To utilize pepper (Piper nigrum) as an immunostimulatory agent, we isolated macrophage stimulating polysaccharides from pepper and investigated their macrophage activating activities. Hot-water extracts (HW) of black pepper (BP) and white pepper (WP) were prepared, and their macrophage stimulating activities were evaluated using RAW 264.7 cells. BP-HW significantly promoted the secretion of macrophage stimulating factors such as nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-12 compared to WP-HW. When BP and WP-HW were fractionated into crude polysaccharides (CP) and low molecules (LM) by ethanol precipitation, BP-CP demonstrated significantly more potent activity. Furthermore, BP-CP not only induced mRNA gene expression of macrophage activation factors, but also promoted nuclear localization of p65 and c-Jun. In addition, component sugar analysis revealed that glucan-type polysaccharides in BP-CP played a crucial role in macrophage activation. Taken together, these findings suggest that black pepper has industrial applicability not only as a spice, but also as an immunostimulatory functional material.

본 연구는 자생 덩굴식물인 마삭줄과 후추등의 실내 광도차에 따른 생육특성의 변화를 알아보고자 광도 처리 조합을 3처리구를 만들어 환경 조절 생육상에서 조사하였다. 사용된 광원은 형광등이고, 광 처리를 각각 100lux, 1,000lux, 2,500lux로 달리하여 5개월간 생육특성 변화를 조사하였다. 자생 마삭줄은 저광도인 100lux에서 처리 2개월 이후 생존율이 약 16.7%로 식물체 대부분이 고사하였고, 1,000lux와 2,500lux에서는 처리 5개월까지도 생존율이 83.3%로 높게 유지되었다. 실내광도가 높아짐에 따라 초장, 엽수, 분지수, 엽장 및 엽폭은 증가하는 경향을 보였고 고광도인 2,500lux에서 가장 우세한 생육 및 생장을 보였다. 자생 후추등은 저광도인 100lux에서는 처리 4개월 후 생존율이 50%로 생육이 불량하였으나 1,000lux와 2,500lux에서는 처리 5개월까지도 100%의 높은 생존율을 보였다. 1,000lux 조건에서 엽록소 함량이 증가되는 경향을 보였고, 엽장과 엽폭이 약간 넓어지는 경향은 보였다. 상록성 덩굴식물인 자생 마삭줄과 후추등을 실내 광조건을 달리하여 처리한 결과 두 식물 모두 1,000lux 이상의 광조건에서 생육이 양호하였고 특히 후추등의 경우 마삭줄에 비해 1,000lux의 낮은 광도에서도 생육이 양호하고 잎이 넓어지고 엽색도 짙은 녹색으로 유지되어 실내식물로서 활용성이 높을 것으로 판단되었으나 광도가 지나치게 낮아질 경우 생육이 저조한 것으로 나타나 내 음성이 높다고 할지라도 정상적인 생육을 위해서는 적당한 광조건이 필요함을 알 수 있었다.

Adrian Piper performed a virtual masculine persona of 'Mythic Being' between 1973 and 1975. She disguised herself with an Afro-wig, sunglasses, a mustache, turtleneck shirt, etc. in order to be 'Mythic Being', hung around the everyday street and carried out performance. She imitated and reproduced a violent, sexual stereotype of a black man of the working class filled with hostility. Through a performance like this, Piper tried to do research on the racial prejudice and stereotypes implanted in the audiences' mind. In addition, Piper was able to experience gender freedom while doing an impersonation of a black man's erotic stereotype through 'Mythic Being', and did an experiment on what sort of liberation such an experience could give her as a black woman. In addition, Piper used an artful practice in 'Mythic Being' performance in an effort to produce contrary evidence that a racial stereotype could by no means represent the true identity of black people. The 'Mythic Being' in <The Mythic Being>series looks like someone who has a short and small body with lighter skin which clouds racial distinguishment despite the fact that it claims to stand for black masculinity. Besides, the Afro-wig and mustache of the 'Mythic Being' are worn awkwardly and exaggeratively as if they didn't belong to it. Such factors hint at the fact that Piper is not completely assimilated to the black masculine persona-'Mythic Being', but simply does an awkward imitation of it. In this way, Piper intended to expose the fact that it is by no means possible to explain the essence of the racial identity simply by using a stereotype while proving that performing a racial stereotype imitatively, though, is enough to acquire specific ethnicity, i.e. negritude.

 ,  , The larvicidal activities of Piper nigrum fruit methanol extracts and its constituents against larvae of the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella, were investigated using the leaf dipping method. Administering the P. nigrum methanol extract resulted in 100 and 97% mortality against diamondback moth larvae at 5.0 and 2.5 mg/mL concentrations, respectively. Larvicidal activities of the P. nigrum fruit-derived piperidine alkaloids, piperine, and N-isobutylamide, as well as pellitorine, guineensine, pipercide, and retrofractamide A against P. xylostella varied according to test compound. Based on the 48 h LC50 values, the most toxic compound to diamondback moth larvae was guineensine (0.013 mg/mL) followed by retrofractamide A (0.020mg/mL), pipercide (0.033mg/mL), and pellitorine (0.046 mg/mL). The LC50 value of piperine was >, 0.5 mg/mL.

카바(Piper methysticum, P. methysticum)는 비뇨생식기 질환, 류머티즘, 위장 장애, 호흡기 자극 및 폐 통증에 대해 전통적으로 사용되는 것으로 알려져 있다. 본 연구에서는 카바에서 분리된 flavokavain C (FKC)가 염증성 유전자의 발현에 관여하는 전사인자인 핵요소-κB (NF-κB) 의존성 산화 질소(NO) 생산 및 산화 질소 합성 효소(iNOS)의 발현에 리포폴리사카라이드(LPS) 처리된 대식세포에서 항 염증 활성을 나타 낸다는 것을 확인하였다. FKC는 과산화수소와 같은 반응성 산소 종(ROS)의 축적을 억제하고, LPS로 유도된 NO 생성 및 각종 염증 관련 유전자(iNOS, IL-1β, IL-6)의 발현을 NF-κB 및 MAPKs (ERK 및 JNK)의 억제를 통해 농도 의존적으로 줄일 수 있었다. 결론적으로, 이러한 결과는 FKC가 NF-κB 경로와 MAPKs 포 함한 염증 프로세스를 억제하는 능력을 가지고 있음을 나타내며, 이는 항 염증 및 항산화 효능 기반 기능성 화장 품에 적용될 수 있음을 암시한다.