• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.453-462
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• 2020

Chronic joint pain due to loss of cartilage function, degradation of subchondral bone, and related conditions are common plights of an arthritis patient. Antioxidant compounds could solve the problems in arthritic condition. The objective of this study was to evaluate the anti-arthritic activity of D-carvone against complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)-induced arthritis in rats. D-carvone was orally administered for 25 days at the doses of 30 and 60 mg/kg against CFA-induced arthritic rats. Changes in body weight, paw swelling, organ index, hematological parameters, oxidative stress markers, inflammatory cytokines, and histopathology were recorded. Oral treatment of D-carvone significantly improved the body weight, reduced the paw swelling, edema formation, and organ index in arthritic rats. The levels of white blood cells were reduced, red blood cells and hemoglobin levels were improved in D-carvone treated arthritic rats. Lipid peroxidation levels were lowered whereas enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants were significantly elevated by D-carvone administration against arthritic rats. D-carvone significantly modulated inflammatory cytokine levels and improved the ankle joint pathology against CFA-induced arthritic inflammation. In conclusion, D-carvone proved significant anti-arthritic activity against CFA-induced arthritis in rats.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.72-78
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• 2012

Alnus japonica Steud (A. japonica) have long been used in the traditional medicine for gastric disorder, hepatitis and fatty liver in Korea. Antiulcer effects of A. japonica hot water extract (AJ ext) were evaluated by in vitro antibacterial activity against H. pylori, by the inhibitory action against the in vitro gastric $H^+/K^+$-ATPase and using rat models of gastric mucosal damage and gastric ulcer induced by HCl-ethanol, indomethacin, and restraint and water-immersion stress. For the determination of antibacterial activity of AJ ext against H. pylori, the activity of urease which released from H. pylori was measured in culture. AJ ext showed weak antibacterial activity against H. pylori with the growth inhibitions of 37% and 61% by adding final concentrations of 500 and $1000{\mu}g/ml$ culture, respectively at 24 h. To observe the inhibitory activity of AJ ext against the $H^+/K^+$-ATPase in hog gastric membrane vesicle, $IC_{50}$ value of AJ ext was $806.3{\mu}g/ml$. Pretreatment of AJ ext (200, 500 mg/kg, p.o.) prevented in a dose-dependent manner the acute gastritis in HCl-ethanol model and the formation of gastric ulcer in indomethacin model and restraint and water-immersion stress model. These results suggest that the AJ ext can be used for prevention and treatment of gastric mucosal damage and ulcers induced by various stress.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Industry Convergence
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.61-69
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• 2019

All the parts of lotus, including the seed, rhizome, leaf, stalk, petal, anther, pericarp, and fruit receptacle, have been used in traditional medicine system as a health beneficial supplement. However the most usually used from lotus plant is only the root. Therefore in this study, it will be discussed more the utilization of other parts of the lotus, namely the flower of lotus. The petals and stamens of lotus actually are also rich in bioactive components such as flavonoids and alkaloids, are used in the treatment of tissue inflammation, cancer, skin disease, and also for us as antidotes. One of the biotechnological process that can be used to improve the nutritional content, sensory, and also antioxidant activities is fermentation process. The final product desired from the fermentation process in this study is vinegar. The microbial strain powder used is Uinkin fermented powder with three variations of fermentation. The variations given in this study were initial sugar 32%, 24%, and 14% with the same fermentation temperature, $35^{\circ}C$ for 3 months. The results obtained showed that the pH value and sugar content of products during the fermentation process were decreasing during the fermentation process, with total polyphenol content of $283.7{\pm}97.6mg/100g\;QAE$, and total flavonoid content of $3.3{\pm}0.0mg/100g\;QAE$. For the DPPH radical scavenging ability of the fermentation product also increased in a concentration dependent manner, with ORAC activity of the product showed a high activity of $20.7{\pm}0.41{\mu}M$ TE. Therefore, fermentation process can be the one of method for improving the product. The efficiency of lotus flower vinegar fermentation can be reached with an initial sugar condition of 25% (sample B).

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.87-94
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• 2022

Myocardial infarction promotes cardiac remodeling and myocardial fibrosis, thus leading to cardiac dysfunction or heart failure. Peiminine has been regarded as a traditional anti-fibrotic Chinese medicine in pulmonary fibrosis. However, the role of peiminine in myocardial infarction-induced myocardial injury and fibrosis remained elusive. Firstly, rat model of myocardial infarction was established using ligation of the left coronary artery, which were then intraperitoneally injected with 2 or 5 mg/kg peiminine once a day for 4 weeks. Echocardiography and haemodynamic evaluation results showed that peiminine treatment reduced left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, and enhanced maximum rate of increase/decrease of left ventricle pressure (± dP/dt max) and left ventricular systolic pressure, which ameliorate the cardiac function. Secondly, myocardial infarction-induced myocardial injury and infarct size were also attenuated by peiminine. Moreover, peiminine inhibited myocardial infarction-induced increase of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α production, as well as the myocardial cell apoptosis, in the rats. Thirdly, peiminine also decreased the myocardial fibrosis related protein expression including collagen I and collagen III. Lastly, peiminine reduced the expression of p38 and phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 in rat model of myocardial infarction. In conclusion, peiminine has a cardioprotective effect against myocardial infarction-induced myocardial injury and fibrosis, which can be attributed to the inactivation of mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.479-491
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• 2024

Improving liver regeneration (LR) remains a medical issue, and there is currently a lack of safe and effective drugs for LR. Rhizoma Dioscoreae (SanYak, SY) is a traditional Chinese medicine. However, the underlying action mechanism of SY treatment for LR is yet to be fully elucidated. To explore the mechanism by which SY affects LR, we have conducted a series of methods for network pharmacological analysis, molecular docking, and in vivo experimental validation in mice. Overall, 9 compounds and 30 predicted target genes of SY were found to be associated with the therapeutic effects of LR. Compared with the model group, hematoxylin and eosin staining revealed that the mice with preoperative drug intervention possessed fewer postoperative hepatocyte bubbles and relatively regular morphology. Furthermore, the serum alanine transaminase and aspartate aminotransferase levels were reduced, immunohistochemistry revealed elevated proliferating cell nuclear antigen positivity rate, and Western blotting demonstrated that the phospho-protein kinase B (AKT)/AKT ratio was downregulated and that vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) expression levels were upregulated. This study explored dioscin, the main active ingredient of SY, and its potential therapeutic effects on LR. It repairs damaged liver following surgery and promotes liver cell proliferation. The action mechanism comprises reducing AKT phosphorylation levels and upregulating VEGFA expression levels. Thus, this study provides a new direction for further research on the mechanism of SY promoting LR.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.260-274
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• 2015

This paper has shown the experimental results about the physiological activities of water-, ethanol-, ethyl acetate-soluble fractions from ethanolic extracts of leaves, stems and roots of Cudrania tricuspidata on the skin, which has been used for a long time as a traditional herb medicine in Korea and China. The effects of these fractions on the secretion of nitric oxide and cytokines from macrophage(RAW 264.7 cell) exhibited that the ethyl acetate and water fractions from leaves inhibited the release of nitric oxide, all fractions inhibited thoses of inflammatory cytokine $IL-1{\alpha}$, and the ethyl acetate fractions of leaves, stems and roots inhibited thoses of inflammatory cytokine IL-6. The only ethylacetate fraction of leaves demonstrated significantly the reduction of melanin synthesis in melanoma cells. In order to evaluate the efficacy of collagen synthesis, the treatment with extracts on the human normal fibroblast cell(CCD-986sk cell) resulted in finding that the water fractions of leaves, stems and roots and the ethanol fractions of leaves and stems showed the increased synthesis of collagen.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.40 no.11
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• pp.1544-1547
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• 2011

Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) leaf is known to be effective for 'overcoming body heat' and stopping bleeding. It is commonly used as a traditional curing plant for the treatment of hematemesis, epistaxis, hemoptysis, hematuria, and metrorrhagia in traditional Chinese medicine. This study investigated on the effect of oral administration of lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) leaf extract on the serum and liver lipid levels of rats fed a high fat diet. Experimental rats were divided into five different experimental groups, including the general diet group (Cont), high fat diet with lotus leaf extract groups (HL40, HL80, HL120), and high fat diet group (HFG). Body weight significantly decreased in the HL120 sample compared to that of Cont. The weights of the livers and kidneys of rats corresponded to the increase in body weight. Total cholesterol and triglyceride contents in liver tissues of rats were lowest in the sample HL120 sample. The levels of total lipids, total cholesterol, and triglycerides in serum were lower in the HL120 sample compared to the HFG.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.21 no.10
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• pp.1422-1427
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• 2011

This study was performed to develop effective antithrombotic agents from traditional herb extracts. Prunella vulgaris L. has been used traditionally as a medical resource in cancer therapy, as well as treatment of hypertension and inflammation, and as a diuretic. However, the effects of Prunella vulgaris on thrombosis and platelet activation have not been clearly understood. Antithrombotic and antiplatelet activities of oriental medicinal herbs were investigated by evaluating the effect of the aqueous extract from Prunella vulgaris on the blood coagulation, platelet aggregation and fibrinolysis. Prunella vulgaris extracts showed effective anticoagulant activity in coagulation times such as activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and prothrombin time (PT). Prunella vulgaris also inhibited adenosine diphosphate (ADP)- and collagen-induced platelet aggregation. In addition, evaluation of fibrinolytic activity showed that the Prunella vulgaris extracts have high solubility. From these results, it is suggested that Prunella vulgaris can be a potential candidate for anticoagulants and antiplatelets, as well as fibrinolytic agents.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.923-931
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• 2002

Sopungsungi-won (SP) is a known for\mula for senile constipation and diabetes mellitus, based on traditional Korean medicine. The preventive effect of SP on the development of overt diabetes in Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats was evaluated. When administered orally through a diet for 8 weeks, diabetic conditions such as hyperglycemia, polydipsia and hypertriglyceridemia were all ameliorated in SP-treated rats. In parallel with the onset and progression of hyperglycemia in the ZDF control rats; there was a marked decline in plasma insulin concentrations from 26.1 $\mu$U/ml, at age 7 weeks, to 14.8 $\mu$U/ml at age 15 weeks. In the SP-treated rats, however, the plasma insulin concentrations did not decline, and SP at a dose of 5 g/kg significantly increased the insulin levels to 31.9 $\mu$U/ml. Early normalization of plasma insulin and a retained ability to subsequently increase plasma insulin were indicative of a pancreatic $\beta$ cell protective action by the SP for\mula. In addition, expressions of an insulin-responsive gene and corresponding protein, glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4), in skeletal \muscle, were also determined in SP- and rosiglitazone-treated ZDF rats. mRNA and protein levels of GLUT4 in SP-treated rats were upregulated in a dose dependent manner. Furthermore, when ZDF rats were treated with 2 g/kg of the SP for\mula, the activity of glucose-6-phosphatase was decreased by 49%, whereas the activity of glucokinase was increased by 196%, compared to the ZDF control rats. Taken together, these data provide evidence that the SP for\mula markedly lowered the plasma glucose levels, probably through an effect not only on improvement of insulin action, but through a combined sti\mulation of glycolysis and an inhibition of gluconeogenesis in the liver, and also suggest the validity of SP's clinical use in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus following further toxicological investigation.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.231-237
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• 2016

Eryngium foetidum Linn. leaves (EF) are widely used in Thailand and many countries throughout Asia as a culinary seasoning and a traditional medicine. However, adverse effect of high dose consumption in long duration has not been evaluated. The aim of this study was to investigate chronic toxicity of EF in mice. Thirty-two ICR male mice were divided into 4 groups of 8 mice each. The mice were fed AIN-76 rodent diet, or AIN-76 rodent diet supplemented with ground freeze-dried EF at 0.8%, 1.6% and 3.2% that is equivalent to approximately 35, 73 and 155 times that of human consumption, respectively, at 97.5 percentile for a period of 24 weeks. At the end of experiment, the mice were euthanized and blood samples were collected for hematological and biochemical evaluations. Necropsy was performed while visceral organs such as lung, liver, kidneys, spleen etc. were collected, weighed and histopathologically examined. Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) results of mice in 1.6% and 3.2% EF diet groups were significantly higher than the BUN of control group. No significant difference was noted in other biochemical and hematological properties between the treatment groups and control; all results were within normal range. Histopathology of almost all visceral organs showed no significant changes. However, tubulonephrosis and chronic interstitial nephritis were observed in the groups treated with 1.6% and 3.2% EF diet. Body weight was reduced significantly at week 12 to week 20 when compared to the control group while relative kidney weights were significantly increased. In conclusion, the consumption of EF in diet at high doses illustrated the adverse effect on some biochemical parameters and histopathology in mice. Our findings suggested that EF daily consumption for 24 weeks, at higher doses than the 0.8% EF diet (35 times of human consumption), might cause adverse effect on kidney function in mice.