Pectolinarigenin, an aglycone of pectolinarin, has more potent inhibitory activities on melanogenesis than pectolinarin.

Pectolinarin and pectolinarigenin have been reported to be major compounds in Cirsium setidens. In the present study, we demonstrated inhibitory effects of pectolinarin and pectolinarigenin from C. setidens on melanogenesis.

Composition and Bioactivity of Lipophilic Metabolites from Needles and Twigs of Korean and Siberian Pines (Pinus koraiensis Siebold & Zucc. and Pinus sibirica Du Tour).

Lipophilic extractive metabolites in different parts of the shoot system (needles and defoliated twigs) of Korean pine, Pinus koraiensis, and Siberian pine, Pinus sibirica, were studied by GC/MS. Korean pine needles comprised mainly bornyl p-coumarate, heterocyclic 15-O-functionalized labdane type acids (lambertianic acid), 10-nonacosanol, sterols and their esters. While Siberian pine needles contained less bornyl p-coumarate, lambertianic acid, sterols and their esters, but were richer in other 15-O-functionalized labdane type acids.

Preventive and therapeutic effects of blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) extract against DSS-induced ulcerative colitis by regulation of antioxidant and inflammatory mediators.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an inflammatory disorder caused by hyperactivation of effector immune cells that produce high levels of proinflammatory cytokines. The aims of our study were to determine whether orally administered blueberry extract (BE) could attenuate or prevent the development of experimental colitis in mice and to elucidate the mechanism of action. Female Balb/C mice (n=7) were randomized into groups differing in treatment conditions (prevention and treatment) and dose of BE (50 mg/kg body weight).

Bioavailability of ginsenosides from white and red ginsengs in the simulated digestion model.

This study aims to investigate the bioavailability of ginsenosides during simulated digestion of white (WG) and red (RG) ginseng powders. Stability, bioaccessibility, and permeability of ginsenosides present in WG and RG were studied in a Caco-2 cell culture model coupled with oral, gastric, and small intestinal simulated digestion. Most ginsenosides in WG and RG were stable (>90%) during the simulated digestion.

Aceriphyllum rossii extract and its active compounds, quercetin and kaempferol inhibit IgE-mediated mast cell activation and passive cutaneous anaphylaxis.

Aceriphyllum rossii contains an abundant source of natural flavonoids with potential antioxidant, anticancer and anti-inflammatory properties. However, the effect of A. rossii extract (ARE) on immunoglobulin E(IgE)-mediated allergic responses remains unknown.

Low-volatile lipophilic compounds in needles, defoliated twigs, and outer bark of Pinus thunbergii.

Despite a long history of the use of Pinus thunbergii for technical, medicinal, agricultural, and other purposes, the composition of low-volatile metabolites in the used parts of the plant has been poorly investigated. We report here on the distribution of lipophilic extractive compounds in different parts of the shoot system (needles, defoliated twigs, outer bark) of P. thunbergii studied by GC/MS.

Optimisation of pressurised liquid extraction of antioxidants from black bamboo leaves.

To develop an efficient green extraction approach for recovering bioactive compounds from natural plants, the potential of using pressurised liquid extraction (PLE) was examined on black bamboo (Phyllostachys nigra) leaves, with ethanol/water as solvents. The superheated PLE process showed a higher recovery of most constituents and antioxidative activity, compared to reflux extraction, with a significantly improved recovery of the total phenolic (TP) and flavonoid (TF) content and DPPH radical scavenging ability. For a broad range of ethanol aqueous solutions and temperatures, 50% EtOH and 200°C (static time: 25min) gave the best performance, in terms of the TP and TF (75% EtOH) content yield and DPPH scavenging ability (25% EtOH).

Structure, enzymatic transformation and anticancer activity of branched high molecular weight laminaran from brown alga Eisenia bicyclis.

The structure of high molecular weight laminaran from brown alga Eisenia bicyclis was investigated by chemical and enzymatic methods, NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. The laminaran from E. bicyclis was characterized as 1,3;1,6-β-D-glucan with the high content of 1,6-linked glucose residues (ratio of bonds 1,3:1,6=1.

Antioxidant activity of phenolics in leaves of three red pepper (Capsicum annuum) cultivars.

The antioxidant properties and phenolic profiles were first investigated in this paper on the leaves of three red pepper cultivars, Blackcuban (BCPL), Hongjinju (HPL), and Yeokgang-hongjanggun (YHPL). Of the ethanol extract of the three cultivars, BCPL showed potent antioxidant activities against the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH) and the 2,2-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical. Nine antioxidative compounds from the red pepper leaves were isolated and identified as one polyamine phenolic conjugate, N-caffeoylputrescine (1); three chlorogenic acid derivatives, 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid (2), 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid methyl ester (4), and 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid butyl ester (9); one anthocyanin, delphinidin-3-[4-trans-coumaroyl-l-rhamnosyl(1→6)glucopyranoside]-5-O-glucopyranoside (3); and four flavone glycosides, luteolin-7-O-apiofuranosyl(1→2)glucopyranoside (5), luteolin-7-O-glucopyranoside (6), apigenin 7-O-apiofuranosyl(1→2)glucopyranoside (7), apigenin-7-O-glucopyranoside (8).

Functional implication of β-carotene hydroxylases in soybean nodulation.

Legume-Rhizobium spp. symbiosis requires signaling between the symbiotic partners and differential expression of plant genes during nodule development. Previously, we cloned a gene encoding a putative β-carotene hydroxylase (GmBCH1) from soybean (Glycine max) whose expression increased during nodulation with Bradyrhizobium japonicum.

Determination of major phlorotannins in Eisenia bicyclis using hydrophilic interaction chromatography: seasonal variation and extraction characteristics.

In this study, a hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) condition was developed for the simultaneous determination of five major phlorotannins from an extract of Eisenia bicyclis (Kjellman) Setchell with good linearity (r(2)>0.999). Based on this method, the seasonal variations and extraction characteristics, in terms of total extraction yield and the content of the phlorotannins, were investigated under various extraction conditions.

Chalcones from the flowers of Coreopsis lanceolata and their in vitro antioxidative activity.

Three new chalcones, 3,2'-dihydroxy-4,3'-dimethoxychalcone-4'-glucoside (1), 4'-O-(2'''-O-caffeoyl)2',3',3,4-tetrahydroxychalcone (2), and 2',4',3-trihydroxy-3',4-dimethoxychalcone (3), along with five known phenolics, were isolated from Coreopsis lanceolata flowers. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic methods including NMR and MS. The three new chalcones showed a good in vitro HepG2 cell protecting effect against tert-butylhydroperoxide-induced oxidative stress.

Lipophilic extracts from needles and defoliated twigs of Pinus pumila from two different populations.

Hexane extracts of needles and defoliated twigs of Pinus pumila (Pall.) Regel from two distant populations, located in the southwest and the east (i.e.

Study of skin anti-ageing and anti-inflammatory effects of dihydroquercetin, natural triterpenoids, and their synthetic derivatives.

Accessible triterpenoids of ursane and lupane series, the flavonoid dihydroquercetin and their synthetic derivatives with polar substituentss were tested in vitro for inhibition of collagenase 1 (MMP-1) in UVB irradiation assay. Ursolic acid and uvaol disuccinate were the most active inhibitors in the ursane series. In the lupane series, the best inhibition was manifested by carboxymethyl ester of betulonic acid and betulin succinates.

Edible seaweed, Eisenia bicyclis, protects retinal ganglion cells death caused by oxidative stress.

The purpose of the present study was to determine whether edible seaweed, Eisenia bicyclis, is effective in blunting the negative influence of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) on rat retinas and of oxidative stress-induced transformed retinal ganglion cell (RGC-5 cell line) death. The ethanol extract of E. bicyclis (EEEB) significantly attenuated the negative insult of L: -buthionine-(S,R)-sulfoximine plus glutamate on RGC-5 cells.

Content of antioxidative caffeoylquinic acid derivatives in field-grown Ligularia fischeri (Ledeb.) Turcz and responses to sunlight.

Ligularia fischeri (Ledeb.) Turcz, a commercial leafy vegetable, contains caffeoylquinic acid derivatives (CQAs) as major phenolic constituents. The HPLC chromatograms of leaf extracts collected from different areas in Korea showed a significant variation in CQA amount, and two tri-O-caffeoylquinic acids (triCQAs) were purified and structurally identified by NMR and MS from this plant.

Two unsaturated fatty acids with potent α-glucosidase inhibitory activity purified from the body wall of sea cucumber (Stichopus japonicus).

Unlabelled: One therapeutic approach for preventing diabetes mellitus and obesity is to retard the absorption of glucose via inhibition of α-glucosidase. Two unsaturated fatty acids with strong α-glucosidase inhibitory activity, 7(Z)-octadecenoic acid (1) and 7(Z),10(Z)-octadecadienoic acid (2), were purified from the body wall of Stichopus japonicus. IC(50) values of compounds 1 and 2 were 0.

A potential commercial source of fucoxanthin extracted from the microalga Phaeodactylum tricornutum.

Fucoxanthin, one of the main marine carotenoids, is abundant in macro- and microalgae. Here, fucoxanthin was isolated and structurally identified as the major carotenoid in the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum through chromatographic and spectroscopic methods, such as liquid chromatography-positive-ion atmospheric pressure chemical ionization/mass spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance. This pigment was quantified by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, and a number of extraction procedures were assessed to investigate the effect of solvent type, extraction time, temperature, and extraction method (maceration, ultrasound-assisted extraction, Soxhlet extraction, and pressurized liquid extraction).

Anti-inflammatory activity of hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives isolated from corn bran in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated Raw 264.7 macrophages.

In this study, the effect of the 80% ethanolic extract of corn bran (EECB) on inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) production and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated Raw 264.7 cells was investigated. The EECB inhibited LPS-induced NO production and iNOS expression in a dose-dependent manner.

Inhibitory effect of ursolic acid derivatives on recombinant human aldose reductase.

Aldose reductase (AR) is the first enzyme in the polyol pathway. AR has been reported to play an important role in the pathogenesis of diabetic complications. Ursolic acid and fourteen synthetic derivatives with ursane skeleton were tested for recombinant human aldose reductase (rhAR) inhibitory activity for development of diabetic complications.

Isolation of phlorotannins from Eisenia bicyclis and their hepatoprotective effect against oxidative stress induced by tert-butyl hyperoxide.

Eisenia bicyclis (Kjellman) Setchell is a common brown alga that inhabits the middle Pacific coast around Korea and Japan. In this study, the ethanol extract and its serial solvent fractions were prepared from fresh E. bicyclis, and their hepatoprotective effects were investigated against hepatotoxicity in tert-butyl hyperoxide(t-BHP)-injured HepG2 cells.

Plastoquinones from Sargassum yezoense; chemical structures and effects on the activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma.

Four new plastoquinones, together with two known compounds, sargahydroquinoic acid and sargaquinoic acid, were isolated from the brown alga, Sargassum yezoense collected from the eastern coast of Korea. The structures of these compounds were elucidated based on spectroscopic analyses including NMR and MS. Their structures designated as meroterphenol A (1), B (2), C (3) and D (4) were characterized by a 6-methyl-1,4-benzohydroquinone moiety with an oxygenated diterpenoic acid chain.

Rapid identification and evaluation of antioxidant compounds from extracts of Petasites japonicus by hyphenated-HPLC techniques.

Gradient HPLC coupled to Diode Array Detector (DAD), MS/MS and NMR was applied to the rapid structure determination of major compounds of methanol extracts from leaves and roots of Petasites japonicus. The relative antioxidant capacities of the compounds were evaluated by an HPLC system with post-column on-line antioxidant detection based on 2,2'-azinobis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid radical scavenging. Six compounds were successfully separated on a reverse-phase C(18) column and were identified as 5-caffeoylquinic acid (5-CQA), fukinolic acid (FA), 3,5-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid (3,5-DCQA), quercetin-3-O-(6″-acetyl)-β-glucopyranoside (QAG), 4,5-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid (4,5-DCQA) and kaempferol-3-O-(6″-acetyl)-β-glucopyranoside (KAG) by MS/MS and (1)H NMR data.

Tyrosinase inhibition by water and ethanol extracts of a far eastern sea cucumber, Stichopus japonicus.

Background: Tyrosinase plays a key role in hyperpigmentaion and enzymatic browning. The present study was aimed at investigating the inhibitory effects of water and 70% aqueous ethanol extracts of Stichopus japonicus, a sea cucumber long consumed as a tonic food and traditional medicine, on the diphenolase activity of tyrosinase.

Results: In the tyrosinase inhibition study, high-performance liquid chromatography completely separated L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine and dopachrome from other compounds present in the extracts, and provided more reliable results than the commonly used spectrophotometry.

A preparative method for isolation of fucoxanthin from Eisenia bicyclis by centrifugal partition chromatography.

Introduction: Eisenia bicyclis (Kjellman) Setchell (Laminariaceae) is a common brown alga that inhabits around the coast of Korea, Japan and China. It contains fucoxanthin, a major carotenoid of brown algae which shows a variety of pharmaceutical functions.

Objective: The aim of this investigation was the quantification and preparative isolation of fucoxanthin from fresh E.