• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2013

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a major cellular energy sensor and master regulator of metabolic homeostasis. On activation, this cellular fuel sensing enzyme induces a series of metabolic changes to balance energy consumption via multiple downstream signaling pathways controlling nutrient uptake and energy metabolism. This pivotal role of AMPK has led to the development of numerous AMPK activators which might be used as novel drug candidates in the treatment of AMPK related disorders, diabetes, obesity, and other metabolic diseases. Consequently, a number of patents have been published on AMPK activators from natural products and other sources. This review covers the patented AMPK activators from natural products and their therapeutic potential in treatment or prevention of metabolic diseases including diabetes and obesity.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2001.04a
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• pp.90-94
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• 2001

Wondonins A and B, aromatic alkaloids of an unprecedented skeletal class have been isolated form and association of the sponges Poecillastra wondoensis and Jaspis sp. In addition, four novel bromotyrosine-derived metabolites, psammaplins $A_1$ and $A_2$, aplysinellins A and B, have been isolated from the tropical sponge Aplysinella rhax. The structures of these compounds have been determined on the basis of combined chemical and spectral analyses. The new compounds exhibited significant cytotoxicity and antiangiogenic activity as well as inhibitory activities against farnesyl protein transferase and leucine aminopeptidase. In addition to these compounds, several bioactive metabolites have been isolated from sponges of Korean and tropical waters.

• CELLMED
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.14.1-14.7
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• 2012

Cordycepin, a nucleoside derivative, was extracted from $Cordyceps$ $sinensis$, and then proved to be a bioactive compound present in traditional Chinese medicine Cordyceps. Early investigations revealed cordycepin possessed anti-microbial activity mainly by inhibiting nucleic acid synthesis. Although cordycepin is not used as antibacterial agents in clinic, its other pharmacological effects and possible mechanisms have gradually been deeply studied. This review serves to summarize the research progress of cordycepin.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.254-264
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• 2001

Sponges are host organisms for various symbiotic microorganisms such as archaea, bacteria, cyano-bacteria and microalgae. Sponges are also sources of a wide variety of useful natural products like cyto-toxins. antifouling agents, antibiotics, and anti-inflammatory and antiviral compounds, Symbiotic microorganisms is sponges can be sources of various natural products, because metabolites previously ascribed to sponges have recently been demonstrated to be biosynthesized by symbionts. If a symbiotic microorganisms from which some natural products are derived can be cultured, the microorganism could be used in a mass production of the bioactive comopounds. We summarize recent research on iso-lation and cultivation of sponge-symbiotic microorganisms and the symbiotic relationship.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2019.04a
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• pp.34-34
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• 2019

About 60% of the present drugs were developed from natural products with unique chemical diversity and biological activities. Hence, discovery of new bioactive compounds from natural products is still important for the drug development. On the other hand, breakthrough made in synthetic biology has also begun to supply us with many useful compounds through manipulation of biosynthetic gene for secondary metabolites. Theoretically, this approach can also be exploited to generate new unnatural compounds by intermixing genes from different biosynthetic pathway. Considering the potential, we are studying about bioactive compounds in natural sources, as well as the biosynthesis of natural products including engineering of the secondary metabolite enzymes to make new compounds in order to construct the methodological basis of the synthetic biology. In this symposium, engineering of secondary metabolite enzymes that are involved in the biosynthesis of plant polyketides to generate new compounds in our laboratory will be mainly introduced.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.1-48
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• 1990

Marine organisms have proven to be rich sources of interesting organic molecules. A great number of compounds with diverse structural features and interesting biological activities have been isolated. Recent studies on secondary metabolites of marine organisms are discussed with a focus on a variety of biological activities and marine natural product literatures are also reviewed.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.28-30
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• 1994

The rate of growth and production of bioactive substances from Rehmannia glutinosa Liboschitz (Scrophulariaceae) were studied with the variation on the constituents of the culture media. The best growth was observed from MS basal medium containing 3.0 ppm NAA and 2.0 ppm kinetin. Carbohydrates (fructose, glucose and sucrose), phytosterols(${\beta}-sitosterol$, campesterol and stigmasterol) and carotenoid like substances were identified by GC-MS and TLC from the callus mass. However, catalpol was not detected from both solid and cell suspension cultures containing geraniol. Callus cultured Rehmannia glutinosa in the MS basal medium containing 0.1 ppm NAA and 0.1 ppm kinetin become differentiated to root.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 1998.11a
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• pp.34-37
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• 1998

Combinatorial chemistry is one of the most interested topics in the area of drug discovery. One of the most important points is how to find a lead compound that gives the seed structure for designing of a combinatorial library. Natural products is suitable for searching a new bioactive compound with new structure. We have carried out systematic screening works to find natural products possessing the effects on inter-and intra-cellular signaling. Two hundreds extracts of medical plants and two thousands microbial culture broth samples have been tested for the induction and inhibition of IL-2 or IL-6 production (Fig. 1). ELISA is an efficient method for screenings from such a large number of samples. Now, we apply this method to search prion- binding agents.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.375.1-375.1
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• 2002

As part of a research program on the bioactive terpene constituents of Korean compositae plants. we have investigated Cacalia koraiensis (compositae). collected from Gangwon Province on August 2001. On reviewing the literatures of this species. triterpenes and pyrrolizidine alkaloids were isolated and some pharmacological activities were investigated. This species have been used for tinea and spasmolysis However. chemical constituents of this plant have not been reported. (omitted)

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.90-96
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• 2011

Automated HPLC/SPE/HPLC coupling experiments using the Sepbox system allowed the rapid identification of four bioactive principles reducing the production of amyloid $\beta$-peptide ($A{\beta}$) from two South African plants, Euclea crispa subsp. crispa and Crinum macowanii. The structures of biologically active compounds isolated from the methanol extract of Euclea crispa subsp. crispa were assigned as 3-oxo-oleanolic acid (1) and natalenone (2) based on their NMR and MS data, while lycorine (3) and hamayne (4) were isolated from the dichloromethane-methanol (1:1) extract of Crinum macowanii. These compounds were shown to inhibit the production of $A{\beta}$ from HeLa cells stably expressing Swedish mutant form of amyloid precursor protein (APPsw).