• Archives of Pharmacal Research
• /
• v.23 no.3
• /
• pp.240-242
• /
• 2000

The immunomodulating activity of a polysaccharide isolated from Morus alba (PMA) root bark was examined in murine splenic lymphocytes. PMA enhanced proliferation of splenic lymphocytes in a synergistic manner in the presence of mitogens. However, PMA suppressed pri-may IgM antibody production from B cells, which was activated with lipopolysaccharide, a polyclonal activator, or immunized with a T-cell dependent antigen sheep red blood cells. Our observations showed that the immunomodulating activity of PMA increased lymphocyte proliferation and that PMA decreased antibody production from B cells, which was distinct from those of other plant-originated polysaccharides.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• v.32 no.11
• /
• pp.4049-4054
• /
• 2011

A new compound, kalopanaxin F (3), and 11 known compounds (1, 2, 4-12), were isolated from the stem bark of Kalopanax pictus. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of chemical and spectroscopic methods. Five of the compounds (2, 3, 5, 6, and 12) significantly inhibited $TNF{\alpha}$-induced NF-${\kappa}B$ transcriptional activity in HepG2 cells in a dose-dependent manner, with $IC_{50}$ values ranging from 6.2 to 9.1 ${\mu}M$. Furthermore, the transcriptional inhibitory function of these compounds was confirmed based on decreases in COX-2 and iNOS gene expression in HepG2 cells. Compounds 3-7, 9, and 12 significantly activated the transcriptional activity of PPARs dose-dependently, with $EC_{50}$ values ranging from 4.1-$12.7{\mu}M$. Compounds 4 and 5 exhibited $PPAR{\alpha}$, $PPAR{\gamma}$, and $PPAR{\beta}({\delta})$ transactivational activities in a dose-dependent manner, with $EC_{50}$ values of 16.0 and 17.0, 8.7 and 16.5, 26.2 and 26.3 ${\mu}M$, respectively.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.27 no.4
• /
• pp.660-667
• /
• 2017

PineXol, extracted from Korean red pine bark, has beneficial effects, such as antioxidant, antiinflammatory, and antilipogenic activities in vitro. We tested the hypothesis that PineXol supplementation could have anti-obesity effects on mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD). Four-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were fed normal chow (18% kcal from fat) or a HFD (60% kcal from fat). HFD-fed animals were also subjected to PineXol treatment at a dose of 10 or 50 mg/kg body weight (BW) (PX10 or PX50, respectively) body weight. The body weight and body fat mass in the PX50 group were statistically lower than those in the HFD group (p < 0.05 and p < 0.001, respectively). The concentration of hepatic triglycerides, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were reduced in the PX50 group compared with the HFD group (p < 0.01). Acetyl CoA carboxylase (p < 0.01), elongase of very long chain fatty acids 6 (p < 0.01), stearoyl CoA desaturase 1 (p < 0.05), microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (p < 0.01), and sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1 (p < 0.05) were significantly decreased in the PX50 group compared with that in the HFD group. In white adipose tissue, CCAAT-enhancer-binding protein alpha (p < 0.05), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (p < 0.001), and perilipin (p < 0.01) were decreased in the PX50 group compared with those in the HFD group. Therefore, the current study implies the potential of PineXol for the prevention and/or amelioration of obesity, in part by inhibition of both hepatic lipid synthesis and adipogenesis in white adipose tissue.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.17 no.1
• /
• pp.21-28
• /
• 2007

The crude biopolymer (AS-S1) and endobiopolymer (AS-S2) were isolated from the dry stem bark of Acanthopanax sessiliflorus and tested for anti complement activity. The two potent anticomplement biopolymers, AS-1 and AS-2-Fr.I, were isolated by the combination of ion-exchange chromatography and gel filtration methods from the endo-biopolymers (AS-S2). The anticomplement activity of AS-1 (MW 12 kDa) and AS-2-Fr.I (MW 180 kDa) were found to be 84.4% and 100.0%, respectively, at the concentration of $25{\mu}g/ml$. Activated pathway of the complement system occurred in both classical and alternative pathways, as evidenced by crossed immunoelectrophoresis(CIEP), where a major pathway was detected to be the classical one. It was found that the anticomplement activities of the periodate oxidized were decreased significantly, but those of pronase digested biopolymers of AS-1 and AS-2-Fr.I were decreased very little. The AS-1 contained 2,4,6-tri-O-methyl-D-glucitol, 2,3,6-tri-O-methyl-D-galacitol, and 2,3,6-tri-O-methyl-D-galacitol, which indicated that AS-1 contained a $(1{\rightarrow}3),\;(1{\rightarrow}4)-linked$ glucopyranosyl residue and a $(1{\rightarrow}4)-linked$ galactosyl residue. AS-2-Fr.I contained mainly 2,4-di-O-methyl-D-mannitol and 2,3,4-tri-O-methyl-D-galacitol, which contained $(1{\rightarrow}3),\;(1{\rightarrow}6)$ linked mannosyl and $(1{\rightarrow}6)$ linked galactosyl residues.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
• /
• v.20 no.4
• /
• pp.73-84
• /
• 1992

It was observed that the hot-water extract of the bark of Kalopanax pictus N. had the highest anti-complementary activity among the 11 kinds of forest materials. Methanol-and ethanol-soluble portions had low anti-complementary activities, but crude polysaccharide. HKP-0 had a high activity of 80%. HKP-0 contained 54.8% of total sugar and 27.9% of protein. The neutral sugars of HKP-0 consisted of mainly arabinose, galactose and glucose. HKP-4 fraction obtained by cetavlon treatment of HKP-0 showed the highest anti-complementary activity of 90%. The activity was not changed by pronase digestion bu decreased greatly by periodate oxidation. HKP-4 consisted of mainly arabinose and glucose with molar ratio of 1.0 : 22.4, HKP-4-I, an unabsorbed fraction from HKP-4 on DEAE Sepharose CL-6B column showed higher yield and activity than those of absorbed fractions. HKP-4-I was homogeneous, and its molecular weight was about 25,000. HKP-4-I contained 84.0% of neutral sugar and consisted of arabinose and glucose with molar ratio of 1.0 : 11.2. The anti-complementary activity of HKP-4-I was not decreased by the treatment of polymyxin B, and the polysaccharide activated both classical and alternative pathway in complement system. Void volume fraction obtained from HKP-4-I hydrolyzed with ${\alpha}$-amylase on Sephadex G-25 column only had a high anti-complementary activity.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
• /
• v.24 no.5
• /
• pp.513-517
• /
• 2013

We investigated the properties of impregnated activated carbons, a commercial adsorbent for the individual protection equipment, and examined CO adsorption and oxidation to $CO_2$. The surface area, pore volume and pore size were measured for four commercial samples using Brunauer-Emmett-Teller/Barrett-Joyner-Halenda (BET/BJH), and atomic compositions of the sample surface were analyzed based on SEM/EDS and XPS. Impregnated activated carbons containing Mn and Cu for fire showed the catalytic CO oxidation to $CO_2$ with a high catalytic activity (up to 99% $CO_2$ yield), followed by the CO adsorption at an initial reaction time. On the other hand, C: for chemical biologial and radiological (CBR) samples, not including Mn, showed a lower CO conversion to $CO_2$ (up to 60% yield) compared to that of fire samples. It was also found that a heat-treated activated carbon has a higher removal capacity both for CO and $CO_2$ at room temperature than that of untreated carbon, which was probably due to the impurity removal in pores resulted in a detection-delay about 30 min.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
• /
• v.96 no.4
• /
• pp.414-418
• /
• 2007

The average number of oviposion scars in lower (facing the Land) and upper part (facing the Sun) of P. koraiensis logs were $16.3{\pm}13.9$ and $3.3{\pm}3.6$, respectively. Oviposition preference of Monochamus saltuarius adults was lower part of Pinus koraiensis. Estimated average number of larvae and egg from oviposition scars ($64.7{\pm}23.8$) in P. koraiensis logs was $18.8{\pm}10.0$ in the laboratory condition. However, oviposition scars were $63.6{\pm}31.1$ and average number of larvae and egg was $2.0{\pm}2.6$ in field condition. When we fed with inner bark (phloem) and xylem of P. koraiensis, body weight of M. saltuarius larvae was normal. However, when we only fed xylem of P. koraiensis, body weight and size were reduced but they were recovered after feeding inner bark (phloem). Esterase isozymes were assessed from larvae fat body of M. saltuarius and Est1 were specifically activated when we fed with inner bark (phloem) and xylem.

• Natural Product Sciences
• /
• v.16 no.4
• /
• pp.265-270
• /
• 2010

The methanol extract of Zanthoxylum rhetsa (MZRR) were evaluated for its ability to suppress the formation of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated RAW 264.7 macrophages. MZRR presented an inhibition of LPS-induced production of nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin $E_2$ ($PGE_2$) in RAW 264.7 macrophages. Western blotting and RT-PCR analyses demonstrated that MZRR significantly inhibited the protein and mRNA expressions of iNOS and COX-2 in LPS-activated macrophages in a dose-dependent manner. LPS-induced COX-2, iNOS, and nuclear factor kappa beta (NF-${\kappa}B$) activity were also decreased in the presence of MZRR. The production of tumor necrosis factor-$\alpha$ (TNF-$\alpha$), the mRNA expression levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including TNF-$\alpha$ and IL-$1{\beta}$, were reduced after MZRR administration in a dose dependent-manner. These results suggest that the MZRR extract involved in the inhibition of iNOS and COX-2 via the NF-${\kappa}B$ pathway, revealing a partial molecular basis for anti-inflammatory properties of the MZRR extract.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• v.21 no.3
• /
• pp.279-286
• /
• 2017

The root bark extract of Aralia taibaiensis is used traditionally for the treatment of diabetes mellitus in China. The total saponin extracted from Aralia Taibaiensis (sAT) has effective combined antihyperglycemic and hypolipidemic activities in experimental type 2 diabetic rats. However, the active compounds have not yet been fully investigated. In the present study, we examined effects of twelve triterpenoid saponins on AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activation, and found that compound 28-O-${\beta}$-D-glucopyranosyl ester (AT12) significantly increased phosphorylation of AMPK and Acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC). AT12 effectively decreased blood glucose, triglyceride (TG), free fatty acid (FFA) and low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) levels in the rat model of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The mechanism by which AT12 activated AMPK was subsequently investigated. Intracellular ATP level and oxygen consumption were significantly reduced by AT12 treatment. The findings suggested AT12 was a novel AMPK activator, and could be useful for the treatment of metabolic diseases.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
• /
• v.48 no.2
• /
• pp.70-83
• /
• 2018

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the capacity of single and combined applications of the bark of the stems and roots of Magnolia officinalis Rehd. et Wils. (Magnoliae Cortex) and Zea mays L. (maize) to modulate inflammation in RAW 264.7 cells stimulated with Porphyromonas gingivalis. Methods: RAW 264.7 cells were stimulated with P. gingivalis, and Magnoliae Cortex and/or maize was added. Cytotoxicity and the capacity to modulate inflammation were determined with a methylthiazol tetrazolium (MTT) assay, nitrite production, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and western blotting. Results: Treatment with Magnoliae Cortex and/or maize inhibited nuclear transcription factor ${\kappa}B$ ($NF-{\kappa}B$) pathway activation and nuclear p44/42 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) protein expression in P. gingivalis-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. Moreover, the treatments suppressed cytokines (prostaglandin $E_2$ [$PGE_2$], interleukin $[IL]-1{\beta}$, and IL-6) and nitrite production. Conclusions: Both Magnoliae Cortex and maize exerted an anti-inflammatory effect on P. gingivalis-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells, and this effect was more pronounced when the extracts were combined. These findings show that these extracts may be beneficial for slowing the progression of periodontal disease.