• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.99-115
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• 2002

Tests of stability and toxicity, and clinical evaluation of anti-acne activity suggest that cryptotanshinone, a constituent of the roots of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge, is an effective active ingredient for acne vulgaris treatments. Acne vulgaris, called acne or pimples, is the most common disease of the pilosebaceous follicle unit of the skin. It affects nearly 80% of people between the ages of 11 and 30. Approximately 30% of teenagers have acne of sufficient severity to require medical treatment. Acne is a follicular disorder of the skin. It occurs in specialized pilosebaceous units on the face and body. Acne develops when these specialized follicles undergo pathologic alterations that result in the formation of non-inflammatory lesions (comedones) and inflammatory lesions (papules, pustules and nodules). An abnormality of keratinizing epithelium of these follicles, thought to be due to the action of sebum synthesized and secreted by the androgen-sensitive sebaceous glands, leads to inflammation induced by the follicular bacterium Propionibacterium acnes. Therapy involves treatments that modify these pathogenic factors and includes drugs with antikeratinizing, antibacterial and antiseborrheic actions. Acne vulgaris is a very frequent disease, seen primarily in adolescents, involving the sebaceous follicles. Acne vulgaris is characterized by a great variety of clinical inflammatory and non-inflammatory lesions: comedones, papules, pustules, nodules, cysts and scars. Acne vulgaris is a multi-factorial disease. Although its pathogenicity is unclear, extensive studies have shown that hyperseborrhea, superinfection by P. acnes and endocrinologic androgenic changes play a role in the development of acne vulgaris.

• Journal of Korean Medicine for Obesity Research
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.77-86
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• 2017

Objectives: This study examined the effects of salvianolic acid B (SAB) on exhaustive exercise-induced cardiac muscle damage to rats. Methods: The study was carried out with 12-week-old young adult male Sprague-Dawley rats. Thirty-six rats were divided into 3 groups; normal (n=12), exhaustive exercise group (ExS, n=12) and exhaustive exercise with SAB (ExS+SAB, n=12). Five days before exhaustive exercise, SAB were medicated for 5 days in ExS+SAB group. Rats in ExS and ExS+SAB group were forced to swim for 150 minutes and then they were sacrificed, while rats in normal group were sacrificed at rest. After that, blood was collected and cardiac muscle tissue damage indices were analyzed. Results: Serum aspartate transaminase activity and lactate dehydrogenase activity were significantly lower in ExS+SAB group than in ExS group. Serum creatine phosphokinase activity of ExS+SAB was significantly lower than ExS group. However, the content of serum creatinine had no difference between ExS and ExS+SAB group. In the H&E stained left ventricle myocardium, ExS group showed signs of myocardial damage such as sporadic fragmentation of myocardial fibers, interstitial edema, cytoplasmic eosinophilia and neutrophils infiltration. However, ExS+SAB group alleviated the severity of the signs of myocardial damage. In the myocardial dihydroethidium staining, optical density was remarkably decreased in ExS+SAB group compared to ExS group. Furthermore, the up-regulation of Bax/Bcl-2 ratio was observed in ExS+SAB group compared with ExS group. Conclusions: The above results suggest that SAB may protect cardiac muscle damage via antioxidant activity and prevention of apoptosis.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.479-497
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• 2024

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Activating brown adipose tissue (BAT) and browning of white adipose tissue (WAT) can protect against obesity and obesity-related metabolic conditions. Cryptotanshinone (CT) regulates lipid metabolism and significantly ameliorates insulin resistance. Adenosine-5'-monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a receptor for cellular energy metabolism, is believed to regulate brown fat activity in humans. MATERIALS/METHODS: The in vivo study included high-fat-fed obese mice administered orally 200/400 mg/kg/d CT. They were evaluated through weight measurement, the intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (IPGTT), intraperitoneal insulin tolerance test (IPITT), cold stimulation test, serum lipid (total cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein) measurement, hematoxylin and eosin staining, and immunohistochemistry. Furthermore, the in vitro study investigated primary adipose mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) with incubation of CT and AMPK agonists (acadesine)/inhibitor (Compound C). Cells were evaluated using Oil Red O staining, Alizarin red staining, flow cytometry, and immunofluorescence staining to identify and observe the osteogenic versus adipogenic differentiation. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and the Western blot were used to observe related gene expression. RESULTS: In the diet-induced obesity mouse model mice CT suppressed body weight, food intake, glucose levels in the IPGTT and IPTT, serum lipids, the volume of adipose tissue, and increased thermogenesis, uncoupling protein 1, and the AMPK pathway expression. In the in vitro study, CT prevented the formation of lipid droplets from MSCs while activating brown genes and the AMPK pathway. AMPK activator enhanced CT's effects, while the AMPK inhibitor reversed the effects of CT. CONCLUSION: CT promotes adipose tissue browning to increase body thermogenesis and reduce obesity by activating the AMPK pathway. This study provides an experimental foundation for the use of CT in obesity treatment.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.449-454
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• 2008

This research examined whether feeding single extracts or complex extracts of Bulnesia sarmienti, together with a high fat diet, could improve serum lipid levels and reduce fat mass in rats. Test groups were fed the extracts, combined with a high fat diet, for eight weeks, and subdivided into seven groups: normal, control, and five treatment groups (BS: B. sarmienti extracts; BS-S: B. sarmienti and Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge extracts; BS-M: B. sarmienti and Morus alba Linne extracts; BS-SM1: B. sarmienti, Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge and Morus alba Linne extracts; and BS-SM2: BS-SM1 extracts at a 2-fold concentration). After feeding the test substance for 8 weeks, no significant differences were found for food intake, water intake, change in body weight, or food efficiency ratios (FER) among the groups. However, serum LDL-cholesterol had increased by 14.1% in the BS-S group. When compared with the control group, total cholesterol levels in the BS, BS-S, BS-M, BS-SM1, and BS-SM2 groups were reduced by 36.0, 14.5, 40.4, 17.5, and 22.5%, respectively, with the greatest change shown in the BS-M group. In terms of triglycerides, levels in BS, BS-S, BS-M, BS-SM1, and BS-SM2 had decreased by 41.9, 8.5, 62.3, 17.7, and 14.5%, respectively. Compared to the control group, the BS group showed a significant decrease in fat mass. In conclusion, the BS and BS-M groups showed significant effects with respect to improved serum lipid profiles and body fat mass when they were fed a high fat diet in combination with the respective extracts.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.168-174
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• 2011

In order to develop safe and economic novel antifungal agents, we prepared 73 methanol extracts from medicinal and edible herbs and examined their 365 solvent fractions using n-hexane, methylene chloride, ethylacetate, butanol and water residue based on the sequential organic solvent fraction method. When using the various fractions in the screening step for antifungal activity, we discovered ethylacetate fraction of Morus alba L., methylene chloride fraction of Pimpinella brachycarpa (MCPB), and n-hexane fraction of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge, which all have activities in methanol extracts, as potential sources of antifungal agents. Amongst these, the antifungal activity of P. brachycarpa has not to date been reported on. In addition, the mycelial growth inhibition and spore germination inhibition activities of MCPB against A. niger were confirmed by disc-diffusion assay in a 10 day culture. The MIC and MFC of MCPB were determined as 0.25 and 0.5 mg/ml, respectively. The MCPB has no hemolytic activity against human RBC at 0.5 mg/ml and glycoside-flavonoids are theorized to be active constituents. These results suggest that MCPB has a prominent antifungal activity and that the application of sequential organic solvent fractions, instead of simple natural product extracts, is useful in the screening process of novel bioactive substances.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.42 no.7
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• pp.1008-1014
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• 2013

This study evaluated the anti-diabetic effects of medicinal plant water extracts on expression of hepatic glucokinase (GCK), pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) mRNA. GCK, PDH and ACC mRNA expression levels were measured by RT-PCR. The medicinal plants used in our study were Cordyceps militaris (CM), Perilla sikokiana (PS), Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge (SMB), Panax notoginseng (PN) and Angelica utilis Makino (AUM). We found that GCK mRNA expression was increased to about 181% at the 250 ppm of CM water extract. Furthermore, we also found that CM and AUM water extracts stimulated PDH mRNA expression level related to glucose metabolism, however, PS, SMB and PN did not stimulate PDH mRNA expression as expected. Expression of ACC mRNA was also significantly higher in both CM and AUM water extracts. Overall, the results of our study suggest that CM and AUM water extracts stimulate expression of hepatic GCK, PDH and ACC mRNA.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.464-472
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• 2007

Objectives : Nowadays the combined use of oriental herbal medicines and western biomedical medicines has been prevalent but controversial. Warfarin has been much reported to interact with some herbal medicines so that it influences prothrombin time(PT) & international normalized ratio(INR). This study was aimed to examine how much warfarin interacts with herbal medicines during treatment of stroke patients Methods : This was a retrospective case control study of 53 patients whowere treated with concomitant treatment of herbal medicines & warfarin. They were within normal limit in liver function, renal function, hematocrit, hemoglobin, and platelet count at first admission lab. We classified them into 2 classes: study group (taking herbal medicines including Panax ginseng, Angelica sinensis, Zingiber officinale, Salvia miltiorrhiza that were reported to interact with warfarin to impact PT (INR) and control group (taking other herbal medicines). We followed up PT (INR) at 5-10 days interval with AST, ALT, BUN, creatinine, hematocrit, hemoglobin, and platelet count. Results : AST, BUN, creatinine, hemoglobin, hematocrit, and platelet count were not changed significantly between first and final tests during the admission period. Only ALT decreased significantly in the control group. Neither baseline nor peak PT (INR) was significantly different between the groups. However, only warfarin dose was significantly correlated with PT and INR (r=0.810, r=0.798, p<0.01). Conclusions : It was concluded that PT(INR) was not influenced with herbal medicines and warfarin but by far dependent on warfarin dose in stroke patients restricted with normal liver function, renal function, and hematocrit, hemoglobin, and platelet count. Further prospective study is needed on larger samples to conclude that the combined therapy of herbal medicines and warfarin is safe.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.205-210
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• 2018

Salvianolic acid B, which is a compound in the Salvia miltiorrhiza, has diverse biological activities, In particular, the antioxidative effects were reported to be involved in the protection of hepatocytes, neurons, and various cell types. On the other hand, some phenolic compounds, such as ferulic acid, which is regarded as an antioxidant, plays a pro-oxidative role in the specific transitional metal environment, which could explain the anticancer effect. This study examined the pro-oxidative effects of salvianolic acid B in the presence of $Cu^{2+}$. Treatment with both salvianolic acid B and $Cu^{2+}$ induced the transition of supercoiled DNA to the open circular or linear form but not in the sole salvianolic acid B or $Cu^{2+}$ treatments. Salvianolic acid B reduced the $Cu^{2+}$ to $Cu^+$ using neocuproine, a $Cu^+$ specific chelator. In addition, catalase, an enzyme that breaks down the $H_2O_2$ to water and molecular oxygen, inhibited the DNA breakage. $H_2O_2$, a reactive oxygen species, has detrimental effects on biological molecules, particularly DNA. Overall, the reduction of $Cu^{2+}$ by salvianolic acid B could lead to the production of $H_2O_2$ followed by DNA breakage. These results suggest that the pro-oxidative effects could be the one of the anti-cancer mechanisms of salvianolic acid B, which remains to be explained.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.99-106
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• 2016

Objectives : Salvianolic acid B (SAB) is an active ingredient in Salvia miltiorrhiza frequently used for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. The present study investigated the antioxidant effects of SAB on the skeletal muscle and the brain tissue of rats following exhaustive exercise.Methods : The rats were treated with oral administration of SAB (30 mg/kg) daily for 5 days prior to the exhaustive exercise. The exhaustive exercise was performed as swimming for 150 min with 5% body weight attached to the tail on the 5th day. The antioxidant effects of SAB was evaluated by measuring the superoxide generation in the gastrocnemius and the 4-HNE expression in the hippocampal tissue. In addition, c-Fos-expressing cells in the brain tissue was observed using immunohistochemistry.Results : Histological features and muscle fiber type composition were not different between the SAB group and the exhaustive exercise group. SAB significantly reduced the upregulation of superoxide generation in the muscle tissue. SAB significantly reduced the increase of c-Fos-expressing cells in the cerebral cortex, paraventricular thalamic nucleus, dorsomedial hypothalamic nucleus, the CA1, CA3, and DG regions of hippocampus. SAB significantly reduced the upregulation of 4-HNE expression in the CA1 and DG regions of hippocampus caused by the exhaustive exercise.Conclusions : The results suggest that SAB exerts antioxidative effect against oxidative stress in the skeletal muscle and the brain tissue following exhaustive exercise, while SAB may has an anti-stress effect on stress responses in the brain.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.692-698
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• 2012

The chemical conversion pattern of salvianolic acid B (Sal B) in aqueous solution under different boiling conditions was compared. When the duration of boiling was varied, without varying temperature or pressure, the content of chemically converted compounds (CCCs) was mostly increased over time. In addition, under different conditions of temperature and pressure with the same boiling time, the content of a few compounds increased with increasing temperature and pressure. These results confirmed that high temperatures and pressures in boiling alter the final composition of CCCs of Sal B. Therefore, it was suggested that the boiling conditions (time, temperature, and pressure) may be responsible for alteration of biological activities of the compounds. Our investigation of the chemical conversion of compounds contained in foods and medicinal herbs may provide important information in clarifying the biological activity of Sal B containing foods and medicinal herbs.