Taraxaci Herba has long been used in herbal medicine for their choleretic, anti-heumatic and diuretic properties. In the present study, we investigated the effects of origin plants of Taraxaci Herba, Taraxacum coreanum Nakai, as an anti-inflammatory agent in lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced microglial activation in BV2 cells. NNMBS273, the EtOH extracts of roots T. coreanum was examined for anti-neuronal inflammatory activity as new drug development. The roots of T. coreanum, showed the potent anti-neuroinflammatory effects on LPS-induced inflammation in microglial BV2 cells. The anti-inflammatory effects of NNMBS273, the EtOH extracts of roots T. coreanum was demonstrated by the suppression of pro-inflammatory mediators, including pro-inflammatory enzymes (inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2) and cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1β). These results suggest that the roots T. coreanum may be a promising candidate for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases related to neuroinflammation.

Glutamate-induced oxidative injury contributes to neuronal degeneration in many central nervous system (CNS) diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy and ischemia. Inducible heme oxygenase (HO)-1 acts against oxidants that are thought to play a role in the pathogenesis of these diseases. The EtOH extracts of Viola mandshurica (NNMBS274), Viola patrinii (NNMBS275) and Viola papilionacea Pursh (NNMBS276), origin plants of Violae Herba, showed the potent neuroprotective effects on glutamate-induced neurotoxicity. Among them, NNMBS275, the extract of V. patrinii possessed the protective effects against glutamate toxicity by inducing the expression of heme oxygenase (HO)-1 in the mouse hippocampal HT22 cells. These results suggest that extracts of V. patrinii could be the effective candidates for the treatment of ROS-related neurological diseases. Furthermore, it is suggested that the protective effects of V. patrinii extract due to inducing the expression of HO-1 as an antioxidant/cytoprotective target

With a view to investigating how Epimedium koreanum Nakai affects formation of melanin content in skin, we have measured change in the number of cell, melanin content, and tyrosinase activity by treating its aqueous extracts at various concentrations with B16 melanoma cells, the result of which is as follows: Firstly, cell viability has been shown as over 95% when treating with the aqueous extract of Epimedium koreanum Nakai up to 200 ug/mL, from which the effect of cell toxicology has not nearly appeared. Secondly, the number of cell has been slightly decreased than that of the control group when treating with the aqueous extract of Epimedium koreanum Nakai, which has not shown a statistical noteworthiness. Thirdly, the aqueous extract of Epimedium koreanum Nakai has increased in tyrosinase activity. Fourthly, the aqueous extract of Epimedium koreanum Nakai has promoted the formation of melanin content, its final product. According to the result, it is confirmed that Epimedium koreanum Nakai has the influence on promoting melanization of B16 melanoma cell, and it is considered that Epimedium koreanum Nakai can be applicable for curing vitiligo caused by decrease or loss of pigment through a systematic study.

In order to develope the method of quantitative determination of lipid hydroperoxide in human blood serum, we tried the ferrothiocyanate method to total lipids extracted by Bligh-Dyer method and obtained the results as follows. 1. The maximum absorbance showed at the concentration of Mohr's solution, 0.127M at pH 1.70 and ammonium thiocyanate solution, 3.95M in the ferrothiocyanate method. 2. When hydrogen peroxide, cumene hydroperoxide, and oxidized linoleic acid were added to serum, and extracted them by Bligh-Dyer method to examine the extraction efficiency, we confirmed that cumene hydroperoxide and oxidized linoleic acid were extracted in CHCI3 phase, and hydrogen peroxide in MeOH-H2O phase, respectively. 3. The concentration of lipid hydroperoxide of total lipids extracted from normal adult serum was 2.0×10-5M, and increased proportionally the concentration of lipid hydroperoxide by increasing the amount of serum. 4. When we compared the total lipids extracted by Bligh-Dyer method and total lipids extracted after lipoprotein is precipitated by Yagi method in human blood serum, the concentration of lipid hydroperoxide was showed nearly the same value. From our results, we concluded that the concentration of lipid hydroperoxide in human blood serum could be determined quantitatively by ferrothiocyanate method.