• Applied Microscopy
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.133-139
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• 2009

A officinal mushroom, Phellinus linteus (PL) has been known to exhibit potent biological activities including antioxidative and anticancer effect. PL is consumed as a type of powder or extract for the purpose of health promotion and disease treatment. Recently superfine PL products was commercialized according to the development of pulverizing technology such as nanomill, so the evaluation of food safety is suggested. This study was conducted to evaluate the food safety of superfine PL (SPL) through hematological, biochemical and histological examination in mice as compared with fine PL (FPL). In the particle size distribution in volume after nanomill processing, the mean diameter of SPL and FPL particles was 11.78 ${\mu}m$ and 216.1 ${\mu}m$, and d (0.5), the particle diameter measured at 50% of distribution was 5.5 ${\mu}m$ and 147.9 ${\mu}m$, respectively. As the result of body weight, food intake and the weight of organs, SPL group didn't show any statistical difference compared with FPL group and normal group (N). Hematological and biochemical values were also involved in the normal range, although ALT (N vs. FPL, P<0.001) and BUN (N vs. FPL, P<0.01; N vs. SPL, P<0.01) showed significance compared with N group but there are no significance between FPL and SPL group. In the result of histological examination with liver, kidney, spleen, and small and large intestine, abnormal findings such as inflammatory reaction and histological changes were not observed. Our results suggest that the oral intake of SPL diet is not harmful to the animal in the hematological, biochemical and histological aspects although particle size was reduced to the level of superfine. However, further study will be necessary to confirm the histological safety in relation to the gastrointestinal contact of superfine particles in the case of large amount and long-term intake.

• Journal of Mushroom
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.278-286
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• 2013

Phellinus xeranticus is an medicinal mushroom belongs to Family Hymenochaetaceae of Polyporales, Basidiomycota. The purpose of this study was to investigate the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-acetylcholinesterase activities of methanol and hot water extracts prepared from fruiting bodies of Phellinus xeranticus. Besides measuring of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity, a reducing power and a chelating activity on ferrous ions were also measured to evaluate the antioxidant activity of the extracts. To measure the anti-inflammatory activities of the extracts, nitric oxide(NO) production from lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophage cells and carrageenan-induced acute hind paw edema of rats were investigated. The results showed that the extracts have excellent DPPH scavenging and chelating activity on the ferrous ions compared with positive controls. The nitric oxide (NO) production in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 macrophage cells were decreased as the concentration of the mushroom extracts increased. Significant reduction of paw edema of rats were observed at 2~6 h after treatment of methanol and hot-water extracts with 50 mg/kg concentration to the rats which are induced acute hind paw edema by carrageenan administration. The anti-acetylcholinesterase activity of the methanol extract of the mushroom showed 83.34% inhibition on AcHE which is lower than that of positive control galanthamine. The experimental results suggested that methanol and hot-water extracts of Phellinus xeranticus fruiting bodies might be used for good sources of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-acetylcholinesterase agents.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.311-317
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• 2009

This study was performed using animals to confirm the effect of tourmaline-ionized water (TIW) the properties of which were changed by tourmaline energy and electric discharge. In the ICR mice fed high-fat diet, body weight increasing rate of the TIW-treated group (Exp) was generally decreased and moreover exhibited significance at 11th week (P<0.05) compared with the control (Con) group fed distilled water, although water intake of the Exp group was lower than that of the Con group. In the ICR mice with $CCl_4$-induced hepatotoxicity, AST and ALT activities of the Exp group were not significant but showed some decreasing trend, and histological damage of liver was less compared with thatof the Con group. On the study of ethanol-induced hangovers in Sprague-Dawley rat, blood alcohol concentration was significantly decreased (P<0.01), activity of GST, antioxidant enzyme related to the alcohol metabolism, was increased in liver tissue (P<0.05), and AST and ALT show a tendency to be decreasedin the Exp group. These results suggest that drinking TIWhas not only some obesity preventing effect but also an alcohol detoxification effect and liver protecting effect in vivo. It is supposed due to a structural change of water cluster and a property which maintains the changed structure through tourmaline energy and electric discharge. Therefore, TIW has a potentiality to be developed as functional water with several beneficial effects as well as for daily drinking, but further study on the mechanism related with efficacy will be necessary.

• Journal of Mushroom
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.269-277
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• 2013

Dictyophora indusiata is an edible mushroom belongs to Family Phallaceae of Phallales, Basidiomycota. The purpose of this study was to investigate the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of methanol and hot water extracts prepared from fruiting bodies of Dictyophora indusiata. Besides measuring of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity, a reducing power and a chelating activity on ferrous ions were also measured to evaluate the antioxidant activity for those extracts. To measure the anti-inflammatory activities for the extracts, nitric oxide(NO) production from lipopolysaccharide(LPS) treated RAW 264.7 macrophage cells and carrageenan-induced acute hind paw edema of rats were investigated. The results showed that the extracts have excellent DPPH scavenging and chelating activity on the ferrous ions compared with positive control. The nitric oxide(NO) production in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophage cells were decreased as we increased the concentration of the mushroom extracts. Significant reduction of paw edema of rats were observed at 2~6 h after treatment of methanol and hot-water extracts with 50 mg/kg concentration to the rats which are induced acute hind paw edema by carrageenan administration. Therefore, the experimental results suggested that methanol and hot-water extracts of Dictyophora indusiata fruiting bodies might be used for natural sources of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents.