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지난 생물다양성협약(Convention on Biological Diversity, 이하 CBD)의 2011-2020 생물다양성 전략계획은 전략과 목표의 정량적 구체성이 결여되어 전 지구적 차원의 이행성과가 미흡한 것으로 평가되었다. 이에 CBD는 오는 제15차 당사국총회의 채택을 목표로 새로운 전략계획인 “Post-2020 글로벌 생물다양성 프레임워크(Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, 이하 Post-2020 GBF)”를 수립하고 있다. Post-2020 GBF는 향후 당사국들의 국가생물다양성전략(National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans, 이하 NBSAPs)을 포함한 생물다양성 정책수립에 큰 방향을 제시할 것이며, NBSAP 이행을 점검하는 주요 수단인 국가보고서(National Report, 이하 NR) 작성과 보고 체계를 강화하여 Post-2020 GBF의 이행력을 강화할 것이다. 본 연구에서는 1) CBD Post-2020 GBF 협상 초안(first draft, 2021.7.5.)의 주요 변화를 상세히 살펴보고, 2) 기존 국가생물다양성전략과 이행체계의 한계점을 분석하였으며, 3) Post-2020 GBF 체계에 대한 국내 대응 방향을 도출하였다. 국가생물다양성전략 체계의 한계를 분석한 결과 첫째, CBD의 Post-2020 GBF의 이행 시점 및 체계와의 정합성, 국내 환경 관련 계획들의 목표 및 지표와의 일관성, 전략의 목표와 지표 간의 정합성이 부족한 것으로 나타났다. 둘째, 과학적인 자료와 연구 결과에 근거한 계량적인 전략의 목표가 설정되지 않았으며, 목표별 관리지표는 대부분 계량적이지 않으며, 압력-상태-대응 형태의 지표가 균형적으로 개발 및 적용되지 못하였다. 셋째, 이러한 관리지표체계의 한계에 따라 전략의 지표 기반 이행평가 수행이 미흡하였다. 마지막으로, 전략의 효율적인 이행을 위한 지속적인 지표 발굴과 고도화를 위한 법적 근거와 제도적 기반이 미흡한 것으로 분석되었다. 결론적으로, 첫째, 국가전략의 목표별 목표치와 관리지표를 설정하는 데에 있어 구성요소 및 구조, 목표별 목표치와 관리지표 등이 유기적으로 연결되어야 하며, 전략 목표의 목표치는 과학적인 지식에 근거하며 기한 내에 달성이 가능한 계량적인 목표가 설정되어야 하고, 압력-상태-대응 형태의 계량적인 지표가 균형적으로 설계되어야 한다. 둘째, 관리지표는 평가의 객관성과 연속성을 고려하여 장기적 관점에서 설계되어야 한다. 셋째, 국가 차원에서 지표를 기반으로 한 이행평가 체계의 개념이 정립되어야 한다. 넷째, 모니터링 자료와 이를 기반으로 한 새로운 과학적 발견 등이 지속적으로 적용될 수 있어야 한다. 마지막으로, 이를 위해 지속적인 지표 발굴과 분석을 위한 지표관리 체계의 구축과 운영방안 마련이 필요하다.

Ulmus species (Ulmaceae) are large deciduous trees distributed throughout Korea. Although their root and stem bark have been used to treat gastrointestinal diseases and wounds in folk medicine, commercial products are consumed without any standardization. Therefore, we examined anatomical and chemical differences among five Ulmus species in South Korea. Transverse sections of leaf, stem, and root barks were examined under a microscope to elucidate anatomical differences. Stem and root bark exhibited characteristic medullary ray and secretary canal size. Leaf surface, petiole, and midrib exhibited characteristic inner morphologies including stomatal size, parenchyma, and epidermal cell diameter, as well as ratio of vascular bundle thickness to diameter among the samples. Orthogonal projections to latent structures discriminant analysis of anatomical data efficiently differentiated the five species. To evaluate chemical differences among the five species, we quantified (-)-catechin, (-)-catechin-7-O-β-D-apiofuranoside, (-)-catechin-7-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside, (-)-catechin-7-O-β-D-xylopyranoside, (-)-catechin-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, and (-)-catechin-5-O-β-D-apiofuranoside using high-performance liquid chromatography with a diode-array detector. (-)-Catechin-7-O-β-D-apiofuranoside content was the highest among all compounds in all species, and (-)-catechin-7-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside content was characteristically the highest in Ulmus parvifolia among the five species. Overall, the Ulmus species tested was able to be clearly distinguished on the basis of anatomy and chemical composition, which may be used as scientific criteria for appropriate identification and standard establishment for commercialization of these species

In this review, we aimed to synthesize the current knowledge on the observed and projected effects of climate change on the ecosystems of Korea (i.e., the Republic of Korea (ROK) or South Korea), as well as the main causes of vulnerability and options for adaptation in these ecosystems based on a range of ecological and biogeographical data. To this end, we compiled a set of peer-reviewed papers published since 2014. We found that publication of climate-related studies on plants has decreased in the field of plant phenology and physiology, whereas such publication has rapidly increased in plant and animal community ecology, reflecting the range shifts and abundance change that are occurring under climate change. Plant phenology studies showed that climate change has increased growing seasons by advancing the timing of flowering and budburst while delaying the timing of leafing out. Community ecology studies indicated that the future ranges of cold-adapted plants and animals could shrink or shift toward northern and high-elevation areas, whereas the ranges of warm-adapted organisms could expand and/or shift toward the areas that the aforementioned cold-adapted biota previously occupied. This review provides useful information and new insights that will improve understanding of climate change effects on the ecosystems of Korea. Moreover, it will serve as a reference for policy-makers seeking to establish future sectoral adaptation options for protection against climate change.

The fruit of Schisandra chinensis, Omija, is a well-known traditional medicine used as an anti-tussive and anti-diarrhea agent, with various biological activities derived from the dibenzocyclooctadiene-type lignans. A high-pressure liquid chromatography-diode array detector (HPLC-DAD) method was used to determine seven lignans (schisandrol A and B, tigloylgomisin H, angeloylgomisin H, schisandrin A, B, and C) in the different plant parts and beverages of the fruit of S. chinensis grown in Korea. The contents of these lignans in the plant parts descended in the following order: seeds, flowers, leaves, pulp, and stems. The total lignan content in Omija beverages fermented with white sugar for 12 months increased by 2.6-fold. Omija was fermented for 12 months with white sugar, brown sugar, and oligosaccharide/white sugar (1:1, w/w). The total lignan content in Omija fermented with oligosaccharide/white sugar was approximately 1.2- and 1.7-fold higher than those fermented with white sugar and brown sugar, respectively. A drink prepared by immersion of the fruit in alcohol had a higher total lignan content than these fermented beverages. This is the first report documenting the quantitative changes in dibenzocyclooctadiene-type lignans over a fermentation period and the effects of the fermentable sugars on this eco-friendly fermentation process.

The anti-obesity effects of anthocyanin and carotenoid extracts from color-fleshed potatoes were studied with 3T3-L1 cells in vitro and high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice in vivo. Treatment of 3T3-L1 adipocytes with anthocyanin and carotenoid extracts, respectively, after differentiation induction significantly inhibited fat accumulation by 63.1 and 83.5%. Studies of adipogenesis inhibition showed that the anthocyanin extract acts at intermediate stages, whereas the carotenoid extract influences all the stages. The extracts significantly diminished triglyceride (TG) content and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) protein expression during adipogenesis of the intermediate stage. Oral administration of anthocyanin and carotenoid extracts, respectively, to HFD-fed mice significantly reduced weight gain and restored TG levels to normal or lower as compared to the HFD-fed group with improvement of a lipid profile, TG to HDL-C ratio. Histological differences in liver tissues revealed that the extracts protected the liver tissue from adipogenesis by HFD fed. This research presents the first direct demonstration that the two pigment extracts from sweet potato exhibit anti-obesity activities. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Anthocyanins and carotenoids are the main pigments of purple- and orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, respectively, which are highly nutritious foods with antidiabetic and antioxidant properties. Obesity is a rapidly growing health problem that increases major risk factors of several serious diseases including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancer. The results of this research suggest that anthocyanin and carotenoid-rich extracts from color-fleshed sweet potatoes may be useful as supplementary ingredients for the treatment of obesity and related diseases.

Reynoutria species are medicinal plants that belong to the family Polygonaceae and are widely distributed in eastern Asia, North America and Europe. Although the phylogeny and morphological and anatomical studies of some species in Korea have been previously reported, there are no discriminative anatomical and chemical data available. Therefore, anatomical characterization of the leaf, stem and root, and high performance liquid chromatography&ndash, diode array detector (HPLC&ndash, DAD) analyses were carried out to assess the differences in anatomical and chemical profiles among the Reynoutria plants in Korea, i.e., R. japonica, R. sachalinensis, R. forbesii and R. japonica for. elata. The anatomical evaluation showed discriminative characteristics, such as the shape of the stomata and the stomatal index of the lower leaf surface, the ratio of the adaxial/abaxial height, the size of the vascular bundles and the frequency of druse in the midrib, petiole, and stem, and the pericycle number in the root. For the HPLC analysis, ten compounds corresponding to each major peak were isolated from R. japonica roots and their structures were identified by comprehensive spectroscopic studies. Samples collected before the flowering season showed higher contents of these ten major compounds than those collected after the flowering season. The orthogonal projections to latent structures-discrimination analysis (OPLS-DA) with the inner morphological and HPLC quantification results, clearly discriminated these plants. These results provide anatomical parameters and HPLC profiling that can be used to distinguish the four Reynoutria plants, which supports quality control for their precise identification.

The prediction of the climate change effect on plant distribution has become a primary research field for conservation practices and planning. The present research predicted future distributions of warm-adapted evergreen trees, Neolitsea sericea (Blume) Koidz. and Camellia japonica L., under climate change in the Korean Peninsula (KP) using an ensemble approach and quantified the predictive uncertainty. For these purposes, we used nine modeling algorithms and the pre-evaluation weighted ensemble method in modelling the current distributions of those evergreen trees; furthermore, we predicted their future distributions under 20 climate change scenarios and averaged the future predictions for ensemble forecasts. The results suggest that both species would expand to the northern part of KP under climate changes; however, the spatial pattern and rate of expansions would be different. C. japonica showed a faster expansion than N. sericea. While C. japonica showed both inland and northward expansions under climate change, N. sericea was mostly distributed in coastal areas. In addition, the highly suitable habitats of N. sericea and C. japonica will decline or shift to the north under climate change. This may indicate that climate change will degrade habitat suitability of those species within the distribution boundary and may restrict their continuous range expansions under further climate changes. Considering the lack of research on the climate-related range shifts of plants in Asia including KP, the present study provides fundamental and practical knowledge for a better understanding of climate-related vegetation changes in Asia as well as in KP.

The projections of species distribution models (SDMs) have provided critical knowledge for conservation planning under climate change in the Republic of Korea. However, uncertainty about the SDM projections has been criticized as a major challenge to reliable projections. The present research investigated uncertainty among competing models (Model uncertainty) and uncertainty of future climate conditions (climate uncertainty) driving from different GCMs and CO2 emission scenarios in predicting the future distributions of plants. For this purpose, using nine single-model algorithms and the pre-evaluation weighted ensemble method, we modeled the geographical distributions of Silver Magnolia (Machilus thunbergii Siebold & Zucc.), a warm-adapted evergreen broadleaved tree; furthermore, we predicted its future distributions under 20 climate change scenarios (5 global circulation models (GCMs) × 4 CO2 emission scenarios (RCPs)). The results showed a great variation in the accuracies of nine single-model projections: the mean AUC values of nine single-models ranged from 0.764 (SER) to 0.970 (RF), and the mean TSS ranged from 0.529 (SRE) to 0.852 (RF). RF (mean AUC = 0.970, mean TSS = 0.852) and the ensemble forecast (AUC = 0.968, TSS = 0.804) showed the highest predictive power, while SRE showed the lowest. The future distributions of Silver Magnolia projected with the ensemble SDM clearly varied according to GCMs and RCPs. The twenty climate scenarios produced twenty different projections of the magnolia prospective distribution. GCMs commonly projected the maximum range expansion under RCP 8.5 in 2050 and 2070, but CO2 emission scenarios explaining the minimum expansions differed according to GCMs. In conclusion, our results show that GCMs, CO2 emission scenarios and SDM algorithms produce considerable variations in the SDM projections. Therefore, this research suggests that understanding of model and climate uncertainties is critical for an effective conservation planning in forest management under climate change on the Korean Peninsula.

Reconstruction of past vegetation is an important process in understanding vegetation history and global climate change. This research reconstructed the past vegetation range based upon historical records in the Korean Peninsula, especially for conifers and bamboos, and determined the factors responsible for historic change. Time-spatial changes in distribution of three conifer trees, two by-products of red pine and two bamboos from 1454 to 1931 were reconstructed with information about the local produce and tribute descriptions on seven historical documents. Plant distribution data were collated over time and space and plotted on county maps using a GIS software package. Cold tolerant Korean pines were grown on the northern Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and eastern parts of Republic of Korea (ROK) with high mountains and hostile climate but absent from the western and southern lowlands of ROK showing low elevation and mild climate. Warmth tolerant red pines were present nation-wide, apart from the northern high mountains. Reconstructed ranges of red pines based on two by-products, e.g., pine mushroom and tuckahoe, matched well with the distribution of red pines. Warmth loving torreya tree were confined in their distribution to the southwestern tips of ROK with gentle terrains and mild and wet climate, especially in the winter. Giant timber bamboo mainly occurred on the southern parts of ROK, but some in the eastern ROK. Arrow bamboo showed a broader distribution, along the coast of ROK as well as the eastern coast of DPRK. Historical records can be used as good sources for reconstructing past vegetation change and climate change. Spatiotemporal distributional change of conifers and bamboos in the Korean Peninsula seems to be the result of both climatic change and anthropogenic cultivation, but no clear indication for the little ice age can be found from the historical vegetation.

Climate change has modified the structure and functions of ecosystems, affecting human well-being. Evergreen plants in the warm-temperate ecosystems will lose climatically suitable habitats under climate change but have not drawn much scholarly interest. Therefore, the present research aimed to predict the future climatic niches of eight coastal warm-adapted evergreen trees under climate change to provide information for an effective management practice. For this purpose, we used the ensemble species distribution models (SDMs) weighted by the TSS value in modelling the climatic niches of those evergreen trees and then ensembled their future distributions predicted under 20 future climate scenarios. Except for Neolitsea sericea (True Skill Statistic (TSS) = 0.79), all projections for the current climatic niches of evergreens showed excellent predictive powers (TSS > 0.85). The results showed that the climatic niches of the four evergreens—Castanopsis cuspidata, Pittosporum tobira, Raphiolepis indica var. umbellate, and Eurya emarginata—would expand to the northern part of the Korean Peninsula (KP) under climate change, but the ones of the remaining four—Kadsura japonica, Neolitsea sericea, Ilex integra, and Dendropanax morbiferus—would shrink. While the climatic niches of Pittosporum tobira showed the rapidest and greatest expansion under climate change, Dendropanax morbiferus was predicted to experience the greatest loss of habitat. On the other hand, regardless of whether the future distributions of climatically suitable habitats would expand or contract, the highly suitable habitats of all species were predicted to decline under climate change. This may indicate that further climate change will degrade habitat suitability for all species within the distribution boundary and restrict continuous habitat expansions of expanding species or accelerate habitat loss of shrinking species. In addition, the future distributions of most coastal evergreens were found to be confined to coastal areas; therefore, sea-level rise would accelerate their habitat loss under climate change. The present study provides primary and practical knowledge for understanding climate-related coastal vegetation changes for future conservation planning, particularly on the Korean Peninsula.

Alpine, subalpine and boreal tree species, of low genetic diversity and adapted to low optimal temperatures, are vulnerable to the warming effects of global climate change. The accurate prediction of these species’ distributions in response to climate change is critical for effective planning and management. The goal of this research is to predict climate change effects on the distribution of red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP), eastern USA. Climate change is, however, conflated with other environmental factors, making its assessment a complex systems problem in which indirect effects are significant in causality. Predictions were made by linking a tree growth simulation model, red spruce growth model (ARIM.SIM), to a GIS spatial model, red spruce habitat model (ARIM.HAB). ARIM.SIM quantifies direct and indirect interactions between red spruce and its growth factors, revealing the latter to be dominant. ARIM.HAB spatially distributes the ARIM.SIM simulations under the assumption that greater growth reflects higher probabilities of presence. ARIM.HAB predicts the future habitat suitability of red spruce based on growth predictions of ARIM.SIM under climate change and three air pollution scenarios: 10% increase, no change and 10% decrease. Results show that suitable habitats shrink most when air pollution increases. Higher temperatures cause losses of most low-elevation habitats. Increased precipitation and air pollution produce acid rain, which causes loss of both low- and high-elevation habitats. The general prediction is that climate change will cause contraction of red spruce habitats at both lower and higher elevations in GSMNP, and the effects will be exacerbated by increased air pollution. These predictions provide valuable information for understanding potential impacts of global climate change on the spatiotemporal distribution of red spruce habitats in GSMNP.

Red spruce ( Picea rubens Sargent) has exhibited widespread growth decline and high mortality for the last half century in the eastern United States. Good prediction of this species’ distribution in relation to environmental conditions is critical for effective management. This study projects red spruce distribution in response to multiple causal mechanisms in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) of the Southern Appalachian Mountains by coupling a temporal simulation model of tree growth (ARIM.SIM) to a species distribution model (ARIM.HAB). ARIM.HAB computed habitat suitability, estimated from ARIM.SIM-generated red spruce growth, for every spatial 30 m grid cell in GSMNP. ARIM.SIM showed that different factors were responsible for habitat suitability and growth at higher vs. lower elevations. The air pollution variables (acid rain and cloud immersion frequency) caused low habitat suitability at higher elevations (1800–2028 m). Reduced air pollution but greater stress from climatic variables (high temperatures, reduced precipitation) caused medium suitability at lower elevations (1400–1600 m). And less stress from air pollution and climate variables combined with ample water to produce highest suitability at intermediate elevations (1600–1800 m). The projected range was verified with an existing geospatial database for red spruce and showed excellent correspondence with present-day distribution (AUC = 0.99, kappa = 0.87 and TSS = 0.88). This research shows that species distribution models coupled with a process-based temporal simulation models can improve the precision and accuracy of, respectively, habitat suitability and range projections for species at local scales.

We investigated the potential effects of projected climate change on red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) growth in the Great Smoky Mountains of Southeastern USA. A model called Annual Radial Increment Model (ARIM) was used to capture ecosystem complexity manifested as direct and indirect effects in multifactorial within- and across-scale interactions. The model was run under different scenarios, including projected climate change under reduced, no change, and increased atmospheric pollution. Modeled red spruce growth at end of 21st century (2080–2099) was compared to modeled growth at end of the 20th century (1980–1999). Red spruce growth at high elevations (≥1700 m) declined by 10.8% when climate change interacted with a 10% increase in air pollution, but red spruce growth increased by 8.4% when air pollution decreased by 10%. In contrast, red spruce growth at low elevations (

Many studies about climate-related range shift of plants have focused on understanding the relationship between climatic factors and plant distributions. However, consideration of adaptation factors, such as dispersal and plant physiological processes, is necessary for a more accurate prediction. This study predicted the future distribution of marlberry (Ardisia japonica), a warm-adapted evergreen broadleaved shrub, under climate change in relation to the dispersal ability that is determined by elapsed time for the first seed production. We introduced climate change data under four representative concentration pathway (RCP 2.6, 4.5, 6.0, and 8.5) scenarios from five different global circulation models (GCMs) to simulate the future distributions (2041~2060) of marlberry. Using these 20 different climate data, ensemble forecasts were produced by averaging the future distributions of marlberry in order to minimize the model uncertainties. Then, a dispersal-limited function was applied to the ensemble forecast in order to exam the impact of dispersal capacity on future marlberry distributions. In the dispersal-limited function, elapsed time for the first seed production and possible dispersal distances define the dispersal capacity. The results showed that the current suitable habitats of marlberry expanded toward central coast and southern inland area from the current southern and mid-eastern coast area in Korea. However, given the dispersal-limited function, this experiment showed lower expansions to the central coast area and southern inland area. This study well explains the importance of dispersal capacity in the prediction of future marlberry distribution and can be used as basic information in understanding the climate change effects on the future distributions of Ardisia japonica.

Understanding the vulnerability of trees affected by climate change is a key requirement for identifying management priorities and suggesting suitable urban tree species. To measure such vulnerability under changing climate conditions, indicators of bioclimatic characteristics should be identified and evaluated using past and current geographic growth ranges. However, although climate events often occur simultaneously (e.g., frost and drought), and management issues in this regard need to be clarified, it is challenging to consider multiple risks in a climate change vulnerability assessment. Therefore, we applied a Bayesian belief network (BBN) to interlink the bioclimatic requirements of species and seasonal climate risk of the study site to comprehensively assess the multiple risks. In particular, we integrated expert knowledge and supporting evidences from relevant studies to construct the BBN. The developed BBN revealed vulnerability to frost considering occurrences of cascading and co-occurring climatic risks such as warmer winters and droughts throughout the phenological cycle. As a case study, two tree species, Zelkova serrata and Camellia japonica from Seoul, Republic of Korea, were evaluated. Among the climatic risks considered, the BBN revealed that shortened frost hardening and the occurrence of spring frost right after an extraordinarily warm winter would mainly affect vulnerability to frost of the two species. In particular, C. japonica had high vulnerability due to its high susceptibility to coldness, though growing temperature will be perfectly satisfied under climate change. Generally, this study provides insights to consider multiple bioclimatic risks for guiding urban tree management under climate change.

Study aims Some oriental herbal medicines have been used to treat neuropsychiatric disorders. We found previously that Kami-shoyo-san (KSS) possesses antidepressant-like effects at both the behavioral and molecular levels. Bupleuri Radix (BR), a major component of KSS, has affinity for both dopamine D 2 and 5-HT 1A receptors, which may be responsible for its antidepressant-like effects. In the present study, we investigated the antidepressant-like effects of BR in rats using the forced swimming test (FST) and the potential mechanisms of BR action in SH-SY5Y cells. Materials and methods The immobility time of rats treated with BR extract was measured in the FST. Western blotting was performed to examine the expression of proteins involved in the cAMP response element binding protein (CREB)/brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)-mediated signaling pathway, thought to be a major target of antidepressant drug action. Results BR extract (900 mg/kg) significantly reduced immobility time in the FST. Treatment with BR extract (10, 100 and 1000 μg/mL) significantly increased CREB phosphorylation and elevated BDNF levels in SH-SY5Y cells. BR extract increased phosphorylation of Akt and glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β). Moreover, BDNF small interfering RNA (siRNA) reduced elevated Akt and GSK-3β phosphorylation induced by BR extract. A phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor blocked the BR-induced increase in phosphorylated Akt levels. Conclusions These findings suggest that an aqueous extract of BR can exert antidepressant-like effects in behavioral and molecular assays. These results demonstrate that BR may exert its effects through actions on CREB and BDNF activation, leading to stimulation of the PI3K/Akt/GSK-3β signaling pathway.

This study provides a method for assessing a multiplicity of environmental factors in red spruce growth in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) of Southeastern USA. Direct and indirect factors in the annual growth increment are first organized into a schematic input–output envirogram (ARIRS), and this information is then used to construct a simulation model (ARIM). The envirogram represents a structured conceptualization of most environmental factors involved in growth, as developed from relevant literature. This interdisciplinary synthesis distinguishes direct vs. indirect factors in growth and takes account of the systems ecology concept that indirect factors may be as important as or more important than direct ones in regulating growth. The ARIRS envirogram summarizes hierarchically organized, within- and cross-scale, local-to-global interactions, and its construction makes it obvious that growth is influenced by many cross-scale spatiotemporal interactions. More research on genecology is still needed to clarify the role of phenotypic plasticity and adaptive capacity in nutrient cycling, global change, and human disturbance.

Background and purpose: We conducted a genome wide gene expression analysis to explore the biological aspects of 15-methoxypinusolidic acid (15-MPA) isolated from Biota orientalis and tried to confirm the suitability of 15-MPA as a therapeutic candidate for CNS injuries focusing on microglia. Experimental approach: Murine microglial BV2 cells were treated with 15-MPA, and their transcriptome was analysed by using oligonucleotide microarrays. Genes differentially expressed upon 15-MPA treatment were selected for RT-PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) analysis to confirm the gene expression. Inhibition of cell proliferation and induction of apoptosis by 15-MPA were examined by bromodeoxyuridine assay, Western blot analysis of poly-ADP-ribose polymerase and flow cytometry. Key results: A total of 514 genes were differentially expressed by 15-MPA treatment. Biological pathway analysis revealed that 15-MPA induced significant changes in expression of genes in the cell cycle pathway. Genes involved in growth arrest and DNA damage [gadd45α, gadd45γ and ddit3 (DNA damage-inducible transcript 3)] and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor (cdkn2b) were up-regulated, whereas genes involved in cell cycle progression (ccnd1, ccnd3 and ccne1), DNA replication (mcm4, orc1l and cdc6) and cell proliferation (fos and jun) were down-regulated. RT-PCR analysis for representative genes confirmed the expression levels. 15-MPA significantly reduced bromodeoxyuridine incorporation, increased poly-ADP-ribose polymerase cleavage and the number of apoptotic cells, indicating that 15-MPA induces apoptosis in BV2 cells. Conclusion and implications: 15-MPA induced apoptosis in murine microglial cells, presumably via inhibition of the cell cycle progression. As microglial activation is detrimental in CNS injuries, these data suggest a strong therapeutic potential of 15-MPA.

Background and purpose: Apoptosis is a fundamental process required for neuronal development but also occurs in most of the common neurodegenerative disorders. In an attempt to obtain an anti-apoptotic neuroprotective compound from natural products, we isolated the diterpenoids, pinusolide and 15-MPA, from B. orientalis and investigated their neuroprotective activity against staurosporine (STS) -induced neuronal apoptosis. In addition, we determined the anti-apoptotic mechanism of these compounds in rat cortical cells. Experimental approach: Primary cultures of rat cortical cells injured by STS were used as an in vitro assay system. Cells were pretreated with pinusolide or 15-MPA before exposure to STS. Anti-apoptotic activities were evaluated by the measurement of cytoplasmic condensation and nuclear fragmentation. The levels of cellular peroxide, malondialdehyde (MDA) and [Ca2+]i, as well as the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and caspase-3/7, were measured. Key results: Pinusolide and 15-MPA, at a concentration of 5.0 iM, reduced the condensed nuclei and rise in [Ca2+]i that accompanies apoptosis induced by 100 nM STS. Pinusolide and 15-MPA also protected the cellular activity of SOD, an antioxidative enzyme reduced by STS insult. Furthermore, the overproduction of reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxidation induced by STS was significantly reduced in pinusolide and 15-MPA treated cells. In addition, pinusolide and 15-MPA inhibited STS-induced caspase-3/7 activation. Conclusions and Implications: These results show that pinusolide and 15-MPA protect neuronal cells from STS-induced apoptosis, probably by preventing the increase in [Ca2+]i and cellular oxidation caused by STS, and indicate that they could be used to treat neurodegenerative diseases. British Journal of Pharmacology (2007) 150, 65–71. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0706944

Climate change has caused shifts in species' ranges and extinctions of high-latitude and altitude species. Most cold-tolerant evergreen broadleaved woody plants (shortened to cold-evergreens below) are rare species occurring in a few sites in the alpine and subalpine zones in the Korean Peninsula. The aim of this research is to 1) identify climate factors controlling the range of cold-evergreens in the Korean Peninsula; and 2) predict the climate change effects on the range of cold-evergreens. We used multimodel inference based on combinations of climate variables to develop distribution models of cold-evergreens at a physiognomic-level. Presence/absence data of 12 species at 204 sites and 6 climatic factors, selected from among 23 candidate variables, were used for modeling. Model uncertainty was estimated by mapping a total variance calculated by adding the weighted average of within-model variation to the between-model variation. The range of cold-evergreens and model performance were validated by true skill statistics, the receiver operating characteristic curve and the kappa statistic. Climate change effects on the cold-evergreens were predicted according to the RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 scenarios. Multimodel inference approach excellently projected the spatial distribution of cold-evergreens (AUC = 0.95, kappa = 0.62 and TSS = 0.77). Temperature was a dominant factor in model-average estimates, while precipitation was minor. The climatic suitability increased from the southwest, lowland areas, to the northeast, high mountains. The range of cold-evergreens declined under climate change. Mountain-tops in the south and most of the area in the north remained suitable in 2050 and 2070 under the RCP 4.5 projection and 2050 under the RCP 8.5 projection. Only high-elevations in the northeastern Peninsula remained suitable under the RCP 8.5 projection. A northward and upper-elevational range shift indicates change in species composition at the alpine and subalpine ecosystems in the Korean Peninsula.

We have previously reported that acteoside isolated from the leaves of Callicarpa dichotoma has significant neuroprotective activity against glutamate-induced neurotoxicity in primary cultured rat cortical cells. To determine the essential structural moiety within this phenylethanoid glycoside needed to exert neuroprotective activity, acteoside was hydrolyzed with acid into its aglycones, caffeic acid and 3',4'-dihydroxylphenylethanol. Caffeic acid and 3',4'-dihydroxylphenylethanol also showed significant neuroprotective activities. Acteoside and its aglycones inhibited glutamate-induced intracellular Ca2+ influx resulting in overproduction of nitric oxide and reduced the formation of reactive oxygen species. These compounds preserved the mitochondrial membrane potential and the activities of antioxidative enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase, glutathione reductase and glutathione peroxidase reduced by glutamate. It was followed by the preservation of the level of glutathione and finally the inhibition of membrane lipid peroxidation.

In previous work, we isolated 7 neuroprotective iridoid glycosides from the 90% MeOH fraction of Scrophularia buergeriana (Scrophulariaceae). We therefore investigated the mode of action of 8-O-E-p-methoxycinnamoyl-harpagide (8-MCA-Harp), the most potent neuroprotective iridoid, and its aglycone, harpagide (Harp) using primary cultures of rat cortical cells in vitro. 8-MCA-Harp only revealed its neuroprotective activity in a pretreatment paradigm; this iridoid had more selectivity in protecting neurons against N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-induced neurotoxicity as opposed to that induced by kainic acid (KA). On the other hand, Harp exerted significant neuroprotective activity when it was administered either before or after glutamate insult and protected cultured neuronal cells from neurotoxicity induced by NMDA or KA. Furthermore, Harp significantly prevented the decrease of glutathione, an antioxidative compound in the brain, in our cultures. Finally, 8-MCA-Harp and Harp could successfully reduce the overproduction of nitric oxide and the level of cellular peroxide in cultured neurons. Collectively, these results suggested that Harp and 8-MCA-Harp protected primary cultured neurons against glutamate-induced oxidative stress primarily by acting on the antioxidative defense system and on glutamatergic receptors, respectively.

Four new iridoid glycosides were isolated from a 90% MeOH extract of Scrophularia buergeriana roots and characterized as 8-O-E-p-methoxycinnamoylharpagide (1), 8-O-Z-p-methoxycinnamoylharpagide (2), 6'-O-E-p-methoxycinnamoylharpagide (3), and 6'-O-Z-p-methoxycinnamoylharpagide (4), respectively. In addition, three known iridoids were identified as E-harpagoside (5), Z-harpagoside (6), and harpagide (7). Compounds 1-7 significantly attenuated glutamate-induced neurotoxicity when added to primary cultures of rat cortical cells at concentrations ranging from 100 nM to 10 microM. The results obtained indicate that the iridoid glycosides isolated from S. buergeriana have significant protective effects against glutamate-induced neurodegeneration in primary cultures of rat cortical neurons.

Ten phenylethanoid glycosides, forsythoside B, acteoside, 2'-acetylacteoside, poliumoside, brandioside, echinacoside, isoacteoside, cistanoside H and E-tubuloside E as well as a new compound, Z-tubuloside E, were isolated from the n-BuOH fraction of Callicarpa dichotoma Raeuschel (Verbenaceae) by bioactivity-guided fractionation using glutamate-injured primary cultures of rat cortical cells as a screening system. These phenylethanoid glycosides significantly attenuated glutamate-induced neurotoxicity at concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 10 microM.

Objective Bupleuri Radix (BR) is a major component of several Oriental herbal medicines used to treat stress and mental illness. There are evidences that antidepressant drugs modulate oxidative damage implicated in the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric disorder, including depression. The aim of the present study was to investigate antioxidant and proliferative effects of BR against oxidative stress induced by serum deprivation in SH-SY5Y cells. Methods We examined the antioxidant effects of BR on a number of measures, including cell viability, formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and levels of both Bcl-2 and Bax. We also investigated the effects of BR on cell proliferation using the bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) assay, and used Western blot analysis to measure changes in expression of the cell cycle phase regulators. Results 1) Serum deprivation significantly induced the loss of cell viability, the formation of ROS, the reduction of SOD activity, down-regulation of Bcl-2 expression and up-regulation of Bax expression. However, BR extract reversed these effects in dose-dependent manner. 2) Serum deprivation significantly reduced cell proliferation. Western blot analysis revealed that serum deprivation significantly decreased cyclinD1 and phosphorylated retinoblastoma (pRb) expression, and increased p27 expression. On the other hand, BR dose dependently reversed these effects. Conclusion This study suggests that aqueous extract of BR may exert potent antioxidant effects and also play an important role in regulating cell cycle progression during neurogenesis. These effects of BR may be a potentially important mechanism of antidepressant underlying the observed antioxidant and proliferative effects.

A new pinusolide derivative, 15-methoxypinusolidic acid (1), and another new isopimarane diterpene, ent-isopimara-15-en-3 alpha,8 alpha-diol (2) with three known diterpenes, lambertianic acid (3), isopimara-8(9),15-dien-18-oic acid (4) and isopimara-7(8),15-dien-3 beta,18-diol (5) were isolated from the 90% MeOH fraction of Biota orientalis (L.) ENDL. (Cupressaceae) leaves. Chemical structures of 1-5 were elucidated by analyses of their spectral data, including the two-dimensional (2D) NMR technique. Compound 1 showed significant protective activity against glutamate-induced neurotoxicity in primary cultures of rat cortical cells.

A new pinusolide derivative, 15-methoxypinusolidic acid (1), and another new isopimarane diterpene, ent-isopimara-15-en-3α,8α-diol (2) with three known diterpenes, lambertianic acid (3), isopimara-8(9),15-dien-18-oic acid (4) and isopimara-7(8),15-dien-3β,18-diol (5) were isolated from the 90% MeOH fraction of Biota orientalis (L.) ENDL. (Cupressaceae) leaves. Chemical structures of 1—5 were elucidated by analyses of their spectral data, including the two-dimensional (2D) NMR technique. Compound 1 showed significant protective activity against glutamate-induced neurotoxicity in primary cultures of rat cortical cells.

Individuals with Down syndrome (DS) suffer from mental retardation. Overexpression and the resulting increased specific activity of Dyrk1A kinase located on chromosome 21 cause a learning and memory deficit in Dyrk1A transgenic mice. To search for therapeutic agents with Dyrk1A inhibition activity, previously we obtained HCD160 as a new hit compound for Dyrk1A inhibition. In the present study, we synthesized 34 HCD160 derivatives to investigate the quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR). This analysis could provide important information for novel drug discovery for treatment of DS related learning and memory deficits.

Three tyrosyl gallate derivatives (1-3) with variable hydroxyl substituent at the aromatic ring of tyrosol were synthesized and evaluated as potent inhibitors on tyrosinase activity and melanin formation in melan-a cells. Among three tyrosyl gallate derivatives, 4-hydroxyphenethyl 3,4,5-trihydroxybenote (1) (IC(50)=4.93 microM), 3-hydroxyphenethyl 3,4,5-trihydroxybenote (2) (IC(50)=15.21 microM), and 2-hydroxyphenethyl 3,4,5-trihydroxybenote (3) (IC(50)=14.50 microM) exhibited significant inhibitory effect on tyrosinase activity. Compound 1 was the most active compound, though it did not show the inhibitory effect on melanin formation in melan-a cells. However, compounds 2 (IC(50)=8.94 microM) and 3 (IC(50)=13.67 microM) significantly suppressed the cellular melanin formation without cytotoxicity. This study shows that the position of hydroxyl substituent at the aromatic ring of tyrosol plays an important role in the intracellular regulation of melanin formation in cell-based assay system.

15-Methoxypinusolidic acid (15-MPA), a pinusolide derivative isolated from Biota orientalis (Cupressaceae) leaves prevented glutamate-induced excitotoxicity in primary cultured rat cortical cells in vitro. 15-MPA had more selectivity in protecting neurons against N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-induced neurotoxicity than that induced by kainic acid (KA). The glutamate-induced increase of intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) in cortical cells was effectively reduced by 15-MPA. Moreover, 15-MPA could successfully reduce the subsequent overproduction of nitric oxide (NO) and the level of cellular peroxide, and inhibit glutathione (GSH) depletion and lipid peroxidation induced by glutamate in our cultures. Collectively, these results suggested that 15-MPA attenuated glutamate-induced excitotoxicity via stabilization of [Ca2+]i homeostasis and suppression of oxidative stress possibly through the actions on the NMDA receptors.

Thirty-six semi-synthesized derivatives of asiatic acid were examined to determine if they had cognitive-enhancing activity in a passive avoidance test. Among the compounds tested, AS-2, AS-2–9–006 and AS-9–006 significantly alleviated scopolamine-induced memory impairment at doses of 1 and 10 mg kg−1. Furthermore, AS-2 and AS-2–9–006 (1 mg kg−1 administered four times daily) enhanced cognitive performance as determined in a water maze test. These three asiatic acid derivatives did not show any significant effect on the learning process in active avoidance tests. AS-2, AS-2–9–006 and AS-9–006 enhanced cholineacetyltransferase activity in a cholinergic neuroblastoma cell line, S-20Y, in-vitro. Therefore, AS-2, AS-2–9–006 and AS-9–006 may have therapeutic value in alleviating certain memory impairment observed in dementia.