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Camellia japonica antioxidant capacity highly differs among its cultivars and could be successfully predicted by near- and mid-infrared spectroscopy. Camellia japonica is a Theaceae family species which are mainly used as an ornamental plant due to its colourful flowers presenting over than 32,000 recognized cultivars. However, this species have been somehow neglected due to the popular tea source, Camellia sinensis. In this study, the antioxidant profile (total phenolic and flavonoid content and total antioxidant capacity—TPC, TFC and TAC) of 31 C. japonica cultivars leaves was determined and further assessed by near- and mid-infrared spectroscopy. The leaves’ antioxidant profile was revealed to be highly dependent on the cultivars analysed being in some cases distinct even for different trees of the same cultivar. Near- and mid-infrared spectroscopy proved to be suitable techniques to predict the total phenolic and flavonoid content as well as the total antioxidant capacity. The best results were obtained with near-infrared spectroscopy whose root mean square error of the prediction set samples was of 5.7 mg of gallic acid/g dry leaf; 3.5 mg catechin/g dry leaf and 3.3 mM Trolox/g dry leaf for TPC, TFC and TAC (with coefficients of the determinations equal to or higher than 0.93). Moreover, the range error ratios were higher than 15 meaning that the developed partial least-squares models are very good for calibration and quantification determinations according to the guidelines for near-infrared models development and maintenance. In this work, the antioxidant profile of several C. japonica cultivars leaves was determined for the first time, being that a rapid and low cost spectroscopic-based method was also proposed for its determination.

Introduction Camellia japonica L. (Theaceae) is an evergreen shrub, which is cultivated as a popular ornamental tree in Korea, China, and Japan and its seeds have been used as a source of cooking oil, in cosmetics and as a traditional medicine. Intensive phytochemical works have revealed that oleanane-type saponins are the characteristic compounds of the seeds of C. japonica. Objective The purpose of the present study is to isolate and determine oleanane-type saponins from C. japonica using high-performance countercurrent chromatography (HPCCC) coupled with reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) and spectroscopic evidences, respectively. Methodology HPLC electrospray ionisation quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ESI-Q-TOF-MS) was applied to profile the saponin composition of an enriched saponin extract of C. japonica seeds. The enriched saponin extract was separated by HPCCC using a dichloromethane/methanol/isopropanol/water (9:6:1:4, v/v/v/v) system and RP-HPLC. The structures of the isolates were determined utilising ESI-Q-TOF-MS, one-dimensional and two-dimensional NMR and optical rotation. Results HPCCC on enriched saponin extract of C. japonica yielded four saponin fractions in the order of the number of sugars attached to the triterpene aglycone, and preparative RP-HPLC on each saponin fraction led to the isolation of nine novel saponins, namely camoreoside A-I, along with six known ones. Conclusions This study indicates that combination of HPLC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS analysis and HPCCC coupled with RP-HPLC are excellent tools for discovering saponins from natural sources.

Background In December 2016, WHO released a report stating that in 2015 there were 383,000 deaths caused by asthma and 235 million people suffering from asthma. As there are many adverse effects associated with the currently-used asthma drugs, new anti-asthmatic drugs need to be developed. Purpose In order to find new drug candidates with safe and low side effects, the anti-asthmatic function and mechanism of C. japonica oil were evaluated, and its active ingredients were analyzed for use in an ovalbumin asthma murine model. Study design and methods The study consisted of six groups: control; ovalbumin group; and dexamethasone group as a positive control; and 10, 100, and 500 mg/kg C. japonica oil treatment groups. In order to measure the anti-asthmatic effect of C. japonica oil, WBC and differential cell count in BALF, IgE in serum, morphological changes in pulmonary system, and gene and protein levels such as IFN-γ, IL-12p40, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-6 were all evaluated. Results C. japonica oil had an anti-asthmatic effect and significantly controlled eosinophil in BALF, Th2-related factors such as GATA-3 that is Th2 cell transcription factor, IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13, and TNF-α in the lung. It also dose-dependently modulated inflammatory cells, T-bet, IL-12p40, and IL-6. Oleci acid was the major gradient (52.89%) in C. japonica oil and also had anti-asthmatic effects such as the downregulation of inflammatory cells, WBC, and eosinophil in BALF, IgE in serum, and morphological changes in the lung. Conclusion We concluded that C. japonica oil is a new anti-asthmatic drug candidate and that oleic acid is the major anti-asthmatic ingredient in C. japonica oil.

Purpose: To investigate the probable antioxidant, antimicrobial and antipancreatic lipase effects of fermented Camellia japonica leaf extracts. Methods: Camellia japonica leaves fermented with Nuruk were extracted using methanol and ethanol. Total phenolic, flavonoid, carotenoid and L-ascorbic acid contents were determined by UV-visible spectrophotometry. The antioxidant activities of these extracts were determined by free radical scavenging, ferrous ion chelating and reducing power assays. Their antimicrobial properties against Gram-positive Staphylococcus epidermidis and Bacillus subtilis, and Gram-negative Klebsiella pneumonia and Escherichia coli bacteria were evaluated by disc diffusion method. Inhibition of pancreatic lipase was measured based on the hydrolytic reaction of p-nitrophenyl butyrate with pancreatic lipase. Results: The ethanol extracts of fermented Camellia japonica leaves exhibited higher phenolic (32274mg GAE/100 g) and flavonoid (20519 mg RE/100 g) contents with higher superoxide (IC 50 = 0.23 mg/mL), hydrogen peroxide (IC 50 = 0.28 mg/mL) radical scavenging and ferrous ion chelating (IC 50 = 0.21 mg/mL) activities than those of methanol. These ethanol extracts also showed higher antimicrobial activities against all bacterial strains tested with higher inhibitory effects on pancreatic lipase than methanol extracts. Conclusion: The results highlight the possible use of fermented Camellia japonica leaf extracts as a source of antioxidant, antibacterial and antiobesity agents. Ethanol is recommended as solvent for extracting antioxidants, antibacterial and antiobesity agents from this plant. Keywords: Antioxidant activity, Antimicrobial activity, Fermented Camellia japonica extracts, Pancreatic lipase inhibition

Background: Established treatments for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) are few, thus it is imperative to develop novel dietary strategies that can prevent NASH. A fermented mixed tea (FMT) made with Camellia japonica (Japanese camellia) and third- crop green tea leaves by tea-rolling processing was reported to reduce body weight and adipose tissue weight in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Because visceral fat is one of the most important factors for the development of hepatic steatosis, this FMT supplementation can be a candidate dietary strategy for the prevention of NASH. Methods: Nine-week-old male SD rats were fed a high-fat and high-cholesterol (HFC) diets with or without FMT (camellia and third-crop green tea leaves at ratios of 1:5, 1:2 and 1:1) for 9 weeks (n=6–7/ group). Histopathology, serology and expressions of fibrogenetic, proinflammatory, oxidative stress and lipid metabolism-related genes in the liver were evaluated. Results: Histologically, HFC diet with FMT at a ratio of 1:5 dramatically reduced NASH progression (14%) compared to the HFC diet without FMT (100%). FMT at a ratio of 1:5 reduced hepatic steatosis due to the activation of microsomal triglyceride transfer protein, and FMT at a ratio of 1:2 reduced mRNA levels of some proinflammatory, lipid metabolism-related, fibrogenic and oxidative stress marker genes. Conclusions: Our data suggest that FMT at a ratio of 1:5 or 1:2 likely possesses a preventive effect on NASH progression.

Objective: We investigated the protective effect of the extract of the Camellia japonica L. flower on cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats. Methods: The rat ischemia-reperfusion injury was induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion for 90 minutes and reperfusion for 48 hours. The animals received an intravenous injection once a day of 20, 40, 80 mg/kg extract of C. japonica for three consecutive days before the ischemia reperfusion. The learning and memory function, the infarct volume, serum malondialdehyde (MDA) level and lactate dehydrogenase activity, and extravasation of immunoglobulin G (IgG) into cerebral parenchyma were assessed as the cell damage index. Results: Pretreatment with extract of C. japonica markedly reduced the infarct volume, serum malondialdehyde level and lactate dehydrogenase activity, and markedly inhibited the extravasation of IgG. Moreover, pretreatment with extract of C. japonica may also inhibit the learning and memory deficits induced by an ischemia-reperfusion injury. Conclusion: It was concluded that pretreatment with extract of C. japonica has a protective effect on cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats. RESUMO Objetivo: Investigamos o efeito protetor do extrato da flor de Camellia japonica L. (ECJ) na lesão de reperfusão isquêmica cerebral (I/R) em ratos. Métodos: A lesão de I/R de rato foi induzida por uma oclusão da artéria cerebral média por 90 minutos e reperfusão por 48 horas. Os animais receberam uma injeção intravenosa uma vez ao dia de 20, 40, 80 mg/kg de ECJ por três dias consecutivos antes da I/R. A função de aprendizagem e memória, o volume do infarto, o nível sérico de malondialdeído (MDA), a atividade da desidrogenase láctica e o extravasamento de imunoglobulina (IgG) no parênquima cerebral foram avaliados como índices de dano celular. Resultados: O pré-tratamento com ECJ reduziu acentuadamente o volume do infarto, o nível sérico de MDA e a atividade da desidrogenase láctica, e inibiu marcadamente o extravasamento de IgG. Além disso, o pré-tratamento com ECJ também poderia inibir os déficits de aprendizado e memória induzidos pela lesão de I/R. Conclusão: O pré-tratamento com ECJ tem um efeito protetor contra lesão cerebral de I/R em ratos.

Camellia japonica (Naidong), a Tertiary relict species with a unique biological and cultural characteristic, is a special ecotype of C. japonica and is the northernmost distributed populations of C. japonica in the world. This study investigated the interactive responses of C. japonica (Naidong) to shade and nitrogen deposition focusing on seedling growth, leaf morphology and leaf physiology under two light regimes (15% and 65% of full sunlight to represent deep shade and slight shade respectively) and three nitrogen deposition regimes (0, 6 and 12 g N m-2 year-1) in a greenhouse. After 123 d of treatment, the results showed that the deep shade reduced the growth of seedlings significantly compared to slight shade, but improved the specific leaf area, leaf water content, chlorophyll content and Fv/Fm of plants. Moderate nitrogen (6 g N m-2 year-1) supply increased the crown area, specific leaf area, leaf water content, chlorophyll content and water use efficiency of seedlings. However, high nitrogen (12 g N m-2 year-1) supply reduced the basal diameter, crown area, specific leaf area and leaf water content. No significant interaction of shade and nitrogen deposition on C. japonica (Naidong) was found. There is a threshold of nitrogen deposition for the growth of C. japonica (Naidong). Camellia japonica (Naidong) populations should be protected by collecting of germplasm resources and carrying out the ex situ conservation.

Camellia japonica L. usually blooms red flower in winter in Jeju island, Korea, considered a species which should not be planted in the garden. Here, we completed chloroplast genome of C. japonica ...

We investigated the current and potential spatial distributions and habitable areas of Biston robustum and Camellia japonica in South Korea in order to provide useful data for the conservation of C. japonica and minimize the damage caused by B. robustum. It was predicted that, by 2070, although B. robustum would be widely distributed throughout the Korean Peninsula, except for the western and eastern coastal areas, it would be narrowly distributed along the Sokcho-si and Goseong-gun coastlines in Gangwon Province. C. japonica is currently located along the southern coastline but its critical habitable area is predicted to gradually disappear by 2070. Assessment of the potential distribution probabilities of B. robustum and C. japonica revealed that the area under the curve (AUC) values were 0.995 and 0.991, respectively, which indicate high precision and applicability of the model. Major factors influencing the potential distribution of B. robustum included precipitation of wettest quarter and annual precipitation (BIO16 and BIO12), whereas annual mean temperature and mean temperature of wettest quarter (BIO1 and BIO8) were important variables for explaining C. japonica distribution. Overlapping areas of B. robustum and C. japonica were 11,782 km, 5447 km, and 870 km for the current, 2050-predicted, and 2070-predicted conditions, respectively, clearly showing a dramatic decrease in area. Although it is predicted that B. robustum would cause continuous damage to C. japonica in the southern part of the Korean Peninsula, such impacts might diminish over time and become negligible in the future.

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) infections have resulted in a severe economic loss in the swine industry in many countries due to no effective treatment approach. Fifteen oleanane triterpenes (1-15), including nine new ones (1-4 and 10-14), were isolated from the flowers of Camellia japonica, and their molecular structures were determined by extensive spectroscopic methods. These compounds were evaluated for their antiviral activity against PEDV replication, and the structure-activity relationships (SARs) were discussed. Compounds 6, 9, 11, and 13 showed most potent inhibitory effects on PEDV replication. They were found to inhibit PEDV genes encoding GP6 nucleocapsid, GP2 spike, and GP5 membrane protein synthesis based on RT-PCR data. Western blot analysis also demonstrated their inhibitory effects on PEDV GP6 nucleocapsid and GP2 spike protein synthesis during viral replication. The present study suggested the potential of compounds 6, 9, 11, and 13 as promising scaffolds for treating PEDV infection via inhibiting viral replication.

Eight chloroplast markers were developed from Japanese and snow camellia (Camellia japonica and C. rusticana). Six markers were based on mononucleotide repeats, while the other two resulted from indels of larger units. Polymorphisms were screened using 15 individuals from all over the Japanese archipelago, including C. japonica, C. japonica var. macrocarpa, C. japonica var. hozanensis, and C. rusticana. Polymorphisms within a single population were searched in 22 and 26 individuals of C. japonica and C. rusticana, respectively. The number of alleles per locus ranged from two to three, resulting in eight haplotypes, two of which were specific to C. rusticana. No polymorphisms were detected within a single population for both C. japonica and C. rusticana. The eight markers developed in the present study will be useful for analyzing the genetic diversity and tracing maternal origins of Japanese and snow camellias.

Camellia oleifera is an important edible oil woody plant in China. Lack of useful molecular markers hinders current genetic research on this tree species. Transcriptome sequencing of developing C. oleifera seeds generated 69,798 unigenes. A total of 6949 putative microsatellites were discovered among 6042 SSR-containing unigenes. Then, 150 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) were evaluated in 20 varieties of C. oleifera. Of these, 52 SSRs revealed polymorphism, with the number of alleles per locus ranging from 2 to 15 and expected heterozygosity values from 0.269 to 0.888. The polymorphic information content varied from 0.32 to 0.897. Cross-species transferability rates in Camellia chekangoleosa and Camellia japonica were 90.4 and 78.8%, respectively. The 52 polymorphic unigene-derived SSR markers serve to enrich existing microsatellite marker resources for C. oleifera and offer potential for applications in genetic diversity evaluation, molecular fingerprinting, and genetic mapping in C. oleifera, C. chekangoleosa, and C. japonica.

The reaction of a hydroxyl radical with molecular hydrogen and the respiration in Camellia Japonica are used as examples for studying chemical reaction rate constants by the power-law transition state theory. In the first example, the rate constants are numerically obtained at different temperature and activation energies based on the Morse potential at the potential well and improved potential energy surface 5 (I5B) at the saddle point respectively, and the relationship between the rate constants and the power-law parameter is plotted as well. In the second one, especially, the power-law parameter presents an abrupt change at temperature 290 K around, which may be explained that the Camellia Japonica is the ombrophyte, and the activity of biological enzyme reaches the maximum at this temperature. This theory allows accordance with experimental values by a power-law parameter. It is found that the values of the power-law parameter in both examples deviate from 1 but not too much and lie in the 0–1 range and proved that power-law transition state theory shows a good agreement with experiments.

本稿では，防風林の形成過程に着目することで，伊豆大島における地域の生物資源利用に関わる人々の知恵とその特徴を明らかにした．防風林の形態には気候，生態系，社会経済的影響などの諸因子が影響している．そのため，国内各地で多様な防風林が形成されてきた．防風林は，それら諸因子を人々がどのように認識し，生活に取り込んできたのかを示す指標となる．伊豆大島には，一辺が50 mほどの比較的小規模な格子状防風林が存在する．調査によって，防風林の構成樹種の多くはヤブツバキであることが確認され，事例からは，伊豆大島の地域資源を活かす知恵として，複数の特徴的形態が見出された．土地の境界に2列に植栽されたヤブツバキ防風林はヤブツバキの資源としての重要性を示し，2000年頃に植栽された新しいヤブツバキ防風林は古くからの習慣を反映していた．また，住民が植生の特性を利用してきたことを物語るものとして，ヤブツバキとオオシマザクラを交互に植栽した防風林が観察された．それらからは島の人々とヤブツバキとの密接な関係が推察された． The purpose of this study was to examine the characteristic ideas of local bioresource utilization through the analysis of formative processes and factors for the development of shelterbelt plantations on Izu-Oshima Island. Shelterbelt plantations in Japan have rich diversity and are a good index for detecting long-standing customs of the people due to the meteorology, ecosystem, and socioeconomic factors of each locality. Grid-shaped shelterbelts, which mainly consist of 50-m-long Camellia japonica queues, are observed on Izu-Oshima Island. The two-row C. japonica shelterbelt suggests the economic significance of this plant for residents. Another shelterbelt planted with alternate Prunus lannesiana and C. japonica trees indicates the resource-utilization literacy of the older generation. A C. japonica shelterbelt established around 2000 reflects the influence of traditional practices on current livelihoods. The close relationship between C. japonica and people's livelihoods on Izu-Oshima Island is described.

In 2012, yellowing of camellias was observed in Tai'an in Shandong province, China. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed phytoplasma in the phloem sieve tube elements of symptomatic plants. A specific fragment of phytoplasma 16S rRNA gene was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using the universal phytoplasma primers P1/P7 followed by R16F2n/R16R2. Sequence and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analyses allowed us to classify the detected phytoplasma into the elm yellows (EY) group (16SrV), subgroup 16SrV-B. Sequence analyses of the ribosomal protein (rp) gene confirmed a close relationship with phytoplasmas belonging to the rpV-C subgroup. Thus, the phytoplasma associated with yellows disease in camellia, designated as ‘CY’, is a member of the 16SrV-B subgroup. This is the first report of phytoplasma associated with camellia.

Sclereids are a fundamental cell type that widely exist in higher plants and are generally thought to have a mechanical function. However, the occurrence of sclereids in the ephemeral corolla has rarely been documented and their biological significance is poorly understood. In this study, flower buds from Camellia sinensis at various ontogenetic stages were sampled, cleared, sectioned, stained, and examined using light microscopy to ascertain the morphology and distribution of sclereids and their variation. In addition, Camellia japonica plants with distinctive floral structures were investigated and compared to explore whether sclereid occurrence is associated with floral form. In particular, a computational simulation using finite element analysis was undertaken to investigate how corollas, with and without sclereids, responded to wind and rain. The results showed that sclereids have some mechanical properties that are based on their shape and distribution, which make the soft corolla strong enough to protect the inner ovary. Thus, corolla sclereids may explain how the seemingly delicate corolla performs its protective function in response to environmental stresses. These findings provide further evidence for the hypothesis that flower traits exhibit adaptive responses to abiotic factors in addition to their traditionally recognized pollinator-mediated selection.

Camellia japonica produces different color and bigger flowers, widely being used for gardening green in southern China. However, cultivars were introduced from different regions, but their origin and pedigree information is either not available poorly documented, causing problems in authentication. Many low-yield trees in Camellia oleifera forests have been used as stocks for grafting C. japonica. However, the survival rate of grafts between these two species is related to genetic relationship between stock of C. oleifera and scion of C. japonica. We used simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers to genotype 41 C. japonica cultivars from different regions, as well as nine genotypes of C. oleifera in China. Twenty-one SSR markers generated 438 alleles, with an average of 20.85 alleles per locus. All alleles were used to generate Dice coefficients between two genotypes of all genotypes of these two species. Cluster analysis based on SSR data clustered genotypes showed clustering of genotypes into groups that agreed well with their taxonomic classification and geographic origin. Cultivar 'Damaonao' was a large tree with flowers of composite color, and showed the most genetic distance from other C. japonica cultivars and C. oleifera genotypes in the cluster analysis. The cultivars of C. japonica are distinct from genotypes of C. oleifera. The results for cultivars of C. japonica also revealed the presence of different cultivars with the same name, and identical cultivars but with a different name. SSR profiles can improve C. japonica germplasm management, and provide potential determine correlations between genetic relationship and graft compatibility among scions of C. japonica and genotypes of C. oleifera.

The objective of this study was to determine whether inoculation with Bacillus licheniformis MH48 as a plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium (PGPR) could promote nutrient uptake of seedlings of the ornamental plant Camellia japonica in the Saemangeum reclaimed coastal land in Korea. B. licheniformis MH48 inoculation increased total nitrogen and phosphorus content in soils by 2.2 and 20.0 fold, respectively, compared to those without bacterial inoculation. In addition, B. licheniformis MH48 produced auxin, which promoted the formation of lateral roots and root hairs, decreased production of growth-inhibiting ethylene, and alleviated salt stress. Total nitrogen and phosphorus uptake of seedlings subjected to bacterial inoculation was 2.3 and 3.6 fold higher, respectively, than the control. However, B. licheniformis MH48 inoculation had no significant effect on the growth of seedlings. Our results suggest that inoculation with B. licheniformis MH48 can be used as a PGPR bio - enhancer to stimulate fine root development, promote nutrient uptake and alleviate salt stress in ornamental plant seedlings grown in the high-salinity conditions of reclaimed coastal land.

It is well known that the Camellia japonica leaf exhibits antioxidant activity because of its high content of polyphenolic compounds. Thus, the extract prepared from mature leaves of C. japonica (CJML) has been widely used as an anti-ageing material in foods and cosmetics. Concerning the process of growing C. japonica, it is expected that the extract from green leaves (CJGL) has superior effects compared with that from mature leaves. However, there are few reports that discuss the difference between green and mature leaves. In this study, both CJML and CJGL were extracted with 50% 1,3-butylene glycol (1,3-BG) and used for investigations. In a chemical examination, we compared both extracts in terms of scavenging activities against hydrogen peroxide (H2 O2 ) and hydroxyl radicals. CJGL exhibited higher scavenging activities against both types of ROSs compared with CJML. In addition, CJGL reduced the carbonylation of tape-stripped stratum corneum (SC) after UVB irradiation. In a biological study, the intra-cellular ROS level of HaCaT keratinocytes precultured with CJGL for 24 h was significantly lower than that of the control cells. Furthermore, cell damage induced by H2 O2 exposure was attenuated by 24 h precultivation with CJGL but not by 2 h precultivation. The results of examinations indicate that CJGL possess properties that reduce oxidative stress. In addition, the result of 2 h precultivation with CJGL suggests that CJGL might affect the status of intra-cellular antioxidants.

The spatial distribution of geographical distances at five natural populations of Camellia japonica in Busan, Korea was studied. The four plots (Mollundae, Gadeok-do, Du-do, and Jwiseum) of C. japonica were uniformly distributed in the forest community and only one plot (Amnam-dong) was aggregately distributed in the forest community. Morisita index is related to the patchiness index showed that the plot 20 m × 50 m had an overly steep slope when the area was larger than 20 m × 20 m, which indicated that the degree of aggregation increased significantly with increasing quadrat sizes, while the patchiness indices did not change from the plot 5 m × 10 m to 10 m × 10 m. The spatial structure was quantified by Moran"s I, a coefficient of spatial autocorrelation. Ten of the significant values (76.9%) were positive, indicating similarity among individuals in the first 4 distance classes (80 m), i.e., pairs of individuals with dissimilarity characteristics can separate by more than 100 m.

Camellia japonica is the most well-known species of the genus Camellia, which is native to Korea, Japan, and China. In this study, the antioxidant and free radical-scavenging activities of petal extracts of Camellia ecotypes with different colors were evaluated. For total phenolic compounds, five ecotypes were grouped into low [(4.8 mg·g−1 of dry weight (DW) GAE (gallic acid equivalent)], medium (6.0–6.2 mg·g−1) and high (19.6 mg·g−1) groups for white, red, and pink colors, respectively. The DPPH radical scavenging activity of the petal extracts, presented as a half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50), was the greatest (3.8 μg·mL−1) in the pink ecotype and least (43.1 μg·mL−1) in the white ecotype as compared to ascorbic acid (13.6 μg·mL−1). The results demonstrated that the efficient DPPH radical scavenging activity of the pink ecotype was partly due to higher contents of phenolic compounds. Activities of two antioxidant enzymes, catalase and peroxidase, varied among the ecotypes, indicating the presence of ecotype-specific detoxifying processes. Camellia petals had higher amounts of antioxidants as well as excellent reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging activities that were dependent on the petal color.

To obtain good planting material in floriculture and horticulture, the effective procedures are required for testing and sanitation. Micropropagation is also commonly known as an approach to intensifying plant breeding due to accelerated reproduction of valuable forms and as a way to save biodiversity of rare species. Nevertheless, for many flowering plants, and subtropical fruit crops and endemic species especially, the reliable protocols for in vitro cultivation, regeneration and propagation are not yet reported. This paper presents the results of a revised protocol application and the improvement of clonal micropropagation methods for tea Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze, lemon Citrus limon (L.) Burm, blossoming shrub Camellia japonica L., and Lilium caucasicum Miscz. ex Grossh., an endangered endemic species in the Western Caucasus. Some peculiarities in obtaining sterile culture are revealed, and the types of explants and seasonal terms of their introduction to in vitro culture are identified. Nutrient mediums and conditions for clonal micropropagation are optimized. Thus, cultivation of tea explants on WPM supplemented with phytohormones (i.e. 6-BAP at 3.0 mg/l and adenine at 0.9 mg/l) facilitated the induction of numerous adventitious microshoots. Aactive growth of C. japonica microshoots was also observed on the WPM medium with 6-BAP at 2 mg/l and indole-3-acetiс acid at 0.5 mg/l. In lemon cultivars, microengrafting is approved as a reliable propagation method. It was revealed that after the third cycle of microengrafting the multiplication index for microstalstalks was 2 times higher comparing to that for microshoots from auxiliary buds of donor plants, and made up 4.6 pc. per shoot. The results of in vitro cultivation of the various parts of Lilium caucasicum bulb scales showed that the induction of morphogenesis was not the same. After 48 days in vitro cultivation under sterile conditions, from the basal and medial scale parts the adventitious shoots were mainly developing, whereas callusand rhizogenesis occurred rarely, while in the apical scale parts the callus formation dominated. In special publications there are no data on L. caucasicum cell and tissue in vitro cultivation. So, the protocol for in vitro cultivation and propagation of this endangered endemic species of the Western Caucasus is reported here for the first time.

Six species of Rhytismataceae are identified based on nine recently collected specimens from Kyoto, Japan. They include three new species, Coccomyces ellipticus and Coccomyces illicii on dead leaves of Aucuba japonica and Illicium anisatum, respectively, and Discocainia nervalis on leaf vein of an unknown angiosperm host, and a new combination, Terriera mangiferae on Aucuba japonica; as well as two new records for Japan, Coccomyces delta on Neolitsea sericea and Coccomyces sinensis on Camellia japonica.

Division of Wood Chemistry and Microbiology, Korea Forest Research Institute, Seoul 130-712, KoreaABSTRACT: In this study, the community structures of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in rhizospheres of Camellia japonicaand neighboring woody plants in Wando, Korea were investigated. Rhizospheres of C. japonica and other woody plants weredominated by the same species, Acaulospora mellea, but Shannon’s index, species richness and total spore numbers of the AMFcommunities were higher in non-C. japonica than in neighboring plants. Regardless of host plant species, the frequency of A.mellea was significantly high comparing with other AMF species. The community similarity of AMF within C. japonica wassignificantly higher than between C. japonica and neighboring plants or neighboring plants (p

This study aims at classifying and interpreting on the vegetation structure and the vegetation transition over 25 years (between 1986 and 2010), and the correlation with the change of some conditions (the vegetation height and coverage on each layer and the climate factors as WI, CI, mean annual temperature, mean annual total precipitation etc.) in the Evergreen Broad-Leaved Forest,, Hong-Do island. The EBLF is classified into five units of vegetation (Hedera rhombea-Machilus thunbergii community (M-M comm.), Castanopsis sieboldii forest (Machilus japonica-Castanopsis sieboldii community; Raphiolepis indica var. umbellata-C. sieboldii community), community (Qa comm.), Carpinus turczaninovii community (Ct comm.), Camellia japonica stand (Cj stand)). The vegetation transition by CCA had high correlation with the height and coverage on each layer and the climate factors, and it did the succession (transition) that the M-M comm. (2010) from Mallotus japonicus community･Machilus thunbergii community･Carpinus coreana community (Cc comm.)･Aucuba japonica community (Aj comm.)･Trachelos permum asiaticum var. intermedium-Quercus acuta community (TQ comm.) (1986), the communities of C. sieboldii forest (2010) from Aj comm.･TQ comm.･Raphiolepis umbellata-Camellia japonica community (RC comm.) (1986), the Qa comm. (2010) from Ardisia japonica-Castanopsis sieboldii community (AC comm.) and TQ comm. (1986), the Ct comm. (2010) from Cc comm.･RC comm.･Aj comm.･Quercus serrata community and the Cj stand (2010) from AC comm. (1986). the height and coverage on each layer are also changed.

Camellia is a well-known ornamental flower native to Southeast of Asia, including regions such as Japan, Korea and South China. However, most species in the genus Camellia are cold sensitive. To elucidate the cold stress responses in camellia plants, we carried out deep transcriptome sequencing of ‘Jiangxue’, a cold-tolerant cultivar of Camellia japonica, and approximately 1,006 million clean reads were generated using Illumina sequencing technology. The assembly of the clean reads produced 367,620 transcripts, including 207,592 unigenes. Overall, 28,038 differentially expressed genes were identified during cold acclimation. Detailed elucidation of responses of transcription factors, protein kinases and plant hormone signalling-related genes described the interplay of signal that allowed the plant to fine-tune cold stress responses. On the basis of global gene regulation of unsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis- and jasmonic acid biosynthesis-related genes, unsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis and jasmonic acid biosynthesis pathways were deduced to be involved in the low temperature responses in C. japonica. These results were supported by the determination of the fatty acid composition and jasmonic acid content. Our results provide insights into the genetic and molecular basis of the responses to cold acclimation in camellia plants.

In order to determine the reasons of necrosis of exotic plants leaves cultivated in greenhouses plants belonging to ten following species were examined: Ceratozamia mexicana Brongn., Stangeria eriopus (Kunze) Nash (Cycadaceae), Eriobotrya japonica Lindl. (Rosaceae), Camellia japonica L. (Theaceae), Phoenix roebeleni O'Brien (Palmae), Sequoia sempervirens Endl. (Taxodiaceae), Calathea bachemiana Morr. (Marantaceae), Cordyline terminalis Kunth (Agavaceae), Spathiphyllum wallisii Reg. and Anthurium magnificum Lind. (Araceae). Chemical analysis were performed in soil samples in which these plants grow, in samples of tap-water applied for watering and in samples of decaying and healthy leaves. In order to examine the process of withdrawal of mineral components from necrotic leaves, both: necrotic and green parts of decaying leaves were subjected to examination. On the basis of the research it was concluded, that - in spite of generally low level of salinity of the water used for watering - some ions content, particularity that of CI-, was unfavourable to plants. Unfavourable ionic composition was discovered in water extracts derived from some of the breeding-ground soils. A comparison of healthy and decaying, necrotic leaves chemism proves that CI- assimilated by the plants from the breeding-grounds and accumulated in leaves, affects them toxically.

Inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers were used to investigate the genetic diversity within and among thirteen natural populations of Camellia japonica (L.). Twenty ISSR primers gave rise to 211 discernible DNA bands of which 190 (90.1%) were polymorphic. On average each primer gave rise to 10.55 bands including 9.50 bands with polymorphic profile. At the species level, high genetic diversity was detected (PPB: 90.1%; HE: 0.3414; H: 0.5013). However, relatively low genetic diversity existed within populations. Shiko-2 exhibits the greatest level of variability (PPB: 76.8%; HE: 0.2966; H: 0.4319), whereas XS presents its own variability at the lowest level (PPB: 67.3%; HE: 0.2344; H: 0.3478). A relatively high level of genetic differentiation among populations was revealed by Nei's gene diversity statistics (21.3%), Shannon's information measure (21.4%) and analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) (22.5%). There was significant correlation between genetic distance and geographic distance (r = 0.8154, P

The damage of citrus by Scirtothrips dorsalis Hood appears to have increased since 2007 in Jeju, although the characteristics of seasonal abundance are not clear. This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between host plants and the seasonal abundance of S. dorsalis, observing plants distributed around citrus orchards. The host plants of S. dorsalis surrounding citrus orchards were determined to include 32 families, 54 species: 39 woody plant species and 15 herbaceous plant species. The host plants which related to the occurrence of 1st generation of S. dorsalis were Lonicera japonica, Clematis apiifolia, Hedera rhombea, and Viburnum awabuki. The occurrence of 1st generation S. dorsalis was estimated to be due to overwintered female adults having laid eggs into those plants from late March to early April, and the new adults having emerged from late April to late May. The host plants which were associated with fruit damage of citrus were Mallotus japonicus, and Camellia japonica, as well as creeping plants such as Clematis apiifolia, Paederia scandens and Cayratia japonica. The adult phase density of S. dorsalis caught on yellow-color sticky traps placed on the citrus trees on the edge of the citrus orchard. S. dorsalis were predominantly 3rd generation from late of June to early of July, and 6th generation from late of August to early of September, and their numbers were directly related to the degree of damage caused to the citrus fruit. The density of S. dorsalis depended on the number of new growing shoots of host plants, which indicated that the immigration of adults of S. dorsalis to the citrus was based in the suitability of host plants surrounding the orchards.

Fermented mixed tea made with third-crop green tea leaves and camellia leaves by a tea-rolling process has been developed. The objective of this study was to investigate hypotriglyceridemic potential of the mixed tea in rats. The mixed tea contained theasinensins and theaflavins. Rats fed the mixed tea extract at the level of 1% exerted significantly lower body weight and adipose tissue weight compared to animals fed third-crop green tea or camellia tea extract alone for 4 weeks. Serum and hepatic triglyceride was significantly and dose-dependently decreased by the mixed tea. This decrease was associated with lowered lipogenic enzyme activities in the liver. Furthermore, an oral administration of 4 or 8% of the mixed tea extract followed by fat emulsion suppressed the increment of serum triglyceride level. These results suggest that the mixed tea has hypotriglyceridemic action, partially via delaying triglyceride absorption in the small intestine and repressing hepatic lipogenic enzymes.

Camellia japonica L. is an evergreen flowering perennial with more than 3,000 named cultivars of great ornamental value. These are nowadays traded worldwide as containerized small sized plants. Cultivation of ornamental plants is strongly oriented to sustainable production on the one hand and on a consumer-oriented high quality product on the other hand. In this context, the present work concerned a series of critical points of the cultivation cycle of potted C. japonica: the reduction of fertilization; the choice of a peat alternative substrate; the regulation of plant growth for size and flowering control; the control of the dormancy release of flower buds. Experiment 1 concerned the application of commercial biofertilizer inocula which included a specific arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF) isolate or a consortium of microorganisms (AMF, saprophytic fungi and helper bacteria) as alternatives to inorganic fertilization of pot cultivated C. japonica. To deepen AMF role, Experiment 2 evaluated potential specific isolates associated with camellia roots (active population) or surrounding soil (potential and soil exploring population) of centennial specimens found in natural or semi-natural ecosystems. Experiment 3 assessed the efficacy of flurprimidol and three peat alternatives (nutshells, rice husk, coconut fiber) on camellia growth control. Finally, Experiment 4 used a multidisciplinary approach to describe and characterize the effects of cold treatments on the dormancy release of flower buds. Overall, the results highlighted that C. japonica is susceptible to AMF inoculation and that a series of benefits can be achieved by inoculating pots with specific symbiotic fungi. Moreover, two newly tested materials (nutshells and rice husk) were suitable as partial peat alternatives (30% v/v), and the efficacy of very low concentrations of flurprimidol to control growth and enhance flowering was underlined. Lastly, the use of cold treatment allowed the achievement of an earlier, uniform and enhanced flowering.

We investigated the effect of extracts(50 µg/mL) from 31 folk plants in Ulleung Island on nitric oxide(NO) production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. Actinidia arguta (leaf, twig), Hovenia dulcis (leaf), Camellia japonica (leaf, twig), Sambucus sieboldiana var . pendula (leaf, twig) and Fallopia sachalinensis (root) showed significant NO inhibition activity(42%~88% NO inhibition rate). Of them, we selected 3 samples( A. arguta, H. dulcis and C. japonica ) showing more than 50% NO inhibition activity and little effect on cell viability. We found that the extracts suppressed the NO and prostaglandin E 2 (PGE 2 ) produced by LPS-activated RAW264.7 cells in dose-dependent manners. Key words - Actinidia arguta , Hovenia dulcis , Camellia japonica , Nitric oxide, Prostaglandin E 2 * 교신저자(E-mail): jjku@forest.go.kr ⓒ 본 학회지의 저작권은 (사)한국자원식물학회지에 있으며, 이의 무단전재나 복제를 금합니다. 서 언 최근 세계 각국에서는 자국의 자생식물에 대한 전통지식을 기반으로 활용하는 민속식물에 관한 관심이 고조되고 있다. 특히 2010년 일본 나고야에서 개최된 생물다양성협약에서 유전자원과 전통지식의 접근 및 이익분배에 관한 나고야의정서가 채택되는 등, 전통지식을 공유하고, 나아가 민속식물의 유용성 탐색을 통한 소재식물의 발굴 및 개발이 절실히 필요한 실정이다 . 이에 관한 국내의 연구는 경기도 내륙 남부, 경상북도 내륙 및 울릉도, 경상남도 내륙, 강원도 남부, 강원도 북부 등 한반도 전역에서 민속식물 이용 정보를 수집 및 발굴하였다(Choi et al., 2010; Chung et al., 2010; Chung et al., 2011; Im et al., 2011; Jeong et al., 2012; Kim et al., 2012). 따라서 이를 활용한 건강기능 제품 및 의약품분야에 폭넓게 활용 될 수 있는 기능성 소재를 탐색하는 것이 필요한 실정이다 . 기능성 분야 연구는 매우 다양화되고 있는데, 그 중 염증으로 인한 질병을 예방 또는 치료하는 데 목적을 둔 항염증 소재 연구도 한 부분을 차지하고 있다.염증 반응은 외상이나 세균의 침입으로 인해 손상된 조직에 대한 생체 조직의 국소적 방어반응이다 . 염증 반응이 일어나면 여러 가지 염증매개인자들이 만들어지는 데 이로 인하여 통증, 발열, 홍반, 부종 및 기능 상실 등의 증상이 나타난다(Sarkar and Fisher, 2006; Fierro and Serhan, 2001; Park et al., 2007). 대식세포는 숙주의 항상성 유지와 같이 여러 종류의 숙주 반응에 관여하는 것으로 알려져 있으며, nitric oxide(NO), prostaglandin E

This study was carried out to investigate the antimicrobial and antioxidative activities of Camellia japonica extracts for cosmetic applications. Antimicrobial effects of C. japonica were determined against Bacillus cereus by methanol extract of new leaf, stem and stem-leaf; Malassezia pachydermatis...

This study uses anthocyanins in the red flowers of section Camellia as taxonomic markers to investigate the phenetic relationships among 33 wild species from China, Taiwan, and Japan. The 25 anthocyanins from section Camellia produced 38 pigment patterns that serve as phenetic markers. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) indicated that the attachment of one or two glucoses to the cyanidin-core structure at the 3- or the 3- and 5-positions, respectively, was the most influential pattern against the first factor, Z 1 . In addition, two alternative pigment patterns, acylated or non-acylated, and the structural isomerism ( cis - or trans -) of the p -coumaroyl group were relatively significant patterns. Ward’s minimum-variance cluster analysis (WMVCA) produced a dendrogram that consisted of two sub-clusters. One sub-cluster (A) was constructed by species that have mainly two types of anthocyanins: 3,5-di- O - β -glucosides ( Camellia saluenensis ) and sambubioside of cyanidin ( Camellia reticulata ). The other sub-cluster (B) was made up of the 3- O - β -glucosides of cyanidin ( Camellia japonica ) and delphinidin ( Camellia hongkongensis ), with a higher proportion of the 3- O - β -galactosides ( Camellia mairei and Camellia boreali-yunnanica ). The former group showed a higher proportion of acylation, over 63%, but with the exception of Camellia azalea . The latter group showed less than 52% acylation, but with the exception of C. hongkongensis and C. boreali-yunnanica . PCA and WMVCA indicated that the greater the amount of di- O -glycosides and acylation, the more primitive anthocyanin traits the species possess. Based on these results, in conjunction with geographical and literary information, the data suggest that the Xinan district is the site/center of origin for the red-flowered Camellia species of which both C. saluenensis and C. reticulata have the most primitive anthocyanin traits.