Camellia japonica L. is a plant of which the seeds are used as a folk medicine, and it is native to South Korea, Japan and China. In previous study, triterpenes, flavonoids, tannins and fatty acids which have antiviral, antioxidant and anti inflammatory activity were reported from C. japonica leaf and flower. In Korea, the seed from this plant is used as a traditional medicine and in folk remedies for the treatment of bleeding and inflammation. However, the major issue associated with the use of the seed as a medicinal and/or functional food ingredient is its application to the pharmaceutical and food industry. First, the productivity of seed extract is very much less than that of the leaf. Second, the beneficial usage of the seed extract as an alternative medicine and functional source is not yet clear. Thus, in this study, we focused on another part of the plant, the leaf, and found that the extract of Camellia japonica leaf has a high concentration of vitamin E, rutin and other biologically active compounds related to hyperuricemia. We aimed to investigate the biological activities, namely the antioxidant activities, xanthine oxidase (XO) inhibitory activity and anti‑hyperuricemic effects of extract from C. japonica leaf and the phytochemicals contained therein. Ethanol extracts of C. japonica leaf (ECJL) were prepared, and the extract was used with respect to antioxidant activities, total phenolic contents and XO inhibitory activity. The in vivo XO inhibitory activity and anti‑hyperuricemic effects of the extract were evaluated in mice with potassium oxonate‑induced hyperuricemia. To clarify the marker compounds that are responsible for the anti‑hyperuricemic effects, several key constituents were identified using gas chromatography‑mass spectrometry (GC‑MS) and and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). ECJL was found to have strong antioxidant activities, and in vitro XO inhibitory activity. The results of the in vivo experiments using mice demonstrated that ECJL at the doses of 100 and 300 mg/kg inhibited hepatic XO activity and significantly attenuated hyperuricemia. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first report on the XO inhibitory and anti-hyperuricemic effects of ECJL, which can be therapeutically applied in the treatment of hyperuricemia and gout.

Abstract.[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of low intensity laser therapy (LILT) on inflammatory osteoarthritis in the knee joint of rats.[Subjects] Thirty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 3 groups with 10 rats each: the normal, control, and LILT groups. The arthritis group was treated with LILT using a gallium-aluminum-arsenide diode laser over during 3 weeks. All treatments were applied once a day, 5 days per week for 21 days. The inflammation cytokine and the articular index were used to assess the arthritic symptoms. The levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6 in the serum were used as outcome measures.[Results] The arthritis index points of rats in the LILT group were lower than that of the control group. Similarly, TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 concentrations in serum were significantly decreased in the LILT group compared to the control group, which coincided with behavioral studies.[Conclusion] This study shows that LILT is capable of reducing inflammatory cytokine concentrations induced by monosodium iodoacetate osteoarthritis in rats.

Asthma is a chronic lung condition that can induce mucus hypersecretion and pulmonary obstruction and may even cause death, particularly in children and older individuals. Erythronium japonicum (E. japonicum) is a traditional herb used in Korea and East Asian countries that has been found to exert free radical scavenging activity and anti-proliferative effects in human colorectal carcinoma cells. In the present study, we evaluated the anti-asthmatic effects of an extract of E. japonicum in a mouse model of ovalbumin (OVA)-induced asthma. Female BALB/c mice were sensitized with an intraperitoneal injection of OVA and aluminum hydroxide hydrate on days 1 and 8 and then received the following treatments on days 21 to 25: i) control (no treatment), ii) sterilized tap water (given orally), iii) 1 mg/kg/day dexamethasone (administered orally), iv) 60 mg/kg/day E. japonicum extract, and v) 600 mg/kg/day E. japonicum extract. On the same days, all the mice except those in the control group were challenged 1 h later with nebulized 5% OVA for 30 min. We found that treatment with E. japonicum extract suppressed the OVA-induced increase in the number of white blood cells and decreased the IgE level in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid samples obtained from the mice. Histopathological analysis of the lung tissues revealed that E. japonicum attenuated the asthma-related morphological changes in the mouse lung tissue, including the increased secretion of mucus in the bronchioles, eosinophil infiltration around the bronchioles and vessels, and goblet cell and epithelial cell hyperplasia. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that treatment with E. japonicum extract suppressed the OVA-induced proliferation of T helper cells (CD4+) and B cells (CD19+) in the mouse lung tissue. Furthermore, treatment with E. japonicum extract modulated the expression of both T helper 2 cell-related factors [GATA binding protein 3 (GATA-3), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5, IL-6 and IL-13], as well as that of T helper 1 cell-related factors [(interferon-γ (IFN-γ), IL-12p35 and IL-12p40]. These findings suggest that E. japonicum may potentially be used as an anti-asthmatic treatment.

[Purpose] In the present study, we investigated the effects of treadmill training on limb motor function and acetylcholinesterase activity following focal cerebral ischemia injury. [Methods] Focal cerebral ischemia was examined in adult male Sprague-Dawley rats by using a middle cerebral artery occlusion model. Rats were randomly divided into 3 groups. Group I included untreated normal rats (n=12), Group II included untreated rats with focal cerebral ischemia (n=12), and Group III included rats that performed treadmill exercise (20 m/min) training after focal cerebral ischemia (n=12). We determined the limb placement test score for each rat on days 1,7, 14, and 21; acetylcholinesterase activity in the hippocampus was examined at the end of the experiment. [Results] We observed that the motor behavior index improved in the treadmill group, and hippocampal acetylcholinesterase activity was decreased. [Conclusion] These results indicated that treadmill training after focal cerebral ischemia exerts a neuroprotective effects against ischemic brain injury by improving motor performance and decreasing the levels of acetylcholinesterase activity. Furthermore, these results suggest that treadmill training at an appropriate intensity is critical for post-stroke rehabilitation.

Abstract. [Purpose] This study evaluated the analgesic efficacy of low-intensity laser therapy (LILT) in a monosodium iodoacetate (MIA)-induced arthritis rat model. [Subjects and Method] Thirty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 3 groups with 10 rats each: the normal, control, and LILT groups. The LILT group was treated with LILT using a gallium-aluminum-arsenide diode laser during the 3 weeks. Each group had 10 rats. All treatments were applied once a day, 5 days a week, for a total experimental period of 21 days. Weight-bearing shift, paw withdrawal threshold (PWT), and paw withdrawal latency were used as outcome measures.[Results] The hind paw weight-bearing shift, PWT, and paw withdrawal latency of rats in the control group were significantly lower than those in the normal group. In the LILT group, the weight-bearing shift, PWT, and paw withdrawal latency were significantly greater than those in the control group.[Conclusion] LILT reduces pain related behaviors of MIAinduced osteoarthritis in rats.