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This study investigated the neuroprotective effects of Dendropanax morbifera leaves and stems (DMLS) water extract on scopolamine (SCO)-induced memory impairment in mice. First, we conducted experiments to determine the protective effect of DMLS on neuronal cells. Treatment with DMLS showed a significant protective effect against neurotoxicity induced by Aβ(25–35) or H2O2. After confirming the neuroprotective effects of DMLS, we conducted animal studies. We administered DMLS orally at concentrations of 125, 250, and 375 mg/kg for 3 weeks. In the Y-maze test, SCO decreased spontaneous alternation, but treatment with DMLS or donepezil increased spontaneous alternation. In the Morris water-maze test, the SCO-treated group showed increased platform reach time and decreased swim time on the target platform. The passive avoidance task found that DMLS ingestion increased the recognition index in short-term memory. Furthermore, memory impairment induced by SCO reduced the ability to recognize novel objects. In the Novel Object Recognition test, recognition improved with DMLS or donepezil treatment. In the mouse brain, except for the cerebellum, acetylcholinesterase activity increased in the SCO group and decreased in the DMLS and donepezil groups. We measured catalase and malondialdehyde, which are indicators of antioxidant effectiveness, and found that oxidative stress increased with SCO but was mitigated by DMLS or donepezil treatment. Thus, our findings suggest that ingestion of DMLS restored memory impairment by protecting neuronal cells from Aβ(25–35) or H2O2-induced neurotoxicity, and by reducing oxidative stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, utilizing natural bioactive compounds for active ingredients in cosmetics has become a growing worldwide trend. More and more studies aim to identify the sources of herbal ingredients for applications in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic fields. Additionally, in order to optimize the safety of natural ingredients, choosing an environmentally friendly extraction method also plays an important role. In this work, an eco-friendly extraction technique for Dendropanax morbifera using microwave treatment and microwave-assisted Dendropanax morbifera extract (MA-DME) was investigated. The results indicate that higher yields of MA-DME were obtained than with conventional methods and that D. morbifera's antioxidant properties were enhanced. Moreover, we found that MA-DME exhibited extraordinary antioxidant, anti-aging, and skin-whitening activities. We suggest MA-DME as a potential cosmeceutical ingredient than could be utilized for comprehensive protection of human skin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to optimize the extraction method for caffeic acid from the leaves of Dendropanax morbifera using response surface methodology (RSM), and subsequently determine the polyphenolic content and antioxidant capacity of the D. morbifera leaves extracts. The extraction process considered operating variables such as solvent concentration, extraction temperature, and extraction time, which were optimized via Box–Behnken experimental design. In addition, the antioxidant capacity was assessed using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. The optimal extraction conditions of 41.23% (v/v) methanol concentration, at 88.61 °C, and 1.86 h produced a maximum caffeic acid (CA) yield of 20.35 mg/g. Additionally, total polyphenols, total tannins, and total flavonoids contents in the leaves extracts of D. morbifera were 32.48 ± 2.05 mg GAE (gallic acid equivalents)/g, 17.61 ± 2.61 mg GAE/g, and 9.14 ± 0.17 mg QE (quercetin equivalents)/g, respectively. The results showed that methanol extracts exhibited an IC50 of approximately 14.3 mg AAE (ascorbic acid equivalent)/g. The results suggested that the extracts of D. morbifera leaves contain potential antioxidant activity, and could be a good source of functional food and used in medicinal applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to compare the anti-inflammatory activity of 10-year-old Dendropanax morbifera LEV (DM) leaf extracts. The leaves were collected during different seasons (May, August, and November), and the extracts were prepared using different methods (hot water, 30% ethanol, or 60% ethanol). Lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW264.7 cells were treated with these extracts for 12 h. The anti-inflammatory effects were evaluated by measuring the production of nitrite; prostaglandin E2 (PGE2); and inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha, in addition to the mRNA expression levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 and activation of the nuclear factor κB (NF-κB)/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways. The amyrin and polyphenol compositions of the extracts were analyzed using a triple time-of-flight mass spectrometer and high-performance liquid chromatography. The 30% ethanol extract harvested in May and 60% ethanol extracts collected in August and November displayed the highest inhibitions of nitrite, PGE2, and inflammatory cytokines. The 60% ethanol extract harvested in August suppressed activation of the NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways. The contents of amyrin and polyphenol compounds were highly dependent on the ethanol concentration used during each season. These results suggest that ethanol extracts of DM leaves may have the potential to regulate inflammatory responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dendropanax morbifera Leveille (Araliaceae) has been used in traditional oriental remedies for cancer, inflammation, diabetes, and thrombosis. However, a validated analytical method, standardization, and optimization of extraction conditions with respect to biological activity have not been reported. In this study, a simple and validated HPLC method for identifying and quantifying active substances in D. morbifera was developed. Hot water and ethanolic D. morbifera leaf extracts from different production regions were prepared and evaluated with regard to their chemical compositions and biological activities. The contents of active compounds such as rutin and chlorogenic acid were determined in four samples collected from different regions. The 80% ethanolic extract showed the best antioxidant activity, phenolic content, reducing power, and xanthine oxidase (XO) inhibitory activity. The validated HPLC method confirmed the presence of chlorogenic acid and rutin in D. morbifera leaf extracts. The antioxidant and XO inhibitory activity of D. morbifera extract could be attributed to the marker compounds. Collectively, these results suggest that D. morbifera leaves could be beneficial for the treatment or prevention of hyperuricemia-related disease, and the validated HPLC method could be a useful tool for the quality control of food or drug formulations containing D. morbifera. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metabolic syndrome is a worldwide health problem, and obesity is closely related to type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and cancer. According to WHO in 2018, the prevalence of obesity in 2016 tripled compared to 1975. D. morbifera reduces bad cholesterol and triglycerides levels in the blood and provides various antioxidant nutrients and germicidal sub-stances, as well as selenium, which helps to remove active oxygen. Moreover, D. morbifera is useful for treating cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes. Therefore, we study in vivo efficacy of D. morbifera to investigate the prevention effect of obesity and cholesterol. The weight and body fat were effectively reduced by D. morbifera water (DLW) extract administration to high-fat diet-fed C57BL/6 mice compared to those of control mice. The group treated with DLW 500 mg∙kg−1∙d−1 had significantly lower body weights compared to the control group. In addition, High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol increased in the group treated with DLW 500 mg∙kg−1∙d−1. The effect of DLW on the serum lipid profile could be helpful to prevent obesity. DLW suppresses lipid formation in adipocytes and decreases body fat. In conclusion, DLW can be applied to develop anti-obesity functional foods and other products to reduce body fat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green synthesis of metal nanoparticles from medicinal plants has provided a broad scope in biomedical research and functional food formulations due to low toxicity. Dendropanax morbifera (DM) is a versatile traditional medicine used for various inflammatory diseases due to its extensive antioxidant activity. We investigated DM as a natural capping agent for Zn2+ ions and coloaded it with tryptophan for its penetration and antiobesity behavior. DM zinc oxide nanoparticles (DM-ZnO NPs) were prepared and then entrapped with tryptophan (DM-ZnO-Try nanoemulsion (NE)) for stable formulation using the O/W nanoemulsion method. The hydrodynamic sizes measured by dynamic light scattering for DM-ZnO NPs and DM-ZnO-Try NE are about 146.26 ± 3.31 and 151.16 ± 3.59 nm, respectively. TEM and SEM reveal its morphology. In vitro analysis on both NPs and NE was non-toxic to RAW 264.7 and 3T3-L1 preadipocyte cell line. It significantly reduced the accumulated lipids through lipolysis performed at 10 ug/mL in 3T3-L1 preadipocyte cells. NE suppresses the differentiation of 3T3-L1 adipocytes and lowers triglycerides. Further, the substantial reduction of lipid content is evident with Oil Red O staining and OD measurement. In this present study, the synergetic effect of DM-ZnO NPs and tryptophan is reported, which provides a way for more detailed research on its efficacy for obesity and obesity-associated disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the protective effects of Dendropanax morbifera leaf (DML) extracts in the liver due to excessive ethanol consumption. Our results showed that the ethanol extract had better antioxidant activity than the water extract, likely due to the higher levels of total flavonoid and phenolic compounds in the former. We found that the main phenolic acid was chlorogenic acid and the major flavonoid was rutin. Results from the animal model experiment showed concentration-dependent liver protection with the distilled water extract showing better liver protection than the ethanol extract. Gut microbiota dysbiosis induced by alcohol consumption was significantly shifted by DML extracts through increasing mainly Bacteroides and Allobaculum. Moreover, predicted metabolic activities of biosynthesis of beneficial monounsaturated fatty acids such as oleate and palmitoleate were enhanced. Our results suggest that these hepatoprotective effects are likely due to the increased activities of antioxidant enzymes and partially promoted by intestinal microbiota shifts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dendropanax morbifera is a versatile plant that has been used as a herbal medicine due to its various useful medicinal effects. To protect its active component from biological stress and increase its drug efficacy as well as drug bioavailability, nanoemulsion was prepared. Dendropanax morbifera zinc oxide nanoparticles (DM-ZnO NPs) were synthesized using the plant extract via the co-precipitation method and loaded with active indole-3-carbinol for nanoemulsion formulation using the ultrasonication process. Field emission transmission electron microscope revealed the flower shape of the Dendropanax morbifera indole-3-carbinol zinc oxide nanoemulsion (DM-ZnO-I3C-NE). In contrast, DM-ZnO NPs showed a spheroid shape that coincides agreeably with field emission electron scanning microscope. The hydrodynamic sizes by dynamic light scattering are about 65 ± 3 nm and 239.6 ± 6 nm and the crystallite sizes from X-ray diffraction are 11.52 nm and 16.07 nm for DM-ZnO NPs and DM-ZnO-I3C-NE, respectively. In vitro analysis revealed the cytotoxicity of DM-ZnO-I3C-NE against a human lung cancer cell line (A549) at 12.5 µg/mL as well as reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. The DM-ZnO-I3C-NE-induced ROS generation level was higher than that of DM-ZnO NPs and free indole-3-carbinol. The synergistic effect of DM-ZnO and indole-3-carbinol indicates DM-ZnO-I3C-NE as a potential candidate for future lung cancer drug and could be scope for functional food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The response surface methodology was used to optimally extract the antioxidant substances from Dendropanax morbifera leaves. The central composite design was used to optimally analyze the effects of ethanol concentration, sample to solvent ratio, extraction temperature, and extraction time on the total flavonoids (TF) content, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC). All three parameters were largely influenced by the ethanol concentration and extraction temperature, while TEAC was also influenced by the sample to solvent ratio. The maximum values of TF content, FRAP, and TEAC were achieved under the following extraction conditions: 70% ethanol, 1:10 sample to solvent ratio, 80 °C, and 14 h. The D. morbifera leaf extracts (DMLE) produced under these optimum extraction conditions were investigated to determine their preventive effects on alcohol-induced liver injury. The DMLE was shown to prevent liver injury by scavenging the reactive oxygen species generated by alcohol. In addition, composition analysis of DMLE found high contents of chlorogenic acid and rutin that were determined to inhibit alcoholic liver injury. The findings of this study suggest that DMLE could prove useful as a functional food product supplement to prevent liver injury caused by excessive alcohol consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aquatic extract of Dendropanax morbifera (DP) is typically consumed as a beverage in Korea and China and is also used in various traditional medicines. However, the functional role of DP on diabetes-induced renal fibrosis is unclear. Here, the protective effects of DP extract against diabetes-induced renal fibrosis were evaluated. Streptozotocin (STZ, 60 mg/kg) was injected intraperitoneally in rats to induce diabetes. After 5 days, DP extract (25 mg/kg/day) and metformin (50 mg/kg/day) were administered orally to diabetic rats for 28 days. DP administration protected both body and organ weight loss in STZ-treated diabetic rats. Significant improvements in serum blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, and oxidative stress parameters were observed in diabetic rats by DP administration. DP extract markedly protected diabetic-induced histopathological damages in the kidney and pancreas. A significant reduction was observed in microalbumin, kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1), selenium binding protein-1 (SBP1), and pyruvate kinase muscle isozyme M2 (PKM2) levels in the urinary excretion of diabetic rats after the administration of DP extract. The expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and fibrosis marker levels were significantly reduced in the kidney of diabetic rats. Our results strongly indicate that DP extract exhibits protective activity against diabetes-induced renal fibrosis through ameliorating oxidative stress and inflammation. Therefore, we suggest that DP extract can be used as a preventive agent on the progression of diabetic nephropathy and renal fibrosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Use of the chemotherapeutic agent cisplatin (CDDP) in cancer patients is limited by the occurrence of acute kidney injury (AKI); however, no protective therapy is available. We aimed to investigate the renoprotective effects of Dendropanax morbifera water extract (DM) on CDDP-induced AKI. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (six animals/group) received: Vehicle (control); CDDP (6 mg/kg, intraperitoneally (i.p.); DM (25 mg/kg, oral); or DM + CDDP injection. CDDP treatment significantly increased blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine (sCr), and pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and TNF-α), and severely damaged the kidney architecture. Urinary excretion of protein-based AKI biomarkers also increased in the CDDP-treated group. In contrast, DM ameliorated CDDP-induced AKI biomarkers. It markedly protected against CDDP-induced oxidative stress by increasing the activity of endogenous antioxidants and reducing the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and TNF-α). The protective effect of DM in the proximal tubules was evident upon histopathological examination. In a tumor xenograft model, administration of DM enhanced the chemotherapeutic activity of CDDP and exhibited renoprotective effects against CDDP-induced nephrotoxicity without altering chemotherapeutic efficacy. Our data demonstrate that DM may be an adjuvant therapy with CDDP in solid tumor patients to preserve renal function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dendropanax morbifera Leveille (Araliaceae) has been used in traditional oriental remedies for cancer, inflammation, diabetes, and thrombosis. However, a validated analytical method, standardization, and optimization of extraction conditions with respect to biological activity have not been reported. In this study, a simple and validated HPLC method for identifying and quantifying active substances in D. morbifera was developed. Hot water and ethanolic D. morbifera leaf extracts from different production regions were prepared and evaluated with regard to their chemical compositions and biological activities. The contents of active compounds such as rutin and chlorogenic acid were determined in four samples collected from different regions. The 80% ethanolic extract showed the best antioxidant activity, phenolic content, reducing power, and xanthine oxidase (XO) inhibitory activity. The validated HPLC method confirmed the presence of chlorogenic acid and rutin in D. morbifera leaf extracts. The antioxidant and XO inhibitory activity of D. morbifera extract could be attributed to the marker compounds. Collectively, these results suggest that D. morbifera leaves could be beneficial for the treatment or prevention of hyperuricemia-related disease, and the validated HPLC method could be a useful tool for the quality control of food or drug formulations containing D. morbifera .