Cladosiphon okamuranus is edible brown algae cultured commercially and massively at Okinawa coast. Dietary fiber occupying most of C. okamuranus isn't digested and absorbed by digestive enzymes of human. But it is known to prevent and treat constipation as metabolic disease. This study was to investigate the effects of dietary fiber extracted from C. okamuranus on the damage of liver and the blood cholesterol level in the high fat dietfed rats. The effects were measured by the levels of aspartate aminotransferase (ALT), alanine aminotransferase (AST), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low density lipoprotein (LDL) and high density lipoprotein (HDL) in sera. The levels of ALT, AST, TC, TG and LDL were significantly reduced in the C. okamuranus-treated group compared with the high fat diet group. But HDL level was markedly increased. The results showed that the dietary fiber extracts from C. okamuranus have the inhibitive effects of cholesterol biosynthesis in the high fat diet-fed rats.

본 연구는 발효된 대두, 미강, 홍삼 3종을 배합을 하여 시너지 효과를 확인함으로써 개별 시료보다 더욱 더 좋은 혼합물을 만들기 위해서 시행되었다. 3가지 혼합비율 262, 622, 442를 비교하였을 때 442 비율이 항산화활성과 항노화활성이 뛰어난 것으로 나타났다. 또한 442 혼합비율은 개별 재료의 효과와 비교하였을 때 개별 홍삼보다 높은 시너지 효과를 보여 주었다. 그러므로 홍삼을 원료로 하여 화장품을 제조할 때는 홍삼을 단독으로 사용하는 것보다 미강과 대두와 혼합된 442 혼합비율 재료가 항산화활성과 주름개선에 더 높은 활성을 가지는 기능성 화장품의 중요 원료로 선호될 수 있다. 앞으로 이 물질에서 주요한 유효 성분을 분리, 정제하여 항산화 검증과 항노화 검증의 필요성이 있다고 사료된다.

Paeoniae Radix Rubra is a preparation consisting of desiccated roots of Paeonia lactiflora PALL (belonging to Ranunculaceae). Paeoniae Radix Rubra is used as a medicinal herb in Asian countries to treat many diseases. Ethanol- or water-based extracts of Paeoniae Radix Rubra were prepared and tested on RAW 264.7 cells, a murine macrophage cell line. The expression of some pro-inflammatory proteins, including inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and phosphorylated ERK1/2 was detected by Western blot analyses, while PGE2 expression was quantified by ELISA. Both the water and ethanol extracts of Paeoniae Radix Rubra suppressed LPS-induced nitric oxide (NO) production and exhibited cell toxicity in accordance with increased NO production. Also, both extracts reduced the expression of COX-2 and iNOS, and inhibited phosphorylation of ERK1/2 in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. Extracts prepared from Paeoniae Radix Rubra contain anti-inflammatory agents that inhibit the iNOS and MAPK pathways.