• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.29 no.11
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• pp.990-997
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• 2006

Sarcococca saligna is a shrub that is traditionally used for its medicinal properties in Pakistan. In this study we report the cardio-suppressant, vasodilator and tracheal relaxant activities of the aqueous-methanolic extract (Ss.Cr) of the plant. Ss.Cr, that tested positive for the presence of saponins, flavonoids, tannins, phenols, and alkaloids, exhibited a dose-dependent (0.3-5 mg/mL) negative inotropic and chronotropic effect on the isolated guinea-pig atrium which was resistant to atropine ($1\;{\mu}M$) and aminophylline ($10\;{\mu}M$) pretreatment. In rabbit thoracic aorta, Ss.Cr dose-dependently (0.1-3 mg/mL) relaxed the high $K^{+}$ (80 mM) and phenylephrine ($PE,\;1\;{\mu}M$)-induced contractions, indicating a possible $Ca^{++}$ channel blocking (CCB) effect. When tested against PE ($1\;{\mu}M$) control peaks in normal $Ca^{++}\;and\;Ca^{++}$-free Kreb's solution, Ss.Cr exhibited dose-dependent (0.1-3 mg/mL) inhibition, being more potent in relaxing the PE responses in $Ca^{++}$-free Kreb's solution, thus indicating specific blockade of $Ca^{++}$ release from the intracellular stores. Ss.Cr also relaxed the agonist-induced contractions in: a) rat aorta irrespective of the presence of endothelium or nitric oxide synthase inhibitor L-NAME and b) rabbit and guinea-pig tracheal strips. The data shows that Ss.Cr possesses possible $Ca^{++}$ channel blocking activity which might be responsible for its observed cardio-suppressant, vasodilator and tracheal relaxant effects though more tests are required to confirm this $Ca^{++}$ channel blocking effect.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.65-70
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• 2018

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to assume the size of one piece and decocting method of Asini Corii Colla in Treatise on Cold Damage Diseases written at the Eastern han Dynasty. Methods : I assumed the size of one piece and decocting method based on Treatise on Cold Damage Diseases and Prescriptions of the Gold Chamber, Essential Skill to Benefit the People, Classified Emergency Materia Medica, Illustration and Consideration of Plant's Name and Reality, Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold, and other articles about Asini Corii Colla. And I compared these results with current merchandize in China, Dong-e E-jiao, China Resuorces DongeEjiao, and Furen Medicine Group Co., LTD. Results : Asini Corii Colla was made of the skin of cattle in Treatise on Cold Damage Diseases written at the Eastern han Dynasty. The weight of one Asini Corii Colla is equal to 6.5 g, which is equal to one rayng of Treatise on Cold Damage Diseases. The size of it is 3.5 cm in width, 9.0 cm in length and 0.17 cm in height. The specific gravity of it was 1.24. The general daily dose was two rayng and also melted in solution. Conclusions : It was easy to measure daily dose two rayng due to weight of one Asini Corii Colla, one rayng is equal to 6.5 g, and also to melt in solution becauase of its rectangular shape and 0.17 cm thickness.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.153-161
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• 2022

Cotoneaster mongolicus Pojark. (CM), in the family Rosaceae is an endemic plant to the Mongolian region (its name: Moнroл чapraй). In Mongolia, Cotoneaster species as a crude drug is mainly used for inflammatory diseases, diarrhea, and stomach indigestion. In this study, we evaluated the gastro-protective activity underlying mechanism of CM. For in vivo experiments, mice were divided into 5 groups; normal mice (Normal), gastritis mice (Control), gastritis mice treated with sucralfate 10 mg/kg (SC), gastritis mice treated with CM 100 mg/kg (CML), gastritis mice treated with CM 200 mg/kg (CMH). Gastritis was provoked by HCl/ethanol (60% ethanol in 150 mM HCl). After oral administration of each drug, HCl/ethanol was orally administered 90 mins later to induce gastritis. CM alleviated the damage to the gastric mucosa caused. As a result of confirming the expression of protein in gastric tissue through western blot, CM significantly reduced the expression of NF-κB activated due to gastritis. Also, it significantly modulated the Nrf2-Keap1 pathway. These results indicate that CM not only inhibits the nuclear metastasis of NF-𝛋B but also modulates the Nrf2-Keap1 pathway to relieve inflammation of the gastric mucosa.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.54-61
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• 2024

Background: The Korean name for Angelica gigas Nakai (AGN) is Cham-dang-gui, which grows naturally or is cultivated, and its dried roots are used in traditional herbal medicines. The AGN root exert various pharmacological effects. Despite the various pharmacological effects of the AGN root, there are no reports on its anti-oral microbial effects. The purpose of this study was to reveal the anti-oral microbial effect and the microbial and biochemical changes in oral microorganisms according to the concentration of the ethanol extract of AGN (EAGN) root, and to confirm the possibility of using EAGN as a plant-derived functional substance for controlling oral infectious microorganisms. Methods: Disk diffusion test, growth measurement, biofilm formation assay, and measurements of acid production and buffering capacity were performed to confirm the antibacterial effect of EAGN. Results: EAGN showed anti-oral bacterial effects against Streptococcus mutans and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans at all concentrations, with S. mutans showing a more susceptible effect at concentrations above 5.0 mg/ml and A. actinomycetemcomitans at 3.75 mg/ml. EAGN treatment significantly reduced A. actinomycetemcomitans growth at all concentrations tested. Biofilm formation was significantly reduced at concentrations above 3.75 mg/ml for S. mutans and 2.5 mg/ml for A. actinomycetemcomitans. Acid production in S. mutans and A. actinomycetemcomitans was significantly increased by treatment with EAGN, and the buffering capacities of S. mutans and A. actinomycetemcomitans increased from an EAGN concentration of 3.75 mg/ml and above. Conclusion: EAGN showed anti-oral bacterial effects against both S. mutans and A. actinomycetemcomitans at concentrations above 3.75 mg/ml, which were thought to be related to the inhibition of their growth and biofilm formation. Therefore, EAGN can be used as a safe functional substance derived from medicinal plants owing to its antibacterial effects against S. mutans and A. actinomycetemcomitans.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.34 no.8
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• pp.1642-1652
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• 2024

Arctium lappa (Burdock) root is used in various culinary applications especially in Asian Cuisine. Arctigenin (ARC) is a polyphenolic compound abundant in the roots of the burdock plant from which it derives its name. The emergence of bacterial resistance is a growing global worry, specifically due to the declining availability of new antibiotics. Screening for the antibacterial candidates among the safe natural products is a promising approach. The present study was aimed to assess the antibacterial activity of ARC against Pseudomonas aeruginosa exploring its effect on the bacterial cell membrane. Furthermore, the anti-virulence activities and anti-quorum sensing (QS) activities of ARC were in vitro, in vivo and in silico assessed against P. aeruginosa. The current results showed the ARC antibacterial activity was owed to its disruption effect of the cell membrane. ARC at sub-MIC significantly decreased the formation of biofilm, motility, production of extracellular enzymes and in vivo protected mice against P. aeruginosa. These anti-virulence activities of ARC are owed to its interference with bacterial QS and its expression. Furthermore, ARC showed mild effect on mammalian erythrocytes, low probability to induce resistance and synergistically combined with antibiotics. In summary, the promising anti-virulence properties of ARC indicate its potential as an effective supplement to conventional antibiotics for treating severe P. aeruginosa infections.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.217-225
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• 2006

Among the seven taxa of the genus Vigna, Leguminosae vegetated in Korea peninsula, only two taxa, V. unguiculata subsp. unguiculata and V. vexillata var. tsusimensis, are recognized in Vigna. The rests are still remained in the genus Phaseolus in many floras and illustrations of Korea although they were placed into the genus Vigna by Verdcourt in 1970. There has been misidentification between V. angularis var. nipponensis and V. nakashimae because of their similar morphological characters and habit. It was also found that V. nakashimae has not been recorded in many floras. Objectives of this study are 1) to discuss the taxonomic differences between Vigna and Phaseolus, 2) to have a recommendation for using correct scientific names of Vigna taxa, 3) to discuss the taxonomic characteristics of the subgenus Ceratotropis, and 4) to provide a simple taxonomic key of V. angularis var. nipponensis and V. nakashimae.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.40-49
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• 2012

The NE Asiatic Solidago virgaurea complex in Korea has been reported on 5 taxa (S. virgaurea subsp. asiatica, S. virgaurea var. taquetii, S. virgaurea var. coreana, S. virgaurea subsp. leiocarpa, and S. virgaurea subsp. gigantea). However, the broad morphological variations and a lack of diagnostic characteristics have made it difficult to distinguish these taxa and have thus resulted in a complicated taxonomy in the complex. Therefore, to clarify the classification and delimitation of each taxon, the morphological characteristics of the S. virgaurea complex were investigated by examining the original descriptions and type specimens. Field work was also conducted to investigate the morphological and geographic features. In conclusion, S. japonica Kitam., as a legitimate name, was distributed all over the country except for the Is. Ulleung-do in Korea, as distinguished from S. virgaurea L. Both S. virgaurea var. taquetii and S. virgaurea var. coreana were considered as synonyms of S. japonica, as their morphological characteristics were within the variation range of those of S. japonica. Furthermore, S. virgaurea subsp. leiocarpa does not occur in Korea. Additional investigations are required to clarify the classification of S. virgaurea subsp. gigantea, whose populations were not found during the investigation in this study. S. dahurica, meanwhile, was distributed in the northern part of North Korea.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.16-34
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• 2011

Scirpus L. s.l. of Cyperaceae has been regarded as a monophyletic group, but the taxa of Scirpus s.l. were rearranged into the five independent genera in recent molecular phylogenetic research: Bolboschoenus (Asch.) Palla, Schoenoplectus (Rchb.) Palla, Schoenoplectiella Lye, Scirpus L., and Trichophorum Pers. In this study, we examined the morphological characteristics and presented the delineation of the five genera of Scirpus s.l., including 21 taxa from South Korea. As a result of our investigation and analysis of domestic collections and those from abroad, the each taxon could be identified using key characteristics of the rhizome features; a cross-section of culm; the degree of development and the width of leaves; the shapes of the membranous region of leaf sheath; and the shapes and size of inflorescence, bract, floral scale, and achene. These major characteristics are illustrated and artificial keys are suggested in this study. In addition, we suggest a new combination for an unrecorded taxon of Schoenoplectiella that was discovered in Gangwon-do, Goseong-gun and give it the Korean name, as 'a-do-song-i-go-raeng-i'.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.557-563
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• 2011

Platycodon grandiflorum (Korean name, Doraji) has been widely used in traditional herbal medicine as an expectorant for pulmonary disease and a remedy for respiratory disorders in Asia. Here, we investigated the effects of BtOH extract saponin fraction of P. gradiflourm (PGS) on phagocytosis and anti-tumor activity with related cytokine productions in RAW264.7 macrophage cells. The results showed that PGS increased phagocytosis, anti-tumor activity, TNF-${\alpha}$ and nitric oxide (NO) production without direct tumor cell cytotoxicity. To further investigate whether NO is involved in anti-tumor and phagocytic activities of PGS, cells were co-treated with specific iNOS inhibitors, L-NIL (N6-(1-iminoethyl)-L-lysine, dihydrochloride), to block NO production. PGS decreased anti-tumor activity in L-NIL-treated cells, whereas phagocytic activity was not inhibited under the same conditions, indicating that the anti-tumor activity by PGS appears to be conducted by NO. These findings suggest that P. grandiflorum could be used a potential nutrition therapeutic agent for cancer patients.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.218-226
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• 2020

This report describes methods for selecting informative single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and the development of an online Solanaceae genome database, using 234 tomato resequencing data entries deposited in the NCBI SRA database. The 126 accessions of Solanum lycopersicum, 68 accessions of Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme, and 33 accessions of Solanum pimpinellifolium, which are frequently used for breeding, and some wild-species tomato accessions were included in the analysis. To select tag-SNPs, we identified 29,504,960 SNPs in 234 tomatoes and then separated the SNPs in the genic and intergenic regions according to gene annotation. All tag-SNP were selected from non-synonymous SNPs among the SNPs present in the gene region and, as a result, we obtained tag-SNP from 13,845 genes. When there were no non-synonymous SNPs in the gene, the genes were selected from synonymous SNPs. The total number of tag-SNPs selected was 27,539. To increase the usefulness of the information, a Solanaceae genome database website, TGsol (http://tgsol. seeders.co.kr/), was constructed to allow users to search for detailed information on resources, SNPs, haplotype, and tag-SNPs. The user can search the tag-SNP and flanking sequences for each gene by searching for a gene name or gene position through the genome browser. This website can be used to efficiently search for genes related to traits or to develop molecular markers.