• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.73-82
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• 2023

Purpose : Cymbopogon citratus, also known as lemongrass, has widely spread around the world and its essential oil is usually applied in food, perfume, and other industrial purposes. In addition, C. citratus has also been used for the treatment of inflammation, digestive disorders, and diabetes in traditional medicine. In this study, the antioxidative activity of C. citratus ethanol extract (CCEE) was analyzed in RAW 264.7 cells through the induction of one of phase II enzymes, heme oxygenase (HO)-1 by nuclear factor-erythroid 2 p45-related factor (Nrf)2, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt. Methods : The antioxidative activity of CCEE against oxidative stress and its underlying molecular mechanisms were analyzed by the cell viability assay, intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation assay, and Western blot analysis in RAW 264.7 cells. Results : The results exhibited that CCEE potently attenuated tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BHP) induced intracellular ROS levels in a dose-dependent manner without any cytotoxicity. CCEE treatment significantly induced the expression of HO-1 which is known for its antioxidative capacity. In addition, CCEE treatment significantly upregulated the expression of Nrf2, a corresponding transcription factor for the regulation of antioxidative enzymes, which was in accordance with the HO-1 overexpression. MAPK and PI3K/Akt were also evaluated for their important roles in the regulation of cellular redox homeostasis against oxidative damage. As a result, the potent HO-1 expression was mediated by not extracellular regulated kinase (ERK), c-Jun NH2 terminal kinase (JNK), p38, but phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) phosphorylation. To confirm the antioxidative activity of CCEE-induced HO-1 expression, oxidative damage was initiated by t-BHP and attenuated by CCEE treatment, which was identified by HO-1 selective inhibitor and inducer. Conclusion : Consequently, CCEE potently induced the HO-1-mediated antioxidative potential through the modulation of Nrf2 and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways in RAW 264.7 cells. These results suggest that CCEE could be a promising strategy for the mitigation against cellular oxidative damage.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.3569-3573
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• 2013

Aim: Pendulous monkshood root is traditionally used for the treatment of several inflammatory pathologies such as rheumatisms, wounds, pain and tumors in China. In this study, the anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities and the mechanism of crude ethanol extract of pendulous monkshood root (EPMR) were evaluated and investigated in vitro. Materials and Methods: The cytotoxic effects of EPMR on different tumor cell lines were determined by the MTT method. Cell apoptosis and cell nucleus morphology were assessed by Hoechst 33258 staining. Moreover, nitric oxide (NO) levels and intracellular oxidative stress in peritoneal macrophages were determined to further elucidate mechanisms of action. Results: The data showed that EPMR could produce significant dose-dependent toxicity on three kinds of tumor cells. Furthermore, EPMR displayed obvious anti-inflammatory effects on LPS-induced mouse peritoneal macrophages at the dosage of 4 - 200 ${\mu}g/mL$. The results demonstrated the therapeutic potential of Pendulous Monkshood Root on cancer and inflammatory diseases. Conclusion: Our results indicate that EPMR has anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties, suggesting that pendulous monkshood root may be a useful anti-tumor and anti-inflammatory reagent in the clinic.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.457-462
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• 2014

Prostaglandin (PG) $E_2$ is an important mediator of skin wound healing without excessive scarring and gastric ulcer healing. However, $PGE_2$ has a short lifetime in vivo because it is metabolized rapidly by 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (15-PGDH). Ethanol extract of Eriobotryae folium (EFEE) elevated intracellular and extracellular $PGE_2$ levels in HaCaT cells and inhibited 15-PGDH ($ED_{50}$ : $168.4{\mu}g/mL$) with relatively low cytotoxicity ($IC_{50}$ : $250.0{\mu}g/mL$). Real-time PCR analysis showed that mRNA expression of cyclooxygenase (COX)-1 and COX-2 enzymes were increased and prostaglandin transporter (PGT) was decreased in HaCaT cells by EFEE. Moreover, wound healing effect of EFEE ($168.4{\mu}g/mL$) was comparable to that of TGF-${\beta}1$ (300 pg/mL) as a positive control. These results demonstrate that EFEE may be valuable therapeutic materials for the treatment of $PGE_2$ level dependent diseases.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.1293-1298
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• 2008

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of a mixture of fermented Artemisiae Argi Folium and fermented Sophorae Radix (FAS) on hydrogen peroxide production within mouse macrophage Raw 264.7 with ethanol (EtOH) and nicotine. Artemisiae Argi Folium is known to have the antibacterial, immune-enhancing properties. And Sophorae Radix is also known to have the antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic properties. EtOH and nicotine are the ones of toxicants which could impair immunocytes like macrophage. EtOH and nicotine reduce the intracellular production of hydrogen peroxide ($H_2O_2$) of Raw 264.7. FAS increased the production of hydrogen peroxide reduced by EtOH and nicotine within Raw 264.7. These results indicate that FAS could restore the immuno-activity of macrophage impaired by EtOH and nicotine.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.43 no.8
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• pp.1139-1147
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• 2014

We investigated whether or not Schisandra chinensis (SC), a traditional herbal medicine, has protective effects against alcohol-induced fatty liver and blood alcohol clearance. Two tests focused on acute intoxication and chronic ethanol treatment were carried out. For the chronic ethanol treatment test, rats were fed ethanol by intragastric administration everyday for 8 weeks to induce alcoholic fatty liver. Ethanol treatment significantly increased blood alcohol concentration at 90 min after acute ethanol intoxication. Compared with the two ethanol-treated groups, rats administered ethanol along with SC extracts showed an approximately 13% increased blood alcohol clearance rate at 360 min. Chronic ethanol treatment significantly increased serum and hepatic triglyceride (TG) levels, and caused fatty degeneration of liver. Ethanol treatment also elevated the serum total-cholesterol (TC) level. However, after feeding of ethanol plus SC extracts, ethanol-induced elevation of hepatic TG levels reversed, whereas elevation of serum TG and TC levels was not observed after treatment with SC extracts. Ethanol treatment significantly increased ${\gamma}$-GT, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase activities after 8 weeks. Compared with the ethanol-fed group, rats administered ethanol plus SC extracts for 4 weeks showed attenuated fatty degeneration as well as decreased hepatic function test values. SC administration also significantly increased intracellular lipid accumulation in hepatocytes and reduced steatosis score and hepatic TG levels, as measured by biochemical and histolopathological analyses. Our results indicate that the protective effects of SC are accompanied by a significant decrease in hepatic TG levels, thereby suggesting SC has the ability to prevent ethanol-induced fatty liver, by reducing hepatic TG and enzyme levels in alcoholic rats.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.310-317
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• 2017

Mammalian cells control cellular homeostasis using a variety of defensive enzymes in order to combat against environmental oxidants and electrophiles. NF-E2-related factor-2 (NRF2) is a transcription factor that, in response to an exposure to oxidative stress, translocates into the nucleus and modulates the inducible expression of various phase II cytoprotective enzymes by binding to the antioxidant response element (ARE). In the present study, we have acquired 400 ethanol extracts of traditional medicinal plants and attempted to find out possible extract(s) that can increase the NRF2/ARE-dependent gene expression in human keratinocytes. As a result, we have identified that ethanol extracts of Rheum undulatum and Inula japonica strongly activated the ARE-dependent luciferase activity in HaCaT- ARE-luciferase cells. Exposure of ethanol extracts of Rheum undulatum and Inula japonica increased the viability and activated transcription and translation of NRF2-dependent phase II cytoprotective enzymes in HaCaT cells, such as heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and NAD[P]H:quinone oxidorecutase-1 (NQO1). In addition, ethanol extracts of Rheum undulatum and Inula japonica suppressed 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), thereby inhibiting the formation of 8-hydroxyguanosine (8-OHG) and 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) in HaCaT cells. Together, our results demonstrate that ethanol extracts of Rheum undulatum and Inula japonica exert anti-oxidant effects via the induction of NRF2/ARE-dependent gene expression in human keratinocytes.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.191-201
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• 2015

We evaluated the inhibitory effect of Pueraria lobata root ethanol extract (PLREE) on lipid accumulation during 3T3-L1 differentiation to adipocytes by measuring the intracellular expression of adipogenic, lipogenic, and lipolytic markers and lipid accumulation. The total polyphenol and flavonoid content of PLREE were 47 and 29 mg/g, respectively. The electron donating capacity of PLREE at $1,000{\mu}g/mL$ was 48.8%. Treatment of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes with 100, 250, or $500{\mu}g/mL$ PLREE for 8 days dose-dependently promoted the differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells. In contrast, the lipid content of PLREE-treated cells was significantly reduced by 7.8% (p < 0.05), 35.6% (p < 0.001), and 42.2% (p < 0.001) following treatment with 100, 250, and $500{\mu}g/mL$ PLREE, respectively, as compared to differentiated control cells. PLREE upregulated peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor ${\gamma}$ mRNA and protein, and sterol regulator element-binding protein-1c mRNA levels, but did not affect CCAAT/enhancer binding-protein ${\beta}$ and ${\alpha}$ mRNA levels. PLREE also downregulated acetyl-CoA carboxylase mRNA and protein, fatty acid synthase (FAS) protein, and leptin mRNA levels, but did not affect FAS mRNA expression. PLREE upregulated adipose triglyceride lipase mRNA and protein expression, and hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) protein expression, but did not affect HSL mRNA expression. In conclusion, we found that PLREE enhanced adipogenesis, but reduced lipogenesis, resulting in decreased lipid accumulation in 3T3-L1 cells.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.77-82
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• 2014

Objectives : The effects of ethanol extract of Plantago asiatica L. were investgated on adipocyte differentiation, lipopogenesis, lipolysis and apoptosis using differnentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Methods : Plantago asiatica L. was extracted with ethanol (CCE). We carried on MTT assay for cell proliferation, Oil Red O staining for determination of cell differentiation and intracelluar adipogenesis. TUNEL staining assay for cell apoptosis, and Western blot analysis for measurement of pAMPK and pACC, $C/EBP{\alpha}$, $PPAR{\gamma}$ protein expressions were performed. Results : The addition of CCE up to 0.2 mg/ml into cell culture media showed no cytotoxicity. Treatment of 0.2 mg/ml CCE significantly inhibited differentiation in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. Lipid accumulation of the CCE treated cells was decreased compared with that of control. Induction of cell apoptosis was increased in CCE treated cells compared with that of control. AMPK and ACC levels of the cells with 0.2 mg/ml CCE were led to phosphorylation and also expressions of $C/EBP{\alpha}$ and $PPAR{\gamma}$, as adipogenic transcription factors, were suppressed compared with those of control. Conclusions : Taken together, these results provide evidence that CCE has a regulatory role in lipid metabolism that is related to differentiation into adipocytes, adipogenesis and apoptosis.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.299-306
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• 2011

The present study was designed to evaluate the inhibitory effects of fermented Liriope platyphylla extract on the production of inflammation-related mediators (NO, ROS, NF-${\kappa}B$, iNOS and COX-2) and pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-${\alpha}$, IL-$1{\beta}$, IL-6) in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. Freeze-dried Liriope platyphylla was fermented by Saccharomyces cerevisiae and extracted with 70% ethanol. In lipopolysaccharide-stimulated macrophage cells, the treatment with fermented Liriope platyphylla extract decreased the generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species dose-dependently and increased antioxidant enzyme activities, including superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase. Fermented Liriope platyphylla extract also inhibited NO production in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 cell. The expressions of NF-${\kappa}B$, iNOS, COX-2 and pro-inflammatory cytokines were inhibited by the treatment with fermented Liriope platyphylla extract. Thus, this study shows the fermented Liriope platyphylla extract could be effective at inhibiting the inflammation process.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.500-505
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• 2001

Puerariae Radix is one of the medicinal plants used in oriental medicine for hangover, It has been claimed for several pharmacological effects including anti-alcohol abuse, antidipsotropic activity and anti-alcohol intoxication. In connection with Puerariae Radix effects, an activity-guided purification of active substance on alcohol dehydrogenase (hnH) was carried-out. The most active compound was isolated as puerarin (C$_{21}$H$_{20}$ O$_{9}$ ), molecular weight 416. Puerarin inhibited ADH noncompetitively against ethanol or NAD$^{+}$./.