Plantago asiatica L. (P. asiatica) has been used as one of the popular folk medicines in Asia for human health care practices. Various activities of P. asiatica have been reported, such as anti-oxidant, anti-glycation,anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective activity. Therefore, the potential of P. asiatica to reduce oxidative stress has been studied in several ways for over 20 years, especially at liver and kidney. However no investigation has been reported revealing its protective effect on prostate. Method : Treatment of P. asiatica leaf ethanolic extract (PLE) (1 g/kg body weight (b.w.), 2 g/kg b.w., or 4 g/kg b.w.) were given separately to animals for pretreatment once per day for 7days, and on the seventh day ferric nitrilotriacetate (Fe-NTA; 0.24 mmol Fe/kg b.w.), which is known as an oxidative stress-inducer at prostate, was administrated by i.p to negative control group. At the end of the study period, dissection was carried out for detecting the prostate protective effect of PLE. Result : Fe-NTA-treated animals produced reactive oxygen species (ROS) resulting in depletion of antioxidant biomaker, such as glutathione (GSH), glutathione reductase (GR), and glutathione s-transferase (GST) and increase of lipid peroxidation in prostate. However, PLE pretreatment resulted in an increase in the GSH, GST and GR levels concentration dependent manner and in an significant decrease in the levels of lipid peroxidation. Conclusion : Our data suggest that PLE may be effective in protecting oxidative stress-induced damage of prostate, and PLE may be an chemopreventive agent against Fe-NTA-mediated prostate oxidative damage.

최종당화산물은 환원당과 단백질, 지질 또는 핵산 사이의 당화반응에 의해서 생성되는 물질로 이 물질은 피부 노화 과정에 밀접하게 연관되어 있다고 보고되어 있다. 본 연구에서는 항산화 활성, 최종당화산물 생성 저해, 콜라겐과 최종당화산물의 교차결합 저해 및 억제, 엘라스타제 활성 저해 효능 시험을 통해서 비자나무 유박 추출물의 항노화 효과를 평가하였다. 시험 결과, 비자나무 유박 추출물은 폴리페놀과 플라보노이드를 함유하고 있으며, DPPH와 ABTS 자유라디칼을 50% 소거할 수 있는 농도는 각각 16.4 μg (Dried materials, DM)/mL과 16.7 μg DM/mL 로 관찰되었다. 또한, 비자나무 유박 추출물은 농도 의존적으로 최종당화산물 생성과 엘라스타제 활성을 저해하였고, 콜라겐과 최종당화산물의 교차결합을 저해 및 억제하 였다. 따라서 본 연구 결과를 바탕으로 비자나무 유박 추출물은 항노화 효능이 있는 화장품 소재로서 활용 가치가 있음을 확인하였다.