Aralia elata, Chaenomeles sinensis fruit, and Glycyrrhizae radix have been widely used as oriental medicinal plants in Korea, China and Japan and found to possess anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory activities. The current study was conducted to investigate the neuroprotective effect of an ethanol extract of a mixture of A. elata, C. sinensis fruit, and Glycyrrhizae radix (ACG) against ischemia-induced brain injury in rats and excitotoxic and oxidative neuronal death in primarily cultured rat cortical neurons. Transient focal cerebral ischemia was induced by 2 h middle cerebral artery occlusion followed by 24 h reperfusion (MCAO/R) in rats. Oral administration of ACG (10, 25, and 50 mg/kg) 30 min before MCAO, after 1 h of MCAO, and after 1 h of reperfusion reduced MCAO/R-induced brain infarct and edema formation. ACG also inhibited development of behavioral disabilities in MCAO/R-treated rats. Exposure of cultured cortical neurons to 500 μM glutamate for 12 h resulted in neuronal cell death. ACG (1, 10, and 50 μg/mL) inhibited glutamate-induced neuronal death. Furthermore, ACG inhibited 100 μM hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)- and hypoxia-induced neuronal death. These results suggest that the neuroprotective effect of ACG against ischemia-induced brain damage might be associated with its anti-excitotoxic and anti-oxidative activity and that ACG may have a therapeutic role for prevention of neurodegeneration in stroke.

The young shoots of Aralia elata, Chaenomeles sinensis fruit and Glycyrrhizae radix are edible and traditionally used as anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agents. The present study was performed to investigate the protective effect of an ethanol extract mixture of these three medicinal plants (ACG) against amyloid β protein (Aβ) (25– 35)-induced memory impairment in an ICR mouse model. Memory impairment was induced by intracerebroventricular microinjection of 15 nmol Aβ (25–35) and assessed using the passive avoidance test and the Morris water maze test. The step-through latency in the passive avoidance test was decreased and the latency to reach the hidden platform in the Morris water maze test was increased in mice treated with Aβ (25–35), indicating memory impairment. This memory impairment induced by Aβ (25–35) was significantly prevented by chronic treatment with ACG (10, 25, and 50 mg/kg, p.o., 8 days). In memory impaired mice brain, cholinesterase activity and concentration of thiobarbituric acid reactive substance, a lipid peroxidation marker, were increased and glutathione level was decreased. These biochemical changes in Aβ (25–35)-treated mice were reversed by chronic administration of ACG. The present results suggest that antioxidant and anti-cholinesterase activities of ACG might be responsible for the inhibition of Aβ (25– 35)-induced memory impairment and that ACG preparation may have a therapeutic role in preventing the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

The fruit of Chaenomeles sinensis (Thouin) Koehne (Chaenomelis Fructus) known as “Mo-Gua” in Korea has been commonly used in traditional medicine to treat inflammatory diseases, such as sore throat. However, its effect on bone metabolism has not been elucidated yet. Here, we examined the effect of Chaenomelis Fructus ethanol extract (CFE) on receptor activator of nuclear factor (NF)-κB ligand (RANKL)-mediated osteoclast differentiation and formation. CF-E considerably inhibited osteoclast differentiation and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-positive multinuclear cell formation from bone marrow-derived macrophages and osteoclast precursor cells in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, the formation of actin rings and resorption pits were significantly suppressed in CF-E-treated osteoclasts as compared with the findings in non-treated control cells. Consistent with these phenotypic inhibitory results, the expressions of osteoclast differentiation marker genes (Acp5, Atp6v0d2 , Oscar, CtsK, and Tm7sf4) and Nfatc1 , a pivotal transcription factor for osteoclastogenesis, were markedly decreased by CF-E treatment. The inhibitory effect of CF-E on RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis was associated with the suppression of NFATc1 expression, not by regulation of mitogen-activated protein kinases and NF-κB activation but by the inactivation of phospholipase C gamma 1 and 2. These results indicate that CF-E has an inhibitory effect on osteoclast differentiation and formation, and they suggest the possibility of CF-E as a traditional therapeutic agent against bone-resorptive diseases, such as osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and periodontitis.

The present study investigated an ethanol extract of Chaenomeles sinensis fruit (CSF) for possible neuroprotective effects on neurotoxicity induced by amyloid β protein (Aβ) (25-35) in cultured rat cortical neurons and also for antidementia activity in mice. Exposure of cultured cortical neurons to 10μM Aβ (25-35) for 36 h induced neuronal apoptotic death. At 0.1-10μg/ml, CSF inhibited neuronal death, elevation of intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i), and generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) induced by Aβ (25-35) in primary cultures of rat cortical neurons. Memory loss induced by intracerebroventricular injection of mice with 15 nmol Aβ (25-35) was inhibited by chronic treatment with CSF (10, 25 and 50 mg/kg, p.o. for 7 days) as measured by a passive avoidance test. CSF (50 mg/kg) inhibited the increase of cholinesterase activity in Aβ (25-35)-injected mice brain. From these results, we suggest that the antidementia effect of CSF is due to its neuroprotective effect against Aβ (25-35)-induced neurotoxicity and that CSF may have a therapeutic role for preventing the progression of Alzheimer's disease.

본 연구는 환경친화적인 중금속 정화방법인 식물복원법(phytoremediation)의 적합성 규명을 위해 경관적 가치를 제공할 수 있는 조경수인 개나리(Forsythia koreana Nakai), 명자나무(Chaenomeles speciosa Koidz) 와 쥐똥나무(Ligustrum obtusifolium )Sieb. et Zucc.의 Cd처리에 따른 생육량과 생리적 특성을 조사하였고, 식물체내의 중금속 축적량을 확인하여 중금속 오염지에 대한 식물복원 개량대책을 위한 가능성을 알아보고자 실시하였다. 생장반응에 있어 Cd의 영향은 생장량의 감소현상은 뚜렷하였으며, 쥐똥나무 경우 6월 7일경에 무처리구는 신초장 60.10cm를 보였으나, Cd 처리구는 11.50cm로 생육이 감소하였다. 한편 명자나무에서는 Cd 처리구에서 가장 생육이 극히 부진하여 Cd에 내성이 약한 것으로 나타났다. 또한 Cd 처리에 따른 생리적 특성에 있어 엽록소 함량은 개나리에 있어 Cd 처리구에서 3.36 mg/g으로 4.85 mg/g인 대조구에 비해 현저하게 감소하였고, 쥐똥나무에서도 4.17mg/g에서 2.57mg/g으로 현저한 감소하는 경향을 보였다. 또한 TSC 함량의 변화는 엽록소의 변화에 매우 유사한 경향을 보였다. Cd 처리에 따른 전 질소 함량의 변화는 쥐똥나무의 Cd 처리구에서 가장 낮은 6.82를 보였다. 한편 soluble protein 함량에 있어서는 모두 Cd 처리구에서는 대조구와 큰 차이가 없었다. 한편 Cd에 대한 조사대상 식물들의 축적정도는 개나리에 있어 10.36ppm인 지하부의 Cd 중금속의 축적량은 2.37ppm인 지상부에 비해 4.3배 정도 많았고, 명자나무는 지상부 1.06ppm에 비해 지하부가 7.17ppm로 6.7배이며, 쥐똥나무는 지상부 함량이 3.23ppm인 반면에, 지하부가 5.12 ppm으로 1.5배로 높게 나타냄을 알 수 있다. 식물체의 지하부 축적량을 비교하면 개나리>명자나무> 쥐똥나무 순으로 볼 수 있으나, 지상부에서는 쥐똥나무>개나리>명자나무 순으로 중금속의 축적량이 가장 많았다.

인삼, 목과 혼합추출액이 βA로 유도된 AD 병태 모델에 미치는 영향을 관찰한 결과, 다음과 같은 결론을 얻었다. 1. 인삼, 목과 혼합추출액은 AD 병변 뇌조직의 허혈(虛血) 상태를 유의성 있게 개선하였고 허혈(虛血)로 인한 뇌조직 손상을 억제하였다. 2. 인삼, 목과 혼합추출액은 AD 병변 뇌조직의 면역조직화학 염색법으로 Tau 단백질, GFAP 단백질, presenilin 1/presenilin 2 단백질의 발현 억제를 확인하였다. 이상의 결과로 미루어 보아 인삼, 목과 추출액은 AD의 예방과 치료에 사용될 수 있을 것으로 판단되며 정확한 기전에 대한 연구와 AD 치료에 있어서 인삼, 목과 혼합추출액의 임상적 활용에 대한 연구가 향후 지속적으로 이루어져야 할 것으로 사료된다.