• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.175-181
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• 2007

Zizyphi Spinosi Semen (ZSS), a traditional Chinese folk medicine, has been used for treatment of insomnia and anxiety. This experiment was performed to investigate the anxiolytic-like effect of methanol extract of ZSS (MEZSS) in mice by using the experimental paradigms of anxiety and compared with that of a known anxiolytic, diazepam. In the elevated plus-maze test, it showed that MEZSS (100 mg/kg, p.o.) and diazepam (2.0 mg/kg, p.o.) increased the percentage of time spent on the open arms and the number of open arms entries. MEZSS (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg, p.o.) and diazepam (0.5 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly increased the number of head dips compared with that of control group in the hole-board test. However, MEZSS has no effect on decreasing the locomotor activity, while diazepam (2.0 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly inhibited locomotor activity. MEZSS did not decrease the strength force in the grip strength test, either. In addition, GABAergic involvements were also investigated to understand the possible mechanisms. $GABA_{A}$ receptors subunits and glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) were not over expressed, compared with that of the saline group. We also found that MEZSS did not increase chloride influx in cultured cerebellar granule cells. It is concluded that MEZSS might have anxiolytic-like effects, but these effects might not be mediated by GABAergic transmission.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Food Hygiene and Safety Conference
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• 2001.10a
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• pp.85-89
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• 2001

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 2008.04a
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• pp.159-159
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• 2008

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 2008.04a
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• pp.119-142
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• 2008

Zizyphi Spinosi Semen (ZSS) has been widely used for the treatment of anxiety and insomnia in Korea and China. This experiment was performed to know whether sanjoinine A, one of major alkaloid compounds of ZSS has anxiolytic and hypnotic effects through the GABAergic systems. Our results showed that administration of sanjoinine A increased open arm entries and spent time in open arm in the elevated plus-maze and increased head dips in hole board test. Different from traditional anxiolytic, diazepam, sanjoinine A itself did not decrease locomotor activity and strength level in mice. Furthermore, Sanjoinine A (0.5-2.0 mg/kg) prolonged sleeping time and reduced sleeping latency induced by pentobarbital in a dose-dependent manner similar to muscimol, a $GABA_A$ receptor agonist. Sanjoinine A (0.25-1.0 mg/kg) also increased sleeping rate and sleeping time in the combined administration at the sub-hypnotic dose of pentobarbital and showed synergic effects with muscimol in potentiating sleeping onset and enhancing sleeping time induced by pentobarbital. However, sanjoinine A itself did not induce sleeping at the higher dose. In addition, both of sanjoinine A and pentobarbital increased chloride influx in primary cultured cerebellar granule cells. Sanjoinine A decreased the $GABA_A$ receptor ${\alpha}$-subunit expression and increased ${\gamma}$-subunit expression, and had no effects on abundance of ${\beta}$-subunit in primary cultured cerebellar granule cells, showing different expression of subunits from pentobarbital. In conclusion, sanjoinine A shows anxiolytic-like effects and augments pentabarbital-induced sleeping behaviors through the modification of GABAergic systems. [This work was supported by the Korea Research Foundation Grant funded by the Korean Government (MOEHRD) (The Regional Research Universities Program/Center for Healthcare Technology Development)].

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.566-572
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• 2023

A chiral derivatization strategy with phenylglycine methyl ester (PGME) was employed to develop a straightforward method to determine the absolute configurations of N,N-dimethyl amino acids. The PGME derivatives were analyzed using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry to identify the absolute configurations of various N,N-dimethyl amino acids based on their elution time and order. The established method was applied to assign the absolute configuration of the N,N-dimethyl phenylalanine in sanjoinine A (4), a cyclopeptide alkaloid isolated from Zizyphi Spinosi Semen widely used as herbal medicine for insomnia. Sanjoinine A displayed production of nitric oxide (NO) in LPS-activated RAW 264.7 cells.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.13 no.12
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• pp.1109-1115
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• 2004

This study was investigated the residual contents of sulfur dioxide on the 373 kinds of herbal medicine distributed from Korea, China, and Japan. A modified Monier-Williams method was described for the determination of $SO_{2}$ contents in herbal medicines. The residual contents of $SO_{2}$ were not detected at 221 products$(59.8{\%})$ in total 373 products. Regardless of region, $SO_{2}$ contents were not found at Farfarae Flos, Zizyphi Spinosi Semen, Castanea crenata, and Strychni Ignatii Semen. But it's found at Asparagi Radix, Codonopsitis Radix, Lilii Bulbus, and Kaempferiae Rhizoma of every region collected the samples. Also, $SO_{2}$ contents were not detected at the herbal medicines which collected cultural fields of dometic. $SO_{2}$ contents ranged 11$\~$3990 mg/kg(mean 152 mg/kg) at domestic samples, 11$\~$3440 mg/kg(mean 603 mg/kg) at imported samples. After treated with water wash and hot water extraction, the reduction rates of sulfur dioxide were appeared with $24.4{\%}\~68.7{\%}\;and\;83.8{\%}\~100.0{\%},$ respectively. These data will be used to establish a criteron of residual sulfur dioxide in herbal medicines.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.33-41
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• 2023

To increase antioxidant and antibacterial activities of seasoned soy sauce, five kinds of oriental medicinal plant(Scutellaria baicalensis (P1), Coptis japonica makino (P2), Citriunshius pericarpium (P3), Zizyphi spinosi semen (P4), Crataegus pinnatifida(P5)) and four kinds of medicinal mushrooms(Inonotus obliquus (M1), Hericium erinaceus (M2), Phellinus linteus (M3), Lentinula edodes(M4)) were added to seasoned soy sauce. Soluble solid content, pH, salinity, total polyphenol & flavonoid contents were determined. DPPH & ABTS radical scavenging activities, SOD-like activity, and antibacterial activity were analyzed. Experimental sauces showed decreased pH but significant increases of soluble solid content and salinity. Total polyphenol content was 12.76 ㎍ GAE/g in the control. However, M1 and P1 sauce had significantly higher polyphenol contents at 352.14 and 528.25 ㎍ GAE/g, respectively. Total flavonoids content also showed the same pattern. DPPH free radical scavenging activity was the lowest in the control at 15.75%. It was the highest at 81.80% in M1 and 68.88% in P1. ABTS free radical scavenging activity and SOD-like activity showed the same tendencies. They were higher in the experimental groups than in the control. As for the antibacterial activity analyzed by the paper-disc method, the activity increased the most in P1 and P2. In particular, P2 had the strongest antibacterial activity. Its activity against different microorganisms was in the order of Staphylococcus aureus > Bacillus cereus > Escherichia coli > Salmonella typhimurium. In conclusion, these new sauces show increased antioxidative and antioxidant activities. Therefore, they are expected to be used in various ways as a functional soy sauce.