Pumpkin has long been used as traditional health materials in oriental medicine, pharmacy, medicine, and food industries in many countries. In this study, the water extract and two active components from tendril of young C. moschata Duch. were investigated on inflammation inhibitory activity. The water extract of young C. moschata Duch. showed high cell viability over 95% and it decreased the production of interlukin 6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) in the capacity of mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDM) upon lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation. Also, isolated fraction (B4) suppressed the secretion of IL-6 and TNF-α. Among the domestically cultivated pumpkins, B4 fraction contained in the tendril part of them and it comprised of the order of tendril from Cucurbita pepo var. cylindrica, old of C. moschata Duch., and young of C. moschata Duch. These results suggest that water extracts of C. moschata Duch. and purified active compound, rutin, show anti-inflammation activity by suppression of the secretion of IL-6 and TNF-α. It can be applicable as pharmaceutical materials.

This study was conducted to isolate a salt tolerant gene and to develop salt tolerant rice for reclaimed-saline areas through genetic transformation. A rice c/DRE binding factor 4(OsCBF4) cDNA was isolated from rice using RT-PCR. The full-length cDNA of the CBF4 gene consists of 1,429 nucleotides and 274 amino acid residues. In order to develop salt tolerant rice, transgenic rice plants containing the OsCBF4 gene were obtained via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. The stable incorporation of the OsCBF4 gene into rice genome was confirmed by PCR and Southern analysis. The stable expression of introduced gene was also validated by RT-PCR analysis in T2 plants. Biological assay of T3 progeny of the transgenic plants in Yoshida solution containing 120mM Nacl for 2weeks, confirmed that the OsCBF4 confers salt tolerance to transgenic rice plants. OsCBF4 transgene in the transgenic line CBF4-10 was markedly expressed up to over three-fold in the leaf by 120 mM NaCl treatment. Real-time PCR analysis revealed that the levels of the transgene expression were markedly increased under salt treatment. The transgenic line CBF4-10 which showed highest ability to recover from the saline stress could be used as a potential source for salt tolerance in rice breeding programs