• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.61-68
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• 2015

Background: Korean Red Ginseng (KRG) is a representative traditional herbal medicine with many different pharmacological properties including anticancer, anti-atherosclerosis, anti-diabetes, and anti-inflammatory activities. Only a few studies have explored the molecular mechanism of KRG-mediated anti-inflammatory activity. Methods: We investigated the anti-inflammatory mechanisms of the protopanaxadiol saponin fraction (PPD-SF) of KRG using in vitro and in vivo inflammatory models. Results: PPD-SF dose-dependently diminished the release of inflammatory mediators [nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$, and prostaglandin $E_2$], and downregulated the mRNA expression of their corresponding genes (inducible NO synthase, tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$, and cyclooxygenase-2), without altering cell viability. The PPD-SF-mediated suppression of these events appeared to be regulated by a blockade of p38, c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and TANK (TRAF family member-associated NF-kappa-B activator)-binding kinase 1 (TBK1), which are linked to the activation of activating transcription factor 2 (ATF2) and interferon regulatory transcription factor 3 (IRF3). Moreover, this fraction also ameliorated HCl/ethanol/-induced gastritis via suppression of phospho-JNK2 levels. Conclusion: These results strongly suggest that the anti-inflammatory action of PPD-SF could be mediated by a reduction in the activation of p38-, JNK2-, and TANK-binding-kinase-1-linked pathways and their corresponding transcription factors (ATF2 and IRF3).

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.183-193
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• 2016

This study attempted to investigate the possibility of the use of Morinda citrifolia (MC) as a cosmetic ingredient from its physiological activities such as antioxidant activity, cytotoxicity and anti-aging effect. MC is a tropical plant that has been used as traditional polynesian foods and medicines for over two thousand years. It has been reported that this shrub can improve antimicrobial, anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory effects and strengthen an immune system. The in vitro antioxidant activity of MC was performed to see the DPPH scavenging activity by measuring total polyphenol content and total flavonoid content. As a result, a lack of any cytotoxicity was confirmed in human dermal fibroblasts (HDF) cell. When MC extract at a concentration of over $50{\sim}100{\mu}g/mL$ was added, MMP-1 expression considerably diminished. In an in vivo test, in addition, cream containing MC extract was prepared and applied to a total of 22 women in their 30 ~ 50s in ages in the morning and in the evening for four weeks. Changes in keratin, melanin index, pore, skin color and wrinkles under the naked eyes were then comparatively measured. Keratin levels slightly increased in the control group but decreased in the experimental group. In addition, wrinkles diminished in the experimental group. This study found that MC extract controls many MMP-1 related mechanisms with great potential for use as a natural ingredient of anti-aging cosmetics.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.98-106
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• 2018

Portulaca oleracea L., a species of Portulacaceae, is ubiquitous. It is a well-known traditional Chinese medicine for removing heat, counteracting toxicity, cooling blood, and maintaining hemostasia; it is also used as antidysentery agent. This study investigated the anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory activities of water and ethanol extracts from P. oleracea. The total polyphenol content ($21.08{\pm}0.03mg\;GAE/g$) and total flavonoid content ($5.45{\pm}0.76mg\;QE/g$) of the ethanolic extracts were higher than those of the water extracts. The antioxidative activities were determined by evaluating the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and the 2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging activity and by the ferric reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP) assay. The ABTS radical scavenging activity of the water extract (75.53%) was higher in those of the water extract (67.03%) at concentration of $1,000{\mu}g/mL$. The DPPH radical scavenging activity and FRAP of the ethanol extract were higher than those of the water extract. We also investigated the anti-inflammatory activity of the P. oleracea extracts in LPS-stimulated Raw 264.7 cells. The production levels of nitric oxide (NO) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) significantly decreased with an increasing concentration of the extract. The expression levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis faction (TNF)-${\alpha}$, interleukin (IL)-$1{\beta}$, and IL-6) were significantly lower in the ethanol extract than in the LPS alone treatment group. Based on these results, ethanolic extract from P. oleracea could be an effective antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.275-282
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• 2018

Paeoniae Radix has been used as a traditional medicine for various diseases including hepatic disease. However, the inhibitory effect of Paeoniae Radix on intestinal inflammation has not been fully understood yet. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Paeoniae Radix on colitis induced by dextran sulfate sodium in mice. To investigate the protective effects of Paeoniae Radix, the colitis mice were induced by drinking water containing 5% dextran sulfate sodium for 7 days. Mice were randomized into groups receiving Paeoniae Radix (100 mg/kg), sulfasalazine (150 mg/kg) as a positive control, or water as a negative control. We evaluated the effects of Paeoniae Radix on clinical signs induced by dextran sulfate sodium, measuring weight loss, colon length, and disease activity index. Additionally, to find a possible explanation for the anti-inflammatory effects of Paeoniae Radix, we evaluated the effects of Paeoniae Radix on the interleukin-6 and cyclooxygenase-2 levels in colitis tissue. The results indicated that mice treated with dextran sulfate sodium showed measurable clinical signs, including weight loss and reduced colon length. However, Paeoniae Radix treatment significantly improved the weight loss and disease activity index as clinical symptoms. Moreover, Paeoniae Radix inhibited the interleukin-6 and cyclooxygenase-2 expression levels in colon tissues treated with dextran sulfate sodium. Taken together, the findings of this study suggest that Paeoniae Radix may be useful for treating intestinal inflammation, including ulcerative colitis.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.64 no.4
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• pp.383-389
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• 2021

Obesity is associated with impaired intestinal epithelial barrier function, which contribute to host systemic inflammation and metabolic dysfunction. Korean traditional foods, fiber-rich bean products, have been various biological activities in anti-inflammatory responses, but has not reported the large intestinal health. In this study, we investigated the intestinal health promoting effect of cooked soybeans (CSB) on high fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity model. SD rat were fed either a HFD or HFD supplemented with 10.6% CSB (HFD+CSB) for animal experimental period. CSB treatment significantly decreased the HFD-induced weights of body and fat. Also, CSB treatment improved HFD-reduced tight junction components (ZO-1, Claudin-1, and Occludin-1) mRNA expression in large intestine tissue. Additionally, histopathological evaluation showed that CSB treatment attenuated the HFD-increased inflammatory cells infiltration and epithelial damages in large intestine tissue. At the genus level, effects of CSB supplement not yet clear, while dietary effects showed differential abundance of several genera including Lactobacillus, Duncaniella, and Alloprevotella. NMDS analysis showed significant microbial shifts by HFD, while CSB did not shift gut microbiota. CSB increased the abundance of the genera Anaerotignum, Enterococcus, Clostridium sensu stricto, and Escherichia/Shigella by linear discriminant analysis effect size analysis, while reduced the abundance of Longicatena and Ligilactobacillus. These findings indicate that CSB supplement improves HFD-deteriorated large intestinal health by the amelioration of tight junction component, while CSB did not shift gut microbiotas.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.44 no.7
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• pp.468-480
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• 2021

Ubiquitin D (UBD) is highly upregulated in many cancers, and plays a pivotal role in the pathophysiological processes of cancers. However, its roles and underlying mechanisms in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) are still unclear. In the present study, we investigated the role of UBD in patients with OSCC. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot were used to measure the expression of UBD in OSCC tissues. Immunohistochemistry assay was used to detect the differential expressions of UBD in 244 OSCC patients and 32 cases of normal oral mucosae. In addition, CCK-8, colony formation, wound healing and Transwell assays were performed to evaluate the effect of UBD on the cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in OSCC. Furthermore, a xenograft tumor model was established to verify the role of UBD on tumor formation in vivo. We found that UBD was upregulated in human OSCC tissues and cell lines and was associated with clinical and pathological features of patients. Moreover, the overexpression of UBD promoted the proliferation, migration and invasion of OSCC cells; however, the knockdown of UBD exerted the opposite effects. In this study, our results also suggested that UBD promoted OSCC progression through NF-κB signaling. Our findings indicated that UBD played a critical role in OSCC and may serve as a prognostic biomarker and potential therapeutic target for OSCC treatment.

• (The) Research of the performance art and culture
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• no.20
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• pp.63-94
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• 2010

Research on Gong Ok-jin's choreography and its artistic value is still insufficient in the academia of Korea. Her life cannot be said even or smooth - she was born into an artist family with abundant innate talent and sensitivity, feeling joy and sorrow as a gypsy artist begging for food, facing and overcoming the crisis of her trademark deformed dance during the period when she played the solo performance of Changmugeuk, making a transition to the animal dance and finally to the sick dance getting her health back from the long struggle against disease. Her life, however, has always been an artistic expression and we can know that art has been the consolation and driving force of her life. In the Korean artistic tradition that integrates music, singing and dancing, it is beyond doubt that the third has been rather secondary compared with the first two. In the Changmugeuk, however, Gong Ok-jin focuses on each movement of hers, commensurate with the humorous witticism and the traditional opera of pansori. What is her message in such painstaking movements? She puts gestures ahead of words and continues them, reminding her audience of the meaning of dance and driving it into them. Especially, her deformed dance, unprecedented in choreographic history, is hard to understand if you do not sympathize with Koreans' innermost emotions. If you are to understand it, you should first feel what emotions are in Koreans' mentality to be expressed in the form of choreographic elements and what artistic values they carry. This study, in this context, is to reflect upon the original choreographic form of her Changmugeuk solo and to overview Korean dance's unique emotional values with regard to the way Korean choreographic subject matters and traditions are passed down.

• Journal of Korean Theatre Studies Association
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• no.48
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• pp.421-446
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• 2012

The purpose of this paper is to shed light onto the historical significance and limitations of the Tsukiji Little Theater's modern performances. The Tsukiji Little Theater holds a position of great importance to the history of both Japanese and Korean modern theater. Some, however, are under the completely opposite impression. There are also mixed opinions about whether the Tsukiji Little Theater is a "model example" of the modern theatrical movement or a "bad example". Based on this controversy, we look into the definitive characteristics of the Tsukiji Little Theater based mostly on "the controversy over translated foreign plays", "the controversy of foreign plays versus original plays", "the value of kabuki" and "Shinpa as a rival". This paper looked into the differences in controversy over translated foreign plays in the Tsukiji Little Theater and the controversy in existing translated foreign plays. It mostly looks at the "casuistry of foreign plays" and the "cultural engineering theory of foreign plays"to get a grasp on the controversy surrounding existing translated foreign plays. Meanwhile, the "internally critical meaning" towards the original plays of renowned writers was strong in the controversy of foreign plays in the Tsukiji Little Theater. Kaoru Osanai defined the 1920s as a dark period, and persisted that because of the activity of the Shingeki movement, foreign plays were needed instead of low-level original plays. This study examines the characteristics of original plays and foreign plays publicly performed at the Tsukiji Little Theater to analyze the "controversy of translated foreign plays versus original plays". The Tsukiji Little Theater mostly put on shows with a strong sense of resistance or that defied the old times. This caused there to be a lot of emphasis put on the rebellious mindset towards old conventions and ideologies for most of the plays, both foreign and original, and the problem arises that little mind was paid to the integrity or beauty of the works. In looking at the "value of kabuki", this paper looked into Kaoru Osanai, who was deeply involved in kabuki actors. He evaluated traditional Japanese arts highly not because of the literary value of their scripts, but because he recognized the value of how they were performed. In order to create a new spectacle, music, dance and mime was taken in from countries around the world, and kabuki was regarded highly as a means of expression on stage. Finally, we also examine the recognized reasons for treating Shinpa as a rival. There is a relationship between these reasons and a complex about the audiences they drew. The Shinpa performances always had many spectators and were successful, but those at the Tsukiji Little Theater were so unpopular with the public that it was hard for them to financially run their theater group. The empty seats in their theater constantly made the modern intellectuals in the Shingeki movement feel inferior.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.60 no.4
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• pp.215-223
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• 2020

Sasa (S.) quelpaertensis Nakai (Korean name, Jeju-Joritdae), which has anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory activities, is a type of bamboo grass distributed widely in Jeju Island, Korea. S. quelpaertensis leaves are used for therapeutic purposes in traditional Korean medicine. This study examined the hepatoprotective effects of the S. quelpaertensis ethyl acetate fraction (SQEA) in a mouse model to mimic alcoholic liver damage. The mice were administered orally with 30% alcohol (5 g/kg) once per day with or without SQEA treatments (100 and 200 mg/kg) for 14 days consecutively. Alcohol consumption increased the serum alcohol content and histopathological changes but reduced the liver weight. Moreover, the livers of the alcohol group exhibited the accumulation of malondialdehyde and cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1), and lipid droplet coating protein perilipin-2. On the other hand, SQEA dose-dependently attenuated the alcohol-induced serum ethanol content and liver histopathological changes but increased the liver weight. Moreover, SQEA attenuated the level of CYP2E1 and inhibited alcohol-induced lipogenesis in the liver via decreased perilipin-2 expression. These results suggest that SQEA can provide a potent way to reduce the liver damage caused by alcohol consumption.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.30 no.12
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• pp.1033-1041
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• 2020

Many people of all ages wish to have lighter skin for cosmetic reasons, and natural products attract more attention than chemically synthesized compounds. Uncaria rhynchophylla is widely used in Asia as a traditional herbal medicine. In order to find novel skin whitening agents, the present study evaluated the antioxidant activity and potential tyrosinase-inhibiting properties of U. rhynchophylla. Specifically, this study analyzed the antioxidant capacity of a 70% ethanolic extract of U. rhynchophylla as well as its effects on tyrosinase activity and melanin synthesis. Total mRNA levels were examined using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The results revealed that U. rhynchophylla extracts exhibit great antioxidant capacity and significant levels of polyphenol and flavonoid compounds. U. rhynchophylla extracts can also powerfully inhibit tyrosinase activity. This same capacity was observed in melanoma B16F10 cells; that is, U. rhynchophylla extracts suppressed intracellular tyrosinase activity and reduced the amount of melanin in treated cells. In addition, a 1 mg/ml concentration of U. rhynchophylla extract significantly reduced the mRNA expression levels of tyrosinase. U. rhynchophylla extracts decrease tyrosinase and inhibit melanogenesis in B16F10 cells. This finding suggests that U. rhynchophylla has great potential as a natural whitening agent in skincare products.