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A common post-harvest disease of sweetpotato tuber is root rot caused by Fusarium solani in Korea as well as the other countries. Storage root rot disease was monitored earlier on sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas) in storehouses of different locations in Korea. In the present study, an isolate SPL16124 was choosen and collected from Sweetpotato Research Lab., Bioenergy Crop Research Institute, NICS, Muan, Korea, and confirmed the identification as Fusarium solani by conidial and molecular phylogenetic analysis (internal transcribed spacer ITS and translation elongation factor EF 1-α gene sequences). The isolate was cultured on potato dextrose agar, and conidiation was induced. The fungus was screened for Fusarium root rot on tuber of 14 different varieties. Among the tested variety, Yenjami, Singeonmi, Daeyumi, and Sinjami showed resistant to root rot disease. Additionally, the pathogen was tested for pathogenicity on stalks of these varieties. No symptom was observed on the stalk, and it was confirmed that the disease is tissue specific.

Repeated reflux of gastric acid and stomach contents into the esophagus leads to esophagus damage, including inflammation, ulcer, and hemorrhage in the epithelium. In this study, we aimed to demonstrate the ameliorating effects of geraniin, a phytochemical in the geraniums, on esophagus damage in an acute reflux esophagitis (RE) rat model. The inflammatory effects of geraniinwas measured by nitric oxide (NO) production and pro-inflammatory protein levels in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 cells. To evaluate the protective effects of geraniin on damaged esophagus tissue in RE rats, the rats were divided into the following groups: normal control; RE-induced control; RE rats pretreated with geraniin 15 and 30 mg/kg body weight; and RE rats pretreated with ranitidine 30 mg/kg body weight as a positive control. The lesion area of esophagus was determined by the Image J program, and histological changes were examined by hematoxylin and eosin staining of rat esophageal tissue. The expression of pro-inflammatory proteins, cytokines, and tight junction proteins involved in esophagus damages was determined using western blotting of esophageal tissue. Geraniin revealed that anti-inflammatory effects against LPS-induced cells by significantly decreasing NO production and iNOS proteins level. Additionally, the results showed that improvement effects of geraniin on esophagus damages in RE induced rats. The expression of inflammatory proteins involved in nuclear factor NF-kB signaling pathways significantly decreased and tight junction protein (claudin-4 and claudin-5) was increased in esophageal tissue. We found the potential of geraniin as source of replacement therapy products source for inflammatory and reflux esophagitis disease.

Apios americana Medik, commonly known as American groundnut, is a leguminous perennial vine crop native to North America and is cultivated in Japan and Korea (Chu et al. 2019). Its tubers are edible and believed to be very nutritious, especially for women just after childbirth. The tubers also contain secondary metabolites, saponin and genistein, which is good for human health (Ichige et al. 2013). However, the storage of tubers at inappropriate temperatures and humidity levels can cause severe fungal infection, and adversely affect tuber quality. During March and April 2020, a white to pale-orange fungal mycelia were observed on stored American groundnut tubers, with 10 to 15% of seed tubers rotten. Infected tubers were collected, and fungal isolates were isolated on potato dextrose agar (PDA) using the single spore isolation method (Leslie and Summerell 2006). A pure culture (isolate JC20003) was obtained and stored at the Bioenergy Crop Research Institute, NICS, Muan, Republic of Korea. The fungus was cultured on PDA and V8 liquid media for 7 days at 25℃ to observe its morphological characteristics. The length and width of macroconidia ranged from 20.6 to 52.9 μm and 2.9 to 5.1 μm, respectively (n = 30). The microconidia were 8.5 to 14.9 μm and 2.3 to 4.2 μm in length and width, respectively (n = 30). Macroconidia were broadly falcate, strongly septate, 2 to 6 septations with dorsiventral curvature; chlamydospores were formed in chains; and microconidia were fusiform with 0 to 1 septation observed. Genomic DNA of the isolate was extracted using Solgent DNA extraction kit (Solgent, Daejeon, Korea), followed by PCR analysis using the internal transcribed spacer (ITS5/ITS4) and elongation factor (EF-1/EF2) genes (White et al. 1990; O'Donnel 2000). PCR products were sequenced and analyzed to confirm species identity (Yang et al. 2018). These sequences were deposited in GenBank (accession numbers MT703859/ITS and MT731939/EF). BLASTn search analysis showed 100% sequence similarity with Fusarium acuminatum (isolates N-51-1/ITS and WXWH24/EF). Based on morphological and molecular data analysis, the fungus was identified as F. acuminatum (Leslie and Summerell 2006; Marin et al. 2012). Pathogenicity tests were conducted on five tubers inoculated with 5 mm mycelial plugs with three replicates, while a non-mycelial plug served as the control. After 5 days of incubation in plastic containers at 25 °C with high humidity, typical symptoms developed. No symptoms were observed on the control tubers; F. acuminatum was re-isolated from artificially inoculated tubers to complete Koch's postulates. This is the first report on post-harvest tuber rot caused by F. acuminatum in Apios americana.

Background: Reflux esophagitis (RE) is one of the gastroesophageal reflux diseases that seriously affect the daily life of patients. Magnolia sieboldii K. Koch has been used as a traditional Chinese herbal medicine for stomach pain relief and deworming and has various physiological activities. Objective: The objective is to investigate the anti-inflammatory and protective effects of the ethanol extract of M. sieboldii buds (MsE) on RE. Materials and Methods: The different concentrations of MsE were used to determine the anti-inflammatory effects on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced cells. In addition, the treatment of MsE on experimental RE rats were used for determining the protective effects of MsE on RE. Results: M. sieboldii treatment effectively inhibited LPS-induced nitric oxide (NO) production, protein expression of inducible NO synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) by regulating the activation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and C-Jun N-terminal kinase/mitogen-activated protein kinase in cells. Furthermore, M. sieboldii treatment significantly ameliorated esophageal tissue damage caused by gastric acid reflux, as well as inhibited the expression of COX-2, TNF-α, and interleukin-1 beta in esophageal tissues through inhibition the activation of NF-κB. Conclusion: We suggested that the ethanol extract of M. sieboldii could consider being an alternative medicine material for treating RE.

Reflux esophagitis (RE) is a kind of gastroesophageal reflux disease, of which an esophageal inflammatory lesion is caused by the contents of the stomach and duodenum flowing back into the esophagus. Allium hookeri is a plant possessing both nutritional and medicinal properties. In our study, we investigated the inhibition effect of inflammation of A. hookeri root extract (AHE) on inflammatory RAW264.7 macrophage cells induced by lipopolysaccharide and rat models of RE. The results showed that AHE significantly reduced the production of nitric oxide (NO) and the protein expression levels of various mediators related to inflammation including inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). Furthermore, AHE also inhibited the nuclear translocation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) by inhibiting the phosphorylation IκBα. In addition, AHE administration significantly ameliorated esophageal mucosal damage upon histological evaluation of RE in rats. AHE was also found to downregulate the expression levels of proteins such as COX-2, TNF-α, and IL-1β in the rat esophagus. AHE markedly attenuated activation of NF-κB and phosphorylation of IκBα at the same time. These results indicated that AHE suppressed LPS-induced inflammatory responses in RAW264.7 cells and may help reduce the development of esophagitis through the modulation of inflammation by regulating NF-κB activation.