Pleurotus eryngii (also known as king trumpet mushroom, french horn mushroom, king oyster mushroom) is an edible mushroom native to Mediterranean regions of Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, but also grown in parts of Asia. It has the ability to produce various biologically active compounds and possesses a well-developed ligninolytic enzyme system that participates in the degradation of lignin and different aromatic compounds. In this study, we investigated the protective effects of the ethyl acetate extract of Pleurotus eryngii (PEE) on the development of atopic dermatitis (AD) in human keratinocyte HaCaT cells. Keratinocytes, one of major cell types in the skin, can be induced by TNF-α and IFN-γ to express thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC/CCL17), which is considered to be a pivotal mediator in the inflammatory responses during the development of inflammatory skin diseases, such as AD. In addition, normal T-cell–expressed and secreted chemokine (RANTES) is a (C-C) chemokine released by T lymphocytes, other inflammatory cells, and platelets and plays an important role in allergic inflammatory processes. Pretreatment of HaCaT cells with PEE suppressed TNF-α/IFN-γ-induced protein and mRNA expression of CCL17 and RANTES. PEE significantly inhibited TNF-α/IFN-γ-induced NF-κB activation. These results suggest that PEE may exert anti-inflammatory responses by suppressing TNF-α and IFN-γ-induced activation of NF-κB in the keratinocytes and might be a useful tool in therapy of skin inflammatory diseases.

Background : The use of the rain shelter facility gets more prevalent in the Ginseng cultivation area these days. This study is designed to establish a technique for the stable cultivation of Ginseng in the rain shelter facilities in high temperature (above 30 ℃) without the damage from high temperature Methods and Results : This study was carried out on 3-year Ginseng roots in 2016 in order to find out how to stably cultivate Ginseng in high temperature without suffering the high temperature damage during the cultivation of Ginseng under rain shelter facilities. The rain shading materials were coated with scattering film (scattering film + black shading net 90%), bluish white double-sided film (shading 85%) and PE film (PE film + black shading net 90%). The damage reduction by high temperature was made to the scattering film and bluish-white double-ended film only. An aluminum screen (shading rate: 40%) was installed when the high temperature (above 30℃) was reached while the isoprene (solution of 2000 times) was sprayed 4 times every 7 days from the full development stage. The light transmittance was 12.6 - 13.4% for the scattering film, 10.5 - 10.8% for the bluish-white double sided film and 7.1% for the PE film in the first coating while it was 7.3% for the scattering film and 7.1% for the bluish-white double-sided film when the aluminum screen was installed in high temperature. The high, average and low values in the relative humidity were higher inside the facility than in the outside during the survey period. The area of leaf was the largest under the scattering film. The area of leaf was the largest for the scattered film under the aluminum shade of 40% shading followed by that of spraying of isoprene 4 times, and that of the no-treatment. As for the growth under ground, the growth of underground shoots increased by 40% in aluminum screen, 53.7% in shading and 26.1% in the spraying of isoprene 4 times than non-shading while there was no difference among other rain shelter materials. Conclusion : The result of the research showed that when the scattering film is selected as the rain shelter material film for the cultivation of Ginseng, it is necessary to shade the sunlight as much as 40% by using the aluminum screen or the shading net to reduce the high temperature damage.

Background : The study is designed to establish the standard of wide-shading facilities for the energy-saving and labor-free system in response to the shortage of manpower in rural areas by introducing North American style Ginseng cultivation facility. Methods and Results : This study was carried out at the Income & Resources Research Institute, Gyeonggi Agricultural Research & Extension Services, located in Shinseo-myeon, Yeoncheon-gun, Gyeonggi-do in 2015 in order to establish the standards for wide-shading facilities for energy-saving and labor-free system in response to Korea's climate and lack of manpower in rural area. The shading materials used were blue shading net made with coolaroo fabric, aluminum screen (shading rate 40%) and black shading net (shading rate 40%). As for the installation of additional shading materials, the blue shading nets (200 g/㎡ and 220 g/㎡) were installed on Apr. 1, and then the aluminum screens and black shading net were installed on Jun. 1 when it was hot (with the outside temperature of 30℃ or above. To determine the suitability of the shading materials, the growth environment in the shading facilities such as temperature and humidity, light quantity, and water leakage were measured. The growth was investigated for the above-ground part and underground part of the plants in accordance with the research standards of the Rural Development Administration (RDA). As for the temperature in the shading facilities, the temperature in the aluminum screen was higher than that of the black shading net, and the humidity in the aluminum screen was lower than that of the black shading net. The light intensity and transmittance were higher in the aluminum screen than those in the black shading net. The water leakage was absent on aluminum screen, but it was 8.1 - 11.5% in the black shading net. Although the growth of shoots above the ground showed no difference between shading materials, the growth of the shoot underground was better in the black shading net than in the aluminum screen in high temperature. In particular, the weight of Ginseng root increased by 19.1% in the black light shade compared to that of the aluminum screen. Conclusion : The results of the study showed that the combination of shading materials suitable for wide shading facilities in Korea in response to the lack of manpower in rural areas due to climate change and rural aging is the combination of "blue shading net + black shading net".

Background : Tooth vitality is reflected by the health of dental pulp. Schisandrin C is a natural compound extracted from the fruit of Schisandra chinensis which has anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. The role of Schisandrin C on human dental pulp cells (HDPCs) has not been studied yet. This study examined the properties of Schisandrin C as an anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant compound, and whether its characteristics promote mitochondrial biogenesis in HDPCs. Methods and Results : HDPCs were extracted from fresh third molars and cultured. Reactive oxidative stress (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO) formation were analyzed by a Muse cell analyzer. Western blotting and gelatin zymography were used to identify the presence of anti-oxidants, as well as inflammatory and mitochondrial biogenesis. Confocal microscopy was used for the detection of mitochondrial activity. Schisandrin C inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated inflammatory molecules; intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), matrix metalloproteinase-2 and -9 (MMP-2/9), NO production, ROS formation and the mitogen-activated protein (MAPK) pathway through minimizing the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kB) translocation. Schisandrin C increased the expression of superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzymes as well as heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PGC-1a) through the phosphorylated-protein kinase B (p-AKT) and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor-2 (Nrf-2) pathways. The anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties of Schisandrin C promoted mitochondrial biogenesis. Conclusions : These results suggest that Schisandrin C may be used as an anti-inflammatory compound to reduce oral inflammation such as pulpitis.

The PepMoV has been considered the most frequently detected potyvirus. When it co-infects with CMV or PMMoV, it gives severe impact to total pepper harvest in Korea. Since F1 hybrid that resistant to PepMoV has not been developed, we have developed transgenic peppers using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation with a Hc-Pro gene of the PepMoV. A large number of GM peppers were tested for resistance to the PepMoV, and after consequent self-crossing up to T4 generation, a highly tolerant pepper to PepMoV called T20 was selected. So far, BC4F1 lines have been selected by back-crossing with 4 elite lines through a breeding program. Very recently, based on molecular analysis, we have selected another event, #10-2, which is also resistant to PepMoV. Horticultural difference was investigated for both GM lines, #T20 and 10-2, and no significance was found comparing to non-GM lines.