• Clean Technology
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.313-319
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• 2013

To produce biodiesel efficiently from fish oil containing 4% free fatty acid, esterification and trans-esterification were carried out with Vietnam catfish oil, which was kindly provided from GS-bio company. Heterogeneous solid acid catalysts such as Amberlyst-15 and Amberlyst BD-20 and sulfuric acid as homogeneous acid catalyst were used for the esterification of free fatty acids in the fish oil. Sulfuric acid showed the highest removal efficiency of free fatty acid and the shortest reaction time among three acid catalysts. The base catalysts for trans-esterification such as KOH, $NaOCH_3$ and NaOH were compared with each other and KOH was determined to be the best transesterification catalyst. Some solid material, which assumed to be saponified product from glycerol and biodiesel, were observed to form in the fish oil biodiesel when using $NaOCH_3$ and NaOH as the transesterification catalyst. The initial acid value of fish oil was proven to have a negative effect on biodiesel conversion. Of the three catalysts, KOH catalyst transesterification was shown to have high content of FAME and the optimal ratio of methanol/oil ratio was identified to be 9:1.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.110-115
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• 2018

This study was conducted to investigate the potential of medicinal plants as oral health materials derived from natural products. Among the extracts from 200 medicinal plants grown in Nepal, Laos, Mongolia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, and China, stem extracts from Diospyros malabarica (1 mg/disc) showed the highest antibacterial activity against Porphyromonas gingivalis ATCC33277 and Streptococcus mutans ATCC25175. The D. malabarica stem extracts showed antibacterial activity similar to chlorhexidine, sodium lauryl sulfate, and triclosan, which were used as a positive control, as well as higher antibacterial activity against S. mutans ATCC25175 than P. gingivalis ATCC33277. The D. malabarica stem extracts showed bactericidal action (MBC, 0.4 mg/ml) against P. gingivalis ATCC33277 and bacteriostatic action against S. mutans ATCC25175. The biofilm production rate of S. mutans ATCC25175 and the expression of the comX gene associated to biofilm formation in the cultures treated with 0.2-1.0 mg/ml of D. malabarica stem extracts were suppressed in a concentration-dependent manner. Based on the above results, it can be concluded that D. malabarica stem extracts can be used as oral health material derived from natural materials, as demonstrated by the bacteriostatic action and inhibition of biofilm formation against S. mutans ATCC25175.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.30 no.8
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• pp.680-687
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• 2020

Several studies have proved Hovenia dulcis extracts to be an effective antidote for alcoholism, and they are frequently used in the clinical treatment of alcoholic liver disease. The purpose of this study was to investigate the anti-oxidant and anti-senescent activities of 80% methanol fractions of H. dulcis Thunberg in human dermal fibroblast (HDF) cells. The ethanol ethyl acetate fraction showed the highest inhibition of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryhydrazyl radical scavenging (RC₅₀=3.6±0.8 ㎍/ml) as well as the highest total phenol content (417.2antiholic liver disease. Extracts from e & Tech., Sungkyunkwan University, progressed in the HDF cells, SM22 expression (p<0.001) and β-galactosidase staining intensity increased (p<0.001). An increase in SM22 expression is associated with slower aging which suggests that its expression is high in early aging. HDF treatment using the ethyl acetate fraction significantly increased production of EGF (p<0.01) and PDGF-BB (p<0.01) while SHH expression was reduced (p<0.05). These results suggest that an 80% ethyl acetate fraction of H. dulcis can suppress early aging and demonstrate the potential application of the fraction as a natural anti-senescence agent.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.30 no.10
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• pp.851-859
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• 2020

Saururus chinensis has white roots, leaves, and flowers and is known to have antibacterial activity and anti-cancer efficacy. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the ethyl acetate fraction of a methanol extract of Saururus chinensis (SCEA) on antioxidant activity and melanin synthesis. SCEA at 64 ㎍/ml showed 62% of the DPPH radical scavenging activity of vitamin C, and its reducing power was 33% greater than that of vitamin C. Tyrosinase activity was 26% higher and melanin synthesis was 44% higher in the presence of SCEA at 64 ㎍/ml than in a blank group in a dopa oxidation assay. MTT assay showed that SCEA displayed cytotoxicity above 0.5 ㎍/ml, and SCEA at 1 ㎍/ml increased melanin synthesis by 69% in live B16F1 cells. SCEA was also separated into 13 fractions by silica column chromatography, and fraction 2 (Fr. 2) showed the highest DPPH radical scavenging activity, reducing power, and melanin synthesis. SCEA also promoted melanin production in live cells. LC-MASS analysis showed that Fr.2 had a molecular weight of 239, and these findings suggest that SCEA could be available for the promotion of melanin synthesis in black hair.

• Clean Technology
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.237-247
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• 2017

In the dimethyl ether (DME) synthesis and separation process, over 8% by mole of $CO_2$ is fed to the DME synthesis reactor which lowers DME productivity. Therefore, this work focused on the removal of $CO_2$ using three kinds of processes with physical absorbents by comparing the utility consumption through computer simulation of each process. Among the processes selected for comparison are Rectisol$^{(R)}$ process using methanol, Purisol$^{(R)}$ process using n-methyl pyrrolidone (NMP), and SelexolTM process using dimethyl ethers of polyethylene glycol (DEPG) as a solvent. As a result of this study, it was concluded that Purisol$^{(R)}$ process consumes the least energy followed by SelexolTM process. Therefore, it is considered that Purisol$^{(R)}$ process is the most suitable method to absorb $CO_2$ contained in the feed of DME synthesis reactor.

• 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.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.119-125
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• 1996

In order to develop enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for fumonisins, production of specific antibodies, establishment of ELISA conditions, and quantitation of the toxin from spiked corns by ELISA were performed. Fumonisin $B_1(FB_1)$ conjugated to cholera toxin (CT) with or without Freund's adjuvant was subcutaneously injected into 2 groups of rabbits. When the titer of the antisera produced by each rabbit was tested, higher titer was observed in case of the immunization with the adjuvant. By use of the antiserum showing the highest titer (1:16,000) and its purified antibodies, competitive indirect and direct ELISA's (ciELISA and cdELISA) were established, respectively. When the cross-reactivity of the antibody against fumonisin analogs was investigated by the ciELISA, it was very low against $B_3$ (2%) but high against fumonisin $B_2$ (179%). The sensitivity of the ELISAs was also very high, because the detection limit for $FB_1$ was 0.03 ppb in ciELISA and 0.3 ppb in cdELISA. When the ELISA's were applied to the spiked corns after extraction with 75% methanol, the assay recovery of $FB_1$ was too unstable to assay. However, when cleanup by strong anion exchange (SAX) cartridge was introduced to remove interfering materials, the mean ELISA recovery of $FB_1$ from corns spiked to 3~10 ppm was found to be 34.0% and stable (mean of CV, 8.2%).

• Mycobiology
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.181-188
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• 2012

This study was initiated in order to investigate the anticancer and immunomodulating activities of crude polysaccharides extracted in methanol, neutral saline, and hot water (hereinafter referred to as Fr. MeOH, Fr. NaCl, and Fr. HW, respectively) from the fruiting bodies of Panellus serotinus. Content of ${\beta}$-glucan and protein in Fr. MeOH, Fr. NaCl, and Fr. HW extracts of P. serotinus ranged from 22.92~28.52 g/100 g and 3.24~3.68 g/100 g, respectively. In vitro cytotoxicity tests, none of the various fractions of crude polysaccharides were cytotoxic against sarcoma 180, HT-29, NIH3T3, and RAW 264.7 cell lines at the tested concentration. Intraperitoneal injection with crude polysaccharides resulted in a life prolongation effect of 23.53~44.71% in mice previously inoculated with sarcoma 180. Treatment with Fr. HW resulted in an increase in the numbers of spleen cells by 1.3 fold at the concentration of $50{\mu}g/mL$ compared with control. Treatment with Fr. NaCl resulted in improvement of the immuno-potentiating activity of B lymphocytes by increasing the alkaline phosphatase activity by 1.4 fold, compared with control, at the concentration of $200{\mu}g/mL$. Among the three fractions, maximum nitric oxide ($13.48{\mu}M$) was recorded at $500{\mu}g/mL$ in Fr. HW. Production of tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-$1{\beta}$, and interleukin-6 was significantly higher, compared to the positive control, concanavalin A, at the tested concentration. Therefore, treatment with crude polysaccharides extracted from the fruiting body of P. serotinus could result in improvement of antitumor activity.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.574-581
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• 2016

Glasswort (Salicornia herbacea L.) is an edible halophyte that grows in salt marshes. In the present study, anti- and pro-oxidant activities and cytotoxic properties of glasswort were investigated. Solvent fractions, including fractions of hexane, ethylether (Fr.E), ethylacetate (Fr.EA), butanol and water, were prepared from a 70% methanol extract of glasswort aerial parts. Fr.EA contained the highest levels of total polyphenols and flavonoids, showing the strongest scavenging activities against DPPH and ABTS radicals, and nitrite. In addition Fr.EA showed the most potent cytotoxic effects on HCT-116 colon cancer cells and INT-407 normal intestinal cells, followed by Fr.E. Most fractions also decreased the level of reactive oxygen species in the treated cells, but generated $H_2O_2$ in the medium. The cytotoxic activity of Fr.EA was more pronounced in the presence of ascorbic acid or N-acetylcysteine. These results indicate that the fractions from aerial parts of glasswort exhibit both anti- and pro-oxidant activities, and these activities modulate cytotoxic properties.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.207-217
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• 2011

Objectives : In a previous study, we have shown that Gagam-Gongjin-Dan(GGD) has an inhibitory effect on the ovalbumin-induced immune responses and a hepatoprotective effect on actaminophen-induced liver injury in Balb/c Mice. However, the possible anti-inflammatory effect of GGD extract for inflammatory mediators was not reported. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate an inhibitory effects of GGD extract against lipopolysaccharides(LPS) induced inflammatory mediators in mouse peritoneal macrophages. Methods : GGD extract was prepared by extracting with methanol for 7 days. The extract was freeze-dried following filtration through vacuum distillation system. Accumulated nitrite, an oxidative product of nitric oxide(NO), was measured in the culture medium by the Griess reaction. The levels of prostaglandin $E_2(PGE_2)$, interleukin-$1{\beta}$(IL-$1{\beta}$), tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$(TNF-${\alpha}$) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The expressions of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2(COX-2) were measured by Western blot analysis. Results : GGD extract (50-$400\;{\mu}g$/ml) per se had no cytotoxic effect in LPS-stimulated peritoneal macrophages. GGD extract dose-dependently reduced NO, $PGE_2$, IL-$1{\beta}$ and TNF-${\alpha}$ production and COX-2 activity caused by stimulation of LPS. The levels of iNOS and COX-2 protein expressions were markedly suppressed by the treatment with GGD extract in a dose dependent manner. Conclusions : These results suggest that GGD extract has an anti-inflammatory effect against LPS-induced inflammatory mediators in peritoneal macrophages, these properties may contribute to inflammation disease care.