• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.227-227
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• 2016

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.126-137
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• 2022

Background: Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is one of the main chronic liver diseases. NASH is identified by lipid accumulation, inflammation, and fibrosis. Jinan Red Ginseng (JRG) and licorice have been widely used because of their anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective effects. Hence, this study assessed JRG and licorice extract mixtures' effects on NASH progression. Methods: Palmitic acid (PA) and the western diet (WD) plus, high glucose-fructose water were used to induce in vitro and in vivo NASH. Mice were orally administered with JRG-single (JRG-S) and JRG-mixtures (JRG-M; JRG-S + licorice) at 0, 50, 100, 200 or 400 mg/kg/day once a day during the last half-period of diet feeding. Results: JRG-S and JRG-M reduced NASH-related pathologies in WD-fed mice. JRG-S and JRG-M consistently decreased the mRNA level of genes related with inflammation, fibrosis, and lipid metabolism. The treatment of JRG-S and JRG-M also diminished the SREBP-1c protein levels and the p-AMPK/AMPK ratio. The FAS protein levels were decreased by JRG-M treatment both in vivo and in vitro but not JRG-S. Conclusion: JRG-M effectively reduced lipogenesis by modulating AMPK downstream signaling. Our findings suggest that this mixture can be used as a prophylactic or therapeutic alternative for the remedy of NASH.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.51 no.6
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• pp.558-564
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• 2019

Hypertriglyceridemia is one of the metabolic syndrome that is often observed as a result of lipid abnormalities. It is associated with other lipids, metabolic disorders, cardiovascular disease and liver disease. Korean red ginseng is known to affect obesity, dyslipidemia, liver disease and liver function, but the mechanism of its effect is not clear. This study examined the beneficial effects of hypertriglyceridemia and the mechanism of action of Jinan red ginseng extract (JRG) in hepatoma cells. To measure the levels of triglyceride accumulation, we studied the expression of proteins and mRNAs related to lipidogenesis in hepatoma cells (Huh7 and HepG2). JRG decreases the lipidogenic markers, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ), CCAAT-enhancer-binding proteins α (C/EBPα) and C/EBPβ which are major regulators of triglyceride synthesis in hepatoma cells. We also found that JRG reduced sterol regulatory element binding proteins 1c (SREBP-1c), C/EBPα and C/EBPβ by regulating liver X receptor (LXR) and stearoyl CoA desaturase (SCD) expressions. In addition, the first-limited step of synthesis triglyceride (TG), glycerol-3-phosphate (G3P) is decreased by JRG. These results suggest that the anti-hypertriglyceride effect of JRG in hepatoma cells could be accompanied with the inhibition of lipidogenic transcription factors by regulating LXR and SCD expression.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.158-163
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• 2015

In this study, we investigated the effects of 40% ethanol extract of Red Ginseng (RGE) on the productions of inflammatory proteins in Antigen I/II (Ag I/II)-N, a recombinant protein isolated from Streptococcus mutans -stimulated in RAW 264.7 cells. RGE inhibited the expression of Ag I/II-N-induced pro-inflammatory mediators, both mRNA and protein synthesis levels, without any cytotoxic effects. Moreover, RGE significantly inhibited Ag I/II-N induced NF-κB translocation into the nucleus by preventing the degradation of inhibitor κB-α. In conclusion, RGE down regulates the expression of pro-inflammatory genes involved in the synthesis of NO and iNOS in Ag I/II-N-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells by suppressing NF-κB activity.

• 한국약용작물학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2012.05a
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• pp.77-78
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• 2012

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.790-798
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• 2016

We quantitatively analyzed eight varieties of 6-year-old red ginseng, including four local landraces from the Inje, Geumsan, Jinan, and Punggi regions and four new varieties, Chunpoong, Yunpoong, Guempoong, and K-1, for 10 ginsenosides, acidic polysaccharide, crude polyacetylene, and total polyphenol content to find out which varieties are most suitable for producing red ginseng. Most of the new varieties contained more ginsenosides than the local landraces. While the acidic polysaccharide content of Geumsan red ginseng was lower than that of the others, its crude polyacetylene content was the highest, with a mean of 33.99%. The Inje, Geumsan, and Jinan red ginseng had a significantly higher total polyphenol content than the others.

• Journal of Dairy Science and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.159-166
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• 2015

We investigated the anti-obesity effects of Lactobacillus acidophilus C isolated from kimchi and red ginseng and black raspberry mixture fermented by this strain. Experimental samples were prepared with 10% skim milk, 1% red ginseng extract and 1% immature black raspberry powder and without red ginseng extract and black raspberry fermented by this strain at $37^{\circ}C$ for 24 hour. Male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into 4 groups (a normal diet group (N), a high-fat diet group (HF), a high fat diet with L. acidophilus C (C), and a high fat diet with fermented mixture (CEx)) and were orally administered daily for 6 weeks at concentration of 2,000 mg/kg body weight. The results showed that weight gain, weight of periepididymal fat and perirenal fat, adipocyte size, lipid accumulation in liver, serum glucose concentration, serum GOT and GPT concentration and serum leptin were decreased and concentration of HDL-cholesterol and serum adiponectin were increased compared to HF group. These results suggest that fermented mixture (CEx) might be helpful in improvement of high-fat diet-induced obesity than only L. acidophilus C intake.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.115-120
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• 2021

Scutellaria baicalensis has been used as a traditional medicine for diarrhea, dysentery, hypertension, hemorrhaging, insomnia, inflammation, and respiratory infections. This study examined the anti-inflammatory effect of Scutellaria baicalensis water extract (SWE) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 cells. To evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of SWE, RAW 264.7 macrophages were stimulated with LPS to induce the production of inflammation-related factors, which were measured by western blotting. In RAW 264.7 cells, SWE inhibited the production of nitric oxide (NO) without causing cell toxicity. SWE also reduced the expression of inducible NO synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 protein, as well as the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (such as tumor necrosis factor-α). The phosphorylation levels of the mitogen-activated protein kinase family members, such as JNK and p38, were also reduced by SWE. Thus, SWE could be used as a potential anti-inflammatory agent.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.364-372
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• 2015

This study investigated the effects of fermented black raspberry (BR) and red ginseng (RG) extract co-treatment on lipid metabolism and obesity in rats fed with a high fat/high cholesterol diet (HFHCD) for 12 weeks. Compared to the corresponding values in rats fed with a HFHCD, total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol and triglyceride levels decreased whereas high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol levels increased in rats treated with fermented BR and RG extracts. These extracts significantly increased the expression of HMG-CoA reductase, LDL receptor, and sterol regulatory-element-binding protein-2 (SREBP-2) mRNA, but decreased the mRNA expression of SREBP-1. Additionally the serum levels of leptin and fatty acid synthase were decreased. Moreover, supplementation with fermented BR and RG effectively increased fecal cholesterol excretion. These results suggest that fermented BR and RG extracts might be effective at preventing hypercholesterolemia and obesity.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2024

Fresh ginseng is prone to spoilage due to its high moisture content. For long-term storage, most fresh ginsengs are dried to white ginseng (WG) or steamed for hours at high temperature/pressure and dried to form Korean Red ginseng (KRG). They are further processed for ginseng products when subjected to hot water extraction/concentration under pressure. These WG or KRG preparation processes affect ginsenoside compositions and also other ginseng components, probably during treatments like steaming and drying, to form diverse bioactive phospholipids. It is known that ginseng contains high amounts of gintonin lysophosphatidic acids (LPAs). LPAs are simple lipid-derived growth factors in animals and humans and act as exogenous ligands of six GTP-binding-protein coupled LPA receptor subtypes. LPAs play diverse roles ranging from brain development to hair growth in animals and humans. LPA-mediated signaling pathways involve various GTP-binding proteins to regulate downstream pathways like [Ca²⁺]_i transient induction. Recent studies have shown that gintonin exhibits anti-Alzheimer's disease and antiarthritis effects in vitro and in vivo mediated by gintonin LPAs, the active ingredients of gintonin, a ginseng-derived neurotrophin. However, little is known about how gintonin LPAs are formed in high amounts in ginseng compared to other herbs. This review introduces atypical or non-enzymatic pathways under the conversion of ginseng phospholipids into gintonin LPAs during steaming and extraction/concentration processes, which exert beneficial effects against degenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease and arthritis in animals and humans via LPA receptors.