• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.156-165
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• 2017

This study investigated the chemical composition of Petasites japonicus (S. et Z.) Maxim essential oil. During the period 2011~2013, P. japonicus (S. et Z.) Maxim plant was investigated for composition of the essential oil. Chemical composition and characteristic compounds of the essential oils from the aerial parts of the plant according to the crop year studied. The essential oils consisted of sesquiterpene compounds, which were the most abundant components. Samples collected in 2011 were found to be richer in oxygenated sesquiterpenes, while samples collected in 2012 and 2013 were richer in diterpene alcohols and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons, respectively. Ninety-two compounds were identified in the P. japonicus (S. et Z.) Maxim essential oil of 2011, and caryophyllene oxide (20.49%), ${\beta}$-caryophyllene (10.28%), ${\beta}$-bisabolene (6.80%), and alloaromadendrene (6.50%) were the major compounds. Seventy-four compounds were identified in the plant essential oil of 2012, and phytol (17.22%), ${\alpha}$-farnesene (15.31%), ${\alpha}$-caryophyllene (9.93%), and ${\beta}$-caryophyllene (6.12%) were the major compounds. Ninety-two compounds were identified in the plant essential oil of 2013, and ${\alpha}$-farnesene (22.42%), ${\alpha}$-caryophyllene (21.49%), pentadecane (15.35%), and germacrene (5.70%) were the major compounds. The content of most of the chemical constituents varied significantly with different harvesting time. The content of ${\alpha}$-caryophyllene and caryophyllene oxide was increased significantly from 2011 to 2013. The content of ${\alpha}$-caryophyllene and isocaryophyllene was decreased significantly from 2011 to 2013.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.181-190
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• 2019

Lentinus squarrosulus (Mont.) is an edible wild mushroom with tough fruiting body that belongs to the family Polyporaceae. It is used in ethnomedicine for the treatment of ulcer, anaemia, cough and fever. Recent studies have demonstrated its anticancer, anti-diabetic and antioxidant properties. However, little or no information is available regarding the bioactive components and toxicological study of wild dried L. squarrosulus. Therefore, this study investigated the bioactive components of aqueous extract of boiled wild dried L. squarrosulus and its toxicological effects in rats. The extract of L. squarrosulus was subjected to GC-MS analysis. The acute toxicity test was performed by oral administration of a single dose of up to 5,000 mg/kg extract of L. squarrosulus. In subacute study, the rats were orally administered extract of L. squarrosulus at the doses of 500, 1,000 and 1,500 mg/kg body weight daily for 14 days. The haematological, lipid profile, liver and kidney function parameters were determined and the histopathology of the liver and kidney were examined. The GC-MS analysis revealed the presence of bioactive compounds; 1-tetradecene, fumaric acid, monochloride, 6-ethyloct-3-yl ester, 9-eicosene, phytol, octahydropyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrazine and 3-trifluoroacetoxypentadecane. In acute toxicity study, neither death nor toxicity sign was recorded. In the sub-acute toxicity study, significant differences (p < 0.05) were observed on creatinine, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, total cholesterol, triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Whilst no significant differences (p > 0.05) were observed on packed cell volume, heamoglobin, red blood cell, white blood cell and alkaline phosphatase, in all the tested doses. No histopathological alterations were recorded. Our findings revealed that aqueous extract of L. squarrosulus may have antimicrobial, antinocieptive and antioxidant properties based on the result of GC-MS analysis. Results of the toxicity test showed no deleterious effect at the tested doses, suggesting that L. squarrosulus is safe for consumption at the tested doses.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.16 no.3 s.76
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• pp.546-554
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• 2006

To understand antitumor activity of Zanthoxylum schinfolium, which has been used as an aromatic and medicinal plant in Korea, the cytotoxic effect of various organic solvent extracts of its leaves on human tumor cells were investigated. Among these extracts such as methanol extract (SL-13), methylene chloride extract (SL-14), ethyl acetate extract (SL-15), n-butanol extract (SL-16), and residual fraction (SL-17), SL-14 appeared to contain the most cytotoxic activity against leukemia and breast cancer cells tested. The methylene chloride extra.1 (SL-14) possessed an apoptogenic activity causing apoptotic DNA fragmentation of human acute leukemia Jurkat T cells via mitochondrial cytochrome c release into cytoplasm, subsequent activation of caspase-9 and caspase-3, and cleavage of PARP, which could be negatively regulated by antiapoptotic protein Bcl-xL. The GC-MS analysis of SL-14 revealed that the twenty-two ingredients of SL-14 were 9,19-cyclolanost-24-en-3-ol (15.1%), 2-a-methyl-17, b-hop-21-ene (15.1%), 15-methyl-2,3-dihydro-1H benzazepin (11.95%), phytol (10.38%), lupeol (9.92%), 12-methylbenzofuran (8.23%), hexadecanoic acid (5.96%), cis,cis,cis-9,12,15-octadecatrienoic acid-methyl-ester (5.49%), 9,12,15-octadecatrienoic acid-methylester (3.59%), 15-methyl-4-(1-methylethylidene)-2-(4-nitrophenyl) (3.36%), hexadecanoic acid methyl ester (1.93%), vitamine E (1.88%), beta-amyrin (0.96%), and auraptene (0.89%). These results demonstrate that the cytotoxicity of the methylene chloride extract of the leaves of Z. schinifolium toward Jurkat T cells is mainly attributable to apoptosis mediated by mitochondria-dependent caspase cascade regulated by Bcl-xL, and provide an insight into the mechanism underlying antitumor activity of the edible plant Z. schinifolium.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.33 no.spc3
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• pp.349-358
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• 2011

In order to ascertain latitudinal variation of lipid contents and compositions in copepods, we collected warm water copepod species (Euchaeta sp. and Pleuromamma spp.) from four different regions from low (sub-tropical) to mid (temperate) latitudes in the Northwest Pacific Ocean. Total lipid contents of Pleuromamma spp. were about 11 $ug{\cdot}ind^{-1}$ with little latitudinal variation, whereas Euchaeta sp. showed slightly higher lipid content (20 $ug{\cdot}ind^{-1}$) than Pleuromamma spp. with latitudinal gradient (low at subtropic and high at temperate). Wax esters, known as the major storage lipid classes, were found to be the dominant lipid classes (accounting for more than 35% of total lipids) in Euchaeta sp., whereas in Pleuromamma spp., phospholipids, known as cellular membrane components, were the dominant lipid classes. However, the exception was specimens from warm pool region exhibiting dominance in storage of lipids as a form of triacylglycerols. Among fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), especially docosahexaenoic acid (DHA : 22:6(n-3)) (about 35% of total fatty acids), were most abundant in Euchaeta sp., while saturated fatty acids (SAFA), specially hexadecanoic acid (16:0) (about 30% of total fatty acids), were most abundant in Pleuromamma spp.. Among the neutral fraction of lipids, phytol, originated from the side chain of chlorophyll, was found in all samples which generally indicate active copepods feeding on algae. While only trace amounts of short-chain fatty alcohols were found in Pleuromamma spp., significant amounts of fatty alcohols were found in Euchaeta sp.. Particularly, significant amounts of long chain monounsaturated fatty alcohols (20:1 and 22:1), generally found in cold water species, were found in Euchaeta sp. from low latitudes. The latitudinal variation of trophic lipid markers in these copepods could be significantly related with in-situ food availability and species-specific diet preference. The result of this study suggests that the lipid contents and compositions in copepods may not only indicate their nutritional condition and feeding ecology but also provide insight into species-specific living strategies under different environmental conditions (i.e. water temperature, food availability).

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.47-52
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• 1998

3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGR) catalyzes the conversion of HMG-CoA to mevalonic acid, the first intermediate of isoprenoid biosynthetic pathway in plants. The enzyme was solubilized with 0.4% Brij (polyoxyethylene ether) W-1 from a microsomal fraction of etiolated rice seedlings (Oryza sativa L.) in which its maximal activity was observed on the fourth day after germination. HMGR was purified to near homogeneity by employing $(NH_4)_2SO_4$ fractionation plus chromatographic procedures including DEAE-Sephadex A-50 and HMG-CoA-hexane-agarose affinity column. The size of the purified enzyme was estimated to be 55 kDa when judged by SDS-PAGE analysis with silver staining method. The apparent $K_m$ and $V_{max}$ values for HMG-CoA were determined to be $180\;{\mu}M$ and 107 pmol/min/mg, and those for NADPH were $810\;{\mu}M$ and 32.1 pmol/min/mg, respectively.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.121-131
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• 2009

In an effort to better understand the physiological and ecological differences between warm and cold water copepod species in Korean waters using lipid contents and compositions, two species of copepods (Pleuromamma sp. as a warm water species and Neocalanus plumchrus as a cold water species) were collected from the Northwest Pacific and East Sea/Sea of Japan, respectively. The cold water species showed two fold higher lipid contents than the warm water species (11% vs. 5% of dry weight). Wax esters, known as one of the major storage lipid classes, were found to be the dominant lipid class (accounting for 64% of total lipids) in the cold water species, whereas, in the warm water species, phospholipids, which are known as membrane components, were the dominant lipid class (accounting for 43% of total lipids),with a trace amount of the storage lipids as a form of triacylglycerols (${\leq}1%$ of total lipids). With regard to the fatty acid compositions, saturated fatty acids (SAFA), especially 16:0 (about 30% of total fatty acids), were most abundant in the warm water species, whereas the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), particularly eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA : 20:5(n-3)) (${\geq}16%$ of total fatty acids), were most abundant in the cold water species. Among the neutral fraction of lipids, phytol, originating from the side chain of chlorophyll and indicative of active feeding on phytoplankton, was detected only in the warm water species. Significant quantities of fatty alcohols were detected in cold water species, particularly long-chain monounsaturated fatty alcohols (i.e. 20:1(n-9) and 22:1(n-11)), which are well known to abound in cold water herbivorous copepods. However, only trace amounts of short-chain fatty alcohols were detected in the warm water species. Twelve different kinds of sterols were detected in these copepod species, with cholest-5-en-$3{\beta}$-ol (cholesterol) and cholesta-5, 24-dien-$3{\beta}$-ol (desmosterol) dominating in cold and warm water species, respectively. In addition, for the warm water species (Pleuromamma sp.), we assessed the latitudinal gradients of lipid contents and compositions using samples from three different latitudinal regions (Philippine EEZ, Japan EEZ, and the East China Sea). Although no latitudinal gradients of lipid contents were detected, the lipid compositions, particularly dietary fatty acid markers, varied significantly with the latitude. The findings of this study confirm that the distribution of lipid contents and compositions in copepods may not only indicate their nutritional condition and diet history, but may also provide insights into their living strategies under different environmental conditions (i.e., water temperature, food availability).