanol fraction. As compared with differentiated mature adipocytes, 3T3-L1 preadipocytes were more susceptible to the cyctotoxicity of the butanol fraction. When each organic solvent fraction (25 ${\mu}g/ml$) was added during the differentiation period for 6 days, the cell viability was not affected significantly except for the butanol fraction, but the intracellular lipid accumulation declined to a level of 81.5%~50.3% of the control. The Oil Red O staining data also demonstrated that the ethanol extract as well as the butanol fraction could inhibit the differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes into mature adipocytes. The presence of the butanol extract during the induced adipocytic differentiation also resulted in a significant reduction in the expression levels of critical adipogenesis mediators $(C/EBP{\alpha}$, $PPAR{\gamma}$, aP2, and LPL) to a barely detectable or undetectable level and the cells retained the fibroblast-like morphology of 3T3-L1. In 3T3-L1 cells, the cytotoxicity of the butanol fraction (50-100 ${\mu}g/ml$) was accompanied by mitochondrial membrane potential (${\Delta}{\psi}m$) loss, caspase-3 activation, and PARP degradation. Taken together, these results indicate that proso millet grains possess pro-apoptotic and anti-adipocytic activities toward adipocytes, which can be applicable to prevention of obesity.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.40 no.6
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• pp.674-679
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• 2008

Scutellaria radix (SR) has been utilized as a traditional medicine for a variety of diseases including Rheumatoid arthritis and its major flavonoids - baicalein, baicalin, and wogonin - have been reported to exert beneficial health effects, including anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, and free-radical scavenging. However, the mechanisms underlying this effect remain poorly understood. The principal objective of this study was to determine the effect of SR on osteoblast and osteoclast cells. SR extract was prepared using 70% ethanol solvent. Osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells and osteoclast precursor Raw 264.7 macrophage cells were utilized. SR extract increased MC3T3-E1 cell proliferation and stimulated alkaline phosphatase activity dose-dependently, 152.0% of the control at concentration $1{\mu}g/mL$. Additionally, SR extract ($1{\mu}g/mL$) stimulated Bone nodule formation activity in MC3T3-E1 cells, approximately 223.3% of the control, 20 days after the exposure. In addition, SR extract significantly reduced the number of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-positive (TRAP+) multinucleated cells from Raw 264.7 cells. In conclusion, SR extract stimulates the proliferation and bioactivities of boneforming osteoblasts, and inhibits the activities of bone-resorbing osteoclasts to a certain degree.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.145-151
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• 2016

Chemical fungicides have reduced Fusarium head blight (FHB) severity. However, by the effects of fungicide residues, they can only be used up to 30 days before time of harvest. Therefore, the development of new biofungicides that are applicable until harvest is required. In order to select plant extracts having antifungal activity against Fusarium graminearum for the control of FHB, we investigated the inhibitory effects of 225 medicinal plant extracts on spore germination of F. graminearum. Of these plant extracts, the methanol extract of Cirsium japonicum (CJ) roots showed the strongest antifungal activity. Through solvent partitioning, repeated column chromatography, and spore germination bioassay, two chemicals were purified and then their chemical structures were identified as ciryneol C (CC) and 1-heptadecene-11,13-diyne-8,9,10-triol (HD-ol) which are polyacetylene substances. Two active compounds effectively inhibited the germination of F. graminearum macroconidia; HD-ol ($IC_{50}$ of $3.17{\mu}g/ml$) showed stronger spore germination inhibitory activity than that of CC ($IC_{50}$ of $28.14{\mu}g/ml$). In addition, the wettable powder type formulation of ethyl acetate extract of CJ roots suppressed the development of FHB in dose-dependent manner, with control values of 78.92% and 31.56% at 250- and 500-fold dilutions, respectively. Combining these findings suggest that the crude extract of CJ roots containing polyacetylene compounds could be used as botanical fungicide for the control of FHB.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.19 no.11
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• pp.1598-1604
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• 2009

In order to determine chemical components of onion flesh and peel, general nutrients, vitamin C, and total flavonoids were measured. Onion peel showed less moisture (14.3%) and no vitamin C compared to onion flesh. Onion peel contained more amounts of total flavonoids compared to onion flesh. In addition, the inhibitory effects of solvent extracts from onion flesh and peel on $H_2O_$-induced oxidative stress and growth of cancer cell lines (AGS human gastric adenocarcinoma and HT-29 human colon cancer cells) were investigated. Acetone with methylene chloride (A+M) and methanol (MeOH) extracts from onion flesh and peel appeared to significantly reduce the levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) (p<0.05) and a greater antioxidant effect was observed in onion peel. Among fractions, 85% aq. methanol showed a higher protective activity against oxidative stress in both flesh and peel and there was no effect in the water and hexane fractions. The growth of cancer cells exposed to medium containing extracts and fractions from onion flesh and peel was inhibited dose-dependently. The growth of AGS was inhibited more in both flesh and peel compared to HT-29, and onion peel was more effective than onion flesh. Among fractions, 85% aq. methanol showed the greatest effect on growth inhibition in both flesh and peel. $IC_{50}$ values of 85% aq. methanol fraction from onion flesh and peel on AGS were 0.04 and 0.03 mg/ml, respectively, while those on HT-29 were 0.23 and 0.04 mg/ml. From our results, 85% aq. methanol fraction had an inhibitory effect against oxidative stress and growth of cancer cells, suggesting that it may contain biological active compounds.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.545-551
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• 2017

Curcuma longa L. (CL) is widely used as a spice and coloring agent in several foods, such as curry and mustard, as well as cosmetics and drugs. In this study, we investigated the protective effects of CL extracted with various solvents [methanol (MC), ethanol (EC), acetone (AC)] on $H_2O_2-induced$ DNA damage in human leukocytes along with total polyphenol contents (TPC) and antioxidant properties. The antioxidant effects of CL were determined by measuring 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity (RSA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD)-like activity. The preventive effect of CL on oxidative stress-induced DNA damage and DNA repair capacities were assessed using comet assay. MC showed the highest TPC (11.17 g gallic acid equivalents/100 g) and antioxidant properties among the solvent extracts. The $SC_{50}$ for DPPH RSA was MC: 35.0 > AC: 45.8 > EC: $57.8{\mu}g/mL$ and SOD-like activity was MC: 46.6 > EC: 141.5 > AC: $296.4{\mu}g/mL$. In the comet assay, the $ED_{50}$ value of MC showed the highest inhibition ($86.7{\mu}g/mL$) of $H_2O_2-induced$ DNA damage, followed by AC ($110.0{\mu}g/mL$) > EC ($115.8{\mu}g/mL$). Analysis of the percentage of damaged cells showed that repair capacity significantly decreased at 4, 8, and 12 h from $H_2O_2-induced$ oxidative stress in each extract. After 12 h, level of DNA damage recovery was similar to the negative control level. These results suggest that CL has potential antioxidant activity and a protective effect against oxidation-induced DNA damage, and the methanol extract of CL was the most effective.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.428-434
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• 2009

This study was conducted to evaluate the anti-hypertensive effect of Lactobacillus sp. isolated from Kimchi by examining its effects on renal angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity, lipid components and blood pressure using the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) system. Most Lactobacillus sp. extracts (lysozyme, sonication and ethyl acetate extracts) showed higher capacities for the inhibition of ACE activity than those of cultured media. Particularly, LG 7, 8 and 42 of Lactobacillus sp. showed the strongest inhibitory activity among the Lactobacillus sp. extracts. The concentrations of total cholesterol and triglycerides in the serum were lower in the Lactobacillus sp. administration groups than in the control group, but these differences were not significant. The HDL-cholesterol concentrations of the LG 42 administration groups (IX, X) were significantly higher than that of the control group. At 4 weeks, the systolic blood pressure (SBP) in the LG 42 Lactobacillus sp. ($1{\times}10^9$ cfu/mL) group (XI) was about 27% lower than that of the control group (V). No adverse effects were observed on the liver and there was no difference in the aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) values among groups. The results of this study suggest that long term consumption of LG 42 Lactobacillus sp. may be beneficial to the prevention of high blood pressure.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.251-257
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• 2004

The root of lxeris dentata forma albiflora was extracted with 80% aqueous MeOH and solvent fractionated with EtOAc, n-BuOH and water, successively. From the EtOAc and n-BuOH fractions, four sesquiterpene compounds were isolated through the repeated silica gel and ODS column chromatographies. The chemical structures were determined as zaluzanin C (1), $9{\alpha}-hydroxyguaian-4(l5),10(14),11(13)-triene-6,12-olide$ (2), $3{\beta}-O-{\beta}-D-glucopyranosyl-8{\alpha}-hydroxyguaian-4(15),10(14 )-diene-6,12-olide$ (3), and $3{\beta}-O-{\beta}- D-glucopyranosyl-8{\beta}hydroxyguaian-10(14)-ene-6,12-olide$ (4) through the interpretation of several spectral data including 2D-NMR. Some showed the inhibitory effects on DGAT (Diacylglycerol acyltransferase), ($IC_{50}$ values of 1, 2: 0.13, 0.10 mM), the catalyzing enzymes of the intracellular esterification of diacylglycerol and FPTase (Famesyl-protein transferase), ($IC_{50}$ values of 1, 2: 0.15, 0.18 mM), the farnesylation enzyme for Ras protein charge of cancer promotion.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.303-311
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• 2018

In this study, a preliminary evaluation of the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity of the Ficus erecta var. sieboldii (Miq.) King (FES) leaf extract has been performed to assess its potential as a natural resource for food and medicinal materials. FES was extracted using 70% EtOH and then fractionated sequentially using n-hexane, $CH_2Cl_2$, EtOAc, and n-BuOH. To screen for antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents effectively, the inhibitory effect of the FES extracts on the production of oxidant stresses (DPPH, xanthine oxidase, and superoxide) and pro-inflammatory factors (NO, iNOS, COX-2, $PGE_2$, IL-6, and $IL-1{\beta}$) in the murine macrophage cell line RAW 264.7 activated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was examined. Among the sequential solvent fractions of FES, the $CH_2Cl_2$ and EtOAc fractions showed decreased production of oxidant stresses (DPPH, xanthine oxidase and superoxide), and the hexane and $CH_2Cl_2$ fractions of FES inhibited the production of pro-inflammatory factors (NO, iNOS, COX-2, and $PGE_2$). The $CH_2Cl_2$ fraction also inhibited the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines ($TNF-{\alpha}$, IL-6, and $IL-1{\beta}$). These results suggest that FES has a significant effects on the production of oxidant stresses and pro-inflammatory factors and may be used a natural resource for antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.1095-1106
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• 2023

This study investigated the anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects of Aster glehni (AG) extract in RAW 264.7 cells and Caenorhabditis elegans. The total polyphenol and flavonoid contents were higher in the ethanol extracts than in the hot water extracts. As a result of measuring the moisture contents (%) and extraction yields (%) of AG and drying A. glehni for processing (DAG), 70% ethanol, which has the highest percentage of extraction yield, was selected as the final solvent. DPPH radical scavenging activity showed higher antioxidant activity of ethanol extracts of DAG than AG. The cytotoxicity assay of the AG or DAG ethanol extracts was treated at different concentrations (25, 50, and 100 ㎍/mL), and cell viability rates were higher than 80% at all concentrations. The LPS-stimulated nitric oxide (NO) production in RAW 264.7 was significantly reduced at all concentrations of AG and DAG groups. As a result of measuring the gene expression of iNOS, which induces NO production, the AG or DAG group decreased by 33% and 32%, compared with the phosphate buffer saline (PBS) group. Under inflammatory stress conditions, the survival rate of C. elegans treated with AG or DAG ethanol extract with LPS showed concentration-dependent improvement in survival rate compared with the PBS group. Considering these results, AG could potentially be developed as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory functional food material.