S-allylcysteine sulfoxide (alliin), a colouless and odorless solid, existed in intact garlic (Allium sativum L.) cloves. Alliin itself possessed no antibacterial activity, but it quickly converts into allicin, an antibacterial component by the enzyme alliinase, which naturally occurs in garlic. This paper reported an isolation method for alliin from garlic that was in pilot scale
Cysteine ; Allium

A phytochemical investigation of Allium macrostemon Bunge (Liliaceae) afforded the new pregnane steroidal glycoside, named allimacroside F (1), along with three known glycosides, benzyl-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→6)-β-D-glucopyranoside (2), phenylethyl-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→6)-β-D-glucopyranoside (3), (Z)-3-hexenyl-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→6)-β-D-glucopyranoside (4). The identification and structural elucidation of a new compound (1) was carried out based on spectral data analyses (¹H-NMR, ¹³C-NMR, ¹H-¹H COSY, HSQC, HMBC, and NOESY) and HR-FAB-MS.
Allium ; Glycosides ; Liliaceae ; Statistics as Topic

Inflorescence of Allium thunbergii was found to be severely infected with Fusarium sp. The flower was covered with the fungus and eventually failed to form seeds. The causal fungus was identified as F. proliferatum (Matsushima) Nirenberg based on the cultural and morphological characteristics. Pathogenicity of the fungus was proved by artificial inoculation onto the healthy plants. This is the first record of this disease from Korea.
Allium* ; Flowers* ; Fungi ; Fusarium* ; Inflorescence ; Korea ; Virulence

Four arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) inocula collected from three arable sites in Korea were used to determine plant growth, mycorrhizal root colonization rate and spore production in three different host plant species; Sorghum bicolor, Allium fistulosum, Tagetes patula. Growth of plant treated with AMF differed from those without AMF. Different AMF inocula showed significantly different root colonization rates and spore production of AMF on the wild plants, A. fistulosum and T. patula, but did not on the cultivated plant, S. bicolor. Results suggested that indigenous mycorrhizal fungal community would be important factors in mycorrhizal symbiosis, and play important roles in the plant succession.
Allium ; Colon* ; Korea ; Mycorrhizae* ; Plants* ; Soil* ; Sorghum ; Spores ; Symbiosis ; Tagetes

Veratrum alkaloids in Veratrum maackii may cause significant gastrointestinal symptoms, bradycardia, hypotension, and arrythmia. We experienced successful outcomes in two patients who were victims of poisoning due to ingestion of Veratrum maackii, which was mistaken for Allium victorialis var. platyphyllum. One patient developed hypotension and prolongation of QT interval in electronicardiogram (ECG) and was treated with administration of vasopressor and magnesium. The other patient developed bradycardia and was treated with administration of atropine. Both patients were kept under close observation, and received supportive care, and both patients were discharged without any symptoms or complications.
Allium ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Atropine ; Bradycardia ; Eating ; Humans ; Hypotension ; Magnesium ; Veratrum ; Veratrum Alkaloids

PURPOSE: Allium sativum (AS) has been known to have widespread benefits in reducing some human cancer risk by immune stimualtion and anticarcinogenic activity. In the present study, we evaluated the preventive and antitumor properties of AS as an effective anticancer modifier for human prostate cancer in vivo. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Subcutaneous prostate cancers were established in athymic nude mice with 5x10(5) PC-3 human androgen-indenpendent prostate cancer cells. AS was injected at the site of tumor transplantation on day 1 and one week intervals up to 5 weeks (Experiment I), and into the established tumors sized by 50-60mm(3) weekly for 5 weeks (Experiment II). Therapeutic responses and efficacies of AS for prostate cancers in vivo were determined in separate controlled experiments, and definite histopathological studies were also performed. RESULTS: In vivo studies indicated statistically significant reduction in the incidence of tumor formation with programmed and continuous AS intralesional treatment. For established prostate cancer, AS treatment also demonstrated an inhibitory effect of tumor growth compared with control. Histomorphological and immunohistochemical studies demonstrated marked apoptosis after 5 weeks-AS continuous treatment in Experiment II. CONCLUSIONS: AS had a definite antitumor activity to inhibit tumorigenesis and may modulate tumor growth of prostate cancer in vivo. It is non-toxic, readily avaliable and inexpensive. AS, in the future, may be developed as a novel and effective treatment in chemoprevention for human prostate cancer.
Allium* ; Animals ; Apoptosis ; Carcinogenesis ; Chemoprevention ; Garlic ; Growth and Development* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Mice ; Mice, Nude ; Prostate* ; Prostatic Neoplasms*

A commonly used Chinese crude drug Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus has been shown to possess good anticancer activities and related properties such as antioxidation, nitrite scavenging, nitrosamine synthesis blocking and immune enhancement, and has been widely used as an effective auxiliary drug in the treatment of some malignant tumors. This paper systematically reviews the advances in the study of anticancer-related activities of Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus's various components such as raw juice, extracts, saponins, volatile oil, polysaccharides, nitrogen compounds, etc.
Allium ; chemistry ; Animals ; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; pharmacology ; Antioxidants ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Oils, Volatile ; pharmacology ; Plant Extracts ; pharmacology

In this study, we characterized sporadically occurring sclerotium rot caused by Sclerotium rolfsii in Chinese chive (Allium tuberosum Roth.) in farm fields in Sacheon, Korea. The initial symptom of the disease was water-soaked, which progressed to rotting, wilting, blighting, and eventually death. Further, mycelial mats spread over the lesions near the soil line, and sclerotia formed on the scaly stem and leaves. The sclerotia were globoid, 1~3 mm, and white to brown. The optimum temperature for growth and sclerotia formation on potato dextrose agar (PDA) was 30degrees C. The diameter of the hypae ranged from 4 to 8 microm. Clamp connection was observed on PDA medium after 5 days of incubation. Based on the mycological characteristics, internal transcribed spacer sequence analysis, and pathogenicity test, the causal agent was identified as Sclerotium rolfsii Saccardo. This is the first report of sclerotium rot in Chinese chive caused by S. rolfsii in Korea.
Agar ; Allium ; Allyl Compounds ; Chive ; Glucose ; Humans ; Korea ; Sequence Analysis ; Soil ; Solanum tuberosum ; Sulfides

Alternaria from different Allium plants was characterized by multilocus sequence analysis. Based on sequences of the beta-tubulin (BT2b), the Alternaria allergen a1 (Alt a1), and the RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (RPB2) genes and phylogenetic data analysis, isolates were divided into two groups. The two groups were identical to representative isolates of A. porri (EGS48-147) and A. vanuatuensis (EGS45-018). The conidial characteristics and pathogenicity of A. vanuatuensis also well supported the molecular characteristics. This is the first record of A. vanuatuensis E. G. Simmons & C. F. Hill from Korea and China.
Allium* ; Alternaria* ; China* ; Korea ; Multilocus Sequence Typing ; Phylogeny ; RNA Polymerase II ; Statistics as Topic ; Tubulin ; Virulence*

Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus (Xiebai in Chinese), as a famous traditional Chinese medicine, has great medicinal and dietary values since ancient times. In China, the dry bulbs of Allium macrostemon and Allium chinense are both used as its original plants. Pharmacological studies have revealed that both of them could increase plasminogen activator activity and prolong the effect of coagulation to achieve antiplatelet aggregation which validates their traditional uses for the treatment of thoracic obstruction and cardialgia in clinics. Besides, several other significant activities, including lipid-lowering, anti-atherosclerosis, antitumor, antispasmodic, antibacterial, antioxidant, and insecticidal activities, have already been reported. The volatile oils, nitrogenous compounds, and steroidal saponins are the major beneficial compounds. Among them, steroidal saponins are considered as the characteristic constituents. In this review, the current information concerning the phytochemistry and pharmacology of Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus is summarized comprehensively. In addition, several research future perspectives are presented, especially the mechanism of bioactive components and fraction from the bulbs of Allium macrostemon and Allium chinense.
Allium ; chemistry ; Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Plant Roots ; chemistry ; Structure-Activity Relationship