Probiotic and Postbiotic Potentials of EF-2001: A Safety Assessment.

Background: Probiotics, which are live microorganisms that, when given in sufficient quantities, promote the host's health, have drawn a lot of interest for their ability to enhance gut health. , a member of the human gut microbiota, has shown promise as a probiotic candidate due to its functional attributes. However, safety concerns associated with certain strains warrant comprehensive evaluation before therapeutic application.

Complete genome sequence of strain beLP1 a potential probiotic strain with antimicrobial properties isolated from kimchi.

The complete genome of the potential probiotic strain beLP1, isolated from kimchi in South Korea, was sequenced using Illumina and PacBio technologies. The genome comprises one circular chromosome and one plasmid without antimicrobial resistance genes.

Bioactivity-guided isolation of ginsenosides from Korean Red Ginseng with cytotoxic activity against human lung adenocarcinoma cells.

Background: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. In this study, we used a bioactivity-guided isolation technique to identify constituents of Korean Red Ginseng (KRG) with antiproliferative activity against human lung adenocarcinoma cells.

Methods: Bioactivity-guided fractionation and preparative/semipreparative HPLC purification were used with LC/MS analysis to separate the bioactive constituents.

Bioactivity-based analysis and chemical characterization of anti-inflammatory compounds from Curcuma zedoaria rhizomes using LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells.

Inflammation is not only a self-defense response of the innate immune system, but also the pathogenesis mechanism of multiple diseases such as arthritis, neurodegeneration, and cancer. Curcuma zedoaria Roscoe (Zingiberaceae), an indigenous plant of India, has been used traditionally in Ayurveda and folk medicine. As part of our ongoing efforts to screen traditional medicinal plants exhibiting pharmacological potential and to characterize the compounds involved, we examined the anti-inflammatory effects of the MeOH extract of C.

Bioactive compounds from sclerotia extract of Poria cocos that control adipocyte and osteoblast differentiation.

Poria cocos Wolf confers edible sclerotia also known as 'Indian bread' in North America, that have been used for the treatment of various diseases in Asian countries. As part of our ongoing aim to identify biologically new metabolites from Korean edible mushrooms, we investigated the ethanol (EtOH) extract of the sclerotia of P. cocos by applying a comparative LC/MS- and bioassay-based analysis approach, since the EtOH extract reciprocally regulated adipocyte and osteoblast differentiation in mouse mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs).

(-)-9'-O-(α-l-Rhamnopyranosyl)lyoniresinol from Lespedeza cuneata suppresses ovarian cancer cell proliferation through induction of apoptosis.

Lespedeza cuneata (Dum. Cours.) G.

A new cerebroside from the twigs of Lindera glauca (Sieb. et Zucc.) Blume.

Lindera glauca (Sieb. et Zucc.) Blume (Lauraceae) has been used to treat rheumatic arthritis, stroke, and cardiac pain.

Activation of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Promotes Neuroprotection in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis by Reducing Neuroinflammatory Responses.

The signaling axis of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1)/GLP-1 receptor (GLP-1R) has been an important component in overcoming diabetes, and recent reports have uncovered novel beneficial roles of this signaling axis in central nervous system (CNS) disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and cerebral ischemia, accelerating processes for exendin-4 repositioning. Here, we studied whether multiple sclerosis (MS) could be a complement to the CNS disorders that are associated with the GLP-1/GLP-1R signaling axis. Both components of the signaling axis, GLP-1 and GLP-1R proteins, are expressed in neurons, astrocytes, and microglia in the spinal cord of normal mice.

Bioactivity-guided isolation of anti-inflammatory triterpenoids from the sclerotia of Poria cocos using LPS-stimulated Raw264.7 cells.

Poria cocos Wolf (Polyporaceae) has been used as a medicinal fungus to treat various diseases since ancient times. This study aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory chemical constituents of the sclerotia of P. cocos.

A new rearranged eudesmane sesquiterpene and bioactive sesquiterpenes from the twigs of Lindera glauca (Sieb. et Zucc.) Blume.

A new rearranged eudesmane sesquiterpene, named eudeglaucone (1), and five known sesquiterpenes including (+)-faurinone (2) and four eudesmane-type sesquiterpenes (3-6), were isolated from the twigs of Lindera glauca (Sieb. et Zucc.) Blume.

Lignans from the Twigs of Euonymus alatus (Thunb.) Siebold and Their Biological Evaluation.

A new sesquilignan, euonymolin A (1), and six known lignans, (-)-de-O-methylmagnolin (2), (+)-de-O-methylepimagnolin A (3), (+)-syringaresinol (4), (+)-pinoresinol (5), (+)-medioresinol (6), and (+)-lariciresinol 4'-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (7), were isolated from the twigs of Euonymus alatus (Thunb.) Siebold (Celastraceae). The structures of the isolated compounds were elucidated based on spectroscopic analyses, including extensive 1D- and 2D-NMR techniques, HR-MS analysis and circular dichroism (CD) data, and the literature data.

Exogenous S1P Exposure Potentiates Ischemic Stroke Damage That Is Reduced Possibly by Inhibiting S1P Receptor Signaling.

Initial and recurrent stroke produces central nervous system (CNS) damage, involving neuroinflammation. Receptor-mediated S1P signaling can influence neuroinflammation and has been implicated in cerebral ischemia through effects on the immune system. However, S1P-mediated events also occur within the brain itself where its roles during stroke have been less well studied.

Antineuroinflammatory and Antiproliferative Activities of Constituents from Tilia amurensis.

As part of our ongoing search for bioactive constituents of natural Korean medicinal resources, we found in a preliminary study that the methanol (MeOH) extract from the trunks of Tilia amurensis RUPR. showed an inhibitory effect on nitric oxide (NO) production in an activated murine microglial cell line. A bioassay-guided fractionation and chemical investigation of the MeOH extract resulted in the isolation and identification of a new isoflavonoid glycoside, orobol 4'-O-β-D-apiofuranosyl-(1→6)-β-D-glucopyranoside (1) and 16 known compounds (2-17).

Identification of cytotoxic and anti-inflammatory constituents from the bark of Toxicodendron vernicifluum (Stokes) F.A. Barkley.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Toxicodendron vernicifluum (Stokes) F.A. Barkley (Anacardiaceae) has traditionally been used as a food supplement and in traditional herbal medicine to treat inflammatory diseases and cancers for centuries in Korea.

Dihydrolipoyl dehydrogenase as a potential UVB target in skin epidermis; using an integrated approach of label-free quantitative proteomics and targeted metabolite analysis.

Unlabelled: Photodamage is extrinsically induced by overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and it increases the risk of various skin disorders. Therefore, discovery of novel biomarkers of photodamage is important. In this study, using LC-MS/MS analysis of epidermis from UVB-irradiated hairless mice, we identified 57 proteins whose levels changed after UVB exposure, and selected 7 proteins related to the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle through pathway analysis.

Anti-inflammatory and antitumor phenylpropanoid sucrosides from the seeds of Raphanus sativus.

A bioassay-guided fractionation and chemical investigation of the MeOH extract of Raphanus sativus seeds resulted in the isolation and identification of eight phenylpropanoid sucrosides (1-8) including two new compounds, named raphasativuside A and B (1-2) from the most active CHCl₃-soluble fraction. The structures of these new compounds were elucidated through spectral analysis, including extensive 2D-NMR data, and chemical reaction experiments. We evaluated the anti-inflammatory effects of 1-8 in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated murine microglia BV2 cells.

Matrix Metalloproteinase-8 is a Novel Pathogenetic Factor in Focal Cerebral Ischemia.

The neutrophil collagenase matrix metalloproteinase-8 (MMP8) is a recently identified member of MMPs that have important roles in various inflammation-related disorders. Previously, we identified MMP8 as a new neuroinflammatory mediator in activated microglia by regulating TNF-α productivity. Here, we present evidence that MMP8 is a critical factor for brain damage in transient focal cerebral ischemia by modulating neuroinflammation likely microglial activation and TNF-α production.

Dioscorea Extract (DA-9801) Modulates Markers of Peripheral Neuropathy in Type 2 Diabetic db/db Mice.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the therapeutic effects of DA-9801, an optimized extract of Dioscorea species, on diabetic peripheral neuropathy in a type 2 diabetic animal model. In this study, db/db mice were treated with DA-9801 (30 and 100 mg/kg, daily, p.o.

Bioactive lignan constituents from the twigs of Lindera glauca.

A bioassay-guided fractionation and chemical investigation of the MeOH extract from the twigs of Lindera glauca (SIEB. et ZUCC.) BLUME resulted in the isolation and identification of six lignans (1-6) including three new lignan derivatives, named linderuca A (1), B (2), and C (3).

Identification of antitumor lignans from the seeds of morning glory (Pharbitis nil).

In the search for antitumor compounds from Korean natural resources, activity-guided fractionation and purification processes were used on seeds of morning glory (Pharbitis nil). Air-dried P. nil seeds were extracted with ethanol and separated into n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and n-butanol.

4-Methylthio-butanyl derivatives from the seeds of Raphanus sativus and their biological evaluation on anti-inflammatory and antitumor activities.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Raphanus sativus seeds (Brassicaceae) known as Raphani Semen have long been used as anti-cancer and/or anti-inflammatory agents in Korean traditional medicine. This study was designed to isolate the bioactive constituents from the seed extracts of Raphanus sativus and evaluate their anti-inflammatory and antitumor activities.

Material And Methods: Bioassay-guided fractionation and chemical investigation of a methanolic extract of the seeds of Raphanus sativus led to the isolation and identification of seven 4-methylthio-butanyl derivatives.

Bioactive sesquiterpenes from the essential oil of Thuja orientalis.

A phytochemical investigation on the essential oil of Thuja orientalis resulted in the isolation and identification of three new sesquiterpenes, 3α-methoxy-4α-epoxythujopsane (1), Δ³,¹⁵-4β-epoxythujopsene (2), and Δ³,⁴-thujopsen-2,15-diol (3), together with eight known sesquiterpenoids (4-11). The structures of these new compounds were elucidated based on spectroscopic data analyses including extensive 2D-NMR data and HR-ESIMS. The full assignments of ¹H and ¹³C NMR chemical shifts for thujopsadiene (4) were obtained by 2D-NMR for the first time.

Polyphenols from the bark of Rhus verniciflua and their biological evaluation on antitumor and anti-inflammatory activities.

Bioassay-guided fractionation and chemical investigation of the extract of Rhus verniciflua bark resulted in the identification of six polyphenols, rhusopolyphenols A-F (1-6), together with four known compounds including (2R,3S,10S)-7,8,9,13-tetrahydroxy-2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-2,3-trans-3,4-cis-2,3,10-trihydrobenzopyrano[3,4-c]-2-benzopyran-1-one (7), peapolyphenol C (8), cilicione-b (9) and (αR)-α,3,4,2',4'-pentahydroxydihydrochalcone (10). The structures of these polyphenols were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis, including 1D and 2D NMR, and HR-ESIMS, and their absolute configurations were further confirmed by a combination of chemical methods and CD data analysis. All isolates were evaluated for their antiproliferative activities against four human tumor cell lines (A549, SK-OV-3, SK-MEL-2, and HCT-15), and compounds 4-6, 9 and 10 showed antiproliferative activity against the tested cells, with IC50 values of 3.