Volatile oil components were analysed in Perilla frutescens accessions collected from different regions in South Korea and identified chemotypes based on the major volatile oil components. Major components out of 30 compounds identified were limonene, perillaldehyde, perillaketone, isoegomaketone, beta-caryophyllene, beta-farnesene, myristicin, and dillapiole. P. frotescens collections were classified into four chemotypes : PA type (57.7% limonene and 19.8% perillaldehyde), PK type (89.8% perillaketone), ST type (82.4% sesquiterpene, as 54.5% beta-caryophyllene and 27.9% beta-farnesene) and PP type (40.3% phenylpropenes as 13.6% myristicin and 26.7% dillapiole) and 37.8% sesquiterpenes. The majorities of P. frutescens collections in this study belong to PA type (41.9%) and PK type(38.8%).
This study was carried out to establish an optimum method for identifying the volatile components of Magnolia ovobata Thunb. using the dynamic headspace (Purge & Trap) and simultaneous distillation and extraction (SDE) method. Between the two different identification analysis, the volatile components were more easily detected in the SDE than the Purge & Trap method. Among the identified volatile components, the 12 compounds were detected to have similar retention times and match quality within the 45 minutes in both identification methods. The maximum values of the major volatile components were detected differently by SDE and (Purge & Trap) method such as α-pinene (3.4, 18.2%), β-pinene (3.5, 10.3%), l-limonene (5.2, 15.4%). These results indicated that the Dynamic Headspace (Purge & Trap) was much more reliable method for identifying the volatile components of Magnolia ovobata Thunb. as compared to the SDE method.
Four medicinal plants selected from preliminary screening study were evaluated in the aspects of their antioxidant activities in alcohol-intoxicated rats. Rats fed 1% α-tocopherol-supplemented diet as positive control and ones done α-tocopherol-deficient diet as negative control were compared with ones done the plant extract-supplemented diet (n=8). After the administration of the experimental diets for 4 weeks, typical increments in activities of manganese-superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-px) indicated in alcohol-intoxicated rats, were not observed in ones fed Lagerstroemia and Ulmus extract-supplemented diet. The content of thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS), the product of lipid peroxidation, did not increased in rats fed plant extracts-supplemented diet except for Terminalia. From the results, it is concluded that Lagerstroemia and Ulmus have physiologically efficient antioxidant activities.
The experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of medicinal plants on ethanol-metabolism. Sprague Dawley rats divided into 6 groups (n=8), fed with 10% ethanol and diets supplemented with each 1% of four plant extracts, α-tocopherol (as positive control) and fiber (as negative control) for 4 weeks. Group supplemented with plant extract of Ulmus davidiana showed the most high value (322 nM NADH/min/mg protein) in alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity among the experimented groups (144~312 nM NADH/min/mg protein) at p〈0.05. Groups fed with Lagerstroemia indica and Zelkova serrata extract-supplemented diets indicated high activity in aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH, 16.7 & 12.3 M NADH/min/mg protein), which were comparatively lower than 20.1 M NADH/min/mg protein of α-tocopherol fed group. All of the groups fed with plant extracts indicated very low GPT activities (13.9~17.3 IU/l) compared to those (146.1 & 128.6 IU/l) fed with α-tocopherol and fiber at p〈0.05. From these results, it is suggested that Lagerstroemia indica have a potent ethanol-metabolizing activity.
We have investigated that a couple of soft ferrite ceramic powders having a spinal structure have shown the effect on growth and secondary metabolites production of some medicinal plants cultured in vitro. The addition of the ceramic powders as bare state to culture medium has stimulated the growth of Achyranthes japonica callus and plantlet, adventitious root of Hyoscyamus niger and Platycodon grandiflorum hairy root about 65, 75, 150 and 50%, respectively. Whereas Centella asiatica callus and plantlet, Scopolia parviflora hairy root, and Hyoscyamus albus adventitious root were not affected markedly. Moreover, the ceramic powder has enhanced the growth of H. niger adventitious roots even under conditions of irradiating alone without any direct contact between ceramic powder and media. Based on growth stimulation effect, the ceramic powders have enhanced the gross production of tropane alkaloid in H. niger adventitious root, and polyacetylene in P. grandiflorum hairy root about 35 and 30%, respectively.
Hyoscyamine and scopolamine are two most common tropane alkaloids found in the Solanaceae. The pEB expression vector carrying Nspmt gene was transformed to Agrobacterium rhizogenes. The growth of transgenic hairy roots were approximately to 80% of the wild type root. Transgenic hairy roots are less developed on only their branch roots than those of the wild type root. The extracts from Nspmt transgenic hairy root lines, 3 and 5 contained between 3.52 and 4.23 mg/g dry weight as hyoscyamine and did between 5.23 to 6.40 mg/g dry weight as scopolamine. These results showed that the overexpression of the pmt gene enhanced tropane alkaloids production of S. parviflora transformed roots and this improvement affected both hyoscyamine and scopolamine production.
Optimal culture conditions for efficient in vitro propagation and polysaccharide production of Orostachys japonicus were established. The highest growth yield was achieved in 1/2 MS medium, while the lowest growth yield was obtained in 4 MS medium. The patterns of polysaccharide formation were a little similar in all cases, but on MB5 medium, the po]ysaccharide contents of plant were higher than others. Among the modified nitrate levels, effective growth level were obtained in 1/4 N and 1/2 N. High contents of polysaccharide were obtained in 4 N. Different concentration of potassium and calcium did not improve the growth and polysaccharide production. The micropropagated shoots were successfully acclimatized artificial soils.
Total RNAs were isolated from cultured roots of Scopolia parviflora, poly(A)+ RNA was obtained through the mRNA purification, cDNA library of Hnh6h was constructed. Recombinant baculoviruses in Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf) cells were constructed by use of the transfer vector pBacPAK, which has the AcNPV sequence under the polyhedrin promoter. The expression vector carrying Hnh6h gene was transferred to S. parviflora and obtained transgenic hairy root lines. Our results confirmed the over expression of the H6H protein was used by anti-pBacPAK about cDNAs of S. parviflora. This study will served for production of tropane alkaloids by metabolic engineering.
Two compounds from Gomisin N and Gomisin A were isolated from the fruits of Schizandra chinensis Baillon. The highest extraction yield as 21.36% was observed in the ethanol extract, compared to the yield obtained form the water extract. The extraction yields of the single compounds were measured to be 0.13 and 0.014 Gomisin A and Gomisin N, respectively. Approximately, 90% of the growth of human stomach adenocarcinoma cancer cells was inhibited after adding 1.0 g/l of the ethanol extract. The growth of the human normal lung cell was limited to 24% after adding the ethanol extract. The water extract lowered the specific secretion of TNF-á and IL-6 from T cells, 10.3×10-4 pg/cell and 12.1×10-4 pg/cell, respectively, compared to the ethanol extracts. On the other hand, a treatment with the ethanol extract increased the specific secretion of TNF-á and IL-6 from human T cells, to 11×10-4 pg/cell and 14.3×10-4 pg/cell, respectively. The crude ethanol extract had the highest effect on the differentiation of human promyelocytic leukemia cells compared to the other extracts and Gomisin A and N. In general, the biological activities of the extracts gradually decreased as the purification process proceeded, which suggests that higher immunostimulatory activities can be maintained by adding the crude extracts of the fruits rather than by adding a single compound.
This study was carried out to compare the major volatile components in essential oil from different origin of Atractylodes spp. which is being traded as a crude herbal drug in Korean herbal markets. From the two Atractylodes of major volatile components were similarly detected such as the β-selinene, β-sesquiphellandrene, germacrene B, 2,7-dimethoxy-2-methylnaphthalene and 9-methoxy-2,3-dihydrofuro3,2-qcoumarin. Among the volatile components, the major components were 2,7-dimethoxy-2-methylnaphthalene (40.98%), 9-methoxy-2,3-dihydrofuro 3,2-q coumarin (15.74%), and β-sesquiphellandrene (1.98%) in both Atractylodes. As a results, It was found that the two Atractylodes were the same species which was being traded in the Korean herbal markets as the A. japonica. not to different species of A. japonica and A. macrocephalla, respectively.
Hairy roots were induced from Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer) root explants and studied for their gene expression. A total of 3,000 ESTs (expressed sequence tags) from ginseng hairy root were determined and about 2,700 ESTs have a length of readable sequence, which result in 1,352 unique ESTs sequences. The 879 ESTs showed significant similarities to known nucleotide or amino acid sequences in other plant species, which were divided into eleven categories depending upon gene function. The remaining 473 sequences showed no significant matches, which are likely to be transcripts or to be matched to other organisms. The results indicated that the analysis of the ginseng hairy root ESTs by partial sequencing of random cDNA clones may be an efficient approach to isolate genes that are functional in ginseng root in a large scale. Our extensive EST analysis of genes expressed in ginseng hairy root not only contributes to the understanding of the dynamics of genome expression patterns in root organ but also adds data to the repertoire of all genomic genes.
Secondary phenolic metabolites play an important role in plant defense mechanisms, and increasing evidence indicates that many phenolic compounds are important in human health. To date, few studies have investigated the impact of various medicinal plants on levels of secondary plant metabolites. To address this issue, 82 species of Korean medicinal plants were screened to determine their resveratrol contents. Among 82 medicinal plants, 5 species such as Gardenia jasmonoides, Phlomis umbrosa, Rheum palmatum L., Polygala tenuifolia, Rubus chingii HU contained relatively high concentrations of resveratrol (179.75~42.71 μg/g). But, 40 species including Adenophora triphylla var. japonica HARA were only observed low concentrations or trace of resveratrol, and 20 species including Alpinia officinarum HANCE did not contain a resveratrol.
The objectives of this study were to establish the genetic transformation system of stilbene synthase in Rehmannia glutinosa. Resveratrol, which is both a phytoalexin with antifungal activity and a phytochemical associated with reduced cancer risk and reduced cardiovascular disease, is synthesized in a limited number of plant species including peanut. Resveratrol synthesis is catalyzed by the enzyme stilbene synthase including resveratrol synthase (RS). Stilbene synthase gene (RS3) obtained from peanut, Arachis hypogaea, Fabaceae has been transferred into chinese foxglove, Rehmannia glutinosa by using Agrobacterium mediated transformation. PCR analysis with RS3 primer confirmed that the targeted gene was introduced into the plant genome, 904 bp in size. Further analyses of identification of transformation using developed other molecular techniques and transgenic plants that RS t-DNA introduced to chinese foxglove (R. glutinosa L) and its reaction product, stilbene such as resveratrol will be isolate and characterize using NMR, MS, and HPLC.