본 연구는 Veronica속 20종의 생장 및 개화 특성을 평가하기 위해 2년 동안 국립수목원 식물자원연구과 육종온실에서 수행하였다. Veronica속 식물은 다양한 생장 및 개화 특성을 가지고 있었다. 꼬리풀 20종을 식물 형태 및 초장에 따라 분류하였다. 포복형의 10cm 미만 초장은 V. armena와 V. repens, 직립형 30cm 미만 초장은 V. gentianoides ‘Little blues’ 등 4종, 직립형 30~60cm 사이 초장은 V. gentianoides ‘Blue Streak’ 등 7종, 직립형 60cm 이상 초장은 V. incana 등 7종이었다. 대부분의 엽색은 초록색이었고 V. incana와 V. incana ‘Silbersee’는 잎에 흰 털이 있었다. 꽃대 수는 5.3개부터 80.7개, 화수는 4.5개부터 67.3개였고 개화일은 3월 초순부터 6월 중순이었다. 화서의 형태는 총상화서, 수상화서, 취산화서로 분류하였다. 화색은 보라색 13종, 분홍색 2종, 흰색 5종이었다. 2017년 모든 개체가 개화한 종은 3종으로 V. longifolia ‘Blue Shades’, V. spicata ‘Blue Bouquet’, V. subsessilis ‘Blue Pyramid’였고, 일부 개체만 개화한 종은 7종으로 V. armena, V. gentianoides ‘Little Blues’, V. longifolia ‘Alba’, V. prostrata ‘Nestor’, V. spicata, V. spicata ‘Alba’, V. spicata ‘Sightseeing’ 이었다. 모든 개체가 개화하지 않은 종은 10종으로 V. gentianoides ‘Blue Streak’, V. incana, V. incana ‘Silbersee’, V. longifolia ‘Pink Shades’, V. orchidea ‘Blue Fingers’, V. repens, V. schmidtiana, V. spicata ‘Blue Carpet’, V. spicata ‘Pink Goblin’, V. teucrium ‘Royal Blue’였다. 반면, 2018년에는 모든 종의 개체가 개화하였다.

본 연구에서는 국내 유통 중인 농산물 9품목(n = 578)에 대한 납과 카드뮴 함량을 조사하고 이들의 섭취로 인한 위해성을 평가하고자 하였다. 납과 카드뮴의 함량은 마이크로웨이브 분해 후 ICP-MS로 분석하였다. 조사대상 농산물의 납 평균 함량은 각각 보리 0.014 mg/kg, 완두콩 0.010 mg/kg, 강낭콩 0.008 mg/kg, 녹두 0.006 mg/kg, 파인애플 0.008 mg/kg, 살구 0.016 mg/kg, 매실 0.015 mg/kg, 자두 0.021 mg/kg, 대추 0.019 mg/kg이었고, 카드뮴 평균함량은 보리 0.017 mg/kg, 완두콩 0.004 mg/kg, 강낭콩 0.007 mg/kg, 녹두 0.005 mg/kg, 파인애플 0.001 mg/kg, 살구 0.002 mg/kg, 매실 0.002 mg/kg, 자두 0.002 mg/kg, 대추 0.003 mg/kg이었다. 모든 시료의 납, 카드뮴 함량은 EU, CODEX 및 국내 기준보다 낮은 수준이었다. 조사 대상 농산물에 대한 납, 카드뮴의 인체노출량을 산출한 결과, 납은 잠정주간섭취허용량(PTWI, 25 μg/kg b.w./week)의 0.067%, 카드뮴은 월간잠정섭취허용량(PTMI, 25 μg/kg b.w./month)의 0.28%이었다. 이상의 결과는 조사 대상 농산물의 납, 카드뮴 오염도와 이들의 섭취에 의한 위해성이 모두 낮은 수준이라는 것을 보여준다.

본 연구의 목적은 토종다래의 용매별 추출물에 따른 약리활성에 대한 검증 및 효능 평가로서 토종다래의 항산화, 항염증에 대한 효과를 확인하였다. 염증 반응은 자극이 가해지면 histamine, serotonin, prostaglandin과 같은 혈관 활성물질에 의해 혈관 투과성이 증대되어 염증을 유발하고 cytokine, free radical, lysosomal enzyme 등 다양한 매개 인자가 관여한다. 자극에 의한 macrophage cell의 염증반응은 tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), interleukin-6(IL-6), interleukin-1β(IL-1β)와 같은 pro-inflammatory cytokine의 발현이 유도되고, inducible nitric oxide synthase(i-NOS)와cyclooxygenase-2(COX-2)에 영향을 받는 유전자의 발현을 자극하게 되어 nitric oxide(NO) 등의 염증 인자가 생성된다. 이에 따라 토종다래 추출물의 항염증에 대한 연구를 위해 이에 영향을 주는 인자인 i-NOS, COX-2의 단백질 발현억제 작용을 확인하였다. 그 결과, HKE > HKA > HKW 순서로 높은 효능을 확인 할 수 있었다. 가장 효과가 좋은 HKE 처리군에서 다양한 염증성 인자의 mRNA 발현량을 확인하였다. 측정 결과, HKE(2,000 μg/mL)는 i–NOS, COX-2, IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α mRNA 발현이 각각 93.2%, 27.9%, 96.4%, 89.4%, 73.9% 억제되는 효과를 확인할 수 있었다. 또한, HKE의 nuclear factor kappa B(NF-κB) 단백질 발현에 농도의존적으로 유의미한 결과를 확인하였으며, 이에 토종다래의 항염증효과는 LPS에 의한 TLR4의 자극에서 NF-κB 경로의 완화로 나타는 것임을 검증하였다. 결론적으로 토종다래는 70% ethanol 추출물(HKE)의 항염증 효과가 가장 높았으며, HKE는 대식세포에서 NF-κB 염증관련 경로의 억제로 세포 내 mRNA 및 단백질 수준에서의 염증인자들의 생성을 저해하여 항염증 효과가 명백히 확인되었다. 향후 본 연구팀은 토종다래의 항염증과 관련된 유효성분의 분리정제 및 구조분석을 진행할 예정이다.

This study was conducted to investigate the change of workers physiology and sensitivity according to the plant decoration activity using electroencephalographic (EEG), electrocardiogram, and semantic differential (SD) methods on 31 male and female workers in their twenties. Plant decoration activity and writing documents on a computer (WDOC) were carried out for 10 minutes each. The relative slow alpha power spectrum (RSA) has been highly exhibited at most measurement points at plant decoration activity compared to WDOC, and ratio of alpha to high beta spectrum (RAHB) was higher in the parietal lobe responsible for visual function in charge of visual function and showed stable and relaxed effect with little stress or tension. In addition, the relatively fast alpha power spectrum (RFA), which is responsible for visual function, after WDOC was higher than after plant decoration activity in the left parietal lobe (P <.05). Although not statistically significant, the relative high beta power spectrum (RHB) and the ratio of mid beta to theta (RMT), which are stress concentration indexes with tension, were highly regarded as a whole when performing WDOC. There was little difference in heart rate between after both activities. However, high frequency (HF) component indicating parasympathetic nervous system activity was more highly active after WDOC than Planting decoration activity, and the low frequency (LF) component indicating sympathetic nervous system activity tended to be lower after WDOC than after planting activity meaning that plant activity have a sense of stability than WDOC and these results were similar to brain wave analysis. In addition, the sense of comfort, naturalness, calm were significantly higher when the plant decoration activity was performed than when the WDOC was performed in the SD emotional vocabulary survey. These results could be interpreted that plant decoration activity induced more physiologically and psychologically stability and relaxation than WDOC, and enhanced attention ability in appropriate awakening state.

This study was taken place to find out the psychological change with comparing before and after the experience of installation of indoor garden with 55 of subjects out of 62 subjects. More than 50% of subject answered that the garden management would be difficult before they experience the installation but the pressure was decreased while the interest of plants and landscape increased, however, the burden of management decreased and the interest in the kinds of plants and landscape design tended to increase after the experience of the installation. The psychological effect of indoor garden of workers was significantly increased with the question of “Indoor garden improves effect of air cleaning.” after the experience of installation and the loyalty was statistically increased with the question of “Intend to invest more fund to purchase indoor plant” (p <.05). As a result of the comparison of two psychological indicators, the recovery index of the state according to experience of indoor gardening was significantly higher after experiencing the indoor garden than before the indoor gardening experience. As the result of sensibility evaluation of pleasant, natural and calm with semantic differential method, workers feel more of them with the indoor garden. In addition, the loyalty was statistically significantly higher in the question “I would be willing to invest more in plant purchase” after experiencing the composition indoor garden (p <.05). This result is similar to the result that the resident’s recovery index, pleasantness, calm feeling, and emotional index are higher the indoor garden in public resting area with indoor garden than without indoor garden. With this study, the perception of indoor garden changed as a result of the worker’s experience of indoor gardening in the workplace and the view of the indoor garden created by the workers. As the psychological healing effect of indoor garden increased, increase in the cost investment for the emotional health promotion of the workers is expected to have a positive effect on the increase of the indoor garden.

Background : Undulatum Rhubarb, commonly produced in domestic, is rhizome of Rheum undulatum L. that belongs to the family Polygonaceae. It also can be used as a substitute of R. palmatum L., R. tanguticum Maximowicz ex Balf., and R. officinale Baillon which completely depend on import system. However, there should be clear clarification among Undulatum Rhubarb and Rhubarb, because Undulatum Rhubarb contains rhaponticin as marker compound that is not indicated at Rhubarb. Some of the recently imported Undulatum Rhubarbs have been found to be Rhubarb. Also, it is known that only Undulatum Rhubarb is cultivated at domestic environment. But some plant origins of Rhubarb are grown in Korea, too. Further study are needed to clarify clear origin between Undulatum Rhubarb and Rhubarb. Thus, we collected some domestically cultivated samples and identified them. Methods and Reseults : Rheum undulatum L., Rhubarb, Rheum tanguticum Maximowicz ex Balf. which were cultivated in Gangwondo Agricultural Research and Extension Services in Cheorwon were collected and anayzed the DNA sequences. We also compared DNA sequences in Rhubarb collected from England and R. rhabarbarum L., R. undulatum L., and R. franzenbachii on NCBI. As a result, two kinds of rhubarb cultivated in the test plantation were identified as R. rhabarbarum and R. officinale. In addition, R. undulatum (plant origin of Undulatum Rhubarb) was identified as Rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum) in England with 99 - 100% identical in nuclear ITS gene region. Conclusion : R. undulatum, plant origin of Undulatum Rhubarb, is reported as synonym of R. rhabarbarum, R. franzenbachii. Rheum speices which are cultivated as tester in Gangwondo Agricultural Research and Extension Services in Cheorwon are estimated as R. undulatum and R. officinale. Therefore, not only Undulatum Rhubarb but Rhubarb could be grown in Korea.