• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.341-349
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• 2004

This study was conducted to compare the effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) on the growth and fruit yield of hydroponically grown cucumber and tomato plants in solid medium culture. Mycorrhizal fungus Glomus sp. was collected from plastic film house soils of cucumber and tomato and inoculated to the experimental crops at the time of seeding and transplanting. Root infection of cucumber and tomato plants by AMF was more significantly increased when the AMF was inoculated at seeding stage than at transplanting stage. In the infected roots of cucumber and tomato, mycorrhizal hyphae was easily observed but vesicle and arbuscule were rare. Overall plant growth was increased with AMF inoculation and the growth was higher when AMF was inoculated at seeding stage. Fresh weight of each fruit of cucumber and tomato and sugar content in tomato fruits were significantly increased with AMF inoculation at seeding stage. The AMF inoculation also increased fruit yields of cucumber and tomato.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.1226-1232
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• 2007

Phellinus linteus is a well-known Oriental medicinal fungus that has various biological activities, including immunomodulatory and anti-tumor activities, the mechanisms of which are poorly understood. In the present study, we investigated the anti-proliferative activity of the methanol extract of P. linteus-Barley corn (MEPLB) in human lekemic U937 cells. It was found that exposure of U937 cells to MEPLB resulted morphological change and growth inhibition in a dose-dependent manner as measured by trypan blue count and MTT assay. Upon treatment with MEPLB, U937 cells developed many of the hallmark features of apoptosis, including condensation of chromatin and an increase in the sub-G1 population suggesting that the anti-proliferative effect of MEPLB is associated with the induction of apoptosis. The anti-proliferative and apoptotic effects of MEPLB were connected with a marked induction of the pro-apoptotic Bax and cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk) inhibitor p21 in a p53-independent manner. Additionally, MEPLB treatment significantly induced the caspase-3 activity in U937 cells. Taken together, the present results suggest that apoptotic signals evoked by MEPLB in human leukemic U937 cells may converge caspase-3 activation through an up-regulation of Bax rather than a down-regulation of Bcl-2 or Bel-xL.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.61-66
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• 2001

Entomopathogenic fungus of Cordyceps militaris is famous of its medicinal efficacies. An antitumor compound was purified from the n-hexane extract of artificially cultivated fruiting bodies of C. militaris and identified as ergosterol peroxide $(5{\alpha},\;8{\alpha}-epidioxy-24(R)-methylcholesta-6,22-dien-3{\beta}-o1,\; C_{28}H_{44}O_3)$ mainly by $^1H\;and\;^{13}C-NMR$ spectroscopic techniques. When the antitumor activity of ergosterol peroxide was measured against 3 tumor cell lines from Korean cancer patients, it showed the most strong activity against gastric cancer SNU-l cell line 3 days after treatment. The 50% inhibitory concentrations $(IC_{50})$ of ergosterol peroxide 6 days after treatment were $75.8{\mu}g/ml$ for human gastric SNU-1 tumor cell line, $39.7{\mu}g/ml$ for human colorectal SNU-C4 tumor cell line and $32.7{\mu}g/ml$ for human hepatoma SNU-354 cell line.

• Journal of Mushroom
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.260-267
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• 2020

Phellinus baumii, a white-rot fungus, has been used for centuries as folk medicine in China, Japan, and Korea. This study aimed to evaluate the in vitro anti-diabetic, and anti-cholinesterase, and in vivo anti-inflammatory effects of the fruiting bodies of P. baumii. The methanol (ME) and hot water (HE) extracts (2.0 mg/mL) of P. baumii fruiting bodies suppressed α-amylase activity, exactly 61.33%, and 65.00%, respectively; of note, acarbose, the positive control, inhibited 93.33% of the α-amylase activity. Moreover, the ME and HE (2.0 mg/mL) inhibited 89.67% and 91.00%, respectively, of the activity of α-glucosidase activity, whereas the same concentration of acarbose suppressed 84.67% of the α-glucosidase activity. The ME and HE (1.0 mg/mL) also inhibited 96.05% and 94.58%, respectively, of the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity; galanthamine, the positive control, led to an inhibition of 81.12%. The butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) activity was also inhibited by ME and HE (1.0 mg/mL; 91.05% and 82.27%, respectively); of note, the same concentration of galanthamine suppressed 81.12% of the BChE activity. The production of NO in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages was significantly suppressed by both ME and HE treatments. Importantly, the carrageenan-activated rat hind-paw edema was significantly reduced 2-6 h after ME administration (50 mg/mL). Taken together, the results suggest that the fruiting bodies of P. baumii have α-amylase, α-glucosidase, α-cholinesterase, and anti-inflammatory activities, and, therefore, may be good natural sources for the promotion of human health.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.714-720
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• 2008

Cordyceps militaris is a medicinal fungus which has been used for patient suffering from cancer in Oriental medicine. It was previously reported that C. militaris extracts are capable of inhibiting tumor growth and inducing apoptosis; however, the anti-poliferative effects of human cancer cells have been poorly understood. In this study, to elucidate the anti-cancer mechanisms of human cancer cells by treatment with aqueous extract of C. militaris (AECM), we investigated the anti-proliferative effects of AECM in human hepatocarcinoma Hep3B cells. AECM treatment inhibited the growth of Hep3B cells and induced the apoptotic cell death in a concentration-dependent manner such as formation of apoptotic bodies and increased populations of apoptotic-sub G1 phase. The induction of apoptosis by AECM was connected with a proteolytic activation of caspase-3 and caspase-8. and concomitant degradation of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) and ${\beta}$-catenin proteins. Furthermore, caspase-3 inhibitor, z-DEVD-fmk, significantly inhibited AECM-induced apoptosis demonstrating the important role of caspase-3 in the bserved cytotoxic effect. Taken together, these findings suggest that AECM-induced inhibition of human hepatocarcinoma cell proliferation is associated with the induction of apoptotic cell death via activation of caspase-3 and C. militaris may have therapeutic potential in human cancer.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.405-412
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• 2021

Wolfiporia cocos is an important medicinal fungus that has been used in regions of Northeast Asia including Korea, Japan, and China. W. cocos is classified in Korea into two types (red bokryeong and white bokryeong) based on the internal colors (yellow orange-pale pink and white) of the sclerotium. Generally, the W. cocos type cultivated on farms produces white sclerotium. In this study, we endeavored to select strains that form sclerotium in sawdust medium using 2-way cross-breeding among two cultivated strains and three wild strains. Monospores were isolated from the fruiting bodies of cultivated and wild strains on potato dextrose agar. Thirty-nine strains of 338 hybrid strains isolated formed sclerotia with white or yellow colors upon culture for 3 months in Pinus densiflora sawdust medium. Selection for sclerotium forming strains using sawdust culture follows a very simple and easy procedure that is presented for the first time in this paper. We plan to test selected strains in the field to aid in developing new varieties for the future.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.374-379
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• 2020

The white-spotted flower chafer (Protaetia brevitarsis) larva is one of the insects widely-used for edible and medicinal purposes in Eastern Asia. As a result of increasing demand for P. brevitarsis, massrearing systems in domestic farms have become necessary. However, the mass-rearing of larvae under confined rearing conditions could provide conditions unsuitable for preventing entomopathogenic diseases. Metarhizium anisopliae is the strongest fatal entomopathogenic fungus against P. brevitarsis. For inhibition of M. anisopliae, we used a Rhus verniciflua Stokes extract that has antifungal components. We investigated the inhibitory effect of the R. verniciflua extract at 1%, 5%, and 10% concentrations. The results showed that a 1% R. verniciflua extract added to sawdust produced a significantly low P. brevitarsis mortality rate. Moreover, extract-treated groups were heavier and had a shorter larval period than those of the untreated group. Consequently, we suggest that using an R. verniciflua extract can reduce the P. brevitarsis fatality rate from entomopathogenic fungi (e.g. M. anisopliae), resulting in more effective mass-rearing systems for P. brevitarsis.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.557-563
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• 2017

Gastrodia elata (Orchidaceae) is a perennial parasitic plant that has a unique lifestyle of being in a symbiotic interaction with fungi. The underground root of Gastrodia is used for medicinal treatment to cure high blood pressure, stroke, leukemia, headaches, and especially neurasthenia. This study is intended to investigate the effect of the global warming on the ecological responses of Gastrodia. We cultivated the small tuber of Gastrodia with the oak wood lot and mulberry fungus under control (ambient $CO_2$ concentration + ambient temperature, ACAT), temperature treatment (ambient $CO_2$ concentration+elevated temperature, ACET), and $CO_2$+temperature treatment (elevated $CO_2$ concentration+elevated temperature, ECET). The elevated $CO_2$ concentration was about twice in the ambient air while the elevated temperature was about $2^{\circ}C$ higher than the control group. And then we observed the growth and production of reproductive organs and the underground root. The observation showed that the number of flower stalk was highest at ACET and lowest at ECET. The flower stalk was longest at ACET and shortest at ECET. The inflorescence was longest at ACAT and shortest at ECET. The seed capsule was heaviest at ACET and lightest at ECET. The aboveground biomass was highest at ACET and lowest at ECET. The number of rhizomes was highest at ACET and lowest at ECET. The total rhizome biomass was highest at ACET and lowest at ECET. The average rhizome biomass was highest at ACET and lowest at ECET. The results showed that the growth of Gastrodia increased because of more active growth of Gastrodia elata when only the temperature increased and decreased when both $CO_2$ concentration and temperature increased, indicating the poor growth of Gastrodia elata under the global warming condition. Therefore, the Gastrodia elata plantation should be maintained at the temperature of $20-25^{\circ}C$ and not be exposed to a high $CO_2$ concentration.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.796-804
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• 2011

Microglia are central nervous system (CNS)-resident professional macrophages that function as the principal immune cells responding to pathological stimulations in the CNS. Activation of microglia, induced by various pathogens, protects neurons and maintains homeostasis in the CNS, but severe activation causes inflammatory responses secreting various neurotoxic molecules such as nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin $E_2$ ($PGE_2$) and pro-inflammatory cytokines. Allium fistulosum, a member of the onion family, is mainly cultivated for consumption, as well as medicinal use in Oriental medicine. It has been reported that A. fistulosum has various biological effects such as anti-oxidant, anti-platelet aggregation, anti-fungus and anti-cholesterol synthesis, however there has been no research about the anti-inflammatory effects of A. fistulosum extracts. In this study, it was undertaken to explore the functions of A. fistulosum as a suppressor of neuronal inflammation by using BV2 microglia cells. As a result, it was found that four kinds of extracts of A. fistulosum effectively reduced the expressions of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) at both mRNA and protein levels, and also attenuated pro-inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis alpha (TNF-${\alpha}$), interleukin-$1{\beta}$ (IL-$1{\beta}$) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) at the mRNA level in BV2 stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). In addition, the extracts of A. fistulosum attenuated the release of NO markedly, as well as resulting in slight decreases of TNF-${\alpha}$ and IL-6 production, the effects of which were most significant when treated with ethyl alcohol extract from the whole A. fistulosum. In conclusion, the data indicated that the anti-inflammatory actions of A. fistulosum against BV2 microglia cells is through the down-regulation of iNOS, COX2 and pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-${\alpha}$ and IL-6, and these effects are expected to help in the protection of nerve tissues by suppressions of neuronal inflammation in various neurodegenerative diseases.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.7-14
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• 2006

Entomopathogenic fungus Cordyceps militaris is famous for its medicinal efficacies. It has been reported to have various pharmacological activities such as anti-tumour, insecticidal, antibacterial, immunomodulatory and antioxidant. In this study, we investigated the effect of the extract of C. militaris (MPUN8501), which was identified by the analysis of the nucleotide sequences of 5.8S ribosomal RNA, on the function of liver. C. militaris powder was extracted using hot water extracts method as time, volume and temperature and using method as differential polarity of organic solvent. Each fraction was tested for the improvement of hepatic enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activity. The BuOH extracts (CME) had highest activity which was used for the test of toxicity and efficacy of C. militaris. The enhancing effect of CME on the activity of ADH and ALDH was much more than medicine, drink, natural tea etc. Thus CME promoted the resolution of alcohol and acetaldehyde in rats, inducing recovery to normal condition rapidly. Furthermore, oral administration of CME effectively protected the carbon tetrachloride-induced acute hepatic injury as revealed by the hematological parameters (levels of sGOT and sGPT) and histological observation. CME was ascertained to be safe by regulatory toxicity studies of single dose toxicity and genotoxicity. These results suggest that CME would be useful for the maintaining normal hepatic activity as a functional health food.