The present study is designed to explore an anti-tumor activity on crude extracts of Oplopanax elatus. Water extractions of Oplopanax elatus were performed at 100℃(OeE-100). OeE-100 doses up to 62.5 ㎍/㎖ had no cytotoxicity on the tumor cell lines in vitro. In experimental lung metastasis of colon26-M3.1 carcinoma or B16-BL6 melanoma, the prophylactic intravenous (4~100 ㎍/mouse) or oral (2 ㎎/mouse) administration of OeE-100 significantly inhibited tumor metastasis as compared with tumor controls. Peritoneal macrophages stimulated with OeE-100 produced various cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-12. In an analysis of NK-cell activities, i.v. administration of OeE-100 (10~100 ㎍/mouse) significantly augmented the cytotoxicity to YAC-1 tumor cells. Vaccination of mice with boiling-treated tumor cells (BT-vaccine) in combination with OeE-100 (100 ㎍/mouse) showed higher inhibitions in tumor metastasis when compared with the mice of BT-vaccine treatment. In addition, the splenocytes from OeE-100 admixed BT-vaccine immunized mice secreted a higher concentration of Th1 type cytokine such as IFN-γ. These results suggested that the OeE-100 stimulated immune system and was a good candidate adjuvant of anti-tumor immune responses.

Background : Oplopanax elatus Nakai. is distributed in Korea and China. In this study, we have used high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to compare the internal standards contents [uracil, adenosine, protocatechuic acid, syringin (eleutheroside B) and scoparone (6,7-dimethoxycoumarin)], and compared the antioxidant activity. Methods and Results : Samples were prepared two different temperature conditions (90℃ and 100℃). Total phenolic contents and total flavonoid contents were analyzed while gallic acid and quercetin were used as standard. Anti-oxidant activities were measured by determination of DPPH and reducing power assay. HPLC was reported as five standard compounds equivalent using the following linear equation based on the calibration curve. According to the results, the anti-oxidant effects of Korean O. elatus Nakai. stem extracts in 90℃ water showed more activity than that of Chinese in DPPH assay. However, the amount of internal compounds was higher in Chinese O. elatus Nakai.. The anti-oxidant effects of Korean O. elatus Nakai. stem extracts in 90℃ water showed more activity than Korean O. elatus Nakai. stem extracts in 100℃ water in DPPH assay. In this study, we had found that, at over the 100℃ temperature all the anti-oxidant effects of O. elatus Nakai. extracts were reduced. However, all five standard compounds were detected at similar value. Conclusion : These results suggests that Korean O. elatus Nakai. has higher anti-oxidant activities which can be use for bioactivity assay.

Background : Oplopanax elatus has many compounds such as essential oils, saponin, flavonoids, anthraquinones, and polyacetylenes etc. in all part of stems, roots, and leaves. In previous study, we isolated five compounds (uracil, adenosine, protocatechuic acid, syringin, and scoparone) from the water extract of in stems of O. elatus. In this study, we confirmed the variation of chemical constituents and antioxidant activity in leaves of O. elatus by different cultivation environment. Methods and Results : We analyzed three types of O. elatus in different cultivation environment (in vitro plant, in vivo plant and wild plant). We detected five compounds (uracil, adenosine, protocatechuic acid, syringin, and scoparone) in three types of plants by using HPLC. The contents of five compounds varied depending on the different cultivation environment. Syringin and adenosine were detected on all plants and showed different contents, respectively. We compared antioxidant activities such as total phenol contents (TPC), total flavonoid contents (TFC), DPPH and reducing power assay. The values of antioxidant activities (DPPH and reducing power) in leaves of in vitro plants were higher than other plants. Also TPC and TFC in leaves of in vitro plants showed the highest contents. Conclusion : These results could be basic data for cultivation methods about enhancement of syringin and adenosine compounds contents in leaves of O. elatus.

Background : Oplopanax elatus has many compounds such as essential oils, saponin, flavonoids, anthraquinones, and polyacetylenes etc. in all part of stems, roots, and leaves. It is traditionally used to treat asthma, depressive states, chronic fatigue syndrome, diabetes mellitus, rheumatism, arthritis, gastrointestinal disorders, and wounds. In this study, the evaluation of several factors affecting the variation of chemical constituents and antioxidant activity in stem of O. elatus. Methods and Results : Five compounds (uracil, adenosine, protocatechuic acid, syringin, and scoparone) were isolated from the water extract of in stems of O. elatus. We extracted stems of them with hot water by different temperature (85 and 100℃) and times (1, 4, and 7 hrs.) and analyzed contents of five compounds by HPLC and antioxidant activity such as DPPH, ABTS and reducing power assay. The contents of five compounds varied depending on the extraction time and extraction temperature, the contents of uracil and protocatechuic acid in extracts of stems reduced with times. However, there is no difference the amount of variation in chemical constituents in stems of O. elatus. The antioxidant free radical scavenging activities of its stem extracts in 85℃ water (IC50 = 34.56 ± 0.8 ㎍/㎖ of extracts) showed more activity than extracts in 100℃ water (IC50 = 39.58 ± 1.6 ㎍/㎖ of extracts) in ABTS assay. Conclusion : In conclusion, the contents of five compounds were not significantly affected by extraction time and extraction temperature. Therefore, these results could be basic data for the quality management of five compounds in stems of O. elatus extracted with hot water.

Background : Oplopanax elatus, comnonly called Asian devil’s club, is distributed in the northern high mountains of the Korean peninsula, northeastern China, and southeastern Russia. Its root is traditionally used to treat asthma, depressive states, chronic fatigue syndrome, and hypertension, neurasthenia, hypopiesis, schizophrenia, cardiovascular problems, diabetes mellitus, impotence, emaciation, hypotension cough, rheumatism, arthritis, gastrointestinal disorders, and wounds. Plant cell and tissue culture techniques for the mass production of adventitious roots in suspension culture allows a high proliferation rate, stable accumulation rate, and production of valuable compounds. Methods and Results : The plants were cultured on 1/4 MS medium with 1% sucrose and 1% plant agar for 3 month and they transferred to pot. The pots were contained of soil, soil + pelite (1 : 1), and soil + sand (1 : 1), respectively. The plants were measured plant length, leaf length, and leaf number. The number of leaves have represented as similar result of 7.44 ± 1.34 ㎝ in soil and 7.56 ± 1.26 ㎝ on soil + pelite. The 3.22 ± 0.53 ㎝ of plant length and the 6.57 ± 0.51 ㎝ of leaves length were highest on soil. Conclusion : The survival rate depending on soil types of Oplopanax elatus was confirmed to exist in these cases of soil and soil+pelite. However, they all died in condition of soil+vermiculite. The number of leaves have no difference and the length of plant and the length of leaves were longest on soil.

Background : Although Oplopana elatus is a valuable medicinal plant that, like ginseng, recommends itself as source of herbal preparations, little molecular information on this plant is available. Therefore, to analyze the terpenoid biosynthetic pathway in O. elatus, we employed an RNA-seq approach. Methods and Results : To generate a transcriptome library of O. elatus, total RNA was extracted from different tissues, including leaves, stem, and root. A pooled RNA sample was prepared by combining equivalent RNA from different tissues. Using pair-end read with the Illumina platform, a total of 78,646,554 raw sequencing reads were generated. After data cleaning, approximately 77 million high-quality reads were obtained with 98% G20 (base quality of greater than 20). The high-quality reads were assembled into 208,959 unigenes with an average length of 1,073 bp and an N50 of 1,768 bp. Consistent with our prediction, which was based on the KEGG pathway assignment, we found 122 unigenes encoding 47 putative enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of terpenoid and triterpenoid saponins in the O. elatus transcriptome library. Conclusion : The transcriptome dataset generated in this study will serve as a valuable resource for accelerating genomic and functional genomic research in O. elatus and in the family Araliaceae.

Background: This study was conducted to investigate the effects of germanium treatment on the growth and organic germanium production in the roots of Oplopanax elatus plantlets. Methods and Results: O. elatus plantlets were cultured in Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium with different concentrations of germanium dioxide (GeO2) to analyze optimum growth conditions. Exogenous treatment of 10 ㎎/ℓ GeO2 promoted growth and an increase in the contents of chlorophyll a, b and carotenoid in O. elatus. The germanium accumulation and production in roots of O. elatus plantlets treated with organic germanium reached the highest levels. The growth of the aerial and underground portion of O. elatus with organic germanium was greater than that of the control. The accumulation and production of organic germanium reached the highest level (40.89 ㎍/plantlet) with the treatment of 50 ㎎/ℓ GeO2. Antioxidant activity measured by DPPH and ABTS assays also increased with the germanium treatment and improved the DPPH and ABTS radical activity by 200% compared with that in the control. In addition, the total phenol and flavonoid contents of the plantlets with a treatment of 50 ㎎/ℓ GeO2 were higher than in the control. Conclusions: Taken together, the growth of O. elatus was increased with the treatment of 50 ㎎/ℓ GeO2 germanium and the biological references improved, with increased antioxidant activity and organic germanium production.

This study was performed to investigate the physiological responses of Oplopanax elatus by water condition.Drought stress was induced by withholding water for 26 days. The results show that PN max, SPAD, gs, E and Ci weresignificantly decreased with decreasing of soil moisture contents. However, AQY and WUE were decreased slightly only at26 day. This implies that photosynthetic rate is reduced due to an inability to regulate water and CO₂exchange through thestomatal. According to JIP analysis, ΦPO, ΨO, ΦEO and PIABS were dramatically decreased at 21 day and 26 day, whichreflects the relative reduction state of the photosystem II. On the other hand, the relative activities per reaction center suchas ABS/RC, TRo/RC were significantly increased at 26 day. Particularly, Dio/RC and DIo/CS increased substantially underdrought stress, indicating that excessive energy was consumed by heat dissipation. These results of chlorophyll a fluores-cence show that the sensitivity changes photosystem II activity. Thus, according to the results, O. elatus was exhibited astrong reduction of photosynthetic activity to approximately 10% soil moisture contents, and JIP parameters could be usefulindicator to monitor the physiological states of O. elatus under drought stress.

This study was carried out to select the appropriate medium (especially, carbon and nitrogen source, potassium phosphate and pH) for somatic embryogenesis in order to develop the rapid mass production system in suspension culture of Oplopanax elatus Nakai. Direct somatic embryos were obtained from root explants in the hormone free suspension culture (MS). Combination of NH4NO3 and KNO3 at the ratio of 1650 (mg/l) : 1900 (mg/l) obtained the better result to produce somatic embryo in suspension culture. MS medium supplemented with 170mg/l KH2PO4. The addition of 1 and 3% sucrose was effective for formation of embryogenic callus. Therefore, this report will be helped to improve the establishment for suspension culture in Oplopanax elatus Nakai.

Effects of Oplopanax elatus have known to various pharmaceutical therapies. However, chemical prosperities in the plant are rarely investigated. In order to detect biological activity, we evaluated the antioxidant activity of five fractions from methanolic extracts in each part of O. elatus. Also, contents of polyphenols and polysaccharides were measured. Five fractions were of sub-fractions using n-hexane, ethyl-acetate, n-butanol, and water from methanolic extracts. Ethylacetate and n-butanol fractions from stem and root exhibited strong antioxidant activity and high total phenolics content. On the HPLC analysis, ten free phenolics, including p-hydroxybenzoic acid, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, syringic acid, p-cou maric acid, ferulic acid, naringin, hesperidin, quercetin and trans-cinnamic acid, were identified from the fractions and were shown to different quantitative proportions. Furthermore, ethylacetate and n-butanol fraction had the highest amount of chlorogenic acids, one of the cinnamic acid derivatives possessing pharmacological properties. These results indicated that the fractions of O. elatus, as well as methanolic extracts, could be used as natural antioxidative ingredients.