• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.339-344
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• 2009

Diabetic cataract is a major complication of diabetes mellitus. Excess accumulation of sorbitol plays an important role in the pathogenesis of diabetic complications such as cataract formation. In this study, we investigated the inhibitory effect of the extract of the aerial parts of Aster koraiensis (AK) on diabetic cataractogenesis. To examine this further, we evaluated sorbitol accumulation during cataract development using streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat, an animal model of type 1 diabetes. Diabetic rats were treated orally with AK (100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg body weight) once a day orally for 9 weeks. In vehicle-treated diabetic rats, lens opacity was increased, and lens fiber swelling and membrane rupture were observed. In addition, sorbitol accumulation in diabetic lens was markedly enhanced. However, AK treatment delayed the progression of diabetic cataract through the inhibition of sorbitol accumulation, and prevented lens fiber degeneration in a dose-dependent manner. These observations suggest that AK treatment can delay the progression of lens opacification in the diabetic rats during the early diabetic cataractogenesis.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.305-310
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• 2010

Taxifolin-3-O-$\beta$-D-xylopyranoside and quercetin-3-O-$\alpha$-L-rhamnopyranoside were isolated from an EtOAc-soluble extract of the leaves of Chamaecyparis obtuse. Quercetin-3-O-$\alpha$-L-rhamnopyranoside was found to possess a potent inhibitory activity of human recombinant aldose reductase in vitro, its $IC_{50}$ value being $11.5\;{\mu}M$. Kinetic analysis showed that quercetin-3-O-$\alpha$-L-rhamnopyranoside exhibited uncompetitive inhibition against DL-glyceraldehyde. Also, quercetin-3-O-$\alpha$-L-rhamnopyranoside suppresses sorbitol accumulation in rat lens under high glucose conditions, demonstrating the potential to prevent sorbitol accumulation in vivo. These results suggest that this compound may be a promising agent in the prevention or treatment of diabetic complications.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.15-20
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• 1992

The use of Jerusalem artichoke containing $\beta$-1, 2-fructose oligomer in the production of sorbitol that is used as food additives and precursor for the L-sorbose has been studied. Coimmobilization of both inulinase and oxidoreductase was considered for the simultaneous reaction for hydrolysis of inulin and conversion of glucose and fructose liberated from inulin to sorbitol. Both inulinase and oxidoreductase were immobilized in chitin(5%, w/v) and K-carrageenan(4%, w/v), The activity of oxidoreductase was specified by permeabilization of Zymomonas mobilis cell with 0.2% CTAB(Cetyltrimethylammonlumbromide). The use of inulinase for hydrolysis of inulin resulted in 36.65g/l of glucose and 85.32g/1 of fructose respectively. These are valuable substrates for sorbitol production. Using these hydrolyzates, accumulation of 35.64g/l for sorbitol occurred at $38^{\circ}C$ and pH6.2. When permeabilized cells and inulinase were coimmobilized, sorbitol produced at 30.15g/l although it is low compared with 35.64g/l in separated reactor system.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.306-312
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• 2002

Aldose reductase, the key enzyme of the polyol pathway, is known to play important roles in the diabetic complication. The inhibitors of aldose reductase, therefore, would be potential agents for the prevention of diabetic complications. To evaluate active principles for the inhibition of aldose reductase from the rhizomes of Belamcanda chinensis, twelve phenolic compounds were isolated and tested for their effects on rat lens aldose reductase. As a result, isoflavones such as tectorigenin, irigenin and their glucosides were found to show a strong aldose reductase inhibition. Tectoridin and tectorigenin, exhibited the highest aldose reductase inhibitory potency, their $IC_{50}$ values, being $1.08{\times}10^{-6}{\;}M{\;}and{\;}1.12{\times}10^{-6}{\;}M$, respectively, for DL-glyceraldehyde as a substrate. Both compounds, when administered orally at 100 mg/kg for 10 consecutive days to streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats, caused a significant inhibition of sorbitol accumulation in the tissues such as lens, sciatic nerves and red blood cells. Tectorigenin showed a stronger inhibitory activity than tectoridin. From these results, it is suggested that tectorigenin is attributed to be a promising compound for the prevention and/or treatment of diabetic complications.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.115-122
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• 1993

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate)(P(3HB)) accumulation under nutrient-rich condition with various amounts of $(NH_4)_2 SO_4$ was systematically investigated. The results of the electron-microscopy and the solvent extraction showed that the P(3HB) accumulation is unavoidable even under nutrient-rich condition. This indicates that in a two-step culture of Alcaligenes eutrophus H16, the researches should be careful in interpreting the data of polyhydroxyalkanoates(PHAs) accumulation in terms of the carbon-source fed in the second step because the two-step culture product contains the P(3HB) produced under nutrient-rich condition. The polyester production capability in a two-step batch culture of A. eutrophus H16(ATCC 17699) was also investigated using various saccharides and their derivatives such as glucose, fructose, gluconic acid, glucaric acid, sorbitol, lactose, galactose, and mannose. The polyesters synthesized were characterized by 500 MHz$^{1}H-NMR$ spectroscopy, intrinsic viscosity$[\eta]$ measurement in chloroform and differential scanning calorimetry(DSC). 500 MHz $^{1}H-NMR$ analysis showed that all polyesters synthesized generally contained 1~2 mol% of 3HV. Another finding is that the glucose utilization can be increased by changing the autoclaving procedure of the substrate to enhance the P(3HB) production yield up to 46 wt% of P(3HB) in dry cells.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.41-46
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• 1994

The ether, ethylacetate and n-butanol soluble fractions from the roots of Scutellaria baicalensis showed a significant inhibition of lens aldose reductase (AR) activity in vitro. During systematic fractionation of the active fractions, 7 flavonoids were isolated and compared their inhibitory activities against rat AR using DL-glyceraldehyde as a substrate, among which baicalin (VII) was found to exhibit the most potent inhibitory activity. Baicalin (VII) and wogonin-7-O-glucuronide (VI), with repeated treatments (30 mg/kg/day, i.p.) throughout the experimental periods caused a significant suppression of cataract formation induced by galactose (40 g/kg/day) as well as the decrease of galactitol accumulation in the rat lens. The flavonoids also exhibited a significant inhibition of sorbitol accumulation in the lenses of diabetic rats induced by streptozotocin (STZ).

• ALGAE
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.137-146
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• 2021

Intertidal macroalgae are regularly exposed to hypo- or hypersaline conditions which are stressful. However, red algae in New Zealand are generally poorly studied in terms of salinity tolerance. Consequently, two native (Bostrychia arbuscula W. H. Harvey [Ceramiales], Champia novae-zelandiae [J. D. Hooker & Harvey] Harvey [Rhodymeniales]) and one introduced red algal taxon (Schizymenia spp. J. Agardh [Nemastomatales]) were exposed for 5 days in a controlled salt stress experiment to investigate photosynthetic activity and osmotic acclimation. The photosynthetic activity of B. arbuscula was not affected by salinity, as reflected in an almost unchanged maximum quantum yield (F_v/F_m). In contrast, the F_v/F_m of C. novae-zelandiae and Schizymenia spp. strongly decreased under hypo- and hypersaline conditions. Treatment with different salinities led to an increase of the total organic osmolyte concentrations with rising salt stress in B. arbuscula and Schizymenia spp. In C. novae-zelandiae the highest organic osmolyte concentrations were recorded at S_A 38, followed by declining amounts with further hypersaline exposure. In B. arbuscula, sorbitol was the main organic osmolyte, while the other taxa contained floridoside. The data presented indicate that all three red algal species conspicuously differ in their salt tolerance. The upper intertidal B. arbuscula exhibited a wide salinity tolerance as reflected by unaffected photosynthetic parameters and strong sorbitol accumulation under increasing salinities, and hence can be characterized as euryhaline. In contrast, the introduced Schizymenia spp. and native C. novae-zelandiae, which preferentially occur in the mid-intertidal, showed a narrower salinity tolerance. The species-specific responses reflect their respective vertical positions in the intertidal zone.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.352-357
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• 2019

In this study, we investigated the limit temperature range which is effective for dormancy release of 'Hongro' and 'Fuji' apples during the endodormancy period. The germination rate was 50% or more in all treatments except of 'Hongro' $-5^{\circ}C$ treatment. The germination rate of 'Fuji' was 86.3% at the temperature of $-5^{\circ}C$. The concentrations of carbohydrate and mineral components were significantly different between treatments but did not show any tendency or specific change. However, the sorbitol contents of 'Hongro' $-5^{\circ}C$ treatment were higher at 29.62 mg/g than those of 'Fuji', which was not affected for dormancy release. The results of hormone analysis showed that ABA(abscisic acid) and JA(jasmonic acid) in 'Hongro' $-5^{\circ}C$ treatment were respectively 176.48 and 15.72 ng/g. ABA, JA and SA(salicylic acid) contents in 'Fuji' apple tree were significantly lower than those of 'Hongro'. As a result of this study, the limit temperature range effective for dormancy release was different according to the varieties, and 'Hongro' did not affect with 30.3% of germination rate at $-5^{\circ}C$. However, 'Fuji' is 86.3% even at $-5^{\circ}C$ it was suggested that 'Fuji' had a chilling accumulation for dormancy release.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 1998.11a
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• pp.184-184
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• 1998

Aldose reductase(AR), a rate-limiting enzyme in the polyol pathway, has been demonstrated to cause the intracellular accumulation of sorbitol or galactitol and hence to play key roles not only in the cataract formation in the lens but also in the pathogenesis of diabetic complications such as neuropathy, retinopathy and nephropathy, etc. In a series of investigations to evaluate potential AR inhibitors from medicinal plants, we have shown that some hot water extracts exhibited a significant inhibition of a significant inhibition of bovine lens AR in vitro. Among active plants, the roots of Angelica dahuria (Umbelliferae) were shown to have relatively potent AR inhibitory activity. Systematic fractionation of the ether soluble fraction monitored by bioassay led to isolation of two furanocoumarins, byakangelicin(I) and ter-O-methyl byakangelicin( II), were identified as potential AR inhibitors, their $IC_{50}$ values being 6.2 M and 2.8 M, respectively.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.273-280
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• 2012

Differences of gene expression between red flash peach cultivar and white flash peach cultivar were investigated by Nest-generation sequencing (NGS). EST from the red flash peach cultivar and white flash peach cultivar were selected for nucleotide sequence determination and homology searches. The levels of transcripts coding for proteins involved in pathogenesis related proteins, temperature stress, ethylene signal pathway were significantly higher in white flash peach cultivar than in red flash peach cultivar. On the other hand, the up-regulation of proteins involved in anthocyanin and flavonol biosynthesis and protein degradation and sorbitol metabolism were observed in red flash peach cultivar. Chalcone synthase was preferentially expressed in the red flesh peach cultivar, agreeing with the accumulation of anthocyanin and expression of other previously identified genes for anthocyanin biosynthesis. Anthocyanin pathway related genes CHS, F3H, DFR, LDOX, UFGT differentially expressed between red flash peach cultivar and white flash peach cultivar. These results suggest that red flash peach cultivar and white flash peach cultivar have different anthocyanin biosynthesis regulatory mechanisms.