• Journal of Life Science
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.726-737
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• 2017

Carotenoids are isoprenoids with a long polyene chain containing 3 to 15 conjugated double bonds, which determines their absorption spectrum. They typically consist of a $C_{40}$ hydrocarbon backbone often modified by different oxygen-containing functional groups, to yield cyclic or acyclic xanthophylls. Much work has also been focused on the identification, production, and utilization of natural sources of carotenoid (plants, microorganisms and crustacean by-products) as an alternative to the synthetic pigment which currently covers most of the world markets. Nevertheless, only a few carotenoids (${\beta}-carotene$, lycopene, astaxanthin, canthaxanthin, and lutein) can be produced commercially by fermentation or isolation from the small number of abundant natural sources. The market and demand for carotenoids is anticipated to increase dramatically with the discovery that carotenoids exhibit significant anti-carcinogenic activities and play an important role in the prevention of chronic diseases. The increasing importance of carotenoids in the feed, nutraceutical food and pharmaceutical markets has renewed by efforts to find ways of producing additional carotenoid structures in useful quantities. Because microorganisms and plants synthesize hundreds of different complex chemical carotenoid structures and a number of carotenoid biosynthetic pathways have been elucidated on a molecular level, metabolic and genetic engineering of microorganisms can provide a means towards economic production of carotenoid structures that are otherwise inaccessible. The aim of this article is to review our current understanding of carotenoid formation, to explain the perceived benefits of carotenoid in the diet and review the efforts that have been made to increase carotenoid in certain microorganisms.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.368-374
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• 2012

BACKGROUND: The urgency of feeding the world's growing population while combating soil pollution, salinization and desertification requires suitable biotechnology not only to improve crop productivity but also to improve soil health through interactions of soil nutrient and soil microorganism. Interest in the utilization of microbial fertilizer has increased. A principle of nature farming is to produce abundant and healthy crops without using chemical fertilizer and pesticides, and without interrupting the natural ecosystem. Beneficial microorganisms may provide supplemental nutrients in the soil, promote crop growth, and enhance plant resistance against pathogenic microorganisms. We mixed beneficial microorganisms such as Bacillus sp. Han-5 with anti-fungal activities, Trichoderma harziaum, Trichoderma longibrachiatum with organic material degrading activity, Actinomycetes bovis with antibiotic production and Pseudomonas sp. with nitrogen fixation. This study was carried out to investigate the mixtures on the soil microflora and soil chemical properties and the effect on the growth of lettuce and cucumber under greenhouse conditions. METHODS AND RESULTS: The microbial mixtures were used with each of organic fertilizer, swine manure and organic+swine manure and compared in regard to changes in soil chemical properties, soil microflora properties and crop growth. At 50 days after the treatment of microorganism mixtures, the pH improved from 5.8 to 6.3, and the EC, $NO_3$-Na and K decreased by 52.4%, 60.5% and 29.3%, respectively. The available $P_2O_5$ and $SiO_2$ increased by 25.9% and 21.2%, respectively. Otherwise, the population density of fluorescent Pseudomonas sp. was accelerated and the growth of vegetables increased. Moreover, the population density of E. coli and Fusarium sp., decreased remarkably. The ratio of bacteria to fungi (B/F) and the ratio of Actinomycetes bovis to fungi (A/F) increased 2.3 (from 272.2 to 624.4) and 1.7 times (from 38.3 to 64), respectively. Furthermore, the growth and yield of cucumber and lettuce significantly increased by the treatment of microorganism mixtures. CONCLUSION(S): These results suggest that the treatment of microorganism mixtures improved the chemical properties and the microflora of soil and the crop growth. Therefore, it is concluded that the microorganism mixtures could be good alternative soil amendments to restore soil nutrients and soil microflora.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.42 no.12
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• pp.1966-1971
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• 2013

Pholiota adiposa is an edible as well as medicinal mushroom cultured in China and Japan with anti-tumor, anti-microbial, anti-hypertensive, and anti-hyperlipidemic activities. This study was carried out to investigate the quality characteristics of cookies added with Pholiota adiposa powder. Chemical composition of Pholiota adiposa powder was as follows: 3.8% moisture, 6.9% ash, 1% crude lipids, 3% protein, 53.3% carbohydrates, and 31.9% crude dietary fiber. To analyze quality characteristics during the manufacture of cookies, pH, texture, color, antioxidant activity, total polyphenol content, and sensory evaluation were determined. As the content of Pholiota adiposa powder increased, the pH of cookies decreased from 6.7 to 6.02. Hardness of cookies decreased with increasing Pholiota adiposa powder content, and cookies added with 5% powder were softer than the control. Regarding surface color, L-value decreased with increasing powder content compared to that of the control, whereas in surface color among various powder levels was not significantly different. As the content of Pholiota adiposa powder increased, both antioxidant activity and total polyphenol content increased. In the sensory evaluation, cookies added with 3% Pholiota adiposa powder showed remarkably higher values compared to control and other amples in all aspects.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.64 no.2
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• pp.113-119
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• 2021

Olive (Olea europaea L.) leaves, a raw material for health functional foods and cosmetics have abundant polyphenols including oleuropein (major bioactive compound) with various biological activities: antioxidant, antibacterial, antiviral, anticancer activity, and inhibit platelet activation. Oleuropein has been reported as skin protectant, antioxidant, anti-ageing, anti-cancer, anti-inflammation, anti-atherogenic, anti-viral, and anti-microbial activity. Despite oleuropein is the important compound in olive leaves, there is still no quantitative approach to reveal oleuropein content in commercial products. Therefore, a validated method of analysis has to develop for oleuropein. In this study, the components and oleuropein content in 10 types of products were analyzed using a developed method with ultra-performance liquid chromatography to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry, charge of aerosol detector, and photodiode array. The total of 18 compounds including iridoids (1, 3, 4, 14, and 16-18), coumarin (2), phenylethanoids (5, 9, and 11), flavonoids (6-8, 10, 12, and 13), lignan (15), were tentatively identified in the leaves extract based high resolution mass spectrometry data, and the content of oleuropein in each product was almost identical between two detection methods. The oleuropein in three commercial product (A, G, H) was contained more over the suggested content, and it of five products (B, E, H, I, J) were analyzed within 5-10% error range. However, the two products (C, D) were found far lower than suggested contents. This study provides that analytical results of oleuropein could be a potential information for the quality control of leaf extract for a manufactured functional food.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.207-215
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• 2012

Phenolic compounds of $17.9{\pm}1.0mg/g$ were extracted from Ulmus pumila with 70% ethanol. The elastase inhibitory activity related with forming wrinkle was shown an excellent wrinkle improvement effect in 70% ethanol extracts as 55.5-69.5% at phenolic concentration of $50-200{\mu}g/mL$. The tyrosinase inhibitory activity related with skin-whitening was 24% in 70% ethanol extracts at phenolic concentration of $200{\mu}g/mL$. The astringent activity of 70% ethanol extracts was shown activity of 71% at phenolic concentration of $200{\mu}g/mL$ therefore it is judged that there is a high effect on pores reduction of the skin. The hyaluronidase inhibitory activity of U. pumila extracts was confirmed anti-inflammation effect of 80% at phenolic concentration of $50{\mu}g/mL$. Antimicrobial activity of U. pumila water extracts was shown each 8.7, 10.0, 11.1 and 11.8 mm clear zones on Propionebacterium acnes at phenolic concentration of $50-200{\mu}g/mL$. The stability of the multi-functional cosmetic (lotion) added U. pumila extracts was very stable for 28 days without changing of pH and viscosity also it's stable on temperature and sun lights. As the concentration of extracts was increased, the color of lotion was getting dark, but the sensory evaluation was high at score of 8.5.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.119-131
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• 2023

Objectives: Betula Platyphylla(BP) has been used as a analgesic, anti-microbial, anti-oxidant drug in Eastern Asia. However, it is still unknown whether BP ethanol extract could exhibit the inhibitory activities against ultraviolet B(UVB)-induced skin injury on human keratinocytes, HaCaT cells. This study was aimed to investigate the protective activity of BP ethanol extract on UVB-irradiated skin injury in HaCaT cells. Methods: The skin injury model of HaCaT cells was established under UVB stimulation. HaCaT keratinocyte cells were pre-treated with BP ethanol extract for 1 h, and then stimulated with UVB. Then, the cells were harvested to measure the cell viability, production of reactive oxygen species(ROS), pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin(IL) 1-beta, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-𝛼, hyaluronidase, type 1 collagen, matrix metalloproteinase(MMP)s. In addition, we examined the mitogen activated protein kinases(MAPKs) and inhibitory kappa B alpha(I𝜅;-B𝛼) as inhibitory mechanisms of BP ethanol extract. Results: The treatment of BP ethanol extract inhibited the UVBinduced cell death and ROS production in HaCaT cells. BP ethanol extract treatment inhibited the UVB-induced increase of IL-1beta, IL-6, and TNF-𝛼. BP ethanol extract treatment inhibited the increase of hyaluronidase, MMP and decrease of collagen. BP ethanol extract treatment inhibited the activation of MAPKs and the degradation of I𝜅-B𝛼. Conclusions: Our result suggest that treatment of BP ethanol extract could inhibit the UVB-induced skin injury via deactivation of MAPKs and nuclear factor kappa B(NF-𝜅B) in HaCaT cells. This study could suggest that BP ethanol extract could be a beneficial agent to prevent skin damage or inflammation.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.423-432
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• 2018

This study was performed to develop a new natural antimicrobial materials by analyzing the effect of extracts obtained from Ten Lauraceae Species on the inhibitory activity against Propionibacterium acnes. The plant materials were collected from Wando and Jeju islands, and the antimicrobial activity of the crude extracts was examined by the agar diffusion method with different part (i.e., leaf and branch), solvents (i.e., distilled water, 80% ethanol, and 100% methanol) and at different ultrasonic extracting times (i.e., 15, 30, and 45 minutes). The control agents used were synthetic antimicrobials, methylparaben and phenoxyethanol, at concentrations of 0.4, 1, 2, and 4 mg/disc. Altogether, extracts of 10 species used in the study showed inhibitory activity, which confirmed their antimicrobial action against acnes. Among these, leaves of Laurus nobilis L. which was extracted in 80% ethanol for 45 min showed the largest clear zone (19.8 mm). Leaves of L. nobilis L., showing highest antimicrobial activities among 10 species, were successively reextracted with n-hexane, chloroform, ethylacetate and n-butanol. As a results, in all fractions except butanol, clear zone above 10 mm were formed. The ethyl acetate fraction showed the highest inhibitory activity (13.3 mm) and the inhibitory activity was significantly higher than that of crude extract (10.2 mm) and phenoxyethanol as a control (12.5 mm).

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.33 no.10
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• pp.842-850
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• 2023

Pyrrolnitrin, pyrrolomycin, and pyoluteorin are functional halogenated phenylpyrrole derivatives (HPDs) derived from microorganisms with diverse antimicrobial activities. Pyrrolnitrin is a secondary metabolite produced from L-tryptophan through four-step reactions in Pseudomonas fluorescens, Burkholderia cepacia, Serratia plymuthica, etc. It is currently used for the treatment of superficial dermatophytic fungal infections, has high antagonistic activities against soil-borne and foliar fungal infections, and has many industrial applications. Since pyrrolnitrin is easily decomposed by light, it is difficult to widely use it outdoors. As an alternative, fludioxonil, a synthetically produced non-systemic surface fungicide that is structurally similar and has excellent light stability, has been commercialized for seed and foliar treatment of plants. However, due to its high toxicity to aquatic organisms and adverse effects in human cell lines, many countries have established maximum residue levels and strictly control its levels. Pyrrolomycin and pyoluteorin, which have antibiotic/antibiofilm activity against Gram-positive bacteria and high anti-oomycete activity against the plant pathogen Pythium ultimum, respectively, were isolated and identified from microorganisms. This review summarizes the biosynthesis and production of natural pyrrolnitrin derived from bacteria and the characteristics of synthetic fludioxonil and other natural phenylpyrrole derivatives among the HPDs. We expect that a plethora of highly effective, novel HPDs that are safe for humans and environments will be developed through the generation of an HPD library by microbial biosynthesis and chemical synthesis.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.474-485
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• 2024

The purposes of this study were to isolate the potential Lacticaseibacillus spp. from the feces of infants before weaning, to investigate the safety of antibiotics resistance and beta-haemolysis, and to evaluate the anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory effects between the selected strains and Oenanthe javanica (Oj) fermented by them. As a result of analyzing the intestinal microbial community among the stools of four infants, the genus Bifidobacterium was the most dominant, but Lacticaseibacillus (L.) rhamnosus was the most frequently isolated because of the easy culture. Nine test strains, including Lactobacillus rhamnosus LGG (ATCC 53103) as the positive control, were sensitive against 8 kinds of antibiotics without vancomycin in comparison with the cut-off values at the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), and there was no hemolysis. In the antibacterial activity experiment, the Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus L22-FR28 (L28, KACC 92513P) strain and Oj+L28 ferment showed significantly (p<0.05) higher activities than LGG against Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus. Additionally, these decreased the activity of the NF-kB/AP-1 transcription factor and inhibited the nitric oxide and cytokines (TNF-α and IL-6) produced in macrophage RAW cells stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Consequently, the L. rhamnosus L28 strain and Oenanthe javanica+L. rhamnosus L28 (Oj+L28) ferment selected with the high anti-inflammatory effect will improve health functionality after more research, such as the verification of animal level and identification of mechanism on an anti-inflammatory.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.25 no.7
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• pp.801-809
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• 2015

Homotypic cell adhesion (homotypic aggregation) in activated monocytes plays a central role in physiological and pathological processes including inflammatory responses, differentiation and migration. The extract of the Prunus mume Sieb. et Zucc. fruit (Maesil) has potential benefits to human health; such as anti-viral, anti-microbial, and anti-cancer activities. Indeed, Maesil extract may modulate inflammatory responses via interference with homotypic aggregation in monocytes. In the present study, the molecular mechanisms underpinning the therapeutic efficacy of Maesil extract in inflammatory diseases were investigated. It was found that Maesil extract inhibited homotypic aggregation in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated monocytes. This was mediated by reduction of nitric oxide (NO) production, partly via inhibition of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression in LPS-activated THP-1 cells. It was confirmed that NO inhibition is a key mechanism in Maesil induced blockade of monocyte aggregation through identification of reversal of this inhibitory effect by the NO-producing agent S-nitroso-N-acetyl penicillamine (SNAP). In addition, Maesil extract significantly attenuated LPS-induced IκB-α phosphorylation and NF-κB translocation into the nucleus. In conclusion, Maesil extract exerts anti-inflammatory effects via inhibition of homotypic aggregation of LPS-activated monocytes through mechanisms involving the suppression of NO production and NF-κB activity, suggesting Maesil extract as a potential therapeutic candidate for the prevention and treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases.