In this study, the optimal extraction conditions for three medicinal herbs as functional sources against inflammatory and arthritic diseases were developed. Traditional medicinal herbs were screened for their inhibition of hyaluronidase (HAse) activity and nitric oxide (NO) synthesis. For the screening of anti-inflammatory properties, ethanolic extracts of 53 species of traditional medicinal herb were examined. We confirmed that Astragalus membranaceus (A.R.), Schisandra chinensis (S.F.), and Platycodon grandiflorum (P.G.) inhibit NO production.For extraction from all three herbs simultaneously, an ethanol concentration of 95%, a 1:2:1 mixture ratio, and at 50 rpm mixing speed, for over 12 h and at 30 o C was the best condition for optimal extract yield and NO inhibition effects. HAse inhibition from the three herb extraction was three fold higher than single samples.The ethanol extracts were fractionated with various solvents (n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, n-butanol, and water). The ethyl acetate-soluble fraction of the herb mixture showed the highest extract yield (13%) and NO inhibition effects (73%). In conclusion, this study provides experimental evidence that a mixture of P.G.,A.R., and S.F. could be used as a source of antioxidant ingredients in the food industry.

Lactobacilli, the dominant species of microorganisms in the vaginal flora of healthy women, play important roles to prevent bacterial vaginosis and other sexually transmitted diseases. In this study, we carried out studies on stress adaptation prior to various stress treatment. We found that heat or salt adapted KLB46 showed higher cell viability than non adapted upon heat stress at 60 o C for 20 min. When chloramphenicol was added during the adaptation process, heat tolerance was abolished. This result suggested that de novo protein synthesis was essential during adaptation.

In this study, 52 ureolytic bacterial strains were newly isolated from various environments. From these, 2 strains (TB-15 and TB-22) were selected based on their high urease activity. XRD spectra clearly showed presence of various sequestration products such as calcite and strontianite in samples. TB-22 showed 20~30% higher survivability upon Sr concentration (20 mM) than Sporosarcina pasteurii KCTC 3558. TB-15 and TB-22 showed 80~90% higher survivability at pH 6 than S. pasteurii. The results demonstrated that the 2 isolates colud be good candidates for the bioremediation of Sr contaminated sites.

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