Misook Kim

Anti-inflammatory effect of fucoidan extracted from Ecklonia cava in zebrafish model.

Fucoidan extracted from Ecklonia cava had strong anti-inflammatory activities. However, the direct effects of fucoidan of E. cava on anti-inflammatory activities in vivo model remained to be determined. Therefore, the present study was designed to assess in vivo anti-inflammatory effect of fucoidan extracted from E. cava (ECF) using tail-cutting-induced and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated zebrafish model. Treating zebrafish model with tail-cutting and LPS-treatment significantly increased the ROS and NO level. However, ECF inhibited this tail-cutting-induced and LPS-stimulated ROS and NO generation. These results show that ECF alleviated inflammation by inhibiting the ROS and NO generation induced by tail-cutting and LPS-treatment. In addition, ECF has a protective effect against the toxicity induced by LPS exposure in zebrafish embryos. This outcome could explain the potential anti-inflammatory activity of ECF, which might have a beneficial effect during the treatment of inflammatory diseases.

Comparison of neuroprotective effects of five major lipophilic diterpenoids from Danshen extract against experimentally induced transient cerebral ischemic damage

We observed neuroprotective effects of five major lipophilic diterpenes derived from Danshen (Radix Salvia miltiorrhiza) extract, such as cryptotanshinone (CTs), dihydrotanshinone I (DTsI), tanshinone I (TsI), tanshinone IIA (TsIIA) and tanshinone IIB (TsIIB), in the hippocampal CA1 region (CA1) against transient ischemic damage in gerbils. These diterpenes were administered 30min before ischemia-reperfusion and the animals were sacrificed 4days after ischemia-reperfusion. In the vehicle-treated-group, cresyl violet positive (CV(+)) cells and neuronal nuclei (NeuN)(+) neurons were significantly decreased in the CA1. However, in the TsI- and CTs-treated-ischemia-groups, CV(+) and NeuN(+) neurons were abundant in the CA1. In the other groups, the number of CV(+) and NeuN(+) neurons was less than the TsI- and CTs-treated-ischemia-groups. In addition, gliosis induced by ischemic damage was apparently blocked in the TsI- and CTs-treated-ischemia-groups. These results suggest that TsI and CTs among five major lipophilic diterpenes have strong potentials for neuroprotection against ischemic damage.

Utilization of whole sweet sorghum containing juice, leaves, and bagasse for bio-ethanol production.

Sweet sorghum is one of the most attractive feedstocks for producing liquid fuels in the world since it is well adapted to the various land conditions and efficiently converts CO2 into sugars. Sweet sorghum was evaluated as a raw substrate for production of ethanol from the whole plant. It consists of 37% juice, 8% seed head, 36% bagasse, and 19% leaf matter which can produce ethanol via fermentation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Especially, starch in seeds was hydrolyzed to simple sugars by amylase. Bagasse and leaf matter were treated with calcium hydroxide at 121°C for 1 h at 15 psi before hydrolysis by cellulase. In this study, 1 ton of whole sweet sorghum contains 283 kg solid matter and 229.8 kg carbohydrates and produces 59 kg ethanol.

The ingredients in Saengshik, a formulated health food, inhibited the activity of α-amylase and α-glucosidase as anti-diabetic function

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES We investigated total 26 ingredients of Saengshik which will be commercially produced as an anti-diabetic dietary supplement. SUBJECTS/METHODS Thirteen vegetables, nine cereals, three legumes and one seed were extracted with aqueous ethanol for 2 h at 60℃, and evaluated for their inhibitory effects against α-amylase and α-glucosidase and for total phenolic and flavonoid contents. RESULTS All ingredients inhibited α-amylase activity except cabbage. Strong inhibitory activity of α-amylase was observed in leek, black rice, angelica and barley compared with acarbose as a positive control. Stronger inhibition of α-glucosidase activity was found in small water dropwort, radish leaves, sorghum and cabbage than acarbose. All Saengshik ingredients suppressed α-glucosidase activity in the range of 0.3-60.5%. Most ingredients contained total phenols which were in the range of 1.2-229.4 mg gallic acid equivalent/g dried extract. But, total phenolic contents were not observed in carrot, pumpkin and radish. All ingredients contained flavonoid in the range of 11.6-380.7 mg catechin equivalent/g dried extract. CONCLUSIONS Our results demonstrate that Saengshik containing these ingredients would be an effective dietary supplement for diabetes.

Ethanol production potential of sweet sorghum assessed using forage fiber analysis procedures

Sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) is widely recognized as a highly promising biomass energy crop with particular potential to complement sugarcane production in diversified cropping systems. Agronomic assessments have led to identification of four cultivars well suited for such sugarcane‐based production systems in southern Louisiana. Sweet sorghum biofuel production systems are currently being developed, and research producing large sample numbers requiring ethanol yield assessment is anticipated. Fiber analysis approaches developed for forage evaluation appear to be useful for screening such large numbers of samples for relative ethanol yield. Chemical composition, forage fiber characteristics, digestibility, and ethanol production of sweet sorghum bagasse from the four cultivars were assessed. Measures of detergent fiber, lignin, and digestibility were highly correlated with ethanol production (P < 0.01). The best linear regression models accounted for about 80% of the variation among cultivars in ethanol production. Bagasse from the cultivar Dale produced more ethanol per gram of material than any of the other cultivars. This superior ethanol production was apparently associated with less lignin in stems of Dale. Forage evaluation measures including detergent fiber analyses, in vitro digestibility, and an in vitro gas production technique successfully identified the cultivar superior in ethanol yield indicating their usefulness for screening sweet sorghum samples for potential ethanol production in research programs generating large sample numbers from evaluations of germ plasm or agronomic treatments. These screening procedures reduce time and expense of alternatives such as hexose sugar assessment for calculating theoretical ethanol yield.

Production of rubusoside from stevioside by using a thermostable lactase from Thermus thermophilus and solubility enhancement of liquiritin and teniposide.

Solubility is an important factor for achieving the desired plasma level of drug for pharmacological response. About 40% of drugs are not soluble in water in practice and therefore are slowly absorbed, which results in insufficient and uneven bioavailability and GI toxicity. Rubusoside (Ru) is a sweetener component in herbal tea and was discovered to enhance the solubility of a number of pharmaceutically and medicinally important compounds, including anticancer compounds. In this study, thirty-one hydrolyzing enzymes were screened for the conversion of stevioside (Ste) to Ru. Recombinant lactase from Thermus thermophiles which was expressed in Escherichia coli converted stevioside to rubusoside as a main product. Immobilized lactase was prepared and used for the production of rubusoside; twelve reaction cycles were repeated with 95.4% of Ste hydrolysis and 49 g L(-1) of Ru was produced. The optimum rubusoside synthesis yield was 86% at 200 g L(-1), 1200 U lactase. The purified 10% rubusoside solution showed increased water solubility of liquiritin from 0.98 mg mL(-1) to 4.70±0.12 mg mL(-1) and 0 mg mL(-1) to 3.42±0.11 mg mL(-1) in the case of teniposide.

Phlorotannin-rich Ecklonia cava reduces the production of beta-amyloid by modulating alpha- and gamma-secretase expression and activity.

Beta-amyloid (Aβ) is a major pathogenic peptide in Alzheimers disease (AD) and is generated by the processing of amyloid precursor protein (APP). We have previously reported that the brown algae Ecklonia cava, which has anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory functions, decreased Aβ production and further aggregation in HEK293 cells expressing the APP Swedish mutation. Here, we show the reduction mechanism of Aβ production using the butanol extract of Ecklonia cava through the examination of expression and activity of alpha-, beta-, and gamma-secretase. Treatment with the extract resulted in the activation of alpha-secretase with a contrasting decrease in its mRNA and protein expression. This activation was consistent with the translocation of the extract into the plasma membrane of the secretase. Gamma-secretase activity was lowered by E. cava, and this effect may be due to the decreased expression of PSEN1 mRNA and protein. In addition, the basal nuclear location of PSEN1, which may affect chromosome missegregation in neurodegenerative disease, was reduced by the extract, despite the significance of this finding remains unclear. Taken together, these results led us to conclude that E. cava regulated the expression and activity of gamma-secretase and alpha-secretase, leading to a reduction in Aβ production by the stable cells. Our data indicate that E. cava is a novel natural-product candidate for AD treatment, although further in vivo studies are needed.

The influence of flavonoid compounds on the in vitro inhibition study of a human fibroblast collagenase catalytic domain expressed in E. coli.

The human fibroblast collagenase catalytic domain (MMP1ca) that is considered a prototype for all interstitial collagenase and plays an important role in the turnover of collagen fibrils in the matrix was expressed as an inclusion body in the Escherichia coli. The purified enzyme displayed activity with substrate Dnp-Pro-Leu-Ala-Leu-Trp-Ala-Arg-OH with a K(m) value of 26.61±1.42 μM. The inhibition activity of the nine flavonoid compounds and gallic acid against MMP1ca was examined. Among the compounds tested, the IC(50) of seven flavonoid compounds were determined and ranged from 14.13 to 339.21 μM. Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) showed the highest inhibition toward MMP1ca with IC(50) values of 14.13±0.49 μM. EGCG showed a competitive inhibition pattern with a K(i) value of 10.47±0.51 μM. The free binding energy of EGCG against MMP1ca was -13.07 kcal mol(-1), which was calculated by using Autodock 3.0.5 software and showed numerous hydrophobic and hydrogen bond interactions. The galloyl group of EGCG, gallocatechin gallate and epicatechin gallate was determined to be important for inhibitory activity against MMP1ca.

Structural and rheological properties of potato starch affected by degree of substitution by octenyl succinic anhydride

ABSTRACT The objective of the present study was to investigate the structural and rheological properties of octenyl succinic anhydrate (OSA) modified potato starch. Potato starch was modified with different concentrations of OSA (0, 1, 3, and 5%, v/v). X-ray results suggested that OSA modification did not disrupt the crystallinity of the native starch, and esterification occurs primarily in the amorphous regions. The use of 1H-NMR spectra confirmed the presence of methyl protons in substituted OSA groups, which interacted with the starch molecules. In steady shear rheological analysis, OSA modified starch pastes showed a pronounced shear thinning behavior (n = 0.47–0.54). The consistency index (K) and yield stress (σoc) values of OSA modified starch pastes were significantly lower than those of the native starch. Dynamic shear rheological tests indicated that OSA modified starch pastes had weak gel-like behavior with storage moduli (G’) higher than loss moduli (G’’). OSA potato starch pastes were more viscous as compared to the native potato starch paste, as evidenced by their higher tan δ values.

Antioxidant Activity of Korean Traditional Soy Sauce Fermented in Korean Earthenware, Onggi, from Different Regions

The purpose of this study was to compare color, protease, and antioxidant activities of Korean traditional soy sauce fermented for 120 days in Onggis obtained from five regions-Gangjin, Jeju, Ulsan, Yeoju, and Yesan in Korea. The brown color of soy sauce was increased during the fermentation period and was the highest in soy sauce fermented in Yesan. The values of total phenol contents, protease activity, and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity activities were also increased during the fermenta- tion period of soy sauce. Soy sauce fermented in Gangjin Onggi showed the highest protease activity, total phenol contents, DPPH radical scavenging activity, and FRAP ability. The partial least squares regression analysis indicated that the regional Onggis affect the quality of soy sauce with in terms of color, protease activity, and antioxidant activity.