As one of the gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), reflux esophagitis (RE) severely affects patients’ daily lives. Costunolide (Cos), pertains to a sesquiterpene lactone, performs multiple pharmacological activities including inhibited acute liver injury, anti-inflammation and anti-oxidant. We carried out our study to investigate the anti-inflammatory effect and protective effects of Cos against

In this study, Insect tea primary leaf (Malus sieboldii (Regal) Rehd.) was used as the research object to investigate the protective effect of Insect tea primary extract (ITPLE) on hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced oxidative damage in human embryonic kidney 293T cells (HEK 293T cells) and the mechanism of action of the main active components. The 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)- 2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium

In Korea, rapid industrialization has often caused severe soil and water pollution near industrial complexes. Particularly, heavy metal(loid) contamination of agricultural lands could induce serious long-term problems for crop safety and productivity, requiring continual safety assessment. This study investigated heavy metal(loid) contamination of agricultural lands near fifteen industrial complexes

In this study, we used RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to analyze and compare bulk cell samples from wild-type (WT) dermal mesenchymal stem cells (DMSCs) (n = 3) and Prx II knockout DMSCs (n = 3). The purpose of the study was to elucidate the role of Prx II on allogeneic immune rejection of transplanted DMSCs. The results revealed differential expression of 472 genes (176 up-regulated and 296 down-regulated;

To manage the safety of the herbicide metazachlor, analytical methods are required for the determination of metazachlor metabolites in agricultural crops. Herein, a liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) method was developed for the simultaneous determination of metazachlor metabolites (479M04, 479M08, and 479M16) in various agricultural commodities. After extraction using acetonitrile

This study aimed at increasing the stability of heat-labile and pH-sensitive microbial antioxidants by the microencapsulation. Microbial antioxidants from Mucor circinelloides were microencapsulated. The physico-chemical and powder flowing properties of resulting microcapsules were evaluated. The initial safety studies were evaluated by in vivo acute oral toxicity tests. The bio-accessibility of powders

Plastic waste management and recycling became a serious global issue as it affects living beings from all the ecosystems. Researchers investigated biodegradation of polyethylene (PE) by measuring changes in various physico-chemical and structural characteristics using techniques like as fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), etc. However, these evidences

Soybeans are used worldwide as food and as a healthy ingredient. Specifically, soy germ (SG) has received considerable attention owing to its abundant nutritional and biological components. This study aimed to elucidate the contents of isoflavone and soyasaponin of SG in 24 Korean soybean cultivars and the osteogenic activity of individual compounds. The isoflavone content in the SG ranged from 1110

Agsatache rugosa (Korean mint), belongs to the mint family and it has various medicinal properties. In addition, it has several valuable compounds such as monoterpenes and phenylpropanoid compounds. Amongst these, two compounds viz., rosmarinic acid (RA), and tilianin are well-known natural compounds that have numerous pharmacological properties. The phenylpropanoid biosynthetic gene expression under

The metabolites that provide the aroma and flavor to wine are the products of several influences, such as grape cultivar, geographic location and associated environmental features, viticultural practices, and vinification techniques, which are central to production protocols, quality evaluation and development of wine regions. Accordingly, we initiated the requisite studies to investigate the differences

Dysfunction of tight junctions and their components can cause diverse skin diseases. Here, we investigated the expression of claudin 1, a major tight junction protein, and changes of tight junction capacity upon treatment of the extracts of Cudrania tricuspidata (C. tricuspidata) and its components, chlorogenic acid, kaempferol, and quercetin. The effects of ethanol extracts of C. tricuspidata (EECT)

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by the abnormal assembly of amyloid-β (Aβ) and tau aggregates in the brain. When Aβ and tau proteins misfold, progressive brain cell death, synaptic loss, atrophy, and cognitive decline are observed. Here, we report that the memory-enhancing botanical natural product mixture, HX106N, efficiently inhibits formation of Aβ oligomers

Severe inflammatory reactions caused by macrophage activation can trigger a systemic immune response. In the present study, we observed the anti-inflammatory properties of hispidin on LPS induced RAW264.7 macrophage cells. Our results showed that hispidin treatment significantly reduced the production of cellular NO, IL-6 and reactive oxygen species (ROS) while has not inhibitory effect on TNF-α productions

This study was conducted to evaluate (i) the characteristics of ammonia gas emissions from soybean cultivation soils amended with varying levels of urea and soil water, and (ii) the rate of reduction in ammonia emissions that could be obtained by applying mixed microorganisms (MM) to the urea-treated soils. The ammonia gas emissions from all treatments except the control were highest on day 2 of a

Foodborne Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) cause severe diarrhea and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) in humans. However, traditional methods for STEC sterilization are difficult to apply to fresh food. To control the pathogen, phage infecting E. coli O157:H7 were isolated and characterized. The isolated phage vB_EcoM-ECP26 had an icosahedral head and a contractile tail, and was classified

Platelet factor-4 variant 1 (PF4V1) was recently described as a natural non-allelic gene variant of platelet factor-4 (PF4), which has been closely associated with the growth and metastasis of various cancers. Our previous research showed that PF4V1 was related to oral squamous cells carcinoma (OSCC) metastasis. Howerver, it is still not clear about the functional role of PF4V1 in OSCC. In this study

The nitrogen cycle and the associated microbes play an important role in natural ecosystems, including terrestrial habitats; they also have a major effect on climate change. The aim of this study was to explore microbial communities in rice paddy soil by detecting and quantifying some key functional genes involved in the nitrogen cycle using molecular techniques such as conventional polymerase chain

Myrrh, a resin derived from the damaged bark of Commiphora genus, has traditionally been used for treatment of various human diseases, such as amenorrhea, ache, tumors, fever, and stomach pains. In spite of this widespread use of the myrrh in Ethiopia, the pharmacological activity and chemical composition have not been studied in detail. A new tricyclic triterpene acid (3S,4S,14S,7E,17E,21Z)-3,30-dihydroxypodioda-7

Pomegranates (Punica granatum L.) are gaining popularity among consumers because of their high antioxidant activity and multiple medical benefits. China is rich in pomegranate genetic resources, but how to use them effectively is a problem worthy of deep consideration. In this article, thirty-seven pomegranate varieties from seven provinces in China were collected and analyzed for twelve phenotypic

The phenylurea herbicides are used to control annual and perennial weeds on crop cultivating fields. The excessive usage of these agrochemicals increase many environmental problems. Thus, engineering transgenic plant for herbicide metabolism can provide efficient and eco-friendly means for enhanced phytoremediation capacity. Cytochrome P450 enzymes comprise one of the major plant enzyme families that

Aegilops tauschii (Ae. tauschii) is a diploid (2n = 2x = 14) wild grass species, which has been reported as the progenitor of hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum) with D-genome. In this study, 68 Ae. tauschii accessions with diverse geographical backgrounds were investigated for their resistance to infection by the leaf rust fungi Puccinia triticina. Two Ae. tauschii accessions that exhibited hyper-resistance

The adsorption of phenanthrene onto activated carbons produced from Vitisvinifera leaf litter (a waste plant biomass) was investigated in this study. Zinc chloride (ZnCl2) and phosphoric acid (H3PO4) were utilised as activating agents in producing the activated carbons. The characterisation of the activated carbons was achieved with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (for surface functional groups)

Endosulfan sulfate is a major oxidized metabolite of endosulfan, which is a broad-spectrum chlorinated cyclodiene insecticide. In this study, GC–MS-based metabolic profiles of dead or live carp (Cyprinus carpio) exposed to endosulfan sulfate were investigated to elucidate the molecular toxicological effects of endosulfan sulfate on carp. Three different extraction methods were compared, and a 50% methanol

The chemical or metabolic compositions of tea (Camellia sinensis) varies according to numerous factors, such as geographical origin, cultivar, climate, plucking position, and horticultural practices. However, how the age of tea plants affects the metabolite compositions of tea leaves has not been reported yet. Therefore, we extended the metabolomic approach to the investigation of the age-related differences

Viscum album subsp. Coloratum, also known as Korean mistletoe, is a traditional herb that has more recently been used for the treatment of nervine, hypertensive and cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, this study was undertaken to access the anti-obesity effect of Korean mistletoe-derived polypeptide viscothionin using 3T3-L1 adipocytes in vitro and in vivo mouse experimental model. Viscothionin (up

Eutrophication of natural water is a universal problem. Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) from agricultural runoff are the main sources of nutrient input, provided that emissions from industrial point sources (IPS) are under control. Therefore, it is of great environmental importance to reduce pollution associated with agricultural runoff as a means of regulating eutrophication levels in natural water

The leading causes of oral cancer treatment failure are cancer metastasis and chemotherapeutic resistance. Thus, developing novel anticancer agents that are effective against those aggressive cancer cells would be important for complementary or alternative treatments. The objective of this study was to investigate cytotoxicity and anticancer mechanisms of a synthetic trienone analog of curcumin, 1

Transglutaminases (TGases) are enzymes that catalyze transfer of acyl group and covalent crosslinks formation between peptide-bound glutaminyl residues and amino groups. TGases have many industrial applications and have been purified from various sources. TGase was purified from the bovine liver extract by gel filtration on Sephacryl S-200 HR column. TGase activity was measured using CBZ-l-glutaminylglycine

Although several explications of anti-inflammatory therapeutic substances for treating inflammatory-related diseases have been broadly discussed within the last few decades, peptide-based compounds display the potential to be novel inflammation treatment agents. Here, we evaluated the anti-inflammatory activity and other inflammation-associated activities, including anti-oxidative stress and anti-apoptosis

Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a complex biological event, wherein polarized epithelial cells lose their integrity resulting in a mesenchymal phenotype with enhanced motility, a phenomenon known as metastasis. However, the underlying mechanisms of EMT are still poorly understood in cervical carcinomas. In this study, we investigated the molecular signalling events responsible for the

Co-composting of organic wastes is globally recognized to be effective method to dispose two or more wastes at once and minimize drawbacks of composting such as gases emissions and nutrient reduction. In this study, pilot-scale experiments were conducted to characterize the co-composting process of chicken manure with cow manure (CC), swine manure (CS), plant residues plus mushroom media (CRM), on

The microbiota is indispensable for human health and the regulation of various body functions, including energy metabolism. The harmonic crosstalk between the microbiota and the intestinal epithelial barrier determines gut homeostasis and health status in the healthy subject. Obesity and type 2 diabetes risk are, to some extent, explained by alterations in the microbiota. Since recent data indicate

Antibiotics have been identified as a new type of environmental contaminant because of their increased use in farm animal production systems. Those drugs that animals are not absorbed mostly are excreted in the feces and urine and contaminates soils. However, the effects of antibiotics on crop plants are still largely unknown. In this study, we determined the effects of chlortetracycline (CTC), a veterinary

Fructans are polymers of fructose that are present as storage carbohydrates in various plants. Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) contains a high amount of inulin. Two enzymes are involved in inulin biosynthesis. The sucrose:sucrose 1-fructosyltransferase (1-SST) enzyme mainly catalyzes the synthesis of 1-kestose from sucrose. In the next step, fructan:fructan 1-fructosyltransferase (1-FFT)

The toxic effect of dioxins and dioxin-like compounds have largely been studied using in vivo techniques; however, in vivo studies can be limited when rapid screening is required. Microtox® can be used as a rapid ecotoxicity assessment tool for dioxins in the environment, but studies on the assessment of dioxins and dioxin-like compounds using bioluminescent bacteria Allivibrio fischeri are limited

Dicofol is an organochlorine insecticide widely used to prevent pests worldwide. Consequently, serious environmental problems have arisen from the application of dicofol. Bioremediation is an effective solution for dicofol persistence in the environment. In this study, a bacterial strain D-2, identified to genus Microbacterium, capable of degrading dicofol was isolated from dicofol-contaminated agricultural

Organic farming has positive effects on soil microbial population, process, and activity. To examine effects of two different management methods (organic farming vs. conventional farming) on the cultivation of Japanese apricot, contents of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME), total glomalin, and soil chemical properties were analyzed and compared. The organic farming practice resulted in significantly higher

Straw incorporation is strongly recommended in rice paddy to improve soil quality and mitigate atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), via increasing soil organic carbon (SOC) stock. However, straw application significantly increased methane (CH4) emission during rice cultivation, and then its incorporation area was not expanded effectively. To find the reasonable straw management practice which can reduce

Biosorption is an effective way of extracting heavy metal ions from aqueous solutions of various compositions. The brown algae, Cystoseria indica, when treated with sodium chloride, demonstrates significant capacity to extract cadmium and nickel, simultaneously, from aqueous solutions. The batch system was running over wide ranges of initial metal ion concentrations (5–150 mg/L), pH (2–6), adsorbent

TARGET OF RAPAMYCIN (TOR), a member of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-related family of protein kinases, is encoded by a single, large gene and is evolutionarily conserved in all eukaryotes. TOR plays a role as a master regulator that integrates nutrient, energy, and stress signaling to orchestrate development. TOR was first identified in yeast mutant screens, as its mutants conferred resistance

Oxidative stress causes neuronal cell death in various neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, ischemia, and Parkinson’s disease. Therefore, reducing intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) has been evaluated as an effective treatment strategy for neurodegenerative disorders. Methyl lucidone (MLC) extracted from Lindera erythrocarpa Makino (Lauraceae) has been previously reported

Phosphate (Pho) regulon plays a critical role in bacterial phosphate homeostasis. It is regulated by two-component system (TCS) that comprises a sensor histidine kinase and transcriptional response regulator (RR). PhoP from Enterococcus faecalis (EfPhoP) belongs to the OmpR subfamily of RRs. It has not yet been structurally characterized because it is difficult to crystallize it to full-length form

In this study, we investigated the occurrence of aflatoxins (AFs) and ochratoxin A (OTA) in meju and soybean paste produced in South Korea. Samples were collected from three regions divided on the basis of climate in South Korea. A total of 100 meju samples were analyzed over 3 years (2012–2015), and 45 soybean paste samples were analyzed in 2016. Mycotoxins were extracted with an immunoaffinity column

Piperaceae plants consist of about 3600 species, of which about 2000 are Piper plants. Their habitat is distributed across pantropical regions. The representative plant is Piper nigrum, known as black pepper. These plants have been widely used in folk medicine in Korean traditional medicine. This review collected papers identifying and separating the amides obtained from these Piper plants, with a

Heavy metals including Lead (Pb), Cadmium (Cd), Arsenic (As) and Aluminium (Al) were analysed in oilseeds, noodles, tea leaves and their processed or cooked products to study the effects of food processing methods on migration of heavy metals. The heavy metals were determined with ICP-MS and ICP-OES following microwave-assisted acid digestion. Heavy metals in oilseeds, noodles and teas were reduced

Fluorine-containing compounds are widely used because they have properties required in textiles and coatings for electronic, automotive, and outdoor products. However, fluorinated compounds do not easily break down in nature, which has resulted in their accumulation in the environment as well as the human body. Recently, the enzymatic defluorination of fluorine-containing compounds has gained increasing

In this study, the antimelanogenic activity of piperlongumine in murine B16F10 melanoma cells and zebrafish was investigated, and its mode of antimelanogenic action was elucidated using quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. A melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH, 200 nM) was used to induce melanin production in B16F10 melanoma cells, and kojic acid (200 μM) was used as a positive

MiSeq-derived artificial sequences appeared to be of good quality, thus bioinformatics tools failed to remove MiSeq artefacts. Even after removing singleton sequences or operational taxonomic units (OTUs), it is not clear how many sequence artefacts remained. Here, 16S rRNA genes were amplified from soil, human feces, pig feces, and groundwater. These were sequenced with five separate runs of MiSeq

Cancer is known to be a fierce disease that causes a large percentage of the deaths worldwide. The common cancer treatments; chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery are known for their severe side effects; therefore scientists are working on finding solutions to reduce these drawbacks. One of these treatment systems is the sustained released drugs formulations, these systems depend on the encapsulation

To investigate the effects of extraction solvents and drying methods on Plectranthus hadiensis var. tomentosus quality, eight compounds were isolated and the content of active compounds with their antioxidant activities were compared. Compounds 1 and 2 were known antioxidants, whereas the low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-antioxidant activities of compounds 3, 5, 6, and 7 are reported for the first time

X-ray crystallography is an important method used to confirm the three-dimensional structure of a chemical compound. In this study, the crystal structure of endosulfan sulfate was investigated. Endosulfan sulfate is the major metabolite of the insecticide endosulfan, which is composed of two stereoisomers (α and β). From GC–MS analysis, α- and β-endosulfan each gave a single peak in the endosulfan

Flowering at the right time is essential for maximum reproductive fitness. In Arabidopsis thaliana, the CONSTANS (CO) protein facilitates the transition from the vegetative phase to the reproductive phase under long-day conditions. The formation of heterodimeric complexes between CO and DNA binding domain-containing transcription factors is important for the induction of day length-dependent flowering

Melanoma is the leading cause of skin cancer deaths, and the poor prognosis of metastatic melanoma has made needs for a novel pharmacological treatment or efficient intervention. Carnosol, a major polyphenolic compound from Rosmarinus officinalis, has a wide range of biological activities including anti-cancer effect. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of its anti-cancer effect remain poorly

Gene flow from transgenic crops to conventional cultivars or wild relatives is a major environmental and economic concern in many countries. South Korea is one of the major importer of transgenic crops for food and feed, although commercial cultivation of transgenic crops is not yet allowed in this country. This study evaluated gene flow from the herbicide glyphosate- and glufosinate-resistant transgenic

Heavy metal pollution in soil has been concerned because of toxicity in ecosystem and adverse effect on human health. Main objective of this study was to examine reduction of bioavailable heavy metals and consequently, decrease of ecotoxicity to biota when chemical amendments were applied in soil. Three chemical amendments, acid mine drainage sludge (AMDS), lime stone (LS), and steel slag (SS) were