Kyeong Won Yun

Antioxidant activity in essential oils of Cnidium officinale makino and Ligusticum chuanxiong hort and their inhibitory effects on DNA damage and apoptosis induced by ultraviolet B in mammalian cell

BACKGROUND Owing to their high volatile aroma, the dried rhizomes of Cnidium officinale (C. officinale) and Ligusticum chuanxiong (L. chuanxiong) are used as herbal drugs to treat blood pressure depressant, a deficiency disease of antivitamin, inhibition of small intestine sympathetic nerve and as cosmetics for skin care. However, little has been known about the protective effect of their essential oils against ultraviolet B (UVB)-induced DNA damage. METHODS In this study, we report antioxidant activity of their essential oils using DPPH and ABTS scavenging assay. In addition, the composition of essential oils was measured by GC/MS. We also investigated whether these essential oils could inhibit UVB-induced DNA damage and apoptosis in the mammalian cell using intracellular DNA migration and expression level of phospho-H2A.X. RESULTS Twenty constituents in the essential oil were identified and they showed good antioxidant properties, in that IC(50) value in DPPH and ABTS showed 6.79 and 7.33microg/ml and 1.58 and 1.58microg/ml in C. officinale and L. chuanxiong. Their treatment inhibited the migration of damaged DNA induced by UV-B; furthermore, they decreased p21 expression and increased cyclin D1 expression as apoptosis-regulatory genes. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that essential oils in C. officinale and L. chuanxiong may exert inhibitory effects on DNA damage and apoptosis induced by UVB through their high free radical scavenging ability.

Phytotoxic and antimicrobial activity of volatile constituents ofArtemisia princeps var.orientalis

The volatile constituents ofArtemisia princeps var.orientalis (wormwood) were investigated for phytotoxic and antimicrobial activities. The germination and radicle elongation of receptor plants were inhibited by volatile substances emitted from wormwood leaf and effects were concentration-dependent. Essential oil of the plant extracted by Karlsrukers apparatus suppressed seed germination and seedling elongation of the receptor plants at a threshold concentration of 4.8μl/100 ml.Escherichia coli was not susceptible to the wormwood essential oil, but the growth ofBacillus subtilis, Aspergillus nidulans, Fusarium solani, andPleurotus ostreatus was inhibited severely.

Scopoletin prevents alcohol-induced hepatic lipid accumulation by modulating the AMPK–SREBP pathway in diet-induced obese mice

OBJECTIVE This study investigated the effects of scopoletin on alcohol-induced hepatic lipid accumulation in diet-induced obese mice and its mechanism. MATERIAL/METHODS Alcohol (25% v/v, 5g/kg body weight) was orally administered once a day for 6 weeks to mice fed with a high-fat diet (35%kcal) with or without scopoletin (0.05%, wt/wt). RESULTS Scopoletin reduced plasma acetaldehyde, fatty acid, total cholesterol, triglyceride and insulin levels, hepatic lipid and droplets and fasting blood glucose levels that were increased by alcohol. Scopoletin significantly activated hepatic AMPK and inhibited ACC and SREBP-1c and the activities of lipogenic enzymes, such as FAS, PAP and G6PD compared to the alcohol control group. Moreover, scopoletin significantly inhibited hepatic CYP2E1 activity and protein levels but elevated the activities of SOD, CAT, GSH-Px and GST and the levels of GSH compared to the alcohol control group. The hepatic lipid peroxide level was significantly lowered by scopoletin supplementation in alcohol-administered obese mice. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, these results suggested that scopoletin can ameliorate alcohol-induced hepatic lipid accumulation by modulating AMPK-SREBP pathway-mediated lipogenesis in mice fed a high-fat diet.

Mycorrhizal Colonization and Plant Growth Affected by Aqueous Extract of Artemisia princeps var. orientalis and Two Phenolic Compounds

The effects of an aqueous extract of Artemisia princeps var. orientalis and two phenolic compounds on mycorrhizal colonization and plant growth have been investigated. Greenhouse studies showed that the inhibitory effect of the extract on mycorrhizal colonization and plant growth increased in proportion to the concentration of the extract. When the mycorrhizal test plants were treated with an increasing concentration of phenolic compounds, the mycorrhizal colonization in roots of the test plant and the plant growth were decreased. There were strong indications that mycorrhizal fungi mitigated the inhibitory influence of shoot extract of A. princeps var. orientalis and phenolic compounds.

Antimicrobial activity and chemical components of two plants, Artemisia capillaris and Artemisia iwayomogi , used as Korean herbal Injin

This study compared the antimicrobial activity and chemical composition of two plants used as “Injin” (Korean herbal medicine), namely, Injinho (Artemisia capillaris Thunberg) and Haninjin (Artemisia iwayomogi Kitamura). The ethyl acetate and ether fractions of crude methanol extracts from A. capillaris and A. iwayomogi were tested against three grampositive bacteria (Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus), two gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas fluorescens ), and a yeast (Saccharomyceus cerevisiae). The antimicrobial activity of the ethyl acetate and ether fraction of both plants was strong, but that of A. iwayomogi extracts was higher than that of A. capillaris extract for the microbes tested. The minimum inhibitory concentration of the ether and ethyl acetate fraction of A. iwayomogi was highest for P. fluorescens and lowest for S. aureus and E. coli. We analyzed the chemical composition of the ethyl acetate fraction of A. capillaris and A. iwayomogi using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The main components of A. capillaris and A. iwayomogi were escoparone (86.82%) and scopoletin (20.47%), respectively.

Comparative study of the hepatoprotective efficacy of Artemisia iwayomogi and Artemisia capillaris on ethanol-administered mice.

We compared the effects of ethylacetate extracts from Artemisia iwayomogi (AIE) and Artemisia capillaris (ACE) on ethanol-induced hepatic injury in mice. Ethanol (25% v/v, 5 g/kg body weight) was orally administered once a day for 6 wk. AIE or ACE was provided in the diet (0.05 g/100 g diet). AIE and ACE did not affect hepatic alcohol dehydrogenase activity but did significantly inhibit cytochrome P450 2E1 activity. Hepatic acetaldehyde dehydrogenase 2 activity significantly increased in the AIE group compared to the control group. AIE caused a significant decrease in plasma acetaldehyde levels and aspartate transaminase and lactate dehydrogenase activities, whereas ACE slightly decreased these values compared to the control. Hepatic catalase activity and glutathione levels were significantly increased by AIE and ACE supplements, whereas glutathione peroxidase activity was higher only in the AIE group compared to the control group. AIE and ACE supplements significantly lowered the plasma cholesterol concentration and increased the HDL-cholesterol/total cholesterol ratio compared to the control group. Compared to the control, both AIE and ACE groups showed a significant decrease in hepatic triglyceride levels and an increase in fecal triglyceride excretion simultaneous with inhibition hepatic activities of fatty acid synthase, phosphatidate phosphohyrolase, fatty acid β-oxidation, and carnitine palmitoyltransferase. AIE significantly lowered hepatic cholesterol levels and increased fecal cholesterol levels compared to the control. These results indicate that AIE and ACE exhibit hepatoprotective and hypolipidemic properties by enhancing hepatic alcohol, antioxidant, and lipid metabolism. AIE seemed to have more potent hepatoprotective effects than ACE.

Seasonal variation in allelopathic potential ofArtemisia princeps var.orientalis on plants and microbes

We investigated seasonal variations in allelopathic potential ofArtemisia princeps var.orientalis. Aqueous and meth-anol extracts and volatile substances were prepared in the laboratory from samples collected monthly (April through October). Their impacts were then assessed on the germination and seedling growth ofLactuca sativa andAchyranthes japonica. The allelopathic potential varied with the time of sample collection and the concentration tested. For example, germination ofL. sativa was not inhibited by the aqueous extract but seedling growth (shoots and roots) was, with its seasonal effect being significant. ForA. japonica, seed germination was not inhibited at lower concentrations (except for August samples). However, at higher concentrations and in certain months (especially July), germination was more negatively affected. The degree of seedling growth inhibition also differed by month and by extract concentration, with roots being impacted more than shoots. Volatile substances also had a time-dependent influence on the germination and seedling elongation ofA. japonica. In a separate experiment, the ethyl-acetate and water fractions of a crude methanol extract were prepared monthly fromA. princeps var.orientalis. Here, we examined their antimicrobial activities against three gram-positive bacteria (Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, andStaphylococcus aureus), two gramnegative bacteria (Escherichia coli andPseudomonas fluorescens), and one lactic acid bacterium,Lactobacillus plantar urn. The ethyl-acetate fraction that was sampled in September was remarkably potent againstB. cereus andB. subtilis, whereas the water fraction collected in August and September showed great antimicrobial activity against the grampositive and -negative bacteria. In contrast,L. plantarum was not inhibited by the water fraction, regardless of the sampling month. Likewise, the ethyl-acetate and water fractions collected in April and October had the lowest levels of antimicrobial activity.

Effects of the aqueous extract fromartemisia campestris ssp.caudata on mycorrhizal fungi colonization and growth of sand dune grasses

We used the aqueous extract fromArtemisia campesttis ssp.caudata to investigate its effects on the colonization of sand dune grass roots by mycorrhizal fungi and seedling growth. The percent colonization decreased with higher extract concentrations, and growth of three grass species was inhibited. Colonization by mycorrhizal fungi was more sensitive to the extract than was seedling growth, and no significant differences in the latter were found between the mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal treatments.

The Effect of Selected Monoterpenoids on the Cellular Slime Mold, Dictyostelium discoideum NC4

We tested the activity of 11 main compounds identified from Pinus plants on the growth of Dictyostelium discoideum NC4. Four concentrations (1, 0.1, 0.01, 0.001 μg/μl) of each compound were tested using a disk volatilization technique following germination of D. discoideum NC4 spores. Photographs of D. discoideum NC4 fruiting bodies were taken 2 days after treatment. Fenchone (at 0.1, 0.01, and 0.001 μg/μl) and camphene (at 0.01 μg/μl) stimulated growth of D. discoideum NC4. (1S)-(−)-verbenone, (1S)-(−)-α-pinene, (+)-β-pinene, myrcene, (−)-menthone, (−)-bornyl acetate, (S)-(+)-carvone, (−)-camphene, and (R)-(+)-limonene inhibit its growth. All of the compounds at 1 μg/μl had a strong inhibitory effect on cell growth of D. discoideum NC4. Microscopic observation of the fruiting bodies matched the results of growth rate analysis. Most of the inhibitory effects were represented by changes in the shapes of the fruiting bodies. These changes include short sorophores, smaller sized sori, and sori without spores. Our results suggest that inhibition of growth is the most common effect of monoterpenoids on D. discoideum NC4. Nevertheless, some of them, like fenchone and camphene, seem to enhance its growth.

Determination of saikosaponins in three Bupleurum plants by HPLC analysis

In this study, saikosaponins were determined from roots of three Bupleurum plants collected in June 2009. Bupleuri Radix (Bupleurum spp. root) is one of the most important crude drugs in Korea, China and Japan. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used for the determination of saikosaponin ‘a’, ‘b’ and ‘c’ in three Bupleurum plants. The highest total saikosaponin content was found in the B. falcatum ‘Mishima’ (1281.94 mg%). Total saikosaponin contents of B. falcatum and B. latissimum were 669.67 and 489.95 mg%, respectively. B. falcatum ‘Mishima’ and B. falcatum contained more saikosaponin ‘a’ than other saikosaponins. The contents of saikosaponin ‘a’ of B. falcatum ‘Mishima’ and B. falcatum were 745.74 and 484.60 mg%, respectively. In contrast, B. latissimum, an endemic species of Korea had higher saikosaponin ‘c’ (351.90 mg%) content than the other two saikosaponins and the content was higher than B. falcatum (181.71 mg%). B. latissimum, a Korean endemic species, is a good source for extraction/production of saikosaponin ‘c’.