In this study, we investigated the anti-inflammation effect of Potentilla chinensis (PC) on Raw264.7 macrophage cells. Ethanol extract of PC decreased the production of nitric oxide (NO) in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. Ethanol extract was fractioned by n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, n-butanol, water and each fraction was tested for inhibitory effects on inflammation. Among the sequential solvent fractions, PC chloroform extracts (50, 100, 300, and 500 µg/mL) significantly suppressed LPS-stimulated production of NO. During the entire experimental period, 200 and 300 µg/mL of PC chloroform extracts had no cytotoxicity. LPSinduced NO and prostaglandin E 2 (PGE 2 ) production were inhibited by PC chloroform extracts up to 50% and 90% of these productions, respectively. PC chloroform extracts reduced the expression of iNOS and COX-2 gene. These results suggest that PC chloroform extracts exhibit strong effects of anti-inflammation and can be a potential candidate in the treatment of acute and chronic inflammatory diseases.

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.

Vaginitis, also known as vaginal infection and vulvovaginitis, is an inflammation of the vagina and possibly vulva. The three main kinds of vaginitis are bacterial vaginosis, vaginal candidiasis, and trichomoniasis. The purpose of this study was to characterize Lactobacillus plantarum MG989 and L. fermentum MG901 isolated from the vaginas of healthy Korean women in terms of their inhibitory activity against the vaginitis associated pathogens such as Gardnerella vaginalis and Candida albicans. Co-culture experiments showed that the two Lactobacillus strains MG989 and MG901 significantly reduced the viability of G. vaginalis and C. albicans. Also, the two strains were resistant to bile acid up to 1% and their autoaggregation rates were as high as 83.33%. Further studies are underway to demonstrate that the two strains can be applied as pharmaceutical agents for recovering healthy vaginal ecosystem.

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, we investigated the effects of longterm exposure to ionic liquid (IL) on Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 (MR-1). MR1 was acclimated through repeated exposure to IL. The acclimated strain was named as S. oneidensis SH-1 (SH-1) and compared with MR-1 in various aspects including morphology, cell surface hydrophobicity (CSH), motility, and fatty acid. Compared to the MR-1, SH-1 showed elongated cell shape on scanning electron microscopy. Upon exposure to IL, hydrophobicity of SH-1 (28.2%) was higher that of MR-1 (3.3%). In contrast, motility of SH-1 (7 mm) was lower than that also of MR-1 (22 mm), and branched chain fatty acid of SH-1 was lower than that of MR-1, 27.6% and 41.1%, respectively.