Our objective in this study is to assess the safety of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) fortified milk of dairy cows fed feeds containing protected fish oil treated with formaldehyde by analyzing formaldehyde concentration in commercial milk and DHA fortified milk of dairy cows fed formaldehyde treated feed. There are 3 milk samples in this study: Commercial milk (CM), DHA fortified milk for Kid (DHA-K) and DHA fortified milk for Baby (DHA-B). We confirm the fresh quality of these three samples by physicochemical tests. In fat content result, three groups are significantly different at the p < 0.05 by Duncan's multiple range test, but fat content of group DHA-K is about half the level of the other two groups. Protein content of group DHA-K is 1% higher than other two groups. According to the analysis result of DHA content of DHA fortified milk, DHA content of DHA-B is two-fold higher than DHA-K. Similar pattern was seen in the intake based on age. According to HPLC analysis result of formaldehyde concentration in milk, commercial milk and DHA fortified milk are between 0.013 ppm and 0.057 ppm which is formaldehyde standard level in fresh milk settled in WHO (World Health Organization). Three groups have no significantly differences at the p < 0.05 by Duncan’s multiple range test. For this reason, it can be concluded that there is no transition of formaldehyde from dairy cows fed formaldehyde treated feeds to its produced milk. Safety about formaldehyde of DHA fortified milk of dairy cows fed formaldehyde treated feeds is considered similar to commercial milk.

Plantago asiatica L. (P. asiatica) has been used as one of the popular folk medicines in Asia for human health care practices. Various activities of P. asiatica have been reported, such as anti-oxidant, anti-glycation,anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective activity. Therefore, the potential of P. asiatica to reduce oxidative stress has been studied in several ways for over 20 years, especially at liver and kidney. However no investigation has been reported revealing its protective effect on prostate. Method : Treatment of P. asiatica leaf ethanolic extract (PLE) (1 g/kg body weight (b.w.), 2 g/kg b.w., or 4 g/kg b.w.) were given separately to animals for pretreatment once per day for 7days, and on the seventh day ferric nitrilotriacetate (Fe-NTA; 0.24 mmol Fe/kg b.w.), which is known as an oxidative stress-inducer at prostate, was administrated by i.p to negative control group. At the end of the study period, dissection was carried out for detecting the prostate protective effect of PLE. Result : Fe-NTA-treated animals produced reactive oxygen species (ROS) resulting in depletion of antioxidant biomaker, such as glutathione (GSH), glutathione reductase (GR), and glutathione s-transferase (GST) and increase of lipid peroxidation in prostate. However, PLE pretreatment resulted in an increase in the GSH, GST and GR levels concentration dependent manner and in an significant decrease in the levels of lipid peroxidation. Conclusion : Our data suggest that PLE may be effective in protecting oxidative stress-induced damage of prostate, and PLE may be an chemopreventive agent against Fe-NTA-mediated prostate oxidative damage.

Plantago asiatica L. (PA), which is widely distributed in Korea, Japan and China, has traditionally been used as a popular folk medicine for the treatment of liver diseases. A variety of activities of PA was reported, that is hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, anti-glycation and anti-oxidant effect. Ferric nitrilotriacetate (Fe-NTA) is a potent nephrotoxic agent and has been reported to induce renal proximal tubular necrosis. In the present study, pretreatment with PA extract (PAE) in Wistar rat followed by Fe-NTA i.p. treatment (13.5 mg Fe/kg body weight) was performed to detect the renal protective effect of PAE. Only Fe-NTA treated group showed increases in the level of serum blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum creatinine (Cr), and renal tissue malondialdehyde (MDA), product of lipid peroxidation. Moreover, the level of biomarkers indicate the antioxidants status, reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and glutathione reductase (GR) were decreased. However, PAE pre-treated group showed decreases in the levels of serum BUN, serum Cr and renal tissue MDA in concentration dependent manner and increases in the level of GSH, GST and GR. These results are significantly different (p < 0.05) to the other groups. Our data suggest that PAE may be used as an chemopreventive material against Fe-NTA-mediated renal oxidative stress.

본 연구는 참당귀 재배 시에 발생하는 추대 참당귀를 부산물로 활용가능성이 있는지 평가하기 위해 수행하였다. 추대 참당귀의 지상부와 지하부의 총 무게는 수확기 비추대 참당귀의 지하부 무게 대비 약 98.5%로 높게 나타났다. 또한 추대 당귀의 decursin과 decursinol angelate의 총 함량은 주 생산품인 참당귀 신(身)의 지표성분 총 함량인 4.24%와 대비해 부위별로 0.64%~2.39%로 나타났으며, 이는 추출물로 이용 시 생산품 대비 15~56%에 해당하는 것으로 나타났다. 또한, 항상화 활성의 경우 추대 참당귀는 전반적으로 비추대 참당귀에 비해 우수한 것으로 나타났다. 추대 참당귀의 생산량, 지표성분 함량 그리고 항산화 활성 결과를 고려해 봤을 때, 추대 참당귀의 부산물은 사료 첨가제 및 화장품 용도의 추출물로 이용 가능성이 높은 것으로 생각된다.

Angelica gigas Nakai (AGN) is a traditional medicinal herb especially in Korea. It contains pyranocoumarins, which are major active components including decursin (D) and decursinol angelate (DA). This study was carried out to determine the change in active component content and antioxidant activity depending on the root diameter of AGN. Several processing steps are involved to use AGN roots as medicine. The dried AGN roots are divided into body (B), thick root (TkR), medium root (MR) and thin root (TnR) according to their diameter before cutting into medicine. The recovery rates of each root parts per 100 ㎏ were measured as 32.3±2.5, 9.0±1.0, 39.3±2.1 and 15.0±1.0%, respectively and the mean diameters were measured as 51.95±4.55, 7.05±0.89, 2.88±0.49 and 1.57±0.32 ㎜. Two index components, D and DA, were analyzed. The change of both D and DA content showed a similar tendency. Both D and DA content were increased as the root diameter decreased (higher in TnR). In addition, antioxidant activity was higher in B and TnR, and lower in TkR and MR than control. This study showed that the thinner the root diameter, the higher the D and DA content in AGN roots and that TnR has excellent antioxidant activity compared to other root parts, suggesting that the thinner root part of AGN could be used as a potential material.

Background: Various Schisandra chinensis (SC) varieties grow in diverse regions in Korea. However, there is no valid scientific evidence of these varieties. This study aimed to select the excellent resources in terms of the growth characteristics, antioxidant activities, and analysis of the active compounds of the SC collection. Method and Results: In total, 154 resources of SC were collected from various regions of Korea. The growth characteristics were measured by the number of fruit bunches, fruit number, and weight of 100 fruits. The antioxidant activities were investigated by analyzing the total flavonoid and total polyphenol contents and the radical scavenging activity of DPPH and ABTS. Schizandrin A, schizandrin c, gomisin a, and gomisin N were analyzed by HPLC. Each resource showed different growth characteristics. Among the antioxidative effects, the highest 20 resources showed high antioxidant activities in selected 29 resources. Analysis of the SC lignan index showed that all resources contained more than 1.16% of active compounds. Conclusions: All of the selected 29 SC resources were shown to have excellent growth characteristics, antioxidant activities, and bioactive compound richness. Especially, SC-004, SC-007, and SC-154 showed the best growth characteristics, and SC-22, SC-40, and SC-45 showed the best antioxidant activities and bioactive compound richness.

Background : Rehmannia glutinosa root has been commonly used as traditional medicine in Korea. This root including prepared rehmannia that is the steamed root of rehmannia can be also used as food. This study was performed to analyze the quality properties of the root and the tea with different steaming conditions to evaluate the potential as a tea. Methods and Results : For this study, we used ‘Dagang’, new variety of R. glutinosa, developed by NIHHS. The root was dried and steamed for 9 times. Every steaming, powder and extract were used for pH, antioxidant activity analysis (total phenolic acid and total flavonoid content) and sensory evaluation. As steaming repeated, pH was decreased. The total phenolic acid and total flavonoid content was increased during steaming process. In the sensory evaluation for the tea, 56% of respondents (A group) recognized the difference between 6th and 9th steaming tea correctly but 44% (B group) didn’t. The sensory scores showed that 6th and 7th steaming tea had higher overall preference scores than other samples. This tendency was more clear in the A group. Depending on the age group, there were significant different tendency among 3 age groups (20 – 30 s, 40 – 50 s, over 60 s). The youngest group was preferred 6th than 9th steaming tea. On the other hands, 9th steaming tea had more priority than 6th steaming tea in older age group. Conclusion : This study showed a potential of R. root as a tea material. The quality properties of the R. root are affected by steaming conditions and the preference tendency of tea was different depending on the age group. These data can be used to develop tea material suitable for consumer age and establish optimal steaming conditions in industrial use.

Background : Rehmannia glutinosa (RG) has been utilized as a traditional medicine in Asia. However, the development of varieties is limited and the climate is changing gradually. Therefore, it is required to develop a superior lineage suitable for this. So we have secured several species, and it is necessary to confirm the cytotoxicity of various kinds of cells for its safety and to secure safety for further utilization. Methods and Results : 11 cultivars and 21 lineages of RG were collected from Rural Development Administration (RDA) at Eumseong of Chungcheongbuk-do and national farmhouse. They were cultivated in test-research farm in RDA and used as materials. Human (THP-1 cell, human leukemia monocytic cell line) and rodent-derived immune cells (RAW264.7, murine monocyte/macrophage cell line) and hepatocytes (HepG2, human liver cell line) were used to assess cytotoxicity. Cytotoxicity was determined by using MTT assay. As a result of evaluation of cytoxicity, 11 cultivars and 21 lineages of RG were not shown cytotoxicity range from 250 - 1,000 ㎍/㎖ concentration in THP-1 cell, RAW264.7 cell and HepG2 cell. Conclusion : Development of RG with superior lineage suitable for changing climate is required. We selected a good lineage (21 ea), and result of the cytotoxicity evaluation from low to high concentrations in immune- and liver-derived cells, there was no toxicity at all. Therefore, if these excellent lineages are distributed to farmers, they can help farmers. And it can help research on immunity and liver function in the future.

Backgound : Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) are chronic disorders that are characterized by intestinal epithelial inflammation and injury. Currently, the most employed therapies are antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs; however, the side effects limit long-term effectiveness. Methods and Results : We evaluated the impact of glucose-lysine Maillard reaction products (Glc-Lys MRPs) on colitis, induced in rats by an administration of 5% dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) in drinking water. Glc-Lys MRPs ameliorate DSS-induced colitis, as determined by a decrease in disease. index activity, colon weight/length ratio, nitric oxide levels in serum, recovery of body weight loss, colon length and serum lysozyme levels. Furthermore, Glc-Lys MRPs increase the glutathione content and the activity of glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase and catalase, and inhibit lipid peroxidation and myeloperoxidase activity in colon tissues. In particular, Glc-Lys MRPs suppress the mRNA level of the inflammatory cytokines and nuclear factor-κB in colon tissues. Conclusion : This study suggests the potential of Glc-Lys MRPs in preventing or treating IBDs.

Background: Atractylodes japonica Koidz. and Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz. belong to the family (Asteraceae). Their rhizomes, called white Atractylodes rhizomes, are used in traditional medicine. To address some issues with their cultivation, we recently developed eight hybrid cultivars by interspecific hybridization of A. japonica and A. macrocephala. This study was conducted to screen the hybrid cultivars that have high amounts of active ingredients and yield ability. Methods and Results: Experiments were conducted using the eight hybrid cultivars and A. macrocephala (control cultivar) in the experimental field of the department of Herbal Crop Research located in Eumseong, South Korea. We investigated the growth characteristics of the aerial and underground parts. Among the cultivars, ‘Sanwon’ had the highest rhizome dry weight (53.8 g/plant), followed by ‘Dachul’ (50.0 g/plant). In addition, the content of atractylenolide I, II, III and total active ingredients were investigated using high-performance liquid chromatography. Compared with A. macrocephala, most of the inter-specific hybrid cultivars had a higher content of active ingredients and yield ability. Conclusions: Through study, we established the superior quality of Atractylodes inter-specific hybrid cultivars. In particularly, it was found that ‘Dachul’ may be grown as a superior cultivar, with high amount of active ingredients as well as yield ability.

Background : This study was performed to investigate change in OnjisaponinB contents of Polygala tenuifolia depending on drying methods. Methods and Results : For this study, 5-years-old Polygala tenuifolia local cultivars from RDA(Eumseong) were used. Before starting to drying, root was shade-dried for 3 days and separated with the lead. Next, two types of drying methods conducted; natural drying and hot air drying. Hot air drying was controlled at 40℃, 50℃, 60℃ and 70℃ and checked with every 3 hours. Dried root from market was used as control group. The water content of raw root was about 52.04%. When it started to dry, the contents of it significantly decreased. The dried roots from market were 6.25 - 6.84%. To be under 7% of water contents, 6 hours of drying was enough in natural drying methods and 40℃, 50℃hot air drying methods. In case of 60℃, 70℃ hot air drying methods, it took under 3 hours. The OnjisaponinB contents of raw root was 0.53%. The dried root from market had 0.74% of onjisaponinB. During the drying, the contents of OnjisaponinB changed depending on the drying methods. Hot air drying method had more effect on OnjisaponinB contents than natural drying method. Conclusion : From the above results, we may suggest that natural drying methods was enough to drop the water content of Polygala tenuifolia. Because during pre-treatment steps including shade-drying and separating lead, much of water contents already decreased and became easy to lose water. However to get more OnjisaponinB, hot air drying methods can beneficial than natural drying methods.

Backgoound : Various varieties of Schisandra chinensis (Omija) are grown in various regions of Korea. However, there is no study on varieties with excellent efficacy for each variety. Therefore, in this study, it is aimed to select the excellent lineage by analyzing the active compounds of Omija collection species Methods and Results : 154 lineage of Omija was collected from Muju of Jeollabuk-do, Jangsu of Jeollabuk-do and Hoengseong of Gangwon-do. They were cultivated in test-research farm in Rural Development Administration at Eumseong of Chungcheongbuk-do and used as materials. In order to analyze the active compounds (Shizandrin A, Shizandrin C, Gomisin A, Gomisin N) in Omija, the HPLC method described in the Korean Pharmacopoeia (compounds of Omija indicator) was used. As a result of analysis of functional compounds, SC-003, SC-005, SC-013, SC-015, SC-019, SC-020, SC-022, SC-023, SC-040, SC-042, SC-045, SC-066, SC-069 and SC-072 were collected from Jangsu, Jeollabuk-do, SC-082 was collected from Hoengseong, Gangwon-do and SC-139 was collected from Muju, Jeollabuk-do showed higher contents of functional compounds than other collected species. Conclusion : As demand for high income crop has increased, new cultivar breeding is required to produce high quality Schisandra chinensis (Omija). In this study, Shisandra A, Shizandrin C, Gomisin A and Gomisin N were analyzed as functional compounds of Omija. They can be used for new Omija breeding. Especially SC-003, SC-019, SC-022, SC-040, SC-045, SC-069 and SC-082 can be superior lineags with high functional compound contents.

Background : Angelica gigas Nakai (AGN) is a perennial plant found in East Asian countries and an crucial medicinal herb especially in Korea. It contains several chemicals like pyranocoumarins, which are major active components including decursin (D) and decursinol angelate (DA), essential oils and polyacetylenes. This study was carried out to determine the change in active components depending on the root diameter of AGN. Methods and Results : Several processing steps are involved to use AGN roots as medicine. The dried AGN roots are divided into body (B), thick root (TkR), medium root (MR) and thin root (TnR) according to their diameter before cutting into medicine. Among them, B and TkR are mainly used as medicine. The mean diameter of dried each root part (B, TkR, MR, TnR) were measured as 51.95, 7.05, 2.88, and 1.57 ㎜, respectively. The water content of each root part was slightly reduced depending on the size of the diameter (higher in B). In addition, the two active components, D and DA, were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography. The change of both D and DA content showed a similar tendency. Both D and DA content were increased as the root diameter decreased (higher in TnR). Conclusion : This study showed that the thinner the root diameter, the higher the D and DA content in AGN roots, suggesting that the thinner root parts of AGN could be used as potential materials.

Background : Atractylodes japonica koidz. (AJ) and Atractylodes macrocephala koidz. (AM) belong to Atractylodes genus (Asteraceae) and their rhizomes are used as traditional medicine ‘Baek-chul’. The ‘Baek-chul’ is considered to be effective for the treatment of stomach disorder, virus, diuresis, inflammation, arthritis and Atractylenolide I, Atractylenolide II and Atractylenolide III are the major active ingredients of these. Previously, we developed 8 hybrid cultivars with disease resistance, high yielding ability and high active ingredients by interspecific hybridization between AJ and AM. In this study, growth characteristics of 8 hybrid cultivars were investigated in RDA experimental field. Methods and Results : Growth characteristics of 8 hybrid cultivars were investigated in RDA experimental field. Among these cultivars, ‘Sanwon’ had the highest fresh weight of rhizome (149.5 g/plant), followed by ‘Dachul’ (145.8 g/plant). Most of hybrid cultivars showed higher fresh weight than and AM (108.7 g/plant). In addition, active ingredients (Atractylenolide I, Atractylenolide Ⅱ and Atractylenolide Ⅲ) were investigated using HPLC. As a result, The sum of active ingredients were the highest in ‘Dachul’ (0.40 ㎎/g) that was 2 times higher than AM (0.22 ㎎/g). Conclusion : In this study, hybrid cultivars showed higher agronomic performance than AM. Particularly, ‘Dachul’ could be the superior cultivar with high atractylenolides as well as high yield ability.