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Cervi parvum cornu (CPC) is a well-known ethnopharmacological source, whereas Rangifer cornu (RC) is not considered to be a major source. CPC is distributed in sliced form. Addition of RC to CPC has become an issue in CPC distribution because the appearance of sliced RC is not different from sliced CPC. Therefore, a real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method was developed in this study to detect contaminating RC in CPC. The C-VIC and R-FAM primer/probe sets were designed to specifically amplify CPC and RC DNA, respectively. The specificities and sensitivities of real-time PCR using two primer/probe sets and the applicability of the real-time PCR to powder mixtures, which involved mixtures of powdered CPC and powdered RC in diverse ratios, were evaluated. Real-time PCR using C-VIC and R-FAM primer/probe sets specifically and sensitively amplified both CPC and RC DNA. Furthermore, real-time RCR sensitively detected RC DNA in the powder mixtures of CPC and RC. These results indicate that this real-time PCR method using two primer/probe sets is sufficiently applicable for the detection of contaminant RC in CPC.

Although it has been known that pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) contains several steroid hormones, concrete experimental proofs about that have not been published until now. In order to identify and evaluate the contents of steroid hormones including estrone in pomegranate, we analyzed pomegranate seed, fruit juice and commercial preparations. We developed a reproducible and sensitive method for separation and identification of steroid hormones in pomegranate samples using both high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)–PDA and gas chromatography (GC)–MS. In case of HPLC, an isocratic elution method using 35% aqueous acetonitrile solution at 1.0 ml/min with photodiode-array (PDA) detection at 225 nm and 254 nm was found to optimally separate and identify the steroid hormones from the pomegranate samples with a run time of less than 30 min. The pomegranate samples were comparatively analyzed to the HPLC results by GC/FID or GC/MS detection on a HP-1 (30 m length, 0.32 mm I.D.) with helium as carrier gas under the oven temperature control as follows: start 220 °C for 5 min, raising 5 °C per min, final 280 °C for 10 min. The HPLC and GC methods were successfully applied to the identification of steroid hormones in pomegranate samples. Our results suggested that there were no steroid estrogens including estrone, estradiol and testosterone in pomegranate seed, fruit juice and preparations. Consequently, we assumed that the previously reported analysts of pomegranate were misunderstood their analytical results according to either the estrogen-like effects or similarity of peak retention time and Rf values in experiments.

The aim of publishing the Korean Pharmaceutical Codex is to update and set specification of essential drugs for humane health. In accordance with speedy development of new drugs and improvement of science and technology, the need of revision of drug specification through the ICH guidelines and discussions between regulatory agency and pharmaceutical industry for the quality assurance of safer and efficient drugs is getting higher. The first edition of Korean Pharmaceutical Codex was published in 1983. Now, the third revision of the Codex is prepared because of the revision of domestic and foreign Pharmacopeias, changes of drug control environment, improvement of science and technology and so on. The aim of 3th edition is to improve the quality of essential drugs through the setting of the required specifications and discussions between the regulatory agency and pharmaceutical industry.

In order to evaluate the improvement in the treatment of chronic arthritis, we investigated chondroitin sulfate depolymerization product (low molecular weight chondroitin sulfate, LMWCS) and intact chondroitin sulfate (CS) in vitro and in vivo. LMWCS was prepared by a chemical depolymerization process induced by hydrogen peroxide in the presence of copper salts. LMWCS (300 mg/kg) and CS (1200 mg/kg) were orally administered to DBA/1J mice once daily for 14 d prior to initial immunization with type II collagen. Their elastase activities and the production of cytokines in sera were examined on type II collagen-induced arthritis in DBA/1J mice. We also compared the paracellular transport of LMWCS and CS across Caco-2 cell monolayers and examined the inhibitory effects on elastase activities. LMWCS inhibited elastase activity slightly, but CS did not show inhibition. Hind paw edema was significantly decreased by LMWCS treatment. Levels of anti-type II collagen antibody and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in sera were also reduced by LMWCS treatment but not in case of CS, although no significant difference was observed between LMWCS and CS on interleukin-6 (IL-6) induction. The LMWCS preparation showed preventive effects on the type II collagen-induced arthritis in DBA/1J mice and better permeability through Caco-2 cells.

Korea has a great diversity in resources of medicinal plants. The traditional herbal medicines and their preparations have been widely used in Korea as well as in China and Japan for thousands of years. One of the characteristics of Korean herbal medicine preparations is that all the herbal medicines are incorporated into an extractor at the same time and extracted with boiling water during the decoction process. In this process, a variety of interactions between the active components of several herbal medicines may occur. This is the main reason why quality control of oriental herbal drug is more difficult than that of western herbal drug. In this paper, we would like to present an overview of the characteristics of regulation and quality control of herbal medicines in Korea.

Three new ( 1–3 ) and two known ( 4–5 ) triterpene glycosides were isolated from the leaves of Acanthopanax japonicus (Araliaceae) and elucidated structurally by mass, 1D, and 2D NMR spectroscopy. All the compounds possessed a nor -oleanene triterpene skeleton as the aglycone. The structures of 1–5 were established as 28- O -α- l - rhamno-pyranosyl-(1→4)-β- d -glucopyranosyl-(1→6)-β- d -glucopyranosyl ester of 3β-hydroxy- 30- nor -olean-12,20(29)-diene-23,28-dioic acid, designated as acanjaposide A, 3β- hydroxy-23-oxo-30- nor -olean-12,20(29)-diene-28-oic acid, named acanjaposide B, 3β,20α-dihydroxy-23-oxo-30- nor -olean-12-en-28-oic acid, named acanjaposide C, and nipponoside E, a known saponin, respectively.

The metabolic pathway of chiisanoside isolated from leaves of Acanthopanax divaricatus var. albeofructus (Araliaceae) by human intestinal bacteria and by the protein fraction of leaves of this plant were investigated, and the cytotoxic and anti-rotaviral activities of chiisanoside and its metabolite, chiisanogenin, were assayed. Chiisanogenin was produced as a main metabolite, when chiisanoside were incubated for 15 h with human intestinal bacteria. This metabolic pathway proceeded more potently with the protein fraction than with human intestinal bacteria. The in vitro cytotoxicity of chiisanogenin was superior to that of chiisanoside. H+/K+ ATPase was more potently inhibited by chiisanogenin than by chiisanoside. However, the anti-rotaviral activity of chiisanoside was more potent than that of chiisanogenin.

Four new 3,4-seco-lupane-type triterpene glycosides (1-4) were isolated from the leaves of Acanthopanax senticosus forma inermis. The structures of 1-4 were established as 11alpha-hydroxy-3, 4-seco-lup-4(23),20(30)-dien-3-oic acid methyl ester 28-oic acid 28-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1--4)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1--6)-be ta-D-glucopyranoside, designated as inermoside (1); 1-deoxychiisanoside (2); 24-hydroxychiisanoside (3); and 11-deoxyisochiisanoside (4) by (1)H-(1)H COSY and (1)H-(13)C COSY(HMBC, HMQC) methods and FABMS.

Sulfite was detected in 7 varieties of Oriental herbal medicines (Pueraria radix, Zingiberis rhizoma, Platycodon radix, Adenophora radix, Pinellia tuber, Astragalus radix, and Paeonia radix) on the Korean market. Sulfiting of commercial Oriental herbal medicines by fumigation with burning bituminous coal was simulated, and the accumulation of sulfite was investigated by using fresh Platycodon radix roots obtained from a growing field. The sulfite level reached a plateau in 9 h, and the maximum sulfite level found by the Monier-Williams (MW) method (AOAC 990.28) was 1020 ppm. The sulfite content in the simulated Platycodon radix sample determined by alkali extraction followed by ion-exclusion chromatography with electrochemical detection (AOAC 990.31) was approximately 17% lower on average than the MW results. Free-sulfite levels determined by acid extraction and ion-exclusion chromatography with electrochemical detection were between 19 and 49% of the MW results. The advantages of different methods for sulfite determination and the significance of the results are discussed.

This report contains the first characterization of acanthodiolglycoside which belongs to pentacyclic lupane triterpene glycoside.

Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy was applied to the nondestructive and rapid determination of ash content in Cornu Cervi Parvum, a dried horn of Cervus nippon or Cervus elaphus, which serves as a natural drug for general health care in Asian countries. Cervine horns are dried for use as a drug and are classified according to their age as either Cornu Cervi Parvum (new horn) or Cervi Cornu (old horn). Ash content is generally used to determine the quality of cervine horns. A traditional method to determine ash content is an ignition method that measures ash residue after incineration. However, more than 4 h is required for incineration and the destruction of organic compounds. NIR spectroscopy was studied as an alternative analytical method to decrease analysis time and increase laboratory efficiency. By use of partial least-squares regression, relevant information related to ash in the NIR region was successfully extracted. NIR prediction results showed good correlation with those from the ignition method. The overall results showed the feasibility of NIR spectroscopy for the determination of ash content in Cornu Cervi Parvum.

Two new lupane-triterpene glycosides named acankoreosides C and D, were isolated from the leaves of Acanthopanax koreanum. Based on spectroscopic data, the chemical structures were determined as 3-O-β- d -glucopyranosyl 3α,11α-dihydroxylup-20(29)-en-28-oic acid 28-O-α- l -rhamnopyranosyl-(1→4)-β- d -glucopyranosyl-(1→6)-β- d -glucopyranosyl ester and 3α,11α-dihydroxylup-23-al-20(29)-en-28-oic acid 28-O-α- l -rhamnopyranosyl-(1→4)-β- d -glucopyranosyl-(1→6)-β- d -glucopyranosyl ester, respectively.

A new lupane triterpene glycoside, acantrifoside A, was isolated from the leaves of Acanthopanax trifoliatus and A. koreanum . Based on spectroscopic data, the compound was identified as 3α,11α-dihydroxylup-20(29)-en-28-oic acid 28- O -α- l -rhamnopyranosyl-(1→4)-β- d -glucopyranosyl-(1→6)-β- d -glucopyranosyl ester.

Two new lupane-triterpene glycosides, acankoreoside A (I) and B (2), were isolated from the leaves of Acanthopanax koreanum NAKAI (Araliaceae). Based on spectroscopic data, the chemical structures of 1 and 2 were determined as 3α-hydroxy-lup-20(29)-en-23,28-dioic acid 28-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→4)-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→6)-β-D-glucopyranosyl ester and 3α,11α,23-trihydroxy-lup-20(29)-en-28-oic acid 28-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→4)-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→6)-β-D-glucopyranosyl ester, respectively.

Two androstane alkaloids were isolated from the musk of Moschus moschiferus. The structures were elucidated to be 3alpha-ureido-androst-4-en-17-one (1) and 3alpha-ureido-androst-4-en-17beta-ol (2) by two-dimensional NMR analysis (HMQC, 1H-1H COSY, HMBC, and NOESY).

Two 3,4-seco-lupane triterpenoids (1, 2) were isolated from the leaves of Acanthopanax divaricatus var. albeofructus (Araliaceae). Based on the spectroscopic data, the chemical structures of 1 and 2 were characterized as 24-hydroxychiisanogenin and 22alpha-hydroxychiisanogenin, respectively. 1 was a new compound and 2 was isolated for the first time from the natural source, although it had been obtained as an enzymatically hydrolyzed artifact from 22alpha-hydroxychiisanoside.

Two new lupane-triterpene glycosides, acankoreoside A (I) and B (2), were isolated from the leaves of Acanthopanax koreanum NAKAI (Araliaceae). Based on spectroscopic data, the chemical structures of 1 and 2 were determined as 3α-hydroxy-lup-20(29)-en-23,28-dioic acid 28-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→4)-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→6)-β-D-glucopyranosyl ester and 3α,11α,23-trihydroxy-lup-20(29)-en-28-oic acid 28-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→4)-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→6)-β-D-glucopyranosyl ester, respectively.

The purpose of this study was to develop molecular identification method for medical mushrooms and their preparations based on the nucleotide sequences of nuclear large subunit (LSU) rDNA. Four specimens were collected of each of the three representative medicinal mushrooms used in Korea: Ganoderma lucidum, Coriolus versicolor, and Fomes fomentarius. Fungal material used in these experiments included two different mycelial cultures and two different fruiting bodies from wild or cultivated mushrooms. The genomic DNA of mushrooms were extracted and 3 nuclear LSU rDNA fragments were amplified: set 1 for the 1.1-kb DNA fragment in the upstream region, set 2 for the 1.2-kb fragment in the middle, and set 3 for the 1.3-kb fragment downstream. The amplified gene products of nuclear large subunit rDNA from 3 different mushrooms were cloned into E. coli vector and subjected to nucleotide sequence determination. The sequence thus determined revealed that the gene sequences of the same medicinal mushroom species were more than 99.48% homologous, and the consensus sequences of 3 different medicinal mushrooms were more than 97.80% homologous. Restriction analysis revealed no useful restriction sites for 6-bp recognition enzymes for distinguishing the 3 sequences from one another, but some distinctive restriction patterns were recognized by the 4-bp recognition enzymes AccII and HhaI. This analysis was also confirmed by PCR-RFLP experiments on medicinal mushrooms.

We performed the quantitative analysis of chondroitin sulfate (CS) obtained from raw materials and various pharmaceutical preparations. To quantify CS content in raw materials and in an ophthalmic solution, each test sample and the authentic CS were first digested by chondroitinase ABC. The CS disaccharides produced were analyzed by strong anion-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography (SAX-HPLC) and CS content was quantified by calculating the total peak areas of the disaccharides derived from a CS calibration curve. In the case of soft capsules, CS was first extracted with hexane followed by phenol-chloroform to remove oil and protein ingredients. The extracted CS samples were depolymerized by chondroitinase ABC and CS content was determined. Quantitative analysis of the disaccharides derived from raw materials and an ophthalmic solution showed the CS contents (%) were 39.5+/-0.1 to 105.6+/-0.1 and 103.3+/-1.2, respectively. In case of CS analysis in soft capsules and liquid preparations, the overall recovery (%) of the spiked CS was 96.79+/-0.53-103.54+/-1.78 and 97.10+/-1.82 to 103.17+/-2.34, respectively. In conclusion, the quantitative analysis of the disaccharides produced by enzymatic digestion can be used in the direct quantitation of CS containing pharmaceutical formulations.

A size-exclusion HPLC method for the determination of sodium chondroitin sulfate (SCS) in pharmaceutical preparations has been developed and validated. The most important feature of this method compared with the previously reported assay methods was improved economical and determinative applications through direct analysis of SCS from pharmaceuticals. The linearity, precision, specificity, and accuracy of the method were established and validated. The intra- and inter-day precision was satisfactory with relative standard deviation lower than 1.0%. The recovery of SCS from multi-components pharmaceutical preparations were from 93.38 to 100.46%. Comparing our HPLC assay results with classical spectrophotometric methods, the developed method was considerably easy, simple and reproducible. As a result, the present method was supposed to be successfully applied to the assay of SCS for the routine quality control in pharmaceutical preparations.

A new and two known lupane-triterpene glycosides were isolated from the hot MeOH fraction of the leaves of Acanthopanax gracilistylus W. W. Smith. Based on the physical properties and spectroscopic data, their chemical structures were determined as acankoreoside A (1), acankoreoside D (2), and 3alpha-hydroxy-lup-23-al-20(29)-en-28-oic acid 28-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->4)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->6)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl ester (3), respectively. To our best knowledge, compound 3 appears to be novel, which was named as wujiapioside A.

A novel lupane-triterpene glycoside, called wujiapioside B (1), was isolated from the leaves of Acanthopanax gracilistylus (Araliaceae) together with three known lupane-triterpene glycosides, acankoreoside C (2), acantrifoside A (3) and 3-epibetulinic acid 28-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1--4)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1--6)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl ester (4). Based on spectroscopic data, the chemical structure of 1 was determined as 3alpha,23-dihydroxy-lup-20(29)-en-28-oic acid 28-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1--4)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1--6)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl ester. Compounds 2-3 were obtained for the first time from this plant and compound 4 has not been isolated from Acanthopanax genus yet.

We report the development of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the quantitative analysis of a unique musk protein (MP-1) in musk samples. Musk defatted with ethyl acetate/methanol (9:1, v/v) was dipped in cold water and ammonium sulfate was added to the supernatant up to 85% saturation. The resulting precipitate was applied to a Bio-Gel P-100 chromatography. The fraction eluted at the void region was collected and it was consecutively purified by affinity chromatography on a DEAE Affi-Gel Blue and on anion-exchange columns containing DEAE-Sepharose CL-6B. This protein was determined to be homogeneous by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) under denaturing conditions with an apparent molecular weight of 35000 Da and was called as musk protein-1 (MP-1). Polyclonal antibodies of MP-1 were produced by injecting it into a rabbit. These antibodies were reactive to the aqueous extract of musk and the pure antigen. The ELISA could be applied to detect nano gram quantities of the antigen in musk samples. This method made it possible to distinguish musk samples from different origins.

Two 3,4-seco-lupane triterpenoids (1, 2) were isolated from the leaves of Acanthopanax divaricatus var. albeofructus (Araliaceae). Based on the spectroscopic data, the chemical structures of 1 and 2 were characterized as 24-hydroxychiisanogenin and 22alpha-hydroxychiisanogenin, respectively. 1 was a new compound and 2 was isolated for the first time from the natural source, although it had been obtained as an enzymatically hydrolyzed artifact from 22alpha-hydroxychiisanoside.

Two androstane alkaloids were isolated from the musk of Moschus moschiferus. The structures were elucidated to be 3alpha-ureido-androst-4-en-17-one (1) and 3alpha-ureido-androst-4-en-17beta-ol (2) by two-dimensional NMR analysis (HMQC, 1H-1H COSY, HMBC, and NOESY).