Human bitter taste-sensing type 2 receptors (hTAS2Rs) are expressed in various human tissues and may be associated with various cell signaling pathways, cell progression, and cell physiology in each tissue. hTAS2Rs can be a potential drug target because it is also expressed in some cancer cells. Xanthorrhizol (XNT) has various biological activities, such as anticancer, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant. XNT produces a bitter taste, but the specific hTAS2R activated is unknown, and the hTAS2R-mediated effect of XNT on cancer cells has not been studied. This study discovered the target receptor of XNT among 25 hTAS2Rs and confirmed the possibility of the hTAS2R-mediated inhibition of cancer cell proliferation. XNT activated only one receptor, hTAS2R38 (EC50=1.606±0.021 g/mL), and its activity was inhibited by probenecid, a hTAS2R38 antagonist. When HepG2 and MCF-7 cells were treated with XNT or phenylthiocarbamide (PTC), a known hTAS2R38 agonist, both chemicals inhibited cancer cell proliferation. XNT targets the human bitter taste receptor TAS2R38 and inhibits the proliferation of HepG2 and MCF-7 cells mediated by TAS2R38. This suggests that TAS2R38 may be a new target for disease treatment and a potential new factor for drug development.

Background: Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes) is a major contributing factor for the inflammatory reaction of acne. Bee venom (BV) has been traditionally used to the treatment for inflammatory diseases. This study examined the anti-inflammatory effect of BV on P. acnes-induced inflammatory animal model. Methods: P. acnes were intradermally injected into both left and right ear of ICR mice. After injection, different concentrations of BV (1, 10 and 100 μg) mixed with 0.05 g of Vaseline was applied to the surface of the right ears of mice. Results: Histological observation revealed that P. acnes induced a considerable increase in the number of infiltrated inflammatory cells. However, BV treatment showed markedly reduced these reactions. Also, expression levels of TNF-α, and IL-1β were significant reduced in BV treated mice compared with P. acnes injected mice. The binding activity of NF-κB and AP-1 were increased in the P. acnes and Vaseline groups. In contrast, this enhancement of binding activity was markedly withdrawn after treatment with BV. Conclusion: In conclusion, this study indicates that BV has potential as an anti-acne agent and may be useful in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.

In these experiments Gamiojeoksan remnant components were analyzed to recycle this medicinal herb remnant fertilizers. The basic growth of Korean mint by application of Gamiojeoksan remnants were higher than control. As the amount of fertilizers were increased, plant height, stem diameter, number of leaves and number of branches were increased. The growth and yield were the highest in the treatment of 30 g/pot. Weight of whole plant of Korean mint has a tendency to be heavy in application of herbs remnant than that of control.