Big data analysis methods are useful tools for sorting valuable data and products. Achyranthes Radix root extract (AR) is a well-known herbal medicine in East Asia due to its anti-osteoarthritis, pro-circulatory, and anti-osteoporosis effects. In this stud y, we investigated the liver- and kidney-protective effects of AR by applying big data analysis to traditional medicine. CDDP (cis-diamminedichloridoplatinum) is an effective cancer cell anti-proliferative agent used in the treatment of diverse types of tumors. However, it is clinically limited due to liver and kidney toxicity. The current study was designed to assess the potential protective effects of AR against CDDP-induced hepato-renal toxicity. For this purpose, male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were assigned to four groups, each consisting of four animals. Intravenous injection or oral administration of either saline or AR was performed daily for 14 days, whereas CDDP was injected intraperitoneally on day 3 following AR treatment. Serum biochemistry results revealed that CDDP induced clear hepatic and renal damage while the AR treatment groups showed less damage relative to controls. Next, we tested the pharmacokinetics of AR using 20-hydroxyecdysone (20-HE), which is the most abundant component of AR extract. After intravenous administration of AR, the plasma concentration of 20-HE rapidly declined with a terminal half-life (t1/2) of 0.99±0.47 h. The area under the plasma concentration vs. time curve was 24.96±3.5 h*ng/mL. The present study provides valuable tools for further verification studies of the classical herbal literature and its scientific relevance.

Paeoniae radix has been widely used for its anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, and demonstrated to have anticonvulsant, memory enhancing and anxiolytic activities. The present study was performed to examine the protective effect of methanol extract of Paeoniae radix (PR) from Paeoniae Japonica Miyabe et Takeda (Paeoniaceae) on hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced neurotoxicity using cultured rat cerebral cortical neuron. H2O2 produced a concentration-dependent reduction of neuronal viability, PR, over a concentration range of 10 to 100 μg/ml showed concentration-dependent decrease of the H2O2(100 μM)-induced neuronal cell death, as assessed by a 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-di-phenyl-tetrazolium bromide assay and the number of apoptotic nuclei, evidenced by Hoechst 33342 staining. PR (100 μg/ml inhibited 100 μM H2O2-induced elevation of the cytosolic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]c), which was measured by a fluorescent dye, flue-4 AM. PR (50 μg/ml inhibited glutamate release into medium induced by 100 μM H2O2, which was measured by HPLC, and generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). These results suggest that PR may mitigate the H2O2-induced neurotoxiciy by interfering with the increase of [Ca2+]c, and then inhibiting glutamate release and generation of ROS in cultured neurons.

Sanguisorbae radix (SR) from Sanguisorba officinalis L. (Losaceae) is widely used in Korea and China due to its various pharmacological activity. The present study aims to investigate the effect of the methanol extract of SR on amyloid β Protein(25-35) (Aβ (25-35)), a synthetic 25-35 amyloid peptide, -induced neurotoxicity using cultured rat cortical neurons. SR, over a concentration range of 10-50 μg/ml, inhibited the Aβ (25-35) (10 μM)-induced neuronal cell death, as assessed by a 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazole-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and the number of apoptotic nuclei, evidenced by Hoechst 33342 staining. Pretreatment of SR (50 μg/ml) inhibited 10 μM Aβ (25-35)-induced elevation of cytosolic calcium concentration ([Ca2+]c), which was measured by a fluorescent dye, fluo-4 AM. SR (10 and 50 μg/ml) inhibited glutamate release into medium induced by 10 μM Aβ(25-35), which was measured by HPLC, and generation of reactive oxygen species. These results suggest that SR prevents Aβ (25-35)-induced neuronal cell damage in vitro.

Foehn damage on rice plant is one of the important abiotic stresses in eastern costal area of Korea. To know the relationship between foehn impact and morphological traits of rice, wind tunnel method was used with 106 rice cultivars. Less influencing traits on foehn were short panicle, large panicle number per hill, thin panicle neck, and the flag leaf of narrow, short and thick. Leaf pubescence reduced the impact on foehn. 'Naepungbyeo' belong-ed to foehn tolerant varietal group, while 'Ansanbyeo' belonged to the opposite group. Three levels of root cutting treatment with two rice cultivars were conducted to evaluate the foehn impact using wind tunnel. The severity of wind damages was followed the sigmoidal curve duration of wind tunnel treatment were prolonged. Different responses of root cutting to wind tunnel treatment could be used to evaluate the severity of the foehn impact. 'Naepungbyeo' was one of the less implausible cultivars on foehn. 'Nae-pungbyeo' showed tolerant response to wind under 21% root removing treat-ment (20㎝ root cutting), however 'Ansanbyeo' was wilted under the same treatment. In case of 35 % root removing treatment(10㎝ root cutting), both rice cultivars failed to alive against foehn wind.