A new single-reference quantitative method using liquid chromatography with relative molar sensitivity based on H-qNMR for khellactone esters from Peucedanum japonicum root extract.

Khellactone ester (KLE) quantification using the absolute calibration method is difficult owing to the unavailability of standard reagents that can guarantee purity. Herein, a new method was developed to quantify KLEs from Peucedanum japonicum root extracts using liquid chromatography (LC) without utilizing standards. This method used relative molar sensitivity (RMS) and 7-ethoxy-4-methylcoumarin as a single-reference (SR) compound instead of KLE standards.

Development of selection method for superior clones with high-glycyrrhizic acid contents using DNA sequence polymorphisms in glycyrrhizic acid biosynthetic genes.

plants are important resources for sweeteners and medicines, because underground parts of them contain glycyrrhizic acid (GL), which has sweet taste and various pharmacological activities (ex. anti-inflammatory, antiallergy, antiviral activity, etc.).

Glycolipids from spinach suppress LPS-induced vascular inflammation through eNOS and NK-κB signaling.

Glycolipids are the major constituent of the thylakoid membrane of higher plants and have a variety of biological and pharmacological activities. However, anti-inflammatory effects of glycolipids on vascular endothelial cells have not been elucidated. Here, we investigated the effect of glycolipids extracted from spinach on lipopolysaccharides (LPS)-induced endothelial inflammation and evaluated the underlying molecular mechanisms.

Efficient utilization of licorice root by alkaline extraction.

Compared to studies of water extracts of plants, those utilising alkaline extracts are limited. Both water and alkaline extracts from licorice root were compared regarding their biological activities. Licorice root was successively extracted first with water or alkaline solution (pH 9 or 12), and the alkaline (pH 12.

Evaluation of cytotoxiciy and tumor-specificity of licorice flavonoids based on chemical structure.

Background: The mechanism of cytotoxicity induction by flavonoids has been studied by many investigators, but their tumor specificity is not clear. To address this point, 10 licorice flavonoids were subjected to quantitative structure-activity relationship (QASR) analysis with cytotoxicity assay with four human oral carcinoma and three normal cell lines.

Materials And Methods: Cytotoxicity was determined by the 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide method.

Hepatoprotective activity of tocha, the stems and leaves of Ampelopsis grossedentata, and ampelopsin.

Hepatoprotective effect of the leaves and stems of Ampelopsis grossedentata together with its main constituent, ampelopsin, were examined on D-galactosamine induced liver injury in rats. The diet containing 50% ethanolic extract (1%) and ampelopsin (0.1%) markedly suppressed the increase of LDH, ALT, AST, alpha-tocopherol levels and GSG/GSSH caused by GalN treatment.