• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.24 no.5
• /
• pp.469-474
• /
• 2016

Liriopogons (Liriope and Opiopogon) species are used as a main medicinal ingredient in several Asian countries. The Liriopes Radix (tuber, root of Liriope platyphylla) has to be a promising candidate due to their source of phytochemicals. Steroidal saponins and their glycosides, phenolic compounds, secondary metabolites are considered of active constituents in Liriopes Radix. Spicatoside A, a steroidal saponin, could be more efficacious drug candidate in future. In this review, we summarized the available knowledge on phytochemical and pharmacological activities for spicatoside A. It significantly suppressed the level of NF-${\kappa}B$, NO, iNOS, Cox-2, IL-$1{\beta}$, IL-6 and MAPKs in LPS-stimulated inflammation. The production of MUC5AC mucin was increased. MMP-13 expression was down-regulated in IL-$1{\beta}$-treated cells and reduced glycosaminoglycan release from IL-$1{\alpha}$-treated cells. The neurite outgrowth activity, PI3K, Akt, ERK1/2, TrkA and CREB phosphorylation and neurotropic factors such as NGF and BDNF were upregulated with increased latency time. It also showed cell growth inhibitory activity on various carcinoma cells. From this, spicatoside A exerts anti-inflammation, anti-asthma, anti-osteoclastogenesis, neurite outgrowth, memory consolidation and anticancer activities. Further studies are needed on spicatoside A in order to understand mechanisms of action to treat various human diseases.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
• /
• v.22 no.1
• /
• pp.1-12
• /
• 1991

Nearly 50 highly sweet substances have been isolated and structurally characterized from green plants, and such compounds comprise mainly various types of terpenoids, flavonoids, and proteins. Among the sweet substances that have been studied as constituents of North and South American medicinal plants are the sesquiterpene, hernandulcin, the triterpene glycosides, abrusosides A-D, the steroidal saponins, polypodosides A and B, and the dihydroflavonol, dihydroquercetin-3-acetate. In addition, safety studies have been performed on the potently sweet substance, stevioside, from the 'sweet herb of Paraguay' (Stevia rebaudiana), a compound now produced on a commercial scale.

• 한국약용작물학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2011.04a
• /
• pp.328-329
• /
• 2011

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
• /
• v.3 no.4
• /
• pp.163-179
• /
• 2003

The genus Polygonatum species belongs to the family Liliaceae which is widely distributed over areas of the north temperature zone. There are about forty more plants of Polygonatum species in the world widely distributed in eastern Europe and south east Asia. The plants of Polygonatum species have been used not only as ornamental plants but also for their medicinal values. This article is concerned with the specific properties and flavour of the drug and its history as a medicine, showing the main functional components of Polygonatum species of flavonoids, steroidal glycosides, and saccharides.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
• /
• v.26 no.1
• /
• pp.15-20
• /
• 2003

Two quinazolone alkaloids, (+)-febrifugine (1) and isofebrifugine (2), along with three coumarin derivatives, 6-hydroxy coumarin (3), skimmin (5), and $umbelliferone-7-O-{\alpha}-L-rhamnopyranosyl(1{\rightarrow}4)-{\beta}-D-glucopyranoside$ (6), were isolated from the roots of Hydrangea chinensis. Compound 6 is a new compound. In addition, umbelliferone (4), linoleic acid (7), two steroidal glycosides (8, 9), three furfural derivatives (10-12), and butyl-$\beta$-D-fructofuranoside (13) were isolated from the leaves of the same plant. The structures of all isolates were elucidated by spectral methods.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.24 no.2
• /
• pp.285-294
• /
• 2011

The abatement of methane emission from ruminants is an important global issue due to its contribution to greenhouse gas with carbon dioxide. Methane is generated in the rumen by methanogens (archaea) that utilize metabolic hydrogen ($H_2$) to reduce carbon dioxide, and is a significant electron sink in the rumen ecosystem. Therefore, the competition for hydrogen used for methanogenesis with alternative reductions of rumen microbes should be an effective option to reduce rumen methanogenesis. Some methanogens parasitically survive on the surface of ciliate protozoa, so that defaunation or decrease in protozoa number might contribute to abate methanogenesis. The most important issue for mitigation of rumen methanogenesis with manipulators is to secure safety for animals and their products and the environment. In this respect, prophylactic effects of probiotics, prebiotics and miscellaneous compounds to mitigate rumen methanogenesis have been developed instead of antibiotics, ionophores such as monensin, and lasalocid in Japan. Nitrate suppresses rumen methanogenesis by its reducing reaction in the rumen. However, excess intake of nitrate causes intoxication due to nitrite accumulation, which induces methemoglobinemia. The nitrite accumulation is attributed to a relatively higher rate of nitrate reduction to nitrite than nitrite to ammonia via nitroxyl and hydroxylamine. The in vitro and in vivo trials have been conducted to clarify the prophylactic effects of L-cysteine, some strains of lactic acid bacteria and yeast and/or ${\beta}$1-4 galactooligosaccharide on nitrate-nitrite intoxication and methanogenesis. The administration of nitrate with ${\beta}$1-4 galacto-oligosaccharide, Candida kefyr, and Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis were suggested to possibly control rumen methanogenesis and prevent nitrite formation in the rumen. For prebiotics, nisin which is a bacteriocin produced by Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis has been demonstrated to abate rumen methanogenesis in the same manner as monensin. A protein resistant anti-microbe (PRA) has been isolated from Lactobacillus plantarum as a manipulator to mitigate rumen methanogenesis. Recently, hydrogen peroxide was identified as a part of the manipulating effect of PRA on rumen methanogenesis. The suppressing effects of secondary metabolites from plants such as saponin and tannin on rumen methanogenesis have been examined. Especially, yucca schidigera extract, sarsaponin (steroidal glycosides), can suppress rumen methanogenesis thereby improving protein utilization efficiency. The cashew nutshell liquid (CNSL), or cashew shell oil, which is a natural resin found in the honeycomb structure of the cashew nutshell has been found to mitigate rumen methanogenesis. In an attempt to seek manipulators in the section on methane belching from ruminants, the arrangement of an inventory of mitigation technologies available for the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and Joint Implementation (JI) in the Kyoto mechanism has been advancing to target ruminant livestock in Asian and Pacific regions.