Phenylbutenoids 1-6 isolated previously from the CHCl 3 extracts of the rhizomes of Zingiber cassumunar, were evaluated for their cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitory activity along with a new isolate, 7 from the nBuOH extracts of this plant. The COX-2 inhibitory assay was performed by measuring prostaglandin E 2 production in lipopolysaccharide

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is emerging as a prominent condition in Western countries. In this review we describe the characteristics and current treatments of NAFLD and discuss opportunities for developing new therapeutic management approaches, with a particular emphasis on development of animal studies and in vitro assays for identification of components of natural product medicines. The main manifestation of NAFLD is hepatic lipid accumulation in the form of lipid droplets (LDs), known as hepatic steatosis (fatty liver). Current treatments for NAFLD generally aim to reduce triglyceride (TG) accumulation, often utilizing thiazolidinedines (TZDs) and fibrates, which are known to lower TG levels in hyperlipidemia, diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Both of these compounds act through activation of nuclear receptors of the Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor (PPAR) family, thereby activating genes involved in triglyceride metabolism. Thus treatment using natural PPAR α and PPAR γ ligands, such as polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), has also been considered. Alternatively, natural medicines for the treatment of NAFLD have a long and successful history of controlling disease without prominent side effects. However, active compounds in natural medicine responsible for lowering hepatic TG levels are yet poorly characterized. This points to the need for medium-high throughput screening assays to identify active components within natural herbs. As outlined in this review, the quantification of the size and number of lipid droplets could provide an opportunity to screen compound libraries derived from natural medicine for their potential to reduce NAFLD.

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In this work, a nickel electroplating was performed on the copper substrate using nonionic surfactant in supercritical carbon dioxide to improve the dispersion characteristics of nickel nano-particles. The electric resistance of emulsion decreased rapidly from 46 to 25 Ω with an increasing pressure from 8 MPa to 16 MPa and was nearly constant at 25 Ω over 14 MPa. The conductivity of emulsion solution was highest at nonionic surfactant concentration of 0.1 vol% and the dispersion of nickel nano-particles was better than at any other concentration. CO2 concentration was controlled under 0.5 vol% to reduce electric resistance in emulsion solution. Roughness (Ra) of copper substrate without plating was 0.084 ㎛, however, that of nickel film plated for 10 min was smoothed to 0.020 ㎛ and the surface of nickel film plated was smoothed with an increasing plating time. The plating properties of nickel in CO2 supercritical fluid showed better properties than in conventional method.

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