• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.9
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• pp.4655-4660
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• 2012

Opuntia humifusa, member of the Cactaceae family, was previously demonstrated to have radical scavenging, anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative effects in in vitro models. It was suggested that O. humifusa could function in the prevention of carcinogenesis. To investigate the in vivo chemopreventive effect of O. humifusa, mice were fed a diet containing either 1% or 3% following 7, 12-dimethylbenz[a] anthracene (DMBA) and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) induction of skin carcinogenesis. Significant decrease in the numbers of papilloma and epidermal hyperplasia were observed in mice fed with O. humifusa, compared to the control group. O. humifusa also upregulated high total antioxidant capacity and level of phase II detoxifying enzyme such as superoxide dismutase and glutathione S-transferase activity in the skin. Lipid peroxidation activity level was measured in skin cytosol and significantly inhibited in 3% OH fed group compared to the control group. These results suggest that O. humifusa exerts chemopreventive effects on chemical carcinogenesis in mouse skin and that prevention effects are associated with reduction of oxidative stress via the modulation of cutaneous lipid peroxidation, enhancing of total antioxidant capacity especially in phase II detoxifying enzyme system and partial apoptotic influence.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.33 no.8
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• pp.1268-1272
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• 2004

The 70% ethanol extract from cactus Chounnyouncho (Opuntia humifusa) was fractionated subsequently by hexan, chloroform, ethyl acetate, buthanol and water. The ethyl acetate fraction exhibited strong antimicrobial activities by paper disk diffusion method on the five strains of food born bacteria Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus subsp. aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium and Pseudomonas fluorescens. It has a heat resistance to show inhibitory effect after heat treatment at 11$0^{\circ}C$ for 1 hr. The ethyl acetate fraction showed almost perfect growth inhibition at over 700 ppm on the tested strains.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.99-108
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• 1983

Diurnal acid fluctuation, stomatal resistance, and solar radiation with regard to the cladode orientation were investigated in Opuntia lanceolata Haw. growing at WPeolryeong-ri, Hallim-eup, Chejudo, Korea. Diurnal changes of titratable acidity showed the typical CAM pattern in all investigated cladodes. Water tissue in the cladode had the same pattern of acid fluctuation as mesophyll tissue. Stomatal resistance was low during the night, increased rapidly to be a peak right after sunrise and decreased again thereafter. The southern side of the cladode showed higher stomatal resistance than the northern side during the day time. It suggests that the stomata of the northern side opens under diffuse radiation. The amount of solar radiation varied depending upon the cladode orientation. It is thought that C4 acids move inter and intra mesophyll tissues in the cladode through the unknown pathways. RuBP carboxyulase activity in the cladode was very high at 14:00, but was not significant at 01:00. PEP-carboxylase had high activities both at 14:00 and at 01:00. The results of this study showed the possibility that O. lanceolata Haw. had the C3, C4 and CAM photosynthetic patterns under the environmental conditions at Weolryeong-ri.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.32 no.4 s.127
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• pp.330-337
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• 2001

Prickly pear(Opuntia ficus-indica var. saboten Makino, Cactaceae) is a tropical or subtropical plant, which is widely used as folk medicine for burned wound, edema and indigestion. Screening on the biological properties of the fruits(OFS-Fr) and stems(OFS-St) of the plant was carried out to prove the pharmacological significance. By hot plate and acetic acid-inducing writhing methods, significant analgesic effects of OFS-Fr and OFS-St were found in mice and anti-edemic effect was observed in carrageenin-induced inflammatory rats. However, the extracts showed no significant actions on central and autonomic nervous system and blood circulatory system, which imply no toxic effects to animal.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.190-195
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• 2005

The conditions for the extraction of effective substances from the stem of Opuntia ficus-indica were optimized by a response surface methodology. The total extract yield was maximized under the temperature of $97.77^{\circ}C$, at a time duration of 145.82 min and a water to sample ratio 16.59 mL/g. Moreover, the optimum conditions for the extraction of effective substances were as follows: $84.95^{\circ}C$, 156.50 min and a water/sample ratio of 7.46 mL/g for the phenolics content; and $97.11^{\circ}C$, 139.03 min and a water/sample ratio of 10.91 mL/g for the pectin content. The range of optimum extraction conditions in consideration of the physicochemical properties of the extracts were shown to be as $95-100^{\circ}C$ as the extraction temperature, 120-180 min as extraction time and a water to sample ratio of 5-18 mL/g.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.362-364
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• 2000

Opuntia ficus-indca(Op) extract has been claimed to have several therapeutic properties in oriental medicine including anti-inflammatory and anti-rheumatoid arthritis effects. Little is known of its effect on the activation of immune cells such as T cells and macrophages. To evaluate the functional effect of Op extract on immune cells, we examined whether Op extract stimulates the proliferation of T cells and the secretion of cytokines including IL-1 beta, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in THP-1 cell lines by RT-PCR. Op extract significantly enhanced the proliferation of T cell clone(D10S). Transcription of cytokines including IL-1 beta, IL-6, and TNF-alpha peaked 6 hrs after exposure to Op extract(100g/ml) in the THP-1 cell line and declined and declined thereafter. In an experiment to test the dose dependency of transcription of cytokines, transcription increased at a dose of 10 g/ml and the maximum expression was obtained at 100 g/ml, 6 hrs after exposure to Op extract. These findings suggest that Op extract is a potent stimulant of immune cells including T cells and macrophages, which acts by stimulating T cell proliferation and upregulating cytokines. These phenomena imply that some edible plants may be beneficial to living animals through the activation of immune functions.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.29-34
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• 2008

In this study, we examined in vitro antimicrobial activity of the hydrolysis compound (MBT-01108) of cactus stem (Opuntia ficus-indica var. saboten Makino) against 18 strains of fish pathogenic bacteria, Edwardsiella tarda, Listonella anguillarum, Vibrio sp., Lactococcus garvieae, L. raffinose, Streptococcus parauberis and S. iniae. Antibiotic susceptibility of the same bacteria was also assayed to commercial discs containing various antibacterials. According to these results, MBT-01108 showed the excellent antimicrobial activity against the tested pathogenic bacteria.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.526-534
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• 2013

This study was conducted to examine the effects of Opuntia ficus-indica complex (OF) on the lipid metabolism, bile acid in feces, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity, aspatate aminotransferase (AST) activity, composition of urine and expression of cholesterol related mRNA in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Thirty two male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into non-diabetic control (NC), diabetic control (DC), diabetic OF of 2% (OF-2) and diabetic OF of 5% (OF-5), then each group was fed for 3 weeks. Plasma total cholesterol, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL), very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) were decreased significantly (p<0.05) in OF-5 group compared to DC, but high density lipoprotein (HDL) was not changed. AST and ALT were also reduced and bile acid excretion was improved. Composition of urine in OF-5 was almost same in NC. The expression of cholesterol $7{\alpha}$-hydroxylase (CYP7A1), 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMG-CoA-R), Low density lipoprotein receptor (LDL-R) mRNA indicated that feeding OF have the effects of cholesterol decreation in plasma by synthesis of bile acid from cholesterol. These results provide experimental evidence about improved lipid metabolism of the OF feeding in the STZ-induced diabetic rats.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 2007.04a
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• pp.115-121
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• 2007

Opuntia ficus-indica var. saboten (Cactaceae) is widely cultivated in Jeju Island (South Korea) for use in the manufacture of health foods such as tea, jam and juice. Its fruit and stem have been traditionally used as oriental folk medicine to treat diabetes, hypertension, asthma, burns, edema and indigestion. During the search for naturally occurring antioxidative neuroprotective agents, it was found that the ethyl acetate fraction of the stems and fruits of Opuntia ficus-indica var. saboten exhibited potent antioxidant effect. Using a chromatographic fractionation method, several constituents were isolated from this fraction. Among isolates, KYS50182 showed the most potent in vitro and in vivo neuroprotective activities, suggesting that the flavonoid can serve as a lead structure for the development of neuroprotective agents by providing neuroprotection against oxidative and focal ischemic neuronal injuries.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.437-443
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• 2014

The quality characteristics of noodles made from domestic Korean wheat flour added with 0, 1, 3, 5% cactus Chounnyuncho (Opuntia humifusa) powder were investigated. The water absorption and peak time of dough, as determined by farinography, increased with higher cactus powder content. Stability and elasticity of dough decreased as fermentation proceeded. Cooking characteristics of noodles made from dough such as weight, water absorption, and volume decreased with higher cactus powder content. The turbidity of cooked water increased significantly with 5% cactus powder content. For color test, L-value decreased while a-value and b-value increased with higher cactus powder content. In texture analyses, hardness, adhesiveness, springiness, cohesiveness, and gumminess increased with higher cactus powder content. In the sensory test, noodles containing 3% cactus powder were the most preferred.