Considering the dearth of information regarding the medicinal properties of Luffa cylindrica, we assessed the antioxidative, antimutagenic and hyperplasia inhibitory activity of cancer cells from Luffa cylindrica extracts by employing biological and biochemical assays. Ethanol extracts of Luffa cylindrica inhibited MDA-BSA (malondialdehyde-bovine serum albumin) conjugation reaction (66.38±2.65), DPPH (1, 1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl) radical production (60.13±0.42) and lipid peroxidation (56.04±3.24). In this study, Luffa cylindrica is believed to exert possible antioxidative effects. The direct and indirect antimutagenic effects of the ethanol extracts of Luffa cylindrica were examined by the Ames test using Salmonella typimurium TA98 and TA100. The inhibitory effects on indirect and direct mutagenicity shows an weak tendency, particularly in direct mutagenicity mediated by 2-nitrofluorene in Salmonella typimurium TA98 (5.82±5.74) and in indirect mutagenicity mediated by 2-anthramine in Salmonella typimurium TA100 (5.76±2.15). The ethanol extracts of Luffa cylindrica on cancer cell hyperplasia inhibitory activity via MTT (3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5 diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay exerted cytotoxic effects on Hela cells (55.83±3.83) and MCF-7 cells (33.03±2.09), which were used in this study. Based on these results, it believed that the ethanol extracts of Luffa cylindrica have antioxidative capacities as well as hyperplasia inhibitory activity of cancer cells. Furthemore, Luffa cylindrica is a candidate for the prevention and dietetic treatment of chronic diseases and for the development of functional food.

Antioxidant activities of Hericium erinaceum was in vestigated in subfractions of methanol extract such as hexane, chloroform, ethylacetate, butanol and water subfractions. Chlorofrom fraction exhibited the highest antioxidant activity and showed the highest level of total phenolic contents. The level of total phenolics may be correlated with the antioxidant activities of the subfractions. Therefore, the phenolic compound in the chloroform subfractions exhibiting high antioxidant acticity was identified by mass spectrometry using LC-MS/MS. In addition, hot water extract of this mushroom were tested for antimutagenic activity by Ames Salmonellaassay.Thisextractshowed inhibitiory effect on the mutagenesis induced in Salmonella typhimurium strain TA100 and TA98 by the directly actingmutagen 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide(0.15μg/plate) and sodium azide (0.5μg/plate). The extract also inhibited mutagenesis induced in Salmonella typhimurium strain TA100 and TA98 by the indirectly actingmutagen 2-aminoanthracen(2μg/plate) at 5000μg/plate and 200 μg/plate, respectively.

Agarooligosaccharides were produced by β-agarase from Bacillus cereus ASK 202. LD_(50) of Agarooligosaccharides was determined to be 1359 mg/kg which corresponded to GRAS material. Agarooligosaccharides at 5% level exhibited 88.3% inhibition on TA98 and 54% on TA100, indicating agarooligosaccharides to be potent antimutagenic substance. Immunologic activity of agarooligosaccharides was also confirmed by mouse spleen cell culture. Agarooligosaccharides addition of 200 ㎕/ml stabilized spleen cells (2.5 × 10^6 cells/ml) as compared to control (6.4 × 10⁴ cells/ml).

In vitro antimutagenic activity of methanol extract from brown rice and its physico-chemical characteristics were investigated using Salmonella typhimurium reversion assay and SOS chromoteat. Methanol extracts of brown rice were not mutagenic compared with direct and indirect mutagenicities of 4NQO (4-nitraquinoline oxide), 2NF(2-nitrofluorene), Trp-p-1(3-Amino-1,4-dimethyl-SH-pyrido-[4,3-b]indole), and Trp-p-2(3-Amino-l-methyl-SH-pyrido[4,3-b] indole). Antimutagenic activity against the indirect mutagenicitiea induced by Trp-p-1, Trp-p-2 and AFB₁ (aflatoxin B₁) was found in methanol extract. Even though antimutagenic activity showed dose-dependent, it remained constant at inhibition rate ranging 60%-90% when the concentration was above 3mg/plate in the S. typhimurium reversion assay and 0.2-0.6 mg/assay in the SOS chromotest. The antimutagenic activity of the methanol extracts was stable at various pH (2, 7 and 10), temperatures (60, 80 and 100℃) and heating times (2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 min at 100℃).

본 연구는 괴경 내부에 적색 및 보라색의 안토시아닌 색소를 함유한 유색감자의 추출물을 대상으로 S. typhimurium TA98과 TA100 균주의 돌연변이 유발여부를 확인하였고, 직접돌연변이원인 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide(4-NQO)와 간접 돌연변이원인 bozo(a)pyrene(BaP)에 의해 유발될 수 있는 돌연변이에 대한 항돌연변이 활성과 6종의 인간 암세포주(전립선암세포주: LNCaP, 결장암 세포주: HCT-15와 SW-620, 위암 세포주: ACHN, 폐암 세포주: A549, 백혈병 세포주: MOLT-4F)를 대상으로 SRB 방법을 이용하여 항암활성을 비교하였다. 그 결과 유색감자 중 괴경 내부에 보라색의 안토시아닌을 다량 함유한 자영 품종이 다른 품종에 비해 높은 수준의 항돌연변이활성 및 항암활성을 나타내었으며, 특히 자영 품종의 추출물은 다른 세포주 보다 전립선암 세포주에 대한 항암활성이 특이적으로 우수한 양상을 확인하였다. 자영 품종의 추출물은 5ug/mL 이상의 농도에서 암세포의 증식을 억제할 뿐 아니라, 전립선암 세포주 LNCaP와 PC-3에 대해 세포사멸을 유발하는 결과를 Cell Death Detection ELISA와 TUNEL Assay로 확인하였고, 세포사멸과 연관된 유전자의 발현분석을 western blot으로 확인하였다. 이상의 결과에서 괴경 내부에 안토시아닌을 함유한 유색감자는 괴경 내부의 색상이 백색인 일반감자에 비해 강한 항돌연변이활성 및 항암활성을 나타내므로 유색감자는 기능성이 증대된 식용감자로서의 이용가치가 충분하며, 유색감자를 이용한 기능성식품 소재개발 및 의료산업의 신규소재화가 가능하리라 판단된다.

김치로부터 분리 동정된 Lactobacillus plantarum KLAB21 균주에 있어서 항돌연변이 활성물질 생산을 위한 최적 조건을 조사하였다. 탄소원으로서 glucose 첨가시 가장 높은 항돌연변이 활성을 나타내었으며, 질소원으로서는 yeast extract와 bactopeptone 첨가시 활성이 우수하였다. 탄소원인 glucose의 농도는 2%에서, 질소원인 yeast extract와 bactopeptone의 농도는 1%에서 가장 우수한