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

PURPOSE: The protective effect of Allium vegetables against carcinogenesis has been reported in experimental studies particularly focusing on the gut. Therefore, we conducted a hospital-based matched case-control study to explore the association between dietary Allium consumption and risk of breast cancer among Iranian women in northwest Iran. METHODS: A validated, quantitative, food frequency questionnaire was completed in 285 women (aged 25–65 years old) newly diagnosed with histopathologically confirmed breast cancer (grade II, III or clinical stage II, III) in Tabriz, northwest Iran, and the completed questionnaires were included in an age- and regional-matched hospital based-control study. The odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were estimated using conditional logistic regression models. RESULTS: Multivariate analysis showed that there was a negative association between the consumption of raw onion and risk of breast cancer after adjustment for covariates (OR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.40–1.00); however, this association was insignificant. On the other hand, there was a positive association between consumption of cooked onion and risk of breast cancer, after adjustment for covariates (OR, 1.54; 95% CI, 1.02–2.32). However, reduced risk of breast cancer was associated with higher consumption of garlic and leek with adjusted ORs of 0.41 (95% CI, 0.20–0.83) and 0.28 (95% CI, 0.15–0.51), respectively. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that high consumption of certain Allium vegetables, in particular garlic and leek, may reduce the risk of breast cancer, while high consumption of cooked onion may be associated with an increased risk of breast cancer.
Allium* ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Carcinogenesis ; Case-Control Studies* ; Female ; Garlic ; Hand ; Humans ; Iran ; Logistic Models ; Multivariate Analysis ; Odds Ratio ; Onions ; Prebiotics ; Vegetables*

The effects of Allium vegetables on blood glucose levels and lipid metabolism in streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic rats were investigated. Diabetes mellitus was induced by STZ injection (45 mg/kg b.w.) into the tail vein. Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 220+/-10 g were randomly assigned to 7 groups: normal, STZ-control and five Allium groups (Allium cepa, Allium fistulosum, Allium sativum, Allium tuberosum and Allium victorialis) . Normal and STZ-control groups were fed an AIN-93 diet and five Allium groups were fed a modified diet containing 10% Allium powder each for 4 weeks. Body weight, diet intake, food efficiency ratio (FER) and organ weights were monitored. Activities of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were observed. Plasma levels of glucose, free fatty acid, triglyceride and HDL-cholesterol were analyzed. Levels of glycogen, cholesterol and triglyceride in liver were determined. Levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) in liver, lung, kidney, and pancreas were assayed. The hepatic contents of chromium (Cr) , iron (Fe) , zinc (Zn) and manganese (Mn) were measured. The Allium sativum group had weight gain and suppressed a hypertrophy of the kidney significantly. The activity of ALT was significantly lowered in the diabetic groups except Allium sativum group compared to STZ-control group. The Allium sativum and Allium tuberosum groups showed the hypoglycemic effects at 4 weeks. There were no significant differences between the control and all the other diabetic groups in the plasma levels of cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides and free fatty acids. Most of the Allium groups except Allium fistulosum were observed significantly lowered level of MDA in the lung compared to STZ-control group. The diabetic rats fed the Allium cepa and Allium sativum have shown significantly lowered hepatic Zn contents. The results suggested that the intake of the Allium vegetables may be effective in the antihyperglycemia by lowering blood glucose levels.
Alanine Transaminase ; Allium* ; Animals ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; Blood Glucose* ; Body Weight ; Chive ; Cholesterol ; Chromium ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diet ; Eating ; Fatty Acids, Nonesterified ; Garlic ; Glucose ; Glycogen ; Hypertrophy ; Hypoglycemic Agents ; Iron ; Kidney ; Lipid Metabolism ; Liver ; Lung ; Malondialdehyde ; Manganese ; Minerals* ; Onions ; Organ Size ; Pancreas ; Plasma* ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Streptozocin* ; Triglycerides ; Vegetables* ; Veins ; Weight Gain ; Zinc

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 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

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

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

PURPOSE: Garlic (Garlic: Allium sativum), throughout history, has long been used as a method to cure various diseases in different cultures. Although the intake or local application of garlic in order to treat skin disease and antibacterial effects is gradually increasing, its possible side effects cannot be neglected. As a chemical burn case due to local application of garlic has never been reported in Korea up to now, the following paper will present a case in which who suffered a partial layer second degree burn due to the local application of garlic. METHODS: A 53 year-old female patient was experiencing a partial layer second degree burn. The vesicobullous lesion was accompanied by erythema with a size of 20x7 cm and severe pain. Two days earlier, the patient spread ground garlics on her left arm and had wrapped it in order to remove the black spots. Unfortunately, due to her carelessness, the garlic had stayed there for 12 hours. She was treated with potadine soaked gauze every day. As soon as the erythema had worn out, she was treated by wet dressing using Hydrocolloid (Comfeel plus transplant dressing(R), Coloplast A/S and Denmark). RESULTS: Epithelialization of the injured area began from the 5th day since the burn. Complete epithelialization took seven days, and the outpatient's progress is currently being observed. CONCLUSION: Local application of garlic as a folk remedy is widely known, and the side effect such as contagious skin disease is also known to some extent. Patients today tend to rely more on organic remedies, let alone garlic. Moreover, they seek traditional methods or alternative medicine rather than conventional treatment. Thus, it is crucial to acknowledge the side effects of such folk remedies and to be aware whether they have been preceded.
Allium ; Arm ; Bandages ; Burns ; Burns, Chemical ; Colloids ; Complementary Therapies ; Erythema ; Female ; Garlic ; Humans ; Korea ; Linear Energy Transfer ; Medicine, Traditional ; Skin Diseases ; Transplants

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