Background : Mahonia nepalensis DC. has been used as folk medicine in Vietnam. However, its biological activities have not yet fully understood. In the present study, crude extract from Mahonia nepalensis DC. was fractionated with n-hexane, ethyl acetate and butanol (saturated of water). The extract and fractions of M. nepalensis DC., produced after a process of evaporating, were tested for anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory activities.
Methods and Results : Total phenolic, total flavonoid contents of M. nepalensis DC. were analyzed while gallic acid and quercetin were used as standard, respectively. The antioxidant free radical scavenging activities of its stem crude extract and fractions were also evaluated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay and reducing power assay. Results revealed that ethyl acetate (EtOAc) fraction showed the highest total phenolic content, as well as DPPH radical scavenging and reducing power. Briefly, the highest level of total phenolic content (122.94 ± 4.93 ㎎·GAE/g) and reducing power (absorbance of 0.815 at 1 ㎎/㎖) was indicated in EtOAc fraction. It also possessed activity in DPPH radical scavenging (IC50 = 48.93 ± 0.59 ㎍/㎖), which was better than butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) (IC50 = 125.25 ± 0.8 ㎍/㎖) and other fractions. In an anti-inflammatory response, the potential inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) - stimulated RAW264.7 cells were found in EtOAc and BuOH fractions. The NO production was below 20% at a dose manner of 100 ㎍/ ㎖. Results showed higher potential anti-inflammatory effect of M. nepalensis DC. than some plants. Hence, it could be developed as a useful agent for treating of inflammatory diseases.
Conclusion : These results demonstrated the highly potential effect on anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory activities of M. nepalensis DC. Therefore, further studies are necessary in order to explore the variety of M. nepalensis stem to be applied as a valuable natural material.