Stem and root of elm trees have used as traditional medical materials, but there is little information on the distribution and resources of habitats. Korean native growing Ulmus spp. (U. davidiana var. Japonica, U. parvifolia, U. davidiana, and U. macrocarpa) genetic resources studied through The National Forest Inventory of Korea data and field survey. The distributions of U. davidiana var. japonica according to elevation distributed evenly. Both U. parvifolia and U. davidiana were inhabited mostly at less than 200 m of altitude. Each Ulmaceae species widely were distributed nationwide, but a dominant species was different depending on locals. It observed that Ulmaceae inhabits mainly in steep slopes of 31-45 degrees. Most of the habitats regenerated by natural seeding and the most abundant species were a codominant tree. Distribution of trees in U davidiana var. japonica was 7 m-13 m, and in young U. parvifolia and U. macrocarpa, more than 25% of young trees less than 7 m observed. The distribution of the diameter of breast height of the U. davidiana var. japonica was 46.4% for 11-20 cm, 52.6% for 11-20 cm in U. parvifolia. The average T/R ratio was 0.83, and the mean weight ratio of root bark was 62%. As the results of this study, the domestic Ulmaceae biomassare very small. It is difficult to harvest in that the habitat on the slope. Thus, it is too hard to develop functional materials using biomass at present. Therefore, it is necessary to develop technology for the selection and propagation of elite trees of Ulmaceae.

There are many evidences that carotenoids may act as antioxidants and protect humans from serious disorders such as skin degeneration and aging, cardiovascular disease, certain types of cancer, and age-related diseases of the eye. Carrots (Daucus carota L.) are consumed as an important dietary source of b-carotene, a-carotene and lutein. Astaxanthin, a keto-carotenoid has been used to raise red color of fish body and to improve immune activity in fish-breeding industry. In this study, transgenic carrot plants were generated to overproduce carotenoids including astaxanthin, a non-natural ketocarotenoid in this plant, using an efficient storage root-expression system. Among the nineteen transgenic carrot plants, transformed by a storage root-specific (ibMads) or a storage root (ibAGP1) or the constitutive CaMV35S promoters with three genes involved in carotenoid synthesis [Psy (Phytoen synthase), Crtl (Lycopen-β-cyclase), CrtO (β-carotene ketolase)], transgenic plants with ibAGP1 promoter, an amyloplast targeting sequence (TP1) and a single CrtO gene gave high content of keto-carotenoids and b-carotene. For fish body coloration, carotenoid extract or astaxanthin significantly made the body color of red seabreams more reddish than those of normal diet-fish in the 3 weeks feeding. In addition, the serum lysozyme activity in carotene-treated fish was significantly higher than that in normal diet-fed fish (P<0.05) in the 6 weeks feeding. In these cases, neither carotenoid extract- nor astaxanthin-contained diet did influence on growth rate and food utilization in red seabreams. These results suggested that carotenoid extract prepared in the present study may be useful in the body coloration and the enhancement of nonspecific immune response of red seabreams. Meanwhile, b-carotene (50 mM) up-regulated peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor a expression (PPAR-a) by about two fold in CV-1 cells, while the carotenoid extracts and astaxanthin failed to affect on the expression. Carotenoid extracts (250 mg/ml) from wild type carrot or transgenic carrots showed moderate DPPH scavenging activity.

Carrots (Daucus carota L.) are consumed as an important dietary source of provitamin A including β-carotene, α-carotene and lutein. An HPLC method was applied to determine the content of the carotenoid composition in carrot cutivars cultivated in Korea. HPLC analyses were carried out with five carrot cultivars (Socheon-5-chon, Hongsim-5-chon, Myeongju-5-chon, Seonhongbom-5-chon and Betarich) sown at April, 2007 and six cultivars (Yeoreum-5-chon, Hanyeoreum-5-chon, Sinheukjeon-5-chon, Bibariheukjeon, Manina and Betarich) sown at August of the same year. In general, the former varieties are not used for the sowing at summer because of their bolting (growth of floral axis). The former and the latter carrots were harvested after 110 and 96 days from seeding, respectively, and the carotenoids were extracted with acetone after freeze-drying. The amount of α-carotene (117.7∼205.3 μg/g・DW) was similar to that of β-carotene (113.1∼189.6 μg/g・ DW) for the carrot cultivars sown at spring, while the content (46.2∼71.1 μg/g・DW) was about a half of β-carotene content (92.5∼140.2 μg/g・DW) for the latter cultivars. In addition, the average content of lutein (25.2 μg/g・DW) in the former cultivars was eight times higher than that in the latter cultivars (3.1 μg/g・DW). Among the spring cultivation types, Socheon-5-chon and Myeongju-5-chon showed higher amount of α-carotene and β-carotene, while the higher amount was determined in Yeoreum-5-chon and Sinheukjeon-5-chon among the autumn cultivation types. Validation of the HPLC-DAD method showed good linearity (r2 > 0.997) of the three compounds analyzed in a wide concentration range (0.025∼20 μg/ml). The R.S.D. values for intra-day and inter-day precision were less than 19.2% and the mean recovery of each compound was 85.4∼104.7%.

During the screening program to evaluate the antiallergic activity of herbal medicines, Schizandra chinensis was found to inhibit the mouse PCA reaction induced by IgE-antigen complex. To evaluate the antiallergic effect of the fruit of Schizandra chinensis Baill (Family Magnoliaceae), which attenuate compound 48/80 induced vascular permeability reaction and scratching frequency in mouse. and it also inhibited 43% acute type of contact dermatitis induced by TPA and in oxazolone induced chronic dermatitis model was investigated. Fruit of Schizandra chinensis suppressed 37.6% swelling of oxazolone-induced mouse ear contact dermatitis. These findings suggest that fruit of Schizandra chinensis improve symptom of allergic dermatitis

Carrots (Daucus carota L.) are consumed as an important dietary source of b-carotene (provitamin A), a-carotene and lutein. An HPLC method was applied to determine the content of the carotenoid composition in carrot cultivars from Korea. Analyses were carried out with five carrot cultivars (Socheon-5-chon, Hongsim-5-chon, Myeongju-5-chon, Seonhongbom-5-chon and Betarich) sown at April, 2007 and six cultivars (Yeoreum-5-chon, Hanyeoreum-5-chon, Sinheukjeon-5-chon, Bibariheukjeon, Manina and Betarich) sown at August of the same year. The former and the latter carrots were harvested after 110 and 96 days from seeding, respectively, and the carotenoids were extracted with acetone after freeze-drying. The amount of a-carotenewas similar to that of b-carotene for the carrot cultivars sown at spring, while the content was about a half of b-carotene content for the latter cultivars. In addition, the average content of lutein in the former cultivars was nine times higher than that in the latter cultivars. Among the spring cultivation types, Socheon-5-chon and Myeongju-5-chon showed higher amount of a-carotene and b-carotene, while the higher amount was determined in Yeoreum-5-chon and Sinheukjeon-5-chon among the autumn cultivation types. This difference between spring cultivation types and autumn cultivation types was also shown in commercial two types of carrots purchased from local market.

When three cultivars, “Shinsunchalbyeo”, “Nokmi” and “GW-05-01”, which was collected from native glutinous rice, were exposed to increased salinity stress in exogenous solution and duration of salt stress, leaf relative water content (RWC), root water uptake and chlorophyll fluorescence were observed the significant decrease at ≥500mM NaCl concentration for 4 day stress. These decrease in leaf RWC showed 69%, 77% and 67% for Shinsunchalbeyo, Nokmi and GW-05-01, respectively, in water uptake these effects showed 84%, 85% and 91%. The difference in Fv/Fm of plants treated with 500mM NaCl showed 0.62, 0.68 and 0.78 compared with 0.78, 0.81 and 0.75 in control treatment. The effects of NaCl stress in rice seedlings indicate that the leaf RWC and photosynthetic capacity is more sensitive GW-05-01 in comparison with Shinsunchalbyeo and Nokmi, and water uptake in root is more resistant. Average plant height in Shisunchalbyeo, Nokmi and GW-05-01 showed 107, 102 and 111cm, and the 1000 grains weight were 25.5, 20.3 and 21.8, respectively.