No abstract

To determine whether aqueous and ethanol fractions of the Angelica keiskei leaf exert toxicity when used for cosmetic purposes, we performed the acute eye irritancy test. Animals were treated with sample fractions (100 mg/dose) according to standard procedure guidelines. No significant changes or damage was detected in the fraction-treated groups in terms of ocular lesions in the cornea, the size of the cornea with turbidity, swelling of the eyelid and emission discharge. However, sodium dioctyl sulfosuccinate, a positive control, induced severe toxic symptoms. Thus, aqueous and ethanol fractions of Angelica keiskei do not appear to induce acute toxicity in the eye lens, as assessed from anatomical and pathological observations in the rabbit eye. Our results collectively suggest that aqueous and ethanol fractions show promise as cosmetic ingredients that do not cause eye toxicity.

In order to evaluate whether the aqueous fraction of Cinnamomum cassia produced by solid-state fermentation with Phellinus baumii (afCc/Pb) inhibits atopic symptoms in vivo, its efficacy was evaluated in an animal model of 2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB)-induced atopic dermatitis. Immune-related cells were quantified using hematoxylin and eosin staining, and phenotypic cytokines, enzymes and the expression of other proteins in the animal model were evaluated. The data revealed that afCc/Pb (100 µg/ml) exhibited strong anti-atopic activity, causing a significant 40% reduction in immune response, as shown by the extent of ear swelling, resulting from a decrease in the number of eosinophils in the skin tissues due to decreased matrix metalloproteinase-2 and interleukin-31 expression. These results collectively suggest that afCc/Pb has the potential to alleviate the symptoms of atopic dermatitis in a mouse model of DNFB-induced atopic dermatitis, and that it may be a valuable bioresource for the cosmetic/cosmeceutical industry.

-The object of this study was to evaluate the single oral dose toxicity of Low Molecular Weight Fucoidan (LMF) in male and female rats. LMF was administered to female and male SD rats as an oral dose of 2,000, 1,000 and 500 mg/kg (body wt.). Animals were monitored for the mortality and changes in body weight, clinical signs and gross observation organ weight and histopathology of 14 principle organs were examined upon necropsy. As the results, no LMF treatment related mortalities, clinical signs, changes on the body and organ weights, gross and histopathological observations against 14 principle organs were detected up to 2,000 mg/kg in both female and male rats except for some sporadic findings not LMF treatment related toxicological signs. Therefore, LD50 (50% lethal dose) and approximate LD of LMF after single oral treatment in female and male rats were considered over 2,000 mg/kg -the limited dosages recommended by KFDA Guidelines 2005], respectively.

There are seven known genetic variants of bovine beta-casein (beta-CN)--A1, A2, A3, B, C, D and E. In this study, we identified a new genetic variant (named beta-CN H) which migrates slower than the other variants in acidic starch gel electrophoresis. We confirmed through protein and DNA sequence analyses that the H variant differs at five residues from the A2 sequence: Arg25/Cys, Leu88/Ile, Gln117/Glu, Glu175/Gln and Gln195/Glu. Of these substitutions the 25th residue was contained in the casein phosphopeptide (CPP) region. In rats, calcium solubilizing effect of the CPP of bovine variant H was increased by approximately 23% compared with that of the CPP of non-H. Using extensive Korean Bos taurus pedigrees, we confirmed that beta-CN H was controlled by a codominant allele.