Background : The cultivation of wild greens in a forest farming system is an attractive alternative to wild harvesting, due to its much lower production cost compared with conventional cultivation, and its provision of a second income to the landowner. Yet little is known about the conditions that would maximize the growth and antioxidant activities of wild greens in a forest farming system. Thus, this study was conducted to evaluate the optimal conditions that would maximize antioxidant activities of Ligularia fischeri (Ledeb.) Turcz., being cultivated in three different cultivation systems in Korea. Methods and Results : After the fibrous roots of L. fischeri were planted in three different cultivation systems, this study was conducted to assess the effect on health-related properties such as total phenolic contents, flavonoids, DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrasyl) free radical scavenging activities and reducing power. From these harvests in different sites, extracts were prepared using methanol. Total phenolic content in forest farming system (1.061 ㎎·GAE/㎖) was higher than that in other products harvested in conventional and greenhouse system (0.666㎎·GAE/㎖). Also, flavonoid content was higher in forest farming system (0.124 ㎎·QE/ ㎖), compared to conventional and greenhouse system (0.084 ㎎·QE/㎖). Conclusions : Antioxidant activity and cultivation system seem to correlate with total polyphenol and flavonoid contents.

The proliferation of embryonic cells or adult stem cells in tissue is critically regulated during development and repair. How limited the proliferation of cells, so far, is not much explored. Cell-cell contact proliferation inhibition is known as a crucial mechanism regulating cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo. In this study we examined the characters of mouse subcutaneous adipose derived stem cells (msADSC) whether they lost or get contact inhibition during in vitro culture. The characters of msADSC growth after confluence were analyzed using confocal microscope and the expression profiles of contact inhibition related genes were analyzed according to the morphological changes using real-time PCR method. msADSC showed overlapping growth between them but not after passage 14. The cell shapes were also changed after passage 14. The expression profiles of genes which are involved in contact inhibition were modified in the msADSC after passage 14. The differentiation ability of msADSCs to adipocyte, chondrocyte and osteocyte was not changed by such changes of gene expression profiles. Based on these results, it is revealed that smADSC were characterized by getting of strong cell-cell contact inhibition after passage 14 but the proliferation and developmental ability were not blocked by the change of cell-cell contact proliferation inhibition. These finding will help to understand the growth of adipose tissue, although further studies are needed to evaluate the physiological meaning of the cell-cell contact proliferation inhibition during in vitro culture of msADSC.