Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of Lilium lancifolium bulbs extract.

Lilium lancifolium is native to Northeast Asia and its bulbs have been used for medicinal treatment. Moreover, Japan has been using L. lancifolium bulbs more actively as food ingredients than Korea. Therefore, this study was to investigate the characteristics of Korean L. lancifolium bulbs, with respect to food component and functionality. As a result of proximate composition analysis, L. lancifolium bulbs have an abundant carbohydrate content. HPLC analysis indicated p-coumaric acid and ferulic acid contents of Korean L. lancifolium extract were 1.14 ± 0.01, 1.46 ± 0.00 mg/g, but only p-coumaric acid was less detected in Japanese extract. Also, Korean L. lancifolium bulbs extract exhibited significant antioxidant effects, as evaluated with antioxidant activity and compound, than Japanese extract. Furthermore, Korean L. lancifolium bulbs extract significantly inhibited pro-inflammatory protein expressions through MyD88 dependent pathway. Therefore, these results suggested Korean L. lancifolium bulbs have the potential to being functional food ingredients. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Lilium lancifolium is a perennial plant belonging to the Liliaceae family. The storage organ of L. lancifolium is surrounded by several fleshy nodes at the base of the stem, called the bulb, which has been used as food or medicine to treat pneumonia and bronchitis. L. lancifolium is widely found in countries of Northeast Asia, such as Korea, Japan, and China, and its bulbs have been studied for presence of bioactive compounds that have important functional activities. The bioactive compounds in the L. lancifolium bulbs may vary from region to region. In this study, the difference observed in the contents of different bioactive compounds and the efficacy of anti-inflammatory effects of L. lancifolium bulbs from different regions were consistent in this regard. As a comparative study of food materials by region, these L. lancifolium bulbs have the potential to be used as a food material for preventing inflammatory diseases.

Anti­photoaging effect of fermented agricultural by­products on ultraviolet B­irradiated hairless mouse skin.

Processed products from agricultural produce generate a large number of agricultural by­products that contain a number of functional substances. These are often discarded owing to the lack of suitable processing methods. The present study investigated the anti­photoaging properties of fermented rice bran (FRB), soybean cake (FSB) and sesame seed cake (FSC) on ultraviolet B (UVB)­irradiated hairless mouse skin. Results indicated that the oral administration of FRB, FSB and FSC effectively inhibited the UVB irradiation­induced expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)­2, MMP­9, MMP­3 and MMP­13. Reverse transcription­quantitative polymerase chain reaction results also demonstrated that FRB, FSB and FSC significantly inhibited the UVB­induced expression of the genes encoding tumor necrosis factor­α, inducible nitric oxide synthase, interleukin (IL)­6 and IL­1ß when compared with the UVB­vehicle group (P<0.05). Additionally, collagen degradation and mast cell infiltration were reduced in hairless mouse skin. Furthermore, UVB­induced wrinkle formation was also significantly reduced in mouse skin compared with the UVB­vehicle group (P<0.05). These results reveal that fermented agricultural by­products may serve as potential functional materials with anti­photoaging activities.

Development and Validation of an Analytical Method for Carnosol, Carnosic Acid and Rosmarinic Acid in Food Matrices and Evaluation of the Antioxidant Activity of Rosemary Extract as a Food Additive.

Antioxidants are used to prevent the oxidation of foods. When used for food additive purposes, the dosage should be regulated and the functionality evaluated to ensure stability. In this study, we performed a method validation for the quantitative analysis of rosemary extract residues and evaluated the antioxidant activity of rosemary extract in food matrices. The validated method was able to determine rosemary extract under the optimized high-performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array (HPLC-PDA) conditions. Furthermore, the antioxidant activity was evaluated by peroxide value, acid value, and in terms of the residual antioxidant levels in lard oil. For HPLC-PDA analysis, the limit of detection and quantification of rosemary extracts was ranged from 0.22 to 1.73 µg/mL, 0.66 to 5.23 µg/mL and the recoveries of the rosemary extracts ranged from 70.6 to 114.0%, with relative standard deviations of between 0.2% and 3.8%. In terms of antioxidant activity, carnosic acid performed better than carnosol. Furthermore, by evaluation of the residual antioxidant level using HPLC, we found that carnosic acid is more stable in lard oil than carnosol. These results indicate that rosemary extract can be used as an antioxidant and that the analytical method is suitable for the determination of rosemary extract in various food samples.

Changes in the Anti-Allergic Activities of Sesame by Bioconversion.

Sesame is an important oilseed crop, which has been used as a traditional health food to ameliorate the prevention of various diseases. We evaluated the changes in the anti-allergic activities of sesame by bioconversion. SDS-PAGE of non-fermented sesame proteins showed major allergen bands, while that of fermented sesame showed only a few protein bands. Additionally, we investigated the effectiveness of fermented sesame by bioconversion in tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)- and interferon-γ (IFN-γ)-induced HaCaT cells. In HaCaT cells, fermented sesame inhibited the mRNA expression of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), thymus and macrophage-derived chemokine (MDC/CCL22), activation-regulated chemokine (TARC/CCL17), and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1). Moreover, fermented sesame inhibited the activation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1). Fermented sesame exerts anti-allergic effects by suppressing the expression of chemokines and cytokines via blockade of NF-κB and STAT1 activation.

Identifying method validation and measurement uncertainty of brominated vegetable oil in soft drinks and carbonated waters commonly consumed in South Korea.

This study investigated a method for validating and determining the measurement uncertainty for the composition of brominated vegetable oil (BVO) in soft drinks and carbonated waters commonly consumed in South Korea. First, we studied a simple and precise qualitative colorimetric method at the maximum residues level 15 ppm. And an analytical method using ion chromatography (IC) was validated and identified with brominated fatty acids by gas chromatography electron ionization mass spectrometry (GC/EI-MS). The measurement uncertainty was evaluated based on the precisional study and confirmed by the preliminary inter-laboratory study. For IC analysis, the recovery range of BVO was from 97.8% to 107.2% with relative standard deviations between 0.18% and 0.69%. In addition, the expanded uncertainty of the BVO was 1.59. These results indicate that the validated method is appropriate for identifying of BVO and can be used to verify the safety of soft drinks or carbonated waters containing BVO residues.

Anti-Photoaging Effect of Jeju Putgyul (Unripe Citrus) Extracts on Human Dermal Fibroblasts and Ultraviolet B-induced Hairless Mouse Skin.

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation stimulates the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and inflammatory cytokines. These signaling pathways participate in the degradation of the extracellular matrix and induce inflammatory responses that lead to photoaging. This study evaluated the antioxidant activity and the effect on MMPs and procollagen of putgyul extract in vitro. The anti-photoaging activity of putgyul extracts was estimated in vivo using hairless mice (HR-1). The putgyul extracts reduced MMP-1 production and increased the content of procollagen type I carboxy-terminal peptide in human dermal fibroblasts. Ultravilot-B (UVB)-induced expression of inflammatory cytokines and MMPs was detected in mice, and putgyul extracts suppressed the expression. These results suggest that putgyul extract inhibits photoaging by inhibiting the expression of MMPs that degrade collagen and inhibiting cytokines that induce inflammatory responses. The mouse model also demonstrated that oral administration of putgyul extracts decreased wrinkle depth, epidermal thickness, collagen degradation, and trans-epidermal water loss, and increased ß-glucosidase activity on UVB exposed skin. Putgyul extract protects against UVB-induced damage of skin and could be valuable in the prevention of photoaging.

Comparative Analysis of γ-Oryzanol, ß-Glucan, Total Phenolic Content and Antioxidant Activity in Fermented Rice Bran of Different Varieties.

Rice bran, a by-product derived from processing rice, is a rich source of bioactive compounds. Recent studies have suggested that the fermentation can improve their biological activities. This study aimed to determined the level of γ-oryzanol, ß-glucan and total phenol contents of fermented rice bran from 21 Korean varieties, as well as to evaluate their antioxidant activities. We also assessed the validation of the analytical method for determining γ-oryzanol content in fermented rice brans. Among the fermented rice brans, the Haedam rice bran contained the highest level of total phenol content (156.08 mg gallic acid equivalents/g), DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging activity (71.30%) and ORAC (Oxygen radical absorbance capacity) value (1101.31 µM trolox equivalents/g). Furthermore, the fermented Migwang rice bran showed the highest level of γ-oryzanol content (294.77 ± 6.74 mg/100 g).

Ulmus macrocarpa Hance Extracts Attenuated H2O2 and UVB-Induced Skin Photo-Aging by Activating Antioxidant Enzymes and Inhibiting MAPK Pathways.

To protect from reactive oxygen species (ROS) damages, skin cells have evolved to have antioxidant enzymes, such as copper and zinc-dependent superoxide dismutase (SOD1), mitochondrial manganese-dependent superoxide dismutase (SOD2), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), and glutathione reductase (GR), and suppressed the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) through the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways, such as c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38. Bioactive compounds analyses were performed using a high-performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array detector (HPLC-PDA) system. The antioxidant activity of Ulmus macrocarpa Hance (UMH) extracts was estimated in vitro. The anti-aging activity of UMH extracts was estimated in vivo using the SKH-1 hairless mice. The UMH extracts reduced the H2O2-induced intracellular ROS production and the cell damages in human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs). Moreover, the H2O2-induced phosphorylation of JNK and p38 was detected in HDF and UMH extracts blocked the phosphorylation. These results suggest that UMH extracts can reduce the expression of MMPs and the reduced MMPs lead to the inhibition of collagen degradation. In addition, oral administration of the UMH extracts decreased the depth, thickness, and length of wrinkles on UVB exposed hairless mice. Therefore, UMH extracts play an advantage of the functional materials in antioxidant and anti-aging of skin.