• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.13 no.2_3
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• pp.67-70
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• 1969

Gall duct cannulated rats were given daphnetin, umbelliferone, 4-hydroxy-coumarin, dicoumarol, 4,7-dihydroxycoumarin, 4,7-dimethyl-5-hydroxy-coumarin, coumarin-3-carboxylic acid, cinnamic acid, ferulic acid, caffeic acid by duodenal catheter at room temperature and output of bile flow was detected. All of the subjected compounds in this experiment indicated a significant effect on the biliary elimination except cinnamic acid alone. It is suggested that a relationship exists between chemical pattern and biological activity for coumarin derivatives and their precursors, and that the choleretic activity of these compounds requires hydroxylated cinnamic acid structure as the most fundamental chemical pattern.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.162-166
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• 1996

This study was done to investigate whether cholic acid derivatives have anti-stress activity and what is a cause of this anti-stress effect. Seven cholic acid derivatives (cholic acid, taurocholic acid, ursodeoxycholic acid, tauroursodeoxychoic acid, chenodeoxy cholic acid, dehydrocholic acid, hyodeoxycholic acid) were used, silymarin and valproic acid were used as positive controls. Stress was induced by restraint immobilization technique plus water immersion (24hrs) and adrenal weight, spleen weight, adrenal ascorbic acid, serum cholesterol, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), adrenal cholesterol, glucose and corticosterone levels were measured as stress indicators. Most cholic acid derivatives markedly decreased the adrenal weight, and TUDCA and DHCA increased the spleen weight. The restraint stress induced increments in serum LDH, ALP and cholesterol were attenuated by most cholic acid derivatives. Cholic acid, taurocholic acid and tauroursodeoxycholic acid only increased the content of adrenal ascorbate. While valproic acid showed an inhibitory effect against stress, silymarin did not. Our findings suggest that most cholic acid derivatives have anti-stress effect and that their anti-stress effect is, in part, related to choleretic activity.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition Conference
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• 2004.11a
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• pp.99-101
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• 2004

An important aspect of indigenous medicine is the ability of traditional societis to manipulate the environment for their own benefit, for example for their health care. In Indonesia, this indigenous medicine is called Jamu. Jamu mostly consists of a mixture of herbals of the genus Curcuma, Zingiberaceae. There are 19 species of curcuma grown in Indonesia. Eleven of them are popular in the jamu preparations. Ethnopharma-cological surveys have shown that 50% of these species are used for post partum protection, dismenorrhea, 30% are used for the treatment of stomache and as cosmetics, 20% for the treatment of various diseases such as fever, worms, asthma, etc. Chemical studies show that they contain curcuminoids, volatile oils, flavonoids, starch, and resinous substance. Pharmacological studies of extracts and isolated bioactive compounds have shown that they have a broad pharmacological activity such as antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, choleretic, antihepatotoxic, antitumor, antioxidant, and antihyperlipidemic activity.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.158-172
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• 2017

Nigella sativa (N. sativa, family Ranunculaceae) is a medicinal plant that has been widely used for centuries throughout the world as a natural remedy. A wide range of chemical compounds found in N. sativa expresses its vast therapeutic effects. Thymoquinone (TQ) is the main component (up to 50%) in the essential oil of N. sativa. Also, pinene (up to 15%), p-cymene (40%), thymohydroquinone (THQ), thymol (THY), and dithymoquinone (DTQ) are other pharmacologically active compounds of its oil. Other terpenoid compounds, such as carvacrol, carvone, 4-terpineol, limonenes, and citronellol, are also found in small quantities in its oil. The main pharmacological characteristics of this plant are immune system stimulatory, anti-inflammatory, hypotensive, hepatoprotective, antioxidant, anti-cancer, hypoglycemic, anti-tussive, milk production, uricosuric, choleretic, anti-fertility, and spasmolytic properties. In this regard, we have searched the scientific databases PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar with keywords of N. sativa, anti-cancer, apoptotic effect, antitumor, antioxidant, and malignancy over the period from 2000 to 2017. The effectiveness of N. sativa against cancer in the blood system, kidneys, lungs, prostate, liver, and breast and on many malignant cell lines has been shown in many studies, but the molecular mechanisms behind that anti-cancer role are still not clearly understood. From among the many effects of N. sativa, including its anti-proliferative effect, cell cycle arrest, apoptosis induction, ROS generation, anti-metastasis/anti-angiogenesis effects, Akt pathway control, modulation of multiple molecular targets, including p53, p73, STAT-3, PTEN, and $PPAR-{\gamma}$, and activation of caspases, the main suggestive anti-cancer mechanisms of N. sativa are its free radical scavenger activity and the preservation of various anti-oxidant enzyme activities, such as glutathione peroxidase, catalase, and glutathione-S-transferase. In this review, we highlight the molecular mechanisms of apoptosis and the anti-cancer effects of N. sativa, with a focus on its molecular targets in apoptosis pathways.