• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
• /
• v.41 no.4
• /
• pp.450-455
• /
• 1996

In this study isolation and identification of squalene from amaranth and antineoplastic activity of its residue extract except squalene were determined to examine the utilization of grain amaranth in Korea. The content of squalene in amaranth grain was about 0.43%. The isolated squalene showed 99% pureness containing the identical molecular weight and structure provisionally in comparison with that of animal squalene from Sigma Co. by means of GC /Mass spectrum. Antineoplastic activity against human gastric and colon carcinoma cell line was measured in extract (except squalene) from Amaranth using MTT method. Extract from remaining plant good showed significant cytotoxic effect at the concentration of less than 230$\mu\textrm{g}$/ml.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
• /
• v.41 no.spc1
• /
• pp.145-165
• /
• 1996

Amaranth(Amaranthus spp. L.) and quinoa (Chenpodium quinoa Willd.) are old crops from South, Central America and Central Asia and their grains have been identified as very promising food crops because of their exceptional nutritive value. Squalene is an important ingredient in skin cosmetics and computer disc lubricants as well as bioactive materials such as inhibition of fungal and mammalian sterol biosynthesis, antitumor, anticancer, and immunomodulation. Amaranth has a component called squalene (2,6,10,15,19,23-hexamethyl-2,6,10,14,22-tetraco-sahexaene) about 1/300 of the seed and $5\~8\%$ of its seed oil. Oil and squalene content in amaranth seed were different for the species investigated. Squalene content in seed oil also increased by $15.5\%$ due to puffing and from 6.96 to $8.01\%$ by refining and bleaching. Saponin concentrations in quinoa seed ranged 0.01 to $5.6\%$. Saponins are located in the outer layers of quinoa grain. These layers include the perianth, pericarp, a seed coat layer, and a cuticle like structure. Oleanane-type triterpenes saponins are of great interest because of their diverse pharmacological properties, for instance, anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, contraceptive, and cholesterol-lowering effects. It is known that quinoa contains a number of structurally diverse saponins including the aglycones, oleanolic acid, hederagenin, and phytolaccagenic acid, which are new potential in gredient for pharmacological properties. It is likely that these saponin levels will be considerably affected by genetic, agronomic and environmental factors as well as by processing. With the current enhanced public interest in health and nutrition amaranth and quinoa will most likely remain in the immediate future within the realm of exotic health foods until such time as agricultural production meets the quantities and qualify required by industrial food manufacturers.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
• /
• v.8 no.1
• /
• pp.13-18
• /
• 2003

In experiment 1, rats (n＝6) fed diet containing 10 g/kg cholesterol for 4 wk (control) with either no amaranth (control), amaranth grain (300 g/kg, AG) or amaranth oil (90 g/kg, AO). Both the AG and AO groups had lower concentration of serum and hepatic cholesterol and triglyceride than the controls (p < 0.05). Fecal excretions of cholesterol and bile acid in AO group increased about 4 fold and 2 fold, respectively, while AG affected only bile acid excretion (p < 0.05). In experiment 2, rats (n＝6) were fed the cholesterol diet for 4 wk and injected intraperitoneally with saline (control) or amaranth squalene (AS) for 7d. The hypolipidemic effect of AS was evident in both serum and liver. Fecal excretions of cholesterol and bile acid were greater (p < 0.05) in AS than control. HMG-CoA (3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A) reductase activity was reduced in AS group (11.6%, p=0.13). This study suggests that the cholesterol-lowering effect of AS is mediated by greater fecal elimination of steroids through interference with cholesterol absorption.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Crop Science Conference
• /
• 2017.06a
• /
• pp.89-89
• /
• 2017

A gene encoding squalene synthase from grain amaranth was cloned and characterized. The full-length cDNA was 1805-bp long and contained a 1248-bp open reading frame encoding a protein of 416 amino acids with a molecular mass of 47.6 kDa. Southern blot analysis revealed that the A. cruentus genome contained a single copy of the gene. Comparison of the cDNA and genomic sequences indicated that the amaranth SQS gene had 12 introns and 13 exons. All of the exons contributed to the coding sequence. The predicted amino acid sequence of the SQS cDNA shared high homology with those of SQSs from several other plants. It contained conserved six domains that are believed to represent crucial regions of the active site. We conducted qRT-PCR analyses to examine the expression pattern of the SQS gene in seeds at different developmental stages and in several tissues. The amaranth SQS gene was low levels of SQS transcripts at the initial stage of seed development, but the levels increased rapidly at the mid-late developmental stages before declining at the late developmental stage. These findings showed that the amaranth SQS is a late-expressed gene that is rapidly expressed at the mid-late stage of seed development. In addition, we observed that the SQS mRNA levels in stems and roots increased rapidly during the four- to six-leaf stage of development. Therefore, our results showed that the expression levels of SQS in stem and root tissues are significantly higher than those in leaf tissues. In present study provides useful information about the molecular characterization of the SQS clone isolated from grain amaranth. Finally, a basic understanding of these characteristics will contribute to further studies on the amaranth SQS.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Crop Science Conference
• /
• 1996.05a
• /
• pp.88-89
• /
• 1996

• Proceedings of the Korean Nutrition Society Conference
• /
• 1997.05b
• /
• pp.60-60
• /
• 1997

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Crop Science Conference
• /
• 2019.09a
• /
• pp.165-165
• /
• 2019

• Natural Product Sciences
• /
• v.22 no.3
• /
• pp.168-174
• /
• 2016

Anti-melanogenic effects of amaranth (AT), one of the key source of squalene, were investigated in melanocytes. Amaranth seed powder was extracted with water and melan-a cells were treated with various concentrations of AT. By using HPLC, content of myo-inositol, one of potential active components, was measured in the crude extract of AT.AT reduced the melanin content in melan-a melanocytes and down-regulated melanogenic enzyme activity such as tyrosinase, TRP-1 and TRP-2. By regulating melanogenic enzyme activity, AT may be a potential natural source for whitening agent. Myo-inositol was detected in AT by HPLC and may be one of the active compounds from AT involved in the regulation of anti-melanogenesis. In this study, we demonstrated that AT has anti-melanogenesis properties. This new function of amaranth may be useful in the development of new skin-whitening products and its value as food.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Crop Science Conference
• /
• 2022.10a
• /
• pp.294-294
• /
• 2022

To date, there have been no reports on the cloning and characterization of a gene encoding SQS from Amaranthus, although there have been some reports on methods of extracting and purifying squalene from Amaranthus seeds. In this study, we monitored the expression pattern of the amaranth SQS gene in seeds at different developmental stages and in different tissues. The transcript expression pattern of the SQS gene was investigated using total RNA isolated from seeds at different stages of development. There were low levels of SQS transcripts at the early stage of seed development, and the levels remained low until the middle developmental stage. The expression of SQS increased rapidly to reach a peak at the mid-late developmental stage, and then declined dramatically. This pattern of expression was consistent with the results of RT-PCR analyses. All RNA samples generated a fragment of the expected size (183-bp). The amaranth SQS was expressed at low levels during the initial to middle stages of seed development, and its expression level increased at the mid-late development stage. Also The tissue-specific expression of amaranth SQS was determined by quantifying its mRNA in total RNA isolated from the leaves, petioles, stems, and roots of seedlings at the four- and six-leaf stages. Using qRT-PCR and RT-PCR analysis, we detected amaranth SQS transcripts in some of the tissues at the six-leaf stage, but in none of the tissues from plants at the four-leaf stage. SQS transcripts accumulated in almost equal amounts in stems and roots, while a lower level accumulated in leaves and petioles during seedling development at the four- to six-leaf stages. This study provides useful information about the molecular characterization of the SQS clone isolated from grain amaranth. A basic understanding of these characteristics will contribute to further studies on the amaranth SQS.