국내에서 한약 재료로 생산, 유통, 사용되고 있는 맥문동(L. platyphylla) 잎과 뿌리 추출물의 생리활성 물질 탐색을 위한 연구로 폴리페놀과 플라보노이드 화합물 함량, 전자공여능 및 xanthine oxidase 저해활성 등 생리활성 효과를 측정하였다. 물과 메탄올을 용매로 추출한 맥문동 잎과 뿌리 추출물에 대한 수율을 측정한 결과 뿌리 물 추출물이 53.96%로 가장 높은 수율을 나타내었으며, 잎의 물 추출물은 27.5%으로 나타났다.

We compared physiological activities in reflux extracts from Liriope platyphylla leaves and roots. The water extract of roots had the highest solid extraction yield of 53.96%. The greatest level of total polyphenols was 186.88 mg/g in methanol extracts from leaves, whereas water extract from leaves showed the highest concentration of flavonoid compounds, at 159.29 mg/g. The leaf extract had 97.42% of the electron-donating ability (EDA) of the positive control, at 0.5 mg/mL. The superoxide dismutase (SOD)-like activity of water extract of leaves was 9.75% of the positive control value, at 1.0 mg/mL. The nitrite scavenging ability of methanolic extract from leaves was highest, at 40.56% of the positive control level at pH 1.2 and a concentration of 1.0 mg/mL, whereas root extracts were ineffective in this regard. Inhibition of xanthine oxidase by leaf extracts was more than 99% of the positive control value at 1.0 mg/mL, whereas water and methanolic root extracts had activities of 93.75% and 68.47%, respectively. When tyrosinase inhibition was examined, the water extract of leaves had 22.80% of positive control activity but methanolic extracts were inactive. These results indicate that leaves of L. platyphylla will be more useful for development of functional products than the roots, which are used to make medicinal preparations.

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